The Dreamer

by E. J. Mellow

  Whoa…

  “Think of it as malleable energy,” she continues. “With the proper guidance and motivation, this energy can be molded and made into practically anything.” Elena pauses for a second, noticing my glazed-over look. She leans in, smiling with understanding as she tries to explain again. “Did you know that your ability to connect thoughts and allow motor functions to be carried out is achieved with the help of millions of chemical and electrical synapses in your brain?”

  I nod slowly, remembering some of this from school.

  “Well, to put it very simply, the Navitas, your power, is like the synapse itself—that electrical energy. And this place”—she motions around with her hand—“is like a giant open brain for you to play with and create just about anything.” My jaw drops so fast it practically bruises itself on the table. She nods, seeing that I understand. Or at least understand enough to be completely overwhelmed. “We are able to harness the Navitas from Dreamers’ unconscious minds, and we use it to create and power things in our own world. It’s pure creative energy at its core,” she says with an awed pride.

  I think about the strange glowing lights around the city. That’s the energy from someone’s brain? It’s a little creepy.

  “We even thrive on that energy, allowing the Navitas to grant us certain abilities and talents that humans do not possess.” I’m about to ask her what exactly those are, but she doesn’t give me an opening. “Now, only one Dreamer in particular is allowed access to our world where their energy can be used for themselves. From the almost infinite amount of power they wield, you can understand why only one is ever present here at a time. This is also the reason a Dreamer’s presence is, up until this particular case, kept secret.”

  “Wait, wait, wait…” I raise my hand for her to pause. “I hold an infinite amount of power?” Even in my completely and utterly disbelieving state, I notice a strange excitement building in my gut. I wonder for a moment what that says about me.

  Everyone, and I mean absolutely everyone in the room, has stopped breathing. Well, except for the Vigil—they seem to be taking this all in stride.

  “Yes. You, Molly, are this Dreamer and have the energy inside you, ready and willing to do your bidding. You can manipulate everything around you in this world. It is what will help us keep the Metus from growing enough in number to infiltrate minds and cause all-out chaos and violence.

  “There’s always a Dreamer ready to be activated, but they are only summoned when there’s a legitimate threat. Some Dreamers come and go in your world without ever knowing who they were destined to become. Peace will extend through their activation period, never calling them to Terra. And, believe it or not, some wars on earth are not always the outcome of Metus activity. The Vietnam War, for example, was purely of human doing, but this is not to say that more Metus were not created because of such malice. They were in abundance, but a Dreamer was never called to us for one reason or another.” She frowns slightly. “In most cases though, violence in your world is due to more Metus being created in ours. And the creation of higher numbers of Metus in our world is due in some respects to unhappy or disturbed minds in yours. It’s a cyclical genesis of anger and despair.”

  Everything Elena is saying blows my mind apart bit by bit. More Metus mean more violence? I think of all the crazy news stories that have been popping up over the past few days. Could that all really be because of some hoard of dreamworld boogeymen? And could those actions create even more of them? Following this logic, my mind reels faster than it already was.

  Then there’s the fact that I have magic mental energy inside me, which I can’t really deny, given that I’ve seen this put to use firsthand, but still…an infinite amount? I don’t feel like I have an infinite amount of anything. And what’s this about my world enabling the existence of this one and vice versa? Talk about extreme symbiotic relationships.

  Movement draws my attention to Dev leaning against the wall. His face is unreadable, but he’s regarding me with such fierceness that I wonder if he can see through my clothes.

  I glance down just in case.

  He turns his stony eyes back to Elena. “So, you knew what Molly was doing here all along?”

  She nods.

  “Then why wait so long to intervene?”

  “The way Molly came here was…unusual. Every Dreamer has come directly to the Vigil, which has always been done with the intention of keeping them secret and thus safe from the population at large. If everyone knew the capabilities a Dreamer possesses in this world, it would put that human in great danger. Not too many would welcome such uncontrollable power willingly. When you brought up Molly’s presence at the last Council meeting, and her potential ability to help us against the Metus, that was my cue to finally intervene. Your knowledge of her strengths—even the small amount you revealed in front of the entire Council before we were able to take Molly under our protective guise—could have had irreversible consequences. We feel that most minds are safest when ignorant and, with this specific case, kept ignorant until we can fully assess what exactly we possess.”

  I want to ask Elena what she means by “this specific case,” but Tim speaks before I get the chance. “Do all the Vigil know this history of the Dreamers?” he asks. Through this discussion, Aveline hasn’t said one word. She seems to be having an internal battle of her own, not really looking anyone in the eyes.

  “A small number of us have always known of their presence, yes. It has been our duty to guide them,” Elena explains.

  “So what you meant to say is that the Nocturna are safest when kept ignorant,” Dev adds.

  “That is not what I meant—”

  “No, but is it not suggested?” Tim’s expression is the angriest I’ve ever seen it, which makes it all the more terrifying. “I can understand, Elena, why some would not be safe with this information, but to keep such a large thing secret from the very people the Vigil have worked with for centuries…” Tim stops, unable to go on.

  “Did you know what she was?” Dev turns to Rae, who remained standing throughout.

  He gives his friend a guilty look. “Yes.”

  “You knew and never told me?” Dev’s face falls in disappointment. “All the times I confided in you about her, even sent you out to watch her… Wait—” Dev’s eyes narrow. “Were you watching her because I asked or because you had other intentions?”

  Rae’s clearly torn between his duty and preserving his friend’s feelings.

  “Rae was given orders to watch the Dreamer while she was awake. It isn’t much different from when a Vigil is sent out to watch over a human. This just happened to coincide with a request issued by you,” Elena explains plainly.

  “I couldn’t tell you, Dev. You have to understand,” Rae adds. “Think for a second if our roles were reversed. Would you have told me?” He seems genuinely saddened that he might have angered Dev.

  Dev obviously rolls this around in his mind a bit before he nods to his friend, easily accepting his excuse. Really, that’s it? I roll my eyes. Boys.

  Turning back to Elena, he says, “I still don’t understand why you knew what was going on but didn’t try to stop us from making contact with Molly.”

  “Honestly, I was intrigued by the fact that she had been pulled to somewhere—or more specifically, someone—else.” She looks at Dev and he shifts, slightly uncomfortable with her meaning.

  I find myself blushing. I was drawn to Dev?

  “I wanted to see why that happened. You must understand—every Dreamer that has come here has had a specific purpose. Yes, they have all come to help us fight against the Metus, but each has left their own individual mark on our society. Whether it’s changing the infrastructure of our weaponry or our educational system, or affecting something as simple as how we view one another, each Dreamer has left their mark on this world. Very similar to how they leave their mark and inventions in their own.”

  Whoa. Extremely heavy stuff. What could I possibly influence here,
besides how to properly organize an Excel spreadsheet? I don’t really have any valuable talents. At least not back home.

  “So the fact that Molly came to you three”—she glances to Dev, Aveline, and Tim—“intrigues me greatly. Something I hope we will discover more about soon.”

  “Okay, okay, let me get this straight.” I finally find my voice and try to remain calm. “Because the Metus are somehow growing in number, more of them are getting into the minds of Dreamers, which influences their behavior when they are awake.” Elena nods reassuringly, so I continue. “When this starts to get out of hand and it’s predicted that DEFCON One will be going down in the immediate future, a Dreamer, who has been selected since they were born, gets brought here to help fight off these melting parasitic mutants and save all mankind from possible war?”

  “Yes, that’s correct. The Dreamers are activated,” Elena states.

  I think I’m going to be sick. “What exactly do you mean by activated?” I ask hesitantly, surmising I may already know the answer.

  She takes in a breath. I can tell this isn’t her first rodeo. “When you were struck by lightning, you were able to connect with our world. That’s why you are brought here when you sleep. A Dreamer’s mind is easily tapped into when it’s least busy. Once your mind is open to our dimension, you are easily channeled here in the form of a dream.”

  “So is everyone that gets hit by lightning able to travel here?” I ask.

  “No. You need to have access on our side as well as yours.”

  “This is absolutely nuts!” I start to laugh and glance around the room. Everyone wears the same expression, like they just woke up with a nasty hangover. Except for the Vigil—once again, they look fine. “I mean, I’m just Molly. Just Molly, the girl who sleeps in late and would sit in her pajamas all day if she could help it.” Finally I feel it. Panic. “I can’t be some crazy person destined to come and fight a war here to keep peace in my own. I hardly like killing spiders! Plus, I don’t even know anything about war! I practically failed history in high school and didn’t even take it in college. I mean, really, tell me this isn’t crazy?”

  “Something’s crazy, all right,” Aveline mutters across the table.

  — 26 —

  “I NEED TO stress to everyone that what we have just discussed cannot leave this room.” Elena addresses the group. “I’m aware that a few of your companions and members of the Council know of Molly’s presence, but her powers are still not public knowledge—and it would be best to keep it that way. I trust you all understand the reason for this discretion.”

  I numbly observe the slight nods from my fellow companions. Even though I’ve heard it straight from the horse’s mouth more than once, I still can’t quite come to grips with what Elena is saying about me. There are a million questions I need to ask, but she assures me I’ll have plenty of time for that later, asserting that Rae will debrief us on the rest of the details.

  Satisfied with the group’s consent, Elena stands to leave. Before she gracefully floats out of the room, she turns and clasps my hands in hers. Again, the familiar electrical pull tugs at my abdomen.

  “Molly, I’m very excited to have met you. There is much to be done, and I have a feeling you will be a Dreamer to remember.”

  “Uh…thanks.”

  Elena smiles her refined yet genuine smile and releases our connection. The tugging sensation disappears. Saying her farewells to the rest of the room, she is ushered out by her bodyguard and followed by two other men who are waiting outside the door.

  A large, warm hand rests on my shoulder, and I crane my neck up to see Rae. “How are you doing?” I can’t mistake the amusement in his voice.

  How is he finding this funny? “On a scale from one to ten? I’m negative a thousand.”

  His laughter is deep and rumbling. “Then it will be my job to make you positive a thousand.”

  —∞—

  The five of us sit in the room a little longer, listening to Rae explain how, since I didn’t come straight to the Vigil when I first arrived, there are a lot of lessons I’m behind on. I learn that Dreamers must go through thorough training for combat and extensively study their powers. If being given the task of stopping a large-scale war wasn’t enough, I also have Dreamer homework to catch up on. A lot of which sounds extremely difficult and out of my wheelhouse.

  Just peachy.

  Rae also explains that, because of my lost time, I’ll need to make plans in my “awake-state,” as he calls it, to allow myself to be in Terra for a longer stretch of time.

  “What does that mean?” I ask.

  “It means you will need to make up an excuse for why no one will be seeing you for a couple of days. There is a way to keep you asleep within a form of controlled lucid dreaming, so that you can be here with us for more than just one night at a time.”

  “Is that safe?” Dev steals the question right from my mouth. He’s been oddly quiet, and I’m desperate to know what he’s thinking.

  “It’s perfectly safe,” Rae replies. “Tim, I would like to talk to you about the possibility of housing Molly in your apartment for the duration of her first extended visit.”

  First? How many long-ass naps will I be taking? Dev seems to be thinking the same thing, and his brows pinch together.

  “Of course, of course. We’d be happy to have her,” Tim replies.

  “Speak for yourself,” Aveline mutters from her side of the table. I completely forgot she was there. “Am I needed anymore? Because I really could not care less about the rest of this meeting.”

  “Aveline.” Tim frowns.

  “It’s okay, Tim. Aveline, you can go,” Rae says.

  She smoothly stands and straps her quiver around her back. Without a parting glance or good-bye, she stomps out of the room and closes the door. What did I ever do to her? I look at Dev questioningly, and he gives me a tight-lipped smile before turning away again. Is he mad at me too?

  “How will we explain Molly’s constant presence to the rest of the Nocturna?” Tim asks, continuing the conversation.

  “This is going to sound strange, but Molly will actually have to sleep while she’s here. So there will be times when she’s out of sight from the rest of the population, and we can easily cover by saying that she has woken up in her own world. If she does travel around Terra, she’ll be in the standard Nocturna garb, which should easily blend her in. But honestly, with all her training, she won’t have time to stroll around. She’ll be in a secured containment center that we have for Dreamers when they train.”

  “You have a Dreamer training facility here in Terra and we’ve never known?” Tim asks, his surprise unchanging.

  “Yes. Most of it is underground in areas the Nocturna have never needed to go.”

  “Unbelievable,” Dev mutters sourly. The room grows awkwardly quiet. The hurt and anger from the Vigil’s deception shows across both men’s faces and tense bodies.

  I clear my throat. “Rae, how can I sleep…well, while I’m asleep?”

  He smiles graciously. “At first, you’ll still be tired here. To you, it will feel like a normal day has passed. Your brain will be active in a similar capacity to when you’re awake. Eventually, if you’re ever here for a longer period of time, you’ll find that you won’t get as tired as you normally would.”

  “What exactly is a longer period of time?”

  “That’s nothing to worry about right now. First, I’ll need you to figure out how to get away for two days.” He pulls a small folded piece of paper from his pocket. “When you wake up, it will be Saturday. I need you to meet me at this location Saturday night at eleven. We’ve always used this place for moving between our worlds.” He hands me the paper. “You won’t be awake again until Tuesday morning, so make whatever excuses you need to about being out of town and why you won’t be returning any calls or texts.”

  How the hell will I manage that? I’m going to have to take off work? I almost laugh—work seems like the least of my pro
blems.

  “Who will be training her?” Dev asks.

  “We have certain Vigil in charge of different parts of her training. But I mainly will.”

  For the first time I feel some of the weight lift off my shoulders, knowing that Rae will be there throughout this process.

  “I’ll help in Molly’s training as well,” Dev says in a tone that leaves little room for dispute.

  Rae and Dev lock eyes, a silent conversation taking place. Eventually, one side of Rae’s mouth slowly slips up.

  “Of course.”

  The weight that was lifted from my shoulders drops into my stomach. Dev training me? In what?

  “I hate to cut this short, because I know you have plenty of questions, but we’re running out of time, and I have a feeling there are some people in this room that would probably like to discuss some things with you, Molly.” Rae pointedly looks at Dev.

  —∞—

  We walk away from the city toward my tree in silence. The breeze stirs my hair, easing the ache that has settled in my temples. I like that Dev knows how this place calms me.

  Rae was absolutely right about having more questions. I have so many that I can’t keep track, still reeling from everything Elena said about how strong my powers are and what I’m meant to do here. It doesn’t even seem like it’s that bad right now in my world—I mean, there’s violence, but is it any more than the usual? Maybe I haven’t been paying that much attention.

  I steal a glance at Dev. He’s studying the grass, features stiff and brows furrowed. His angry scowl makes him look more intimidating than usual.