Destined for Dreams: Book One Read Online Free PDF Page B

throwing the talisman to her. She runs through and hangs it back in its hiding spot.
    My heart is pounding so hard, I can hear it in my ears, and Alyssa grins when we jog onto the green stretch of grass that leads back to our dormitory. I slow down and inhale through my nose to catch my breath and Alyssa squeezes my arm.
    “We’re in the clear,” she says.
    I smile and wag my eyebrows. “How close were we?”
    “Ms. Petrov,” a rich voice calls.
    I turn toward the voice and see Mr. Soto nearly running in our direction.
    “Ms. Petrov, I need a favor from you,” he says.
    I roll my eyes. For being nearly a hundred and twenty, the shaman has more energy than I do. Mr. Soto stops a few feet away from us. He shifts his weight between legs and avoids eye contact with me. I’ve always made him nervous.
    “What is it? Does the council need something?” I ask. I know the council has noticed my lack of participation in the last two weeks. It’s coming back to bite me now.
    “A young woman named Jacqueline Matthews will be moving here. She’s in the guest house now and needs a tour guide and someone to eat dinner with. Will you do it?”
    I glance at Alyssa. “Can you do it?”
    Mr. Soto puts his hands on his hips. “Ms. Petrov, if you’d stop being antisocial, maybe you’d fit in better.”
    “You’re right. I’ll try harder and I’ll be happy to show the new girl around.” I only say it because I know Mr. Soto will complain to my father about me not helping out more around the compound.
    He rubs his beard. “All right then. But please, Nadia, don’t scare her. You already make people nervous as it is.”
    Thanks a lot . “I’ll try my best not to.”
    Mr. Soto glances at his watch. “Yes, right, thank you. I’ll also need you to escort her to the meeting hall in the morning. Nine o’clock, sharp.” He turns and strolls away without another word and doesn’t give me a chance to complain. He’s always been short with me and it sucks because I haven’t done anything to him.
    I turn to Alyssa. “I guess I’ll meet you at the dining hall.”
    I watch her walk away and then I head toward the guest apartments to meet the new girl. For once, I hope I make a good impression, and actually add to my short list of friends. It’s better to meet someone here in person than let them find out what I am from one of the compound’s gossips.
    It’s silent when I enter the guest apartment building. The television is off and the place looks empty like always. All of the doors are open except for the first one and I stop in front of it.
    I knock. “Hello? I’m here to show you around when you’re ready. I’ll be out—”
    Hunger burns in my stomach and the hairs on my arms prickle. Jacqueline is asleep in her room and I can’t stop myself from quietly opening her door and gliding in.
    A girl with dark, curly hair and flawless bronze skin lies on top of the sky blue comforter with her hands clasped loosely on her chest. I pause in the doorway. She looks so familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it. I don’t let it stop me though.
    I shut the door and glide across the room. Jacqueline is deep in a dream and I can almost taste her fears even before I transport myself into her dream. My stomach flips as the air shifts and I fall into her mind.
    I’m in the middle of the city, but it’s nothing like what I saw today. This dream city is abandoned and haunted with remnants of what used to be human civilization. The windows on a nearby building are boarded up and police tape on the glass doors warns people to keep out. I run my fingers along the brick wall, setting it ablaze, and creep my way deeper into Jacqueline’s dream world.
     
     
    HUNTER
     
    I stare over the ledge of a roof of an abandoned building. I don’t really know what Jacqueline dreams about, but it’s easy enough to immerse myself in whatever world she imagines without actually having to talk or see her.
    The building shakes and the air shifts.