Chapter 17: Hints and Reassurances

After Renée and I finished eating, she scooted around the booth to sit closer to me. She looked uneasy as her hand settled on my thigh. Her touch felt good in several ways, and I started to pump up automatically. I was surprised at my body for responding to sex when something of much greater importance was happening. Renée didn't reach for my crotch, but she did notice my surprised look. I put my hand on hers, not only to keep her from finding my extension, but to assure her that I wasn't upset. She smiled lightly.

"I'm sorry for not telling you more, but I'm not even sure of everything that's going on. The first thing we need to do is find out how much you remember."

"Remember? What?"

"Your recent dreams. Do you remember talking with me, Erin and Nadia last night in your dreams?"

"I remember there was a lot of sex, but talking ... Okay, yeah, I remember talking to you, but I don't remember about what."

Suddenly, I had a flash of memories; just as when we were in the video store. It was even quicker than the first time and especially focused. I recalled that the girls wanted me to protect them from whoever was kidnapping women. I also understood that I would be protecting the additional girls that I had met at the mall; Jeri, Yvonne, and Tabitha. The whole thing made me feel as if the conversation had actually taken place, and some part of me understood that it had.

I shook my head. Renée had looked down at the same time so she didn't notice my reaction. Did she know I had just gotten memories from her? Did she notice the last time?

With her head still down she said, "I thought if we talked to you during our dreams no one would be able to overhear us. It appears I was wrong."

Not sure what to say, I just sat there. She spoke as if it had been her conscious choice for us to join each other in our dreams and hold the conversation. One part of my mind was calmly saying it was true, while another portion was screaming that it wasn't possible. I wanted to ask her how she was able to bring us together in a dream like that. The question was just as important as the one I had about my ability to charm women. They were like magical abilities and even that didn't truly satisfy my need to know.

A part of the dream came back to me and though she seemed fine with the whole idea, I just had to know. "How were we able to meet in our dreams? Nadia had said it was my dream but you're implying that it was you who brought us together."

Her eyes darted here and there. She wasn't looking at the other patrons but searching for a quick answer. "I ... I can't tell you now." My continued look prompted her to quickly add, "but I will." Then she slumped back in her seat.

If I didn't know better, I would have said she was pouting, but I went with the gut feeling at the moment. "Renée, I'm not trying to be a pain or anything, but this is all difficult to accept."

It was her turn to nod. "I know." She looked out into the crowd, "I had difficulty accepting it at first too." Then she looked me square in the eyes, " ... but this is important. I've put aside my apprehension about how things are happening and I need you to do that too." Her face was much softer than the words she spoke. I could tell she was in the midst of an internal struggle.

"Okay. You say you'll tell me more later. I'll take your word on that, but is there anything you can tell me now?"

She nodded again. "We asked you to be our protector, and you accepted."

"I remember that. I'm also protecting Jeri, Yvonne and Tabitha." If Renée accepted the dream as real then maybe I should refer to it as well. "I remember that I'm protecting you from the serial kidnappings and ... I remember sharing the memories of the night of my arrival with you."

She nodded with a solemn look in her face.

"Do you know who's doing the kidnapping?" It was a direct question, but not one I had asked when we had the dream-conversation.

"No." Her voice was soft. It was as if she couldn't chance speaking any louder. I heard her nonetheless. "But it looks like Whisper already knows everything that's going on."

"Whisper?"

"I think that's what he calls himself. The guy you were talking to."

"So, how can Whisper listen in on a dream conversation?"

"I don't know, but it appears that he can." She looked around nervously. "And if he can hear our dreams when not in our physical presence, then we could be overheard right now."

"Okay, but can we trust him?"

"I don't know. His name is spoken like its sake. There are rumors but they usually deem him an informant."

"Then how was he able to keep me from seeing his details. I didn't know if he had brown eyes or green."

"That's his ... ability. He didn't want you to know, probably because you don't know him. Besides, the fact that he told you face to face had to mean that his message was pretty important. He usually leaves anonymous e-mails or phone messages."

"If it was that important, do you think this event might affect him?"

She shrugged, "It's possible."

That explained something, but at the same time created new questions. I was to keep all my girls safe from the kidnappers, but I didn't have any useful information on that would-be problem.

"You said his ability was to keep me from seeing him in detail. Mine seems to be charming women. Is yours this ability to share memories?"

Renée looked at me funny. "Share memories?"

She didn't know. "Just now and back in the video store, I saw what you've seen, what you've experienced. Didn't you do that?"

She shook her head, looking a bit worried. "Have you done that before?"

"Other than what we shared in the dream, no. Today's the first time it's happened."

Renée looked around again. "Let's discuss that later, okay?" I could feel how nervous she was. Whether it was what I had just asked her or her near paranoia.

Her reactions made the craziness of the idea so much more surreal, but I could feel it in my head, as if the idea had taken true form and had a weight all its own. "So this ability of mine is what, magical?"

Renée shook her head tightly. "We shouldn't talk about it here."

"It seems to me that it won't matter where we talk about it. We'll be overheard anyway."

"No, our gifts are very rare. Most people don't know about it and don't want to."

"Okay, it's a secret. I can understand that." Thoughts of Frankenstein's Monster being chased by villagers with pitchforks and torches ran through my mind. I nodded. "Yeah, we'll definitely talk later then."

"We still have at least a couple more stops to make first."

I grasped what she was talking about quickly. "You have other friends you want protected, don't you?"

She looked around, ending with me and nodded.

I lifted her face by her chin, "I don't have to have sex with them to protect them, do I?"

"I don't know, but you establish a connection with them when you do. I can feel Erin picking up cutlery for your kitchen right now. Nadia's looking at some rugs. We're all interconnected and you're the hub. I don't know if you actually have to have all out sex or what."

I wondered why I couldn't feel them. Renée knew a lot more than she was letting on and I was being kept in the dark. She promised to tell me more but would it be enough? Would it be in time? There was also the issue about using sex to keep the girls safe. The very act made us vulnerable. Was it really necessary? Renée said I established a connection with them and I knew I counted them as mine. Was it the same thing just on different levels, different aspects? I wanted them safe, the ones I had already "connected" with, but Renée was talking about adding more. "How many stops before we leave?"

"Just two that I can think of."

"You're not sure?"

She shrugged, "I have a lot of friends."

"Not all of them work here do they?"

She shook her head. "I'm getting nervous and worried since Whisper spoke to you."

I was still holding her hand. With a gentle squeeze I said, "There's nothing to be nervous about right now."