Whatever had spooked Cooper at the bar was long gone now as he belted out songs at the top of his lungs. His tone and demeanor were completely different during the short car ride to Aster's. The idea of being able to pry the information out of him later continued to play over in the back of my mind.

For now, I let him perform alongside Lynyrd Skynyrd and enjoyed the sun's last hues peeking over the buildings we passed. Pulling into an older apartment complex on the northern border of the city, a wave of cold washed over me.

“I will say this, Rachel’s AC works well; holy crap, it’s chilly in here," I said, rubbing my arms, trying to comfort my prickling skin.

“What are you talking about? It's boiling hot tonight, dude! I’ve got a major case of swamp ass forming over here,” Cooper replied.

“Swap ass… really? Sexy, Coop… real sexy,” I said, glancing at the building. “So this is the place?”

The concrete building towered next to the vacant parking lot, with only a handful of cars scattered about.

Opening the front doors, Cooper pulled out his phone and opened his text messages. “Yeah, apartment 32A, fourth floor.”

“You’ve never been here before? I thought you guys had been seeing each other for a while."

A somewhat musky smell of old, wet carpet bombarded my nostrils. Sure enough, the carpet below my feet looked as if it had seen better days, possibly better decades.

The faint smell of fresh paint tickled my senses, and a peek at the bright walls echoed as much. It appeared as if workers were repairing some cracks in a few places in the entry foyer.

“Nah, we always meet up at different places. I’m not like Rachel; I keep it respectable and let her come to me when the time is right.”

Cooper pretended to fluff a fake collar on his shirt, ever the bad boy. He winked as he caught my stare.

Rolling my eyes, I walked to the nearby elevator.

“Fucking hell!” A giant Out of Order sign hung plastered on the doors. “I’m glad I didn’t let Rachel talk me into wearing heels tonight," I mumbled to myself as I turned to find the stairs.

“You in heels? I’d pay millions to see you try to walk in heels,” Cooper laughed.

“Let’s go, Romeo, stairs are over there.” I pointed to behind the elevator.

Sandals or not, I had not expected to do cardio tonight and loathed the thought of climbing my way up.

We hiked our way to the fourth floor and opened the door. The bead of sweat trickling down my back made me rethink my previous thoughts on my pizza intake. Dr. Barnes was always telling me I would benefit from more exercise. Maybe he was right.

A burst of air pulled on the door to shut it as we walked through, making me jerk it closed.

“What the hell was that about?” asked Cooper.

“I don’t know, it must have been the pressure from the stairwell causing it to close faster than normal. That kind of hurt,” I replied as I held my wrist, rubbing the slight ache.

Cooper headed down the hall in front of me, and I gathered myself to steady my racing heartbeat.

'Damn, those stairs were brutal. Maybe I should lose a few pounds. Pull yourself together, Savi. You don't want to be huffing and puffing when you meet Aster for the first time.'

“32A - this is the one,” Cooper said as we reached the first door on the left.

I realized then it wasn’t the slight workout of coming up the stairs that had my heart pounding. It was more the anticipation of what was to come. At least that’s what I would continue to tell myself. The what-ifs and what might happen flooded my mind.

Cooper’s knock brought me back to the clear reality that we were here. Answers might be waiting right behind that very door.

No movement came from inside, and my heart dropped a bit before Cooper reminded me that she might not have gotten home yet. A secondary swell of relief, followed by more waves of anticipation and eagerness, crashed through me.

I was trying so hard not to get my hopes up about tonight; trying not to think of what I could find. The potential in all the unknown weighed heavily on my mind.

Cooper leaned against the wall beside Aster’s door and slid to the ground. His leather belt caught between his back and the wall, creating a loud, flatulent sound that echoed through the hall. He froze and stared at me for a moment before we both erupted in laughter.

“What’s so funny?” came a small voice, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Cooper must not have noticed Aster approaching behind me while we were laughing, and he shot up to meet her. She breathed heavily, and all guilt of my own weight faded away. I wasn't alone in struggling with those stairs, and she was half my size.

“Whoa, where did you come from, my adorable little ninja?” Cooper questioned as he wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed the top of her head.

Aster’s long black hair cascaded over his forearm, and her brown eyes peeked at me over his shoulder. She was standing on the tips of her Converse sneakers to meet his hug.

“Sorry I’m late, guys. Things got a little crazy for me tonight, and I completely lost track of time. Have y’all been here long?”

Cooper tucked his arm over her shoulder and walked her toward me. “Naw babe. We’ve only been here a minute. You’re good. Aster, this is Savi. Savi, Aster.”

Aster’s eyes were soft and kind as she smiled at me and slipped out of Cooper's embrace. She had a similar laid-back style to his, with her bright yellow shirt that said "Care Bears" across the chest.

Faded denim shorts, which had once been pants in a past life, were cut right below the pockets. It left tattered strings dangling onto her golden legs. The glint of a tiny silver ankle bracelet peeked out from the tongue of her shoe as she stepped close to me and extended her hand.

“It’s so lovely to meet you, Savi. Cooper's told me loads about you. It's like I already know you!”

I took her hand and shook, but words failed to enter my brain. Well, not exactly. Some words entered rather quickly. But I doubted Coop would have wanted me to respond with 'yeah, well, he hasn't told me anything about you.'

I feigned a smile, hiding back my thoughts, and lowered my head a little in greeting.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Aster. I hope you didn’t have too much craziness tonight, or at least I hope it wasn’t bad craziness.”

‘Why was I so awkward? Why couldn't I just make polite conversation?’

I made a mental note to ask Theo in our next session.

"Oh, not at all. Just regular crazy. Shall we?” She reached for the door and unlocked it. Though I didn’t catch sight of a key, it clicked open nonetheless.

Aster called back to us as she hung her shoulder bag on a hook on the wall. "Sorry, it’s a bit of a mess. I was hoping to clean things up before you guys got here, but I ran out of time.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Hey, babe, no worries. You didn’t have to clean at all. We understand a messy house better than anyone. Although I dare say I’m the cleanest of our lot.”

Cooper walked in and wrapped his arms around her waist. He turned to me and winked, knowing full well he was full of shit.

“I know, but I needed to cleanse the space before the reading. Come on in, Savi. Have a seat anywhere you’d like. Would you like a drink? I’ve got water, or I could make a cup of tea if you’d prefer.”

“Savi’s fine, babe, relax. No need to be nervous.”

Cooper lifted her up and kissed her, then set her back down and headed into the living room.

“I’m sorry, it's just that this will be my first official reading on my own and I’m quite excited, but also slightly nervous.” Aster followed him, but stopped, gesturing for me to go ahead of her.

“You’ve never done this before?” I asked curiously. “I thought all witches were into tarot and voodoo and all that. No offense, I’m not exactly sure what you call it. I can only go by what I’ve seen in my limited amount of movie experience.”

“It’s okay." She replied, giggling. “This is slightly different; it’s called Dreamweaving. I can read your tarot if you’d like, but Coop said you keep having weird repeating dreams. So I thought I could help you try to figure them out if you were willing to. It’s up to you, though. I'm open to whatever you need.”

"Well, they aren’t so much repeating as they are the same kind of dream. It’s strange and hard to describe.”

The vulnerability I felt must have shown all over my face, judging by the look she gave me in return.

'This damned face of mine will one day be the death of me; I swear.'

“Do your best and take your time, no worries. The more I know, the more I'm able to help,” Aster said as she made her way to the coffee table and sat on a pillow beside it.

I took a seat on the sofa by Cooper. “Well, when I’m sleeping, I keep having the same dream, but it's not the same. It’s me, but in different clothing, and I’m always doing things with people I don’t know or recognize.”

“What kinds of things?” Aster interrupted.

I rubbed the scar on my neck as I recalled as many details as I could. The familiar ripple in the skin grounded me to my body while I relished deeply in past dreams.

"Everyday mundane things like sweeping a cottage floor and milking a cow. If you would call those everyday mundane things.”

I chuckled as I said it, knowing how strange it must have sounded. Explaining this was harder than I had realized.

“But I can tell it’s a different time. Everyone around me knows me, but nobody ever says my name. They talk to me, and I talk back, like we are now. Everyday conversation. But it's like this every night. I go to sleep and I dream of these same people, the same places, the same things, but always a different time. Like it’s clear it's not a repeat day, if that makes sense?”

I stopped and studied Aster for some sort of signal she understood, and I wasn't completely talking crazy. Her face remained neutral for a second before she answered my inner questions. My face must have betrayed me again.

“You’re not crazy. Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out," Aster reassured me. “When you say a different time, what do you mean? How do you know?”

“Well, I'm basing it on the fact it's a small cottage with a tiny farm. And the way everyone's dressed in plain, weathered clothes. I'm only guessing, though. It reminds me of something out of Braveheart or something similar," I said as I glanced over at Cooper.

“One of the movies I've had the privilege of introducing her to," Cooper added as he beamed at Aster, his cheeks high, making his eyes glisten. He leaned in to me and whispered, “Don’t worry, I already told her a little about your memory and the way we met. Nothing deep, just the basics.”

"Oh, gee, thanks.” I glared at him for having done so without talking to me first, but I gave up when I thought about what I was doing here.

'I wouldn’t be here if he hadn't talked to her, and I'm closer than ever to real answers, so how mad can I be?'

“I totally get it. What you’re going through can be traumatic. That’s why I offered to help. To see if the dreams are some kind of trauma response that could be blocking you from remembering anything.”

It sounded an awful lot like something Theo would say. I mentally braced myself for the rest of what might come.

“Now you sound like my therapist," I snickered. “He's said exactly the same thing many times before."

“It could be true. You never know.”

Aster gave me a smile. An actual, genuine smile. I believed in that moment she was truly trying to help. Hocus pocus or not, she definitely thought she could, so the hell with it. I wanted to jump in full throttle now, no more wading through the kiddie pool. Let’s do this.

"So, what do we do? Do I lie down or drink a potion?” I asked, genuinely unclear about what I needed to do.

I shifted on the sofa, waiting for her to direct me.

Aster giggled. “All you need to do is lie down. I'm going to channel your dreams into my own consciousness and see what you see. I’ll put you in a dreamlike state, but you'll be able to wake at any moment by squeezing Coop’s hand. Just lie here with your head on his lap.”

She grabbed a pillow and set it on his lap as I turned to lie down. “I’ll be right back while I get the supplies I need.”

I glanced at Cooper before my head reached his lap. “This is weird. Are you okay with this?”

“No problemo here, toots. You heard her; you can squeeze my hand anytime and I'll wake you up. You sure you wanna do this, Savi?” he asked as he took my hand in his and fixed the pillow on his leg.

The anticipation was building monuments in my mind. My desire for answers overruled my hesitation, and I plopped my head hard on the pillow, giving him a determined look.

“This was your idea, don’t tell me you're backing out now.” I glared at him.

I hoped he wouldn't back out now, especially since I was ready and prepared to do what was necessary.

“No way, anything to help you!"

“Okay, got it, you guys ready?" Aster glanced at us as she walked into the room, carrying various items. "First, I'm going to spell you to sleep. Your body will be awake but your mind will be asleep, but they will still remain tethered. Understood?” Aster explained as she ground some herbs in a massive mortar and pestle and quartered an orange.

“Understood,” I confirmed, although I was unsure of what she meant, in all honesty.

It all sounded a bit odd and unusual in my head.

‘She’s going to tether my waking body to my sleeping mind? Maybe this is more than what-ifs. Maybe I’ll find answers if this works. If it’s real.’

Something told me it might very well be, given how her tone shifted as she worked.

I watched as Aster added the herbs and a slice of the orange to a glass. She mulled them together, and Cooper chuckled. He was never one who could stand the awkward silence for long.

This awkwardness was definitely felt by everyone involved. My head was in his lap in front of his girlfriend, while she, a stranger to me, made a magic concoction of gods knew what.

“Are you making her a cocktail or putting her to sleep?” Cooper laughed. “I guess they could be one and the same with the right dosage.”

“I’m making a tea for her to sip, but it has an awful, bitter taste. So I'm adding orange to help it go down easier. Trust me, you wouldn’t want it without the orange," Aster explained as she continued to mull the fruit and herbs.

Setting the glass on the coffee table, Aster stood and headed to the kitchen. After a moment, she returned with a hot kettle in hand and poured the steaming liquid over the mixture in the glass. She used a small ceramic plate with a symbol carved into its center to cover it and capture the steam.

"Oops, I forgot something important. One sec."

Aster dipped back into the kitchen, emerging with a tiny purple candle and a bowl full of water. Setting the bowl on top of the carved plate, Aster lowered herself to her knees and pulled the candle close to her chest.

She closed her eyes and positioned the candle in the bowl's center, above the sigil. As she whispered under her breath, it sprang to life.

Cooper twitched, shifting his feet as I turned to meet his gaze. We both stared at each other in silent question about what we had witnessed. He gulped hard, and our eyes returned to watch Aster work her craft.

As the flame danced atop the sigil, Aster placed both hands on either side of the glass, palms down, and recited more unintelligible words under her breath. After a few moments of chanting, she blew out the candle.

Chanting once more, the rising smoke seemed to dance in rhythm with her whispered words. Although the words themselves remained unclear, the cadence of the chant soothed me.

Cooper and I continued to watch as Aster lifted the bowl and set it aside. She hovered the candle over the plate, tilting it slightly to allow a drop of wax to fall on the symbol. Before it could cool, she pressed her thumb on it and rubbed the wax into the carving with a clockwise motion.

Aster lifted the plate off the glass, and wisps of white steam rose from within, twirling and dancing through the air. She closed her eyes and murmured a single word audible to both of us.

"Aborisum."

Setting the plate on the table, Aster ran her finger along the rim of the glass in a counterclockwise motion. After making three complete turns around it, she picked it up and moved toward the couch.

“Okay, it's ready! Tilt up and drink only a sip.”

The tea was warm gliding down my throat, and the notes of the citrus danced along my taste buds. The sweetness gave way, and an utter foulness sank in only seconds later, making me gag.

"Oh, that tastes awful.”

She laughed as I made a face at the rather horrendous taste in my mouth. I laid my head back on the pillow, smacking my mouth, trying to rid it of the offense it had just endured.

“Orange you glad I added the orange to help some?" Aster giggled at her pun.

“This girl might just be the one,” whispered Cooper, looking proud of his girlfriend.

My stomach churned with nausea, which had nothing to do with the drink.

Aster took a sip of the concoction and placed the glass back in its original position. She moved to the sofa and placed one hand on my forehead and the other on my chest.

I had yet to feel anything other than disgust from the liquid. But now, with her hands placed on me, unease settled in quickly, and I locked eyes with her.

“Are you ready? This will go fast once I begin.”.

I nodded under her hand and glanced at Cooper with a hint of worry in my eyes. He saw it there too, and his own worry matched mine. Trying his best to reassure me, he forced softness into his eyes.

“I’m here, remember, squeeze my hand," Cooper said, gripping my hand tighter in his.

“Aborisum. Degrunai. Vivarlus. Aborisum. Degrunai. Vivarlus," Aster repeated, and on the third repeat, my body went limp.