Maya woke up feeling fully rested for the first time in what felt like years. Despite the cheap accommodations and the storm of risks swirling around her, her sleep had been deep, undisturbed, almost peaceful. She stretched her limbs, the stiff hostel mattress doing little to dull her sense of well-being. What shocked her the most, though, was that, for the first time in four long years, she hadn’t gone to the dream world, the mountaintop where Tay was always present. Her escape seemed to have broken that terrifying, yet mesmerizing, link. Or was it something else?
A small shiver ran down her spine as the memory of Tay crept into her mind. She was dreading the moment he realized she had run away. She had no doubt that by now, he was searching for her. The thought of another encounter like
