She Smells the Dead by E.J. Stevens Read Free Book Online Page B

thumbtack hung it above my door. Similar to the gift shops on Main Street, the bell would jangle if anyone opened the door while I slept. Feeling satisfied that at least no one would be sneaking up on me, I crawled into bed.
    Sleep, however, wasn’t as easy as my new alarm system. Every time I closed my eyes I would picture Calvin leaning in to kiss me. I would force my eyes open and try to think about anything but Calvin, yet questions continued to spin around my head. Where had he gone ? What was he not ready for ? Why did he have to leave ?
    I must have finally fallen asleep because I was standing beneath a full moon on the drought stricken hilltop from my previous dream. You’re not in Kansas anymore Yuki . There was the silhouette of a man standing before me against the light of the moon and a huge silver wolf lay at my feet. Having the wolf with me made me feel safe, though I realized that this wasn’t very logical. He was larger than any dog I had ever seen. His silver fur reflected the moonlight and seemed to dance as a breeze rolled across the hilltop. This land seemed to emanate sadness and I remembered the man’s tears when he had appeared in my previous dream.
    “Spirit Walker,” said the man though his mouth didn’t appear to move. “Bringer of the dead. There is much to tell you and little time,” he said and his words echoed inside my head.
    I nodded and reached down to sink my hand into the wolf’s fur. I wasn’t sure what the man needed to say, but understood that our time was limited.
    “You must help the lost find their way. You must lead your people to the river of light. Too many walk the in-between worlds. Too many souls are lost,” the man said pausing to look at the wolf at my feet. My wolf .
    “Your path will not be an easy one. You have been granted a guardian and now both of your destinies are bound together. If you lose your way, listen for the howl of the wolf and in all things follow your heart,” the man said as he began to fade.
    “Wait! I don’t understand,” I yelled. The wind was rising creating a roaring dust cloud between us.
    The man reached out, placing his hand on my shoulder, his voice again in my head, “Keep your feet on the path of healing. Help the lost ones find their way. You must be the flame in the darkness.”
    Before the wind tore him from me I looked down at his arm. His bicep was ringed in a black tattoo of a wolf chasing a hawk. I realized as I drifted out of the dream that the hawk was also chasing the wolf. Then there were no thoughts at all.
     

Chapter 19
     
     
    After a long day of school filled with flitting images of wolves and lost souls, I was exhausted. I sat on the edge of my bed and grabbed an old notebook off my bookcase. It was already half used but there was plenty of room for a dream diary. I tore out the used pages and wrote Dream Diary across the cover. There that’s better . After this last dream, I had to replace my hair dye flyer with something larger. These new dreams were confusing and I was determined to figure out what they meant.
    The black and yellow butterfly in Grace Green’s garden had seemed like more than a coincidence and the man in last night’s dream talked about helping lost souls into the light. That’s what I’m doing right ?
    I dialed Cal’s number and it went to voicemail. Again . He still wasn’t answering or returning my calls. Fine, I would just go to him. I grabbed a black scarf and arm warmers and stuffed them into my bag. It was still warm out, but the evenings were starting to get chilly. I lifted my bag and with a shrug tossed the dream diary in too.
    Without a car I had to walk the three miles to Calvin’s house. I could have called Emma for a ride, but I needed time to think and the walk helped to clear my head. When I was about a block away I heard music blasting and as his house came into sight I could tell the garage door was wide open. As I got closer I could see Calvin lifting weights in the