20
Kerina
I creep along the hallway toward the kitchen. I slurp the water from my cradled palms, then splash the cool water on my sweaty face. The relief is pleasant but short-lived. My hands tremble from the dream, so vivid it had to be real. I close my eyes and allow it to replay in my mind, hoping to pick up a clue I might have missed.
‘Come on, Kerina. Don’t be scared.’
Lariel runs to the water’s edge. A rope is attached to the tree and she reaches out for it.
‘I’m not meant to play down here,’ I say.
‘You’re not meant to play anywhere,’ says Lariel. ‘Enjoy yourself for a change. I dare you!’
We are both younger, but I know it is Lariel from the other dream. My hair is much shorter than I wear it now, but my face is mostly the same.
Lariel grabs the thick rope hanging from the
