Eddie noticed that Grandpa felt the same way. So did Dad. Breaking rules didn’t mean Eddie would be alone again. But the thought of purposely going against what Dad said made his cheeks burn with guilt and fear. Grandpa reached his hand toward Eddie’s shoulder, hesitated, and then rested it on the bike’s handlebars. “Your Dad’s worried about those dreams. I told him every kid has nightmares. He’s really afraid, though. I shouldn’t be telling you this. I know you two have been through a lot.” “Dad worries,” Eddie said. “I know about worrying. I remember him having nightmares as a little boy, and I worried he was stressed about me starting a new job, or that I’d been too harsh in disciplining him.” Grandpa put his hands back in his pockets. “Chris isn’t worried about what’s causing the dreams. He’s scared about the dreams themselves. Like they’re dangerous.” “Dreams aren’t real,” Eddie said. He’d learned that monsters were real. And the whole world had learned that skyscrapers could appear overnight and then disappear just as fast. But that didn’t mean dreams were real. “I agree with you on that one,” Grandpa said. “That’s got my mind turning circles. Why is your Dad worried about dreams? Has he been doing okay?” Eddie looked at Grandpa. His oversized glasses perched on his nose. Brown age spots had spread in just the years Eddie had lived here. “What do you think?” Grandpa asked. “He talks to you. I know you two went through something strange inside that building. Chris has never told me exactly what. I got the idea he didn’t think I’d believe him. And now that he’s scared of these dreams of yours—well, what do you think? Is he okay?” This was an adult question. Eddie never considered whether Dad’s head was on straight. Of course it was. He’d saved Eddie from the skyscraper. He’d gone onto that cruise ship and made sure the monsters Espritgames Huu-Truong