“Why can’t he just find someone else with it?”
“He must not want to waste time, but I don’t know the real reason, Luna, I’m not him,” he replied, sighing.
“Thankfully you aren’t,” she replied, tapping her fingers to the kitchen table. “But we may have a serious problem on our hands.”
“What’s that?”
“You have to promise me you won’t get angry.”
“What did you do, Luna?” he asked slowly.
“Just promise me, please?”
“Fine, fine. I promise, now tell me what the Hell you did.”
“I might have accidentally pulled Chance’s dream character through the other night,” she replied quickly, sticking the knuckle of her thumb in her mouth as she waited for his answer.
“You better be kidding.” Max’s voice sounded calm though she knew inside he wasn’t feeling that way.
“I-I’m not...”
“Are you serious?” he asked, exaggerating each word.
“Toward the end of the dream he held my shoulder, and my fear woke me up before I had the chance to smack him away.” She paused to scratch at her scalp. “I didn’t think it would work!”
“When exactly did you say you pulled him through?”
“Two nights ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I tried! You didn’t answer your phone!” she exclaimed, holding the phone away from her ear a bit to save her eardrum.
“You should’ve tried calling me again,” he grumbled.
“It’s too late for that now,” she reminded him, standing up to pace a few feet away again.
“Yeah, and it might be too late for a lot now that he’s fusing.”
“How do we know if he’s fused?”
“You’ll know because his eyes will change color, and his personality will change slowly to fit the dream character’s.”
“What color will his eyes be when he’s done fusing?”
“An unnatural pale green,” he replied evenly. “You’ll know when you see it.”
“What happens to us now?” Luna asked, staring down at the tiles on the kitchen floor.
Max paused, and Luna heard him swallow loudly. “He’s going to play out everything he did in that dream…step by step,” Max replied. “To tie up the loose ends. That means that if he fuses, Violet will get killed.”
“No matter what happens, we can’t let him win.” Luna’s face tightened with her determination.
“Well, he’s going to, and it’s all thanks to you.”
Luna snorted. “Yeah, thanks for the encouragement. There has to be a way to stop fusion, right? Every problem has a solution.”
On the other end of the line, Max stayed silent, and she knew that wasn’t a good sign.
“Right?” she insisted. She desperately wanted him to speak his thoughts.
“Yeah, there is one way to stop him…but you definitely won’t like it,” he warned her.
“If it means stopping that monster from what he’s trying to do, I’ll do it,” she said firmly. “Tell me what it is.”
“The main bystander has to…um…kiss him on the mouth,” Max said tentatively, and Luna could tell he waited for her reaction. “Among other things.”
“…what?” She scrunched up her face in disgust, remembering when Chance had done that while “drunk.” The thought of him made her physically sick to her stomach. “What other things?”
“You’re a big girl, Luna, I’m sure you can guess.”
“Why would that stop fusion?”
“Something about the intimacy represses the dream character away, and brings out the true identity. I don’t know why.”
“If that’s the case, who’s the main bystander?” Luna asked him cautiously.
“There are two in this case, me and you,” he replied.
“You’re joking, right?” she asked him hopefully. If there was ever a time for him to play a joke on her, this would be it.
“No, sadly, I’m not,” he said. “It’s up to you to stop him from fusing completely. I certainly can’t do it, he’d rip my face off in a heartbeat. You’re the one he wants.”
“Well, I’m not going to do it! He’s kissed me before, and I hated it. Absolutely despised it,” Luna replied hotly, stomping her foot as if she were in the middle of a tantrum. “I’d rather die than let him touch me.”
“There’s a good chance you might,” Max said. “At least you’re prepared for it.”
“Max, I can’t do this!”
“Why not? What’s the big deal?” Max insisted.
Luna’s face pinched into a grimace as she fought back the blush. She hated that the conversation led to this point. She had no intention of telling Max she was still a virgin…of telling anyone that fact. “Yeah, but he’s always initiated it. If I do it this time, he’ll definitely think it’s suspicious. Besides, if you don’t remember, it doesn’t take much to push him over the edge.”
“Maybe, but you’d be able to get us some much needed information if you decided to be a spy of sorts.”
“I can’t do it,” Luna shook her head as she chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m not going to be bait. I’m already doing that in DreamWorld, remember?” She glared at the ugly black mark around her wrist.
“Are you scared he’ll force himself on you if he figures out you’re tricking him?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just…I don’t know what he’ll do. He could kill me, Max. Just like Susan, just like Kate. I don’t want to put myself in the situation to find out. There has to be another way to stop him,” she said, feeling her stomach twist in an odd mixture of defeat and hopelessness. “Something in DreamWorld.”
“Nope,” he said, popping the ‘p’ to hide his disappointment. “Sure, if you could get back to sleep I’m sure you could create something in DreamWorld to help, but how well has that endeavor gone for you since you pulled him through?”
Luna was silent. Even her bones felt tired.
“You have to do it or else he’ll finish fusing. He’ll be invincible.”
“No,” she said firmly, feeling her vision spin with a sudden rush of vertigo. She wanted to stop Chance with every ounce of willpower in her body, but she had to draw the line somewhere.
“Then be prepared for a load of trouble,” Max said ominously.
Chapter Forty-Four
WHEN CHANCE WOKE up in the morning, he still felt that, bitter boiling anger. He tried thinking about why he might feel as mad as he did and realized he hadn’t drank any in a few days. It wasn’t the alcohol that made him feel that way. He wondered if it was because he hadn’t been sleeping well ever since Luna had pulled his dream character out of DreamWorld.
He was glad his knife lay across the room so he wouldn’t get the urge to stab his mattress. It was lumpy enough already. Pressure was heavy in his chest; it had been for a while. He gritted his teeth, trying to hold in a frustrated groan. Breathing out roughly, he lifted his hands to claw at the skin on his forehead. He couldn’t stay still anymore and got up to go to the bathroom.
He stood there in the dark, staring at his reflection in the cracked mirror. He poked at his face, trying to see why he was so angry, and his attention flew to his eyes as he noticed the abnormality. They were a sapphire blue, but every few minutes they flinted with a bright pale green that looked like ivy growing carefully through his irises. He recognized it…his fusion was close to being done. It explained his mood all right, but he wondered how he’d be able to hide it from the people at school all day.
***
THE PENCIL JABBED Luna in the ribs again as she sat at her desk. She gritted her teeth. All she had to do was survive the hour—that one hour—then she’d have her next class where she’d be free of Chance. It reminded her too much of the drive home from their date.
“Luna!” Chance hissed again from his spot beside her.
She sighed and turned to him, annoyed. “What?”
“
You didn’t say ‘hi’ to me today,” he said with a fake sadness, jutting out his lower lip in an exaggerated pout.
She rolled her eyes. “Do I ever say ‘hi’ to you?” she asked, turning back to the front of the room to watch the teacher.
If fusion was occurring inside of him, he seemed no different than usual. Luna stole a sideways glance as he sat looking down at a pencil on his desk. She remembered what Max had said was necessary to stop fusion from overcoming him and shuddered at the thought.
Things will be fine, Luna decided to herself.
The dream-Chance was a horrible, twisted person. He wasn’t annoying, though, because he could create fear. The true Chance had his moments, but most of the time he was an idiot, and nothing but annoying.
She felt the pencil hit the spot between her ribs again. He didn’t stop. She winced at the pain; there would be a bruise there tomorrow. She sighed again and looked at him, wondering what he wanted.
“I’m not going to leave you alone until you talk to me. I can make your life a living Hell, you know. And when you sleep, I can haunt your dreams as easily as I haunt your reality,” he hissed, and his eyes flashed a green color.
Luna stared at him without a word. His voice had changed a bit, and he didn’t seem quite the same when he threatened her. He didn’t care that anyone could hear him do it.
Was it his dream side who threatened her now?
“Just be nice to me, Luna, and we can all be happy,” he said calmly. He sounded back to himself, and his eyes stayed their sapphire blue once again.
She doubted anyone would be happy when his fusion was complete.
LUNA WALKED DOWN the line of grass alone with her mind full of thoughts. She couldn’t doubt Max since she had seen for herself that the dream character was already a part of Chance. She needed to stop him, but the thought was repulsive. She heard a loud screech as a black truck slowed down beside the curb. She stopped walking instantly. She knew who it was and didn’t want to step too close. Chance peered at her from the driver’s side; heavy black sunglasses covered his eyes.
“Need a ride?”
Her instant reaction was to say ‘no,’ but she had a feeling if she agreed, she could see the progression of his fusion. She might not like him, but she needed to gather information to pass to Max.
“Yeah, if you don’t mind,” she called, offering a forced smile and trying her best to sound friendly.
“Hop in,” he said, and she heard a pop as he opened the passenger side door.
Swallowing her feelings, she stepped into the street and climbed into the truck, feeling like she was climbing into her own coffin. She closed the door, and they sat in silence as he drove.
“So, how are you today?” he asked in an even tone.
She frowned. His sentence had been too stiff. She couldn’t tell which Chance she spoke to now. “I’m fine,” she answered finally. “And you?”
“Never been better,” he replied, smiling wide.
Luna nodded and looked down at her hands as the car went awkwardly silent once again. She twirled her fingers absently; she didn’t know what to say.
“So, what’s with the sunglasses?” she prompted, breaking the silence.
“It’s bright out,” he replied simply. His words still lacked emotion.
She glanced out the window at the glowing, cloud-covered sky. “Yeah.”
Nervousness overcame her. She pulled out her chapstick and played with it absently as she twirled it between her fingers. The silence flooded her mind. The car pulled to a halt, causing her to lurch forward and drop her chapstick by Chance’s feet.
Instinctively, he reached down to get it, and the sunglasses fell off his face. He glanced up at her uncertainly, and she gasped in horror as she realized his eyes glowed a pale green.
Luna couldn’t tear her gaze away from him. His eyes sucked her into some sort of trance. She reached backwards for the handle on the car door. She had to get away before he had the chance to see the fear that spread across her face, before he made sure she couldn’t get away.
Chance grabbed her arm. She tugged against him, but he wouldn’t let go. She looked up at him, panic flashing in her wide eyes as she raised a fist, prepared to strike him if she had to.
“Don’t go yet, Luna,” he said in his usual suave voice. “These are contacts.”
She clawed at his hand as her fear got the best of her, and he finally let go of her arm. “No, they’re not!” She jumped out of the truck and slammed the door behind her before he could grab her again. She ran to the edge of the lawn.
As she reached the grass, she looked back to see if he had followed her. He hadn’t moved from his seat. He stared at her through his new, pale green eyes, watching her every move carefully. There was no way they were contacts.
Luna ran up the path, into the house. She closed the door behind her and slid the lock closed in case he tried to come in. She stood there, panting as she thought about Chance. His fusion is already done! There would be no stopping him.
She walked into the kitchen and noticed her father at the table. She wondered briefly if he had seen her run from Chance. She hoped not…he’d make her apologize, not realizing the extent of the danger that would put her in. As she passed the window beside him, she couldn’t help glancing out to see the yard beyond. Chance’s truck had already left, and instant relief flooded through her.
“I saw Chance gave you a ride home from school today,” her dad said.
She looked at him, lips pressed into a straight line. Her heart still fought to slow its frantic rhythm. Chance was a danger to her yet all her dad could comment on was the obvious. She frowned at him, momentarily jealous of his naivety.
“Yeah, he did,” she responded, somehow managing to keep her tone even.
“That was nice of him.”
She shrugged.
“That’s good, Luna. Keep this up, and you’ll be a good kid again in no time.”
Luna nodded though inside her blood boiled. She had been a good kid the entire time! It was Chance who had been nothing but pure evil. Of course, her dad didn’t believe that.
No one did.
“Of course, Dad,” she said.
She had given up arguing with him a long time ago. Arguing with him was as futile as arguing with Chance. Luna started to walk to her room, the image of Chance’s glowing eyes still burned into her mind.
“He’s a nice guy, you know. He treats you right, you have to admit that.”
She didn’t know how to reply so she bobbed her head slightly. He wasn’t a nice guy, but what could she say when her dad wouldn’t believe her anyway?
“You should hang onto him,” her father called after her, not caring that she hadn’t spoken.
She didn’t reply to that either as she went to her room. What the world saw as an average teenage boy with everything going for him, she saw as a bloodthirsty monster waiting for the right moment to strike.
Chapter Forty-Five
WHEN CHANCE GOT home, he immediately went to the mirror. He took off his glasses to see what had startled Luna. His eyes were solid green, no more flints of color. It was real, and Luna knew what it meant. He smiled in triumph and threw his glasses to the floor. He finally had the ability he had wanted ever since he had first learned about it. He’d be invincible. Striding into his bedroom, he lifted his mattress up off of the floor. A small revolver sat underneath. He picked it up and smiled again as he crammed it into his pocket.
Real-world Chance’s weapon of choice was a dagger—DreamWorld Chance’s was a revolver.
He left the house, crossed the yard to his truck, and climbed in. It was time to pay Violet another visit. He didn’t plan on killing her…yet. Not in her house; the gunshot would be sure to draw attention. He’d lure her to the woods by the dream cabin. He drove to Violet’s and parked out front, then walked up to the door. She answered after the first knock, and her eyes filled with fear at the sight of him.
“What do you need now? I?
??ve been mean to Luna like you wanted,” Violet said, folding her arms across her chest.
“I want you to go camping tomorrow,” he declared.
Her face scrunched up in confusion as her fingers dug into her arms. “What? Why?”
Chance pulled out his knife. “Do you need to ask?”
Violet bit her lip for a minute then undid it. “You know what? Yeah, I do. You made me lose my best friend, I haven’t slept in weeks, and you’re threatening to kill me. I damn well need to know why I should go camping. My guess is that, what? I go out there so you can kill me?”
Her attitude stunned him momentarily, and his fingers inched toward the revolver in his pocket, but he forced himself to keep it hidden.
“Fine. I just thought it’d be better for everyone if you—and your whole family, if you want—goes out of town for a bit.”
“That’s not a reason.”
“Just do it, okay? Do it or I’ll kill Max and then you,” Chance threatened, pointing the dagger at her. “How’s that for motivation?”
“You wouldn’t,” she dared, steeling her shoulders.
“I would. You know I will,” he threatened with a small step toward her.
He stared at her, his eyes hardened emeralds. For the first time that day, she looked up and caught his eye.
“What’s…what’s wrong with your eyes?” she asked, freezing in place as she stared at him, slack-jawed.
“It’d take too long to explain,” he said, waving a dismissive hand, “but here’s what I will tell you. If you aren’t in those woods by the time school starts tomorrow, you’ll have more to worry about than my eyes. Are we clear?”
Violet swallowed; he could see her fear had returned.
“Crystal,” she finally mumbled.
“Invite Luna too,” he commanded, and with that, he turned and left her porch, leaving Violet to struggle for words behind him.
***
LUNA OPENED HER eyes and glanced around groggily. The book she had been reading earlier lay across her chest; she must have fallen asleep. She yawned loudly and looked up at the clock to see how long she had been sleeping. It was only midnight. She blinked and shuddered as cold air washed over her.