Lucid (10 page)

“Here, this might help!” Mitch swung at my handcuffs, which fell apart like ropes.

“Thanks!” I ducked again as Leona attacked. Mitch tried swinging the sword at Leona, but she was too fast. She pushed Mitch and he fell on top of me. As we struggled to our feet we realized she had pushed us onto the balcony
.

We were cornered. I saw Kyle pilot his scooter closer to us, but he was too far away to make a safe jump. Leona was mere feet away from us
.

“Did you really think you two would be a match for us?” Leona slowly advanced, Gruff following suit. He gave Mitch a look of pure hatred. Why did he hate Mitch so much?

“You may have gifts, but you didn't create this,” Leona spread her hands wide, indicating the now ruined bedroom.

“Um, I think we kind of did create the mess
.
” Mitch didn't seem at all scared. He held my sword aloft as if it were his own. I was under the impression this wasn't his first time using a sword
.

If I were honest with myself, he did look a lot cooler with the sword. He fit the hero image with his wavy, blond hair and athletic build
.

“Silence!” Leona half roared. “Your trouble ends now.
” She stopped as a deep crack appeared in the floor. Mitch and I stumbled as the balcony separated from the entire building
.

“Now
that's what I call being powerful!” Kyle's voice rang out behind me. I turned around and saw his scooter parked alongside the now floating balcony like a ship at a dock. “Hop aboard, sirs.”

“Impossible!” Leona screeched, apparently
for the first time realizing Kyle was there
. Her eyes showed a mixture of confusion, fury, and a little bit of fear. She wasn't the only one who had mastered creating things in dreams
.

“Not in my dreams, lady!” Kyle shouted, having the time of his life. “Peace o
ut
!
”

As we rode away, Gruff tried shooting us down with his bazooka.

“I don't think so
.
” Kyle swerved just in time. He pressed a button on the dashboard of the scooter, and we suddenly jetted far away from the buildings and over the concrete wall.

“Look out!” I noticed one of the searchlights moving in our direction. How did Gruff get down from the top of the building so quickly? I could make out his purple camo as he manned the searchlight to focus on us. “Move, Kyle! That's no ordinary lig
ht!”

“You think I'm stupid
?
” Kyle dove
, as if the scooter were a fighter jet. He arched over the wall and began descending into the jungle below.

We drove for a while in silence until Kyle found a valley just before the mountains. We descended amongst the willow and palm trees and landed on soft, pinkish grass
.

I had never seen a jungle, forest, or even a park that sported both willow and palm trees. Then again, I guess the pink grass should have told me things here didn't adhere to natural laws
.

“Whew, that was intense!” Kyle exhaled deeply as he got off his scooter. He formed a hammock between two palm trees and plopped down on it. Mitch watched him with great interest. He still had my sword
.

“
Okay
.
” I took deep breaths to calm myself after our escape. “So, how did you two end up meeting?”

“Oh, it was weird,” Kyle answered before Mitch could speak. “I ended up on the weird ship thing. I didn't even try getting there; someone abducted me!”

“He was sitting on the ship looking confused,” Mitch explained. “And I could tell he wasn't a soul. Also, you two have the same brown hair and hazel eyes. I asked if he knew you
—
”

“Which I answered unfortunately,
” Kyle carried on. “And we decided to wait the bus ride out to get here.”

“Interesting
.
” I found it rather coincidental that Kyle just appeared on the ship right after I told him about this place. “And how did you know I was in Leona's bedroom?”

“That's the weird part.” Mitch frowned, absentmindedly twirling my sword. “As soon as we got off the bus, the ball of light showed up. I figured Kyle should take it since he didn't really know how dangerous this world could be
—
”

“Yes I did!” Kyle protested. “I've seen my brother wake up looking shaken all week
—
”

“Anyway!” Mitch shouted over Kyle. My brother grumbled as he swung on the hammock. I could
n't help but smile a little. I knew they wouldn't get along. Mitch continued
, “I was about to touch the light, but then I heard your voice. The light got bigger until it had a little screen on the inside. I could see you talking to Leona in her room. I tried getting closer to the light, but it moved away just far enough for us to follow. It led us through a side passage past the wall, and we didn't see anyone along the way. Then the ball flew to the top of the building
—
”

“Which is where I come in
.
” Kyle hopped off his hammock. “And created this little beauty.” He patted his scooter.

Really? I thought, Kyle could have created any flying machine in the world and he chose to put wings on a scooter? However, Kyle seemed awfully proud of it, and he did save my life, so I refrained from teasing him. Also, I didn't want to know what kind of things Kyle could create in here to torture me.

“Well, if you two didn't come when you did, Leona probably would have eaten me alive.” I looked at them both. “Thanks.”

“Of course
.
” Mitch nodded. “You saved my butt last ti
me; I had to return the favor.”

“Now we need to rescue Tiff!” I said urgently. “Leona's going to ‘recruit' her! If we leave now, we can make it!” As if on cue, the ball of light appeared in the middle of the cleaning. No magic picture inside the light this time. It was time to go
.

“We shouldn't waste time.” Mitch started toward the light.

“Uh, hang on, buddy.” Kyle spoke up. Mitch turned around, one hand outstretched to the light and another holding my sword.

“You still have my brother's sword.” Kyle held out his hand. “Fork it up.”

“Oh
.
” Mitch looked at the sword, a weird light dancing in his eyes. “I
-
I guess I forgot it wasn't mine. It felt so good using it, though. I wish it created flames like it did for you, Devon.”

“It made lightning in Leona's room,” I answered, taking the sword back. “When did you get so good at using swords?”

“My dad put me in fencing classes for almost fifteen years,” Mitch answered
, a hint of pride in his voice. “I'm on the team at school, as well.”

“Oh
.
” I guess that explained it. Mitch was a naturally good swordsman. I looked at the blade swinging at my side. It still felt awkward in my hands
.

A voice in the back of my mind suggested returning the sword to Mitch. I knew if I did, Kyle would call me a wimp. Plus, I didn't want to risk losing my bat, too. I needed that thing for baseball practice if I made the team next year. Mitch frowned at the sword for a few moments. I half expected him to ask for it back.

“Hope we won't return here to find out what else it can do.” Mitch put a grin on his face, replacing his sad expression after losing the sword. “See you.” He touched the light and left
.

“He didn't want to give that thing back.” Kyle stated the obvious
.

“You think?” I said rather sarcastically. “But too bad, it came to me.”

“Yeah, well, I just hope you know what to do with it.” Kyle shrugged. “Seems to me Mitch figured it out.” He touched the light and disappeared.

I was stunned by Kyle's mature words for a minute before touching the light myself.

.

Day 7

Afternoon

I woke up feeling alert. No delayed memory this morning; I needed to see if Tiff was okay
. I checked my clock and saw it was already two
. Dream time was different than normal time it seemed. As I jumped to my laptop, Kyle came barging in
.

“That was nuts, man!” It was very strange seeing Kyle this excited while the sun was up.

I logged onto my messages and saw Tiff wasn't online.

“Did you check your phone?” Kyle asked
. I grabbed my cell and flipped it open. I had one missed call from my mom and a tex
t from Tom. Nothing from Tiff. I dialed her number, but it went to her voicemail. I tried calling her house phone and got the same thing
.

“Come on!” I said urgently as I dialed Tiff's cell again. “She can't have been kidnapped already!”

“Dude, you
did tick those people off,” Kyle said, sitting on my bed. “She could have been kidnapped right after we left.” I glared at him to shut up. I wanted to tell him off, but panic made my throat close. I took a sip of water and spit it out again as my cell phone rang
.

“Tiff?” I didn't even look at the caller ID
.

“No.
” It was Mitch. “Guess you haven't heard from her either.”

“Nothing
.
” I heard the despair in my own voice. “She's not online; she's not answering her phones, nothing…”

“I'm sorry
, man
.
” Mitch really did sound apologetic
. “Tiff's the reason we knew so much more about the dream place, she's helped us a lot, and I know how much she meant to you.”

“Wait what?” I suddenly asked. Kyle laughed in the background. “I don't feel that way about her—” I stopped as I got another call. My heart felt like it suddenly lost fifty pounds
. “Hang on, Tiff's calling!” I switched over almost laughing with relief.

“You're awake!” I said happily.

“Duh,” Tiff replied a little dryly. “It's past two
. Glad to see you're awake as well. Do you still want to come over and talk about your dreams?”

“Yeah, sure,” I spoke a little faster than normal. Kyle, now realizing Tiff was on the phone, laughed even louder and made kissy noises in the background. I pushed him away, but he just pushed me back onto my bed
.

“You okay
?” Tiff asked, hearing the commotion through the receiver.

“Yeah, but how come you didn't answer your phone?”

“Oh, I left it at home,
” T
iff answered
. “
M
y aunt took me to get my computer fixed today. I just got back. I'll test it out when you get here.”

I had the feeling Tiff was afraid to turn the computer on. I never thought I'd see the day when Tiffany Brightly would be afraid of technology. Then again, I met Leona last night. I didn't blame her
.

“I'll text you when my mom gets home
,
” I said before hanging up. Kyle leaned against my door frame, arms folded and a smug look on his face.

“What?” I asked him, trying my hardest to stop smiling
.

“You still had Mitch on the other line.” Kyle reminded me
.

“Oh.” I looked at my phone and saw Mitch had texted me four times.

“Then again, I guess he won't blame you.” Kyle grinned. “After all, your girlfriend's safe for now.”

I was too relieved to correct him this time
.

As I texted Mitch, telling him that Tiff was safe
, I heard the front door open downstairs. My mom was home
.

“Devon? Kyle?” I heard her call from downstairs. “Are you two up yet?”

“Yeah,” I called back down. Kyle left my room and entered his. I wondered if he was going back to sleep or not. Knowing Kyle, he wouldn't be too freaked out by Leona and Gruff to avoid sleeping. Nothing came between Kyle and his slumber
.

“Are you dressed?” That was a weird question for my mom to ask.

“Sort of,” I threw on some clean gym shorts and one of my school t-shirts. “Why?”

“Because you have a visitor.”

I was halfway through combing my hair a bit. I wasn't expecting any company
.

“Is it Tiff?” I asked while coming down the stairs
.

No, it was Andy
.

I could tell he just came from summer camp. He was slightly sweaty from Four-Square, or some other camp sport, and he had the obnoxious camp shirt on
.

“Alexis asked me if I could give Andy a ride home today,” my mom e
xplained. Alexis was Andy's mom
. “
A
nd since I had to go tell the camp you were sick, I figured I could pick him up. Andy asked if he could stay here until his mom came at six
. He wanted to see you and tell you to get well soon. Isn't that nice?”

“Hey
.
” I nodded to Andy
. “
U
h, I'm not contagious if you wanna come up to my room and play some video games til your mom gets home.”

“
Sure
.
” Andy shrugged and started following me up the stairs. My mom told us she'd be up soon with snacks. Kyle poked his head out of his door at the mention of food
.

“Oh, hey, Melissa's brother.” Kyle noticed Andy. The poor kid's face flushed at the mention of his sister.

“Uh, K
yle
—
” I said, giving him a look, “
—
l
ay off.”

“Oh, yeah! Sorry, dude,” Kyle actually did look a little embarrassed. “It's just… I was in her class… but don't give up hope, man, she may come out of it. Soon, in fact!”

“See you, Kyle
,
” I said with a little force, leading Andy to my room. I closed the door before Kyle could give any more words of wisdom. I straightened up my bed a bit and offered Andy a seat. He sat down and looked around awkwardly as I sat on my computer chair. We fell into a few moments of thick silence.

“So, uh, how was camp?” I decided to break it
.

“Sucked, as usual
—
” Andy shrugg
ed, “
—
y
ou're lucky you didn't have to come.”

“Well, I got b
it by a spider the night before—
” I figured my mom told the camp that story. I got up and started look
ing through my video games box, “a
nd had an allergic reaction. I'm fine now, though. So, I have Space Slayer 4 if you wanna play two player
.
”

“You were sick today because of something in your dreams, weren't you?” Andy asked me suddenly. I fumbled with the game in my hand and managed to catch it before it fell. My hands were still shaking. How did Andy know?

“Uh, what
—”

“Don't bother lying about it!” Andy eyed me suspiciously as if I was going to escape from my own bedroom. “I had a dream last night about my sister. She said she saw you, Kyle, and some other guy
trying to help everyone.”

“Andy, that was just a dream.
” I don't know why I was trying to play it off. First, the look in his eyes told me that Andy wasn't going to believe anything I said other than the truth. Second, I had never seen Andy look at anyone with such intensity before
.

“My life for the past few days has been one big dream,” Andy responded. “No, it's been a nightmare. Both of my parents are in the medical field
. They're always at the hospital, so it was just me and Melissa. Losing her was the hardest thing I ever had to deal with, and now there's a chance she can come back. There's a chance that you can save her, and I'm not going to let you pass up that opportunity.” He looked at me with gleaming eyes. I didn't know if he was about to cry or fly off into a rage. “You
must save her and all those other people.”

“It'
s more complicated than that
.
” M
y voice came out softer than I had expected. I guess because I felt so relieved to finally tell Andy the truth. I also felt guilty about letting him believe his sister was in a coma when there was a possibility of her being saved. “You haven't seen the place imprisoning Melissa and the others. It's huge, dangerous, and the people guarding it will stop anyone they don't want from coming inside. And these creatures… I don't even know what they can do, and I'm afraid to find out. It's gonna be difficult, Andy.”

“But you have to try!” Andy protested. “You were given the ability to go there for a reason. You have power others don't, and you should use it.”

His words eerily reminded me of Leona. She also told me I possessed some unique power. I didn't know what they were talking about; all I knew was that I could control my actions in my dreams. Well, I guess now I could turn a bat into a sword, but I couldn't even use that properly. What power did they see that I didn't?

“I wish I could do it,” Andy said, looking at the floor
.

“No, you don't
,
” I told him. “It's worse than any nightmare you may have faced.”

“I don't care,” he protested
. “I want to go there so I can see who kidnapped my sister
.
” He looked up at me. “So I can make them pa
y.”

Just then, my mom knocked on my door. She brought us some apple slices, cheese wedges, and sodas. I guess Andy's hunger outweighed his anger, because he
dived into the snacks. I started feeling relieved as we ate in silence. Maybe he said what he needed to say, and we could finally get to play some video games and forget about comas and creepy dreams
.

“You're going to try, right?” Andy suddenly asked, catching me off guard
.

“Try what?” I asked him, turning on my game console and setting up two-
player mode.

“To save them,” Andy answered
. “
Y
ou're going to save my sister, right?”

I stared at my TV in silence. I wanted to promise him that I'd bring her back. I wanted to assure him things were going to work out. But I kept imagining Serpentine, Gruff, Leona, and those Nightmare creatures. If I stood any chance against them, I was going to need backup, and a plan.

“I'm going to try,” I assured Andy
. “I'm gonna try to bring Melissa back and take out the place she's being kept.”

I just didn't know my promise would be tested shortly after it was made
.

.