Page 3

When was the last time I had smelled something in a dream?

I stopped at an open door and spotted two girls playing together in front of a dollhouse.

A soft smile spread across my lips.

The second girl had dark brown skin and a beautifully braided African hairstyle. She appeared to be the same age as her playmate.

Every now and then, the first girl turned to watch me. When I smiled, she smiled back.

“You've entered her consciousness.”

I flinched and turned my head.

The woman from my last dream...

She was back.

Instinctively, I stepped to the side, where the doorframe blocked me from going any further.

Goosebumps ran up my spine.

The old Latina who had scared me to death last time didn't seem to care, because she just smiled and looked at the children.

“I remember you. But I was so little that I didn't realize you were real.”

My gaze slid back to the girl who was looking at me, and suddenly, I recognized her deep, dark eyes. They were the same as the woman's.

In disbelief, I stared back and forth between the two of them.

“If I had known that our fates were so intertwined, I probably would have spoken to you,” the woman continued, turning to me, and then her expression became more serious. “But fate doesn't always work in our favor.”

She looked at the girls and a sad look came over her face.

I didn't dare ask and instead looked back at the children playing.

Just at that moment, the child who had been looking at me the whole time pointed at me.

“The girl there with the different colored eyes is so beautiful.”

Soft heat crept into my cheeks.

“There's no one there, Maria,” the other girl replied, looking slightly past me as if she couldn’t see me before turning to her friend with raised brows.

My breath caught in my throat when I saw her face. The blood froze in my veins.

Her little snub nose and chocolate brown eyes...

The newspaper articles we had gone through before the winter ball...

She was a girl from one of the missing person reports.

Swept

Jay Varton

I shot up, breathing heavily and completely disturbed.

“What the...” I groaned, still feeling goose bumps.