Dionte

Setting up the table for breakfast early in the morning, it is full of dishes that make his stomach growl. Tiara must've been in the cooking mood with blueberry waffles, crispy bacon, and scrambled eggs on the menu. Dionte joins the sisters, pulling up his chair; though before he can say a quiet grace, he hears Chantel's hands clasp together. She's praying this time... It's something the woman had lacked since he began eating at her house, and the sight brings a smile to his face as he closes his eyes to do the same.

They have a light conversation while enjoying the delicious food. Once everyone finishes their plates, Dionte offers to assist Chantel in cleaning the kitchen as the younger sister goes upstairs to get ready for school. It's a rather peaceful silence between them, with the only noise being the clanking of the cups and bristles rubbing against the floor.

"I told Tiara everything. About what really happened during the shooting that day."

This revelation has him momentarily pause from sweeping. "Really?"

"Yeah, right after I woke up. She was angry at first—and she had every reason to be. Still, she forgave me, and we even agreed to go visit the sisters together tomorrow."

Her grin in the reflection of the glass mug is the exact opposite of the frown she wore in the funhouse.

"Well, I'm glad it worked out."

"All thanks to you." Chantel places the last of the dirty silverware in the dishwasher, and her violet irises hold a certain shimmer as if they've been cleaned. "I appreciate what you said during the nightmare. It helped me face a truth I had been fleeing from since last summer."

"I didn't do much. You're the one who built up the bravery to take that first step. I only gave you a little needed push."

There's another factor that stands out he can't ignore now that they're on the subject.

"I noticed you prayed before eating breakfast. That's something you've skipped since I've been here."

"Oh, so you saw. I don't know why I'm acting surprised; you're a pretty perceptive person. Confronting my fears has set me free, where I can finally come to Him wholeheartedly."

Chantel wipes down the table prior to leaning against it.

"It does feel good to pray again. I'll be doing that a whole lot more along with praising, too. Better prepare yourself for how hoarse I was when doing karaoke in the dream."

He does recall her high note going out completely, but everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. His mother is far from the best singer, though she might have her outbeats.

"As long as it's to The Lord, then I won't complain."

The two chuckle a bit at this. It's a nice feeling to have a more normal morning that's been absent for days. Nevertheless, reality slowly starts to sink in again, and there are some things they must discuss.

"...Considering last night, we need to chat with Jun as soon as possible," he says, circling back to the main topic at hand, and she firmly nods.

"I'll let him know to come over right after his online classes."

Later that evening, the trio meets in the living room, with everyone at a loss on where to begin. With this being a touchy subject for Chantel compared to himself, he allows her to share with Jun-Seo just what all transpired last night. He remains quiet, though listens intently, and a grim expression is plastered on the boy's face.

"And that's about it. The nightmare was far worse than the previous three, but it also helped me gain the nerve to confess the truth."

Chantel exhales deeply, rubbing her shoulders that must have a huge weight lifted off them.

"Oh, and I'm sorry about leaving you behind before. It could've ended on a grim note if we hadn't woken up..."

A frown tugs at her lips now, and she must be referring to the first night she was supposed to have run off ahead.

"It's okay," he mumbles, though does instinctively cling to his sides. "I just stayed hidden like I did the second night that you were gone. It felt so much longer than usual being by myself again. N-Nothing happened to me, but I heard a man yelling and groaning. I don't think he got away..."

That would be hard for anybody to listen to. This confirms one of the people they're still searching for is an adult male. It most likely can be the silhouette he believed to have seen the first night.

"It's a hard pill to swallow that the nightmares still take place, regardless. At least you weren't hurt, Jun," Chantel gently comforts, breaking the tension.

"Now that we're all caught up to speed, we need to decide our next course of action." Dionte leans forward, resting his head on folded hands. "We know that those twins are somehow connected to the nightmares. That's why I think we ought to talk with them in person."

Perhaps the girls can give them insight into what's going on, or they could even be the masterminds behind it. However, this suggestion has the air grow thicker when Chantel and Jun exchange glances—almost as if silently asking who should be the one to tell something he probably isn't going to like to hear.

"I'm aware they're being hospitalized, but are their conditions fatal?"

"Um..." Chantel's voice trails off before clearing her throat to try once again. "Y-You see, the twins aren't exactly conscious. Kayleigh and Kaylen were admitted the first of this month after what was believed to be... a suicide attempt."

The sharp words feel as if they're piercing his own throat, though he knows he heard her correctly. The twins were so submerged in the darkness that they tried to take their own lives... Chantel said they're around her sister's age, and fourteen-year-old kids trying to do such a thing is heartbreaking. It's just like him, only he was a few years older...

"Currently, the twins are fighting for their lives in the hospital as we're doing so in our dreams..."

However, the sisters' deaths will be permanent, unlike their own.

"The two of them took their mother's recent passing very hard. They were pretty close, but there could've been other factors that led to it."

The second part has a flicker inside her violet irises, and even if the Fairgrounds incident wasn't recent, that nightmare couldn't have been a coincidence.

The two individuals this whole phenomenon revolves around are currently unavailable. Still, given they have some kind of lead, it provides them a means to investigate apart from the dreams' time limit.

"I was considering suggesting this sooner, but why don't we visit a sleep specialist?" Chantel suggests, absentmindedly twirling a strand of her hair. "I mean, if we went alone, they'd just label us as loony, but we'd be taken more seriously going together."

"I'd advise against that, for now, at least."

Dionte isn't trying to shut down her idea so quickly, but he feels this is a spiritual problem, not a medical one. Going there prematurely just seems like a wasted trip.

"I do want to try seeing what I can find out online. Research on sleep disorders can point us in the right direction," he adds, and it's something he should've done the very first night this happened. "There is something else I'd like you two to do if you'd feel comfortable."

"Okay, what is it?" she voices, with Jun nodding and his faithful companion barking in accord.

"Could you both ask around the neighborhood about the twins, especially if either of them had any enemies? This could help us determine who the blonde girl you saw before is and maybe the mystery man too."

This is a more sensitive subject now that he's aware of the sisters' bad physical and mental state. I can tell by the vibe Jun gave off that he has some messy history with them too... If that's the case with everyone—excluding himself—then the mystery behind their deep depression could be the root of all this.

Though where does that leave me? Regardless of whether he was meant to follow this road as a divine mission, why did God choose him? He feels like a mismatched puzzle piece that doesn't belong in the box with the others. I can pray about this at a later date. There are more crucial things for him to focus on.

With them both consenting to this heavy task, they split, agreeing to meet back up and share how their missions went tonight. Dionte fetches his laptop while they head out the door to do some digging on the surreal dreams they're experiencing.

Plenty of sleep disorders are listed; that's twice as long as what he was expecting. One name in particular stands out on the page, deciding to type this in. I believe Chantel said Jun has type 1 narcolepsy... Since he'll be spending more time with the boy, it's only fair he understands his condition a little better. Temporarily straying from his objective to inform himself a bit, he reads some comments from fellow narcoleptics. The main fact that baffles him is their constant tiredness is linked to going three days without sleep. I know I survive on caffeine when having a sleepless night, but it can't begin to relate to the exhaustion he must be living. This does vary from person to person, but it's good to know for future reference.

Dionte returns to the topic at hand, not that it does him much good. He finds little to nothing that'll be of use, and this feared result is the reason why he didn't bother researching sooner. I was betting on coming across one special case that's similar to ours. The male runs his fingers through his braids, leaning back in his seat. All he can do is hope that the two of them have better luck with their assignment.

After another hour passes, Chantel, Jun-Seo, and the golden retriever walk through the front door. The woman has a signed gift basket in hand that she wasn't carrying when they left. He shuts down his laptop as they take a seat.

"Sorry, it took us so long. I thought asking the neighbors to sign a get-well gift for the twins would make our questions less suspicious. Besides, it's something nice to bring along when I go to visit them with Tiara tomorrow."

He examines the basket they selected; that plastic wrapper has countless signatures and kind words covering it. Inside, he can faintly make out some candy, a card, and colorful flowers amongst other things.

"That was considerate of you two. I'm sure it'll warm them to see this when they wake up."

"It's just something to say, 'We were absent before, but we'll be there for you now.'"

Chantel weakly smiles at this, yet Jun-Seo drops his head.

"About our investigation, we did ask around, but we skipped over their dad. Despite him probably knowing the most, we just couldn't talk to him with all of the stress he must be under..."

He can understand why they wouldn't want to question the man who recently lost his wife, and his children almost followed her. The amount of sorrow he has got to be undergoing is immeasurable... Thinking about such makes his own chest ache, but he can't focus on such matters right now.

"No, I wouldn't have expected you to have gone to him. I should've made that clear earlier."

She nods, fiddling with the gift basket in her hands. "Well, nobody had much to give us other than the fact that the twins were being bullied. Apparently, a trio was tormenting them for months, two of whom live in this very neighborhood."

This further gains his interest, and the impact of bullying can have a strong effect on the victims, especially those younger, like their ages. Since we're already aware of Parvati, only two others are supposed to be experiencing the dreams... Perhaps one of the three wasn't quite at fault, or the last person is someone else entirely?

"The twins were secretive about it, but the bystanders didn't do much to help their situation. We went to pay the boy a visit first, but nobody answered the door. As for the one girl's home..." Chantel frowns slightly, glaring at two cursive names on the plastic in her hands. "Based on the description we were given, Rebekah Collins is for certain who I saw the other night. Her parents signed the gift since she wasn't there, though when asking about the bullying, they didn't seem to care. It's like their daughter's destructive behavior was just an indifferent attitude from them."

So her parents aren't involved in her life. Could this be the reason why she started harassing the twins? Whatever the cause, they do have more clues to unveil another nightmare sufferer.

"Well, you both still got something out of this and have a nice gift to give Kayleigh and Kaylen too. As for me, my solo investigation was far drier."

Dionte reopens his laptop to skim over a couple of tabs he didn't close out.

"The sleep issue we're most closely linked with is a nightmare disorder. It's when you have a routine dream that induces fear and can remember vividly upon waking. Of course, our cases are a bit abnormal compared to most with this condition..."

Whether it's their senses allowing them to endure pain or their nightmares linking together, these unique traits are for them alone.

"Um, how do we treat it—if there is a way?" Jun-Seo softly voices, and he lets out a sigh.

"That's the worst part. The main treatment options are either medication or psychotherapy. Neither of which I think will help us any, and this is coming from a licensed therapist."

It's not that different therapy sessions wouldn't be useful for what they've been through. On the contrary, he believes it would be beneficial to talk to someone, considering these dreams began the day after the first of the month.

"I think you both could be dealing with a guilty conscience because of your complicated past with the twins. Regardless of how long back that conspired, their suicide attempt was mere days ago," he further explains and doesn't miss the kid's sullen face. "These negative emotions can trigger recurring nightmares, even if this theory wouldn't apply to me."

It's not like he has ever met the twins, but maybe this divine mission has intertwined him into their lives. Why the nightmares started isn't our biggest concern, but what can we do to stop them? Prior to jumping to conclusions on how this came to be, there is one more area that needs to be tested.

"A nightmare is surely what we're stuck in now, even while we're awake."

"You might not be anymore."

This has the two across from him exchange confused glances, and he shuts his laptop off fully this time.

"It's a chance—no matter how slim—that you might be exempt from the nightmares now that you've faced your past head-on. That's why before continuing any more digging, we should test and see if you're free of these horrific dreams or not."

If she is, then they can confirm that overcoming their drama with the twins is the antidote. If she isn't, then it's clear that these nightmares won't simply stop on their own. Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

"Wow, I'm kinda curious if I really will sleep like a baby for the whole night."

Jun-Seo's cell phone rings, and he glances at the name displayed with a frown. "I have to answer this."

He steps into the other room to chat, and though the caller's voice can't be heard, Dionte is still able to gather pieces of their conversation.

"I'm... at Chantel's house. W-Why? It's not even that late..." he protests but doesn't seem to receive a favorable response, letting out a sigh. "Okay, I'll be home in a minute. Bye."

The boy returns with a frown, and Chantel gives him a sympathetic smile.

"Gotta head out?"

He nods, rubbing his dog behind her ears. "Yeah, my mom wants me home."

This causes him to raise an eyebrow, recalling a solid fact the kid told him mere days ago. Jun-Seo said his mother died during childbirth, so did his dad remarry?

"No worries. We're about wrapped up here anyways."

"Actually, there's another topic we need to cover real quick," Dionte corrects, thus gaining the two's attention. "I was looking at the weather forecast for this week, and I think we should start wearing coats and even shoes in our dreams."

This has Chantel open her mouth to possibly complain or object before relenting from this action. It doesn't take long to sink in just why he's suggesting these precautions. Winter is about to go into full swing as the previous snow flurries will be a few inches by the weekend. Freezing to death is a greater likelihood if they stroll around for three hours in thin pajamas and shoeless.

"It was really cold the last time," Jun-Seo mumbles, and he knows the low temperature has been affecting the boy.

"That's why we must do this, regardless of how uncomfortable that's going to be to sleep in. I would prefer my actual body sweating some bullets over getting frostbite."

With this agreed on, the kid ties up his sneakers, and one last idea comes to him as he's about to exit.

"Wait, Jun! What time do you go to bed?"

"Huh? Ten thirty?" His questionable tone is probably not about the time given, but rather the reasoning. "I-I have to go to sleep earlier to stick with my schedule."

"Alright, just remember to call us ten minutes before you lay down. I'll explain why when you do."

Dionte doesn't want him to get in trouble by detaining the child any longer. The woman beside him shoots a puzzled look but holds her curiosity until tonight. As Jun-Seo leaves, he catches a glimpse of the flakes already lightly piling on the ground. This pure white snow will be continuously stained in red unless these nightmares are brought to an end.

A/N End of the chapter. I know this one was another slower one, but there will be much revealed the next update.