The Children of Hypnos

[Vol. 2] Chapter 14: Trevor

Marcia's reaction to the news of two more doppelgängers—now a veritable epidemic of them—was to grind her teeth and nearly scream.

"He knew—he knew this whole time and he didn't tell me. He knew his damn doppelgänger was active and he didn't say anything—"

She stood by Emery at the firing range in Hothram's gymnasium, pretending to watch Emery's form.

Emery aimed down the barrel of a Peacemaker at the flickering shapes at the end of the range. Her hand still itched when she held the gun, but getting rid of Van der Gelt's nightmares had helped ease her back into shooting. "Did you hear me? I said yours was there, too."

Marcia scoffed. "So? Do I look mentally unsound to you? If she comes on campus again, she's not leaving with her head." She folded her arms and glared down the range. "Klaus's will be a different story."

"Why? If Morrigan's doing what she did with Edgar's doppelgänger, if she's pulling them out of our dreams before they're ready to come out themselves, then they should all be weak. Crafty and able to hide, but weak."

"She wouldn't have to pull Klaus's out," Marcia said, never looking at her.

Emery lowered the gun. "You mean...?"

"The storm. The waking water. How long he's been separated from people who care about him. He's already there."

"Does the administration know?" Emery asked.

"That he's in his Insanity Prime?" Marcia shrugged. "I'm sure they don't care. They'll keep him here to make sure no other nightmare storms break out, and while they do, they'll use him until they can't anymore." Her lip curled and her expression clouded; for a moment, Emery thought she saw tears gathering, but then Marcia spun around and stalked away.

Marcia and Klaus would do what they could to investigate their own doppelgängers. Meanwhile, Emery was supposed to be hunting for Morrigan, which was impossible while Morrigan hid in the Dream and Emery still couldn't make a gateway. Without lucid dreaming—which Emery would never be allowed to perform during her monthly sleep—the only way to enter the Dream was through a gateway, and the only people she knew who could create one were Jacqueline and Wes. Jacqueline was forbidden from doing so, at least until the laws surrounding dreamseekers were reviewed, and Wes would make it for her, but he'd insist on going in with her. She didn't want to face Morrigan without him, but at the same time, they'd gotten in too much danger every time they'd gone to the Dream so far, and she didn't want to put him in that position again. He had his own doppelgänger to worry about. Maybe they could kill Morrigan and Wes's masked twin at the same time if they went in together, but at least for now, Emery preferred looking for a better plan and waiting for Morrigan to come after her in the waking world. On her own turf.

"Jacqueline thinks I should go out and do something destructive to make Morrigan think I'm losing my mind," Emery said as she and Wes patrolled the snowy expanse of Trevor van der Gelt's yard. "Drugs, I guess is what she meant. Drugs and booze."

"Bad idea," Wes replied, tone flatter than usual. Shadows ringed his eyes and exhaustion weighed his movements. They were both due for their monthly sleep. The knowledge that their doppelgängers were active didn't make it a pleasant proposition. "Mental impairment isn't really the best choice in this situation."

"No? You don't think? I could just hang out in shady places, then. Sneak into seedy bars. Catch the eyes of the wrong men."

Wes passed a hand over his face. "Please don't joke about that."

"I have to joke about something, or I might as well shoot myself." It shocked her to realize how much she meant it. It shocked her again to realize that her hand was on the grip of a Peacemaker, as if she meant to take it out. She curled her fingers into a fist and folded her arms together. She wasn't in her Insanity Prime. Not yet. Of course she wasn't.