Chapter 3
Dreaming
Mixed POV's

◇•◇•◇

Aphmau

"Hey Katelyn?" I ask, peeking out from the bathroom, "Can you come here for a minute?"

"What's up?" She asks, coming inside with me.

"Is it just me, or is that a red crescent moon shaped bruise on my neck?" I ask, putting my finger right under the small marking I had found while looking in the mirror. Katelyn follows my gaze, and then looks at me neck.

"There is a red crescent moon shaped bruise on your neck." She confirms.

"Aren't bruises normally blue or purple?" I ask.

"Uh... I think really minor ones are red, but yes." She replies.

"Hmm..." I gently rub the marking. For some reason, it made me feel safer, or just... warm. Touching it didn't hurt, in fact touching it just made me feel better.

"It's weird, it doesn't hurt like a normal bruise, but it's definitely not a natural marking. Something made it." I say.

"More like someone." We both jump, and turn to see Ein.

"Didn't your parents teach you not to sneak up on people?" Katelyn asks, crossing her arms.

"1, my parents are evil, and literally don't give a shit about me. 2, I've been here the entire time, you just didn't notice me." He replies.

"What do you mean by someone?" I ask.

"Try and remember, I can't tell you everything about your life." He replies.

I sigh.

Concentrating...

"My Luna..."

"A-Alpha?"

A bright light-

"Ah!" I hold my head. Suddenly, I have a huge headache.

"Aph! You okay?" Katelyn asks worriedly, putting her arm around me.

"Yeah, just... headache. All I got were some words..." I sigh.

"Better then nothing." Ein shrugs.

"I'm going to go lay down." I sigh, leaving the bathroom. I go to the beds. Kaiya and Taiya are both out cold, snoring away.

I climb onto the bed, and lay down.

I rest my hand over the red crescent moon mark, and fall asleep.

◇•◇•◇

Aaron

"We should stop for the night. It's getting dark." Nell says.

I want to say no. I so badly want to say no, and to keep going, but she's right. Travelling here at night is dangerous, and we all need sleep.

So, everyone silently finds a place to rest for the night.

Kawaii~chan and Nell go onto a low tree branch. Zane pulls his mask up higher, and brushes some hair over his other eye before falling asleep underneath them. Travis grabs his blanket and lays down near the tree.

I sigh, and climb to the top of the tree.

The full moon is out tonight. It shined brightly, lighting up the dark.

I rub the small purple crescent moon on my neck, taking comfort in the warm feeling it gives me.

I can't help but feel that she's found the mark. If she still even remembers me.

I fall asleep, with my hand clamped around it.

◇•◇•◇

3rd Person

Aphmau wakes up on the floor. A cold concrete floor.

She sits up, and looks around, yawning.

This isn't the room she fell asleep in.

Now more alert, she takes in her surroundings.

The room is small. With a wooden door next to her. The walls are a dirty white, and the floor is gray. A tall chair is in front of her, with a music sheet stand in front of it. A man sits on the chair, asleep.

He has tanned skin, and wears a red hoodie, unzipped without a shirt. The hood is up, and a bandanna is around his eyes. His pants are black, but his shoes are... purple?

"Where am I?..." she asks herself quietly.

Aaron stirs on the chair, sitting up straighter.

"What the?..." he looks around, and the powerful feeling rushing into his eyes tells him that his eyes have turned red, upon realizing he's not where he fell asleep.

Though the feeling goes away almost immediately, as his gaze lands on Aphmau, who is just staring at him.

"Aphmau?..." he asks.

Aphmau attempts to think of something to say, before blurting out the first sentance that came to mind.

"Who are you?"

Aaron, despite the situation, thinks of it as a joke.

"Hah... what are you talking about Aph?" He asks.

"How do you know my name?" She asks.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asks, frowning.

Then it hits him.

"They would start off with... amnesia drugs, so that they don't have any memories of who they are or any reason for them to fight back..."

"Do you... not remember me?"

Aphmau shakes her head. He's familiar, but she can't remember who he is.

Aaron takes off his hood, letting his coal colored hair fall out in a tangled mess.

Aphmau shakes her head again.

He takes a deep breath, and removes his bandanna, putting it in his pocket.

A name comes to her, but that's all.

"A-Aaron?"

"Do you remember now?" A flare of hope lights up in his eyes.

"J-just your name..." she murmurs, then her eyes land on his neck.

He has a purple crescent moon, in the exact same place as her red one.

"Oh..." he sighs, then steps closer.

She presses herself against the wall, feeling just slightly scared.

"Don't be scared... I'm not gonna hurt you..." he murmurs, towering over her, but just in front of her.

"U-um..." she gulps, looking up at him. He smiles faintly, and wraps his arms around her. She blinks a couple times, before putting her arms around him. His embrace making her feel safe.

"I'm so glad your okay... even if you don't remember me." He says, holding her tight.

"I... love you..." she replies, not knowing why she said it. She just did, it felt natural.

He pulls away, and sits down, keeping her in his lap. His hands hold hers, and than he notices.

Her ring is gone.

"Where's your ring?..." he asks.

"Ring?... I... guess they took it..." she sighs.

"Here..." he slips his own ring off, and puts it on her. "You can have mine, until we get it back."

"Thanks..." she leans into him, feeling tired. He starts to pet her, and she blushes, but doesn't protest.

"Where are you? I mean, in real life." She asks.

"On my way to find you." He replies. "In the Rocky Mountains, Canada."

"Who else is there?"

"Travis, Katelyn's boyfriend, Zane, your best friend, Kawaii~chan, your other best friend, and Nell, Kawaii~chan's sister." He replies.

"Katelyn has a boyfriend? She almost punched Neren when he was checking her out, that surprises me."

"Who's Neren?"

"One of the scientists. He's like... our supervisor I guess."

"How are the others?"

"Katelyn, Kaiya, and Taiya? Well... besides the fact that we barely remember anything about each other, we're all fine. Ein too, but the scientists don't know he's there. He hides in our bathroom."

"That's good to know..."

Aphmau yawns, feeling sleeping as Aaron pets her.

"Tired?" He asks.

She nods.

He chuckles, and presses a light but passionate kiss to the top of her head.

"Go to sleep... I'll see you again, I promise..."

Then everything goes black for them both.

◇•◇•◇

Aphmau

"Aphmau! Get up!" Taiya yells.

"Taiya! Stop yelling!" Kaiya exclaims, as I sit up.

"Huh?" I ask.

"You were talking in your sleep. Whose Aaron?" Taiya asks.

"Uh... good question..." Aphmau sighs.

Was it all a dream?

"Hey, where'd you get that ring from?" Taiya asks, looking at my hand.

A ring, just like the one Aaron gave me in the dream, sits on my finger.

I smile.

"It's nothing." I tell them.

"Well, you might wanna hide it when the scientists are here. We're not supposed to wear anything but the clothes they give us." Taiya says.

"I found some string if you want to put it around your neck." Kaiya says, holding out some white string.

"Where did you get it?" I ask.

"One of the swimsuits had loose thread in the locker room." She explains.

I loop the string through the ring, and tie it around my neck, leaving enough so I could hide it under my shirt.

"Thanks."

◇•◇•◇

Aaron

Guess what I woke up to?

If your guess was yelling, your right.

It was Zane and Nell this time.

"I'M NOT THE ONE WHO WAS GOING TO EXPERIMENT ON INNOCENT PEOPLE!" Zane yells.

"WELL IT'S NOT MY FAULT MICHAEL DOESN'T TELL US ANYTHING!" Nell yells.

"Oh Irene..." Travis groans.

Kawaii~chan was snoring.

"Nana! Get up, and help me tell off Zane!" Nell exclaims, shaking her sister.

"EXCUSE ME?! SHE'S MY GIRLFRIEND DUMBASS!" Zane yells.

"Huh?" Kawaii~chan sits up, yawning.

"Zane, Nell, why are you yelling?" She asks.

"Because he's being an asshole!" Nell says.

"You started it by making fun of me!" Zane retorts.

"Well, you do look stupid! Seriously, whi wears a mask and hair over their eye?!" Nell asks.

"Me!" Zane replies angrily.

I sigh, and climb down from the tree, questions building inside me.

Had I been dreaming?

I must have been.

"Uh Aaron? Where did your ring go?" Travis asks, staring at my hand as I reach the bottom.

I follow his gaze.

My ring is gone.

I can't help but smile.

"Don't worry about it." I tell him.

He shrugs.

"Irene, both of you shut up!" Kawaii~chan exclaims, "Zane, you look fine!"

"He looks stupid." Nell says.

"Nell! Don't talk like that to my boyfriend!" Kawaii~chan exclaims.

"Your dating an emo? Well, I guess I can't really argue..." Nell sighs.

A rock bounces off her head.

"Hey!" She glares at Zane, who starts laughing.

"Oh, Katelyn is fine by the way." I tell Travis, "Despite barely remembering anything."

"Really?!" Travis grins, then frown. "How do you know?"

"Just a dream I had last night." I tell him. He shrugs.

Kawaii~chan tosses an apple at me. I catch it, and bite into it.

"Let's get going, before Nell kills Zane." She sighs, glancing at the two.

Zane was currently being chased around by an angry Nell.

"Come on you two! Let's go!" Travis yells.

They come over, still glaring at each other. Kawaii~chan stands between them, sighing.

I stare up at the sky.

I guess Irene really does answer prayers.

Softly, I murmur.

"Thanks."