Impossible Dreamers

Chapter 54 (quetwi-nay): Dreaming with Silmoa

When Liana got back to the hostel, the other girls were already there. Silmoa asked where she had been, and Liana told her about dropping off the boxes. Silmoa looked suspicious, but didn't comment.

When it came time to go to the dormitory, there was a change to the routine. Normally, everyone had to walk past the thought-scanner, stopping in front of it before they went into the room. Tonight, people were told just to go quickly into the dormitory. A woman Guardian called out each of their names – their Barty names – and they had to reply 'here'. It took much longer.

When they had got into their beds, Liana whispered to Silmoa, 'Why do you think they didn't use the thought scanner to check who was here?'

'I don't know,' said Silmoa. 'They're always changing the routine in one way or another.'

'No,' said Liana. 'Like I told you, the signal from the thought-scanners are blocked. That's why they didn't use it.'

'How do you know?'

'Because ...' Liana didn't know what to say. It was no use saying again that she had overheard the Bartys talking about it. They wouldn't have done that in front of her. Both she and Silmoa knew it, and anyway, Liana didn't want to lie again. 'I can't tell you. But I'm not helping the Bartys. I promise.'

'All right,'said Silmoa, 'but I wish I knew what was going on.'

'Don't worry,' said Liana. 'But there is something I want you to do. To help me. And all of us.'

'What sort of thing?' said Silmoa.

'I can't tell you now. I'm not even sure what it will be. Tomorrow. Go to sleep.'

Liana was eager to sleep, hoping to get back to speak to Herago. She had thought of a plan, and wanted to tell Herago all about it. But she was too excited to sleep. She kept turning over, unable to get comfortable. She lay on her back and closed her eyes. She tried breathing slowly. She listened to her own breathing. After a while, she felt the special relaxation in her body that told her she was asleep. She opened her eyes, thinking that she would be in the middle of her dream, flying towards Seren-ila, or waiting for Herago outside the House of the Green Jewel.

But when she opened her eyes, she was still in the dormitory. There was a dim light in the room – there was always a light on, so that they could check up on people in the night. Liana looked over at Silmoa next to her, breathing gently in her sleep.

Liana decided to do something she had never done before. She sat up. Why? She didn't know. It was a risk - somebody might see her. Nevertheless, she swung her legs out of the bed, and stood up. Looking back at the hard bed, with its scratchy cover, she got a shock.

Under the cover, somebody else was sleeping. Who had made their way into Liana's bed? How did they do it without her noticing?

Liana leaned closer to the bed and looked at the figure. There was no mistaking who it was. A shock of bright red hair that seemed to float above her head. Freckles on the sides of her nose. A long, pointed nose, long fingers, long legs.

Liana was looking at herself.

Liana laughed. She realised now that nobody would tell her off for getting out of her bed, because she hadn't. She was still asleep under her itchy cover. This was a dream.

Up to now, she had remained very quiet, afraid that she might wake people or draw attention to herself. But now she realised that there was no need to be quiet. Nobody could hear her. Nobody else was in this dream. The thought-scanners were blocked, so they couldn't monitor her thinking. She could shout. She could even sing.