Ch. 20 "Predicament"

Author's note: YAY! Chapter 20! We made it so far guys!!! I'm so stoked to start doing plot reveals!!! Thanks again for the support. Even a little counts and matters to me! Hope you're enjoying, lots of love, stay safe!!!

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He released my lips and continued to brush my nose, my cheeks, my eyelids with his lips. He leaned more forward until his chest touched mine, pressing his lips against mine again. For once, Gray didn't feel room temperature. He felt as hot as I did while I was on fire. I came back to reality quicker than I would have liked. I placed a hand on his chest, gently pushing him away. His eyes fluttered open. He searched my face. His expression was somewhere between surprise and pain. He opened his mouth to say something; I held a finger over my lips. I wasn't mad; I was definitely shocked at his feelings, but Chase and Arlan were not to find out about this. Not now. I glanced down at his naked chest. His markings were glowing deep, fluctuating with his heartbeat. His brand was white and stark against his dark grey skin. As I stared, it grew brighter and brighter. The white started to leech over his skin and enter his purple markings. He looked down when he saw my eyes wide and mouth agape.

"Well, that's new", he said somewhat sarcastically, dragging his fingers through the light. Chase peeked his head in the doorway, through the beads. I motioned for him to come in. Arlan was close behind.

"I wonder why it's doing that!", I exclaimed. I looked between their three faces. It was shock and excitement that beamed from everyone. I gently pushed Gray aside to look at Chase and Arlan's; plain white, like the day I put them there. Why was Gray's acting so erratic? Maybe that's the reason he kissed me? He physically couldn't help it. He said himself I felt like 'gravity'. As the light grew stronger and spread further into his marks, his eyes slowly began to turn white as well. Only a trace of purple was left. His behavior was stable again though.

"Why do you always get first dibs on everything?", Chase asked, sour. Gray shrugged.

"It's not my fault you're a late bloomer", he said, matter of factly. Chase groaned. I shooed the boys away. I was tired. I wanted to sleep forever. Chase and Arlan left the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chase glance back at Gray and I, suspicious.

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I woke to the sounds of light arguing in the living room. I felt like I hadn't slept long. but it was better than nothing at all. As I stirred, I was trapped. I attempted to sit up, but was absolutely dismayed to find that I was held hostage. Gray's face on the top of my head, his torso over mine, a leg holding both of mine down, crushing me. It was hot under the comforter, I partially blamed my new body temperature. I whispered his name. Nothing. I tried to get my hands free to shake him. I couldn't escape. Frustrated, I remembered that the boys had said that their "essence", the glitter they breathed, could awaken people as well as out them to sleep. But how do I do it? I had never properly gotten to ask. Maybe it's simply about intention? I closed my eyes, envisioning a white, misty glitter. I took a deep breath in, exhaling slowly, aimed at Gray. I opened my eyes. A small trace was left in the air. At least I was onto something. The arguing stopped abruptly. Gray awoke; his eyes popped open. Chase and Arlan threw the door beads aside, marching in.

"What did you require?", Arlan asked, holding a hand over his chest. I stared at all three, dumbfounded. I stuttered. Chase looked at me expectantly.

"I uhh, I was trying to wake Gray up and I couldn't move because he was too heavy, and I remembered you guys saying that I can wake and place people under sleep with your essence. I tried it but it sortof only worked...", I trailed off uncomfortably. I was still pinned under Gray's weight. He lifted his arm that was the bear trap holding me to him. For all the strength I felt I had earlier, it still did nothing to help me move him, even an arm. I sat up, fidgeting. Their gazes all said the same thing. I wanted to prove my theory though.

"When I did that, what did you all feel?", I asked. I looked between all their faces.

"I sensed immediate danger. Something between a warning and a cry?", Arlan described. So it was true. I looked to Chase.

"Yeah, pretty much same. There was an urgency I couldn't explain. I just had to come see that you were okay", he said, blushing. I looked to Gray, giving him a bit of stink eye. He sheepishly pulled the rest of his body off of mine. He looked between the other two boys. He shrugged, offering no explanation. I rolled my eyes. In any case, at least I knew how to summon them. I wondered if I could summon them individually. Food for thought.

"Now that we've rested, I vote we go to the realm of lightning today", Gray said, changing the subject not entirely from himself. I held my head in my hand, pondering him. Why the urgency? We just returned home! I decided to play along for his sake.

"I mean I'm technically a small part of every clan, right? It couldn't hurt to gather all the intel and warriors we can, right?", my line of questioning directed at Chase. He scratched his face thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I mean what could it hurt. The realm of fire can wait. Matilda isn't going anywhere anytime soon", Chase said, conceding. Arlan looked around at us. He looked so lost.

Chase and Gray filled him in our plan. Also taking the time to explain our last few days; how Chase and I had met, how we figured out some of the nightmare's plans, how we discovered what I was. Arlan soaked it up like a sponge.

He kept his eyes on me. I studied his face as he took this all in. I concentrated as hard as I could, forcing my eyes to shift back to my human vision. It came flooding in, like a sixth sense added to my arsenal. I felt the room change as well. It seemed darker, more ominous. His skin was as pale as Chase's, but he had freckles. His hair was a dusty grey, as well. Long hair, just like Gray. Now kept in a ponytail. I wonder why Chase kept his short? Was it a status symbol? The same burning, emerald eyes. His white eyelashes framed his slight, cat like eyes perfectly. A strong nose, a strong jaw. He resembled Gray in almost every way, minus his clan's markings he shared with Chase. I tilted my head to the side, propped on my hand. I closed my eyes as I listened to Gray. When he was done, I opened my eyes to find all the boys looking at me. I suspected they wanted a game plan. My new power granted me that authority, I suppose.

"I say we go to the realm of lightning after we eat and regroup. I don't think it unwise to unpack most of our valuables here and set up a home base if we're going to be going back and forth between realms. We will set a magical barrier to protect this complex and its residents from any more nightmare attacks. Miss Hima seems to like you two enough, but she doesn't know about Arlan. Chase's younger brother is the best story we have, here for a visit because of the break in. Gray, you will be in charge of surveillance. Take in the scenery, scout potential routes. Chase, you will do weapons. Bring only what you deem necessary. I have a feeling we may receive the same hospitality as the nature realm, so let's pack light and let's pack extra empty bags. Arlan, you will be at my hip, stuck to me like glue, should anything happen from here on out. You are my right hand. Your presence is an utmost necessity to be my second pair of eyes. We should definitely stuff ourselves on food while we're here, pack light, and head out this afternoon", I finished.

The boys nodded along as I went, obviously committing what I was saying to memory. It was nice to be held accountable; to feel valuable. I rubbed my hands together after I was finished talking. The boys set out on their tasks. Gray went to see Miss Hima and make up a story, but was keeping eyes peeled for nightmares along the way. Chase unpacked our bags and sorted weapons into piles, picking and choosing what we would take along with us. Arlan sat and watched me as I changed into an outfit given to me by the nature realm. A low cut top, flowy in the arms, with a string laced across the chest to hold it closed. Thick, deep brown leather pants. Perfect for riding horses, resistant to knives. I tucked the front of my shirt into the pants. I turned to Arlan, holding my arms up.

"Is this too much?", I asked, slightly uncomfortable in my tight fitting pants. I slid my fingers along the waist, adjusting them higher. He shrugged. He blushed and it seemed way more pronounced on his paled skin than his grey. He looked away, scratching his neck. I rolled my eyes. Not helpful. I walked out into the living room, where Chase was sorting swords and daggers. He turned around, his mouth turning up at the corners.

"I didn't pin you to enjoy and wear the pirate attire, all you need is an eyepatch", he said playfully. I smirked. His eyes searched mine, looking for something I knew nothing about. I released my mind from my human vision, settling back into my realm vision. His face glowed under the light of his eyes. His eyes had started to turn white as well as his mark bled over his skin. I gasped. He raised an eyebrow. He must not even feel it happening. I pointed to his chest. He looked down, surprised as I was. He looked back up at me, pulling his shirt off to get a better look. It looked the same as Gray's marks. Green with a white overlay. I held my chin, perplexed. How and why was this happening? Why hadn't Arlan started? What was Chase's mood swing going to make him act like? Can we stop this or is it better to let it run it's course?

Lost in thought, I stared at the ground. Chase stood, approaching me. I met his eyes. There was something off about them, just like Gray's. Something calling him back to me. I felt the intensity of his emotions. Again, the same as Gray's. He looked down at my face, my lips in particular, his lips slightly parted. Arlan was quicker than he was though. He placed a hand on Chase's chest, a hand on my shoulder. He got between the two of us. Chase met his eyes, a hand flew to his and ripped it away from him. He took Arlan protecting me as a challenge. Arlan got in a stance, ready to fight. The front door opened and closed again. Gray was back.

As Gray rounded the corner, he saw our odd trio. Me, behind Arlan. Chase ready to pounce. Gray cleared his throat, unappreciative of the growing tension. Chase looked at him through eyes that were not his own. Gray looked at him in surprise, bouncing between his marking and his eyes. He quickly put together what was happening. He chuckled, he understood Chase's agression. He waved Arlan away from me. Arlan's hands dropped to his sides and moved away, but not far. Chase relaxed his posture too, still walking slowly towards me.

"He's not himself right now, in his mind. He knows exactly what's going on, but it's out of his control. I'm sure you'll experience it too. It's the male portion of the DayDreamer. Because the soul has a female host, it appears he can't... help himself. Jas is slowly instilling the male portion of the DayDreamer in us with every brand she gives us, his previous retainers inuded. His servants that came before us are all attempting to claw their way out at the presence of a female. The same thing happened to me", Gray explained to Arlan. Chase closed the gap between us. His hand wrapped around my waist, almost picking me up with the forcefulness of it. He took a handful of my hair at the base of my neck in the other, gently pulling my head backwards. He sealed his lips against mine, quickly sliding his lips down my jaw and onto my chest. I wasn't even embarrassed anymore. It was like having to train a dog to walk on a leash.

"Only she can stop him and snap him out of it, like dispelling electricity on metal after friction", he said. No sooner than he finished his sentence, I slammed my hand onto Chase's mark, making it light up even brighter. It sparked at my touch, throwing glitter in the air. Chase released me, falling to his knees, clutching and scratching at his chest where my hand was. His eyes turned green again, the white being pulled back into the mark. He exhaled a rattled breath, panting shortly afterwards.

"What the hell just happened to me? I had NO control over that!", he said, unnerved. He finally looked up at me apologetically. I shrugged.

"It looks like you can't help it. So I'm not worried", I said, wiping the corner of my lip with my finger, removing his saliva. He blushed, looking down at the floor. Gray laughed heartily, followed by Arlan.

"Come on, let's get ready", I said, laughing too.