Chapter 28: Hannah's Dreams

Hannah hung up the phone. Ryan had arrived safely at home, and had not only called Eli and Oskar, but had emailed them too.

“He emailed me too, Hannah. I just answered him,” Jason confirmed.

She breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she had wanted was for their Good Samaritan to pay a price for his kindness. But now he was safe at home, far away from anyone who could harm him. “Jason, I’m so glad he’s safe! I know you really like him.”

He grinned at her. “Yeah, he’s a stand-up guy, Hannah. I’m hoping he’ll be able to come visit us on the island next summer, if he’s interested.”

“Are you kidding?! After Eli and Oskar told him about the caves, you wouldn’t be able to stop him. But I’m not sure Jonathan wants him to know where the island is, Jason. He says it may be too soon to risk letting outsiders in. And Ryan’s parents would certainly want to know where he was going.”

“Well, then. I’d better get started on convincing him.”

“Jason, you’ll be late if we don’t get moving!” Livia called up the stairs.

“Gotta go, H.B.” he grinned at her, and ducked out of the way as she swung at him. “Football is calling.” He pinned her arms to her sides and gave her a big hug, then disappeared down the stairs. “See ya later, Hannah Bananah.”

She grinned in spite of herself, then went back into her room and began cleaning and putting things away, a job she normally hated, but the mindlessness of it all was comforting to her right now. She was really tired. She and Eli had stayed up most of the night talking, even outlasting Oskar, who had finally given up and fallen asleep sprawled across the bed in his bucking bronco pajamas. They had become a running joke by this time and always got a response from both of them.

After she finished cleaning the cages and feeding and watering the fauna, she decided she’d lie down for a while. Mom and Jason wouldn’t get home for another couple of hours, and Dad was still working Saturdays with Jonathan, so no one would bother her, and she was so very tired…

She twirled around and around, arms outstretched. Eli laughed and clapped her hands. “Show me, Hannah! Show me your wings!” Hannah spun faster and faster, thinking wonderful fairy thoughts, until her skin turned opally-white, her fairy ears became pointy and elfish, and two tiny, delicate gossamer buds grew from her shoulder blades, opened like flowers, and unfurled into beautiful gossamer wings, which trembled and shuddered like the wings of a newly-emerged butterfly, then gradually grew and firmed up until their tips gently touched the ceiling. Eli stepped back and gasped, “Hannah they’re absolutely beautiful! They’re the most amazing wings I’ve ever seen!”

Hannah smiled at her, stepped up on her windowsill, and with her heart filled with joy, fell gently out the window, light as a feather, and let the wind carry her up and away from the house. She glanced back and saw the house and Eli’s smiling face recede into the distance as she flew up toward the sun.

Her wings sparkled and shimmered, making tiny rainbows in the sky as she dove and darted back and forth aimlessly, feeling the warm air and sunlight on her skin. She imagined trails of fairy dust were following behind her in tight spirals, like the glittering tail of a comet. Finally, after making several rounds of the neighborhood, laughing gleefully as she successfully avoided being seen by a single soul by dropping quickly behind a chimney or losing herself in the thick foliage of a neighborhood tree, she fluttered down over the perfectly-manicured rose garden next to Old Finchliean’s. After making sure no one was about, she mischievously snatched a perfect rose from a rose tree and fled guiltily across the field, hesitating for a moment over the huge old oak where her first great adventure with Eli had begun; then flew back to her open window where Eli was waiting for her, a big grin on her face. Exhausted but exhilarated, she fell back on her bed, wings outstretched behind her shimmering across her pillows and hanging gracefully off the edge of her bed, and fell quietly asleep, clutching the magnificent rose to her chest with both hands.

“Hannah! For God’s sake, put your clothes on and get your bum downstairs! It’s time for dinner! Have you been asleep all afternoon?” Jason grinned at her from the open doorway, reminded himself that she wasn’t a little girl any more, and quickly closed his eyes and turned around. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to…” he recovered quickly. “And where’d you get the rose? Have you got a secret admirer I don’t know about?”

Hannah sat up quickly, dropped the rose in her lap, blushed, then grabbed her shirt off the floor and pulled it on over her head. “Sorry,” she mumbled, hastily tucking it into her shorts. “I’ll be right down. What time is it anyway?” She stared at the rose, uncomprehendingly.

“Almost 6:30. Boy, you must have really been tired, Hannah. Are you feeling okay? You’re not sick or anything are you?”

She grimaced as the muscles in her back cramped up. “Jason, I had a really strange dream. I…” her voice trailed off. “I’ll be right down. Thanks for waking me up.” She looked at the rose again. “Jason? You didn’t put this here?”

“Not me!! I wouldn’t waste such a beautiful rose on my sister!” He ducked as Einstein’s ball whizzed past his head, caromed off the wall and bounced down the stairs, Einstein in hot pursuit. Jason winked at her and followed quickly behind him.

Hannah went over to the open window and stared at the house next door for a moment, knowing with a deep certainty that one of Einstein’s old leather bones was sitting on their roof, lodged next to the chimney right where she had seen it in her dream. She sighed, closed the window, and headed down the stairs. She hadn’t noticed her bare footprint plainly visible on the window sill.

§

Hannah gave Oskar a big hug, put her backpack in the back seat, and slid in next to Elaine. “Have fun, Oskar. I hope you and dad have a great time with the robot. Is Jason going too?”

“Yeah, he is. And it’ll be great. Jonathan will be there too, of course, but your dad doesn’t talk down to me. And you have fun with Eli. Since I won’t be there, you two can talk about me all night if you want to.”

“Believe me, we have much more interesting things to talk about…like my fairy wings. I’ve decided that mine are going to be gossamer white so you can tell us apart, Oskar.”

He laughed. “I can tell you apart anyway, Hannah.” Like this. You can hide, but I’ll always know who and where you are now, he gloated. You’re just an ordinary fairy, like it or not…

Suddenly, she was gone. But he was still looking right at her. Hannah? “Hannah?! How’d you do that?”

She flashed him an elfish grin as Elaine pulled away from the curb. That’s for me to know, Oskar, “and for you to find out.” And she was gone again.

He watched her, mouth open, until Mom’s car disappeared around the corner. Mom? Is Hannah okay? How’s she doing that?

He could feel the amused smile on her face. I have absolutely no idea, Oskar. He could see the triumphant grin on Hannah’s face through Mom’s eyes.

Bye, Oskar. And once again, she disappeared.

“Hannah, you’re full of surprises.” Elaine took her hand. Can you do that even now?

I don’t think so, Mrs. Dawson. But I wouldn’t do it to you anyway. It would be…disrespectful. Like turning my back on you, or refusing to answer a question.

Elaine smiled at her. “Hannah, sometimes you are so totally disarming, it takes my breath away.” She put her arm around her. “But you know Dr. Dawson. He’s going to have you in the lab over this; there’s no avoiding it you know.”

“I know, Mrs. Dawson. Eli told me about the card-guessing games he had Oskar and her play with each other in Karlstad.”

“And of course, Jack will want to be involved.” She winked at her.

“I know that too, Mrs. Dawson.” Her eyes twinkled.

§

Hannah sat down next to Eli on her bed. “Are you going to be okay without Oskar, Eli?”

“Of course, Hannah. I don’t have to sleep with Oskar every night. I just like to. There’s a difference. Besides, you’ve always been my second choice, even if you’re not as warm.” She grinned at her. “Well, this will be a first. Oskar’s spending the night with Jason, and you’re spending the night with me!”

“But Oskar’s not sleeping with Jason, Eli. He’s sleeping in my bed. Boys are funny that way; they feel uncomfortable sleeping in the same bed with another boy once they get older. Why do you suppose that is?”

Eli giggled. “I have absolutely no idea, Hannah. They’re funny in other ways too. It’s okay for girls to wear boys’ clothes, but boys will never wear girls’ clothes.”

“You’re right, Eli. Even if they look the same! Once Jason accidently put on one of my shirts, but as soon as he realized the buttons were on the wrong side, he took it off so fast! It was as though it had cooties or something.” They both laughed.

“But Oskar doesn’t mind wearing those silly bucking bronco pajamas, Hannah. Why is that?”

“Because they’re still boy’s clothes, Eli, and he always gets a reaction from us. But try to get him to wear your fairy pajamas! It’ll never happen.”

“I’ll bet I could get him to wear them, Hannah.”

“Willingly? Without complaining?”

“Yep!”

“It’s a bet!” They shook hands on it.

“The night is young! What should we do?” Hannah spun around, arms outstretched. “I know! Grow your wings for me, Eli. I want to see them again! Please?!” She still hadn’t told Eli about her dream, and felt guilty that it was so easy for her to keep it from her. All-in-all, she wasn’t sure she liked this new-found ability of hers.

“Okay, Hannah.” She took off her shirt, put her arms at her sides and grew her wings for her. She made them especially large, like the night she carried her to Hyde Park, then raised her arms over her head, displaying them at their very best.

Hannah walked around her, examining them carefully, running her fingers over them. “They’re so soft and velvety, Eli. And so black! I guess that’s an evolutionary plus isn’t it? I mean it allows vampires to stalk their prey at night better, huh?”

“And more importantly, they don’t show dirt.” Eli grinned at her.

“How about the claws and talons?” Hannah teased. “I haven’t seen those yet.”

Eli kicked off her shoes, flexed her toes and fingers, and grew a magnificent set of talons and beautifully clawed hands.

Hannah stepped back quickly. “Wow! You look downright dangerous, Eli.” She grinned at her mischievously. “Can you make the claws some color other than black? Like pink or red maybe? You’d look even more dangerous if they were red.”

Eli concentrated a minute, but the best she could do was a kind of dirty gray. “I’ll talk to Mama. Maybe she has some ideas. After all, she makes tools out of her claws.”

“Well, you could save a fortune on nail polish if you could color your own nails.”

“I think nail polish is stupid…no offense, Hannah.”

“Well…it was just an idea. How about your wings? Can you make them white? For flying in the day?”

“I don’t know, Hannah. I doubt it, though. White wings on a vampire wouldn’t be of much use would they?”

“But you’re not a vampire, Eli. You’re a fairy, remember?”

“If you say so, Hannah.” She retracted her wings, claws and fangs, grabbed her towel and headed for the bathroom. “I’m taking my shower now, Hannah. Can you entertain yourself for a few minutes?”

“You think I need you to have fun? I have my superior imagination to keep me occupied.” She grinned at her.

As soon as she heard the shower running, Hannah took off her own shirt and stood in front of the full length mirror on the back of the door. She put her hands at her sides, and slowly raised them, and imagined her own set of pure white, velvety wings. For now at least, the wings from her dream were off-limits. Wings were not supposed to grow out of her back, as much as she wished they could. She had to be at least a bit realistic about this. She turned around slowly, remembering the times before she met Eli when she had so loved fairies that she would stand in front of her mirror at home and imagine herself with fairy wings, and pointed ears, and antennae coming out of the top of her head, just like in the books of fairies her mom had gotten her when she was eight. It won’t be long now, she thought to herself. I’m only a half-liter of Ejuice away from my dream. She closed her eyes, and spun around and around…

Even in the shower, Eli could hear Hannah laughing. But when it didn’t stop, her curiosity got the better of her. She quickly rinsed off, grabbed her towel, and rushed into her room.

“Eli! Look! We’re not twins anymore!” She started laughing again and spun around slowly so Eli could get an even better look.

Eli gasped. Except for having no wings at all, Hannah looked exactly like the Archaeogenetics fairy logo -- complete with the most beautiful set of pointed ears she had ever seen.

“It wasn’t a dream! Oh, Eli! It wasn’t a dream after all! Can you see them too? Pinch me so I know I’m not dreaming now!”

Eli reached up and gently touched Hannah’s ear. “How do you do that, Hannah? I can’t do it at all. I wouldn’t even know how to begin.”

“Maybe it’s like wiggling your ears, Eli. Some people can do it, and some simply can’t, no matter how hard they try. I’ve always been able to wiggle my ears.” Which she proceeded to do, to Eli’s delight.

“Your ears are absolutely adorable, Hannah! But, if you can do that, what else can you do? Can you grow wings? Hannah, can you grow wings?” Hannah took her hand gently and looked into her eyes. Suddenly, Eli saw Hannah’s dream flight, complete in every detail, including the rose.

“Is it real Hannah?! Did it really happen?”

Hannah pulled a slightly disheveled rose out of her backpack and handed it to her. Eli took the rose and without saying a word, laid it next to her picture of Gudmund and his wife on their wedding day. This is for you, dear Gudmund. I know this is something you’ve done. I absolutely know it!

“Do you really think so Eli?

“Yes, Hannah. I really do.” She looked at Hannah, startled, as the realization sunk in. Hannah had heard her as easily as Oskar could. “Hannah, you can hear me again, like Oskar. Can you hear me now, Hannah? My Hannah with the pixie ears?

Hannah smiled at her. “I can, Eli! And without touching.” She looked down at her feet for a moment. “Your mom and dad are in the kitchen. They’re talking about Jonathan, and how they’re not sure they can trust him…” she turned red. “I…I’m sorry Eli. I promise I won’t do that again. It’s not right for me to listen to them like that.” She grinned and closed her eyes. “But Oskar and Jason are different…” She shook her head. “Boring!! They’re talking about Riven again…and a girl Jason likes at school.”

“What about Jack, Hannah. Can you hear Jack?”

“I’d never do that to Jack, Eli. Absolutely never!” She caught a fleeting glimpse of Jack’s computer screen and a cup of tea sitting on a badly-stained corner of his desk, the only spot not heaped with books and papers, but turned it off quickly and decisively.

“But Hannah, can you grow wings? Without the Ejuice?” Eli asked again, softly.

“I don’t know, Eli. It appears as though I did in my dream, but out of my back? It’s not possible – is it?” But she remembered how sore the muscles in her back had been after Jason woke her up. “How do I do it, Eli? You helped Oskar the first time. Help me now.” She felt light-headed just thinking about it. If she could do this without Ejuice, what would it mean?

“Put your arms at your sides, Hannah. Then imagine that the skin on your arms and the skin on your sides are connected. Then clench your fists tightly, and slowly raise your arms.”

Hannah put her hands at her sides, closed her eyes, clenched her fists and slowly raised her arms. Nothing.

“It’s not working, Eli!” she was totally exasperated. Why can’t I do this?!

“Maybe you do need the Ejuice, Hannah. After all, everyone else does. Maybe your dream was just a dream. Maybe Jason put the rose there as a joke.”

“I dreamed the rose, Eli. How could Jason have known that?” she paced back and forth.

Eli grinned. “I know Hannah! We need Pixie Dust.” She grabbed a tube of glitter out of her paint box and poured some in her hand. “This is serious, Hannah. I’m not kidding. Now spin around slowly,” she said in a low voice, suppressing a smile.

Hannah grinned at her, closed her eyes and spun slowly around and around, arms out. Eli took careful aim, then tossed the glitter in the air over Hannah’s head, where it seemed to hang motionless for a moment, then cascaded down around her, sparkling and glittering, just as it should.

Hannah thought about her dream, and how happy she had been when she stepped up on the sill unafraid, and looked up toward the sun…

§

Ryan had already seated himself at an outside table by the window at the William Jameson when he saw the bus pull up down by John St. He recognized Janice as soon as she stepped off the bus.

The two of them had gotten on famously since the trip home. She had called him before noon, he had called her the same evening and today they were finally out together –for an evening at the museum and Winter Gardens, and afterwards, a film; a special viewing of a restored version of Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens, a film they had discovered, that both of them liked.

He stood up and waved. She spotted him, waved back and hurried over to his table. “Hi Ryan! What have you got for me?”

He grinned at her, laid a large envelope on the table and pulled out his finished drawing. “What do you think?”

“Ryan, it’s fabulous!” She looked at it carefully. “Those wings are amazing! And the look on her face! I’d hate to be on the receiving end of that look.”

“You’d have that look on your face too, if you were trying to protect your children.”

“Her children? You’re going to have to fill me in on this story of yours. It sounds really interesting.”

He grinned at her. “I will, but not right now. I’m kind of superstitious. Whenever I tell anyone an unfinished plotline to one of my stories, it seems to go all to hell. But I’ll tell you as soon as it’s finished, I promise.”

“Well, that’s a promise I’m going to hold you to. Are you sure you can’t tell me anything?”

“Well…She has two children. But one of them, a girl, has an identical twin, born 200 years after her, who has an older brother.”

“Wow! It sounds like a sci-fi soap opera… No offense,” she added quickly.

“None taken…unless you don’t like sci-fi soap operas.”

“Actually, I think I’m going to love this one.” She smiled at him.

And he was hooked. That smile was 60% of the reason he had called her. The fact that she liked his drawings was another 60% of the reason. And the realization that she was really smart, and still willing to put up with him, was worth another 70%. He didn’t much care that it all added up to more than 100%; something Jason had pointed out to him when he called to tell him he was going out with her tonight.

§

Time flew by, as it is wont to do when everything goes even better than expected. They sat and talked for over two hours over dinner, and were enjoying themselves so much they opted out of the film, a bit of a downer even under the best of times. The Winter Gardens and Museum were almost magical to the both of them, even though they had both been there many times before. Seeing it all through each other’s eyes and in each other’s company, made all the difference in the world.

Her bus was due to arrive in 45minutes, and Ryan had finally made up his mind that he was going to escort her home, rather than part company at the bus stop. He knew that a bit of fast-talking would convince his brother to come pick him up, even though it might cost him later, but whatever it cost him would be worth it, he decided.

“Let’s walk around the lake while we’re waiting! It’s so warm out tonight, and it’s so pretty in the park,” Janice suggested.

By this time, Ryan was willing to go anywhere with her. And the park looked really different at night, even though the paths were all well-lit; almost unnecessary, at least in the vicinity of the Winter Gardens, which threw off enough light to illuminate the small lake and the surrounding area quite effectively. They walked together into the park along the Toward Road side next to the lake for a while, then, as they turned right on the path bordering the lake, Janice paused and glanced behind her.

“What’s wrong, Janice? You’re not afraid of the dark are you?” He grinned at her.

She laughed. “Not at all, but there seems to be someone following us. I noticed him twice in the museum and again just as we started into the park. Don’t look!” she grabbed his arm and kept him from turning around. “I thought I was just imagining it, but this is way too much of a coincidence.”

“What does he look like?”

“He’s about your height but stocky; probably 15 pounds heavier. He’s wearing a black jogging outfit, brown jacket, and black trainers. He has brown hair and blue eyes.

“Wow! You don’t miss anything do you? Does he part his hair on the left or right,” he joked.

“Left, which may mean he’s left-handed.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

“My part, when I have one, is on the left, and I’m right-handed. So much for that idea.”

“Hmm. I guess I’ll have to rethink my theory.” She stepped in front of him, turned around, and started walking backwards. “But that doesn’t solve our immediate problem. He’s still following us.” She put her hand on his shoulder, spun around gracefully and walked rapidly ahead of him towards the bronze walrus on the edge of the lake. He hurried to keep up with her.

She plopped down on the walrus’s back and patted its rump. Ryan took the hint and sat down beside her, giving them both an unobstructed view of the path as it turned right and went behind the trees along the lake. Sure enough; the man stepped out of the trees, glanced at them, then put his hands in his pockets and stared out across the lake, pretending to ignore them.

“Every time I see the walrus, I keep wondering where the carpenter is,” he said loudly.

“I think they ran out of money before they could cast him.” Janice played along. There was plenty of light here, and there were at least eight people just on other side of the lake by the Winter Gardens who could plainly see them sitting there. She didn’t feel as though they were in any immediate danger, but she still felt uneasy.

Ryan was getting angry. A perfect evening was being spoiled by this…idiot. He’d had enough. He abruptly stood and strode rapidly across the circle towards the man before he could react. “Why are you following us?! Who are you anyway?”

“Ryan! Don’t…”

But it was too late. As soon as he spotted the shoulder holster under the man’s jacket, he knew he was in deep trouble. The people on the other side of the lake suddenly seemed very far away. And the irony of the situation didn’t escape him. The holster was under his right arm. The man was left-handed.