Dream Partners: Dark Rain (book 2)

Chapter 14: Fight of the Heart

After walking through the smoke, he found Andrea unconscious but back to normal, and despite feeling weak, he drug her on his back to the portal and passed through before collapsing on the floor of the living room next to Andrea. Maya rushed over to him and he turned and said "Put the girl in a force field quickly" and Maya did as he instructed despite the protests of the family. When Maldor got enough strength, he slowly stood up and turned to Maya and the others and said "Her heart is corrupted with chaos". Maya gasped and the rest of the family just stared in confusion. Maldor sighed and said: "Andrea's heart is only immune as long as Jay is here to share the harmony in his heart with her's to create a pure unbreakable balance...but now that he's gone, her heart is not fully filtering all the chaos that we used to bring her back...its building and seems to activate based on her feelings but I need to figure out what triggers it so we can keep it at bay".

Maya said "So basically you're saying she will become one of them without Jay being here?" and Maldor said, "Ultimately, yes but there's a way to keep it bay, and now's a perfect time to do it before she wakes up and has a chance to grow violent again". Julie said "Do what to her?" and Maldor said" I'm going to send her deep into her subconscious...the corruption is linked to her mind and if she can face whatever is triggering her, then she can have a much better grip on the infection until we can figure out how to get Jay back here". Maldor spoke again and said, "our powers are accessed through deep meditation which we use to channel the powers from the stars, nature, and harmonious sources...if the mind isn't sharp it won't work and if the heart isn't in full balance it won't work unless you train to channel both at once but it's highly dangerous which is why she exploded earlier but her powers saved her".

Maldor said "Enough questions...Maya send her into the dream realm" and she nodded and pressed her hands to Andrea's forehead and initiated the connection. Andrea woke up in her own room next to Jay as he smiled at her. Andrea said "What are you doing here?" and he smiled and said," I'm your Jay yet I'm not...everything I know is based on your memories of him so in a way I am him but not him so I'm not gonna try to make sense of this". Andrea said, "Okay okay, let's just call you a representation of my memories of him". Andrea said to "herself where am I? And why am I here ?". She opened her bedroom door and there stood Maya with a smile on her face. Maya said, "I'm the real Maya...I'm connected to your mind right now and I've sent you to the dream realm so you can defeat whatever is accelerating the corruption of your heart". 

Andrea looked at Maya confused and Maya said:" Look I haven't got the time to explain...just find whatever's bothering you and face it before your heart fully blackens and after you do, you'll be able to wake yourself up". After that, Maya disappeared leaving Andrea to try and piece together what made her lose control but it was Jay who already knew". He said, "You need to find the memory of Ariel vaporizing me but first you gotta pass through that city of trauma down there and up to that temple on the mountain...and beware, Agathor memory is here and will try to stop you at every turn using the chaos building in your heart".

Andrea sighed and said "I-I can't" and Jay grabbed her hand, smiled at her, and said "I'll help you...were dream partners now and forever" and she smiled and said, "Let's go". Andrea's room disappeared and they now stood on a hill looking down into a giant city that seemed to be built of her memories and past the city on the top of a mountain was the temple from the first city. Jay held her hand as they walked and followed the road coated with black energy into the city...they knew if they followed the trail of corrupted energy they'd find the source. They continued walking until they came to Andrea's old middle school and walked in. The door disappeared behind them and a wall separated her and Jay, leaving her alone as she reverted in age.

Andrea walked through the halls as the children giggled, sneered and pointed, and called her the trans kid or the school skank". Andrea quickly ducked into a nearby classroom that was unused and huddled against the door ". Andrea was overcome with fear and anger as she was alone being forced to relive her past. After a few minutes, she heard Jay's voice echo through the room and he said two words "Get up". Andrea immediately forgot about being scared and focused on everyone who was depending on her to come out of this and with that she stood up and opened the door headed back out with one hell of a poker face.