to her shoulders, and lack of bounce in her step.
He bumped his shoulder against hers. “Want to tell me what’s bothering you?”
She tightened her jacket as the wind kicked up.
He wrapped his arm around her, expecting her to stiffen. Instead, she snuggled into him and rested her head on his shoulder.
He was finally doing something right.
“Can I ask you something?” she said.
“Sure.” He didn’t point out that she was avoiding his question.
“How does your friend, the Dreamer, keep herself … ?” She sighed and started over. “How does she deal with all her visions?”
So that’s what’s bothering her
.
She was worried about her brother.
Joel tried not to dwell on Niella’s dwindling mental health. That was not the comforting information Melanie sought.
He stared out at the waves. “She writes stuff down. I think it helps her keep her Dreams and the real world separate. Acts like a barrier, I guess. If she writes them down right away, she can put them out of her mind and try to forget about them. They’re out of her head, you know?”
She moved off his shoulder. “It’s that simple for her?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know about simple, but I think it eases the burden. She has this notebook she carries around all the time.” Melanie’s body stiffened at the mention of a notebook, but he hesitantly continued. “I don’t know what she writes in it, I’ve never looked, but maybe it’s therapeutic and can help your brother.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Maybe. So there’s no … cure?”
It was the perfect opening for Joel to mention Mirror Mates. Did he dare?
He didn’t want to scare her off. Hell, he didn’t want to have to answer her if she asked him outright if they were Mirror Mates.
As they sat together watching the vast ocean, the waves crashing rhythmically into the sand, he came to a decision. He wouldn’t keep her in the dark any longer. She needed to learn about Mirror Mates eventually, and he wanted her to hear it from him first. If she met the guild then it would only be a matter of time until Cali or Sydney mentioned Melanie’s possible connection to Joel.
“There is one way,” he said.
Her head snapped around so fast he could all but feel the whiplash. “There is?”
Was that fear in her eyes?
“Niella will able to control her Dreams if and when she becomes full-forced.” He’d keep the conversation all about Niella. He’d let Melanie come to her own conclusions about them.
“Full-forced?”
He puffed out his chest. “It’s a term I came up with.” Felix would have his neck if he knew Joel was cutting him out of the credit. “It signifies when an individual with powers experiences an added boost to their ability and gains complete control over them.”
He waited for the next question.
“How does someone become ‘full-forced’?”
He kept his expression as neutral as possible, channeling his inner Jedi, while holding his breath at the same time. “They find and bond with their soul mate.”
He dropped his arm from around her as she nearly jumped out of her skin. “Soul mate?”
Think Jedi, think Jedi, think Jedi.
“Yes, Melanie, soul mates,” he said as calmly as possible. “Out there somewhere is a person’s other half, and when people like us find it, we experience this instant connection, this yearning inside that draws us together. And once those two people bond, each person’s powers are amplified—they become stronger and more controllable. Felix knew a Dreamer who could control what he saw and when. If the Dreamer can just withstand their journey leading up to that point, then they’re free.”
She’d scooted a few inches away from him on the lifeguard tower. Her hair flew around her head as she stared unseeing at the sand, eyes darting from side to side.
Shit. Had he overloaded her with too much information?
“Melanie?” he asked hesitantly. Should he reach out and touch her, or would that spook her?
“That’s
He bumped his shoulder against hers. “Want to tell me what’s bothering you?”
She tightened her jacket as the wind kicked up.
He wrapped his arm around her, expecting her to stiffen. Instead, she snuggled into him and rested her head on his shoulder.
He was finally doing something right.
“Can I ask you something?” she said.
“Sure.” He didn’t point out that she was avoiding his question.
“How does your friend, the Dreamer, keep herself … ?” She sighed and started over. “How does she deal with all her visions?”
So that’s what’s bothering her
.
She was worried about her brother.
Joel tried not to dwell on Niella’s dwindling mental health. That was not the comforting information Melanie sought.
He stared out at the waves. “She writes stuff down. I think it helps her keep her Dreams and the real world separate. Acts like a barrier, I guess. If she writes them down right away, she can put them out of her mind and try to forget about them. They’re out of her head, you know?”
She moved off his shoulder. “It’s that simple for her?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know about simple, but I think it eases the burden. She has this notebook she carries around all the time.” Melanie’s body stiffened at the mention of a notebook, but he hesitantly continued. “I don’t know what she writes in it, I’ve never looked, but maybe it’s therapeutic and can help your brother.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Maybe. So there’s no … cure?”
It was the perfect opening for Joel to mention Mirror Mates. Did he dare?
He didn’t want to scare her off. Hell, he didn’t want to have to answer her if she asked him outright if they were Mirror Mates.
As they sat together watching the vast ocean, the waves crashing rhythmically into the sand, he came to a decision. He wouldn’t keep her in the dark any longer. She needed to learn about Mirror Mates eventually, and he wanted her to hear it from him first. If she met the guild then it would only be a matter of time until Cali or Sydney mentioned Melanie’s possible connection to Joel.
“There is one way,” he said.
Her head snapped around so fast he could all but feel the whiplash. “There is?”
Was that fear in her eyes?
“Niella will able to control her Dreams if and when she becomes full-forced.” He’d keep the conversation all about Niella. He’d let Melanie come to her own conclusions about them.
“Full-forced?”
He puffed out his chest. “It’s a term I came up with.” Felix would have his neck if he knew Joel was cutting him out of the credit. “It signifies when an individual with powers experiences an added boost to their ability and gains complete control over them.”
He waited for the next question.
“How does someone become ‘full-forced’?”
He kept his expression as neutral as possible, channeling his inner Jedi, while holding his breath at the same time. “They find and bond with their soul mate.”
He dropped his arm from around her as she nearly jumped out of her skin. “Soul mate?”
Think Jedi, think Jedi, think Jedi.
“Yes, Melanie, soul mates,” he said as calmly as possible. “Out there somewhere is a person’s other half, and when people like us find it, we experience this instant connection, this yearning inside that draws us together. And once those two people bond, each person’s powers are amplified—they become stronger and more controllable. Felix knew a Dreamer who could control what he saw and when. If the Dreamer can just withstand their journey leading up to that point, then they’re free.”
She’d scooted a few inches away from him on the lifeguard tower. Her hair flew around her head as she stared unseeing at the sand, eyes darting from side to side.
Shit. Had he overloaded her with too much information?
“Melanie?” he asked hesitantly. Should he reach out and touch her, or would that spook her?
“That’s
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