Dream

Chapter 18

'Daisy? Daisy!' My friend's body lay next to mine, still unconscious.

She stirred, and awoke.

'It worked' she gasped, sitting up.

'Yeah, I guess!'

'Then... Why are we still here?' Said Daisy uncertainly.

'Because, all this time we've been here, it's been real.'

'So... We're not on the SGTS anymore?'

'Yes, we are!' I rolled my eyes. Had she really forgotten again?

Judging by that look, I'd say she has.

'It's a stimulator.'

'So, now what?'

'We have to sort out the whole hypnotism-thing.' I said. 'It's part of our training, isn't it? We still have to complete it.'

'Wait, does that mean the Dream Lord thing was stimulation, too?'

'No, that was real.' I said.

'But... That'll mess up our timing!'

'No, it won't.' I explained. 'No time passed here whilst we were in that dream. They won't have seen us fall to e floor either - I think, at least. The camera they watched us on will have blanked for a moment, whilst we got up.'

'Okay, then.' Said Daisy. 'But, what do we do now'

'We need to find the thing that's controlling those amulets.' I said. 'They're activated when they see someone who's not wearing one. How?'

Daisy took a moment to realise that I was actually asking her - I waited for her theory before I told her mine.

'No idea.'

'Well, my guess is that the amulets are connected to the people in some way. Those children on the swings - the necklaces should have swung with them, but they stayed against their chests. So, let's assume that the amulets are attached to the people in some way.

'When the people saw us earlier, they didn't notice that we had no amulets. But, later, Annalise did. But that was after we asked about it. So, I think the idea of the stimulation is to test our attention to detail - to have us notice the amulets. We've done that, so now, they notice that we have none. So, they're what's trying to kill us. So we have to find a way around them, and a way to get out of the village.'

'And how do we do that?'

'Well, to have any chance of getting out, we're going to need to get our hands in two of those amulets.'

'How?'

'I have an idea...'