Dreamchasers: The Gift of Visions

Sometimes the Beach Is Not a Good Idea

Juliet and I rode silently, side by side on two large horses. Captain Fynn rode in front, guiding us down a path through the White Forest. Two other knights rode behind us Taten and West were their names. Other than their names, I didn't know anything about them.

"I hope you know that you really hurt her," Juliet said.

I thought about her words as I studied my surroundings. When we first entered the forest, it brought back the memory of being chased by a Nightmare only a few days ago. As we rode through the thick woods, I was slowly able to relax a little bit. So far, there was no sight of the dark creatures.

"I didn't mean to hurt her," I said, honestly. "It just didn't feel right letting her come along."

"Well, what did you see in your vision?"

"I don't really know what I saw. It all happened so fast and it wasn't very clear. All this bad stuff happened when we were at the beach. I got this bad feeling inside, like maybe I shouldn't have brought her."

Juliet gave me a sideways glance. "Do you even know if it's a good idea for us to go?"

"Not exactly."

She sighed. "Chaz, you are such an idiot sometimes. Hopefully you don't get us killed. If Fynn wasn't here to protect us, then I probably wouldn't have come."

I looked ahead to Fynn and then back to her. "Why is that? There are plenty of other knights who could do a good job at protecting us."

"Never mind, it doesn't matter."

I grinned and asked quietly, "Do you have a thing for Captain Fynn?"

"Uh, gross. He's like thirty."

"So?"

"I am not having this conversation with you."

She nudged her horse and moved ahead of me. She probably didn't want to talk about it because it was true. Maybe he was the one who got her flowers.

We probably rode for thirty minutes before we broke through the forest and found ourselves staring at an endless expanse of water. Right past the forest clearing, the ground sloped downward and suddenly turned into a beach full of sand, as if the whole forest was cut out from a distant land and then plopped onto the beach. The gold sand stretched out for at least a hundred yards before it met the ocean.

"You two go enjoy the beach for as long as you like," Fynn said. "My men and I will guard the perimeter of the forest."

"Do you think we'll get attacked?" Juliet asked.

"Not on a day like this. But Nightmares tend to roam near the Portal, as Lord Chaz found out. It is better to be safe than sorry. You can leave your mounts here."

Juliet and I dismounted and started towards the ocean, sinking into the loose sand as we walked. The clothes I was wearing wouldn't normally be my first choice for a trip to the beach, but I didn't have many options. Did they even have bathing suits here? Or did they just swim in their underwear? I definitely had no plans to do anything like that.

As I walked next to Juliet, I realized that this was the moment I had seen in my dream. Only this time, it was Juliet walking next to me and Autumn was nowhere in sight. The thought of her getting left behind made me feel sad. I really did want her to be there.

"Be honest," Juliet said, breaking the silence. "Do you like her?"

"Who? Autumn?" I asked, surprised.

"Well, duh."

"No. I mean not really. I think she's a great friend and all, but I have someone I like back home."