The Trio [Adaryn Monroe Eloise]

[emilybuj]

Eloise smiled. She secretly liked the way that Adaryn used her thoughts as a way to communicate with her. It was as if Adaryn had brought her acceptance of Ella's power to a whole new level by being understanding enough to use Ella's power as a form of communication. It actually comforted Eloise. She picked up her bag and threw it over her shoulders. "And don't worry about me," she whispered to Adaryn. "My dad's a dreamwalker and if anybody tries to come into my dreams he'll personally kick their ass." She smirked a little at the times her dad would go into her dreams as a child to chase away the monsters. It was childish but it did make her feel better to think about it now. She wasn't actually sure what would happen if there was a real threat.

Eloise hummed Billy Joel songs to herself as they walked to the library. She loved the silence that came with night. Everybody was alseep and nobody thought about anything. It was so quiet inside her head and she wished it could just stay that way forever.

[Admin Sydnee]

Monroe headed out into the hallway, in front of Eloise and Adaryn, yawning once more. He was trying to just stay levelheaded and calm which was normally something he was incredibly talented at, but sleep deprivation and fear were starting to really take a toll on him. He wanted to help Adaryn, but he was slightly unnerved at what might happen in her dreams, but he wouldn't let her suffer alone when he could do something about it and Eloise was right there with them. He trusted her. He didn't know why he did so quickly, he just did.

He opened the door to the library and scoped it out as they walked, looking down aisles to see if any other students were there, but he hadn't fell into a dream yet, so he assumed they were clear, at least of sleeping students. So he led the girls to his usual table, in the back corner and sat down in one of the chairs. He was thinking about what Eloise had said about her father being a dreamwalker. How cool it would be to meet him and get some advice... "Damn, I'm tired..." he said, rubbing his temples.

[Lux]

Adaryn yawned, blinking when she did so. Yes, she was slightly tired, but she was also alert. She remembered when some people had said that yawning was contagious, but honestly, she never payed no attention because for the most part, she wasn't around people to ever find out. But now, as Monroe continues to yawn, she saw that the statement was true. It amazed her. Adaryn looked at Eloise "Did you know that yawning was really contagious?" She was glad she could speak to her friend through her thoughts because she figured if she had said that out loud, it could possibly make Monroe very self aware.

By the time they had gotten to the library, Monroe was practically falling asleep standing up. But even still, he lead them to the back, to a little table that seemed to be alone in the corner. She smiled unknowingly since he had found his own little safe spot. "Really is secluded here, nice job." Adaryn looked at the chairs, two on each side, with Monroe occupying one on the side closest to the wall. Did distance make it more difficult to fall into a dream? Even if it didn't, she wouldn't take that chance, so she pulled out the chair beside him and plopped down. Adaryn sat there quietly, unsure of what to say or do now. She supposed she would have to fall asleep first, and she had a way to do so, but would need permission from Monroe. "Can I... use some of your exhaustion, Monroe?" She could get along fine without it, but it would speed up the process a bit if he let her.

[emilybuj]

Eloise smiled before turning to Monroe. She hoped he wouldn't mind her commenting on his thoughts. "You know..." she started, "You should come meet my dad some time. I mean... we live close enough and he always goes on about how he wish he had the chance to raise a son." Her father would probably love talking to another dream walker. Especially one looking for advice. He loved giving advice and sometimes it was overbearing to Ella, so she would be happy to share him for a while.

She turned and smiled at Adaryn after her comment about yawning. She was kind of funny. Ella followed the two to the table in the back corner Monroe constantly skulked in. Eloise tossed her bag in one seat, and sat down in the other, across from adaryn and facing both of them. "Is exhaustion really an emotion?" she asked, generally curious if Adaryn could feed off of it. El thought it was just a state of being. One that Monroe was always in. And thus far it seemed to have little to no effect on Adaryn, unless the joke about the yawn before was meant to be taken a little more literally.

[Admin Sydnee]

"I know secluded. Trust me, you learn to seclude yourself when you don't want to fall into sleep at any moment and deal with some random person's dream. It's useful. Besides, I like being on my own," Monroe explained with a shrug in Adaryn's direction as she sat down beside him.

He then looked over at Eloise as he put his legs up on the table, his combat boots resting on the wood as he leaned back in his chair. "Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to meet your dad. I have so many questions to ask!" Knowing there was another dreamwalker out there was so reassuring.

It was a nice thing to think of and he looked over at Adaryn, nearly yawning again. "Uhm, you didn't have to ask, but yeah. Please take some of it. I have enough." He thought about what Eloise said and honestly he really had no idea if exhaustion could be an emotion, but it sure as hell weighed down on him like one.

[Lux]

" The only thing is that to actually take things like exhaustion, I have to have physical contact. I may be able to be influenced by emotions such as anger, stress, and happiness, but exhaustion is more tricky..." She spoke shyly, her face reddening. Even though she wasn't asking to kiss Monroe, it still made her feel odd asking to just touch him. "With anger... it radiates off of people like heat, but exhaustion is more inside the mind. I have to reach for it..." God, could this get more awkward for her?

She yawned again, probably because of Monroe about a minute earlier. She looked at Eloise in shock "See? It is!" How could she have never known? Pushing that thought aside finally, she turned back to Monroe to get on with it. "Ready...?" Adaryn asked. Oh god, this is going to be embarrassing.

Adaryn put up her hand and placed it on his cheek hesitantly, waiting for him to tense or something. She hadn't exactly explained how this worked, and now she wished she never even asked. He would probably see how badly she was blushing. "You are, uhm, going to have to look at me and make direct eye contact..." Oh god. Oh god. What am I doing? Oh god.

[emilybuj]

"I'm sure he'd love to answer them," Eloise promised Monroe. "He likes to give advice and all that shit. He gets people really well and likes to help them. I dunno." She shrugged. Her dad annoyed her sometimes, but she was sure other people- like Monroe - would find his insight exceptional and helpful. It was one of the perks of being a mind reader AND a dream walker she supposed. He could get to know a person inside and out.

She leaned back in her chair as Adaryn began to take the exhaustion from Monroe. She bit her lip, trying to stifle her laughter at Adaryn's internal battle with herself and he awkwardness. She was so embarrassed by the prospect of having to touch Monroe and look into his eyes. It was even funnier because Monroe seemed way too tired to even notice how uneasy Adaryn was.

[Admin Sydnee]

"Awesome. I'm so inviting myself over some time. I have a feeling me and your dad would get along well," Monroe told Eloise with a sleepy grin.

And then Adaryn was explaining the process and suddenly her cool hand was on his cheek. He flinched a little at her touch. Well, this is odd. "Take all the exhaustion you need. I have a few weeks worth," he joked and then turned to meet her gaze when she instructed that he'd have to. Honestly, he just couldn't wait to sleep even though it wouldn't be restful. This was serious business. But he was so god damn tired. "Ugh, I should have gotten more coffee before this," he complained before shutting himself up as he made eye contact with Adaryn.

[Lux]

Many times Adaryn had to dig for things like exhaustion, but for Monroe, it was so easy to grasp onto because there was so much of it, it was as if it were placed right up front screaming 'take me!'. It only took a moment of extracting his exhaustion before her eyelids began to droop. God, and it wasn't even half gone!. She looked away as soon as she let out a yawn "Alright... I think I am good." She mumbled. Adaryn allowed herself to lie her head on the table and in a matter of moments, she was in a dream.

~~~

When she opened her eyes, she was instantly greeted by a cool breeze hitting her face. It smelled salty, and when her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the area around her, she let out a small gasp. Adaryn was sitting along a beach, the sand sliding through her toes. The world around her was peaceful. There was the occasion call of a seagull, or a large gust of wind that shook the queen palms behind her. She had never been in a place so quiet and calm, and it scared the hell out of her.

This is how all of her dreams started with Cain. Quiet and peaceful, the land never suspecting the blood that will be shed on their grounds. Adaryn took a deep breath and looked around her, searching for Monroe. When she couldn't find him, she began to worry. What if he was pulled into another dream? Where was he? Could Cain have gotten him already? No...

Adaryn began to panic now, standing up, and searching for him. "Monroe?!" She called. "Monroe where are you?!"

[Admin Sydnee]

Monroe felt some of the exhaustion being pulled out of him, as if he was being refreshed, but it was no where near enough to keep him awake, not when he was this sleep deprived. He saw that Adaryn's eyelids began to droop and her hand dropped from his face as she looked away, mumbling. Monroe knew it was only a matter of moments before he would fall asleep and so he cast a look over at Eloise. "Wake us the hell up if things go awry," he told her sleepily, just before he saw Adaryn's head go down in the corner of his eye. And then his did as well. But he didn't even feel the hardness of the table, he only opened his eyes to see a beach extending before him.

The water was calm and waves gently rolled in. He looked around for Adaryn and realized that he was standing in the lighthouse. He heard a small voice from below and such a figure along the beach, which he had to assume was Adaryn. He didn't know why it often happened that he didn't appear right next to the person dreaming, but it did. Although he assumed it was useful in some instances when he didn't want to be seen.

"Hey!" he shouted. "I'm up here!"

The scene was so tranquil that he was wondering if Cain would even rear his ugly head. The thing was that Monroe knew he should be able to help somehow, to put up a block on her unconscious mind or somehow influence her dreams in a positive way, but he didn't even know how to use his power and he was afraid, although he didn't say anything about it.

He clambered down the stairs on the side of the lighthouse and made his way towards her. "You need to stay calm," he told her as he approached her, barely able to walk in the sand in his combat boots. "He feeds off of fear and panic."

[Lux]

Adaryn saw movement from the corner of her eye and stiffened, but then immediately relaxed when she heard the familiar voice of Monroe warn her. She chewed her lower lip gently, "Sorry..." What else she was supposed to say to him? Adaryn was terrified because Cain was a terrifying man. She was only fourteen and Cain looked to be in his 30's and at least a foot taller than her. "I can't help myself." She sighed.

"So what are we supposed to do now? Wait for Cain and ask him if he can stop stabbing me?" She didn't quite snap at him, but there was a bit of edge in her voice. Everything was setting her on edge at this point, even the wind blowing the palm tree limbs was causing her to jump. Wait... why does it sound so loud? She looked around and noticed the wind blowing fiercely, the sky darkening. There was a bright flash of lightning and a deafening crack. Adaryn screamed and instinctively found herself burying her head in Monroe's chest. He was coming and he wasn't happy.

There was another crack of lightning and then a familiar and unwanted voice hit her ears. "Welcome back, Boy."

[Admin Sydnee]

"It's okay. Fear is a response. But this is your dream, Adaryn. You own this. Whether or not you have the power to manipulate your dreams doesn't matter, there are even ways to wake yourself up from dreaming, you just have to learn them." He found himself rambling, as he wasn't sure when Cain would show up, but then she snapped at him and Monroe bit his lip. "No," he told her. "That won't be effective. We need to....figure out ways to try and weaken him. The guy has to have some sort of weak spot and there is no way he can take total control of you, Ad. You're an empath." Her sarcasm and pessimism was not going to keep her head clear.

And then the wind picked up and it seemed as if it was starting to storm. The sky darkened and there was a loud crash of thunder. He put a hand around Adaryn, stroking her hair softly when she buried her head in his chest. "C'mon, Ad," he whispered. "We need to be observant. There's got to be something. Try not to concentrate on your fear." But that was easier said than done. Monroe knew this because when he looked up after hearing the booming voice that he'd sworn he heard earlier while walking back to campus, he was slightly terrified.

He slowly pulled away from Adaryn to stand in front of the figure. The dark figure. He tried to commit his appearance to memory, anything that could possibly help. "Nice of you to greet me," he replied, trying to keep his voice steady. It seemed as if he didn't like dreamwalkers in particular. Monroe wanted to know more about that... "You know...with you hating what I am and all."

It had started to pour, the rain drenching them both.

[Lux]

"You don't understand Monroe," It was obvious how much of an effect Cain had on Adaryn. She was shaking, and while people could argue that it was because of the rain, but there was no doubt it was from the fear. In fact, Adaryn barely felt it. "You don't understand how painful it is to get stabbed night after night. I wake up--" She cut herself off. Adaryn knew exactly where that sentence was going. I wake up... wishing I was dead. But did she really want to confess this to Monroe?

Honestly, she didn't have time to really think much about it by the time she heard Cain behind them. He didn't even acknowledgebher which was odd. He seemed stuck on Monroe as if he knew he would be there with Adaryn already. She felt Monroe unwrap his arms from around her and she instantly felt cold and helpless. He was standing up to Cain fearlessly, and she admired him for that. Wait... she was an empath.... Couldn't she change what she was feeling? Calm...Calm...I need to calm down. She told herself and she could practically feel the fear melt away. Sometimes it is great to be an empath. Adaryn was just now realizing it.

~~~~~~

" You are quite right. You are meddling with that useless power of yours." Cain scoffed. This child was much too stupid to realize his full potential, which was beneficial to Cain. He could kill him off before he started doing some damage. "All you seem to be capable of doing anything other than meddle in other's lives and just diving headfirst into danger. What do you plan on accomplishing by coming here today? Perhaps a truce? No, probably not because you would be much more polite than you are being now." Cain stepped forward slowly, toward the boy and Adaryn, though his eyes were fixed only on the dreamwalker. There was something about the child that unnerved him. Wait, what was wrong with him? Unnerved by a fifteen year old? He was going soft! "Coming here today was basically a death sentence, child. I hope you realize this." Cain would have power. Order and power. Always.

[Admin Sydnee]

"I may not understand, but I do understand that you're an empath and you can take some of my calmness," Monroe told her. He didn't want to anger her. That's the last thing he wanted to do, but he wanted her to realize her full potential, that Cain couldn't control her. If only he could do that for himself...

He felt bad letting go of her, but he needed to face Cain and for some reason it relieved him that Cain had his sights set on him rather than Adaryn. It gave Adaryn some room to breathe. He knew very well that his life could end in seconds if he was killed in this dream. Maybe he was being foolish and running head first into danger as Cain said, but he wasn't sure what else to do. He was trying to figure Cain out and all he had so far was that he was really hateful of children and their powers and he seemed to loathe dreamwalkers in particular.

His eyes narrowed at the man before him as he kept speaking. He wished that he could see into his thoughts and felt as if it would be useful to have Eloise here with them. If only they knew what he was thinking. He was human...so he had to have thoughts running through his head. Even a man like that had to have doubts. He raised an eyebrow. "Truce isn't even an option with you. You wouldn't stop tormenting others."

He stood in front of Adaryn, almost wanting her to run away. He wished that he could do something, that he could push Cain out of this dream somehow, but what was he capable of? Sure, he could go into others' dreams, but how helpful was that? It just made for awkward situations usually.

"Why are you sneaking into peoples' dreams anyway? Are you too much of a coward to actually face them in real life?" His hands balled into fists at his sides and he wondered why he was purposely trying to anger the man before him who could so quickly end his life. He was just looking for some sort of edge on the situation for a weakness in Cain.

[Lux]

Monroe was trying to taunt Cain, and Adaryn knew that this was no way to confront him. He always radiated power and sickening confidence. What Monroe was doing was merely aggravating him. His annoyance was evident in the bubble of emotion he had around him. She noticed that Cain used this bubble to portray emotions that he wasn't necessarily feeling just to throw Adaryn off. The only way she had been able to alter his emotions was when he was physically touching her. His annoyance was real, she knew, by the way his features contorted. With as much courage as she could muster, she stepped forward and grabbed Monroe's arm. "Stop, he isn't in the mood for games."

~~~~~

"You know, I do not have to answer to a fifteen year old child who can barely keep himself out of other's dreams." This boy really did have some nerve asking him all these questions as if he had a right to know. The energy drained from all these power children was what had given him power, and he would continue to drain their energy from their dreams because that was where they were most vulnerable. "You should know that what I do does not make me a coward. It says how educated I am in doing what I do. Though I cannot say the same about you, my boy, because you come into this dream with no evident plan in mind other than attempting to torment me. You are showing how stupid you really are, congratualations."

What happened next shocked Cain more than he had expected. Adaryn had come forward to stop this boy. "You should listen to the girl, child. She understands what is good for both of you." His eyes shifted towards Adaryn and his mouth turned upwards in a sickly sweet smile. "Although, you didn't quite think through the consequences of even bringing him here, love." His eyes flashed with anger and Adaryn made a small squeak of fear, backing away slowly. The fear was coming back, and it was hard for Adaryn to push it back. Cain could see it.

His hand slid down his side and reached for the dagger. "Now not only am I going to kill you Adaryn, but I am going to kill your friend here as well." He took another step forward and stared into those blue eyes he hated so much. "And it will be all. your. fault."