I'm Not Tired (Please Let Me Sleep)

Chapter seven

"No way," Tommy breathed, restarting the short video clip that Nemesis had opened on her phone again, "no fucking way, I thought my case was closed."

Thunder had pulled out his own phone as well, having handed it to Zephyrus who was now watching the video for the perhaps fourth time as well. Siren and Blood God stood by his side, the latter having his arms crossed in front of his chest and a few of the shadow creatures to his feet. They looked anxious, constantly looking up at him for reassurance or comfort which he provided in form of a quick pet on the heads.

Tommy stared at the video clip. It was a reporter at first, announcing that the newest number-one hero had a request for all citizens of L'Manberg. Then the screen briefly faded into black before a new clip was played.

It was Dream, or rather Insomnia, standing in front of a simple white screen with his arms folded behind his back. The mask was staring right at the camera, the poorly drawn on smiley sending shivers down his spine. He cleared his throat, the noise echoing off the walls of what he assumed to be an empty room.

"Citizens of L'Manberg," Dream began talking, "I am honestly not sure how I should start this. I never expected to announce this, never dreamed of it but due to recent developments I'm in high hopes that this will reach people who may be able to help and perhaps even the person to who it is directed at."

The hero took a step to the side and then there was a picture of him as a child, smiling brightly into the camera. A toothy smile, showing off the gap that he had when he was seven and had ripped out the first milk tooth. There were no eyebags on his smooth skin, his cheeks were flushed and he looked healthy. Just like a kid was supposed to look like.

Tommy remembered the moment this was taken and seeing it again, being used to find him through the news was a punch to the gut.

Dream should not have been able to access that picture. Sam took it when he had taken his younger self out for ice cream, as a reward for losing his first tooth. It never showed up in his files, the man had promised him that when he contacted him after running from Dream's house.

"The picture was taken several years ago. It shows my younger brother, Theseus Wastaken."

And, of course, this bitch had the audacity to use his legal name. Expose it to the world as if he hadn't tried to bury it with his parents. It had once been nice, to be named after a Greek hero. But then the bullying started and all good memories that were once linked to the name got overshadowed by stupid, childish chants and the painful sensation of gravel sticking to his knees after being shoved to the ground.

"He was seven years old in this picture and the joy of my life."

"He hadn't even adopted me then," Tommy whispered angrily, gripping onto the phone a lot tighter than he needed to. The villains said nothing.

"I am his legal guardian since our parents are no longer able to care for them. They died in a car accident and-" Tommy almost gagged at the false sadness that the man used and he swore to himself that, should the villains not finish him off, he definitely would, "he's everything I have left."

The picture vanished and was instead replaced by a picture of him when he was a couple of years older, perhaps around 12 years old. He did not remember when this had been taken.

Dream had already been his guardian, his brother, when he was twelve. Had already tormented him for about two years by then. The untouched skin of his face and lack of scars were suspicious and Tommy was pretty sure that this picture had been edited.

"This is the most recent picture I found of him, about a year before he was taken from me."

"Taken from me my fucking arse, I ran!"