Moon Drunk || Dreamnotfound

Chapter Sixteen

George lifted his head to the sound of fingers tapping on his desk. Sapnap was standing right there, a look on his face that George couldn't quite decipher.

"What? What is it?" He asked.

"Have you seen Dream? I don't think he's at school and he hasn't been answering my texts," Sapnap said.

George frowned. "No, I haven't. Also, weird, because he practically always does. I can stop by his house later today, see if he's home."

English went on by, but from now on, they would be having Mrs. Clarkson as their teacher, because of what happened to the actual one.

In third period, George almost fell asleep. In fourth period, he asked Corpse if he knew where Dream was and the fluffy-haired boy stiffened for a split second before shaking his head. George also asked Techno, and he has also said no with slight stiffness.

Odd.

When lunch finally came along, George sat down next to Sapnap.

"I asked Corpse and Techno, they said they didn't know," George said.

Before Sapnap could open his mouth to speak, Nebula and Asher came up to their table and walked over to Ranboo and Wilbur, bending down to whisper in their ears.

George frowned as he watched Wilbur's face contort with worry, top lip curling slightly and then lowering back down with a stiffened body, as if realizing he was in public. Ranboo's lips twitched downward.

They walked away without another word—not before Nebula ruffled Corpse's hair, though.

Corpse scowled before answering the quiet question from Wilbur.

No one else at the table seemed to notice their strange behavior, nor the fact that the two other students had come over and secretively said something to Wilbur and Ranboo.

Sapnap raised a brow. "Did that seem weird to you?"

George nodded. "Oh yeah, and I think it has something to do with Dream not being at school."

------

The final bell rang as George was already out the door of his classroom. He hurried down the halls, pushing past the groups of friends who decided that it's a great idea to stand directly in the middle.

The breeze has quickened since the morning, and George shivered slightly as he went over to his car. He hopped in, starting it quickly and driving out of the parking lot and to Dream's house.

He arrived a while later. He got out and walked up to the front door. There was a passcode, and he knew what it was, but yet, doubt lingered in him, whispering to him, telling him to knock.

He did.

Just in case.

In case for what?

As he stayed quiet, he could here shuffling behind the door.

Dream.

"Dream, dude, can I come in? Please?" He asked.

Silence.

And then.

"Not today," a voice answered.

"Does this have to do with why you weren't at school today?"

"Yes! Now go away, please."

Honestly, this was all awfully strange. He's never had Dream turn him away at the door. Part of him wanted to open the door and see what had happened, yet, part of him told him that it was a terrible idea.

George chewed on his lip. "Well, are you going to school tomorrow?"

A pause.

A long pause.

"Maybe," Dream said.

Knowing that there would be no further answer, George retreated back into his car, driving away quickly and soon arriving at his house.

He went up to his room, (accidentally) slammed the door behind him, and sat on his bed, watching the lifeless wall as his mind quickly became quite the opposite.

He thought about what happened today.

He knew that a good amount of the students at Winterfest Highschool had to be shaken up from all the murders, and a fraction of his mind brought up the idea that when Nebula and the boy named Asher came up to the table, that's what they were talking about, the murders.

Yet, Wilbur and Ranboo's faces had contorted with worry and concern when the secret was whispered into their ears.

Plus, if it was about the murders, why keep it a secret?

Unless they weren't on the side of the murders that George believed.

No, that couldn't be true.

Right?

Doubt lingered within him, but he tried shaking it off as he stepped into the bathroom and slipped off his clothes for a hot, comfortable, refreshing shower.

His mind still ran like clockwork as he waited for the water to warm up.

His friends wouldn't get off his mind. Dream, specifically.

Surprising.

The door clicked open and George jumped, snatching a towel and wrapping it around his waist sloppily, one hand holding it from behind.

The door immediately shut again, followed by the laughing voice of his dad.

"Whoops, sorry. I didn't mean to do that," his dad said, chuckling. "But, I do want to give you an update about the case... once you're finishing showering."

George dragged a hand down his face—partly because that was embarrassing, partly because he was trying to hide a laugh—and said, "'Kay! Cool, I'll come down in a bit!"

Footsteps receded and George stepped into the shower's open arms after letting the towel fall to the floor.

He drifted off into his thoughts.

———

A good half hour later, George went downstairs, surprised by the eagerness beneath his steps.

His dad was on his phone, leaning on the counter, a cold pizza in his hand. He looked up when he heard George walking up to him.

"Okay, please tell me if this bores you," his dad said. "So, I was leading a patrol into the forest and I shit you not, this... hug—no—enormous creature runs in front of us. I've never seen anything like it, and I swear it didn't look like any of the animals we have in the forest. We started chasing it down and a few of the officers I was with managed to shoot it, but it got away, even with so many bullet wounds. But, bud, I swear, it didn't look like anything of this world."

George tilted his head. "That seems scary, not going to lie, Dad."

His dad shrugged. "It was, but there was too much adrenaline flowing through my veins to even think about it."

"Did you use the silver bullets?" George asked.

"Not yet, I want to save them.""

He stayed quiet, thinking carefully.