Dreamworld Kingpin by the Penchant Novelists

DREAMWORLD KINGPIN

By the Penchant Novelists

Irvington High School’s Creative Writing Club is a student-run, interest-based club dedicated to providing a welcoming environment for writers of all kinds to convene and share their ideas outside of an academic setting. Members get a taste of publication through submitting to The Penchant, our online literary magazine. Meanwhile, monthly prompts, in-club competitions, and major writing contests are provided to allow members to explore the implications of writing, improve on their own techniques, and receive feedback from their fellow peers. This year online, we’ve started a collective novel, where authors may submit chapters and take the story where they would like to see it go. Overall, our collective mission is to enable the students of Irvington to write what they wish and have their voices heard.

All images used are either submitted to us or public domain, CC0 photos. All rights remain reserved to their original owners, for those that have specified such guidelines.

Photos: Cover Photo by Andre Benz on Unsplash To learn more about us, visit our social media: Facebook: @penchantlitmag Instagram: @the_penchant Issuu: @penchantlitmag To see our submission guidelines, click on the “Submit To” tab on the menu bar, or follow us on Facebook @penchantlitmag.

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PENCHANT NOVEL EDITORS Samuel Vu & Sophie Mo LAYOUT Daniel Wang Felicia Mo Helen Yuan Roland Zhang TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 by Orion Fang ------------------ 1 Chapter 2 by Green ------------------------ 9 Chapter 3 by Green ----------------------- 15 Chapter 4 by Ojas Vatsyayan ------------ 23 Chapter 5 by Eshaan Mistry ------------- 29 Chapter 6 by Green ----------------------- 35 Chapter 7 by Green ------------------------ 41 Chapter 8 by Green ----------------------- 47 Chapter 9 by Green ----------------------- 53 Chapter 10 by Green --------------------- 57 Chapter 22 by Green --------------------- 63

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Chapter 1

By Orion Fang “Far away the cracked bells ring, hidden beneath the sifting sand, In places forgotten to most, in visions of long-lost, foreign land, Where beneath the ruins within abyss, the living, slumbering madness feasts, Barrier shall crack and darkness roar, shadows call forth the dreaded beast.”

-Excerpt from the Records of the Fall of Qe’lanth. Circa. 710 BC. Is this reality, or this the dream?

I can’t tell anymore.

Call me insane, or call me schizophrenic, or call me dissociated from reality; stick a label, any label, any title you want onto me. It won’t matter because you can’t answer the question I’m asking you.

It seems like a simple question to answer at first; after all, the difference between being awake and being asleep is marked by a thick black line drawn in permanent pen which clearly divides the realms of the sleeping and the awake.

The only problem is that once you cross the line once too many times, both damn sides look so alike from where you’re standing that it’s easy to lose track of where you are, where you’re heading, where you will be.

And that’s when the lines blur.

Things start out simple at first. They’re pure, well-intended, meant only for the betterment of society and of others. It’s a straightforward, innocent ideal that tells you you have the power and what it takes to change the world.

Then come the compromises. The mistakes.

It starts with just a tiny crook in the otherwise pristine line; a small error. An accidental misuse of your power. It’s harmless, unnoticeable; hell, the only one who could spot such a mistake would’ve been the Seers, but their eyes were staring so far into the horizon they could’ve missed a tank driving right in front of them.

Only you know. And when only you know, it’s not hard to keep the secret.

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It’s even easier to want for more, to try again.

So you do.

And the cycle repeats, over and over again and again.

Suddenly, one day, for some reason, you have the conscious thought to look back and that pure, honest ideal is twisted and distorted beyond all imagination, surrounded by layers and layers of delusions and complexes.

That day is the day when everything comes crashing down around you.

Are you listening to me? Because you better listen damn carefully…

Or else you’ll get lost too. ~ Kids are ignorant.

Ignorant and naive.

But hey, ignorance is bliss, right?

You go on for a while thinking you are an extraordinary, special existence in life, someone who is unique and shall leave a singular impact upon the world that no one else can. There’s something you believe which sets you apart from the norm: your exemplary grades, the way you can make everyone else laugh like no one can, your passion or hobby.

But eventually, everyone has a rude awakening from that. You snap to sometime down the line and you think to yourself, “Why the hell did I ever think I was special?” because there’s someone out there who you now know is and always will be better than you, and you were nothing but a big fish in a small pond. Somewhere along the line, you find out you’re not extraordinary; you’re just plain extra ordinary.

At first, I thought I was special, unique amongst even my own peers; I thought that I was the only kid around me who could change the dreams around me at will. Whenever I went to sleep, the Dreamscape version of the real world was waiting for me, all identical, all similar, except for one thing: the people.

For me, such people always appeared as indistinct silhouettes with a pale flame which would constantly burn, like a will-o’-the-wisp inside of their ethereal body. They would always be able to converse and interact with me and commit themselves to the activities I had asked of them; though if their personalities were stubborn like in the real world I would have to order them to commit to tasks.

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As a kid, I found that whatever changes I would make in the dream world around me did not affect the real world, but if I tampered with the people, they would be affected in the real world.

It started as a harmless accident at first during my teenage years; in the dream world, I ran into the silhouettes of one of the school bullies, where I noticed a strange, dark stain upon the nebulous flame which should’ve normally been pale. As he passed me by, I stopped him for a second with an order, reached my hands to touch the dark stain–and was promptly greeted with a wire puzzle tangled together, which I could solve without difficulty.

Imagine to my surprise the next day where it appeared he had changed completely as a person. His violent tendencies mellowed out, he went to seek therapeutic help regarding the issues he was having at home, and he changed for the better as a person.

Today he’s a guidance counselor in the home area trying to help those in need who have issues.

As a result, from a young age I understood just what I could do in my dreams.

I could change people.

Just by the virtue of solving the puzzles inside their hearts, which I grew to understand were abstract problems and emotions that could not be easily reasoned out physically, I could help them with their problems and even change them as people.

As I soon learned, there were rules in the Dream world that could not be broken: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Without fail, no matter what was done to the buildings, background, or environment of the Dreamworld, the real world would not be affected.

I could interact with and order the silhouettes of the people around me in the Dream world; they were the manifestations of a person’s soul or consciousness while asleep.

The problems people were suffering from manifested as a dark stain upon the normal hue of their personality; by interacting with said mark I could solve the puzzle within the person in order to either eliminate it completely or ease the anxiety people had.

Within the Dreamscape, your imagination may dictate how you control and shape the dream, but no matter how you changed the environment around you, the people would not be explicitly affected by environmental change unless you interacted with

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5.

6.

7.

them physically within the world by touching them with your ethereal projections.

Damages in the dream world weren’t permanent, and if you woke up and then went back to sleep everything would be reset as if nothing had ever happened.

The dream world reflected the real world and its changes: for example, if a tree was struck by lightning and burned down, in the dream world said tree would still be burnt down.

To return to the waking world, I had to lie down on a bed within the Dream world and ‘fall asleep’ to wake up and return to the real world.

These rules were what boosted me into the career I had chosen: therapy. It was a job which didn’t require the patient to do anything other than talk and sleep, and all I had to do was to utilize the time they were asleep to solve their problems with a quick puzzle solving and their psychological problems would pretty much be eased or gone.

It was simple, the office only needed a desk and a computer for me to deal with paperwork, and there could be 2 beds: one for the patient, and one for me, the therapist.

Then, all I had to do was make sure the patient fell asleep, fall asleep right next to him, and solve the problem. Easy and done, right?

Supposedly, yes.

People praise me as the best damn therapist they’ve had the fortune of meeting. For them, something about me is comforting to them: the shape of my face, the way I talk, the manner in which I move… it makes them feel at peace and allows them to calm down like their problems suddenly disappear.

Truth is, it’s almost a scam with the money I run away with. As a kid in middle school and high school, I started playing with puzzle games, trying to learn how they worked and trying to solve them in order to hone my own abilities in clearing away those dark stains on someone’s personality. Rubik’s cubes, wire puzzles, sliding piece puzzles, etc… I mastered them all.

For most people, their internal problems aren’t exactly a problem for me to put at ease for them to stop panicking. While I couldn’t exactly solve it for them directly, I could at least unknot the worry and anxiety they had in their hearts so they could try and confront the situation. Hell, isn’t that what all therapists or counselors do? They provide advice and guidance for you to calm down and take your problems one step at a time, right? See, I’m actually good at that!

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However, everything I had known about my ability and how it affected the world I knew came crashing down around me 8 months ago. ~ It should’ve been a normal day, that damn Friday.

Well, as normal as things could’ve gone.

I was a sleep therapist of little renown, graduating with a master’s in psychology and living in a decent building where I lived on the upper floors and the bottom was my clinic. I was liked by clients for charging low, affordable prices for long sessions where I could purportedly allow people to relax and calm down for a “low, humble price of $50 per hour session! And it actually works!”

If I were a villain using my special powers to silently terrorize the residential area I live in, this is probably what I would say when confronted by a hero: My name is Jimmy Cartwright. I am 28 years old. My house is on the western side of San Francisco, where the older carbon copy-and-paste buildings are, and I am not married. I work as a self-employed sleep therapist for Cartwright Catnaps, and I work out of my house. I don’t smoke, but I do indulge in the occasional shot of hard liquor. I’m usually in bed by 11 PM, and no matter what I make sure to get 8 hours of sleep. After brushing my teeth and filing away the paperwork for my clients of the previous day, I usually have no problems sleeping until morning. Just like a baby I wake up without any fatigue or stress in the morning, and I have been told that there were no issues at my last check-up. What I’m trying to explain is that I’m a person who wishes to live a very quiet life, and I take care not to trouble myself with trivial issues such as taxes, politics, or winning and losing that would cause me to lose sleep at night. That’s how I deal with society, and I know that’s what brings me happiness. Although, if I were to fight I wouldn’t lose to anyone.

I’m just kidding about the trivial issues, of course. Let it be known that I, Jimmy Cartwright, was a tax-paying, law-abiding citizen of the United States of America!

Things were pretty calm at the time; there hadn’t been any particular issues with my business, or accounting issues, or anything like that. Murder rates around were at all time lows, and to the best of my knowledge, the addicts were getting help and staying off the streets. A quiet life, normal and uninterrupted; a life that did not cause problems.

That was the life I was living.

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All of that changed on that day when a pale, Asian man came stumbling into my clinic. ~ I eyed the man suspiciously. He was dressed in a decent-looking suit with a black tie and darkly colored pants, about 5’10’ or so, but the most defining characteristic about him was his pale, almost sickly complexion. He was sweating all over, and judging from how hard he had been panting, he must’ve run at least a block or two before choosing to stop here.

However, within his eyes was a piercing glare, almost like he was staring into my soul.

My mind immediately towards taking the baseball bat I had at my desk drawer and swinging first, asking questions later, but I stopped myself.

“What’s your name, sir?”

“Er, Er, Eric… Zhang.” Breathing hard, the man–Eric–slumped into one of the chairs. I patiently waited as he caught his breath before speaking. “I had an appointment today, but I was running late so I had to sprint here. Sorry.”

I checked my schedule, and sure enough, the next person on the list was one Eric Zhang, 33 years old.

“Well, come in, Mr. Zhang.” Ushering him into the room, I closed the door. “Alright, now just lie down here on bed and go to sleep.

All the other problems will be taken care of.”

He raised an eyebrow, seemingly conveying the message Really now? Sounds like a quack deal to me.

I did my best to impart a gentle smile. “It’s all going to be fine sir. Unfortunately, these techniques are a trade secret so unless you go to sleep, I can’t do anything. Rest assured that no harm will come to you.”

He made a snorting noise, but lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. Pretty soon, he was out cold like a light, his breathing even and steady. I cracked my knuckles, rolled my neck, locked the door, and lay down the bed.

However, the first thing that I promptly realized when my consciousness arrived in the Dream world was that Eric Zhang’s presence was not on the bed. The Dream bed was empty, nothing at all.

“So, it was you.” A voice rang out from behind me and I shrieked, rolling off of the bed and tumbling onto the ground of the

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Art by Mengchen Li

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Dream-office. Eric Zhang stood there, casually propped up against the wall, smoking a cigarette and eyeing me up and down.

Not Eric Wang, who should’ve been a pale flame glowing with an ethereal darkness inside of him.

Eric Zhang, the person, a full-blown physical apparition of his appearance in the physical world. Only here, he was smoking a cigarette, which was not something I actually had in my office.

Just from looking at him, I got shivers. This man is… the same as me. He blew out a long cloud of hazy smoke, which drifted in the air before dissipating. No… he’s even better than I am.

“You’re the Dreamer in this area. Who do you work for?

Nozpin? The Sunside? I sure as hell haven’t seen you in the Wang Group offices.” All of these foreign phrases flew at me in an instant, among which only one I recognized: The Wang Group. They were an overseas multi-million corporation from China who had opened up a branch in the heart of San Francisco recently. “Hurry up and speak, kid. You’re pretty green, but whatever the hell you’re doing here, it’s been attracting a lot of unwanted attention. Unless you really are working with them...”

His eyes narrowed and mine widened as before my eyes, a spear appeared in his hands. “I don’t like wasting my time.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I spoke as honestly and as calmly as possible. “I’ve always been doing my business here.”

“Pah!” He spat his cigarette to the side, muttering in what was probably Chinese, presumably cursing. “10 gone? And you’re saying that you’re not the one responsible?”

He jutted the spear in my face and the blade burst into flames, sending me scrambling backwards.

“Honest, sir.” I raised my hands, thinking as fast as possible.

He asked me who I worked for. Nozpin and the Sunside must be rival factions to the Wang Group, which came just recently.

Whatever I’m doing is attracting attention… in other words, my sleep therapy sessions. But that doesn’t make sense. I’ve been here for 4 years, and the Wang Group came here just 5-6 months ago…

“I think I’ve been scapegoated, sir.” He glared at me.

“Then who the hell–” Conveniently, at that moment the ground beneath us chose to give away.

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Chapter 2

By Green How much control do I really have?

I’d always thought that I was the only one—yes, like that sense of “specialness” that a child clings onto. Maybe I was just a child in Eric’s eyes, a novice at my craft. I sure as hell didn’t know how to conjure cigarettes or flaming spears.

And I definitely was not responsible for this hole we were about to fall into, that made my stomach drop and my arms flail on instinct.

Strips of my clinic’s tiled floor bursted upwards, closed in, and sealed above our heads like the peals of a banana to form a dome. I fell on my back, just as the ground trembled again and my gut tingled as we plunged into—I didn’t know where, but it was down and below the floors of my clinic.

Then, just as abruptly, I felt the surface beneath me lurch upwards, and the complete change in direction churned my breakfast up to my throat. It was over before I could vomit.

The walls of the dome peeled back, the tiles crashing onto the pavement and revealing the front parking lot outside my office.

How did we—But we were just inside….

I didn’t have time to think much more because the figure—the woman—standing in the middle of the empty lot caught my eye. She wore a blood-red studded leather jacket. From this distance, her platinum blond hair was almost white if not for the sunlight that shed some hue on them.

A string of foreign words that sounded like cursing came from my right side. I’d almost forgotten Eric was still there and had fallen through the same horrid, elevator experience I had. He fared better though; at least he was still on his feet.

“Well, well,” the woman called, sauntering towards us, her movements smooth and casual. “If it isn’t the infamous fire-breathing Eric Zhang. I guess the Wang Group finally learned to be on time.”

“Freya,” Eric hissed. He pointed his burning spear at her. “Back off before things get ugly. This boy’s coming with me.”

I am? I thought, but I was cut off by Freya’s giggling laugh.

“Back off? No, no, we’ve been here much longer than the Wang Group has, backing off isn’t an option when San Francisco belongs to the Sunside. In fact, didn’t you just arrive a few months ago?” She shook her

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head, her long side ponytail swaying. “Pity. You have no business here, meddling in this poor therapist’s life. It’s a good thing I brought you out before you filled him with more of your nonsense.”

So she’s the one who transported us here. If “transport” was the right word.

I attempted to stand but my legs felt queasy.

“Stay down,” Eric said, holding up his spear-free hand. “I’ll handle this.”

“Oh no, let him get up,” Freya cooed. “Let’s see what this latest Dreamer can do.”

That word again. Dreamer. It must have been the word for what I was, what I could do. What they could do as well.

But who exactly were these people?

I glanced at Eric, who had his glare fixed on Freya—he hadn’t even looked at me when he spoke to me. A few meters away, Freya watched me with a condescending glint in her eyes. They really did think I was some sort of child. Well, it wasn’t as if I asked to be part of their chaotic daycare business.

I clenched my fists, braced my elbows on the ground, and pushed myself up, wobbling as I stood on shaky legs.

“Listen,” I said, dusting my hands against my shirt as calmly as possible. “I don't know what’s going on but I can assure you I’m not a part of it and definitely don’t want to be. I’m just running my therapy business.”

“I wish it were that simple kid,” grumbled Eric. “But people like her aren’t going to leave you alone that easily.”

“He’s right,” Freya smiled, her feet sliding into a defensive stance. “You’re just a tad too precious to be left unchecked.”

As soon as she said that, black tendrils burst from her arms and pierced the ground. There was a distant rumbling noise, followed by slight shaking under my feet. I barely had time to react before Eric slammed into me, sending both of us rolling to the side as Freya’s black tendrils shot out of the spot I just stood at seconds ago. I caught a glimpse of the sharp black points that would have ripped me to shreds.

I said I’d never lose to anyone if I got into a fight.

I take that back.

In one motion, Eric leapt to his feet and threw his spear straight towards Freya. She retracted her tendrils and dodged aside just in time. The spear lodged itself in the pavement behind her. Eric flicked his wrist and it dislodged, slicing past Freya and back to his hand. Freya followed through, rushing forwards and swinging her tendrils like whips

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Art by Ananya Bhargava

towards us.

Eric ducked and the tendrils skimmed his head.

Unfortunately, they smacked me right in the face.

The force of the impact was much more than a typical whip—it was like getting rammed by a log plank (if it was as painful as it looked in movies). Stars exploded, I felt my head crack to the side, my body was airborne, and then inexplicable pain burst in my shoulder as I slammed into the pavement again, rolling and rolling from the momentum.

I vaguely heard Eric scream my name in the distance. My nose was hot, and when I touched it, there was blood. I cracked open my eyes and the parking lot spun. It didn’t help that two blurry figures were darting this way and that, like a pair of relentless flies.

I had just gotten hit by...I didn’t even know what it was.

There were a lot of things I didn’t know today.

Slowly, my vision began to clear; lines became more defined and I saw someone’s feet walking closer and closer and closer.

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“Ouch,” came a feminine voice. “Looks like I did a number on your pretty face.”

I could only groan.

“You look half dead already,” Freya continued. “They didn’t tell me you’d be this easy to kill. Oh well, makes my job easier—” Something struck her shoulder with enough force to throw her sideways a good distance away. Then Eric’s face filled my vision and I was lifted by the front of my shirt.

“Hey!” Eric yelled. He had a bloody cut on his cheek. “HEY! Liven up! Damn, why are you so easy to kill?”

“Don’t,” I wheezed, “mention it.”

Eric dragged me to my feet. I saw Freya pinned against a car, the spear pierced deep in her shoulder and into the car metal. It didn’t seem to affect her strength though because she was fiercely struggling to pull it out.

“That won’t hold her for long,” said Eric. He grabbed my shoulder. “Listen up. You’re going to run far away from here, put several blocks’ distance between us, and then you’re going to break into the nearest house and sleep in the nearest bed, got it?”

“Break into—” “When you wake up into the real world, go to this address,” Eric shoved a slip of paper into my hand, “and ask for Bluu Mrengo. Tell him Eric sent you.” He paused. “And that Eric says blue is a horrible color.”

“What—” Eric shoved me in a general direction and shouted, “Go!” just as Freya pulled the spear out of her shoulder and threw it towards me.

Eric caught it, and the last thing I saw before I ran was them charging towards each other, Freya’s fan of black tendrils against Eric’s flaming spear.

I stumbled at first but after a few steps and limbs filled with adrenaline, I was sprinting down the sidewalk. The normally crowded streets of San Francisco were deserted—right, I was still in the Dreamworld, and yet that entire battle had felt so real. Was it real? Or was I really in a dream?

Run, Jimmy, run.

I skidded around another corner. I was lucky it was still the afternoon and few people were asleep; otherwise, the city would have been filled with the silhouettes of people’s sleeping souls and I would have to avoid running into them.

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When a knot started growing in my chest and my throat stung from gasping and my thighs ached, I stopped running. I doubled over, waiting for the ringing in my ears to subside.

The slip of paper in my fist was wrinkled and a little damp from sweat. I peered over my shoulder.

The streets were silent and deserted. I was in a different neighborhood, closer to the center of San Francisco. Colorful homes stretched down the slope, much fancier and in better shape than my own house—although I would give anything to go back to my bedroom and wake up in a familiar place from all this craziness.

Nearest house, huh?

I eyed the house closest to me, it’s soft white door decorated with a semicircle window.

I hope I don’t get arrested because of this.

I went up the steps and opened the door.

As expected, there was no one inside. The owners must’ve been awake and out somewhere. It felt wrong to step into someone else’s house uninvited—I’ve always tried not to intrude on other people’s privacy when in the Dreamworld—but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Luckily, the bedroom door was open. I went straight for the king-sized mattress and crawled on, taking a moment to appreciate the plush pillows.

Focus, Jimmy, there are people trying to kill you.

I stared at the paper crinkled in my hand. Why had Eric wanted me to sleep somewhere so far away? Maybe because it would be easier to fall asleep with no sounds of battle. But the silence didn’t help; it gave my mind too much room to think and mull over everything that happened. I didn’t want to think. I needed to focus on something else, anything else other than thinking.

I read the address on the paper.

610 Market Street, San Francisco.

Market Street. The hub of the city. I preferred the quieter suburbs, but I knew how crowded deep San Francisco could be. I read the address over and over, memorizing it so I could get moving as soon as I woke up.

It worked. In the midst of memorization, I fell asleep.

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Chapter 3

By Green “You are one difficult man to handle.”

A boot pressed down on one side of Eric’s bleeding head, pinning him against the cement. Blood dripped into his blurry eyes, from which he had only a view of his limp arm and his spear tossed aside. He was lying on his stomach, his breaths shallow and weak.

Crimson wounds criss-crossed his back. They festered from the lashes of Freya’s black tendrils that were currently wrapped around his limbs and holding him down. He winced as the tendrils squeezed tightly.

“Lucky for you,” said Freya, standing above him, “your new boy ran off somewhere and is probably out of the Dreamworld by now—if he’s smart. That means you’re no longer useful to me.”

Eric grit his teeth in defiance. He mustered up his remaining strength to reach for his spear until one of Freya’s tendrils stabbed into the cement to cut him off.

“You were always such a fighter, Eric.” She removed her boot from his head. “But you know better than that. Game’s over.”

“Then kill me,” he growled hoarsely.

Freya raised her arm, seething with those abnormal black coils, and Eric closed his eyes.

JIMMY By the time I woke up and made it to Market Street, it was already early evening.

In my defense, it only took so long because I was trying desperately hard—perhaps too hard—not to look like I had just woken up from a living nightmare. I didn’t rush but I didn’t daddle either; I did, however, look behind my shoulder.

No one had come after me.

Market Street was bustling with life at this hour. Cars and trolley buses clogged the road, people speed-walked over the zebra lines while others darted between the automobiles, the building lights began to shine against the darkening sky, and there was honking and shouting and bells from cyclists. I welcomed the noise because it made me feel just a tad bit safer, more blended.

On the other hand, it made me overwhelmed.

I was pretending to play “I spy” but with address signs as I

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Art by Carla Dumaguit

tracked down the proper building when a car appeared out of nowhere.

It drove right across my path, skimming just inches away from where I was walking. I stood frozen, shocked, and didn’t even hear the driver holler, “Watch it!” before the car sped into the traffic.

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“A*shole,” I muttered. “Where is he off to in such a damn hurry, anyway?”

The car had come from one of those narrow alleys that probably led to a parking garage. I peered down the empty alleyway, then took a step back to examine the buildings on either side.

609. And 611.

I took out the slip of paper. 610 Market Street.

Well, what do you know.

This alley looked incredibly suspicious. Then again, all alleys were suspicious. This one looked like a place to get jumped. Then again, all alleys were places to get jumped. This alley looked very risky and unsafe. Then again, the longer I waited out here, with possible psychopaths chasing after me, the more this was risky and unsafe.

I looked both ways, folded the paper back in my pocket, and ducked into the alley.

Goosebumps sprang along my arms as I walked into this uncharted territory. For the most part, I was alone, with two dumpsters for company down the alley. The first dumpster was for 609. The second dumpster stood by a back door.

A plaque read 610 at the top.

I stopped in front of the door, staring at the two steps leading up to it and the rather fresh-looking light blue paint.

Here goes.

One step. Two steps. Raised my hand to knock.

“Do you like the paint job?”

I almost fell off the steps and whirled around.

The alley was empty.

“Over here, buddy,” the disembodied voice chuckled.

I turned back to the door. It was coming from the other side.

“What do you think?” it asked again. “I painted the door myself. Like it?”

Instinctively, I blinked at the door, feeling kind of awkward to be talking to no one I could see.

Is this a trick question? I studied the door. Do they expect a compliment or something?

Paint job. Blue paint.

What did Eric say about blue?

I cleared my throat and tried, “One of my clients, you may know him as Eric, said blue is a horrible color….”

“Ah, but I was asking what you think about it,” the voice said.

“It depends,” I said, trying to keep my nervousness at bay. “I

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prefer dark blue over light blue.”

There was a pause, and I had a jolting feeling that I had disappointed someone.

Then I heard the sound of locks being switched. The door opened.

A man with the swirliest—if that’s a word—patterned tie and deep blue suit stood straight-backed at the doorway, his hands clasped in front of him and his posture radiating confidence. He looked around his late fifties and had his black dreads pulled back in a ponytail. The stubbled chin moved as he flashed a white-toothed smile.

“Good answer,” he said. “I wouldn’t have let you in if you preferred anything other than blue. Unless you’re lying, of course. I hate dishonesty.”

I shake my head, too surprised to speak.

“The name’s Bluu Mrengo. Come on in.”

He beckoned me inside, but I stood at the threshold for a few seconds, staring into the dimly lit storage room and at another door on the other side. I glanced back into the alley, where I could still see the cars zipping by on Market Street.

Here goes.

I followed Bluu.

He opened the other door and we walked down a new hallway.

The walls were brighter and had a light blue-ish tinge to them. I suspected Bluu probably painted, or requested the paint job for this too.

Walking side by side, I felt slightly underdressed compared to his full suit. I realized I was still in my business casual collared shirt and dress pants; that’s how quick things changed. A few hours ago, I was still a sleep therapist using my power to treat patients and make profit. Now I was following this Bluu guy into a strange building whose address was provided by a strange, spear-throwing man that was supposed to be a normal client.

Eric— “Hey, it’s Mr. Mrengo, right?” I asked.

“Just Bluu is fine.” He grinned.

“Bluu, there’s something you need to know about Eric. He was supposed to be my client until he told me about the Wang Group, which I assume you’re part of, and a bunch of other groups, Sun something and another one. And then this lady with black octopus tentacles showed up and she’s fighting Eric right now—” “Black tentacles?” Bluu interrupted, his grin disappearing. He stopped walking. “Did you catch her name? Or what faction she’s from?”

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“Frey—I think it was Freya?”

Bluu stared at me, but his eyes were distant like he was gazing through me. A sigh broke from his lips. He rubbed his brow, knitted with worry.

This Freya person must have been a big deal.

“We’ll need to be quick,” he finally said, resuming his walk at a faster pace. “I need to take you to the others.”

Others?

I jogged after him. “Sorry to be rude, but mind explaining who you people are? And where you’re taking me?”

“Eric must have implied it,” Bluu said, not slowing down. “We are the Wang Group. We are Dreamers, like yourself. Each of us has our own abilities when we enter the Dreamworld, as do our rival factions Sunside and Nozpin. All of us are constantly looking for new recruits.

We do it for protection. They do it for manipulation.”

Protection? Manipulation?

“Is this a gang war?” I asked, halting in the hallway. “I want to be clear that I refuse to be part of any illegal activity or trouble you’re brewing—” “I’m afraid you don’t have a choice,” Bluu said over his shoulder. He continued to walk down the corridor and turned the corner without waiting for me.

“It’s either us or them, Jimmy!” I heard his voice calling.

The door behind me was unguarded; I could just leave this place while I still had the chance. That wouldn’t do any good though; somehow, this man and probably all of Wang group knew my name.

Plus I would be out in the open again, vulnerable to Freya. I wondered how Eric was doing, if he was alright.

Bluu’s footsteps began to fade so I kicked myself forward and ran around the corner, catching up to him.

We arrived at yet another door. Bluu turned the knob and it clicked open, but he left it ajar.

“They’re waiting for you inside,” he said. “This is as far as I’m going. Where did you say Freya and Eric are fighting?”

I gave him the address to my little clinic in west San Francisco and he hurried off before I could ask any more questions.

I pushed open the door and slipped inside.

“Jimmy Cartwright. Age 28. Occupation, sleep therapist.

Self-employed at Cartwright Catnaps. Is that you?”

The person asking, a middle-aged Indian woman, sat behind a desk with a paper in her hand. I guessed the paper was a profile of me

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and felt slightly indignant that I was being reviewed like some job applicant for a position that I never even wanted.

“Well?” the woman said, peering at me over her reading glasses. “I don’t have all day.”

“Yes, ma’am, that’s me,” I replied. “Though I’d like to follow up with who’s asking.”

“Roshani Titali,” she said stiffly. “Have a seat. We’re under urgent business.”

I sat at the chair she indicated. This was really starting to feel like a job interview.

“We have been monitoring you since the start of the six months we opened business here,” she explained. “And before you even consider filing a privacy complaint to law enforcement, our surveillance methods are undetectable by normal tech. We have special abilities. And that’s why we’re interested in you.”

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” I said. “And I don’t intend to, unless my therapy business is a threat, in which case I’d be happy to close up shop and be out of your hair. It wasn’t my intention to get involved.”

“Your ability is a threat to us,” Roshani clarified. She scanned the document in her hand again. “You can untangle people’s emotions when they are asleep and solve their mental problems for them. You can go so far as to change people’s personalities. If Sunside or Nozpin got ahold of that talent—” “I’ve heard those names come up several times now,” I interjected. “I get that they’re your rivals but who are they exactly? Why are you fighting them? What do they want with me? What do you want with me?”

“Sunside and Nozpin,” Roshani said slowly, a little irritated at being interrupted, “are a group similar to ours. They hunt for oblivious Dreamers like you to turn into weapons for their own interests. Sunside is known for hijacking the government. Nozpin, for the most part, works with the government.”

“Works with the government?” I repeated. “Doesn’t that make you the insurgents?”

“It makes us the people. We protect the common, everyday human beings that are walking outside as we speak. Sunside would cause anarchy if it got what it wanted and Nozpin would most likely turn everyone into puppets if they are unchecked. That’s why we’re fighting them on a daily basis—to beat down Sunside and make sure Nozpin knows it can’t just do whatever it wants.”

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“And they want me because….”

Roshani leaned forward. “Think about it. You see the puzzles of emotions. You control emotions. Right now, you do it for the better health of your clients, but your power can just as easily be turned into a poison. Instead of fixing people’s problems, Sunside and Nozpin would make you amplify people’s negative emotions, fuel their inner turmoil, tear them apart from the inside-out until they do your bidding.”

By then, I was leaning far back in my chair, unable to remove my eyes from Roshani’s piercing gaze. Her words made the goosebumps multiply on my skin.

Imagine being creative—no, crazy—enough to realize I could do that.

“I would never in my right mind do that.”

“You wouldn’t be in your ‘right’ mind,” said Roshani. “You’d be brainwashed. They have plenty of Dreamers who can do that.”

“Either way, it sounds like your enemies are pretty vicious people,” I said. “It also sounds like the Wang Group knows what it’s doing. I mean, you’ve got people like Eric who are super powerful already. I’m afraid there’s not much I can do to help, since you’re way above my league.”

“You are correct. You’re practically useless in battle.”

Gee, thanks.

“But I request that you join us anyway,” she said. “We will protect you from Sunside and Nozpin. You can even go back to running your sleep therapy business, we would just send someone daily to check on you.”

“I don’t want to pick sides,” I said. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“We didn’t either,” said Roshani. “We didn’t choose to be born with these powers. Now that we have them, though, it is our responsibility to use and guard them wisely. Your therapy business is beneficial so you may continue. But I ask that you join our ranks for extra protection, if not for yourself, then for the people around you who Sunside and Nozpin may turn you against.”

So I was trapped. Roshani didn’t look like she was going to let me go unless I agreed. What if I refused? Would they lock me up? Gosh, this felt like a criminal syndicate, and yet this Wang Group was claiming to be the good guys.

On the bright side, Roshani guaranteed that I could stay in business. I still had bills to pay, a life to live. My life very well could be cut short if Freya came after me on my own—not just Freya, there were more criminal syndicates out there, more people to watch out for behind

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my back.

“Okay.”

“Perfect,” she breathed. “Sign here.”

She gave me the document. I was right; it was a profile of me, with my demographics, picture, and...ability. Emotion Manipulation.

“That’s a mouthful,” I commented, signing the paper.

“If you have a better name for it—” She was cut off by the shouting outside. Roshani leapt to her feet—damn, she was smaller than I thought—just as Bluu burst into the room.

“It’s Eric!” he yelled at us. “We found Eric!”

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Chapter 4

By Ojas Vatsyayan “We found Eric!”

I thought back to yesterday… Freya ambushing us, me abandoning Eric without thinking about what would happen to him.

And now, Bluu finding him.

If he had really found him, why wouldn’t he bring him over here? Unless he was in no condition to be moved.

Goddamn it. Could Eric be dead because of me?

Get a hold of yourself, Cartwright.

“What are you waiting for, Cartwright? You want me to carry you over there?” Bluu said.

I got up from my chair, anxious. “How is he?”

Bluu rubbed his hand over his face. “ You’ll see.”

Roshani and I ran after Bluu. If Eric was in the shape he was proclaimed to be, could I have stopped it? Would I have stopped it?

Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted. Bluu had stopped...in front of the house I had “bunked” in for the night. And I quickly realized why.

Eric, the great Dreamer, summoning flaming spears from his hands, was in front of it. His crisp tie was gone, charred. He was hunched over, mumbling something. We inched closer, and he turned around. And his eyes…

His eyes were completely black. A voidless end, a delve into the night, and nothing else. And he was mumbling...”Jimmy...Jimmy...Jimmy.”

I stumbled back. This wasn’t Eric. I don’t know who this was. It looked like him, but his eyes, his demeanor. His mind had been shattered and left by Freya. Bluu came to my side. “ It’s time to take him back to base.”

We led him back to the base. All throughout the way, he kept mumbling...”Jimmy...Jimmy...Jimmy.” As the Sun turned into the Moon, and the starry night lit up the path in front of us, we reached the base, and immediately set Eric down onto a bed. He turned over, still mumbling my name.

“Goddamn it. What’s happened to him?” I said.

Roshani answered. “Jimmy, your ability…you know how you can turn emotions into what you want them to be? Fix the knot, untie it

23

to help others? Freya…she ties that knot tighter. She can shatter the mind of anyone incapacitated under her command.”

“Is there a cure? A way to fix it? Anything?” I asked. I was holding myself together, making sure I didn’t display weakness.

“We haven’t found anything, yet, Cartwright,” Bluu told me.

“But there have been rumors…”

“Bluu, are you sure we can trust him with this?” Roshani asked Bluu in a hushed voice that I was able to overhear.

“Look at the kid. We can trust him,” he responded.

“Okay,” Roshani replied. “ Jimmy, there have been rumors that Nozpin carries a cure to the...state Freya can leave a mind in. A way to mend it back together. The government provides them any resources they need, and in this war, we all must be prepared for anything.”

“Then we have to do it. We have to steal that cure. I’m not going to leave Eric in this state for the rest of his life. And Freya….I’m going to make her pay.”

I had never felt this in my life. This anger...this bond to someone as strong as I trusted Eric. We had only known each other for a few hours, but he laid down his life for me. I knew I had to do the same for him.

“Alright then, Jimmy. Going in with just you and me would be a suicide mission. It’s time for you to meet everyone else,” Bluu said, a look of resolve in his eyes.

“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.

“You didn’t think Wang was just us four, did you? No, we’ve got to take you to headquarters. The power you have, aside from the cure, can turn the tide in this war.”

“But where? And how have I never known there were other Dreamers like me?”

“All in due time, kid. Now let’s go take these as*holes down.”

We headed out of the building, and towards the parking space in front. And the car, a Rolls Royce Phantom. Despite myself and the circumstances, I whistled.

“Damn. That’s a helluva car.”

Bluu chuckled. “I get that a lot. Now, headquarters is about 10 miles away. The rich part of the residential district. You take the car, and I’ll go a different route with that one.” He pointed to another Phantom 15 spaces away from ours. “If anyone’s following us, they won’t know which one to hit. Got it?”

“Yeah,” I said.

I walked to the driver’s seat, and gunned the engine of the car.

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Art by Ananya Bhargava

Bluu and I pulled out of the parking lot, going the same lane, when a fork in the road appeared. Bluu rolled down his window.

“I’ll take right, you take left!” he yelled over the wind.

We pulled onto different roads. The headquarters was a few more miles away. Everything was running smoothly until I heard another car behind me. And in the driver’s seat, smiling. With no remorse. Freya.

Sh*t. I gunned the engine, the thought of Eric in my head, and veered into a different lane. But she kept following. And I could do nothing.

I looked back to see her hand extending from the window, black tendrils extending from her fingertips.

If my mind shattered, there would be no hope for Eric. The corporation would be defeated. I had to get away.

The speedometer raced forward. I was already running at 80, so I gunned the engine to a hundred. We were racing down the freeway, an exit coming up on my right. I had to time this just right. The window of opportunity was closing. The tendrils were almost at my door.

I heard a shout. “I’m going to do to you exactly what I did to Eric! Worse than death, and there’s nothing you can do!”

But there was something I could do. At the last second, I veered onto the exit, and, unsuspecting of this move, Freya raced on.

She was still screaming at me, and I couldn’t help myself. I waved at her as she was unable to control her speed, and she veered right and crashed straight into the guardrail.

If I was lucky, she would be out for quite a bit. Sadly, I’m not

25

usually lucky.

I raced down the lane, and a few minutes later, pulled up right next to a shining building. The buildings here were anything but copy-paste, all magnificent. The upper residential area. And a minute later, another Phantom pulled up. Bluu, thank god, was safe.

He stepped out of the car, took one look at me, and rushed to my side.

“What the hell happened, Cartwright? Your car looks like it got crushed and a couple of five year olds tried to put the damn thing back together!”

I told him what happened: the ambush by Freya. When I told him how I got her off my trail, he smiled despite himself.

“Oh my god, Bluu, you smiled.”

And just like that, the smile was gone. So much for a historic moment.

We turned to face the next step in our journey. The Wang Corp.

Headquarters stood there, in front of us, the moonlight shining off of its obsidian black exterior. Within it, apparently, would be the recruits that would help us save Eric, and finally take down the rival gangs once and for all.

“You ready, Cartwright?” Bluu asked me.

I thought of Freya, of Eric writhing back at the base, and the tendrils reaching out at me during the ambush. I thought of Freya’s words, a fate worse than goddamn death.

I smiled. “Hell yeah.”

Together, Bluu Mrengo and Jimmy Cartwright ascended the obsidian stairs, and proceeded to the imposing set of glass doors.

Without hesitation , I pushed open the doors. I was running on a rush of adrenaline, and I felt like I was never going to be scared of anything ever again.

I was so dumb.

Because the lobby was a massacre.

The receptionist was slumped over in her chair at the entry desk. A quick check revealed she had been shot, a clean shot through the neck. A bullet was lying on the floor next to the wall behind her. I picked it up.

“13 mm, Bluu. Whoever did this wasn’t an amateur. They were ready.”

Bluu didn’t even respond. I imagined the scene, Dreamers disguised as businessmen walking through the lobby. They weren’t expecting anything, and gunmen stormed through the door. 10 minutes

26

later, they wouldn’t expect anything again.

I walked through the lobby, bodies everywhere. They were all throughout the lobby, in rooms and hallways all around the first floor of the building.

But something was off. It was strange. On a crowded work day, there would have been hundreds of people in the building. But this wasn’t reported. The police didn’t know about this nor the bodies on the floor. There were 20 bodies, which was a stretch. So where were the other (hopefully alive) Dreamers? And could we find them?

“Bluu, did you realize that there are 20 bodies on the ground?

Where are the others?”

Bluu didn’t respond. This was unusual, he hadn’t responded the last time I called him either. I turned around, and there Bluu was, at the far end of the hallway outside the lobby. He was standing there, his swirling demeanor looking strangely confined. In front of him, I could see something on the wall. It looked, oddly, like a message.

I walked to Bluu, who was just staring at the message. After reading it, I could understand his reaction. Because on the wall, written in red, was this: ‘Tomorrow, 10:00 AM. Sunside. Bring the Manipulator. Or else.”

And underneath the message was a picture. Many men and women clumped together, unconscious on the floor. And a red cross was plastered on the image.

A single tear dropped from Bluu’s cheek, and the droplet splattered on the floor. He turned to me.

“I’m sorry, Jimmy. I have to do it. We’re going to the Sunside.”

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28

Chapter 5

By Eshaan Mistry When my eyes finally lifted from the ground, I found a stranger standing in front of me. No empathy. No compassion. Just Bluu, with a heart cold as ice, reaching for his gun and ready to sacrifice me for his friends.

So naturally, I panicked. Taking him by surprise, I threw my shoe. Instinctually, he caught it, leaving him in an awkward position to grab his gun. In other words, I could run. And boy did I run.

I reached his Rolls Royce, and by sheer luck, managed to open the car before he fired his first warning shot. I looked back to find a frenzied Bluu trying to get the door of the totalled car open. It must have gotten jammed after the hectic chase with Freya.

“Jimmy! We can talk this over! Don’t-” I pulled away, before I had a chance to second-guess myself out of pity. Then I realized I had nowhere to go.

Bluu could probably find out where my therapy business was, and finding my house would probably be even easier. Sh*t. Anyway, it’s not like I was going to let all of the hostages get killed by Sunside…right?

I just needed time to think, but before that, I had to shake Bluu off of my tail. His car, while still damaged from my earlier chase with Freya, was following me closely. I took a deep breath, and analyzed the streets.

There was nowhere to hide. Nowhere to run. The only advantage was that my car was in a better shape than his. So, I hit the brakes hard. Just as I skid into an alleyway, Bluu crashed into me. The smoke emitting from the front of his car transformed into fire. The bright dancing tendrils grew more and more in size and intensity until…silence.

I woke up nauseous and light-headed. As I turned over to throw up, I realized I was on a bed. On a second bed next to me was Bluu, all bruised, covered in bandages, and snoring with gusto.

Am I…in the Dreamworld? Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t realize there was someone else standing in front of me.

“Ah. You woke up.”

He was a tall, rugged man, with dreadlocks and a tattered muscle t-shirt. Frankly, if his beard was any longer, he could’ve passed

29

as homeless. He narrowed his eyes, looking alert and cautious despite the condition I was in.

“Wh-who are you?” I barely managed to speak. I sat up on my bed, despite the pain. “You from Sunside? N-Nozpin? How’d you bring us here?” So many things had happened the past few hours I felt like I was losing my mind.

The guy just chuckled. “Calm down boy. You and Bluu just barely managed to survive the crash. Oh right! You’ll want this back.”

He handed me my phone, cracked and scorched, but still functional.

“You really did a number on Bluu’s cars, didn’t you? Anyway, thanks to Bluu, I know you’re not completely an enemy.” He held up a small device.

I put two-and-two together and realized Bluu had probably put it on my phone to track and record my actions.

Wow. These people really have trust issues. Well, with people like Freya running around throwing temper-tantrums, I guess it makes sense to watch out for double agents.

“So what organisation do you belong to? I would assume the Wang Group, since you know Bluu.” I was still being cautious, but if this guy was from Sunside I would’ve been staring at Freya already. Either way, I would be able to glean more information from him if I acted complacent.

“You really don’t know me, huh?” He just crossed his arms.

I racked my brain trying to figure out who this guy was. Could he be… one of Freya’s minions back when Eric and I were pitted against her? No. Wait. Back at the Wang Group headquarters, I remembered there were portraits hung up on a wall. Was he one of them?

“Are you part of the Wang Group? D-Do you know Freya?”

His face darkened at the mention of Freya’s name, but changed back just as quick. He let out a hearty laugh, then stared at me with an intensity I’d only seen once before.

“A member of Wang Group? Dude, I’m the founder.”

“Oh that makes sense. Wait what??” He must’ve seen the visible confusion on my face, so he just sat down and started explaining.

“So you’ve been in this Dreamer business for a grand total of…

3 hours. I guess I’ll start from the beginning. Anyway, my name’s Frazer.” He extended his brawny hand and smiled, expecting me to shake it.

I didn’t. How could I? At this very moment, there were dozens, no, maybe hundreds of Wang Group members probably staring down the barrel of a gun. And who held that gun? Freya. Sunside’s leader;

30

Eric’s killer.

“Hey, uh…Frazer, was it? There’s, like, something more important that I kind of have to do first. I mean, I was a coward before, but now I realise that people’s lives are at stake and now Bluu is hurt and I don’t have a car and now you’re here and-” “Woah, woah. Slow down. Explain.” He withdrew his hand, waiting patiently for me to collect my scattered thoughts.

And so I explained. The first encounter with Eric, Freya’s bloodlust, my totally heroic escape from Bluu—everything. It was so surrealistic, I half expected him to burst out in laughter again.

“She got Eric, huh?” Frazer muttered under his breath.

As we sat there in silence for a few minutes, Bluu woke up. He looked around wildly, not knowing where he was, until he saw Frazer.

His eyes grew so wide I thought he was in a cartoon.

“F-Frazer?? You’re…supposed to be dead.”

If I wasn’t confused already, I definitely was now.

I’m dealing with the zombie leader of an organization fighting for power over superhumans in an alternate dream dimension. Neat.

“Heyy! Bluu my man. How’s life been treating you?”

Bluu burst out in tears then buried his face in his pillow. Frazer walked over and comforted him, making sure not to touch any of Bluu’s bandages. The day’s events had been so crazy I couldn’t even process what just happened.

After Bluu gathered himself up, the three of us sat in a circle and contemplated our next moves.

“Let’s go to Nozpin. If we negotiate with them, they might be able to help us out, or at least get the cure. If we can get Eric back, infiltrating Sunside’s base will be much easier. He is a former Sunside member, after all.”

Bluu’s take on the situation surprised me, but anything was better than getting sacrificed to Sunside. I quickly seconded his idea.

“Well, y’all make this easy for me. I guess we’re going to Nozpin.” Frazer got up and laid on Bluu’s bed, motioning for us to do the same. Bluu and I exchanged awkward glances at each other before crashing into the fluffy pillows.

With great power comes great responsibility. Thanks Spiderman. Now I f****ng know what you mean.

The three of us went into an uneasy sleep, cherishing the last few moments of rest before waking up.

We woke up in an alleyway to the sounds of police sirens slowly fading away.

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This was the alleyway Bluu and I crashed into. I guess the police have finished cleaning up the mess.

“These next few hours are gonna need tons of teamwork, at least if we want to accomplish anything. Forget about the crash, you two.

Just focus on the mission at hand.”

Frazer then helped Bluu up, and supported his weight as they walked toward a car parked on one side of the alleyway. I followed, guessing that was what we were probably going to use to get to Nozpin.

As we sat in Frazer’s Lexus, I noticed Bluu’s shaken face. He clearly wasn’t expecting this dude to be alive, let alone talk with him.

I stared out the window at the bustling city. Wouldn’t it just be amazing to get back to my cozy office? No Eric. No Bluu. Just me fixing other people’s problems, enjoying the bliss of ignorance.

No! Every single person out there probably has a life just as complicated as me. What Sunside and Nozpin want to do…I can’t let that happen.

I imagined Freya’s power and what it had turned Eric into. If there was no one to stop her, who knows how far she’ll go? Then I imagine my power, loosening that tie, changing people’s personalities.

What if that went into the wrong hands?

An army of emotionless soldiers, brainwashed to do the bidding of Freya. Nozpin turning people complacent, giving the government power over every facet of their lives. Any future I thought of didn’t end well.

Ok Jimmy. Think of the present. There’s still hope.

I had to take my mind off of worrying. I’d been so lost in my thoughts, I forgot there were two other people in the car.

“So, Mr. Jimmy. You must have lots of questions.” Frazer checked the GPS, then let out a sigh. “We have an hour or so to waste.

Tell me, what’s on your mind?”

“Well… um.”

How do you know Freya, Eric, and Bluu? Why did you found the Wang Group? What’s your power? What’s wrong with Freya?

Where do you get your haircuts? I didn’t even know where to start.

Frazer looked at me through the rear-view mirror. He just chuckled and said, “Alright then. I’ll explain everything.”

He turned a corner and began speaking.

“It all started with the Maerd family. Freya Maerd, Frazer Maerd, and the founder of Nozpin: our dad Freddy Maerd.”

Wait. What? They’re…siblings?!

Frazer paused for a second to let that sink in.

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“You’re really starting off with that? You almost gave me a heart attack!” He might as well have just punched me in the face.

He grinned mischievously, then opened his mouth to speak again.

Sh*t. He’s just getting started.

33

34

Chapter 6

By Green “Dreamers like us weren’t always organized into factions like we are now.”

I leaned back in my seat as Frazer began his story. One look at Bluu told me he knew what Frazer was talking about to some extent but was nevertheless intrigued.

“We were scattered across the globe, keeping a low profile because the people who acted out generally disappeared within a day or two. My dad, Freddy, didn’t start Nozpin until we found out Freya was a Dreamer. Dad saw straight away that Dreamers with powers like hers needed extra oversight. If led in the wrong direction, they could very well get unwanted attention from the international community and be terminated.”

Frazer winced. “I suppose his vision didn’t exactly go as planned. Dad created Nozpin as a haven for Dreamers across the nation.

By the time I was a teenager, he had expanded it to encompass the whole world. Eventually, Dad made himself known—discreetly, of course—to select government agencies. Nozpin was classified as a special case and allowed to operate so long as they maintained the peace. We keep an eye out for rogue or emerging Dreamers such as yourself to make sure no one falls out of line. As you know, that peace didn’t last.

“Freya was tired of being forced to limit her power and follow regulation. She didn’t understand why she had to bow down to people inferior to her—she wasn’t willing to make the sacrifices. Dad and Freya had arguments a lot, and one day, she finally let loose and had some ‘fun’ as she called it. She messed with the silhouettes—you know, those manifestations of people’s souls when asleep—enough to cause nightmares and sleep deprivation to a whole neighborhood. A lot of Dreamers were injured trying to stop her and bring her back to the real world. Dad ‘grounded’ her, so to speak. But she simply left.”

“Left?” I echoed. “Skedaddled? You just let her walk out after everything she did?”

“How were we supposed to know she’d start her own organization?” Frazer countered. “Besides, Dad couldn’t bring himself to place any consequences or bounties on her. By the time Sunside grew to become a threat, it was too late for us to reconcile. Dad was busy

35

juggling the operations of all the Nozpin branches. He couldn’t properly focus on Sunside. So he put me in charge of checking my sister and I got wrecked the first couple of weeks on the job.”

“You got wrecked?” Bluu repeated in disbelief. This seemed to be a part of the story that he’d never heard before. The tone of his voice implied Frazer must’ve been some kind of god to his people.

“Yes, my friend. Freya wrecked me,” Frazer chuckled. “Several times. We may both shoot black tendrils from our arms—the formal name on paper is Black Ribbon—but she discovered the Dreamworld first. Over and over, I’d chase her on whatever new dangerous plot she was running and she’d leave me feeling bruised before escaping. It was hopeless. By the way, I’m the older brother, so it looked really bad in the sibling relationship books. I was a complete failure—don’t try to deny it, Bluu. Though I’ll admit it all changed in that one mission where I met Kristen Wang.”

“Wang as in Wang Group?” I asked.

“The same,” said Frazer. “Have you met her yet?”

I shook my head. I was surprised when Bluu did the same. This Kristen lady was probably higher up on the ranks to not show her face often.

“Ah, then I’ll leave her Dream ability as a surprise,” Frazer said.

“She’s the most level-headed girl I’ve ever met. Calm, collected, a complete contrast from Freya. She likes playing solo and thought I was extra baggage when I offered to partner with her—I bet she still thinks I am. She agreed to team with me in the end because she also had a bone to pick with Freya and had been after her for weeks. The first night, we managed to stop a couple of Freya’s Sunside henchmen from raiding a sleeping neighborhood. They wanted to ‘conquer’ it, like some kind of gang turf. And Kristen really...she really blew them away. Strongest Dreamer I ever heard of.”

“Sounds like badass girlfriend material,” Bluu said, nodding along.

Frazer smiled. “How did you know?”

Are Frazer and Kristen… I didn’t finish the thought before answering my own question. It would make sense and the rest of Frazer’s story supported that conclusion.

“We stuck together after that,” Frazer continued. “Well, more like I tagged along and she said I was annoying. But she never told me to go away so I stayed with her. As things got heated between us and Sunside, Kristen surprisingly decided we wouldn’t be able to handle things on our own. She did most of the hunting and gathering for

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like-minded Dreamers, loners, or even Sunside defects like Eric. And voila, here we are. Welcome to Wang Group.”

We waited for him to keep talking. After a pause, it was evident Frazer had finished his tale.

“But what about what happened a month ago?” Bluu said.

“Wang Group got in a skirmish with Sunside one night and the reports said you were MIA. You didn’t return for a whole week and our trackers didn’t find anything. We labeled you KIA, did you know that? Our leader, KIA! But you’re actually alive!”

“Right, that part,” said Frazer, gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly. “Before I get into that, how is Kristen? Is she alright?

Does she also think I’m dead?”

“I’m not important enough to meet the big boss,” Bluu joked.

“I’m sweating my hands off just talking to you right now. But it’s safe to say pretty much everyone thinks you’re dead.”

Frazer sighed.

For an awkward moment, Bluu and I stared at Frazer’s lost-in-thought expression. Underneath his rugged looks, I began to see shimmering seriousness in his eyes and the confident way he held his shoulders that suggested the demeanor of a leader. He hadn’t been vacationing at some luxury home considering he looked like he spent a month on the streets, which I suspected he might have. But why? Why not return to the organization that needed him while his sister was still at large?

“Oh!” Frazer snapped out of his daze. “I almost forgot I had some explaining to do. I remember that fight with Sunside. It was a difficult one. They retreated and we gave chase. One of the Sunside Dreamers had an explosive power. It was a trap. I remember getting caught and being held down while my team passed by our hiding spot.”

“You were captured?” Bluu said.

“Not for long,” said Frazer. “I got knocked half-unconscious but a group of Nozpin Dreamers ambushed Sunside before they could take me to God knows where. Nozpin brought me to one of their safe houses and that’s where I woke up. My dad was there too.”

“So you ended up meeting the Mr. Maerd?” The way Bluu said “Mr. Maerd” sounded like this man was well respected, even by other factions. Bluu looked Frazer up and down. “Is he a...hospitable guy?”

“Oh, he’s the best dad I could ask for,” Frazer said. “I chose to look like this and I’ll explain that later. I was just as surprised as you are about meeting my dad, though. We hadn’t seen each other for almost three years. He asked how the war against Sunside was going, and I told

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him our progress—which wasn’t much. We still hadn’t caught Freya.

Sunside feels like it’s getting bigger. And now I learned from you two that a good portion of the Wang Group branch in this city is being held hostage. With those developments, it’s more crucial now that we get Nozpin on our side.”

“What do you mean by ‘on our side’?” I asked. “Because that implies that they could be ‘not on our side’.”

“I’ll get to that. Let’s go in order. I finished my report to my father and he agreed that our current methods weren’t working. So he told me to send some Dreamers to go undercover and infiltrate Sunside.

He’d heard that the Wang Group accepts Sunside defects, so he wanted me to start assigning Dreamers from there. I disagreed. I’ve always treated the well-being of my organization and all Dreamers as my responsibility. I wasn’t going to let my colleagues risk their lives to go back to the very organization that they escaped from.”

“You decided to go undercover yourself,” finished Bluu. “And this your disguise.”

“Yes. Sunside frequently operates in dark streets and alleys.

For the month that you thought I was dead, I was just laying low. Seems like it worked. If everyone at Wang Group labeled me KIA, then Sunside might not suspect much either. Nozpin Dreamers saved me from the ambush so Sunside must think I’m either in custody or out of the city. In reality, I’m right under their noses.”

Frazer finally looked at me through the rearview mirror.

“Now for your question. Yes, there are Sunside-sympathizers in Nozpin but not enough to throw any major wrenches in our plans. We can still safely go to Nozpin to ask for the antidote. Once we get Eric cured, he can help me finish infiltrating Sunside since he knows them best. I could use a little help. Living on the streets has not been the best experience.”

I was still skeptical. In my mind, Nozpin was beginning to equate the Dreamer government. Government, I was inclined to believe, was typically corrupt. It didn’t make me feel any better that Frazer’s father ran the show. For the record, I’d only been a member of the Wang Group for a grand total of a couple wee hours, and Bluu had tried to hand me to Sunside in that time. I wasn’t about to trust anyone in the Dreamworld.

My suspicion grew when it became evident Frazer was driving us out of San Francisco. The city had been my life and my business for several years; though I’d traveled outside of SF before, this time was different. This time I was being hunted by a group of Dream terrorists

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and traveling towards a destination I’d never been to. My only comfort was that Frazer drove on the highway, which decreased the chances of us being ambushed. Unless Sunside didn’t care.

The bay came into view. Water sparkled on the horizon, flanked by lumps of hills covered with the rectangular edges of distant buildings. I noticed the little city lights at the same time I noticed the sky darkening with dusk.

What a day. Or was it several days? I couldn’t distinguish between the waking or Dreamworld anymore, given the number of times I’d fallen asleep and woken up.

The highway dove into a slightly hilly portion, where I had a brief session of rapid heartbeats because hills were always the scenes for ambushes. But I was awake and nothing done in the Dreamworld could touch me. It almost made me never want to sleep again.

As we emerged on the other side of the hill, a familiar sight graced my eyes.

The Oakland Bay Bridge.

It wasn’t as beautiful as the Golden Gate Bridge at dawn. But dusk turned the lights on the suspension cables gold and darkened the silver steel architecture. The water took on a purplish hue as our car began to make its way among the traffic across the bay. The view calmed me somewhat. It almost distracted me from the fact that we were approaching Oakland on the other side.

That was apparently our mysterious destination. Once we were off the bridge, Frazer went straight for downtown. He stuck to the streets with the most cars—then again, all the streets seemed to have a lot of cars—and where Frazer was going looked to be a busy center. The towers weren’t as tall as San Francisco’s, but one particularly brightly lit office building stood out among the rest against the dark backdrop.

“For an organization that’s supposed to be laying low,” I said as we drove towards that building, “you sure have conspicuous hideouts.”

Frazer just chuckled.

Our car made it all the way to the foot of the office building, where classic people in suits streamed out after a long day of work. I found it amusing that Nozpin required their Dreamers to wear formal clothing. What good would that do in a Dreamworld fight?

There was a packed three-story garage next to the office building.

We drove right past it.

Does Frazer want to park out in the open? I wondered.

He steered the car around the garage. We were now behind the

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office building, and in front of me was a smaller, less bright building that had been almost entirely blocked from view by its larger neighbor.

At the back of the garage was another entrance that sloped downwards.

It was from here that Frazer drove us into the underground level of the garage.

That wasn’t sneaky and cool at the same time at all.

Even at the underground level, where many parking spaces were left open, Frazer didn’t stop the car until we reached the far wall to our left. There, a man and woman stood in front of a door.

Frazer finally parked in an open space nearby. He motioned for us to get out of the vehicle.

“Hey, how are you doing?” Frazer greeted the pair as he strolled forward.

“Great,” the woman said, casually shifting so her body blocked the door. “The weather could be better though.”

I frowned. Did Frazer just walk up to strangers and strike conversations on a whim?

“I’m a weather enthusiast,” said Frazer. “Want to hear what my secret favorite weather is?”

He beckoned for Bluu and I to come closer. Then Frazer whispered to the four of us, “11% cloudy, 25% chance of rain, and 42% humidity.”

I was perplexed at the numbers. But the pair standing by the door nodded, and the man even said, “I like it just a little bit cloudier.”

This time, when Frazer approached the door, no one blocked him. He opened it, revealing a hallway that I realized led into the building that had been hidden by the bigger, brighter one. Bluu and I followed Frazer through, but the other two stayed outside by the door.

Guards, I realized. They’re guarding the door. They’re from Nozpin.

And those percentages that Frazer recited must’ve been a password.

I had started trailing behind while preoccupied in my thoughts and quickened my pace to catch up with Frazer and Bluu. Walking through this hallway reminded me of when I first travelled the Wang Group halls with Bluu, seeking protection from Freya. Now we were headed into the headquarters of yet another Dream group, looking for a cure to heal Eric and then infiltrate Sunside.

I straightened myself. We had to succeed. After this, we were going for Freya.

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Chapter 7

By Green The first thing I saw when Frazer opened the door at the end of the corridor was a flight of stairs. We climbed them and came into a room with what looked like a front desk, which made me confused because this clearly couldn’t be the “front” of the building.

The woman behind the desk immediately stood up as soon as she spotted us approaching.

“Mr. Maerd,” she greeted Frazer politely. “Welcome back. My visitor records didn’t note that you were returning.” Her eyes flicked to Bluu and I. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Sorry about the sudden visit,” Frazer said. “These are my friends from the Wang Group. We’re here to see my father.”

I noticed that he didn’t introduce us by name and wondered if it was because he didn’t trust this receptionist. I remembered his words about Sunside-sympathizers being in Nozpin.

Keep a low-profile, Jimmy, I told myself.

“Of course,” the woman said, making a quick check-in on her computer. “Let me see where he is.”

She picked up the front desk phone and, in less than a minute, she directed us to go down another hallway, where she said someone would be waiting to take us to Freddy Maerd.

Our guide was another woman, taller than the previous one and with honey-colored skin. The first room she took us through was a large conference room that could seat almost a hundred people. I started to wonder how many members were in Nozpin and whether Wang Group had the same amount. We stepped into an elevator and the woman pressed a button for the second floor.

No one wanted to climb one flight of stairs after all.

When the elevator doors slid open, I was shocked.

At least ten beds were perfectly laid out from wall to wall, all with comfy-looking mattresses and blankets and even pillows on some of them. They were different colors and had different patterns on the fabric, and each bed looked personalized in some way.

“Do you guys live here or something?” I asked incredulously.

“We do,” the woman chuckled as she led us between the beds.

“This is the floor where our most powerful members dream, so they get the nice beds. We call this the Dreamroom. Every floor has one. Of

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course, the Dreamrooms are only for Dreamworld purposes. We have our own rooms on every floor where we actually sleep and live.”

“You have separate rooms for how powerful your Dreamers are?” Bluu asked.

“Yes.” The woman raised an arched eyebrow. “Don’t you?”

Bluu was silent, which meant no. I guessed Wang Group members didn’t have as much luxury as Nozpin.

“Nozpin designs it this way for strategic purposes,” Frazer explained. “There are six stories in this building. The first is the lobby.

The second, this one, is dedicated to the strongest Nozpin Dreamers: Rank One. The floor above us is for the Rank Twos, above that is Rank Threes, and so on. In the event that there’s an attack, the strongest Dreamers are already near the bottom, so they can defend the best while reinforcements from the other floors arrive.”

The woman was frowning at Frazer, probably because he’d revealed a security secret.

“You must trust these two very much,” she said.

“I do,” Frazer said. “This is Bluu Mrengo and our newest recruit Jimmy Cartwright.”

There went the introduction. That meant Frazer thought this woman was trustworthy, more so than the receptionist.

“Do you sleep on this level?” I asked her.

“No, no, I’m a Rank Two,” she said. “But one of the Rank Ones got transferred to a different branch yesterday, so Mr. Maerd is deciding who to promote. I hope I get it. It’s a great honor to be a Rank One.” I scanned the room. “Do one of these beds belong to Mr. Freddy Maerd?”

“He has his own personal room. Here we are.”

She knocked on the door at the very end of the room—Freddy’s personal room, damn—and there was a short pause. A thump of footsteps. A deep clearing of the throat.

The door opened and out stepped a giant of a man.

I liked to imagine that he looked like the clean-shaved version of Frazer, but I really couldn’t tell from Frazer’s hobo appearance.

Freddy had a broader build than Frazer and was about half a head taller—which was pretty tall because Freddy was already above average.

His hair was slightly bedraggled. But I guess that was commonplace among Dreamers.

“Z, my boy!” Freddy said, and his voice was as deep and booming as I expected. “Come in, come in.”

Frazer rolled his eyes at the use of his nickname as we all filed

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inside, except for the woman who left the Dreamroom now that she was done with her job.

Freddy’s personal space was really his personal room. If I was being honest, it looked a lot like those fancy hotel rooms, minus the floor-to-ceiling windows. In fact, there were no windows in here—probably for security reasons. The king-sized bed in the center had a mattress the color of black coffee and lighter brown blankets that were piled in a heap at the corner. On one side of the room was a glass table, a leather couch, and sofas that faced a TV screen on the wall.

Another side of the room had dark wooden drawers, along with a board pinned full of notes and papers and calendars.

“Welcome to my world,” Freddy chuckled. “Have a seat everyone.”

Frazer introduced us again as we sat, although it looked like Freddy already knew who we were.

“So what are your Dream abilities?” the senior Maerd asked.

I let Bluu go first. After all this time, I actually didn’t know what Bluu’s powers were yet.

“I grow wings when I’m in the Dreamworld,” Bluu explained.

“Cobalt blue ones. I can make them disappear and reappear when I need them.”

“Ah, the embodiment of man’s dream to fly,” Freddy observed.

“You should show them to me someday, I’m sure they’re magnificent.”

He turned to me. I took a deep breath.

“Well, according to my Wang Group profile, I’m an emotion manipulator,” I said.

“The emotion manipulator, you mean,” Freddy said. “There’s been whispers all about you, in Sunside and Nozpin.”

“How do you know they’ve been talking about me at Sunside?”

“Our scouts say their scouts talk about you. Not you specifically—I don’t think they know who Jimmy Cartwright is—but they do know someone with your ability exists,” Freddy laughed heartily.

“I’m told some of them even sound scared of you.”

It was hard to imagine me being scary at all but perhaps that was a plus going into battle.

“So how does your ability work?” Freddy prompted.

“When I go into the Dreamworld, I see silhouettes of normal people who are sleeping. It’s like their essence in the Dreamworld, if they aren’t Dreamers. The troubled folks have stains on their silhouettes, and it’s kind of my job to fix those stains. They usually show up as a puzzle that I have to solve.”

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“Interesting,” Freddy hummed. “I’m glad you're on our side, Jimmy. I can see where that could be used for evil—it’s not pretty. You too, Bluu. I’d hate to have a flying terror out to snipe me in a fight.”

Bluu beamed, and even I appreciated the fact that Freddy was making everyone feel special. He clearly had leadership material and recognized the strengths of all his members.

“Now then, Z, what brings you back to Nozpin?” Freddy turned to his son. “You look very different from the last time I saw you.”

“I went undercover, like you advised me to,” said Frazer. “I got quite a bit of intel, including the same scoop your spies got about Jimmy’s ability. But I was only able to infiltrate Sunside at the henchman level. Can’t get to the higher-ups, let alone dear sissy Freya.

That’s when I remembered that Eric Wang used to be from Sunside, and I was getting ready to go back to Wang Group when I ran into these two.

They told me Eric was out of commission because Freya poisoned him.”

“Right. Her Black Ribbons, eh?” Freddy sighed. “Y was always a tough one.”

I assumed “Y” was referring to Freya. This man had interesting nicknames for his children.

“We’re looking for a cure, sir,” Bluu said. “Eric is currently in a safe place, but we don’t know if he’ll last much longer. He looked like the Walking Dead when we found him.”

I noticed Freddy gave his son an odd look. A silent conversation seemed to pass between the two, one that entailed a lot of serious frowning from the older man.

Freddy started, “I don’t know if—” “Dad, please,” Frazer interrupted. “It’s just Freya’s poison, we have the antidote for that.”

“But who knows if it works anymore?” Freddy retorted. “She’s gotten stronger these past years. The antidote might be outdated.

Worse, it could cause more severe side-effects than it already does.”

“Side-effects?” It was my turn to interject, although I wished I didn’t because having the eyes of both Maerds on me was rather daunting. “What kind of side-effects?”

“When Freya was on her rebelling spree,” said Frazer, “she hurt a lot of people with her tendrils. We ended up having to develop an antidote with the number of casualties we were getting. It didn’t always work, though, since everyone’s body is different. There’s a 30% chance of having severe reactions to it.”

“It’s more like 60 to 70 percent now,” Freddy said. “Outdated.

Risky. You could end up finishing the job for Freya and killing Eric.”

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“Are there other options?” I asked.

“Not that I know of,” Frazer mumbled.

We were all stumped deep in thought for a while.

A flawed cure. And here I thought we’d just get an antidote, bring back Eric, and give Freya a taste of her own medicine.

I could manipulate emotions and heal people in the Dreamworld.

It just wasn’t so ideal in reality.

Bluu complicated things further when he spoke up, “We could give them Jimmy.”

“WHAT?” My mouth fell open.

“Why would we do that?” asked Frazer.

“Sunside wants Jimmy. That’s what they wrote on the note outside Wang Group headquarters. Bring Jimmy, or they kill the remaining hostages.”

“There are hostages involved?” Freddy exclaimed.

“I don’t know how many,” Bluu said quietly. “But everyone else is dead.”

Silence again. I was fuming inside. Bluu had tried to capture me previously to deliver me to Sunside, before Frazer came along. The fact that there were no immediate objections from Frazer or Freddy right now also made me churn. It meant they were actively considering handing me to Sunside to be brainwashed into some evil-doing puppet.

To save his friends. He’s just trying to do what he thinks is best for Wang Group.

I stood up.

Bluu stood up with me, his eyes flickering from me to the door.

But I wasn’t going to run away. I shoved my hands in my pockets and looked Bluu straight in the eye.

“You want to give me to Sunside,” I said. “I get it. I’m new around here and those hostages are probably close friends of yours that you’ve worked with for years.”

Bluu hesitated. He nodded his head solemnly.

“I don’t know Eric very well,” I continued. “He was supposed to be my client before a hole opened up in my therapy room and sucked us both into the parking lot. But I do know this. Eric saved my life that day.

He was buying me time and he ended up like that: poisoned and unconscious.”

I looked to Freddy.

“That cure has a chance of healing him,” I said. “Even if it’s a small chance, I’m willing to take it because it beats imminent death. If

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you don’t give the cure, that’s fine. I’ll steal it.”

Frazer gawked at me but I kept talking, “And obviously, I’m not going to walk into Sunside and let them have me. I’ll fight my way in there. Mess up their inner puzzles...somehow. Make them all sad or depressed. They’d probably kill me or throw me in a cell while they figure out what to do with me before I can even take down one of them.

At least I tried. For good people.”

Various expressions stared back at me: Freddy’s face curious, Frazer’s face astonished, and Bluu’s a little guilty.

I was pretty much ready to resign myself to my promise when Freddy stood up and patted my shoulder.

“You’d take that risk?” he said. “...Yeah.”

“Well, those odds look smaller than the antidote’s. Seems like it would be more in your favor if you had the cure.”

Freddy nodded at Frazer. “I’ll give it to you.”

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Chapter 8

By Green All of the Wang Group hostages had not slept for over 24 hours. Their Sunside guards made sure of it because once a Dreamer was asleep, their Dreamselves could power up in the Dreamworld. In the physical world, they were just regular human beings held at gunpoint.

Some Wang Group members were held in separate facilities away from the rest. Roshani was one of them.

She sat in a cold metal chair, her wrists cuffed and her eyelids constantly drooping. Her ears rang from the repeated horns that the Sunside guards blared every so often to keep her awake. A metal table was placed between her chair and the second chair across from her; they were the only furnishings in the otherwise drab and empty room lit by the single blinding lamp hanging from the ceiling.

The sound of a door opening behind her made goosebumps pop along Roshani’s arms. Boots clicked briefly against the smooth gray floor and then the all-too-familiar red jacket appeared in her line of sight.

“Roshani, Roshani, Roshani,” sang the infamous leader of Sunside. “You look so tired! Why don’t you go to sleep?”

“Freya,” Roshani said evenly. “What do you want?”

“Always to the point,” Freya sighed, batting her lashes. “Can’t we have a simple conversation? A talk over tea? Lay back, relax, and act as best friends?”

“I couldn’t stand even pretending to be associated with you,” said Roshani. “Let alone BFFs. What do you want?”

Freya smiled and gracefully sat down in her seat on the other side of the table.

“It almost feels like you’re running the interrogation,” Freya said. “We had better change that.”

The piercing blast of the horn so close to her ear made Roshani screech; she would’ve jumped out of her seat if she hadn’t been tied to it.

Her eardrums threatened to split from the sound and her head was ringing, ringing, ringing. The Sunside guard that had snuck up behind her stepped back at a wave from Freya.

“My turn to ask questions,” Freya said. “Where is the Emotion Manipulator?”

“What an unexpected question,” Roshani grumbled, still

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recovering from the noise in her brain. “I’m sorry I can’t answer that.”

“Roshani, dear, this is where your to-the-point attitude would do you some good,” said Freya. “Give me the answer I want and we can all go home happy. I’ll even let your Wang Group friends go. What’s left of them, at least.”

“Ask any one of us, and we’ll all give the same response. We really don’t know where the kid is.”

“You must have sent him on a mission. Enlighten me, what were your parting words?”

“Stay safe. Don’t die.”

The Sunside guard prepared to step forward with the horn but stopped when Freya lifted her hand. She twirled her finger in the air and the guard retreated out of the room.

“That’s unfortunate,” Freya said. “It would be so very difficult for a newbie like him to survive with his naivety. My henchmen are chasing him as we speak. I told them they could bring back the Manipulator using any means they deem fit.” She laughed. “But it might not even come to that. There’s no one else left to help you—I know for a fact Kristen Wang won’t be returning to San Francisco from her vacation on the East Coast anytime soon. The little Manipulator will want to save you all and come running right into my hands.”

Roshani was silent, yet she could hear her heart thumping in her chest. The door opened again, signifying the Sunside guard had returned. She heard footsteps draw closer behind her, but she couldn’t see what was happening even when she craned her neck because it was dark and she was so tired.

“I’ll give you one last chance to choose,” said Freya. “Either you tell me where the boy is and we can retrieve him with less damages. Or I can wait for him to be tossed at my feet half-dead.”

Roshani took a deep breath, briefly closing her eyes.

Please be safe, Jimmy.

“Well, then I can’t wait to toss you at my feet half-dead too,” Roshani replied.

Freya’s smile twitched and her eyes narrowed. That’s when Roshani felt a needle being jabbed into her neck by the Sunside guard.

Her vision blurred; she began to feel dizzy and the rest of her body drooped. She expected a horn to blow in her ear, so she was very confused when she began to fall into slumber without interference.

Unfortunately, when she opened her eyes again, sitting unbound in the Dreamworld version of this interrogation room, she was face-to-face with Freya’s Dreamself. Black tendrils erupted from Freya’s

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arms and snaked towards her before she could even dodge.

The last thing she saw was Freya’s triumphant smile before the blackness encroached upon her shrinking tunnel vision and into dark oblivion.

JIMMY “Will this really be enough?” Bluu asked, holding up the tiny one-milliliter bottle between his thumb and forefinger.

“It’s good for one person,” Frazer said. “Any more than that could risk greater side-effects.”

I shifted my backpack nervously on my lap. Inside was about a dozen more carefully placed bottles that each held the amber liquid.

Freddy had opened one and let us smell the contents—it was actually quite sweet, which made it look like honey. But looks were deceiving and none of us had tasted the antidote because of said risks.

We were back in the car, driving across the Oakland Bay Bridge and loaded with antidotes. Freddy had given us extra in case any Wang Group hostages had since been poisoned but cautioned us to use them only if we were absolutely sure Freya’s Black Tendrils were the cause of the poisoning.

“Side-effects include making the poison worse, insanity, memory loss, ability loss, and a bunch of other possible life-threatening results,” Freddy had warned. “We’ve seen it all happen to our Dreamers before. Also use the antidotes sparingly because I can’t issue out any more in a short period of time.”

We entered San Francisco, which was deep in its nightlife.

Another day gone. I wondered how many angry patients I had after dipping on my sleep therapist job. Roshani had offered to let me go back to that way of life but could I? Could I go back, knowing the Dreamworld and other Dreamers existed?

Time flew as I mulled over my thoughts, and the car pulled into the alleyway of 610 Market Street. We got out, making sure no one had followed or was watching us. Bluu opened the back door, and we hurried inside.

The place was awfully quiet. Bluu headed into Roshani’s office but found her missing.

“Where is Eric?” Frazer asked.

“Roshani was the one who put him in a safe spot,” said Bluu.

“She might be...captured.” Bluu’s hunched shoulders betrayed his worry.

They must have been close friends, I thought with a pang. I hope she’s okay too.

“We’ll save her and the rest of Wang Group,” I reassured him.

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“We’ll do it one step at a time, starting with finding Eric. He must be around here somewhere. Maybe I can try sensing him in the Dreamworld?”

“You can do that?” Bluu asked in surprise.

“I’ve never tried.”

“Worth a shot,” said Frazer. “Bluu and I will look around in the meantime.”

The two of them set off to search the building while I found a desk to sit at. I placed the backpack carefully beside me, folded my arms against the desk, and rested my head on them.

Sleep came easily to fill my exhaustion.

When I blinked my eyes open again, I was almost surprised to find the room empty. No dark silhouettes wandering about like I was used to, likely because there was no one sleeping nearby. At least, not in this particular room.

I—or rather, my Dreamself—stood up and left the room. I couldn’t see or hear Frazer and Bluu. Maybe it’s because I was in the Dreamworld and both of them were still awake. It felt slightly unnerving to be so alone.

That should make things easier, I told myself. If Eric is still unconscious, then his silhouette must be the only thing wandering this building.

God, I hope he didn’t decide to leave or something.

I let my instinct guide me through the building, taking turns and heading deeper into the facility. I hadn’t yet been given the chance to explore this place when I was first introduced to it. There was a room with about a dozen beds, similar to the Dreamroom I had seen at Nozpin. I found the kitchen and a TV room plus a recreation room where an unfinished blue painting sat on an aisle. My feet took me to the adjacent men’s bathroom.

The door was unlocked but the toilet was occupied.

Honestly, I didn’t exactly stumble into anything inappropriate.

All I saw was a humanoid shape vomiting a black substance into the toilet bowl. The same black blemishes stained the silhouette’s body like various nests of tangled wires.

Poisoned.

“Hey man,” I said. “You don’t look too good.”

The silhouette stopped its vomiting momentarily to turn its faceless head towards me. It looked like it was going to stand up until it jerked, and then continued throwing up.

“Take it easy, Eric,” I said. “Bluu, Frazer, and I are here to help.

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We’ve got the cure and we’ll get you well again in no time.”

The manifestation of Eric shuddered at the toilet. It sat back and itched at the tangled knots all over itself.

Tangled wires—puzzles.

“Let me see.”

Kneeling down beside the silhouette, I started fixing a large tangled black mass on its shoulder. After some searching, I found one of the ends of the lines and slowly worked at straightening out the mess. As soon as the ball of tangles became a straight piece of string, it faded away and the silhouette visibly relaxed.

I eliminated knot after knot until the biggest tangles were gone.

There were still numerous small blemishes remaining and new ones were forming. I needed to find Eric’s real body to give him the antidote.

“Where are you?” I asked.

The silhouette stumbled to its feet. Then it walked—or more like drifted—out of the bathroom.

I followed it closely into a room towards the back of the building. It pointed at a closet, which I opened to reveal a lot of old coats. The silhouette continued to point in the same direction, so I batted the coats aside.

“No hidden Narnia doors,” I said, finding nothing but the back wall of the closet.

Then it occurred to me that I should try pushing the closet, and I doubted my strength until I found out there were wheels on the bottom. The closet rolled aside, revealing the hidden doorway I was looking for.

It opened with a squeak.

There, lying in the single bed in the secret room, was Eric.

My eyes snapped open, back into my physical body at the desk.

“Bingo.”

Snatching up the backpack, I traced my steps back to the closet, which was a bit harder than expected. Along the way, I ran into Frazer and told him the good news.

“Go help him,” Frazer said. “Remember, only one bottle and it’ll be enough. Be very, very cautious of any symptoms. I’ll fetch Bluu and meet you there.”

So I had a bottle ready in my hand when I finally stepped into the closet room for real. Coming closer to Eric’s body, I flinched at how dead he looked. His face was sickly and he had circles under his eyes despite being asleep for so long. Well, his consciousness hadn’t exactly been resting. I wondered if his silhouette was still wandering around

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nearby in the Dreamworld.

“Time to come back, Eric,” I whispered as I raised Eric’s head and carefully tilted the bottle’s contents into his mouth. Some of the liquid dripped down his chin; it was more viscous than I’d thought.

For a moment nothing happened.

30% chance of side-effects, I remembered.

That number suddenly felt very high.

Severe poisoning, insanity, memory loss, ability loss— Eric’s body convulsed. His eyes bulged open the same time his mouth did. His hands went to his throat and he rolled onto his stomach, clawing his way towards the edge of the bed. I stumbled back in shock.

Had I poisoned him more? Was this a symptom? Had I made things worse?

Eric’s head made it to the edge and he vomited all over the floor. A lot of black stuff and maybe bits of his last sandwich.

“Goddamn it,” Eric groaned. “That does not taste like honey.”

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Chapter 9

By Green “So you’re the famous Frazer Maerd.”

The four of us were all in the secret room. Eric sat on his bed, drinking a glass of water. Frazer leaned against one wall. Bluu also had a glass of water and glanced between Eric and Frazer. I stood by the door.

“And you must be Eric Zhang of Sunside,” Frazer said. “But defected to Wang Group. I wonder why?”

“Ask your sister,” Eric huffed. “We don’t exactly see eye to eye, as you can tell by what she did to me.”

“Then we’re all in the same boat,” said Frazer. “I hope you’re down to go back because I need your help to infiltrate Sunside.”

Frazer explained everything that had happened, from the raid at Wang Group headquarters to the antidote to the hostages that needed rescuing.

“We think they also have Roshani,” Bluu added solemnly.

Eric made a sharp inhale and closed his eyes, processing all the information in his head. Then he turned to me and said, “You were willing to take a risk on me with the antidote?”

I shrugged. “Either that or it was to leave your silhouette vomiting in the Dreamworld. You seem like a risk-taker anyway. And you saved my life in the parking lot, remember?”

“I guess I was right to cover your arse,” Eric said. “Because you’re going to be important in our infiltration. Can you isolate emotions in the Dreamworld?”

“Um, no?”

“Then start practicing.”

It took the rest of the night and the next day to get the hang of it.

At first, Bluu and Frazer were my “training dummies.” They would go to sleep, feeling a certain amplified emotion, and wander the Dreamworld for a while. Then I would enter and try to pinpoint a particular emotion that only one of them exhibited. It wasn’t the same as sensing silhouettes. These guys were real Dreamers who were fully conscious. It was like an ever-changing exam of true-false questions.

We had to be careful to stay close to the building. Nighttime was the best time for Dreamers to be active in the Dreamworld. With all

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of Sunside on the hunt, the four of us were very vulnerable to attack, even with a strong Dreamer like Frazer around. The thought of Freya and her black tendrils stabbing through the darkness gave me chills and ample motivation.

Once I was able to sense basic emotions like sadness, pride, and frustration, Eric decided I should try pinpointing feelings amidst large groups of people. With Frazer and Bluu on the lookout for any nearby trouble, Eric and I located crowds of silhouettes, and I identified which ones were sad, happy, angry, and relaxed. He especially wanted me to identify people who were contemplating cheating in a relationship.

“That’s got to be a breach of privacy,” I said. “Why do we even need that?”

“Because you’ll be looking for disloyalty,” said Eric. “And that’s exactly what we need.”

At daybreak, Eric’s and Frazer’s Dreamselves went to scout the Sunside territory since they’d both been there before. Bluu and I counted the number of antidotes we had and estimated how many hostages there were. We concluded we didn’t have enough for everyone.

“Hopefully she hasn’t poisoned everybody,” I said.

“Yeah,” said Bluu. “Hopefully.”

Eric and Frazer returned at noon to reclaim their physical bodies. Then they set out again. Since Frazer had mingled with the Sunside henchmen, he knew a couple members who were thinking of defecting. Eric confirmed a few, and these were the people they were going to meet physically in hopes of secretly enlisting them to help.

It was just me and Bluu waiting in the building for the most part.

“Hey Jimmy,” Bluu piped up. He and I were organizing some files in Roshani’s secret cabinets that Bluu had access to. Though they were classified profiles of each Wang Group member, I couldn’t help look through a few of them.

“Yeah?” I said, instantly putting away the file I was currently peeking at.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “For trying to sacrifice you.”

I stared at him. He was rifling through some papers but it seemed aimless and nervous.

“It’s okay,” I said. “You only just met me and those hostages have been your friends for a long time. I get why you did it.”

“Doesn’t make it right,” he sighed. “I even pulled a gun at you.

That was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.”

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“It’s good that you’re a horrible shot then,” I said. “Don’t bring yourself down, Bluu. We’ll come up with a plan and save everyone.”

“Yeah. We’re lucky you’re on our side. I don’t know what Eric’s thinking but your ability is crucial in all this.”

“That reminds me, I’ve never seen your ability before,” I said.

“You have wings, right?”

Bluu smiled. We both took the cue to lie down and close our eyes.

When I woke up, I saw a flash of magnificent blue.

Suddenly, the whole room was filled with majestic feathers of shades of aqua that sprouted from Bluu’s back. The wingspan was immeasurable and the height was towering. Put on some armor and he looked like the Falcon, but with much better authentic wings. It felt like they engulfed the whole world, turning everything blue.

“High-speed peregrine-style,” Bluu said proudly. “I like to dive-bomb or race with them.”

He folded the wings and I watched with wide eyes as they shrank into his back and disappeared altogether.

“I like to keep them hidden. And when people least expect it…”

The wings burst from his back like a blue explosion and I almost fell on my bottom from shock. Coupled with a machine gun, this guy was a fighter jet.

“That’s pretty amazing,” I said. “Did Roshani give your ability a name too?”

“Eh, it’s not as fancy as Emotion Manipulator. Mine’s just ‘Flight’.”

“I wonder what Roshani’s ability is?”

“Super strength.”

“What?” I said in disbelief. “But she’s...she’s so short.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that. Short people can be surprisingly strong. I experienced that firsthand.”

We talked about the abilities of the other Wang Group members. Through Bluu’s stories, I felt like I knew the team even without meeting them. They didn’t care about rankings like Nozpin did.

They looked out for each other as equals, as a family.

When Eric and Frazer returned and as Eric explained the final plan to all of us, I was more determined than ever to get those hostages back.

Nightfall. Step one of the plan began.

I was crouched in an alleyway in the Dreamworld, my eyes focused on a group of figures standing out in the street. Dreamers from

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Sunside.

One of them was feeling disloyal. But that wasn’t enough so I stayed as quiet as possible as they passed me. I was alone; Eric, Frazer, and Bluu were carrying out the other half of the plan. I had to buy them time.

The next Sunside Dreamer I saw was also alone.

He was feeling disloyal. I stretched my senses and didn’t pinpoint any other emotions nearby. This was it.

I stepped out of the alley.

As soon as he spotted me, the Sunside Dreamer sprang into battle stance. But I raised my hands in surrender.

“It’s me, Jimmy Cartwright,” I said. “I’m here to turn myself in.”

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Chapter 10

By Green Sunside headquarters really was your generic villain’s lair.

Gray, dungeon-like halls. Hands cuffed behind my back. Poor lighting. I really didn’t understand why bad guys inconvenienced themselves walking around in the dark.

I half expected the Sunside Dreamer that I met to give me a rough push like they did in the movies as he escorted me. But he didn’t.

He was actually quite nice and opened the doors for me very politely. I almost had the urge to say thank you.

Instead I asked, “So what’s your name?”

He didn’t answer until we walked a good distance, and even then, his response was short. “Rohan.”

The interrogation room was exactly my expectation though.

One table, two chairs, a lamp. Rohan pointed at the chair I was to sit in, and I took a seat without further persuasion.

The door on the other side of the room opened and out stepped another man holding a very pointy-looking needle.

I couldn’t sense any disloyalty from him.

“Wait,” I said.

Both Sunside men paused and stared at me.

“Why are you doing this?” I said, to Rohan in particular.

He glanced at the other Sunside Dreamer before shrugging. “I don’t know.”

“Don’t act like you’re so special, kid,” the other one said. He couldn’t have been two years older than me. “It’s your power we want.

And when Freya is done with you—” “Just stick the needle in him,” said Rohan.

I squirmed as the second Dreamer came nearer and he had to grab my arm and jab the needle in my like a stabbing knife.

“What was that?” I demanded.

“So you stay in the Dreamworld,” Rohan said. “And you don’t escape by waking up.”

“How long will it last?”

“An hour.”

“Stop answering his questions like an idiot,” Rohan’s partner growled. “You’d think you were the one were being interrogated.”

The two of them left the room but not before Rohan looked

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over his shoulder at me.

Then it was silent. Just me in a big, poorly lit room.

I hope Bluu, Frazer, and Eric are okay, I thought. I bet either Freya or one of her high-ranking henchmen will come to see me. That should give the others time to rally the allies they’ve converted without any heads noticing. But let’s be realistic here, how long can I last against black tendrils or whatever superpower is shot at me? I’m just an emotion manipulator. I solve puzzles. I tugged at the restraints binding my hands behind my back. And I have no hands.

I sensed the disloyalty before I saw the person entering the room. He was middle-aged, older than both Rohan and the other Dreamer. He wore a black choker around his neck, along with a short man bun ponytail.

“So you’re the Jimmy Cartwright that everyone’s been talking about,” he said, sitting in the opposite chair.

“And you are?” I asked warily.

“Spencer Sno,” he said.

His eyes were silvery blue. The air around me suddenly felt very chilly. I reminded myself that I was in the Dreamworld—my physical body wouldn’t get hurt. But that didn’t stop me from wondering or fearing whatever this guy’s ability was.

“Where’s Freya?” I asked. “She’s the one I have unfinished business with.”

“Ah, tough guy, aren’t you? You should know my ability will give the same outcome as hers.” Spencer leaned forward. “I will freeze your brain until you are nothing but a mindless walking statue. And then you’ll follow our bidding, just as planned.”

Oh shit.

I didn’t think it would be that easy for him. Or that fast.

“Where are you keeping my friends?” I demanded, trying to get more time.

Spencer was already standing up. “Your friends?” he said.

“You’ve only known them for less than a week. You don’t know what dark secrets they might have.”

“They’re better than you and your crazy lot, that’s for sure,” I retorted. “I’d bet my money on them over you anyday.”

“Really?” Spencer smiled. He began to slowly walk around the table towards me. “I don’t see your friends coming to save you now.”

Spencer’s emotions were a mix of anticipation, caution, and determination.

C’mon, emotion manipulator. You don’t need hands to solve

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puzzles, just your head. I stared as hard as I could at him, willing him to feel more cautious and hesitant. I’d never tried this before. I was becoming desperate.

Spencer stopped for a second. Then he just smiled and kept walking towards me. His hand reached out for my head.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked as my last resort. His cold fingers touched my forehead.

“I don’t know,” he answered.

I felt a brain freeze hitting me like I swallowed ten tons of ice cream at once. My mind went blank, white as ice, and my whole body stiffened. Stillness. Cold shivers. Then nothing.

Spencer withdrew his hand. His eyes sparkled.

“Rise,” he commanded.

I rose.

He untied my hands; I barely struggled.

He walked out the door, beckoning me to follow and I did. Like a robot.

As we headed down the dark hall, we began to come across other Sunside Dreamers. They shied away from Spencer but sneered at me. My eyes were fixed straight ahead, my movements automatic, with only one thought: do as Spencer said.

Though my face was stoney, deep down I still hoped this wasn’t for nothing. I hoped Bluu, Frazer, and Eric had made it to the hostages and weren’t dead yet— At the end of the hall was a set of double doors guarded by two Dreamers. Their faces were as still as mine. They let us through without any questioning.

This was the room where the hostages were supposed to be kept.

But the people here weren’t hostages.

Except for three new additions.

Crap.

Eric and Bluu both knelt on the floor with their hands tied. The Dreamers surrounding them parted for Spencer and I to pass through. I thought I saw Rohan’s face in the crowd but there were too many people present for me to decipher, too many emotions swarming my mind.

Coupled with the brain freeze, it was a real headache.

Frazer stood before his sister. His hands were not tied yet.

Next to Freya’s feet was the backpack of antidote vials. Freya held one in her hand and turned it over in the light like it was a curious specimen. But she knew exactly what it was.

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“Looks like you lost,” Freya said when she saw us approach.

“Game over, brother.”

Frazer glanced behind his shoulder. A look of alarm crossed his face when he witnessed my blank expression. I was helpless. My brain was still frozen, my limbs with it.

“You got him,” Frazer finally said in resignation. “You got what you wanted. Just let all my friends go.”

“So the Wang Group can rise up and challenge me again?”

Freya laughed. “No thanks. Soon, Sunside will be strong enough to take down Nozpin and our old daddy will regret messing with me.” She raised the antidote vial triumphantly as she said that.

“Dad put limits on us for our own good,” Frazer argued.

“Really? Because it seems like it made you weaker.”

Black tendrils burst from her arm and stabbed towards Frazer.

But Frazer was the fastest man I ever saw; he ducked and the tendrils hit a couple of Sunside henchmen, who howled in pain.

Freya didn’t seem to care and made another shot at her brother. He was crouched on the ground and pressed his hands to the floor.

A spark of shock penetrated my brain freeze when I saw the same—yet different—black tendrils blast out of the ground to meet Freya’s. They pushed against each other like wrestlers, allowing Frazer enough time to leap away. Freya’s tendrils finally shoved his back into the ground.

Of course. Their abilities were the same. Black Ribbon.

“We have Jimmy Cartwright,” Freya snarled at her brother. She kept shooting tendrils at him, which made the crowd shuffle backwards to avoid getting hit. “We’ll test the limits of his power and have him warp the minds of all who stand in our way.”

“He will resist you!” Frazer shouted back. “We will all resist you!”

“How?” she cackled. “Your friends are captured. Spencer has frozen Jimmy’s brain; he’s practically a mere puppet already. And you are outmatched and outnumbered.”

Multiple tendrils sprouted from her other arm, so she looked like a dark octopus waving its tentacles in the air “You’re in the middle of Sunside territory. You’ll never escape me again. Not even your precious co-founder Kristen Wang can save you with the number of Sunside members I have.”

“Oh?” Frazer stopped dodging and straightened. “How many Sunsiders do you have, really?”

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“The number of people here barely make half of them!”

“Then I bet you won’t mind if we cut that in half again.”

A blur darted across the room. Freya spun towards it but it was long out of her range. She looked around in confusion.

The backpack of antidotes was gone.

In that moment, Spencer turned his silver eyes on me.

And winked.

What happened afterwards was utter confusion. Neighbors in the crowd turned on each other. All sorts of abilities were activated and the whole room became a Dreamworld mess.

One Sunside Dreamer lunged at me, and it was easy to guess whose side he was on. He had dagger-like claws for nails and elongated fangs that aimed for my neck. I did not appreciate the vampiric resemblance, especially since I had no garlic.

Spencer’s hand shot forward and my assailant was on the ground in seconds, frozen still in lunging motion.

“You good?” he said.

I opened my mouth to reply but he grabbed my shirt and yanked me forward. Spencer reached over my bent body and froze another attacker behind me.

“Yeah, thanks,” I said breathlessly.

“Great. Now help the fire-breathing idiot.”

Spencer pointed in Eric and Bluu’s direction, shoved me towards them, and ran off to freeze more people. Needless to say he was friends with Eric, which I found iconic. Fire and ice.

Rohan was already untying Eric and Bluu when I rushed over in the havoc. I saw the antidote backpack next to him.

“Was that you?” I asked. “The blur that ran past?”

“Superspeed,” Rohan answered simply.

He stuck out his hands and helped Eric and Bluu stand up.

“Freya moved the hostages,” Bluu told me. “We have to find them.”

“I know where they are,” said Rohan.

Eric nodded towards the exit. “Go. The rest of us will buy you time. Hey, Jimmy, where’s the cold-hearted douchebag Spencer?”

In the midst of all this chaos, I managed to smile. “Not sure anymore. He told me to go help a certain fire-breathing idiot.”

“Well damn, job done. Now get out of here.”

Bluu, Rohan, and I ducked and slipped and dodged our way towards the exit. We had assistance from presumed Sunside allies who

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blocked enemies from reaching us.

It had been Eric and Frazer’s job to tally all the potential Sunside defects and plan for them to gather here. My job was to locate one of these Sunside defects—someone feeling disloyal, in this case Rohan—and have them take me to the interrogation room. Eric’s buddy Spencer was one of Freya’s top Dreamers. His ability was perfect for “capturing” me; it made sense to have Freya let him handle it.

Everything had gone according to plan except now.

We still had to find our friends.

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Chapter 11

By Green We entered the dark hallway and ran in the opposite direction of the interrogation room that I had first come from with Spencer.

Rohan was in the lead, I was right behind him, Bluu behind me.

We stopped at a bolted door and Rohan started working away at the locks.

I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“You really,” Bluu wheezed, trying to catch his breath, “had me scared for a second when you walked into the room like that.”

“Glad my acting was on par,” I joked.

Bluu smiled but asked seriously, “What did that Spencer guy do to you?”

“His ability is brain freeze,” Rohan answered for me. One of the locks opened and he moved on to another. “Like Freya’s black tendrils can infect people’s minds, Spencer can infect their brains, freeze their thoughts, and control them like puppets.”

I shuddered. “If you put it that way…”

Rohan shrugged. The last lock fell to the ground and he pushed open the door.

“Guys!” Bluu cried out, running into the room full of kneeling, bound figures.

The dimly lit room revealed their haggard faces with eye-bags so prominent they looked like zombies. I had a hunch that Sunside had injected them all with the substance that prevented them from returning to their real body.

But their Dreamselves must be reflecting their physical bodies, I thought. Which also haven’t gotten any sleep.

I knelt down next to one man while Bluu and Rohan started untying hostages from the other side of the room.

“What’s your name, sir?” I asked him as I undid his gag.

“Yanli,” he answered. “I’ve never seen you before.”

I smiled. “I’m new to the Wang Group. Name’s Jimmy Cartwright.”

“You’re the one that’s driving those Sunsiders nuts,” a woman said as I moved on to untie her after Yanli.

“You could say that. But I really was just trying to get some sleep.”

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Yanli chuckled. “Not the best world to wake up to, then. I’m glad Sunside didn’t get to you.”

I am too, I thought and remembered we had no time to waste. I checked to see how Bluu and Rohan were doing.

Rohan was getting berated.

“—this Sunsider!” a man was shouting. “Being a traitor doesn’t make you any better!”

This man was untied and on his feet, looming over Rohan.

Rohan looked a little pale but held his ground.

“Hey calm down, Lance,” Bluu said, pushing the man away.

“Rohan risked everything to help us get back this lifesaver.” He held up the backpack of antidotes. “You owe him gratitude, not all this shouting.”

Lance grumbled, shooting Rohan another glare before stomping back to a group of other freed hostages who looked equally uncomfortable to have Rohan here. I didn’t need my emotion-sensing ability to know they didn’t trust Rohan.

“It’s alright, man,” Bluu said, patting Rohan’s shoulder. “When this is all over, you’ll get the appreciation you deserve.”

“By the way,” I said, turning back to Yanli. “Has Freya infected anyone? And where are they?”

Yanli’s face fell. “She has. They’re not here but...it’s bad, Jimmy. She did it to Roshani first and showed us the aftermath. Then she took Roshani’s body away and we never saw her again.”

“Roshani?!”

Bluu almost pounced on Yanli. His eyes were wide with desperation.

“How did she look?” he exclaimed. “How bad is she hurt?”

“She was unconscious,” said Yanli. “She looked sickly, drained of life. I couldn’t sense her Dreamself anymore.”

I gulped. I saw the solemn faces on the other Dreamers. I was surprised to see Rohan with a horrified and distressed expression. I couldn’t imagine the tough Roshani I knew looking as lifeless as Eric after his showdown with Freya. Neither could he, I suppose.

“How many more did she infect?” I asked.

“At least ten of us.”

I winced. That was just barely enough for all the antidotes we had.

“Rohan, do you know where the infected are?” I asked.

He nodded.

“Is it wise to follow him?” Lance called out, followed by a

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murmur of agreement here and there.

“Rohan brought us to you all,” I snapped back. “Unless you have a better way of finding them without getting caught, we follow his lead.”

“A few of you should stay here so you can get back to the real world once the drug wears off,” Bluu said.

In the end, Lance and Yanli came with us while the others stayed back. Bluu peaked his head out of the room. When the coast was clear, our group jogged down the hall again. I couldn’t hear the sounds of battle anymore; hopefully Frazer and Eric were doing okay.

Rohan was about to round a corner Yanli said, “Stop.”

“There is someone down the hall in that direction,” he explained.

I tried listening for footsteps.

“How do you know?” I whispered.

“I have a proximity sensor ability,” Yanli said. “There is a Dreamer other than us nearby.”

“Can we go around?” Bluu asked.

“There’s no other way around,” said Rohan.

I heard footsteps now. Everyone around me got into a battle position. I crouched down a bit, not exactly sure what I was doing. My ability wasn’t exactly battle-ready; I struck a pose to blend in anyway.

We held our breaths as the owner of the footsteps rounded the corner.

“Frazer?” Bluu yelped. “What are you doing here?”

“Thank goodness I found you guys,” Frazer said, wiping his brow. “And you freed everyone else!”

“Holy shit,” Lance exclaimed. “Is that Frazer?”

“No way,” gaped Yanli. “F-Frazer Maerd? You’re dead.”

“Presumed to be,” said Frazer. “Almost did die in that fight with Freya. But not quite.”

“Where’s Eric?” I asked, expecting him to appear.

“He’s still fighting. Looks like they can handle it though. He told me to come find you guys.”

“Great!” Bluu said. “Because we’re going to locate the—” “How did you get in front of us?”

All eyes turned to Rohan. He had his arms crossed, staring at Frazer with a blank expression.

“A ton of confusing hallways, but I ran pretty fast,” Frazer said.

He narrowed his eyes at Rohan. “Say, you’re a Sunside member aren’t you? One of the ones who turned to join us?”

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Rohan nodded but his face was still stone cold as he said, “There’s only one hallway that could lead you here.”

“Really?” said Frazer. “It felt like a ton.”

“What’s up with the attitude, Rohan?” Lance finally butted in with a sneer. “Don’t talk to our leader like that!”

I gave Frazer a long, long look. He smiled at me. So I looked beyond the smile and felt— A blur and Frazer was on the ground with Rohan on top punching the living daylights out of him. Frazer shrieked and Bluu lunged forward to pull Rohan back.

I stopped him.

“Everyone stay back,” I shouted at Yanli and Lance who were also rushing forward to help Frazer.

Bluu struggled. “Jimmy what—Rohan is—” Rohan delivered one last blow to Frazer’s head and Frazer went still.

“You little—” Lance snarled at Rohan.

But then he froze. Frazer’s face began to distort. It became a different person’s face, although the nose was still bloody from where Rohan had broken it.

Rohan straightened and dusted off his hands.

“A fake Frazer?” Bluu breathed in disbelief.

“His emotions felt off,” I said.

Yanli inspected the imposter Frazer’s body and asked Rohan, “How did you know?”

“There’s only one hallway that could lead here from the room Freya was in,” Rohan repeated. “It’s the hallway we’re currently walking through. He couldn’t have come in front of us without passing us first.”

“Damn, detective skills,” Bluu remarked. “Sorry for doubting you there.”

“Yeah,” Lance mumbled.

Rohan shrugged and we continued on our way. We got attacked by a couple Sunside members as we went but thanks to Yanli’s proximity sensor, we took care of them in no time.

Rohan unlocked another door and we found the bodies.

On one side of the room lay the unconscious figures. On the other side was a writhing black cloud of knots.

Bluu gulped. “What is that?”

“Infected Dreamselves,” I said. That was one big puzzle to untangle.

I saw Rohan wander over and kneel next to one of the bodies

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sleeping on the cold floor. It was Roshani’s. Bluu realized too and hurried over to her. The looks of distress on their faces made me turn towards the black mass. I realized it was a tangle of silhouettes with black blemishes all over their bodies.

“Whoa, little man,” Lance said as I took a step forward. “You sure about this? Do you have some kind of super ability to punch that thing with?”

“No,” I said. “Combat isn’t my specialty.”

Lance frowned. “Then what do you do?”

“I’m just a self-employed sleep therapist.”

With that, I approached the tangle and reached inside.

Suddenly, black tendrils sprang from within and spiraled around my arms, pulling me towards the mass. I pulled back but the tendrils were strong and hungry. Lance reached out to grab me but I yelled at him to stay back. If he got sucked in here, we wouldn’t have enough antidotes.

With my feet grounded and the tendrils still squeezing my arms, I began to work away at the first puzzle. I ignored the rest of the mess, focusing only one this one little knot that I quickly released. Then I moved on to the next one. Bit by bit, I freed the first silhouette figure and dragged it out of the mass.

“Lance, get the antidote!”

Lance grabbed the backpack. The freed silhouette was beginning to sprout more knots on its skin again. It drifted over to one of the bodies and urgently pointed at it. Lance administered the honey-like liquid. The body convulsed.

I didn’t have time to see the outcome; I toiled away at the other knots while resisting the pull of the tendrils. One more silhouette. Then another. And another came free. The mass dwindled. Until there was one.

“Hey Roshani,” I whispered. Her silhouette had been in the center of the mass, huddled on the ground with knees drawn up.

“Bluu’s here to see you,” I said as I untangled her knots. “And Rohan and Lance.”

The silhouette’s head perked up. As I finished the last blemish, the silhouette rose and drifted to the last body, where Bluu and Rohan were. Bluu poured the last antidote into Roshani’s mouth.

Her body shook. Her silhouette disappeared.

Bluu cried for her to come back to him.

He kept crying until a hand shot out and smacked him across the face.

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Roshani cracked open one eye.

“No,” she croaked, “sob stories.”

The aftermath wasn’t exactly a superhero ending.

By the time we got back to the main battle, most of the Sunside members had scattered. We saw Frazer sitting by the wall and when we asked him what happened to Freya, he simply pointed at an unconscious body in a red jacket—and a silhouette blooming with knots floating over it.

He had used his sister’s own weapon against her.

I had been hoping to give Freya a piece of my own mind for all the dangers she put me through. But I wasn’t going to get my final showdown, and I supposed it was only fitting that Frazer be the one to defeat her.

Speaking of siblings, Roshani was reunited with her little brother Rohan—which caught us all by surprise—and Bluu was an even bigger sobbing mess to have her back. Wang Group was able to return to our—yes, our—headquarters and Sunside was, for the most part, dissolved without their leader. Lance gave all the Sunside Dreamers who joined Wang Group a hard time at first, though that didn’t stop Eric and Spencer from dating or Lance from eventually going out with a former Sunside girl. I had no doubt, however, that the remaining Sunside henchmen would continue to cause havoc on the streets in their own way.

As for me, I went back to my therapy business. With Wang Group’s help, I grew it to be a Dreamer magnet so we could keep track of potential and developing Dreamers. Funny, how starting this business had gotten me on Wang Group’s radar in the first place.

I had thought my ability was special. It is. But it’s nice to know there are people like me, too.

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Photo by Andre Benz on Unsplash