1 | The Terrible Dreamer

Chapter 3

AIYA

The drive into Kansas City is always long and tense whenever my mother is present. Our car crawls at a snail pace, stuck in some evening traffic. Mother sits stiffly beside me, looking at her Rolex watch for the umpteenth time. "How much longer is this going to take?"

The driver slightly shakes, but tries to remain calm in a stormy situation. "It should be a few more minutes. Sorry, Mrs. Andreatte for the inconvenience."

"If this were an inconvenience, it would have been solved ten minutes ago." Mother's tartly voice cuts through any further communication with the driver.

"You act like he conjured the traffic himself. You don't need to be so mean to him," I say, absently roaming through my phone, hoping to appear blasé.

Mother purses her lips. "I suppose I can look past this transgression just this once." Her cold eyes land on my phone, taking in my Khaite black dress and every strand of hair that got loose from my last-minute bun. "Aiya, stop looking at your phone and fix your hair. We can't have ourselves looking less than. We'll be among our circle tonight."

"I thought we were attending some event at BioGENEtics," I say, continuing to swipe through my phone until she snatches it out of my hand.

Her nails dig into my wrist, any harder and she'd draw blood, though it wouldn't show with that crimson nail polish. I suppress an ache to withdraw, to show any emotions of fear or pain. I must be neutral. I must be numb. I must be confident when every fiber in my body is screaming to crawl away. If I show any weaknesses, she will only press harder. An Andreatte can't be seen as weak, especially in the presence of a feeble driver, as Mother would say.

When she's satisfied with my lack of response, she withdraws her claws and looks at my phone. Random apps I've installed cover the expanse of the screen, along with a selfie of me and Wish displayed as my background. "How is Wish doing? I've heard Liliana is pushing her to dreamwalk more. I hope she isn't pushing Wish too far."

She's not really concerned with Wish's safety. Mother only wants to protect our investments. Regardless of what she thinks, Wish is my best friend. She's the only friend I have, really, if we're being quite honest. "She's fine. Her mom is trying to give her more responsibility since we're graduating soon."

"I suppose I should also be giving you more responsibility, too." Mother forces me to turn so she can fix my hair herself. She takes out a brush from a hidden compartment by her door. She isn't gentle, her fingers are rough, tugging on the tangles like no other. "You've been attending these events and a few meetings with me since December. Maybe it's time for you to be taking on a couple of investments and managing their affairs. Will you be able to jungle both work and college?"

Making sure they stay in line and don't forget who's in control, she means. "It shouldn't be too much work for me since most of my research papers are finished. I only have end of the year exams," I say, clenching my jaw when she tugs on my hair a little too tightly. "Who do you have in mind?"

"I could give you Liliana Capri. I know you and Wish are close, but you must always remember to put aside those relationships when it's necessary. Wish is a lovely girl, but she is a dreamwalker. You are a... Andreatte. You will always be above her in rank and status."

"That may be so, but friendship is always important, too. I've gained her trust. She is loyal to me as a friend, and I know she will continue to be loyal after I take over the family."

"We shall see." Mother hands me a mirror and peers in it from behind. My straight black hair hangs loose over my back; a small twist pins the front layer back by sharp barrettes. Her eyes crinkle, smiling at her masterpiece. Not so much at me. "Much better and just in time. We've finally arrived." She looks at her Rolex once again. "With only a minute to spare."