Lucid Dreaming: the ability to be aware of and control your dreams.

"Are you sure you don't to tell them about us?"

Tyler asks Josh this as the two sit outside of Tiana's bedroom, where inside Hayley coaches her on how to gain control in her dreams. They're shoulder to shoulder, hands clasped together with their backs against the wall.

"I... no, not yet," Josh confesses, glancing at Tyler nervously. "Is that bad? I'm not, like, ashamed or anything. I've just... never talked with anyone about being gay. Or bi, or... whatever."

"That's okay. There's no rush too tell anyone," Tyler says.

"Thanks. You're getting good at this whole 'being nice' thing."

"Tiana's been coaching me."

Josh laughs. "I don't think she's the best to be giving advice on how to talk to people, but I appreciate the effort. Honestly, I don't even know why I'm so scared to tell Tiana of all people. Maybe it's because neither of us have ever been in a relationship before."

"Wait, really?" Tyler looks at him, brows furrowed.

"Y-yeah. You're my... first. Ever."

"That. That's so fucking adorable."

Josh rolls his eyes and bumps Tyler's shoulder a little roughly. "Shut up. I have no idea how you're so chill right now. I expected you to be the one who'd want to be clandestine and sneaky."

"Ooh, big words for a small boy."

"I'm technically taller than you," he says. "Don't forget that."

"How could I?" Tyler teases, leaning forward for a kiss.

Josh feels movement reverberate off the floor and moves back as Tiana's door swings open. Tyler frowns and Josh sends him an apologetic glance.

"I am a dreaming master now!" Tiana exclaims, raising her fists over her head.

"Josh, you're next," Hayley says, gesturing for him to come inside. "Come on, kid, we don't have all day."

He stands, fingers lingering on Tyler's knee before he follows his mentor into Tiana's room.

"How did she do?" He asks, plopping down on the twin sized mattress that sits in the middle of the disorganized room.

"She saw Frangipane," Hayley replies, crouching down in front of him. "And a few other things. Her time abilities must've given her access to some future events. But I have a feeling your connection with Alley Cat is stronger."

"Why do you think that?"

"I don't know. Tiana's spent more time with him, but she's also-" She stops herself. "Don't take this the wrong way, Josh, but you're not exactly the strongest."

Josh scoffs. "No need to remind me about my failures."

Hayley frowns and grabs Josh's hands with one of her own. "You may not be the strongest, sure, but that doesn't mean you're not valuable. Your heart is what makes you special, and dangerous to Alley Cat. Even when it meant putting yourself in the crossfire, you went after Tiana when she'd been taken. You decided to trust me again when I gave you no reason to. I haven't seen Tyler this happy in years. Strength is more than physical.

She picks up her free hand and presses it to his chest. "This is your strength. Don't lose that."

"Can you just teach me how to control my dreams?"

"Be patient, I'll get there."

"Fine."

"Lean back and close your eyes." He does so, feeling her cold hands on his forehead. "Breath."

"What's supposed to happen?" Josh asks.

"Nothing yet," she says. "I'm just training you to do this whenever you fall asleep. Pretend you're dreaming. What have your dreams been like?"

Josh's face burns with embarrassment. "Uh... I don't remember. Not usually, at least."

"Mhm." He can tell she doesn't believe him. "There's a couple of ways to start lucid dreaming. One, something that wouldn't normally happen is happening. Like, an elephant in your house or a zombie apocalypse. Two, if you're doing something, and it doesn't feel right, like driving a car and there's no street lamps."

"Okay. How do I control my dreams?"

"Relax, I'll get there. Once you find out you're dreaming, you'll either wake up or be able to manipulate the world around you. I reckon since you're better with spatial manipulation than Tiana, you'll get the hang of it fast."

"Thanks. Good thing I'm good at one thing."

Hayley smacks his head. "Shut up. You're good at a lot of things, you just haven't been doing this as long as I have. But you've got to learn, and you've gotta do it quick."

Something in Josh's stomach won't settle. Maybe it's the way her voice wavers as she speaks, or just an instinctive empathy he has, but he can tell that this is about more than lucid dreaming. "Why are you telling me this?" He asks.

"Because I need you to be prepared to make a hard decision in the future."

"Like what? I'm not special."

"You're wrong. You and Tiana are the most amazing kids I got to work with, besides Tyler. I've seen you two grow, going headfirst into a new world, I've never seen any pair be so stupid and so brave. But Tiana isn't willing to risk lives for the greater good."

"Neither am I," Josh says, already knowing where she's going with this.

"You're going to have to be."

Hayley leans forward and whispers her plan to him. Josh wants to say no. He should say no. But he can't, because he knows that's the only way they can win against Alley Cat. So he agrees. It's not like he has any other choice, anyways.

Josh says that he'll do it, and he knows he'll regret it for the rest of his life.