Part 30 (1/2)

At first I dismissed the thought-Kathryn had said and done many cruel things to me, but she'd never struck me or injured me. But as her straining persisted, I realized that she was.

And then it hit me: she was trying to break my leg. My own mother was carrying out the very threat that monster, Zeke, had alluded to in the field. She was trying to break the leg of her wayward lamb so that I couldn't run away!

I was in a deep sleep, so I couldn't react at all, much less try to stop her. I could only lie there and let her do whatever she liked as great waves of anguish and revulsion rolled through me.

What exactly happened after that is a little dim. Outrage blinded me. All I knew was that the pain s.h.i.+fted from my knee to my ankle, then shot up my leg before she finally let go and left me alone in my room.

She might have broken my ankle, I wasn't sure. But it hardly mattered any more. In fact, a part of me was glad that she'd finally shown her truest offensive nature-it only validated and further justified my hatred of her.

Whereas before I might have had a sliver of doubt about my rights, and a tinge of guilt over my rebellion, I was now unequivocally certain that I would run and I wouldn't stop running until I got away from Kathryn and Zeke forever. I would go straight to the police and send them right to prison where they both belonged.

This was what I was thinking as I drifted in a sea of darkness for what felt like many hours, because a part of me was aware the whole time. I distantly wondered if it was the drugs that made it all so strange. Or maybe my own fear was keeping me half aware-she might come back.

But she didn't. I lay on my back for a very long time without dreaming or forming coherent thoughts. Swimming in bitterness.

No . . . not swimming. Floating. Yes, I was floating on a black sea.

Gradually, much later, I thought to myself: This isn't a black sea. It's the lake. And I'm not on my bed, I'm lying at the bottom of a small boat.

I jerked up, heart lodged in my throat. Spun my head. The calm, dark lake water stretched out to the distant sh.o.r.e in all directions. I was dreaming that dream again. The water walker dream.

But it felt so real, you see?

The lake was still and deathly silent, and waves of panic washed over me, as threatening as any storm. I was stranded in a boat without oars. There was no one to help me! The water was pitch black. A storm could come up and drown me!

The moment I had the thought, the wind began to blow and immediately the boat started to roll with the rising waves.

I scrambled to my knees and grabbed onto the side of the boat to steady myself. I still knew that I was in a dream, but the wood under my palm and the wind on my face felt so real that I was tempted to think I really was stranded in a storm. And as soon as I had that thought, I was.

It was actually happening! I really was going to drown.

Oh no! No, no, no!

”Eden . . .”

The familiar voice reached me from far away over the pitching waves and I twisted toward the distant sh.o.r.e. I could just see him when the boat rose up on a wave, then lost sight when it dropped back down.

It was him. It was the Outlaw!

”Walk to me, Eden . . .”

Then he vanished behind a wave as the boat dropped. The wooden hull smacked the water and shuddered.

It was getting worse!

”Eden . . .” Outlaw's distant call was whipped by the wind. ”Step out of the boat and walk to me . . .”

”I can't!” I screamed.

”Walk to me, Eden . . .”

”I can't!”

The boat was bucking in waves so high now that I knew one was going to crash into the boat and crush me under its weight. And I now was certain that I was no longer dreaming. It was real! I really was going to die.

”Eden . . .”

Panic overrode my thoughts as a ma.s.sive wave lifted the boat high into the air.

”Step out of the boat and . . .”

But his 'walk to me' was lost as the boat crashed back down into the water with enough force to rip my grip free and send me sprawling.

I began to scream. Then was pitched forward and smashed my head on the boat's side.

”Help me!” I was out of breath and sucked at the night air, but spray slapped my face and stopped my breathing short.

”Help!”

The wind suddenly stilled and the lake calmed. I was breathing hard, steadying myself with both hands outstretched, sure that another wave would come.

Instead, the boat's rolling slowed to a gentle rocking.

I got my knees under me and pushed myself up so that I could see the water. The lake was flat again, and I immediately saw why.

Outlaw was walking toward me. On top of the water. Moving with even strides in boots that kept him afloat.

But no . . . No, he wasn't wearing boots. His feet were bare, splas.h.i.+ng with each step.

Slap . . . Slap . . . Slap . . .

I was too astonished to move. All the while, he kept his gentle eyes on me.

Slap . . . Slap . . . Slap . . .

He'd stilled the water. Only then did I think, Oh yeah . . . this is a dream. You can do things like that in dreams. So I stood up and watched him all the way, amazed by just how real my dream looked. Only the fact that he was walking on water reminded me that it wasn't real.

Or was it?

He stopped ten feet from the boat and stared at me. Flashed a smile.

”h.e.l.lo, Eden.”

I wasn't sure what to say.

”I see you're stuck again.”

I looked at his feet and saw that the water only came up half way to the top of them.

”Is this real?”