||Hello Neighbour: A Better Timeline||

||Chapter 107: Odd Dreams. ||

Theodore came into the living room with coffee, seeing the kids showing Nicky an old photo album.
"Woah, that's your uncle; Why does he look injured and Mr Peterson?"
Mya leaned over,"Apparently he did boxing, karate or something outside of school, did you do boxing too dad?", he shook his head,"Nope, only Franklin did, I was always inside drawing, but I was incredibly clumsy and you'd be surprised how easy it was to scare me.", Nicky found that hard to believe, Mr Peterson sipped his coffee,"But I still think I am clumsy, but I have faster reflexes than I did before, I always tripped and usually landed on my face or barely caught myself.", flipping through lore pictures, Mr Peterson joined them as he filled them in on each picture and the story behind it.

=

"AARON!"
Aaron woke up, having been yelled at by his sister.
"What. . .?"
Suddenly, he sat up.
He wasn't in bed, nor in his house but laying on the grass of The Fair Grounds, looking it it looked like the state it was in before the fight broke out or the Cultists.
And everyone, was in their PJs.
"Is this another dream?"
"Yeah. . . Has to be cause Lucy's able to walk."
Delory looked around,"Why are we back here? Usually we're in a house, the school, woods or something; This is new.", Trinity nods, Finch pointing around,"Yeah, for one it's usually dark but how does this happen like, once or twice a month?", Delory shrugged, Ivan sighed,"I'm just glad it's not night time lime the last one, I don't see anyone coming to chase us yet; So we can breath for a moment.", Trinity nods,"Agreed: No creepy cat, mirros, paint coin, fire or Cultists, so far it's a win.", Maritza however looked sad, Mya knelt down to her,"I'm just sad cause my onesie was put in the wash, I really wanted to wear it.", Mya hugged her friend, with the days getting colder she understood,"You'll get it back soon.", Lucy shook her head, turning to Aaron who was looking around for obviously one missing person,"I don't see Nicky. . . He's usually not here all the time, I know but when he is, he's usually found on a swing.", Lucy frowned, out of them all Nicky dreams the most but it's usually nightmares,"Maybe he's not asleep or isn't in this one.", Aaron nods, but it feels like Nicky is here. . . Somewhere, but didn't know where.

~

Nicky woke up on the floor, looking around before slowly getting up: He was in the classroom.
But something feels different, he doesn't see any signs of a nightmare staring, no monsters and the school felt different.
"Aaron? Mya?... Dad?? Hello?"

~

Delory sighed,"Maybe we were dreaming of this place cause of what happened, this can't be real since it's in the middle being torn down.", Maritza then grabbed his arm,"Delory. Guys. Crowface.", sure enough, emerging from the Haunted House wad Crowface.
. . .
"Run?"
"Run."

~

"Hello?? Anyone??"
Was this just a normal dream? Mean it's nice, but definitely not use to it; when does the horror begin.
. . .
Guess it is a normal dream, Nicky thought he'd have a nightmare about the Fair but. . . Guess he got a break.
He sighed, but still there was something different about the school. . . He couldn't put his finger on it-
"Are you lost?"
Nicky jumped back, startled and ready to run from a monster but.
"School's done for the day, and you're in your. . . Pajamas?"
A much taller and older boy, brown hair, a green vest and white shirt, sleeves rolled up and looked a little familiar?
"Uhm. . . I uh, it's a long story uhm. . . Who are you?"
. . .
He just stared at Nicky, never dropping his smile and Nicky titled his head.
"Hello?"
"Sorry, did you say something?"
"I asked. . . For your name-?"
"Are you alone?"
. . .
Nicky guessed it was one of those dreams, were people in the dream didn't have names and this was a person he made up? Maybe??
Dream logic. . .
"Uh well, I don't know. . . I'm looking for my friends and uh, you look like one of them? Have I see you around before??", he shook his head,"I don't believe so, I've never seen you around here but you're probably with the first years; I'll help you find your friends, mostly cause there's a group of kids that pick on younger kids like you.", he offered Nicky's hand, to guide and protect him.
"Thanks, I'd appreciate it."
And Nicky shook hands with him.

~

"PLEASE STOP!!"
Gerda stumbled out of the school doors, the school now looked abandoned, rotten and all around felt like despair.
"I KNOW WHAT I DID AND DESERVE TO DIE, I DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!!!"
She screamed that at a man, her tears not making him stop.
He just stood there, then he slowly smiled at her.
"Why is he smiling like that. . ."
It was the same smile he had gave her when Franklin died, the day she was scared that Robert knew what she did and he stood before her.
"Miss Gerda?"
Gerda jumped.
"You're here too?"
She turned around, seeing Nicky and. . .
. . .
"Are you okay, why are you crying?"
Standing behind Nicky, in the ruins of the school that he seemed obvious to, she began to shake.
"Gerda? What's wrong??"
Franklin, pale, scared and bloody, simply smiled and waved at her, flashing a smile but before Gerda could reach out and warn Nicky, the doors slammed shut!

Nicky jumped!
"The doors slammed on her. . . Too be fair, the magnets that hold the doors suck, they should get new ones, was she having a bad day?", Nicky nods,"Yeah uh. . . She recently lost her Bakery and stuff happened. . .", he wasn't gonna vent everything to a dream person, if he did, he'd be worried about sleepwalking.
The boy nods,"I see. . . I'm sorry to hear. But let's focus on getting you to your friends, let's hope that group hasn't found them yet and gave them a hard time.", that's true, and he continued to follow him.

=

"Why did it turn night. . . And why did Crowface chase us here?!?"
Ivan got up from his dive for safety, finding themselves just outside of the grounds of The Weather Station.

Inside, Aaron stood in front of Trinity, Lucy and Mya, Crowface standing before them.
"Why are you doing this?!"
. . .
Silence, heavy silence.
As Crowface's breaked opened, creaking as it did, all they got were. . . Sounds like he was trying to speak but couldn't, like each word was a pain to even say.

=

"Best you head on now."
He smiled at Nicky,"It was nice talking to you, and be careful; Both around Christmas and in general, Raven Brooks is an odd place.", he turned around to leave, but ruffled Nicky's hair,"Hope to see you around Nicky.", Nicky shrugged,"I don't think we will but. . . What's your, and he's gone.", he was alone at the school entrance.
Have I seen him somewhere before?? I feel like I have, but. . . He doesn't sound familiar.