My eyes flew open. I was disoriented for a moment before remembering where I was. I tried to shake the dream off, but it was so realistic. I thought about what James had meant in the dream when he’d said, “You girls get dumber every year.”

Was that his general opinion of all the girls who came to Judaculla? Or had he come to my world before coming to Woodvine for me? I pulled the Bound Book out of my bag, quickly flipping through the pages. I found James’s name, carefully examining the smudge marks surrounding my name. I turned the book this way and that, trying to get a better view of the smudge, but even in the morning light, I was unable to make out what had been written underneath my name.

Had James and my relationship not been so completely built upon dreams, I could have shrugged the nightmare off. I wondered if James had shared last night’s dream with me. And if he had, what must he think about having a dream about me, someone who was a total stranger in his eyes?

But I doubted he was there. My nightmare was more like a typical dream. It was as if I were an observer of everything that was going on. In shared dreams, I didn’t watch as if it were a movie; shared dreams had their own reality. James and I interacted in our dreams just as we did in real life. There was a definite difference in the way a shared dream felt versus a regular one, and I was certain James hadn’t been there with me in last night’s nightmare.

Reaching for the canvas bag, I tucked the book back inside. I lay still for a few moments, listening for sounds of anyone walking in the woods. When I was satisfied I was alone, I unwrapped and eagerly ate one of the sandwiches Krista had prepared for me. I hoped Sarabeth was right. I hoped the girl’s life would return to whatever passed as her brand of normal.

Gathering my things, I quickly tucked everything inside the bag, all the while listening for sounds of life. I peeked out from under my shelter, but saw no one. There was still no evidence that anyone had come this way, aside from my own footprints. Feeling emboldened by my night spent in the woods, I pulled the tarp away and crawled out from my shelter.

Right into a large pair of hiking boots.

“You look good for someone who’s been out in the elements all night,” James said.