In Dreams

* * *

The darkness receded a little, enough that Sarah was vaguely aware of her surroundings. The floor was hard underneath her, and the back of her head ached.

At first, a single voice called her name. The voice then multiplied into several, all asking different questions.

“Is she alright?”

“Did anyone see what happened?”

“Sarah? Can you hear me?” That one was Robyn.

Sarah hadn’t noticed her sister was there. Was Robyn scared? Why would she be scared?

The world phased in and out of darkness, and Sarah tried to steady herself.

The blood was gone now. She wondered if this time it was done with her, if it was satisfied. Would it stop now? Or did she have to wait for it to become real, somehow, somewhere?

“Should we take her to the hospital?” a boy asked.

Sarah shook her head, almost laughed.

It was too late.

She was already dead.

* * *

Sarah paced in her room much like a caged animal.

She wanted to get out of there, out of that room, away from the silence and the bloodstained walls.

She forced herself to stop. There was nothing wrong with the walls.

A deep, shuddering breath. And there was no blood anywhere in sight.

Her own reflection stared back at her from the mirror with wide, terrified eyes on a face that was way too pale.

Sarah tried to even her breaths, fighting the panic that wanted to rise for no apparent reason.

She thought she heard sounds from outside, but she was ready to discard it as more tricks from her own mind.

The doorknob turned.

Sarah held her breath, unable to move. The door edged open as if teasing her, until finally Robyn squeezed through the narrow opening. She’d barely shut the door when Sarah threw herself on her and hugged her as tightly as her own healing wounds would allow her.

Robyn joined in the embrace with her good arm. “Ow.”

Sarah eased the pressure, but couldn’t let go, clenched fists bunching up Robyn’s t-shirt.

Her sister was finally there and obviously fine—more or less—but her mind had yet to catch up and let go of the fear.

Smiling, Robyn pried Sarah away from her. “Careful with the shoulder.”

Sarah released her. The hug should be enough proof that her sister was real.

Robyn practically collapsed on the chair closest to the bathroom. Her gaze unfocused for a while, then she frowned. “Were you crying?”

“I thought something happened to you. I thought…” Sarah shook her head, unwilling to say what she’d thought. It was probably obvious.

“I’m fine.” Robyn sighed, leaning back against the chair. “You, on the other hand, look like a mess. Go wash your face. You know that wounded puppy dog look makes me uncomfortable.”

Sarah glared at her.

“Go on.” Robyn closed her eyes. “It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

Sarah wouldn’t admit she was afraid Robyn would vanish once she looked away, but she left the bathroom door open.

The cold water was soothing, but the mirror didn’t help. It showed her nothing new except how red her eyes truly were. Sarah watched herself take a few calming breaths as she shoved her fears back to the corner of her mind.

The intercom sounded.

“Sarah?” Pegasus’ voice came through the com without any prompting. “I’m calling to see if you’re feeling better.”

She came out, still drying her face. Robyn was already at the com. She looked asleep on her feet as she watched the device, her finger nowhere near the button.

“Of course it’s him,” Robyn muttered half to herself. She smiled at Sarah. “Checking up on you now, is he?”

“Sarah?” Pegasus insisted. “It’s not like you can pretend you’re not there.”

Robyn’s finger hesitated above the button, still no closer to pressing it. “He’s got a point.”

“Sarah?” There was a hint of tension in his voice. “Don’t tell me you snuck out again.”

“Which again is he talking about?” Robyn asked.

“Robyn?” he called as if he’d heard her.

Robyn turned back to the com and this time she pressed the button. “Yeah, hey. Sarah’s in the bathroom. What’s up?”

“I thought you were supposed to be resting.” There was a trace of reprimand in his voice.

Robyn shrugged her good shoulder. “I am… here.”

“Well, if you’re out and about already, you could make yourself useful. We have an unusually large number of emergency calls to filter through. I could use your help.”

“Hang on a sec.” She turned back to Sarah with a tired smile. “He never lets me have any time to myself. It’s so annoying sometimes. Is a second to focus and get my thoughts straight too much to ask?”

“You’re not going back to work, are you?” Sarah asked. “Never mind your shoulder, you look like you’re half-asleep.”

“I’m not sleepy. But I am really, really tired. And I think I was dreaming when I closed my eyes just now. I was at the park, down by the lake. I remember I had to beg Pegasus to let me go with you guys when Grandpa died.”

Maybe the meds had messed up her mind or something. “Robyn? We never went back to the park after Grandpa died.”

“I know. I know that.” Robyn pressed her fist to her forehead. “Except you’re wrong.”

Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but she was cut off by an alarm. It wasn’t the medical emergency alarm she’d heard twice already. She thought she also heard the lock on the door click open.

Robyn scoffed. “Fire alarm? Really?”

Pegasus’ voice came through the com again. “Exit will be through the south end.”

He sounded like he was running. Confused, Sarah nonetheless started moving towards the door. Robyn lifted a hand to stop her.

“We’re fine right here,” she said into the com. Then she turned to Sarah. “It’s a training exercise. There’s no fire.”

Sarah still took a step towards the door with a doubtful look towards the com.

Robyn feigned hurt. “You’re going to trust him over me?”

“Well, you look kinda out of it. And he sounds actually sane.”

Robyn laughed. “I guess he was doing his job better than Scorpion thought.” She pressed the com button. “We’re perfectly safe where we are.”

“Robyn, don’t do this,” Pegasus pleaded.

His tone gave Sarah pause. She felt she’d missed something crucial to understanding what was going on.

A chill ran through her. “Robyn?”

“I suppose you’re right outside, aren’t you?” Robyn asked into the com, ignoring her.

“Yes.” There was no trace of levity in his voice.

“I’d stay back if I were you.”

“Robyn!” Sarah shouted, resisting the urge to throw the bath towel at her. “What the hell is going on?”

Robyn blinked at her and Sarah thought maybe her sister was more confused than she seemed. There was clearly something wrong, but she had no idea what was going on between her and Pegasus.

“I need a moment of peace and quiet so I can focus.” Robyn’s finger was still on the com button whether she realized it or not. She closed her eyes. “I wanna go back to the park that day after the funeral and lay on the grass. Let the wind take away everything that was painful.”

What was wrong with Robyn? Was it more than some fight she’d had with Pegasus? Clearly, she wasn’t fully lucid.

“We never went to the park after Grandpa’s funeral,” Sarah insisted.

They had planned to. It was the place he always took them to when they were little. But a call came in as they were about to leave the house. “Don’t you remember? Susie had an allergic reaction, and we had to go stay with her in the hospital until aunt Ruth got back into town. We didn’t go to the park. We haven’t gone since.”

Robyn’s eyes locked on her with a familiar stubbornness. “We did. We went to the park and Dad fried a couple of burgers for us, and we played Frisbee until you fell into the bushes and scratched your arm and the side of your face.”

Sarah shook her head automatically. That never happened. Even when they had gone and played Frisbee, she’d never fallen into any bushes.

Robyn smiled, but it was a sad sort of smile. “But you’re right, you didn’t go to the park that day.”

Sarah didn’t even know where to start. Did Robyn mean she went by herself or she imagined it?

Robyn apparently realized she was still holding down the com button. “This wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” she whispered into it.

“And what happens now?” Pegasus asked.

“We start with you moving away from this door… back all the way down to 1005. I’ll call it up. You have ten seconds.” She released the com button.

A churning started in Sarah’s stomach. “Robyn? What are you—”

“I just want them to run. But it’s not like they can really get downstairs in ten seconds.”

Robyn pressed her fingertips to her eyes.

“Are you feeling okay?” Sarah asked. Her sister was obviously not okay.

Robyn started dialing up another com.

“Talk to me, please,” Sarah insisted.

“Did you make it?” Robyn asked into the com, ignoring Sarah but for a glance.

“We pulled back,” Pegasus answered. “Now what?”

“Tell me what’s going on!” Sarah shouted, wondering if Pegasus would hear her.

His answer came immediately. “She’s not your sister, Sarah. She’s an impostor.”

Robyn chuckled. “That’s ridiculous.”

Sarah took an involuntary step back. It was ridiculous, but there was a sliver of doubt in her mind. Robyn was acting weird ever since coming into her room.

“He’s messing with you. He’s up to something, can’t you tell?”

Part of her was hoping she’d wake up from this nightmare soon. The other part wanted to scream.

Could this be some sort of test? Maybe they wanted to see what she would do. But what part would Robyn be playing?

The trace of amusement on Robyn’s face turned into surprise. “Damn, you’re really not sure which one of us to trust, are you? Congratulations, Pegasus, you got inside her head.”

“You’re not helping your case by acting all crazy.”

“The meds don’t help,” Robyn muttered. “I can’t think straight.”

“Tell me something then. Something only we would know, something my sister never would’ve told anyone.”

Robyn let go of the com button and leaned back against the wall to face her. “You mean like that little box with ten slivers of paper buried in the backyard?”

Sarah breathed out slowly. That was a bit of childhood silliness she’d all but forgotten about, but it was also something she’d never told anyone. She was equally sure Robyn wouldn’t say a word, if only because it was embarrassing.

“What’s on the last piece of paper?” Sarah asked.

“Our blood,” Robyn answered without a moment of hesitation. “And on the first one, there’s a promise to stick together no matter what. I never told anyone that. I kept it to myself for a rainy day.”

It really was Robyn.

Sarah dropped onto the closest chair, feeling like her body had been sapped of strength.

Of course this was her sister—even if she was acting crazy. Who else would she be?

That meant Pegasus had been lying to her. From when? And if he wasn’t trying to trick her, then that meant something had happened that made him think someone had taken Robyn’s place.

Sarah felt a chill. Where did he think the real Robyn was?

None of this made sense. Not Robyn’s comment about the park, not Pegasus’ claim that she was an impostor, not the blood that was and wasn’t on the wall… and not the darkening shadow underneath the door.

Maybe if they talked it over once Robyn’s meds were out of her system, they’d be able to find where this suspicion came from and straighten everything out.

Sarah planted her feet steadily on the floor, ready to push herself up, but she froze when her eyes locked onto the door. Or rather, on the crimson shadow that was slowly forming beneath it.

Was this another hallucination? She was sure she’d felt the blood rush from her face and cold set in.

She looked up and met Robyn’s eyes. Robyn immediately looked towards the spot underneath the door, stiffening.

The blood was real.

Robyn punched something into the com and stepped away from the door. She pulled out a gun from her sling and pointed it at Sarah. “I guess my time is up.”