Charlie~~
Radia's cell is empty.
She and everything I gave her are gone.
The lights on my side of the room flick on, revealing Dad standing at the top of the staircase. "Her mother ran."
The blood in my veins runs cold. No.
"She took the girl's siblings and ran. Her father will be put into the dream."
"And Radia?"
"I put her into one of the fearscapes moments ago. I was observing her when I was told you were here."
"Dad, please, she doesn't deserve to die due to the mistakes of her parents."
He makes his way down the stairs. "I don't decide if she dies. Her body does."
"Take her out of there."
He pauses mid-way down. "You need to stop getting so attached to Lucid."
My thoughts swirling, I brace my hand against the clear wall. I don't know how much time Radia has. It could be weeks. It could be years. It depends on how well her heart holds up against the nightmares.
"Then why order me to kiss Nora at dinner?"
"Is it so bad to want my future daughter-in-law to get along with my son?"
"Oh we're getting married now?"
"I figured you would."
"So I'm supposed to come to care for her and then watch as you make her a master dreamer?"
Looking down at his hand, he scrapes the tips of two of his nails together. "I could change my mind on that in the future. You should get back to work, Charlie. Letters are piling up, and I want them delivered today."
I press a button on my watch and wake up in my bedroom in the eastern facility.
Radia.
If we don't wake Nora's father soon and shut down the dream, we could be too late to save her. I need to call a meeting, but if I don't complete the work Dad has given me, he'll only start to keep a closer eye on me. With the company I've been keeping, Dad watching me anymore than he already does could spell doom for all of us.
Raking a hand through my hair, I sit up and reach for the machine that connects me to the dreams, switching it to Somnia's dream. Once I enter Somnia, I'll go straight to Nora and let her know what's happened. I was already planning to meet with her. She'll contact the group while I get in touch with Raymond. They can meet while I act the part of a delivery boy for Dad.
Even if the news about Radia destroys her, Nora needs to know if we are going to have time to save Radia.
If that's the case, shouldn't I also tell her about her dad?
I can't bring up both at the same time. The stakes are already high enough for her. If there are too many stakes, stress doesn't just seep in. It floods. A part of me is sure she can handle it, but she already has so much to worry about. The fates of all dreamers are up to us. What does telling her about her dad solve if we fail?
Keep counting those fingers.
~Mikaela
YOU ARE READING
Asleep
Science Fiction(Free to read + a paid bonus chapter) In a time when kidnapping is a common occurrence, Nora is about to become her father's science experiment. Nora believes she's starting a new job, working alongside her father, but instead, she's trapped inside...
