The Academy of S.I.D.E.

No. 49: The Dreamers

Three weeks.

Half of the Aberrations in the younger grades were quiet, and Virgil had even seen a couple of them crying. Larry had postponed the play, as well as the rehearsals. According to Pam, Persephone had locked herself in their room and refused to come out. Patton had none of his cheer. Remus was broken.

And Janus had been missing for three. Weeks.

"I never really registered until now how many kids Janus brought in," Virgil murmured. "Guess me and Patton aren't the only ones he managed to sort-of befriend."

"He's more like their cool uncle who they only see on Christmas," Roman said. "A lot of the Aberrations he finds are younger. Fifteen's the oldest they go without getting found."

"Like that makes me feel better."

Roman sighed and squeezed Virgil's hand. "I miss him, too."

Virgil looked up at him. "Really?"

"Yeah." He scratched the back of his neck. "I was actually starting to warm up to him again. I'd... I'd been planning to apologize for everything before..."

"Before it happened."

Roman nodded.

"He's not dead, Ro," Virgil said softly, squeezing his hand back. "Trust me on this."

"How do you know?"

"Because Pearl and Pam check every day and they haven't found him yet?"

Roman let go of Virgil's hand and shoved him. "Shut up."

"Okay, in all honesty, I have no clue whether he's alive or not, and I'm choosing to believe that he is," Virgil told him, rubbing his shoulder. "I don't want to think about the alternative."

"What options are there?" Roman grumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Dead, which I refuse to believe is possible," Virgil said, starting to tick them off on his fingers. "Being held captive by some maniac---not ideal, but better than death. And escaped said maniac and trying to make his way back to us---again, not ideal, but better than the other two, except not, because he could die trying to get back to us, and he probably doesn't know how to contact us, and---"

"Virgil." Roman rested a hand on his shoulder. "You're anxiety-rambling again."

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's fine."

.........

Virgil knocked on Remus's door. "You okay?"

"Come in if you want to," Remus responded. "I don't care."

Virgil opened the door and saw him sitting on the floor, wrapped in the blanket from Janus's bed. His back was to the doorway, but Virgil could tell by his voice that he'd been crying.

"Y'know, the ops are doing their best to find him," he told him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "They might've gotten a lead by now. You never know."

"Don't try optimism, Verge," Remus said, wiping his face. "It doesn't work on you."

"Well, Janus isn't dead, and we both know that."

"We don't know that. Anything could've happened to him."

"Hey, hey, no." Virgil kneeled down in front of him. "Is there any part of you that's telling you that he's dead?"

Remus hesitated. "No, not really. I mean, I've been trying to prepare myself for that, but... I think he's alive."