Dreamrider Read Online Free PDF Page B

soil around me and growing things, thick roots seeking water and life. Then I was travelling up, across streets, ignoring hundreds of intersections I knew weren’t right. No map needed. Pinpricks of light rushed towards me. I streamed through the receiver. The smoke that was my body drifted and solidified. I smiled at Leah.
    â€˜Just thought I’d drop in,’ I said.
    She didn’t seem surprised. I must have wanted it that way, though I wasn’t aware of making it so. She tilted her head.
    â€˜You mentioned something about flying?’ she said.
    â€˜Sure,’ I said, taking her by the hand. ‘Seat belts on and turn off all electronic appliances. We have clearance.’
    I liked the way her hair curled under her chin. I liked the pyjamas she was wearing – silly kids’ sleepwear with bright embroidered teddy bears. She smelt freshly showered and her skin glowed. And her eyes. I felt I could fall into those eyes and never hit bottom.
    â€˜Will you give me an explanation, Captain?’ she said.
    â€˜Compliments of the airline,’ I said, as we lifted off the ground.
    It was a good flight. I didn’t try any fancy stuff, like diving towards the ground and stopping millimetres from impact, or flying into an electrical storm, riding the lightning. We just drifted, circling above the city. A full moon, impossibly large, bathed us in light. Stars sprinkled the sky, millions upon millions of points. We rode the breeze like birds, cushioned the air, floated as if in a pool. Our arms stretched out around us and we watched the blaze of other worlds. Leah’s hand was in mine. She wasn’t holding on too tight. In fact, sometimes she let her hand slip a little, so we were connected only by the slightest brushing of fingertips. All was calm.
    We flew over the coast and swooped over the boats moored in the bay. It might have been minutes, or hours. Eventually, we spiralled down towards the school. It seemed as good a place as any to sit and talk. The security lights dotted around the outside walkway softened the harsh angles of the buildings.
    We landed on top of the science block, an expanse of dark asphalt bordered by a low wall no more than a metre in height.
    Leah and I sat on the edge, our feet dangling over the drop. For a few minutes we studied the city in silence. Lights sparkled in the distance and we could see the darkness where sea met land. It was quiet. A slight breeze brought the taste of salt and petrol. Leah sighed.
    â€˜Incredible,’ she said.
    â€˜It is,’ I replied. ‘And you know the best part? This is just the beginning. All your dreams laid out before you. No limits, unless there are limits on the imagination. It’s a miracle.’
    Leah reached out and took my hand.
    â€˜You promised an explanation,’ she said.
    If I’d thought about it too much, I would have laughed. Locked in my own head, explaining to myself. Then again, I’d spent most of my life doing just that.
    â€˜Have you heard of lucid dreaming?’ I said.
    Leah frowned. ‘I know what “lucid” means,’ she said. ‘It means clear or well-spoken. I’ve no idea what it has to do with dreaming.’
    â€˜Clear dreaming. Controlled dreaming. That’s what it’s about. Knowing you are in a dream and being able to shape it.’
    â€˜I don’t understand.’
    I swung my right leg over and straddled the wall, facing her.
    â€˜Most people dream, but don’t remember much afterwards. Maybe the vivid ones, and the nightmares, stay with you for a while. But it’s like a tendril of smoke. You wake and the dreams fade. In moments, the details are gone, diluted by the rush of the real world. A drop of brilliant colour in a colourless sea. Swallowed. Gone.’
    Leah nodded.
    â€˜I’m not like that,’ I continued. ‘I remember my dreams. Every detail. But more than that. I know when I’m in a dream. Have you