Lucid (21 page)

“A fruitless fight!” Sophia interrupted, his beard bristling. “What could you three possibly do against the Nightmare army? You are too young to remember the actual attack on Fantasm. It was horrific and unexpected. We had an army prepared just in case of such an attack, and we still lost our city. Your cause is a brave one, but you do not ha
ve the strength to back it up!”

“We do now!” Viv snapped, pointing at Mitch and me. “You said so yourself. They are our champions, our human heroes. They can do more than rebuild. They can fight for our freedom and for the freedom of their people!”

“That need desperate training,” Elis added, folding his arms and leaning against the stone wall. Viv glared at him for ruining her motivational speech, but Sophia merely shrugged.

“He is right
,
” t
he old man said, walking over to where Mitch and I stood. I held my breath as Sophia studied me intently. “This one has the magic, but he's holding it back.” Before I could speak up for myself he moved onto Mitch. “And this one is good with his sword, but he needs to find purpose behind his swings.” Mitch and I exchanged glances as Sophia backed away
.

“And this one—
” Kyle pointed t
o himself, “—i
s clearly not needed, so I guess I should just go.”

“That would be wise,” Elis commented. Kyle started to say something, but Iven jumped forward.

“Are you kidding me
?” t
he bespectacled Dreamer protested. “You are a true Lucid! Our tribe's original purpose was to help your kind. I've heard of the evil Lucid who runs the Nightmare resort, and she sounds like a Nightmare herself. We need power like that on our side if we stand a chance of destroying her fortress
.
” He turned to Viv and Elis
. “Didn't we agree that taking the Lucid establishment would be a good initial blow to the Nightmares?”

Viv and Elis exchanged uneasy glances.

“We did,” Viv admitted.

Elis merely sighed
. “But we are not ready for something like that,” h
e said, looking at Iven.

“Which is exactly what I'm trying to tell you!” Sophia exclaimed. “
They need training
.
” He pointed at us. “And
we need knowledge!”

“Where are we going to find this knowledge, old man?” Viv groaned, rolling her eyes
.

“From the ruins of Fantasm, of course,” Sophia replied, taking the key off of the long chain he wore below his beard
.

I noticed Viv's eyes grow wide as she studied the large, ancient looking key Sophia now held in his hands. Honestly, it just looked like one of those popular fashion accessories, but then again I wasn't used to seeing such big keys actually meant for unlocking doors. There was also some sort of power emanating from it, like it could turn on — or explode — at any second. Sophia gingerly laid it in his palm before looking at all of us.

“I alone was entrusted to guard our city's records
.
” Sophia spoke what sounded like a well-rehearsed speech. Kyle snorted behind me, which was a pretty sure sign he felt the old man being dramatic as well. I ignored him and let Sophia have his moment.

“You kept our records in our ruined city?” Iven approached Sophia to stare at the key in awe, his bespectacled eyes glowing like a large insect's
.

“It was the safest place for them.” Sophia shrugged. “They are hidden away beneath Fantasm's foundation and protected by several spells. We can do more than rebuild, it seems
.
” He shot Viv a furtive glance before continuing
. “My teacher, who apprenticed under a celebrated Miragean scholar, warned me that if the Nightmares uncovered our ancient recordings, we would lose more than just a city.”

“So the archives are well-protected, then?” Viv raised her eyebrows
.

“That won't be a problem.” Elis flexed his arms confidently. “I am a born Protector, and I know how to set and disarm traps. Let me recover the archives, So
phia, I will not let you down.”

“It is too dangerous for one of you to go alone!” Sophia shook his head. “As you all know, Fantasm lies behind one of the largest Nightmare camps in our land. They protect every border and entrance to the city. It is much too dangerous for one to do alone.”

“Well, if anyone's interested
.
” Kyle cleared his throat. “I just got past Leona — that's the evil Lucid
—
” h
e added for Iven's information, “
—
and her bodyguards. If something has protection around it, leave it to me to get through.”

“You won't be able to use your powers!” Viv snapped. Elis finally agreed with Viv on something and stood next to her with his arms folded.

“I won't work alongside a Lucid, no matter how valiant you make yourself to be
,
” h
e added, causing Kyle to seethe with anger. Before he could retaliate, Iven cleared his throat
.

“I may be able to help his power problem
,
” h
e said, pulling at his vest nervously. Viv and Elis stared at him for a few moments.

“You've been working on how to give Lucids power here
?
” Elis asked incredulously. “After all we've done to try and infiltrate their fortress
?
”

“I thought channeling their power would give us a better understanding of how to beat it!” Iven said defensively. “The world's not entirely in black and white, you know!” Sophia chuckled and shook his head at the inventor, which subdued Viv and Elis enough to allow Iven to rummage around for his invention.

“Here
.
” He handed Kyle a bracelet.

“No thanks
.
” Kyle tried handing it back. “I don't wear that stuff
.
”

“It may help you retain your power.” Iven pushed it into his hands. The small, clear band suddenly glowed with a blue light, as if there was magic water inside. “It contains the essence of the Lucid River.”

“Really?” Kyle looked at the bracelet with new interest
. I groaned inwardly at how easily by brother could be persuaded. I watched as he slipped the band on his wrist. “Let me try
—
”

“Not here!” Viv shouted
, grabbing his wrist. “Try it in the forest on our way to Fantasm!”

“So I'm going with you?” Kyle grinned. Viv rolled her eyes.

“We may need your assistance,” s
he admitted. “I watched you ent
er Leona's fortress, remember?”

“And you were impressed
—
”

“The others should stay!” Elis interrupted Kyle
. The Dreamer looked at Mitch and me. “They have caused enough distraction with their unnatural glow. I spotted them two miles away on your way into Woodinville. Surely the Nightmares will do the same.”

“What
?
” Mitch protested, looking a little hurt. I had a feeling he thought that he and Elis would get along. “Come on! Devon and I have done more than our share in this land! We're the reason you have human help in the first place!”

I was glad Mitch included me in his argument. I was also glad he spoke up, because I didn't think my voice would work properly among all of the new Dreamers. Now, I'm not super shy, I mean I can talk when I want to, but when you're facing a room full of powerful people with glowing eyes, your confidence doesn't exactly get a boost. Also, aside from my little magic spurt outside of Woodinville, I have been pretty useless
.

“I think all of the humans should go.” Sophia finally spoke up. Elis and Mitch turned from their argument to look at the old man.

“Really
?
” t
hey both asked, though Elis looked angry and Mitch looked excited
.

“Yes
.
” Sophia nodded solemnly. “I would not put you in danger if I didn't have to, but consider this the champions' first test.” He looked at me and Mitch with scrutinizing eyes. “You will face much more than a small camp of Nightmares if you continue on this path. I won't be disappointed if you choose to back down from this difficult task.”

Mitch and I exchanged looks. I didn't even bother looking at Kyle, because I could sense him bouncing on the balls of his feet. He clearly still thought this was all a game and was ready to try out his new toy. Mitch, on the other hand, seemed to feel how I did. We could seriously get hurt on this mission. The few times we took on Serpentine and Leona, we returned to the waking world with injuries and haunting memories. If we lost in this dream world, chances are that we wouldn't wake up again.

I looked up at Mitch and saw that his jaw was set and his eyes were shining with determination. Mitch had the heart of a hero, and I had no doubt that was the reason why Reverie chose him. Still, the sword showed itself to me first, so I guess I wasn't as hopeless as I thought. With a sinking sensation, I realized I didn't have a choice after all. Even if I did back down, how would I wake up into my own world without the help of my magic ball of light? I was going to be the Dreamer's champion or die trying
.

“Ready for another break
-
in?” I asked Mitch
.

“Always
.
” Mitch grinned.

We turned to face the Dreamers. Iven looked ecstatic, clearly ready to see if his Lucid invention worked. Viv shook her head, but she was smiling at us, as if she expected nothing else. Elis was the only one who looked unhappy, but he held his head high in order to continue the quest. Kyle looked like a maniac, ready to get into another game
.

“Then it's settled.” Sophia clasped his hands together, still firmly holding the key. “We will enter the city at dawn, when the Nightmares will be weakest.”

“Excellent!” Kyle clasped his hands together and looked around w
ith bright eyes. “Ready to go?”

“Are you joking?” Viv asked, scowling at Kyle. “I just travelled miles to take you to a safe haven!”

“Actually, we saved you
, remember?” Kyle added, causing Mitch to smirk. I stifled my own laughter as I watched Viv puff up with anger. Elis, of all people, chuckled
.

“You were
saved by these clowns?” h
e asked, barely containing his laughter. Viv huffed as he gave into his belly laugh
.

“I was caught fending off Elite Nightmare Scouts!” Viv protested, brandishing one of her knives. “I'm sure that's more action than you w
ill ever see playing security!”

“Oh, now you're challenging me?” Elis scoffed. “You won't be able to call on y
our humans for help this time!”

“Enough!” Sophia broke up the fight before it started. “We are all tired and have a difficult task ahead of u
s. It is time to rest.”

Viv and Elis immediately ceased arguing. Though they shot each other nasty looks, I could tell they were both too tired to care. I didn't blame them; in fac
t I was feeling a little droopy-
eyed myself
.

“Whoa, you actually sleep?” Kyle broke me out of a half-awake trance as I watched Elis and Iven pull out thick mattresses from another room.

“Of course
.
” Iven straightened up to look at my brother. “Why? Humans do not
? But how do you reach our world?”

“We do,” Kyle hastily said
. “But I didn't know if you needed sleep at all.”

“Just because we do not dream like you doesn't mean we can go on for days at a time!” Elis snapped, rolling his eyes. “You must sleep f
or more than dreams, you know.”

“If only,” Mitch muttered so only I could heard. I had to agree. I wasn't too keen on falling asleep again. I didn't want to see what was happening in the real world. Seeing Tiff and Andy together was strange enough, but if I saw my mom, I wasn't sure I could handle that right now
.

Against my will, though, my eyes grew heavier, and my legs carried me to one of the mattresses Iven was currently pulling out. I plopped onto the squishy, brown mattress to find it was just as comfy as it looked. Despite my brain screaming at me to stay awake, my eyes and body prepared me for sleep. I opened one eye to find Mitch and Kyle both climbing into their beds, which sort of reassured me that sleeping was okay and necessary. Surely I wouldn't dream of the same thing twice, right?

I was wrong
.

Stow Away Hope

As expected, I dreamt of the world back home. Thankfully, I didn't see my mom or Tiff and instead I found myself in an unfamiliar bedroom. I noticed a bookshelf that contained a mixture of comic books and medical appendixes, a blue flannel comforter on top of the bed, and a small LCD TV hooked to a video game system with a pile of games stacked neatly on the side. I was either in the room of a med college student or a
very organized, genius kid
.

Turns out my second hunch was right as Andy stormed into the room. He was closely followed by a short, dark-skinned woman with her brown hair pulled up in a ponytail. I instantly recognized her as Andy's mom. She wore periwinkle scrubs, and her usually kind eyes were glaring at Andy. I also noticed they were slightly red, as if she'd been recently crying
.

“We'r
e all taking this hard, Andy
—
” s
he said in a forc
ed calm voice, “
—
b
ut we need to stay strong to help each other get through this.”

“You and Dad act like she's dead!” Andy shouted before burying his face in his pillow. I felt uneasy as I watched the scene, like I was intruding on a private family moment. Okay
, so I
was intruding, but i
t wasn't my fault!

“The doctors have tried everything,” Andy's mom said softly, gingerly sitting on the edge of his bed. She laid a hand on his back and looked relieved when he didn't swat her away. “And your father has been researching cures day and night. Nothing's worked, Andrew.”

“So why not believe me
?
” Andy asked angrily, looking up at his mom. He brushed a stray tear off his cheek as he sat up. “Why not try dream therapy on her?”

“It's not that simple.” Andy's mom sighed like she was repeating herself. “If it were, wouldn't you think all of the victims would've been cured?” She stood up. “Look, I really need to go to work right now. I'm sorry
.
” She frowned at her son. “Will you be all right?”

“Of course,” Andy grumbled. His mom didn't seem to believe him, but she checked her watch again and started heading for the door
.

“I
'll try not to stay too late,” s
he promised, turning around at the door. “Aunt Candace will pick you up in a few hours to take you to dinner. I love you.”

“Love you, too,” Andy muttered before lying on his back. His mom gave him one last worried look before leaving
.

I felt uneasy as I watched Andy quietly sob into his pillow. Sure
, I'd seen him crying in the boys' bathroom at summer camp, but this was different. He didn't have to hide from anyone (or at least he thought he didn't) so he was fully letting his frustration and sadness out. After shaking on his bed for a few moments, Andy stood up and stomped around the room
.

“It's not fair!” h
e shouted, glaring at his bookshelf. He kicked his bed and ended up swearing while massaging a stubbed toe. “Why did he have to leave
?
” I felt a twinge of guilt, because I had a feeling Andy was talking about me
.

“It's not your fault.” A soft voice whispered behind me, causing me to spin around. I gasped as I realized Andy's sister had spoken to me
.

Melissa looked like she'd been on the run for days. She wore a tattered, blue jumpsuit; similar to one Serpentine wore, though the Chimera logo was missing. Her hair was falling out of the loose braid pinned to her head, and there was a smudge of dirt on her nose
.

I had so many questions to ask her, like how'd she escape? Where was she now? How could she see Andy? Were the Nightma
res or Serpentine tracking her?

All I managed to say, however, was, “Uh, hey.” Yeah, I know, that covered all questions, right?

Thankfully, Melissa could see the confusion in my eyes and realized I wanted an explanation
.

“Turns out Leona doesn't keep track of all her prison
ers,” s
he said, shrugging. “After you woke me up, I snuck out of the lobby like you said. I figured I should change outfits, and I found this thing in a stray closet
.
” She grimaced at her blue suit
. “I was going to try and find you, but the Nightmares started rushing toward the arena. I used the confusion as a chance to escape. I walked right out the front entrance, and no one has followed me since.” She sighed and smiled at me, as if she'd just described her trip to the Bahamas
.

“But now you're on the run
.
” I frowned. “I'm sorry. I didn't know I could wake people up
—
”

“Devon, you did me a favor
.
” Melissa smiled even wider. “Thanks to you, I'm no longer imprisoned, physically
or mentally. Being trapped in Leona's resort was like experiencing the same nightmare over and over again with no chance to wake up. Granted, I still can't wake up; at least I can now figure out how.”

“I woke Tiff up,” I said resentfully. “But I haven't had that kind of power show up again — hang on, how can you see Andy in the real world?”

“This is only the second time I've managed it,” Melissa admitted. “After escaping from the fortress, I didn't know what to do next. I was tired and afraid someone would eventually come for me. My first night I had a breakdown and started missing my friends and family, especially Andy since we're so close.”

“I'm sorry
.
” I felt obligated to say it, but Melissa held up a hand to stop me.

“There is no need,” s
he insisted. “That night, I thought about Andy so much that when I fell asleep I saw him. I felt so happy to see him again, even though he was very sad. I was also concerned, because it seems he knows why some of us are falling into comas.” She looked at me for the first time with reproachful eyes.

“He figured it out,” I said defensively. “I mean, I was his counselor, and he came to me after you were captured. I had to reassure him that you'll wake up eventually.” I realized how lame of an excuse that was, but Melissa didn't stay angry
.

“Andy would probably believe anything if he thought it would help me
.
” She sighed. “But he's getting into too much now.”

“He should be fine
,” I assured her. “Andy's a smart kid, and he's been talking to Tiff, who knows where we all are
—
”

“And I think Andy intends on coming here!” Melissa said worriedly. “He's been practicing lucid dreaming to come rescue me, because he doesn't think you have.”

“I haven't
,
” I admitted, feeling pretty stupid
.

“You're more of a hero than you think
,
” Melissa assured me, smiling a little. Her smile faltered as she looked back to her brother and said, “But Andy coming here is too dangerous. I—I don't know what I'd do if he was caught,” her voice trailed off
, her lip trembling a little
.

Andy looked up from the bed and stared directly at Melissa
.

“Who's there?” h
e asked in a hopeful tone
. I found that strange. Any time I hear strange noises in my room, I do not
hope something actually made them.

“It's me, Andy,” Melissa whispered. Her eyes filled with tears as Andy sighed with disappointment and plopped back down on his bed. She turned to me, the tears now streaming down her face
.

“I have to wake up before Andy dreams himself here
.
” s
he told me. “I've looked everywhere I can without getting into danger, but I just don't know, Devon.”

“I'm working on something,” I said
. “Me, Kyle, Mitch — the guy you saw when I woke you up — and some friends we've made along the way.”

“Friends?” Melissa asked
.

“The Nightmares and Leona aren't the only ones running things in Dreamworld
,
” I assured her. “We're gonna free everyone, and the Dreamers will help wake us all up. Just stay safe, and it'll all turn out okay
.”

“Devon
.
” Melissa stopped, f
rowning at me. “You're fading.”

I looked at my arms and saw she was right. I could see through my right bicep
s
. Melissa was also looking a little faded
.

“Just stay safe,” I said in a rushed tone. “I promise we're working on something, and hopefully we can all wake up before anyone else gets hurt.”

“I know we will
.
” Melissa nodded. “I heard what you did in Leona's arena. You're gonna be the big hero, Devon.”

“Heh, I don't know about that
—
”

“Just be careful!” Melissa said before the entire scene faded to darkness
.

Funny, I thought as I felt myself waking up. Melissa was the one in immediate danger, but she was telling
me to be careful. Then again, I had a feeling my day was going to become significantly more dangerous
.