The room fades away and I'm floating, lilting music filling my ears. Pink petals fall over my face, soft and sweet-smelling. More than anything, I just want to continue lying here in the green grass and forget about the madness of these last few days. But then something niggles at my brain.
Get up. You have a job to do.
So with a sigh, I rise to my feet. One of these days I just want to enter a Dreamscape and have some fun. I'm standing in a field dotted with yellow flowers on top of a mountain peak, a light breeze wafting across my face. A crumbling Chinese temple is off to my right. Multi-colored lanterns sway on a thick rope attached from one end of the ruins to a gnarled oak.
A stone path catches my attention and I decide to follow it. As I hike, I spot a woman standing by a spring not far down the path. She's lifting a ladle of sparkling water to her lips. She has thick dark hair sweeping against her lower back. That has to be Zhang Lau.
I scan the area for Jake. I almost laugh when I spy him crouched behind a row of bushes. He is blinking rapidly and rubbing his eyes.
"Hey, Jake." I touch his shoulder. "Can you see and hear me?"
"I'm having a hard time seeing you, but your red hair helps." He rubs his head and tries to stand. He wobbles a bit like he's on a rocking boat. "Man, I don't know if I can stand. Does the ground always roll like this?"
"Only for a second or two. It'll settle soon. I have to admit, it is weird having you in the Dreamscape."
He holds my arm for support. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea. I might slow you down."
"It was a horrible idea. But you'll get the hang of it. Stay here until you feel stronger. Just be sure to keep the dreamer, that's Lau, in sight at all times or you'll be kicked out of the Dreamscape. Got it?"
He nods, his face turning pale green. Still, knowing he's here strengthens my resolve. I march up the path to face off with Lau. She's got her back to me and is still drinking from the water.
"Excuse me, Ms. Lau," I say. "Can you show me where Dr. Hale is located?"
She spins around and upon seeing me, her eyes widen in shock. She drops her ladle and takes off running. Great. I spooked her.
Then I realize where she's headed. Straight for the cliff.
That is so my luck. I start racing after her and Jake joins me at my side.
"She's going to jump," Jake says, panting heavily.
"I hate it when they do this."
Lau halts at the edge of the cliff where clouds drift around her feet. She glances up to a crag to our left. There's a group of people standing there holding guns. They aim at her. I grab Jake's arm and push him behind a tree. No need for us to be caught in the crossfire. Sure enough, the air fills with the sound of gunfire. Bullets pepper the ground, kicking up dirt and rocks in the vicinity of where Lau is perched on.
"What should we do?" Jake says.
"If we don't move closer to her and she moves, she'll be out of our range, and we'll be kicked out of the dream. That said, I've never been in a person's dream where bullets were flying."
"Can those bullets hurt us?"
"It's all mental. If you believe they are fake, then they are fake. But if your brain believes you've been shot, your body is going to act like it has."
I bite my lip, trying to decide what to do. There's no guarantee we'll get another chance at getting inside her dream to find Dad's location. Even now, back at the casino, the rest of security could be investigating why the guards haven't answered their radios, or worse still, they could find us all passed out sleeping on the floor. We have Sun watching over us, but there's no guarantee how long she can keep us safe.
"Tell me where my dad is," I yell at her.
She turns and frowns as if confused by my being here. And then she turns away from us and jumps off the cliff.
"Did she really jump?" Jake asks.
"Come on! The gunmen have vanished." I grab his hand and we race to the edge of the cliff. But as I peer over the edge, it looks like a thousand-foot drop, plunging into a sprawling city below.
"I'm thinking I'd prefer the gunfire," Jake says.
"No kidding." I glance behind me. If we don't jump in the next three seconds, we're going to fade. "Don't think. Just jump. We can't risk waiting."
"Right." Jake's voice shakes. He doesn't believe me.
Every muscle in my body screams at me to turn around.
"How about on three?" Jake suggests. "One—"
There isn't time to wait. I squeeze his hand tightly and leap off the cliff. Jake follows.
And I scream as I plunge through tendrils of clouds, heading straight for a line of skyscrapers. The world shifts and a dark hole yawns open directly below us. Lau sinks into the hole and slowly inch by inch the gap begins to close shut.
"We're going to miss it!" I scream.
I twist my body so I'm in a diving position, face first, arms reaching for the darkness. Jake mimics me and we plunge toward the sliver of black remaining.