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“Yes, you are. ” She laughed with delight.

Travis continued to grimace.

Lydia’s hand reached toward him, but she didn’t quite touch him. “It’s all right, Travis. The heart loves without boundaries. It is the mind that can trap the heart with cages constructed by society’s rules. Katie always had a beautiful open heart. ”

Travis forced a smile, feeling nervous. “Why am I dreaming about you, Lydia?” He understood he was asleep and this was all a dream, but somehow it felt important. It felt amazingly real.

Lydia’s smile faded a little and she sat back, crossing her legs. “Travis, you need to understand something important. I’m here to give you a message. ”

“About Katie?”

“About you. ” She tilted her head and gazed at him with a serenity that was both comforting and disconcerting.

“Oh?”

Leaning forward, her eyes gazed steadily into his. “You need to understand that the world has changed. The veil between the living and the dead is very thin now. The worlds have blurred and nothing is as it was. Many have died and will die as the world tries to regain balance of some sort. The dead are all around you. Not just the empty shells that are trying to kill you, but the spirits of those trapped by the massive upheaval that took place when the dead seized the world from the living.

“Like you,” he said softly.

She nodded. “Yes. I have yet to move on. But soon the world will find a new balance and I will. ”

“I’m so sorry about what happened to you, Lydia. ”

“Being a good Samaritan sometimes gets you killed. Trust me. I know. ” A shadow of pain flitted over her features, then she swept it away with a wave of her hand. “This is something you need to learn. ”

“What are you saying?” He narrowed his eyes.

“You want to save everyone, Travis, and help all of them be safe. But this world is not safe. Nothing is as it was. Very soon you will fully understand the sheer fruitlessness of trying to control everything around you. You will need to make choices for yourself, Katie and the baby. Others will make choices for themselves as well. These choices may lead to life or to death. ”

Frowning a little, Travis looked down at his wife, then up at Lydia. “They are my priority, Lydia. Katie and the baby. ”

“Are they?”

He swallowed hard, remembering how anxious he had been to risk his own life to try to help Juan. Tears filled his eyes and he looked up at Lydia. His voice caught in his throat and he said, “You’re right. I just want to help everyone. ”

Lydia smiled at him tenderly. “I know. I know. But it is time for you to begin to let go of all the reins you have been holding and concentrate on your family. Soon, very soon, everyone will have to make choices for themselves. You, Katie, and everyone around you. ”

“And they may die,” Travis said in an agonized voice.

“Travis, what you need to understand is that people will make choices for themselves. And sometimes, the right choice, the good choice, will lead to their death. ”

The truth of this statement startled him. “Who will die?”

Lydia tilted her head and looked at Katie for a long tender moment. “She will need you. ”

“Who will die, Lydia?”

“I can’t tell you. ”

“Tell me! I don’t care if you are a dream. ”

Lydia hesitated. “The future isn’t set yet. It is constantly changing, evolving based on what people choose. ”

“But you know something. Who is going to die?”

Lydia sighed, then said, “Not Juan. ”

“Not Juan?”