Free Book of Dreams by Traci Harding

now.
    Blue merely shrugged, indifferent to the question. ‘Why ask me … you’re the one who thinks he knows everything.’
    Kyle was really sick of having every smart aleck thing he’d ever said or done come back to haunt him. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be helping me?’
    ‘Not if I don’t wanna,’ Blue enlightened him. ‘We elementals don’t have to be disposed towards you, but if I wasn’t, you’d dehydrate, mate. Or I could drown you in your own bodily fluids,’ he suggested, winningly. ‘So, I wouldn’t go givin’ me too much cheek. I’ve helped you plenty already.’
    ‘I really appreciate that, Blue.’ Kyle attempted to be humble, anxious to know more about his father, but a more urgent concern sprang to mind. ‘Matt!’ he exclaimed in a mad panic. ‘He’s been shot!’
    ‘No, no, no. He hasn’t,’ Blue insisted, to prevent the lad rushing off. ‘That instance is in the future of your reality.’
    ‘Then I must get back to my reality and prevent it.’ Kyle raised himself and went marching off down the beach.
    Do you think movement has anything to do with travel in and out of this realm? There is only one way back for you, Kyle, Book finally broke his silence to inform his charge, and that is through me … you promised to finish reading.
    Kyle stopped dead in his tracks, realising he had no idea where he was going or how to get back to Matt in the physical world. ‘If you were the only way back to reality, Book, then why did you feel the need to make me promise to keep reading?’ He did an about-face, and found Zoe’s spirit walking forward to meet him. Recalling what he’d learnt of her during his ’ray dreaming, he really did feel he’d had his head buried in the sand in regard to this girl. ‘Aw, Zoe, I was so completely wrong about you. I’m sorry I got you in trouble and I’m sorry that —’
    Her fingers pressing against his lips silenced his apology. ‘It doesn’t matter now.’
    She leant forward to kiss him and Kyle found himself spellbound by her lovely gaze. His eyes closed as their lips met.
    After a few moments, when nothing had happened, Kyle opened his eyes to find Zoe had vanished. ‘Where did she go?’
    Kyron, Blue and Book were all laughing, and after a moment of disappointment and annoyance, Kyle cracked a wry smile to concede that Blue’s prediction about romance seemed to be right on track.
    ‘She was just dreaming,’ Blue informed his deflated charge, ‘and now she’s waking up.’ The undine sniggered, making a mockery of Kyle’s prior claims about the girl. ‘I can see that you don’t like her at all! Yes, it’s plain to see she’s nothing to you.’
    Kyle could feel his cheeks flushing. ‘So, she’s cooler than I thought,’ he admitted.
    There’s no need to be embarrassed. Everyone falls in love —
    ‘Steady on there, Book, let’s not get too excited. I don’t even know what lo — … that word, means!’ he stated in his own defence, most uncomfortable with the suggestion.
    Blue smiled now. ‘You cannot hide anything from us,’ he reminded Kyle.
    Was love the uncomfortable feeling in his gut that was twisting it in knots every time Zoe was around, or even mentioned? Was that why he was so intrigued by this girl and so jealous of how chummy Matt was with her? As Kyle thought, he dug both of his hands deep into his jacket pockets and finding the crystal ball in one of them, he retrieved it to look within.
    Kyle saw a vision of Zoe asleep in her bed and the discomfort he was feeling intensified. ‘She is certainly all that dreams are made of.’ Kyle felt himself drawn to her, wanting to know her better.
    ‘Bye bye,’ bid Blue, ‘sucker!’
    The vision in the crystal ball bled through to the astral beach, obscuring Kyle’s sight as his being shifted location.
     
     
    When the particles of his reality stabilised and hardened into physical form, Kyle found himself gazing down at Zoe when she woke from their dream.
    She was wearing