LUCID

LUCID Part 11

Once I satisfied myself Randy posed no threat to either Kenzie or me, I sat across the table from the man I knew to be the "Great". Kenzie stood behind me. "Talk." I ordered, still amazed I had the willpower not to kill the man yet.

"Can I get a glass of water?" Randy asked.

"Hell, no!" Kenzie shouted.

"Talk, Mister Carter." I ordered again.

Taking a deep breath, Randy began. "I know you think I'm the Great, but I'm not. Look. I saw you two together at the library yesterday. Later that night, last night, I saw two people running from my house after breaking in. I figured it was you two again."

"We never broke into anywhere." Kenzie defended us.

Randy continued. "Anyway, I had to come to warn you. About the Great. You need to stay away from her. For your own protection. Before she tricks you into signing the accursed book of hers. She's a dream witch!"

Her? She? I thought.

"Stay away from who?" I asked angrily. "Who's a witch?"

"Her." Randy pointed at Kenzie. "Miss Mason. She's the Great. The dream witch of Dreamlands. She's been tricking you, Nash. This whole time. Everything she's ever told you is a lie. She wants something from you. Don't believe her!"

Am I still dreaming? I thought for a moment.

Despite my previous bursts of anger, I managed a small laugh. "A dream witch? The Great? You're joking?" I asked incredulously. Behind me, Kenzie remained silent.

"She's the Great." Randy repeated.

"You're freaking kidding me!" Kenzie shouted, unable to keep silent any longer, her body visibly shaking. I gave her a look and after a moment, Kenzie continued speaking, but in a calmer tone. "I'm the Great? It's you, loser. You said as much in the Dreamland last night. In the library. With those things. Nash called your name and you said something like 'don't trick me by calling me by my name' or something..."

"Look." Randy interrupted. "I don't know what happened last night in the Dreamlands, but I wasn't there and I didn't say anything. It must've been her. She created the image of me, to fool you. An illusion. She can do that." Randy turned towards me. "I'm here to protect you. From her. I can prove it."

Flabbergasted, Kenzie addressed me directly. "Nash. You can't believe any of this?"

"Not a damn word." I assured Kenzie. "Go ahead, Randy, prove it. Prove it as if your life depends on it, because... Well, you get it, don't you?"

"Here's the truth. The truth she won't tell you. I think she's Harley Warren's sister. She, along with the police, think I killed him. I didn't! We were colleagues! He was murdered by some sort of dark force in a grave. I swear! I didn't kill him! But she thinks I did. Look. I know she hangs around the University library trying to trick people into killing me for her. She won't do it herself. First, she tried to trick that principal fella, the one who stopped me when I jumped on you. He refused to help her kill me. Then she met you and tricked you into helping her. Hell, you almost killed me a few minutes ago. Miss Mason hates me because she thinks I killed her brother. I didn't. I promise!"

Behind me, I heard Kenzie begin to protest. I held up my hand and she kept quiet. "Let me get this straight. Kenzie here is the sister to this dead Harley Warren guy. You claim she thinks you killed him and she wants someone to kill you for revenge or something. Oh, and she's a witch who purposely hurts herself to trick me into thinking you did it?"

"This is stupid. I never even heard of Harley Warren before yesterday!" Kenzie mumbled.

"Look." Randy explained. "If you think you saw me in the Dreamlands, it wasn't me. Sure, I lucid dream, but she's the Great. She tortures me in my dreams, not the other way around. I've never even interacted with you in my dreams."

"Oh, this is rich." Kenzie muttered angrily. Coming around from behind me, Kenzie lifted her shirt, displaying the bandages and scars there. "And I suppose I did this to myself too? Imagined a little rat creature to scratch me up in my own dream?"

Randy turned away, disturbed by Kenzie's wounds. "It wasn't me, Nash." Randy pleaded. "Don't kill me and don't believe her. How did you even get my name and address? Let me guess, she gave it to you?"

I remembered Kenzie had provided me with Randy's name and address, along with the name of Harley Warren. However, I still didn't believe the man sitting across from me. "Why did you attack me in the library, then?" I asked.

"I thought you were going to sign that book." Randy explained. "I wanted to stop you."

"Are you done? Is that all the evidence you have? Because I still don't believe you. Now, you're going to pay for your crimes." I snarled, remembering someone had to sign the book in the Dreamlands, not in the real world.

"Wait!" Randy shouted, tossing his chair back and standing up. "She has a doll idol here. A magic doll. It'll look like a child. I know she does, she has to. I can find it! I can prove she's a dream witch! If she has a magic dream doll, that proves she's a witch! Black magic! She probably has other magic stuff here too! Witch tricks and spells. Give me a few more minutes to prove it, please! But whatever you do, don't turn your back on her! She'll kill us both!"