Summary:

“You know the phrase, ‘Pinch me—I must be dreaming’?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
She pauses and looks straight into my eyes, making a direct connection betwixt our souls, willing me to believe hers is truthful. The fiery gold retinas of those eyes reflect none other. “That saying is just dust on the statue; it means nothing. The act will not clarify a thing for you or anyone else in this universe.” She frowns slightly and shakes her head. “And you know why that is?”
I shake my head, bewildered and feeling like everything is on a tilt.
“Because there are no such things as dreams.”
***
Thomas Thatcher has been dreaming every night. He dreams of running in a dark, treacherous forest--but running to something, or from something? What does this dream mean, and why is it so vivid and incessant? He soon learns what this dream is about, and what it really is.

Here's a hint: It's not a dream.