Asleep

73 Showers

Nora~~

Charlie doesn't seem to own a hairdryer, so I wrap my wet towel around my hair, twisting and squeezing to absorb the water. The shower was glorious. It wasn't like when I touched Charlie when he felt different. Instead the dream captured the feeling of a shower exactly. What made it glorious was that I had never felt that gross even when I once played frisbee in the mud. Maybe it was because I was rinsing off any trace of those sponge baths, of the scientists who pinned me down and forced me to sleep. The hot water dug into the soreness in my muscles that even the em-pen couldn't ease.

I finish freshening up and throw on Charlie's shirt and tug back on the uniform pants before exiting the bathroom.

Charlie sits on his bed that's been made-up since I went into the bathroom. He taps the tip of his shoe against the wood floor.

"Have they found your dad?"

"They found him on video leaving the facility through a back entrance. We don't know where he's headed."

To stop the water soaking through the back of the shirt, I twist my hair into a bun at the top of my head, and I tuck the wet ends of my hair underneath the bun to lock it in place. "Do you think he'll be arrested?"

Placing his hands on his thighs, he stands. "The public will hate him when they learn what's been going on. They'll probably demand that he be arrested. But my dad has ties to many governments and militaries across the globe. They'll protect him."

"And how do you feel about that?"

He frowns, rubbing his neck. "I don't know. As much as he's ruined my childhood, he's still my dad. I think there will always be a part—no matter how small— of me that will want some sort of relationship with him. But let's not dwell on that now; there's someone who's eager to meet you."

I shift, tugging at the ends of the shirt that already comes to my thighs. "Who?"

"The former master dreamer." He walks past me and opens the door that leads to the hallway. A man walks inside, his expression unsure. He's probably around Pace's age. His hair comes to his shoulders, and he has a beard, though, it's not as long as Raymond's. Raymond. What facility is he in?

"Hello, Nora." That voice. I've heard it before.

"I only know you by your title, which I suppose isn't very fitting now."

"It's Kiernan."

"This is going to sound absurd, but have we met?"

He smiles. "As I was telling Charlie, I couldn't do much as master dreamer, but I could see anyone. I neglected to tell him that I could talk with anyone I wished."

It's time for us to wake up, Nora.

"You spoke to me."

Kiernan scratches at his beard. "Yes. I hope you don't see it as me intruding."

"Why didn't you tell me you were the master dreamer? There were times I thought I was losing it."

"Would you have believed the voice in your head or only thought you were losing it more?"

I let out a sigh that comes out as a weak laugh. "Probably the latter. But why talk to me?"

Kiernan gestures to one of the beds. "May I?"

"Go ahead," Charlie says. He's been gradually moving toward the edge of his room.

After Kiernan has sat down, he threads his fingers together and places his hands on his lap. "I was good friends with Richard—Doctor Pace. We spent hours in the dream. Richard especially loved being in Somnia with me because I'm a Class One. The things I could do—the way I could manipulate the dream—it was like I was a magician to him. But I had a life outside of the dream, outside of OneirTech. My wife was pregnant, and I knew if I stayed, my child would have to one day dream in Somnia. So, I decided to leave, and I believe Charlie's told you about those who try to leave him."

My dad likes his things safe within a cage, Charlie said to me once upon a dream.

I take a seat on his bed, thinking of Radia's father and Raymond.

"Richard may have trapped me, but that didn't stop him from talking to me when he was in the dream; he knew I had that ability: not to read all thoughts, just the ones that are shared. He told me about my wife and how she married another scientist that he had set her up with and about my daughter when she was born."

I dig my hands into Charlie's comforter.

You all want to leave. Your dad wanted to as well.

"And he told me when she fell asleep and started dreaming of Somnia."

"I have a dad," I say slowly. "If you're trying to tell me that you're my long-lost father—"

"Nora, he is."

My focus narrows in on Charlie.

"My dad told me when he divulged his plans to make you the next master dreamer of Somnia. He was obsessed with you because your dad—your birth dad was a Class One."

I point a finger at my chest. "My birth dad brought me here. He was there when I was born.

"I know it's hard to accept," Kiernan says. "But your mother was told I was dead. She might not have wanted you to know you could never meet me."

I pin Charlie with my gaze. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I—" He hesitates. "If I found out that my mother had been the master dreamer for years and I wasn't able to save her, I don't know what I would have done with myself. I would have lost it."

If I had known, what would I have done? Would I have become hell bent on freeing him, jeopardizing the mission? If it was my mom, I know I would have wanted to free her as soon as possible, but I also wanted to free Radia and Aaron. I didn't rush the mission until I knew Radia was in jeopardy.

"If you find out I have a long-lost mother, then you had better not wait to tell me." I tug my hand through my wet hair. "But I don't want to ruin this moment by being angry." Standing, I approach Kiernan, hand outstretched. I've never been one to easily trust anyone—even those that I know. If I were to reject him right now, I could lose out on what could be an important relationship in my life. I shut down the dream. It's time to take chances. It's time to live. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Has anyone watched the documentary A Glitch in the Matrix? A long time ago, a classmate of mine did a paper on Simulation Theory, and it reminded me so much of Asleep. And yep, Asleep existed then. I think I was probably 16 at the time.