After drying off, I wrapped the sleeping bag around me. While I was letting my clothes dry, I started to make mental connections with the younglings. They were thrilled whenever I spoke into their minds, telling me I was like a human Galadria with the mental speak. I taught them basic human things about our world, and they peppered me with questions, most of them something a human child would ask—what does cotton candy taste like? Do human children get in trouble for acting out? Things likethat.
Now it was late afternoon, my stomach was eating itself, and I was dying for a drink ofwater.
I hadn’t checked in with Damien since that morning, but thought it might be a good time to see if he knew where my bodywas.
Walking back through sky home to my den, I sat down quietly, and took three deep breaths. When I let my awareness span out, I felt for him. Once I sensed his consciousness, I sent out athought.
‘Hey.’
I could feel panicked spikes of energy. ‘Kit!’
‘I’m still okay. Did you find my body?’Hours had passed. Surely one of them had made it to Vancouver by now, and told him I was sleeping peacefullythere.
He was quiet, and I knew it wasn’tgood.
‘Jer and Josephine landed near Vancouver.’He finally spoke.‘They got back to the house and calledme.’
I didn’t have the balls to ask him, knowing it was bad by hishesitation.
‘Kit, your body isn’t there. It’smissing.’
And reality came crashing down. I was quiet for a fullminute.
‘Have you talked to Ronnie?’I askedhim.
‘Yes, she thinks if your Earthside body isn’t getting fluids, you could die. She also thinks your Dream Wars body needs to stay hydrated. Basically, you need to wake up as soon aspossible.’
I sighed.‘Yeah, I got that. Okay. Let me… figure it out.’ I could be lying in a cave in Australia for all I knew. That breeder bitch had done this tome.
‘I miss you, Kit. We’ll figure this out.’His voice was tender, and I ached to just be back withhim.
‘I miss you too. I gotta go,’I told him and pulled away. I couldn’t allow myself to get emotional right then, not when I was in fight or flightmode.
‘Dawn?’I contacted myfriend.
‘Dawn is coming to see Kit,’she saidcheerily.
Relief washed through me.‘Good, we need to find Kit water. Andfood.’
Dawn was silent a moment.‘I know where humans keep the clear blue,’she saidfinally.
I brightened. ‘Okay, take methere.’
Dawn’s energy bristled. ‘It’sdangerous.’
I tried not to get frustrated with her. She was just trying to help. ‘Kit needs the clear blue or she willdie.’
Her response was immediate. ‘Dawn will takeKit.’
Panic started to creep into the edges of my mind.Where the freaking hell is my body? Did the breeder drop it into the ocean? And now I’m dead, and only exist here? Is that even possible?My hands went numb and I realized I washyperventilating.
Calm down. Breathe.Master Aki would tell me to live in the now, and right now my only problem was thirst. I didn’t need to worry about things that hadn’t happened yet, or were out of mycontrol.
Breathe.
The sound of crunching gravel had me looking up. Dawn was there, waiting forme.
‘Is Kit dying?’ Dawn asked mesuddenly.
