Natalie let out a sigh, they had been sitting in the lobby in silence for an hour and it was beginning to drive her nuts. Jessica seemed to be lost deep in their own thoughts while Amy spent much of her time in the office cleaning up and sifting through files. Natalie figured that Amy was probably looking for something that will help her with Jessica because she kept glancing at the girl from time to time. Alyson slept curled up upon the couch, earlier Natalie had asked if she wanted to go back to her room but she wanted to let Misty be alone and Natalie figured she was right. Kim also had no room to return too with Jenn upset so was curled up on Natalie's lap. She considered turning on the television when Jenn slowly entered the room. Natalie cocked her head curiously at the girl, "You alright?" She inquired noticing the way Jenn's eyes flickered to Jessica as she crossed the room. Jenn approached the couches and glanced down at Kim then to Kima, "I only came to see how Kim and Kima were doing." She stated coldly, making sure that Jessica heard her. She knelt next to Kima and lightly touched the girl's forehead, "She feels cold." She commented worriedly. "Actually it is a little cold." Natalie agreed, rubbing her arms, "Are their blankets down here?" Jessica pointed to the storage closet next to the entrance, "Back there." She muttered softly. Jenn moved around the couches to the storage room and opened it. The room was actually rather large with many shelves and boxes scattered about. She found the blankets on the shelf closest to the door and piled a few in her arms before closing the door behind her, then she returned to the girls and handed one to Alyson. "Thanks." Alyson took the blanket groggily and pulled it over herself. "How is your arm?" Jenn inquired, glancing at the bandages as she walked around to Natalie. Alyson shrugged, "I don't notice the pain much." She remarked with a half smile, "Thanks for asking though." Jenn placed one blanket on the coffee table as she unfolded the other and placed it over Kim, "How is she doing?" She asked worriedly. "She is strong." Natalie replied, "I hear she arrived just in time." Jenn gave a weak smile, "Yeah, she is always rescuing me when I wanted to be the one to rescue her." "She's strange that way." Natalie stated with a soft laugh, "I've been trying to rescue her for years and always seem to get there after the action is over. What a pathetic heroine I'm turning out to be." Jenn shook her head in disagreement, "You're a true heroine and a good friend too." Natalie gave a warm smile, "Thanks." Her smile suddenly turned to a frown as an intense pain ripped through her chest. "Is something wrong?" Jenn concernedly ask. "I... I don't know..." Natalie clenched at her chest, "M... My ch... chest feels like it is on fire. Like someone is trying to rip my heart out." "I'll get Amy." Jenn was about to turn around when Kimberly's eyes suddenly fluttered open and she let out a howling scream that was a mix of agony and pain. "Kim!?!" Jenn dropped to the girl's side. "What is wrong?" Amy inquired, rushing out of the office to see what the commotion was about. "H... hurts..." Kim gasped as she grabbed at her chest and rolled off of Natalie's lap to the floor. Natalie also held on to her chest and buckled over as a wave of sorrow engulfed her heart. "Nat?!?" Alyson reached out for the girl, "Nat, are you alright?" "K... Ki... ma..." Natalie gasped as she struggled with another wave of emotion, this time of intense fear, "Some... thing... is happening to her." Amy ran around the couches and knelt beside Kim, "Where does it hurt?" She asked trying to figure out how to relieve the girl of her pain. "E... Every... where..." Kim cried out. She quickly rolled over and puked on the floor, then collapsed to her side, as another wave of sobs ripped through her. Amy pulled Kim's eyelid back to look into the girl's eyes, "This is not good." She stated trying to keep calm. Suddenly Kim's face faded and for a brief moment Amy thought she could see the floor beneath the girl. Natalie glanced at Amy, "K... ki.. ma..." She stated, struggling against the pain that was trying to overwhelm her, "S... she... 's in trouble..." Amy shook her head skeptically, "This can't be happening." She watched as Kim flickered transparent again and this time staying that way, almost like a ghost, "What the hell?" She quickly got to her feet and glanced between Kima and Kim. Jessica got to her feet and rushed over to see what was happening, "Is she going to be alright?" Staring down at the redhead as she faded from existence. "Kim is dying." Amy explained in despair. "What? How?" Jenn exclaimed aghast, looking between the two redheads. Amy rubbed her temple in frustration, "I never told you girls before, but Kima is not Kim's reflection." She explained, sitting heavily upon a couch as she tried to figure out what to do. "Then what is she?" Alyson inquired, curious to learn more about the mysterious mirror girl. Jenn eyed the nurse, "I thought she was Kim's inner feelings. The stuff she pushed aside." Amy rubbed the back of her neck, "She is so much more." Amy gazed at Kima then to Kim, who was fading with every second, "But it is Kim that is the reflection." "What?" Jenn stared at Kim in astonishment, "How can that be? I mean Kim was the one to save me from my dreams. Kima didn't show up until after we arrived here." "That is true." Amy agreed, "However, Kim never existed. Kima created her so she could cope with her past, giving her someone to protect and with there being two of her Kima did not feel she needed to restrain herself as much because she knew being sexual was expected of her." Natalie struggled to stand, "That's insane." She stated, not believing a word she was hearing, "Kima had a cut on the opposite arm as me. If Kim is not the real one then why was I mimicking her pain?" "Not mimicking." Amy explained, "You were mirroring Kima's pain. You thought Kim was the real one because she had the same wounds as you, but in fact the real Kim would have opposite wounds. You never considered that before so you rejected Kima before getting to understand her. Now she is finding a home inside Penny's dreams and has no reason to return or a need for Kim anymore." "There must be a way to wake her up." Jenn stated, desperately searching for some kind of answer. "If we wake her now we risk losing her mind entirely." Amy stated calmly, "We also risk hurting Penny and Jessica." Jessica nervously ran a hand across her face, "I can feel her in there. She is taking my place in that nightmarish world." She rubbed at the back of her neck in frustration, "You have to get her out of there." "I want to help her." Jenn exclaimed frantically, "How do I get into that dream?" "You can't" Alyson remarked collectedly, "You are not a dream walker. You are only a dreamer." "What about Kris?" Jessica asked starting for the door. "No. Jessica, you are the only one who can get to her." Amy bluntly stated, "You share Penny's experiences and dreams. You are the only one who can get in there safely. If Kima is in as deeply as I think, Kris could cause more damage then help. We need someone who was from the dream originally." Jessica violently shook her head. "I can't..." Jessica clenched at the side of her head, "I can't go back there." She protested, terrified of the thought of having to face that house again. "You have to." Amy returned, "You said it yourself, Kima is taking your place in your dream. She is losing a piece of herself every moment she is there. Without her Kim will simply disappear and Kima may never return to us again." "Why is that my problem?" Jessica shouted at the nurse, "She was the one who invaded my dreams. I did not ask her to come after me." "It is not your dream." Alyson stated numbly, "It is Penny's." She nodded at the girl on the couch. Penny was trashing about and moaning. Her body trapped by the effects of some eternal night terror. "You must go back." Amy insisted, "You are the only one who can stop this. You have to free her of that nightmare. You have to save them all." ***** To be Continued . . .
Back to A Shadowlander's Dream: Book 2 - A Tale of Sorrows Index - Back to Original Fiction Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction