Sleeping World Read online

  Something about her mocking tone makes me want to strike back, stand up for myself. “Today was great, actually. Turns out you’re not the only one who can explain things to me.”

  Leah raises an eyebrow, still amused. “Oh yeah? So, who’s my replacement?”

  I hesitate. I don’t want to replace Leah, but I’m not sure how to categorize Abby. I hope we’re on the path to friendship, but I know we’re not there yet.

  I’ve taken too long to answer and Leah’s frowning now, the first traces of uncertainty appearing on her face.

  “Well, she’s not your replacement.” I immediately know I’ve said the wrong thing.

  Leah’s face darkens. “Oh, she isn’t?”

  Now it’s my turn to frown, confused and defensive. “Yeah.”

  Leah turns to face forward, and I can only see the side of her face. She doesn’t look happy. “Does this non-replacement have a name?”

  “Abby Lane.”

  Leah snorts, though there’s still something dark in her expression. “At least she won’t forget where she lives. She probably needs that.”

  It takes me a second to understand what she means, but when I do I feel a glare on my own face. “You don’t even know her.”

  Leah rolls her eyes. “Believe me, I don’t have to.”

  I’m not sure what she means, but I’m done arguing. Before either of us can say anything else, I walk faster, passing Leah and walking with Rick and Stewart instead.

  The stream isn’t too far from the cave, and a couple minutes later I hear flowing water, and then we’re all kneeling at the stream’s bank, drinking huge gulps of water.

  The water is cold and tastes wonderful. I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was until I tasted it, and now I can’t drink enough. I probably would’ve stayed right there, gulping handfuls of water for hours, if it hadn’t been for the scream.

  Ripping through the stillness, the scream is sharp and full of terror.

  I spin around, but my friends are all here. It must be someone else. But, regardless of who it is, in the next moment I’m on my feet, running toward the sound. I can’t hear a scream like that and not help.

  Rick shouts something, but I ignore him and keep running. I start to falter, uncertain of which direction the scream had come from, then there’s another scream—but this time, it’s metallic and horrible.

  An Entity.

  Disregarding common sense that tells me to get as far from the Entity as possible, I run straight toward it; I’m certain I’ll find the owner of the first scream if I follow the Entity.

  I break through a wall of trees and find what I’m looking for: a girl on the ground and a shadowy Entity standing over her. It’s tall and gray, a vaguely humanoid shape swathed in shadows.

  Without thinking, I stoop to grab a rock at my feet and chuck it right at the Entity.

  “Hey!” I shout, totally ignoring the voice of self-preservation that’s screaming at me to run.

  The rock hits the Entity right in the head, and it lets out an angry and pain-filled growl. A part of me is surprised it’s substantial enough to be hit with a rock. The rest of me is asking frantically, What now?

  The girl on the ground cries out when the Entity turns toward me. “Look out!”

  I stare at the Entity, frozen.

  Though it’s obviously annoyed, I can almost see its smirk. It might be irritated, but it’s glad to have two victims tonight.

  Suddenly a rock soars through the trees, just over my left shoulder. I turn in surprise and see Rick, Leah, and Stewart have come to help. I feel a rush a relief, but then the Entity lets out another growl, this one louder and even more angry than the last.

  I know we can’t take it down—we can only distract it, and then hopefully be able to run away.

  So, without wasting another moment, I race to the fallen girl’s side and immediately offer her my hand. She takes it and lets me pull her to her feet.

  “Jonas?”

  I jump when she says my name, and then I realize I know this girl. It’s Abby, from school. Before I can ask what she’s doing in the Reality Dreams, the Entity lets out a scream and I remember the very immediate danger we’re in.

  Deciding I’ll question her once we’re safe, I grab her hand more tightly and tug her away from the Entity and toward the safe zone.

  On the first step she cries out in pain and stumbles, almost pulling me down with her.

  I hurry to pull her back up. “Abby! What’s wrong?”

  Her jaw is clenched in pain. “My ankle.”

  The Entity is only a few feet away from us and we don’t have time for this.

  “Come on.” I pull her arm across my shoulders, supporting some of her weight. Then, without waiting for her to agree—or for the Entity to get us—I drag her through the trees.

  I can hear the others running with us, and the Entity chasing after us. It sounds madder than anything I’ve ever heard before, and I try to move faster, not eager to see what a mad Entity is like—the calm ones are bad enough.

  It’s not far to the safe zone, but every step is painful, with Abby’s weight pulling me down. She’s crying and gasping, but I can’t stop.

  The others are moving faster than us and soon they’ve passed us, and the Entity is obviously gaining. I don’t know how long we can keep going, or how many seconds we have before the Entity will catch us.

  Suddenly a rock goes flying past us, missing Abby’s face by no more than an inch.

  The Entity lets out a scream, closer than I expected, and then we’re breaking through the trees and running toward the huge rock and the stream.

  “You’re through!” Rick shouts and I collapse.

  Abby hits the ground and lets out another pained cry. My body is shaking, but I hurry to crawl over and help her sit up, keeping my hand on her shoulder to steady her. I can hear the Entity growling and hissing, but apparently whatever keeps the Entities away from this place is still working, because it doesn’t come any closer.

  I struggle to catch my breath. “Abby.”

  Her face is pale and twisted in a horrible grimace. “My ankle.”

  I look down her leg and feel a lurch in my stomach at the direction her toes are pointing. I focus on her face instead. “Abby, what happened?”

  She’s trying to handle the pain, but tears are still falling and there’s a whimper in her voice. “I was running away from that thing, but I tripped on something and I couldn’t get up. I thought I was going to die.” She looks up and I can see the real terror in her brown eyes.

  “It’s okay, Abby.” I pass my hand over her hair, trying to calm her down. “The Entities don’t come here. You’re safe now.”

  She lets out a sob and falls against me. I wrap my arm around her back and hold her while she cries.

  I look up and see Rick, Leah, and Stewart gathered around, watching us with wide eyes, shocked and confused.

  “Rick.” I try to keep my voice steady, though my body’s shivering with adrenaline. “Can you do anything for her ankle?”

  Rick shakes himself and comes to take a closer look. When he touches her leg, Abby chokes on her tears and tenses against me.

  “Careful,” I scold sharply, holding her more tightly.

  Rick frowns as he inspects her ankle, then he looks at me grimly. “I don’t think there’s anything I can do, Jonas. I don’t want to make it worse.”

  My stomach drops and I look down at Abby. She’s in so much pain . . . I just want to help her. I want to do something, but I don’t know what to do.

  Rick stands. “We should get her inside.”

  Abby’s eyes fly open, and she looks at me pleadingly. I can see the fear and pain in her eyes, but I know Rick is right.

  I shift so I can get my feet under me. “It’s alright.”

  Abby still looks terrified, but she nods and then ducks her head against my shoulder. Rick crouches at her other side and slips an arm under her legs and winds one behind her back. Then he counts, and on thre
e we stand up.

  Abby whimpers at the movement, but doesn’t cry out. Rick and I hurry to carry her through the opening in the rock, trying not to jostle her; every time we do, I feel her body jerk with pain.

  Finally we’re inside and laying her on one of the few unoccupied beds. I don’t like seeing her laid out with everyone else in this creepy place, but it’s better than the floor. I thank Rick and then turn my attention back to Abby.

  Her eyes are still closed tightly, and silent tears roll down her temples and into her dark hair. I distantly notice she’s wearing a white suit like I had when I first came to the Reality Dreams, though hers is covered in mud and grass stains.

  I follow her tears with my eyes, still reeling from the fact that she’s here, in the Reality Dreams. “What are you doing here?”

  She opens her eyes. The fear has faded some, and now there’s curiosity mixed with the pain. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

  I glance over my shoulder and see the others watching us from the middle of the room where our camp is set up. They’re stunned and shocked, but curious too. I turn away from them and look back down at Abby. I’ll explain to them later.

  “How long have you been coming here?” I ask.

  Abby reaches up a hand to wipe the tears from her skin. “A few days. Maybe a week.” Then she looks at me with confusion. “What do you mean ‘coming here’? This is a dream—it’s not like we’re really talking somewhere.”

  My lips quirk at that. “I know this will be hard to believe . . .” I rest my hands on the edge of her bed. “I’ll try to explain it in a way that makes sense, okay?”

  She’s still giving me a weird look, but she nods.

  I take a breath and then begin. I tell her about the Reality Dreams, about the Entities and the other Reality Dreamers. Then I tell her this is real, and reality is fake. I think she was following me up until that point.

  “This is the weirdest dream I’ve ever had.”

  I frown. “This isn’t a dream, Abby. This is reality—the Reality Dreams are real.”

  She laughs once, softly. “I guess I have a pretty good imagination. First to come up with this place, and then to think up that bizarre explanation. And I’ve never even had a broken ankle before—how am I supposed to know what it feels like? This probably isn’t even right.” She shifts her leg and then winces sharply. “Maybe it’s not real, but it does hurt . . .”

  “Abby.” I use my most serious voice and draw her attention back to me. “I’m telling you the truth. This, right here, is real. Your other life is a dream—it’s fake.”

  She doesn’t seem to be listening, though. She gives me a queer look. “And why are you in my dream? I mean, sure you’re cute and all, but why am I dreaming about you?”

  I blush and am very aware of everyone else watching us, especially Leah.

  I clear my throat uncomfortably. “Abby, you really are here. You might want to be careful what you say.”

  She only grins. “Yeah, that’s exactly what you’d say if this was a dream—which it is.”

  I frown. “Would I tell you your ankle will still be broken when you wake up?”

  She frowns, too, considering. “Well, it’s kind of a weird thing to say, but then, this is a weird dream, so why not?”

  I groan. I can’t think of anything else to convince her. She’ll just have to realize it for herself.

  “One more question, Dreamy Boy.” She sounds loopy and a little giddy. I wonder if the pain is making her delirious. “Why am I dreaming about those people?” She points at Rick, Leah, and Stewart. Then she smiles dreamily. “I have a really good imagination, huh?” She reaches down to grab one of my hands and pulls it to her face. “Even this feels real . . .”

  Her eyes drift closed with my hand pressed against her cheek, and her grip grows slack as she slips out of the Reality Dreams.

  Incredibly self-conscious, I pull my fingers free and glance at the others who are watching me with unreadable expressions.

  I clear my throat lowly. “Uh . . . That’s Abby.” I shove my hands deep into my pockets. I can feel the heat across my face, but I try to ignore it. “She’s from Capernia, like me and Leah.”

  Leah makes a sound scarily like a growl when I say that.

  Stewart’s face lights up with excitement. “Is she your friend?”

  I hesitate, but when I see Leah’s dark look I clench my fists and answer certainly. “Yeah, she is.”

  “Cool!”

  I smile at him, though it feels stiff.

  Rick’s frowning. “I don’t know that I like having a stranger here.” He seems anxious, not aggressive, and I take that as a good sign.

  “Don’t worry about it. Abby will fit right in. Just give her time to adjust.”

  Rick still looks uncertain, but he nods.

  I glance at Leah, wanting her to accept Abby, but when I meet her eyes she huffs and stomps away.

  I catch Rick’s eye, but he shrugs.

  “We might as well take a look around,” he says, his eyes drifting over the sleeping people all around. “We’ve got time.”

  “Oh!” Stew grins excitedly. “We might find people we know!” Without another word he takes off down one of the aisles to start searching.

  Rick takes another aisle, and I decide it’s the best thing to do for now. While I search for a familiar face, I try not to let Leah’s attitude bother me. I understand where she’s coming from, I think.

  This group has kind of become our family.

  We let Rogue in, but that ended so terribly, maybe she’s scared to get attached to someone else only to lose them.

  That must be it. Nothing else makes sense to me.

  I look at the vast room, at my friends all spread out, searching the faces of the sleeping. Rick is standing next to a girl probably about his age. I can’t see her face, but he’s holding her dark hand tightly, and I realize she must be Marianne, his crippled girlfriend. As if he can feel my eyes, Rick turns his head. I can see the relief in his eyes even from here, and he offers a faint smile. I nod back, glad he’s found her.

  And, I promise myself as I walk through row after row of sleeping people, I won’t let anything happen to Abby—or to Rick, Leah, or Stewart.

  As long as we stick together, everything will be all right, won’t it?

  Chapter 3

  Leah was waiting at the crossroads before school. I was surprised to see her. We’d met there before, since it was the place where our paths separated to our respective houses, but it’d been a while since we’d walked together.

  I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed walking with Leah until I saw her standing there. A part of me wanted to ask her again about the meeting with her dad at the Town Building or about last night, but the sensible part of me knew enough to avoid both topics.

  Ellie was ecstatic to walk with Leah, and she dominated the conversation. Leah seemed fine with that, and since they were both smiling, I decided I was alright with it, too.

  We walked together to the schoolhouse, and it felt like old times—before the world had been twisted inside out, and my life had been turned upside down. It was nice to talk and enjoy each other’s company, and I even managed to forget about my impending counseling session this afternoon.

  I worked hard to pay attention in class and be the ideal student. Ever since I’d cut school, everyone had treated me like I was a catastrophe just waiting to erupt. But today I was attentive, and all of my instructors noticed. I tried not to think how many of them attributed my improved behavior to my sessions with Counselor Gerrit.

  When I met up with Leah for Calculations and Statistics, she greeted me with a grin.

  Instructor Vorez’s lecture today was mildly confusing, so despite Leah’s whispered comments throughout, I tried to focus on what he was saying. I hoped I would still understand by the time I got home to do my homework.

  After the chime rang for our break, Leah and I went outside where we found a tall, gnarled tree at the
edge of the schoolyard to eat our lunch under. Ellie joined us a couple minutes later, and her mood had not dimmed during the first three classes of the day.

  A part of me wished Ellie would just go play with her friends so Leah and I could talk without her throwing out endless questions and comments, but I knew better than to send her away. For one thing, she probably wouldn’t speak to me for days, and for another, I was sure Leah would side with Ellie.

  So I just enjoyed spending time with both of them, and when the chime sounded at the end of our break, we parted ways again for the second half of the day.

  Instructor Lokina was her regular enthusiastic self, but I couldn’t enjoy her class. I had forgotten about our upcoming assignment to write a poem, and her reminder filled me with dread. With what we were facing in the Reality Dreams, it seemed like a dumb thing to worry about, but I worried all the same.

  Two weeks might sound like enough time to write a poem, but for a kid who’d never been able to write so much as a successful couplet, the thought of writing an entire poem in a weird form was more than daunting. I was glad to leave Artistic Literature today, and while I tried to be attentive in Music of Capernia, my mind was still stressing over my poem.

  At last it was time for Practical Literature.

  I’d never imagined I would look forward to Instructor Grey’s class, but it was the only class where I would get to see both of my friends.

  I nearly flew down the corridor to the room and was one of the first students to arrive. The few students who were already seated tossed me odd looks, but I ignored them and went to my seat.

  I watched the doorway in anticipation, but despite the flow of students coming into the classroom, neither Leah nor Abby showed up.

  I realized with a surge of disappointment that Abby probably wouldn’t even be at school. After all, she’d broken her ankle last night in the Reality Dreams, and I knew that injuries from the Dreams followed you here.

  Would the doctors be able to do anything for her, or would the fact that the bones had been broken in the Reality Dreams stop them from helping her here? Was she alright?

  I was so wrapped up in my worries I didn’t notice Leah until she was sitting next to me. And even then, she had to tap my shoulder before I snapped out of my thoughts.