Dionte

His eyelids slowly lift rather than snapping wide open when the dream state is over. He's met with the bobcut female curled up at his side, and the close proximity has him blushing slightly with their eyes locking. The male sits up first as he, out of habit, checks the digital clock on the dresser. As usual, it's six A.M. that the nightmare comes to an end, if it can exactly be called such.

"It's nice to wake up peacefully instead of feeling an anxiety rush that the daemon didn't find our hiding spot."

"Yeah, it is refreshing..."

The elements of his dream state still linger, and he can truly see their similarities looking at the vanity mirror in the darken bedroom.

"So, how do you feel that you've faced your past with the twins?"

The covers fall from Chantel's slender shoulders as she props herself up; likewise, his own connection with the sisters has been revealed to them all.

"My mind is clearer today since the start of the month. After Rebekah's dream state, I knew that the twins' and my mother was the same. I just was in denial at the time..."

Admitting this to himself would align all of the missing puzzle pieces together. A final product that wouldn't bring him enjoyment as it does for Luis, but he knew on the 28th the truth couldn't be run away from anymore.

"I struggled with abandonment issues with my rough experience in the orphanage. When tracking down my birth mother, I naively thought I had conquered them because I had loving adopted parents," he starts but frowns at his own response. "No, that's not the reason. Rather, I believed I was strong enough to no longer be affected by family matters."

A silly delusion that since he reached the age of eighteen, childish things like familial bonds wouldn't hold any importance.

"You witnessed how wrong I was, but I had forgiven myself for what followed. After I started drinking and causing problems in my life for the two adults that did care about me. But..." His voice trails off for a moment, examining his veins that carry the same blood as two teenage girls. "I was forced to face my inner demons again after realizing how it affected Kaleigh and Kaylen. To be a night I once dreaded, the calm that I've been blessed with now makes it worth it."

A small smile reflects on her lips underneath the dim daylight which engulfs them.

"Well, I'm glad it all worked out. Actually, I just had an epiphany about something..."

He raises an eyebrow at her words, her finger tapping on her chin as she connects the dots in her thoughts.

"Maybe you were a special case with everyone else's dreams because the twins never held any animosity against you. I mean, Kaylen might've forgiven Jun during his dream, but she definitely held a grudge against him at the time of casting the curse. That goes double for the rest of us, but the twins said how they couldn't wholeheartedly do that to their brother."

She has a point... He has been present for every dream without fail, even if nothing of the sort has happened to the other five. That's until tonight when they all took part in his, and Chantel's theory would make perfect sense.

"Suppose I was just some sort of loophole then?" A wry smile surfaces at the irony of it. "Not much of a 'guardian angel', right?"

It was her initial guess on how he was involved, and even before being hinted at his history with them, he knew that couldn't be his purpose.

"Hey, you helped each one of us during our nightmares. It just came around full circle for us to do mutually for you."

This did point out a major flaw with a desire to be perfect, and accepting his own imperfection as the merciful one above would ease his stress.

His body stiffens as Chantel climbs over him out of the bed with a light stretch. "Guess I better head to my own bed now so I can catch a couple of more Z's without your snoring."

"I-I do?"

This is news to him, and he doesn't understand how she heard him if she dozed off first. The muffled laugh from her implies his loud sleeping habits should be common knowledge.

"I heard you from down the hall while going to the bathroom the other night. You really should get more rest in place of caffeine."

When her hand reaches the door handle, he speaks up once more, "Thanks for staying in here."

Chantel acknowledges his gratitude with a small wave while she gently closes the door behind her. He lets out a sigh, flopping back on the fluffy pillows with his gaze glued to the ceiling. As relieving as it is that everyone's dream states have passed, the most challenging part still lies ahead.

We all have to apologize to the twins in person.

....

The male double-checks the address before he rings the doorbell. A flood of emotions washes over him, no different than the day he prepared himself to meet his birth mother. The two of them might've previously spoken, but this will be a much heavier conversation.

After a few minutes, the door creaks open to reveal the ginger-haired homeowner. His pajamas and disheveled hair imply he just rolled out of bed though it's early evening. This must be what Gregory is like on his days off from work-lacking a distraction.

"Yes?"

"Uh, I apologize for showing up unannounced, but Chantel gave me your address."

His furrowed eyebrows display his confusion as his drowsiness begins to dissipate.

"Why would she... Wait, aren't you the one who paid for my groceries at the store?"

Well, he recognizes me, but this reveal will be far more shocking.

"Yeah, I am, but a refund for that act isn't why I'm here. The reason for my visit is because... I'm your deceased wife's first-born son." 

Once the words leave his mouth, Gregory clenches his jaw, his eyes unblinking as if he's staring at a ghost. He starts to say something but pauses, his hand reaching to his face to adjust his glasses that aren't present.

"Y-You're Dionte Harris?"

"She spoke to you about me?"

An opening of the door is the answer to his question, and he follows the male inside his home.

Getting settled in the living room, Gregory brews them some tea to sip on while they talk. Though neither of them exactly seems to know how to proceed with such a bombshell right after the holidays. It's just the exact date he showed up ten years ago; however, it had been at their old house prior to moving to Marquette Grove.

"I never imagined you would track me down when I was supposed to be the one to find you..."

"Why were you looking for me?" Dionte asks, his hands tightly gripping the fragile cup in his grasp.

"It was my dear Selena's parting wish; she desired me to give you this." He goes through a nearby drawer pulling out a single envelope. "This is a letter she wrote to you when her kidneys were failing. As much as she yearned to see you in person, a part of her feared you'd reject her the way she did you a decade ago. So, she settled on a method that would smooth things over with her son without getting heartbroken."

His shaky grip threatens to tear the thin sentimental gift his mother left behind. Considering everything that happened that day, Dionte assumed he never even crossed her mind. Half of him wants to tear it open right this moment and read its contents, but the other feels it's best to wait until everything gets resolved to receive her closure.

"She walked out on our family for nearly seven whole years after that incident. Still, Selena wanted you to know it was her own past trauma I wasn't even aware of that had her acting in the manner she did." The middle-aged man calmly takes a swig of his drink, not displaying any grudge from what his blow-up triggered. "Forgive me for not making much of an effort to locate you. I was planning to do so right after the funeral, but then problems had arisen with my daughters..."

When their mother was laid to rest, the twins put their revenge plot in motion... This is the true purpose of his coming, and he shakes his head, tucking the envelope away.

"It's alright. I'm touched to just know now that she no longer hated me for how cruel I was to her," he responds, his soft smile gradually tugging downwards. "Unfortunately, to get to know my birth mother isn't why I came but rather to inform you about the twins' condition..."

His demeanor instantly shifts, Gregory setting his teacup firmly on the wooden surface. "W-What are you talking about? The doctors haven't notified me about any changes."

"I... I know the cause of your daughters' hospitalization. It's probably not going to be easy to digest, but bear with me."

From the beginning, Dionte explains the fundamentals of the curse-between how it was cast and the effect it's had on all six of them. The distressed parent doesn't interrupt very often, mostly processing this grim news in a mixture of anxiety and frustration. Though the latter seems to be pointed at himself with his face buried in his hands when finished.

"I knew they were taking their mother's death hard, but I would've never expected them to do something like this. They were filled with just as much anger as they were depressed. W-When I should've been there for them, I just threw myself at work, using piled bills as an excuse," he chokes out, and Dionte gives him a comforting squeeze on the arm.

"Don't blame yourself. Grief is taxing on the family as a whole, but it's not too late to save them. They're only in a coma state that could be erased if both Kaleigh and Kaylen release the hatred in their hearts."

Gregory's blurred vision looks up at the male, vehemently nodding with a deep exhale. "You know, my mother used to practice witchcraft when she was younger. I couldn't understand what she got from that-and even if I believed half of it was nonsense-I made it clear not to introduce my daughters to it. There's a chance she went behind my back for them to get a hold of that cursed book..."

Dionte sets his mostly drunk teacup aside, and he is surprised to learn their grandmother was practicing such wicked works.

"It's possible they might've stumbled across the book by chance and took it without her knowing. Regardless, how they obtained it isn't important, but how we reach them. That's why we're planning a hospital trip tomorrow, and we think it'll do well for you to join us."

The middle-aged man takes a stand, the misery he once more feels now mixed with a resolve to save the children he and his late beloved made together.

"Just tell me the time, and I'll be there."

....

The six pile into the vehicle as snow falls down, accumulating on the ground to cover it with white. A color of purity that they hope can be the twins' hearts after their heartfelt apologies. Everything rests on this-their future dreams and lives.

Despite Chantel's car being rather spacious, it's still a tad cramped to hold four people plus a golden retriever. She takes the wheel, being their driver, with Pravati sitting beside her in the passenger seat. The children sit between the two men, and the older of them grunts, tugging on his seatbelt.

"I feel like packed sardines now more than being in that darn playhouse."

"If you wish, we could switch places?" Pravati offers, the short female looking over the seat. "I don't mind sitting in the back."

"Nonsense. I'm not gonna let a lady be stuck in this position. I'll somehow manage, and it's a short distance."

She nods, facing forward again, and he can't help but smile at the rejection. Luis might complain, but he is always considerate.

The car takes off down the icy roads at a comfortable speed, though the air inside is muggy for reasons besides the heat. This isn't a happy road trip but a mission that weighs heavily on all of them. Usual chat just can't flow as naturally with the stakes; nevertheless, Chantel turning on soft Christian music does ease the tension.

They drive in silence for a while as the vehicle pulls to a stop at the intersection. He notices her violet eyes looking at him through the rear window.

"Jun might cause your arm to fall asleep since he's using it as a pillow. He's dead to the world like this, so I'm sure he won't wake up if you reposition him."

Dionte observes the youngest among them, who rhythmically breathes while napping, leaned against him. The car ride seems to result in the narcoleptic boy nodding off, though he can't get himself to risk disturbing his rest with what awaits them.

"It's alright. He's not that heavy, and we're almost there anyway."

She steps on the gas pedal when the light turns green, and similarly, Rebekah clears her throat to speak.

"W-What if it doesn't work?"

The very question occupying everyone's thoughts is voiced out loud. In the event this fails, where do they go from there? What else can they try for a curse that has no clear remedy?

"We can't think like that," Dionte mumbles, pushing away any negativity trying to engulf him. "If we go in fearing the worst, then this will never succeed. Faith needs to be put into action now more than ever before."

It's not in our hands. The most that can be done is to express to the twins how sorry they are for whatever they've done. From there, Pastor Ige will be praying that The Lord touches their hearts to break the chains dragging them to the abyss. This expels a bit of the unspoken fear as they drive forth to where the sisters lay.

Arriving at the hospital, it's different stepping inside than in Luis's dream. A flash to the start of the month when first entering the neighborhood, and a lot has transpired in a few mere weeks. Expectedly, both Gregory and Pastor Ige have arrived early.

The doctor leads them back to the twins' room, and Dionte's body stiffens as the door is opened. In two hospital beds lie the sisters-his recently revealed siblings-side by side. It's surreal seeing them in person after countless flashbacks and even talking directly in their subconscious state. Chantel and Jun-Seo are the only ones who have visited the twins prior to now.

"You could momentarily forget the turmoil they feel within when seeing them rest peacefully like this," Pravati observes, and the two do sleep undisturbed. Their heart monitors continue at a natural rate, though the line will suddenly go flat if the curse remains next year. Their fates must be overturned.

The boy's drowsiness vanishes while approaching Kaylen's bedside. "So, who is going to go first?"

Everyone's gazes drift to Dionte, the therapist thinking for a moment.

"I say we can begin from the first special dream down to the last. Also, I think we should do so in privacy. Excluding Gregory and Pastor Ige, I think a more intimate apology can be done without an audience."

They're all vaguely aware of how each of them has hurt Kaleigh and Kaylen. Dionte himself all the greater with the male participating in the five's nightmares as they entered his own. Nevertheless, shame or stubbornness can make it challenging to fully confess what they did with judging ears. At least this method ought to have them feel a little more comfortable speaking with the twins.

"That sounds reasonable to me," Luis being the first to agree. "So, Chantel will start us off then."

She takes an inhale, nodding in approval while the others exit to the hospital hallway. Fear previously triggered a fright and flight response from the bold woman, but no hint of that lingers in her eyes as she stands by the sisters. Dionte shoots her an encouraging grin, which she returns before the door is shut behind him. He can only pray the twins won't do mutually for their hearts with them on a time clock.

A/N Hello, this chapter is a tad shorter than usual. A different P.O.V is coming in the next update.