26

IT'S DARK.

The rain pours heavily outside the cave.

The cave?

I glance around. Ophelia is lying on the cave floor. She hasn't woken up in the dream yet.

But we're not alone. Embarrassingly, something about that disappoints me.

Carter, my roommate, stands at the mouth of the cave, looking out into the world beyond.

I run a hand through my hair, unsure if he even knows we're here.

This must not be Ophelia's fear to overcome yet. Only Rook—the Mastermind—would know why Carter is even here.

Ophelia starts to awaken, confused and dazed. "I thought you went home," she mumbles sleepily.

"We're in a dream. And it's not either of ours."

This catches her attention. She rises to her feet beside me. "Who's that?"

"My roommate. But I don't know if he's aware we're here or if we have to save him without him knowing anything."

"I thought I just had to face my fear and then we'd be free."

"Yeah, well, apparently Rook put us on a side quest."

Ophelia nods slowly, but glances over at Carter.

He doesn't seem to be aware of us, so I make the first move to approach him. He stares out into the forest below the cave. Lots of evergreen trees as far as the eye can see. For a moment, I'm caught up in the beauty of nature. Living in a city for so long makes me crave something like this.

"Carter," I begin.

"I wonder what the game is," he says. "You being here in my dreams, too. What fear he's making me face."

"Who?"

"The Mastermind," he says with fear lacing his tone.

"You know the Mastermind?" Ophelia says from behind us.

Carter turns, facing her. "Yes. He came to me in a dream one night and declared himself a Soul Eater. I have to fight through a series of trials in order to keep my soul. Twisted, isn't it? I thought at first it was a terrible nightmare concocted by my imagination since I have an active one. But then things started occurring in my waking life that can't be explained by anything other than some strange being like the Mastermind."

Ophelia looks at me, slightly dazed. "The Mastermind?"

I tilt my head and look back at Carter. "You mean Rook?"

Carter shrugs. "The Umbra . He didn't introduce himself as anything other than the Mastermind. He's spoken more to you?"

"He's talked too much," I say, rolling my eyes.

Carter studies Ophelia for a moment. "You… you're Atlas's childhood friend he can't get over, right?"

Oh, great. Airing my secrets.

"I'm Ophelia." She sticks her hand out for him to shake. He takes it. She doesn't respond to his comment about me, which I'm grateful for.

"Atlas left out how beautiful you are in all his stories."

She blushes.

Time for a change of subject. "Okay, so what exactly are we supposed to do?"

Carter sighs, looking out into the rain again. "The way I understand it, we have to face our fears. I assume this must have something to do with mine."

I cross my arms, leaning my back against the cave wall. "I already faced mine."

Carter looks back at us. Ophelia exchanges a look with me. She's seeking a silent answer to a question between us: Do we tell Carter?

I push off from the wall and go over to stand beside her, then turn back to Carter. "I want to know that this is the real Carter," I tell him. "This could be another scam made up by the Mastermind."

Carter nods. "Fair enough."

"Tell me something only the real Carter would know."

Carter smirked. "You sure you want me to do that?"

I glance at Ophelia.

"Could be a trap," she says quietly. "Maybe he's not real and doesn't know something that only you two would know."

I look back to Carter, my arms crossed against my chest. "Go ahead."

Carter's smirk turns into a devilish smile. "I met my girlfriend at a party where she was actually making out with you."

The heat that surges through my entire body burns me from the inside out. "You had so many things you could've said and you went with that?"

Only Carter, Rebecca, and I know that story. And there's more to it than that. But I glance at Ophelia, who's trying not to laugh.

"I'd like to hear that story someday," she quips.

Carter smiles widely. "When Atlas brings you around, I'll tell you."

"Okay." I step between them. "Enough of that story. Let's get on with this. Obviously, we have to help you face your fear. So, what's the plot of your nightmare? Do you know anything yet?"

Carter smiles, but a bitter look taints his eyes. "I've been trapped in this recurring nightmare every time I go to sleep because at the end, I die every time. I know this dream inside and out. And this dream is a combination of moments in my life. The cave, for when I went exploring in Europe. The forest, for when I went backpacking through the forests of the east coast."

I nod, taking a seat on a large rock. "The rain isn't letting up. Are we supposed to wait it out?"

"No. It won't stop raining here."

Ophelia runs a hand through her hair. "How do you know?"

"Because it rained the day that my step-sister died."