"And this is the kitchen, where our chefs cook the most delicious food imaginable," Mrs. Smith said, showing me the room which smelt of caviar and lobster. I smiled and nodded. "Thank you for the tour, Ms. Smith. I do have one question. Where do you keep the Dreamers?"
Ms. Smith looked around to make sure no one was listening. Then she whispered "She's in the basement. Being our new maid, you will have to feed her." I cocked my head to the side. "One. I thought you had at least five." Ms. Smith shook her head. "The rest have been taken to the Device already."
"Mommy, what's a Dreamer," a little girl said, coming over to Ms. Smith. Ms. Smith frowned. "They are dangerous. They were like us, before the explosion. Now, they can make anyone's dream a reality." The little girl furrowed her eyebrows. "Why is that bad?" Ms. Smith sighed. "They are selfish. They refused to use their abilities to help the World, to help people."
I wanted to step in and tell the little girl her mother was wrong. The Dreamers didn't use their abilities because they always came with a cost. But the people without these people thought they were just being greedy with their gift. That was why the war between the Regiment (those who wanted to use the Dreamers) and Rangers (those who wanted the Dreamers to be free) started. Why the World had become so divided over the last few years.
That night, when everyone was asleep, I snuck down into the basement. Just as Ms. Smith had said, there was only one girl there. She was in a cell and looked terrified. She saw me. “Who-Who are you?” I smiled at her. “It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you. My name is Kat. I’m a Ranger spy. And I’m going to get you out of here.”
The girl looked at me suspiciously. “How do I know I can trust you?” I took out my necklace, which had the symbol of the Rangers on it. The girl looked at me. “You are a Ranger.”
“My name is Alora,” the dreamer said. I nodded. “That’s a very pretty name, Alora. Now, I’m going to help you get out of here, but I can’t do it now. I need to figure out how we can escape. Give me two days, tops. Can you do that?” Alora nodded. I gave her the necklace. “Keep it and let it remind you, that you are not alone.”
The next day I pretended like I was just the new maid for the Smiths. I went down and fed Alora. “Everything is going to be okay,” I assured her, as she hungrily ate the food I gave her. “I know, Kat. Say, why are you helping me?”
I didn’t like talking about my past with anyone. It hurt too much. But if I was telling Alora to trust me, I should trust her.
“My little brother was a Dreamer. He was 18, around your age I’m guessing. He didn’t care about any of that though. He just wanted to be a football player, become as big as Jax Chopper, you know him, right? But the Regiment found out. They wanted him to comply, but he refused. So they killed him,” I explained bitterly, crossing my arms. Alora nodded. “I am deeply sorry. It makes me wonder whether my parents are worried about me. My siblings were already killed by the Regiment for trying to protect me. Now I’m in their clutches, and it’s like their sacrifice was for nothing.” I sighed. “Don’t worry. I will make sure their sacrifice will not be in vain.” Alora smiled. “Thank you.”
The next day, I was told to take care of Ms. Smiths’ daughter, the little girl who had asked about the Dreamers. She wasn’t much trouble, in fact, she wasn’t any trouble. She simply played with her toys. I watched her, but my mind was elsewhere. All I could think about was Alora, my brother, and the other Dreamers, and how unfair all of this was. They deserved to be with their family and live full, good lives. Not this.
“Are you okay,” the little girl asked me. I looked at her and faked a smile. “Why wouldn’t I be?” The little girl shrugged. “You don’t seem happy. In fact, you seem sad.”
I shook my head. “I’m fine, little girl.” The girl could tell I was lying. “First of all, my name is Cae. And second, you are not fine. This is because of that Dreamer in the basement, isn’t it? I heard you two talking.”
I looked at the girl with amazement. “You eavesdropped,” I asked. She shook her head. “Nope. Just overheard,” she said. “But aren’t Dreamers bad? Why do you talk to her?”
“No, no, no. They aren’t evil Cae. They simply know that using their abilities would cause many great pain. They just want to keep the World safe and live their own lives. Is that evil?” Cae shook her head. “I guess not. Is that why the war is happening? Because people assume the Dreamers are selfish?” I nodded. “Mainly.”
“Cae, may I ask you a question now?” She smiled and nodded. “Are you happy here?” Cae thought about it for a minute before responding. “No,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “This place is a prison for everyone here. The workers, the Dreamers, even me.” I nodded grimly. “Well, you could have a place at the Ranger base. It’s a home for anyone who needs it and wants it. I’m just suggesting, of course. By no means would I say that would be a great idea.” Cae smiled. “I understand.”
That night, I went to the basement again. Alora was pacing, I guess because she knew that tonight was the night I had promised I would get her out of here. “Hi,” I said. Alora turned to me. “So, you have a way out of here?” I nodded. “It’s dangerous,” I said. Alora smiled. “Everything is dangerous in the World that we live in.”
I unlocked the cell with the keys Ms. Smith had given me. Then I grabbed Alora’s hand and led her through this maze of a house. I finally found the secret tunnel that must’ve been made for transporting goods before the hover-train was built.
I led Alora through the tunnel when we almost bumped into a boy. I took out my laser knife but I knew this boy. It was Ben, a childhood friend of mine. I thought he was a goner after being caught for being a Dreamer himself. “Ben,” I exclaimed. He noticed who I was. “Kat, been a while.” I hugged him and he hugged back. “Where have you been? How are you even alive,” I asked. He shrugged. “I’m not that easy to kill.”
He turned to Alora. “You’re a Dreamer, aren’t you?” She nodded. “You?” Ben nodded.
“Ben, what are you even doing here,” I asked. He took a deep breath. “There’s a device. We believe it can destroy the dreamscape.” Alora’s eyes widened. “Wouldn’t that get rid of our powers?” Ben nodded. Alora turned to me. “We have to get it.”
I looked between the two, an old friend and a new one. If this worked, it would end the war. But that wasn’t my mission. “Fine,” I said. “Let’s get that device.”
“You don’t have to,” a voice said, coming out of the shadows. It was Cae. In her hands, she held a sphere. It was glowing bright blue. “That’s it. That’s the device,” Ben said. I looked at the girl curiously. “But how did you-” She simply smiled and took out some keys. “Being a Smith has its perks.”
Suddenly, there was the sound of soldiers running towards us. “Cae, did you turn the alarm off,” I asked. She shook her head, fear starting to show in her eyes. “We have to go,” I exclaimed.
The four of us ran through the tunnel, hoping we could make it out before the soldiers found us. But they soon caught up to us. I took out my blaster and began shooting at the soldiers. Ben did the same. Cae hid behind us, holding the sphere close to her chest.
I could tell Alora’s mind was moving a hundred miles per hour. “Give me the sphere,” she told Cae, who did so. “Alora-,” I tried. She wouldn’t listen. “We have to do this now,” she said.
She closed her eyes as she touched the sphere. The atmosphere seemed to change. Everyone stopped shooting and looked at Alora. Power surrounded her, and it was ebbing away at her. She began to disintegrate. I tried to run to her, but Ben stopped me.
Alora smiled and opened her eyes, which were glowing. “It’s done.” Then she disappeared. Ben looked at his hands. He smiled. “She did it,” he said. “She really did it.”