Chapter Text
"Alright, heroes, keep running!" the instructor yelled, her voice carrying over the program initiates. "Keep moving, Louis, don't back down!"
The third lap around the field had left most of them feeling exhausted, but the veteran participants, like Saimin and Rain, were already halfway through a fourth. The two stayed in sync with each other, treating it like a race against the other, like always. Rain sprinted ahead, her legs strong, but her breathing shallow and quick. She was starting to wear out.
"What," Saimin laughed, nearly out of breath for the third time that morning, "you getting tired, Thirteen?"
"I haven't done this in a while," Rain panted, slowing down a bit. "You would've stopped at lap two, you know it. But—"
“But I didn’t,” Saimin breathed. “That’s the thing, Rain. You’re never supposed to stop. You gotta expect the worst. Prepare for it.”
“Alright, return to me!” the instructor yelled, blowing her whistle. The whole group ran back to her, forming a semi-circle around the canopy she was under. Some of the participants were completely out of breath, red in the face and prepared to pass out. The others stood their ground, exhausted, but staying strong.
“We can’t go on like this, Ms. Harper,” one boy said. “We need a rest.”
“A rest, huh?” Ms. Harper chuckled. “Alright. Let’s say tomorrow, Black Hat shows up here with an army of robots.” She crossed her arms. “Let’s say you’re completely exhausted and need to stop. So you tell Black Hat that you need a rest.” She looked at Rain. “Can you tell me, Thirteen, what Black Hat would do?”
“Well,” she chuckled, “I don’t suppose he would sit down and have a beer with us.” A couple of people laughed breathlessly. “Somebody’d probably die, but it’s unlikely, since Black Hat never does anything himself, lest the situation calls for it.”
“Correct,” Ms. Harper smiled. “He’s the type to send someone else out to do the work. And that brings us to our next lesson.” She grabbed a small packet of paper from the bench. “Know your enemy. This part is written, so we’re gonna go inside, get some water, and take some notes.”
A couple of people sighed in relief, and a few others pumped their fists. The entire group followed Ms. Harper in a large clump, chatting with one another about the days to come. Saimin and Rain stayed behind a little, talking and laughing with each other, reflecting on the week’s events.
“So, how’s your brother?” Saimin asked kindly, stretching her hands to the sky.
“He’s fine,” Rain answered, looking at her shoes. “His natural magic is developing really fast. So we took the opportunity from the Avengers that they asked mom and dad about.” She crossed her arms. “You know, next universe over. We can connect to them now and whatnot, so they’re helping Diego to stabilize his abilities.”
There was silence as the two of them stopped in their tracks, Rain forgetting what was to happen next. Had this moment really been so quiet? Had they continued walking? What did the program building look like back then?
“I’m scared, you know,” Rain admitted. “Scared that this whole damn operation might be worth nothing. That PYFF is just supporting a lost cause, what with Black Hat becoming a bigger threat again.” She let her hands fall to her sides. “I know I’m supposed to be a hero, I’m not supposed to need help, I don’t—”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Saimin interrupted, her face looking worried. “No one’s holding you accountable for that.” She put a hand on Rain’s shoulder. “No one ever said you couldn’t ask for help. You’re a person, not a robot.” Her voice sounded much more like Rain’s now. “Besides, there’s something more important that you need to take care of first.”
Kit’s strike brought Rain back to her senses. Oh, right, she thought. I’m supposed to be fighting. Thinking. Come on, Rain, get your head in the game for one second.
She struck back, her foot swinging around to hit Kit in the side. Kit threw her back with his telekinesis, but she got back up in a matter of moments.
“This guy’s stronger than I expected,” Dakota called, struggling to pin Dimentio down. “I mean, you’re literally just a clown.”
“Jester,” Dimentio grunted. “And you’re just a teenager.”
“Tell me something I don’t know, joker,” Dakota laughed, nearly punching him in the face but missing by a few inches. He flew up into the air, casting a fireball into existence. Dimentio launched it in Dakota’s direction, and they were barely able to get out of the way.
A few feet behind Rain, a large monster made of stone growled at Flug’s laser gun. Flug looked as though he might faint out of fear. The monster seemed to laugh a little, picking the scientist up in its giant hands.
“Tiny science man think he can betray man in black and get away,” it laughed, its voice deep and threatening. “Should know more about man in black, he should!”
Rain had barely a second to react before Flug was thrown through a window and back into the house. The scientist groaned in pain, seeing stars dancing around his head.
“As Saimin say,” the monster shouted, “ yeet! ”
"Oh, dear," Dimentio chuckled. "Looks like you're a teammate short." He raised a hand, and a sphere of energy appeared. "Better luck next time, Thirteen. Your technique is a little rusty."
"Leave her alone, clowny!" Dakota yelled, grabbing his foot and pulling him out of the sky. He slammed into the concrete with a thud, and Rain let out a whoop, pumping a fist.
"Nice, Dakota!" she shouted. "Knock him dead!"
Dakota smirked, a mischievous look in their eyes. "How about we knock 'em dead?" They stuck out a hand, and Rain stared at them a few moments before smiling and taking it.
"Let's knock 'em dead, then."
Their forms glowed, souls connecting and syncing with the other. The gleaming silhouette of their bodies meshed together into one stronger, taller figure, and as they shook off the curtain of light, they became one.
Rakota smiled mischievously, having not smiled in a long while. They raked their hand through their bleached hair, adjusting their glasses with the other. They dusted off their flannel shirt and jeans, taking pleasure in admiring themselves.
Dimentio, struggling to get up, was the first to notice this new person. No, not person, fusion, he reminded himself. Not one. Two. The two had fused to create a newer, stronger being, and that made him both enraged and terrified.
Destroy them, Kit spoke, clear and even, though still with a tint of fear.
"Ubidium shall do so," the stone monster spoke.
"Sure you will," Dimentio muttered as the creature began to run towards the fusion.
What happened next surprised all three of them. In a split second, Ubidium launched himself toward Rakota. Rakota crouched down, jumped into the air without a care, and their foot connected with Ubidium's chest. The stone creature was blasted backward, kicking up dust, and smashed into the concrete, leaving a moderately sized crater.
Dimentio had only a split second to react as Rakota started running towards him, and he raised his hands in front of him. A glass cage enclosed around the fusion, but they swatted it away like a spiderweb. Dimentio yelped, his eyes going wide with fear.
Rakota reached forward and ripped Dimentio's mask off his face with one swift motion. They lifted him by the neck of his poncho, ready to strike.
No.
They froze, Rain's consciousness suddenly filled with rage. She knew that face. The lavender hair, the look in his eyes, the way his pupils flicked to and fro in order to capture every detail of the situation. She had seen that face a long time ago, before Cyrus, before Saimin had closed herself off.
" You, " Rakota breathed.
"Me," Dimentio laughed nervously, feeling very confused.
"Damn trickster. You can't just backstab people like that."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Dimentio insisted. "And if we linger on the subject, I'll have the upper hand." A sphere of magical energy sparked in his palm. "You'll be stuck like a nail in a shag carpe—"
" INCOMING! " Flug yelled, pointing up at the sky.
Rakota broke up immediately when they saw the large ball of fire rapidly approaching. Rain's smile grew to fill nearly a third of her face, while Dakota groaned as they remembered just how powerful Rain's brother was.
Diego Santiago crashed to the ground in a mess of flames, instantly shifting into a shark-like form, which looked more like he was wearing a shark costume he bought on Amazon. Still, he bit just the same, rushing towards Dimentio with pinpoint accuracy. Dimentio, in turn, yelped in horror, scrambling to get away.
"Get out the way!" Diego cheered, making contact with the jester's legs, knocking him over. "It's time to stop!"
"Is he… is he quoting vines?" Flug asked.
"Oh, yeah, he excels at that," Dakota stated bluntly, looking a little concerned. "I wouldn't be surprised at this point."
Ubidium was up again, and he was rushing towards Diego with tranquil rage. Diego noticed immediately, jumping high into the air, putting Dimentio in Ubidium's line of sight. In a moment, Dimentio had waved his hands and cast a shield spell, which Ubidium shattered with velocity alone. The two of them crashed to the ground, dazed and dizzy.
"Woohoo!" Rain whooped. "Nice job, Diego!"
Diego smiled brightly, shifting back into himself. He dusted off his blue hoodie, smoothie out his dyed-red hair.
Suddenly, right as he began to speak, he fell to the ground, shifting uncontrollably. Rain yelped in fear, and Flug pointed out Kit, who had been watching nearby. He was staring at Diego with soulless intensity.
"Stop that!" Rain shrieked. "What are you doing to him?!"
Shape-shifting is a trick of the mind, Kit explained. The mind is easily manipulated.
"Not for long!" Diego shouted, getting up swiftly and rushing towards Kit. His arm shifted into something resembling the Infinity Gauntlet but with none of the stones, and he rammed his fist into Kit's stomach. Kit was knocked back into the street, falling flat on his back, unconscious.
"Remind me not to get on his bad side," Flug whispered to Rain.
Diego bounded back over to the group with a broad smile on his face. "Hi, Rain! Hi, Dakota!" he said. "I didn't know you guys were in PYFF, too! Who's the scientist guy?"
"Ah, this is Flug," Rain smiled. "Flug, this is my younger brother, Diego. He's in partnership with Tony Stark currently."
"Not anymore," said Diego sadly. "Haven't you heard? Tony Stark died. In their universe, half the people got disintegrated. Mr. Stark sacrificed himself to bring everyone back."
"Oh," Flug muttered. "I'm so sorry."
"Eh, it's okay," Diego shrugged. "I wasn't all that close to him. I mean, he trained me to use my powers when they were unstable, but he was busy with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers and all that."
"Well, I'm really glad to see you again," Rain grinned. "I missed you. A lot."
Diego smiled as well, pulling Rain into a hug. "I missed you, too, Rain."
"Wait a second, is he taller than you now?" Dakota asked.
" What?! " Rain shouted. "Wait, back to back, I wanna see!"
They turned their backs toward each other, and Dakota thought for a moment.
"Diego, how tall are you?" they asked.
"Five foot four," Diego answered.
" NO! " Rain yelled, stomping her feet. "Unfair! Absolutely bogus!"
"Back on the matter at hand," Dakota interrupted, catching Rain's eye, "we hesitated when Rakota saw Dimentio's face. You hesitated."
Rain's heart skipped a beat. "Oh, right, that…" She rubbed her arms a little, feeling defeated. "You remember Saimin, right? Saimin Louis?"
"Black hair, black clothes, somewhat distant expression?" Dakota nodded. "Yeah, I remember her… She had two brothers, right?"
"That's… that's what I was getting at, actually," Rain chuckled awkwardly. "The older brother… well, I haven't seen Diablo in a while, but the younger one was her adopted brother, remember?"
Diego realized what Rain was alluding to faster than Dakota did. " No, " he butted in, his eyes furious but full of sorrow. "It was Dimentio, wasn't it?"
Dakota's eyebrows might've shot into the upper atmosphere. "You're kidding."
Rain shook her head, looking down at her shoes. "I wish I was."
Bill sighed irritably. “So… wait, let me get this straight,” he started, “there’s two of you?”
Diego sat on the couch, wrapped in three different blankets. He may have looked innocent and sweet, but something chaotic was lying below the exterior. Bill could see it in the boy’s eyes. The glimmer of “I’m going to annoy you to death in a way that will surprise you.”
“Yep,” Rain laughed. “Diego, introduce yourself.”
“Hi,” Diego smiled. “I’m Diego, Rain’s younger brother. I’m also ready to throw down.” He closed his eyes. “A fun and interesting fact about me is that I’m an idiot. I can also turn into memes, but that’s another story.”
“I’m sorry, you can what? ” Flug asked, looking just as confused as everyone else in the room.
Wheatley, Newton, Hatbox, and Dennis were gathered in the front room, though it hadn’t been intentional. Wheatley and Newton had been watching TV, Dennis was reading a book, and Hatbox had been reading the newspaper when he realized that other people were in the room. Bill had come down for a bowl of cereal, but he had changed his mind and was now chewing on a slice of bread.
“I can turn into memes,” Diego repeated. “I mean, really, my power is shapeshifting, which only works if you have clear thoughts, apparently. And the clearest thoughts I have are—”
“ Memes ,” Flug groaned, tugging down his paper bag. “You can use a majority of your brain power for anything, and yet you use it to shapeshift into memes .”
“Don’t humans only use twenty percent of their brains?” Wheatley asked, twiddling his thumbs.
“That’s just a myth,” Rain laughed. “I mean, we don’t use all of our brains at the same time, that would be bad, but we’re using a lot more than twenty percent. ”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Newton interrupted, looking concerned. “What happens if a human uses all of their brain at the same time? Why would that be bad?”
Flug stared at him. “Y-You would be having a seizure.”
“A price I’m willing to pay,” Diego laughed.
“My god,” Flug groaned. “Rain, how do you get him to stop talking?”
Rain glared at Flug, a mischievous look on her face. “You snap your own neck or you deal with it. That’s just the way it is.”
“ Anyways, ” Bill groaned, trying to get them to focus, “the million-dollar question.” He leaned forward dangerously, his eyes narrowing. “What makes you so dangerous? ”
Diego seemed relatively undeterred by the question. “I could conquer the world if I set my mind to it,” he shrugged. “Lucky for everyone, I lack motivation.”
“That’s not terrifying in the slightest,” Newton chuckled, clearly terrified.
“You never asked me that question,” Rain argued, turning towards Bill.
“Rain,” he sighed, “the only magic I’ve ever seen you use was to get the glass out of my arms.” He eyed Diego suspiciously. “But you… you’re dangerous, aren’t you? Or maybe you used to be…”
“Dangerous?” Diego questioned, tilting his head. “I don’t… I don’t think dangerous is the word. Maybe… I dunno, reckless ?”
Rain glared at Bill a little, asking him, with her eyes, what he was alluding to. Warning him, maybe. Bill saw the look but did nothing to answer it.
“No, no, no,” he chuckled, his voice eerily calm. “I’ve seen you before. Maybe not your sibling, but definitely you . I remember.” He smirked. “Why were you such a threat before, I wonder?”
The light in Diego’s eyes died, and suddenly both siblings knew exactly what Bill was talking about. Hatbox looked up from his newspaper, recognizing that Bill had gone too far. Diego crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at his lap.
Bill’s smile faltered. “Sore subject, then.” He laughed. “That’s fine. It’s not like any of your family can mention their past and not get upset about it.”
“ Would you stop? ” Rain barked, getting to her feet. Bill looked up at her sheepishly, shrinking a little in her gaze. “That’s not exactly what an apology sounds like.” She sat on the other side of the couch, putting a hand on Diego’s shoulder. His eyes brightened a little and he rubbed her hand with his own.
“Yes,” Hatbox chimed in, throwing a stern look Bill’s way. “It is getting very late and I think we should all be heading to bed now.”
“Count me out,” Bill scoffed.
Hatbox stared at him for a few seconds, but sighed and got up from his seat. The ghost’s bones all popped one by one as he stretched his arms to the ceiling, and he headed towards the staircase, looking more ghastly than Bill had ever seen him.
“Are you gonna be okay walking back by yourself?” Rain asked her brother, looking a bit concerned. “At least let me walk you over.”
“Nah, it’s fine,” Diego smiled. “I know the way back. I’m in Fiction Frontier now, actually.”
Rain’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, for real?” she asked, looking excited. “That’s… awesome! Now we can see each other all the time!” She held up a hand for Diego to high-five. “Nice!”
Diego smacked her hand with his own. “Yeet!” he exclaimed. “Epic. Epic games.”
Rain and Diego began dabbing at each other furiously, which prompted Flug to cringe, stand up, and go upstairs to his room. Bill considered doing the same, but just getting in his bed could awaken unspoken terrors from the depths of his demented mind.
He could see exactly why Flug disliked the duo. Rain and Diego were a terrifying sight to behold, especially since they were siblings. Bill feared what they would do to the world if either of them had the motivation, though he doubted Diego had been telling the truth when he said he could “conquer the world.”
Wheatley and Newton seemed to be making their way to bed already, though Dennis stayed behind, engrossed in his book. Bill took a quick look at the title—To Kill a Mockingbird—then looked at Dennis’ face.
Dennis, he had to admit, was a bit of a mystery. Sure, Bill knew what he was like from his years as a demon, but Dennis had no exploitable weaknesses. All of his problems were done and solved and, as far as Bill knew, he remained undeterred by intimidation of all sorts. The man had gained confidence in recent years, but it still wasn’t enough. Dennis feared the man in black and his followers as much as anyone else did.
“So,” Bill started, sliding over, “Halifax, was it?”
Dennis gulped. “I never said it, but yes.” He closed his book. “Is there something you wanted to talk about?”
“Why are you so similar to Rain?” Bill asked, closing his eyes a little.
“Who knows?” Dennis laughed. “I mean, she and I are both very anxious people in general, I’ve learned. You could say the same for anyone, really.”
Bill opened his eyes again, scared he would fall asleep if he kept them shut. “Anxious?” he echoed, feeling a bit confused. “ Rain? She isn’t anxious. She’s so confident it makes me sick.”
Dennis frowned. “Well, that just means you haven’t gotten to know her,” he sighed. “She and I were talking to each other a couple days ago. She said…” He wondered whether or not Bill was ready to hear this. “She said she was scared that people dislike her.” He looked out the large window near the TV. “She was scared that she wouldn’t make any new friends here.”
Bill’s expression softened.
“I mean, you should know, right?” Dennis asked. “Don’t you… see everything?”
“Not anymore,” Bill admitted. “I used to. Every doodle and shrine and tapestry that was made in my honor provided me with another window into the universe to look through. Even then, I could never see her face. I couldn’t hear her voice.” He leaned back into the couch. “And now I can’t see anything that isn’t right in front of me.”
“Oh.” Dennis looked at his feet, feeling a bit awkward. That meant Bill saw him , didn’t it?
“But enough about me,” Bill chuckled. “You. You confuse me. Your story confuses me, really.” He put his feet up on the coffee table. “You used to live in the 1950s, right?”
“Correct.”
“Magic and oddities were pretty benign back then. All of a sudden, here comes the music man, with just a tiny spark of bard in him.” Bill crossed his arms. “Chad strums up a tune on his guitar and people are head over heels for him. Honestly, I was starting to think he was some sort of fae before your friend Natalie pulled a genderbender on him.” He laughed a little. “Had Chad as confused as a baby bird hitting glass.”
“Yeah, that’s about what happened,” Dennis giggled.
“I just don’t understand how someone as nervous and uncertain as you,” Bill explained, “could end up with someone as pompous and confident as Ms. Sandra. ” He snickered. “What kind of magic made you fall head over heels for someone so unlike you? The only thing you guys have in common is your love of the arts.”
He could see it in Dennis’ eyes, the lights that flickered like dying stars.
“You’ve considered it, haven’t you?”
“Of course I have,” Dennis sighed. “I always thought love was like the books. That I would lock eyes with someone and we would know we’re meant to be together. I thought I saw that look in Natalie’s eyes.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But she’s much happier with Chad than I think she could’ve ever been with me. So when I saw that look in Sandra’s eyes…”
“Is there… supposed to be a look?” Bill asked, looking genuinely interested.
“N-No, of course not. Just like there are no soulmates or red strings or destinies.” Dennis was losing his composure just a bit. “I wish I had realized that sooner. Maybe then I could have married someone I really loved.”
Bill was silent for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak, but—
“I… I m-mean!” Dennis’ face flushed in embarrassment. “I shouldn’t have even said that… It’s stupid, really… Why are you even asking me about this, anyways?”
“I delight in the pursuit of knowledge.”
Dennis groaned, holding his head in his hands. “I really don’t understand you at all…”
“Be thankful for that,” Bill laughed. “If you did understand me, you’d have gone insane!”
“Sure, sure,” Dennis muttered, picking up his book and standing up. “Well, goodnight, then.”
“What’s so good about it?”
“You know what I mean,” he laughed, making his way up the stairs. “See you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, I guess,” Bill muttered, but he knew he wasn’t sleeping any time soon.
It rained for the first time in four months that night, the droplets pounding on the walls of the apartment like tiny hammers. Saimin hung her coat up on the rack by the door, humming a tune to herself. She looked at the barren walls of the living room, the sofa’s color more of a gray than brown. The coffee table in the middle of the room was empty as always, and the kitchen had almost nothing in it, save for a box of cereal.
She looked bitterly at the spot where she had once sat with a family. Two brothers and an aunt to keep her company, besides Jasper, who was always just a call away if she ever needed it. Now the cat-like demon was pocketless, his phone in the lost and found in the apartment lobby, or maybe in the hands of a stranger.
Saimin remembered that day, more than a year ago. She had almost died that night, riding over the tops of buses and Light Rail cars just to keep herself another inch or two away from an assassin. She’d almost gotten herself lost a few times, but she knew Downtown Fiction like the back of her hand.
She remembered getting home, seeing her younger brother’s worried face staring back at her. It had been Dimentio’s birthday, Saimin thought bitterly. His special day, and she’d been late. It was better than nothing, she reasoned.
So why hadn’t she been there when Grace was killed?
She’d heard the news weeks later. She and Rain had been in an argument about… something. She couldn’t quite remember. Jasper was there, his ears twitching with anxiety, telling Saimin about how he’d found her aunt dead, about how police had searched every inch of the building for some sort of clue.
About how Dimentio was nowhere to be found.
The police force had found nothing. No footprints, no fingerprints, no hair, no marks… Grace had bled out from three gashes on her chest, but other than that, it seemed like the culprit had simply appeared and disappeared like magic.
How was she supposed to know that her younger brother had sought out an answer?
Not to his adoptive aunt’s death, no. Saimin wondered if he even cared. He’d gone to look for answers to his missing memory, as if that were some sort of coping mechanism. Apparently, he’d found a lead, some sort of trail he couldn’t stop following.
It had lead him straight to Black Hat, obviously.
Saimin had another brother, but Diablo wasn’t exactly easy to reach. She’d texted him the news after he’d sent her to voicemail for days on end. His answering machine said he couldn't talk, that he was busy with college work, that he would call back when he could, but she could hear his voice cracking every second he talked.
After a while, she’d simply hung up before she had to hear it again.
After a while, she’d stopped trying to call.
He already knew, so why even bother?
Saimin set her bag on the coffee table, turning on the lights so she could heat up the microwave dinner she’d bought. It wasn’t like she could afford much else, anyways.
It wasn’t all bad, she figured. Mimi helped pay the rent when the time came, but other than that, the spider girl wasn’t very generous. Nastasia helped where she could, sent her a little more every week just so Saimin could get by. Jasper, of course, was Saimin’s only real friend, the only consolation she ever got.
Well, besides Rain. Saimin had been hoping they’d become friends again and she’d been blessed with luck.
Hello, daddy! Hello mom! I’m a ch-ch-ch-ch-ch —
Saimin jumped about a foot in the air as her phone rang at max volume. She yanked it out of her pocket, hoping Jasper had finally found his phone—
It was Diablo.
She slid the answer button over, placing the phone near her right ear.
“H-Hello?” she stuttered, a sob threatening to escape, but she swallowed and listened hard. For a few moments, there was no sound, just the blood pounding in her ears, shallow breaths on the other side of the line.
“Hey, Saimmy,” Diablo whispered, and Saimin could hear him smile.
Dennis’ eyes shot open, his hands clammy, and he slowly sat up in his bed, turning on the desk lamp. Blindly, he reached for his glasses, only guided by their gold-like glimmer.
He stared at the pastel pink walls for a moment, then reached up and rubbed his eyes, heaving a sigh. His dreams hadn’t exactly been pleasant.
To be fair, Dennis had never seen the man in black. He had only ever read about him, about how his influence kept the entire world under his control for several years. The descriptions about his appearance, though… well, they weren’t exactly helpful. They described him as monstrous and unnatural, but that was usually about it.
Dennis’ subconscious interpreted that as “indescribable horror no man should lay his eyes on.” Black Hat was never the same in his dreams. Last night, the man had been a strange eight-legged creature (or maybe ten-legged, Dennis wasn’t sure) with a terrifying, one-eyed glare and no mouth. The creature didn’t chase Dennis, per say, but everywhere he looked, it was there, staring at him in the corner of the room.
The creature he had dreamed of wasn’t the reason he was scared, though.
The dream had been more about Bill’s words from the night before. Sandra, in all her radiant beauty, had left Dennis for another man, a flirtatious monster who had women all around him. Dennis chased after Sandra, telling her that the man would never treat her right, but she hadn’t been listening.
She could never love a man like that, he had thought.
After what had seemed like an eternity, Dennis was greeted by a young man in green, traveling the world in search of adventure. The unnamed man (Dennis hadn’t had time to ask who he was) comforted Dennis, playing a bittersweet song on a familiar guitar. The music had been nice, he supposed, because it was almost like he was falling in love all over again.
But the young man couldn’t stay. He bid Dennis farewell and disappeared into the forest that surrounded them.
And then, when Dennis saw him again, he had been killed by the womanizer who had taken Sandra away.
Now that he was awake, he could see just how cheesy his dream had been. Sandra would’ve detested anyone even remotely like Chad, especially if they didn’t know anything about the arts. In a remarkably short time, he had eased all of his fears.
But then who had been that man he had met? Dennis had never seen him before, not in any other dream and certainly not in real life. He was a figment of his imagination, Dennis reasoned. A character his subconscious had created.
And then there was the question as to what the dream meant. Was he afraid someone would… kill a stranger? Dennis laughed at the thought. It probably meant nothing. Just Bill’s words getting the better of him.
At least, that’s what he hoped.