Dreamwalkers by Leslie Rush

Author:Leslie Rush
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Champagne Book Group
Published: 2020-10-20T00:00:00+00:00

Suicide.

Numb, I head back to my room, clutching the useless Stargate papers, trying to shake that terrible word out of my head. The bathroom door is open, and steamy vapors of soap and organic toothpaste curl through the hallway into Brian’s room. He sits cross-legged on his bed in Spider-Man pajama bottoms, tapping his iPad.

“Hey, V.” He looks up. “Check this out.” The remote speaker on his desk comes to life, and what sounds like Shostakovich rolls across the room.

“Symphony number seven. Hamlet likes it.” A hairy shadow shifts slightly in the Space Camp condo. Oh, lovely. Hamlet, the Dancing Space Spider.

“Do spiders even have ears?” I sit on the edge of the bed. For a millisecond, I feel Lucas right next to me, and my heart flickers on the spot of our first kiss.

“He can feel the vibrations.” Brian reaches over and turns the volume down, peering at me. “Are you okay? You’ve been acting weird all day.”

“I’m good,” I lie, leaning back on my elbows. “I hear you stomped Jackson Connor at dominoes.”

He yawns. “He made a bunch of stupid moves at the beginning, so I took him to school.”

“Good. That’s what he gets for underestimating you.” Curiosity strikes. “What do you think of him?”

“He’s okay, I guess. He knew what all my models are, which is kind of cool.” The spaceship models nod in breezy agreement from the ceiling. “He didn’t like Hamlet, though.” He grins. “He wouldn’t even look in through the holes.”

“Hmmph,” is all I have to say about Jackson Connor’s nonexistent coolness. “I think he tries too hard.”

Brian scratches a mosquito bite on his leg, considering. “Well, that could be useful.”

“Useful?” I look at him sharply. Una said the same thing not an hour ago. “Like how?”

“He could keep bringing us tacos from Del Fuego.”

“True… Hey, Bri?”

“Hey, Viv?” He mimics me perfectly, which normally would earn him a punch in the arm, but a fierce wave of big sister tenderness rolls over me. I can’t help it. He sits there in clean pajamas, the grubbiness of being nine all scrubbed away. So smart, and so vulnerable. Baby Brian. I will kill anyone who tries to hurt him. I don’t know how, but they will be deader than dead.

“Be careful, okay? You—you know, going back and forth to Space Camp, walking out in the desert like today,” I stammer awkwardly.

He collapses back on the pillow, eyes rolling, letting out a deep, dramatic sigh. “Oh-kaa-ay. Mom already told me. What’s with you guys? Is there some serial killer on the loose?”

“Not that I know of. Just—you know, be aware.”

He raises his right hand, staring at the ceiling, and chants, “I solemnly swear, I will be aware.”

“All right, then… oh! There’s Macaroonies.” He knows where and nods.

“Night, B.”

“Night, V.”

A few minutes later, I step into the shower, hoping the foamy coconut body wash and the steady downpour of water will somehow squash the spiral of confusion coiling up around me. The weight of the day, and the

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