Dreamcatcher

The stars stole across the sky. I sat in silence, drawing with my finger in the coarse sand. I looked out over the black water from time to time, and up at the sky that was pockmarked with gaping holes to the Other World beyond. They made my memory look fake, the once 3D white world broken into 2D images willing to be real, but broken by the view into the Other World.

Alec had come out of shock a while ago, and he kicked at the sand around him, skipping rocks across the eerily still waves. We were both left to our thoughts.

My heart still felt like it had been ripped out of my chest, but I did feel a little better. I was starting to cope. I suppose something can be said for reliving pain twice. Still, I couldn’t help but view the holes in my White World as an escape. A freedom. This world was where all the pain lived. I could walk away.

I looked over to Alec. He was sitting in the sand, his head in his hands. A slight breeze ruffled his semi-long black hair, and his fingers knotted in it. I was still ashamed when I turned to him and felt my stomach flutter, the ghost of Trevor still vivid in my heart. But hadn’t I felt that before Trevor… I cut off my train of thought. I wouldn’t think about that right now. I wouldn’t let myself jump on any opportunity to cease that ache for love in my heart. Not yet anyways. Besides, I didn’t even know who Alec was.

It struck me then that I didn’t know who I was either. I had been a part of something all along that was hidden from me. Now I knew, and I needed answers. Even if I discovered nothing about myself, I needed to know whatever I could about Trevor. To remember, to cope. My fingers tangled in the dream catcher around my neck, and I felt sure he had known what was coming. Take it, you’ll need it more than me now. I shuddered. He had known, and he was a Dreamer. Yet the little voice in the back of my head needed more proof than that. It was time to ask.

I concentrated and imagined an invisible bubble around myself. Then I focussed on the ocean in front of me, growing the waves bigger and bigger. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Alec look up and watch the waves grow too. Then with a smirk, I gave the waves a giant mental tug, and a huge wave reared up on the shore about to crash right on top of us. I turned to watch Alec panic, and start running up the beach, but not fast enough. I released the wave and it came crashing down, water tumbling along the sides of my imaginary bubble, keeping me dry. Eventually the water receded back into the eerie calm, and I watched as Alec peeled his dripping wet self off the beach, crouched on all fours and panting.

I wiped away the bubble with my hands, and I walked over towards him, imagining a towel falling on him. And in characteristic fashion, one did, neatly folded and hitting him square in the back, knocking him over again. That time I had to laugh. But it was dark laughter, laced with the pain I was trying to hold in.

Alec looked up at me, his eyes cold like Nightmare’s, but violet like mine. When he turned his eyes away, he chuckled softly too, standing up and wrapping himself in the towel I had dropped on him.

“I suppose I deserved that.” Alec said and smiled. I fought the urge to hug him and tell him it was alright. I wasn’t ready to be nice yet.

“You did. You lied to me.” My words were cold and sharp, and I watched him blankly as he reeled, trying to come up with a response.

“No… no I didn’t. Wait. What do you think I lied to you about?”

“You told me Nightmare would kill us with Trevor’s blood. I didn’t believe you. I was right.” My words were heavy and monotone.

“Oh really? What makes you so sure you were right?” He turned toward the ocean, the moon casting a pale glow on his face. He looked so much like an angel.

“I…” I couldn’t tell him Nightmare had been here, and hadn’t killed me. I still hadn’t decided what side I was on, Nightmare’s or Alec’s. Until then, he couldn’t know what Nightmare had told me. “I just knew it was impossible.”

“Ah, see, no proof. You’re still wrong. He could have killed us there if he wanted to. We’re just lucky he didn’t have enough power to do it.”

I remained silent. I couldn’t reply to that.

“Nightmare needs to… how should I put it… refuel regularly. He decided to hunt you. But when you proved elusive, he became weaker. It’s good for you because it means he probably won’t attack you any time soon. But it’s bad for the rest of us because it means he’s switched victims.”

I swallowed thinking of Trevor’s bleeding body on the ground. The tears started to slip, I couldn’t hold them back. I turned away and I decided to ask.

“Alec,” I said, my voice breaking through my tears.

Alec whipped around in response and was at my side in seconds. “Yes? What? Are you alright?” His voice had an edge of panic to it.

“I’m fine,” I said, holding my head high and wiping away my tears on my sleeve. “I just wanted to know something.”

“Alright, what would you like to know?” His voice was gentler now, soothing.

“Is… Was Trevor a Dreamer?”

Alec swore and turned away from me, taking a few steps toward the shore. He ran his hands through his hair again, and this time I couldn’t hold back, the cross of emotions too much for me. I walked up behind him and put my hand on his shoulder, trying to smile when he turned to look at me. “You can tell me.”

Alec sighed, and then he muttered, “If you think Nightmare killed Trevor, he didn’t. You were right there. Mrs. Kale killed Trevor. I’m not sure what the motif behind it was… but it was definitely her.” His eyes went distant as he thought.

“I can explain why Mrs. Kale did it,” I said slowly, checking my words. He looked up at me then, as I pulled him out of his revere. “But I need to know, was Trevor a Dreamer?”

Alec looked into my eyes like he was searching them for something. He sighed. “Sit,” he said, and we both sat there on the beach. “It’s time someone explained this all to you.”

I looked at him patiently, waiting for him to begin. He looked out over the waves that had built up a bit in response to my anticipation.

“Yes, Trevor was a Dreamer. A strong one too. He was part of the Dream Weaver clan.”

My breath caught in my throat. There it was. Proof. “He knew…” I whispered softly to myself, but Alec still heard.

“Yes, he knew how he was going to die. I told you Trevor was supposed to die, not you. It was what you would call fate. My mother, however, would call it the meddling of the gods on behalf of humanity.” He chuckled a bit at the joke only he understood.

“You mean someone made Trevor jump in the way?” I asked.

“Not exactly,” Alec said. “What you would call karma and fate do exist. But in order for it to unfold properly, sometimes the gods have to make it happen. It’s their duty as guardians of creation.” Alec just smirked when he noticed my blank look. “I know it’s a little confusing. It will make sense later.”

Later. I fingered the dream catcher around my neck again absentmindedly, thinking of Trevor. Would there be a later? Alec was watching my fingers toy with the feather of the dream catcher.

“Can I see it?” he asked gently. “I want to know if it’s what I think it is.”

Carefully, I pulled the dream catcher off over my head, and handed it to Alec. He held it in his open palm, and closed his eyes. Softly whispering words I didn’t understand, the dream catcher slowly started to glow bright white. Alec opened his eyes, and they glowed like the dream catcher in his hand, only violet.

As the glow in his eyes started to dim he said, “Star Keeper, tell me all that you know.” The dream catcher pulsed bright red, and the glow began to fade.

“Ah,” Alec said. “Doesn’t like me. It’s what I thought it was.”

“What is it then?” I asked carefully. To me it was just your traditional dream catcher, only smaller.

“Here, I’ll show you.” Alec grabbed my hand and looked at my wrist. Then put it down. “Other one.” he said, gesturing to my other hand. I lifted it to him. It was the one with the dream catcher and the runes etched into it, and when Alec touched it, both of our marks began to glow in an aurora of purple.

I watched in wonder, and Alec just shook his head. “That’s not what I wanted to show you. That,” he pointed at the runes on my arm, “is something else entirely. What I wanted to show you was this.”

He opened my palm flat and placed the dram catcher in my hand. I felt a familiar warmness where the dream catcher touched my skin, just like I had felt when it was around my neck. I turned my head to the side as I looked at it. It looked so ordinary, but at the same time, it gave off a feeling of age and timelessness.

Alec pulled me out of my revere. “I suppose Trevor never told you the incantation.”

“Incantation?” I asked. “Like a spell?”

“More like a key, or a password.” Alec replied. “Now, since you don’t know the words, you’re going to have to repeat after me.”

“How come you know the words?” I asked quickly, closing my hand around the dream catcher and pulling it close to me. If there was something secret hidden inside it, why did he know how to unlock it?

“I don’t,” he replied just as quickly. “We’re going to hack it. Sort of. It should recognize you. You don’t know Latin, so we’re going to have to give it a go in English.”

I opened my hand again and repeated the words as he said them.

“Keeper of the Weavers of night, you guard us from a terrible fright. Yet blood has been drawn, and your master has gone, and we need your aid to fight back the dawn. I have been given your wisdom and grace, to lead the Weavers in your master's place. So bind to my heart and show me your glow...”

The dream catcher glowed twice as bright as it had in Alec’s hand. I didn’t need his help to know the last line. I said, “Star Keeper, tell me all that you know.”

Instead of turning red like it had when Alec spoke the incantation, the dream catcher leaped from my hand and proceeded to wind its chain around my hand and between my fingers in a star pattern before resting in the middle of my palm again. It caught me by surprise, and I tumbled backwards, keeping my hand as far away from me as possible.

“Shh… It’s alright Eli, it’s not going to hurt you.”

“The demi-god is right, little Violet Eyes. I cannot harm you.” The voice echoed around the White World, coming from no apparent source. Once I got over that, I realized what the “dream catcher” had said.

“Say that again, please.” I said. Nothing happened.

“You have to call it by name.” Alec told me gently, eyes full of wonder and curiosity, glued to the glowing object in my hand.

“It has a name!?” I reeled, panicking. I shoved my hand even farther away from me and shook it a bit.

“Calm down,” Alec said, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Yes, it has a name. Its name is Star Keeper.”

“Again, the demi-god is right.”

“Demi-god,” I echoed. “Why is it calling you a demi-god?”

Alec ran his hand down his face, and held his hand over his mouth, thinking. “Not right now,” he finally said. “I’ll explain later. Just...” He sighed. “Concentrate on this right now, alright?” He pulled my hand back in front of me, so I was looking at the dream catcher. I just looked it at.

Alec rolled his eyes. “You’re going to have to ask it again.”

“Star Keeper, why do you call him a demi-god?”

“No, not that!” Alec roared, grumbling as he stood up and walked toward the shore.

Star Keeper’s voice filled the room. “Because that is what he is, child. I do not know how it came to be so. That is for the demi-god to tell you when he is ready.”

“Thank you!” Alec cried to the sky, throwing his arms wide and spinning. He turned to face me and said, “Now ask it to tell you everything it knows.”

I kept silent for a minute, dazzled by the white glow of the dream catcher. Then I asked again, “Star Keeper, tell me all that you know.”

“There is much to tell, Violet Eyes, and not enough time for it to be told. What I know is the history of the Weavers, my people. I shall tell you now only what you need to know.”

“Fair enough,” I replied. “Do continue, Star Keeper.”

“In the Beginning, there was a great war amongst all Dreamers. Your people foolishly fought for control of the land the Lord on High had made for those that attained an exceptional closeness to him. But your people still inflicted pain on one another. So the Lord, feeling a rare compassion for your primitive understanding and nature, stepped down from the skies and stood among you. He assigned Leaders to each race of people that walked in the night and the Lord assigned to each Leader a Keeper to guide them in keeping the peace in the land He had made for them. I, Star Keeper, was given direct orders from His glory, the Lord on High, to guide the Leader of the Weavers. That Leader is now you, Violet Eyes.”

“Me?” I asked quickly, interrupting.

“Yes,” Star Keeper’s voice echoed around the White World. “You have been chosen by the last Leader of the Weavers, Trevor, to lead my people.”

“Tr-Trevor was leader? He chose me? Why me?” I looked at my hands and feet then. I wasn’t anything incredible. I was just… me. And then I realized, with an ache in my heart, that that could have meant everything to Trevor.

“That I do not know, Violet Eyes. He chose to pass on the duty before he explained to me why. But I do hope, for the sake of my people, that he has made a wise choice in binding me to you. From what I can tell, he has.”

“Wh-What do you know about me?” I asked, stuttering, afraid.

“Not much, I can assure you. That will come with time. But I can tell that you hold great power within you. Young, naïve power, but a great power nonetheless. This power has been passed down to you from Astra, Leader of the Eternals, through blood, as is the only true way since the Beginning. Trevor has made you Leader of the Weavers, but you are also the true Leader of the Eternals, in Astra’s stead. Yet you are not bound to the Keeper of the Eternals. I do not understand why you have not been given the Keeper of your people.”

“Nightmare has the Eternal Keeper, Star Keeper,” Alec said suddenly, his back to me. “He would have taken it from Astra when she died.”

“I feared it was so.”

“So let me get this straight,” I began, standing up and pacing. “I’m the Leader of the Weavers because of Tre-Trevor. I’m bound to you, Star Keeper, because of that. But I’m also the Leader of these Eternal people, who I’m a part of because of my mother.”

“Yes, Violet Eyes.”

“And I’m not bound to this Keeper thing that I should have gotten from my mother when she died because Nightmare has it?”

“Unfortunately, child, this is true.”

“So what is this power I have then?” I felt heavy, like an unexpected weight had been placed on my shoulders. I was being introduced to a completely new world. It was too much information, my mind overloading.

With his back still turned to me, Alec beat Star Keeper to the response, talking to the waves. “Through the blood of your mother, you inherited the ability to not only control your own dreams, but the dreams of others. It is the god-given gift of Eternal Leaders.”

“Go-God-given?” I froze.

“Yes, god-given. That was what He gave the Leaders, the Keepers and a gift with which to use to defend both their people and the Dream World.” Alec turned to me as he said it, and I caught a glimpse of his pendant pulse violet. I watched his face as he looked at me. He looked like a god. And some inner broken part of me wanted him to be a god. My sub-conscious cried out for a protector.

“Be careful, demi-god. Respect those whose hands hold your life by a thread.” Star Keeper’s voice boomed in defence. Alec remained silent, a blank expression on his face.

“So you get to give these powers to people?” I asked Alec.

“No,” Alec said, his gaze falling to the ground. “I am not a god.”

“Yes, you are. That’s what Star Keeper said you were.”

“That is not what I said, child.”

“Yes, you did, Star Keeper!” I cried. I was tired of being lectured. “You said he was a demi-god!”

“That is true. He is a demi-god by nature. But he is not a god.” Star Keeper’s voice rang with a slightly aggravated inflection.

“What the hell does that mean then?!” I cried, rubbing my temples and turning my back to the water.

“Why do you care!” Alec bit back. “None of this has anything to do with you.”

“Yes, it does.” I seethed, suddenly filling with anger. “I’ve just seen by best friend killed by his mother, told I was a part of some secret life I didn’t even know existed, let alone was ever warned about, and you keep popping up every time something happens! Don’t I have a right know something about you?!”

It was silent for a minute. I turned around to face him, only to find him looking out over the water as the sun began to rise. My heart sunk, thinking I had hurt him, and I was about to apologise when he started whispering to the waves, almost to himself.

“My name is Alec. I was born the product of lust, the son of goddess and evil. I am a demi-god. A…” He paused for a second, choking on the next few words, but then they came out stronger. “I am a half-breed, both god and human. I am not accepted by the divine world, nor the human world. I am not fictional, but I’m not real either. I’m trapped between worlds for eternity, alone. To save my mother, to prove my worth to the Lord on High, to fulfill the prophecy, and to take on the duty neglected by my father, I lead the Gathering in protecting this reality from evil, which means fighting my-”

He stopped. “I mean Nightmare. But according to the prophecy, I cannot succeed in stopping him until I meet my partner, who I must keep safe if I want to live to-” He stopped again, lifting his left arm and pulling back his sleeve to reveal the same marks on his wrist as I had on mine.

I lifted my hands to my face, my fingers covering my mouth. I shook my head back and forth, my mind rejecting his words. The way he had said it, it sounded like a confession, but one he had told himself a hundred times, each word carefully placed. It had become his creed.

“That’s all you need to know.” His voice was cold and sharp as he glanced over his shoulder at me, but his eyes were warm and open, soothing to me. I couldn’t contain it anymore, and I ran over and wrapped my arms around him tight, burying my head in his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry Alec. So, so sorry…” I whispered to him. I felt his arms wind around my shoulders, and he comfortingly rubbed my back, whispering shhh…

“It’s alright Eli. You had a right to know.”

“It is almost daybreak, Violet Eyes. It is time for you to return to your reality. When you return to the land of dreams and you need me, just ask for me with my name. I am bound now to your heart, we are one. Long live the Weavers, and keep them safe, Violet Eyes…” Star Keeper’s voice faded away as the glow on the dream catcher in my hand dimmed and unwound itself from my hand. Necklace again, a stepped back from Alec, and tied it back around my neck. I turned and watched the sky above the ocean turn orange with the sunrise’s fire.

“It’s right Eli. You need to return to reality, your father will be worried after…” Alec’s voice was laced with concern as it trailed off. My mind immediately shot back to Trevor, almost forgetting everything I had just learned. My heart dropped, and I quickly shook my head.

“No. Not yet,” I started, turning to look into Alec’s eyes. “You said I can control other people’s dreams, right?”

“Yes, Eli, but that can wait for another day-”

“So I should be able to control things in that Other World too?” I asked, gesturing to the gaping hole in the wall of my White World.

“In theory, yes, if you’re powerful enough. From what I have heard, your mother needed her Keeper’s help to do that. But we can worry about that later-”

“Then it’s not morning yet,” I announced, watching the fire eat away at the horizon of the Other World. I took a deep breath, and with a purple flash, both sunrises burst into a thousand fireflies, fluttering against the night sky.

“Oh my God,” Alec exclaimed, his pendant pulsing as he watching the fireflies swirl around us in amazement. They fluttered about and then settled on hearty grass growing on the dunes along the back edge of the beach.

“Like I said, it’s not morning yet. I want to meet my people.”