{11. The true meaning of Dreamcatcher}

****WARNING: THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CHAPTERS IN THE NOVEL****

Dreamer's POV

I hate this feeling, mainly because it was somewhat familiar. Hazy eyes, tired limbs, soft slow breathing, cold air, antiseptic smell. What happened this time? Why am I on a hospital bed, attached to all these nodes? My head throbbed. Was I in an accident? If I was I can't remember....hmmm I think that's the point of amnesia. But I don't have amnesia. I have memory fragmentation. Yes, that's it. Selected memories were erased for reasons unknown. I'm here to see Professor X to retrieve my memories.

I breathed in.

Not sure if I'm relieved to have remembered my backstory, it's the only thing making me valuable. If I weren't a by product from Project GEM then who would care about me? Even the mutants here hate me. First my idol, then my classmate. The feeling of utter humiliation and alienation never felt so real and most importantly, it never occurred me that they will eventually become familiar to me.

I sighed and tried to get up.

Dreamer.

I heard that. But there's no-one here. I scanned the cold room, it's empty.

Dreamer.

I can hear it again. This time I figured it's coming from within. Someone's trying to contact me psychologically. This one sounded familiar. Male. Gentle. Hopeful.

"Professor?" I said aloud. "Where are you?"

It was odd to wake up to no-one but hey, it beats waking up on a train in the middle of nowhere. Someone obviously planted me there, far from Professor X's reach. He's lives in America. And I was left in the Netherlands. I don't know why I am suddenly thinking about this.

I am inside your mind, Dreamer. I am searching...searching for answers.

"I can feel you in my head." I rubbed my temples. It's feeling like fingers prodding your brain, not exactly a great feeling. "What are you looking for?"

Then it hit me. My memories. He's helping me obtain my lost memories. They have to be there somewhere, tucked in a dark place secured with a lock. Hopefully the Professor can gain assess to them. I need him to in order to find the truth.

You are unconsciously forming a barrier against me, Dreamer. Your mind is more powerful than you think. Its developing quite rapidly and in order to control it, Dreamer, you must be conscious of what is happening to you.

I let his words sink in before I remembered what happened with Hank. The nodes had exploded. My brain signals shut down his computer systems. Then I made contact with his skin, a finger stroke, and it was enough to acess one of his vulnerable memories.

I began to hyperventilate.

After that I saw the Diamond Lady at the museum and then there was a lockdown and this giant force field and I-

"Is everyone alright? Did I hurt anyone?"

I suddenly remembered what happened and felt a guilty pang in my chest.

Everyone is safe, Dreamer. You are the one that's in danger. There are people after you. Do you know anyone by the name of Emma Frost or Azazel?

"No, I've never heard of them before."

What about Professor Shaw?

I think about this one. The name sounded familiar. But where did I hear it? Can I even construct his identity? I forced myself to form a connection with the name, it was awfully familiar and I didn't want to disappoint Professor X.

I felt a zap.

I had just opened my eyes to be greeted once again by the flourescent lights. I had always wondered what sunlight felt like on my pale skin but there seemed to be no opportunities to explore the outside world. This laboratory was my home and I had to be close to my creator. He needed me as much as I needed him.

"So where is this Dreamcatcher you promised me." I heard a male voice, distant but definitely approaching me. That's odd. We rarely had visitors. It had always been me and the creator. Who could this possible be? And why did he mention Dreamcatcher?
He must be referring to me.
There's no-one else.

"Call her Dreamer. Her alternate name to GEM20937." That's my creator. I heard footsteps nearing me. I sat up straight, feeling a little nervous. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to speak. "Dreamer, are you awake?" My creator asked. Then he walked in and saw me sitting there, half-smiling. He nodded in approval.

The tall man behind him stepped into view. He was lean, had dark hair and lucid eyes behind a pair of black rimmed glasses. He smiled widely when he saw me.

"She was still in a liquified tube when I first met her." He said and walked closer to me. I tensed up at the motion but told myself that I was just being irrational. "All my hopes and dreams depend on this fine specimen. I can see my funding has benefitted us greatly." So it's him who has compensated for the laboratory and I'm guessing the experiment, being me.

"Indeed, but her powers have not exactly developed yet, Mr Shaw. For her powers to come naturally. She needs more than laboratory. She needs to experience life. Enjoy it. Hate it. She needs to be free-"

"No, that's too risky," Mr Shaw snapped. I'm also guessing he is the reason why I can't go outside. "She is beautiful," he went back to marvelling me. It was kind of creepy. I felt very uncomfortable in his presence. "But you promised me a Dreamcatcher, a working Dreamcatcher."

"I understand that but she lives on one emotion alone, docility. Although she is a curious creature, she lacks emotional development and that delays her powers. I can't force her to be happy, sad, angry or scared. She has to experience that before she can develop-"

He was cut short by the sound of a loud slap. Except it wasn't my creator who received the blow, it was me. Mr Shaw had slapped me for no apparent reason. My face turned right. It had a stinging sensation I wasn't used to.

"How does that make you feel, Dreamer?" Mr Shaw asked me with a terrifying scrutiny. I can feel my face reddening. It's the only splash of colour on my skin. I looked him in the eye, not sure whether to speak. I looked at my creator. His mouth was ajar.

"I don't like you." I finally spoke. Mr Shaw smiled and clapped ruefully.

"See, I got a reaction. She dislikes me, which is the rational response to being provoked. This is easy." He exclaimed with excitement. Now I'm really confused.

"But it's also important to form a healthy relationship with the subject. You would want their loyalty and that comes after trust." My creator pointed out. I felt very out of place. Why is Mr Shaw here? Am I his property? I certainly don't want to go anywhere with this man.

"She's a genetically engineered mutant. She does not need anything but discipline. As long as she serves me, she will be fine-"

"I will not serve you!" I said, incredulously. "I'm not leaving here with you!"

"Dreamer, it's alright." My creator tried to coax me.

Mr Shaw seemed intrigued by my defiance. He grabbed my chin lifted it up to meet his and whispered.

"You would make a great weapon on behalf of all mutants, Dreamer. You will do greats things with me. You will revolutionalse the world with me. Do you understand?"

I don't know why I did what I did next. It was almost like I was acting on instinct.

I slapped Mr Shaw, hard.

But instead of firing back a witty comment, he was on the floor, unmoving.

"My my, Dreamer. What have you done?" My creator checked the pulse of Mr Shaw.

"Is he dead?!" I panicked.

"No. He's unconscious," and as my creator assessed Mr Shaw, the more weary he became. "You did it Dreamer," he turned to me eyes wide. "Your powers are developing. They have been dormant for so long, who knew all it needed was a little bit of anger."

"What did I do to him?" I whimpered. My creator was awed at the fluctuation of my emotions.

"You put him in a deep sleep, Dreamer. It's called psychological oblivion. It's what you were made to do. He is trapped in the abyss of his mind, not dead but not so alive. This is what makes you the Dreamcatcher."

I gasped until my lungs could no longer be filled with air.

"No...that can't be the truth." I muttered.

*

Professor X's POV

"Charles. Charles!" I snapped out of my trance and faced Raven with renewed knowledge. I saw what Dreamer had just seen. The truth.

"What happened? What's going on?" Erik askd me.

I can't believe it.

"She's a...Dreamcatcher." I breathed. They all looked at me with confusion. I suppose I am not 100% sure myself of the meaning. But what I saw was enough to concoct a theory.

"Dreamcatcher, as in the superstitious talisman that supposedly eradicates nightmares?" Hank tried. He was scratching his head at this new information. I'm glad he's back. He had been a little miserable and caught up in himself lately, or should I say after Dreamer reopened old wounds with him and his girlfriend.

"Partially," I answered. "Think about it. Her powers are psychological. Her brain signals are over active, a single touch could connect her to someone's past memories or should I say nightmares. I'm guessing she could take those memories permanently if she wanted to. Hank, you said that it was just a slight touch, imagine what would have happened if she held on longer." The thought of it all was just unbelievable.

"What about Sebastian Shaw?" Erik abruptly asked. I sighed and looked him in the eye.

"Dreamer was an experiment he funded to become a mutant revolutionist. He needed her powers to advocate his plans," Erik cringed at my words. "But Dreamer did something to him, Erik. He's in a very deep and somber sleep. I'm guessing that is why her scientist altered her memories and sent her away. In fact that's probably why Emma Frost and Azazel want her. They need her in order to awaken Sebastian Shaw."

The room went awfully quiet.

This is quite the revelation, I honestly don't know what to make of this. We just have to make sure Dreamer remains safe. That's our number one priority.

Then someone knocked on the door and it made everyone jump.

Hank went to get it and as soon as it opened a crack, Alex rushed in.

"I know you guys are hiding something from me. You know something I don't and it concerns Dreamer. I want to know what's wrong with her." He demanded.

Raven scoffed. I shot her a warning look.

"Now is not the right time, Alex-"

"You're kidding me. Am I not a part of this secret society committee you're having? I have been with you since we started running this damn school, I think I deserve to know about what's going on!"

Okay. He's right. It was wrong of me to exclude him. But I thought the fewer the people that knew, the better. Not true. There's already too many people who knew too much.

So we told him.

*

Mystique's POV

After that whole revelation about Dreamer, it got me thinking. Perhaps I have helped in triggering her powers. I wasn't exactly kind to her, but that's just me being defensive and overbearing because I felt somewhat superior to her. Although she is important and plays a major part in Shaw's mutant revolutionist. Perhaps that's what caught my attention the most. I know how much Shaw wants the mutant population to expand and dominate. I also know he is Erik's target.

I don't really care about that right now.

I have been sufficating in the Xmansion for too long. So I crept into Dreamer's ward, where is currently resting and after putting my agility to the test.

I slipped my hand in hers.

"Time to power up, sweetie."

---------

A/N

I really hope you like this!!!!!!!! Please vote and comment. I really want to know your thoughts on this chapter, it's super duper important to the rest of the plot.

And here's a big fat hint: before Jean and Rogue, you could say there was Dreamer. Remember this is set in the 90s when everyone was young and naive :)

(Also, I don't read my work before I submit it, so I need an editor haha, generous payment!)