The Hunters of Artemis: The Return of the Hunters

Chapter 24: The Dream

I lay down in my bed in a bit of a haze. The sheets grazed my legs softly as I slipped under the covers. My mind was filled with too many thoughts. 

After I came back from the dance with the note, I confronted the Hunters about what the note said.

"What does this mean?" I demanded. "It says that you guys would know what to do next. How would you guys know what to do next if you don't know who's putting the notes everywhere, or if you don't know what's going on?"

Lyra put a hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down. "We don't know who's putting the notes everywhere..." she said. "We... We suspect, but we don't know."

"And who do you suspect kidnapped my mother and is leading us to her with cryptic notes?" 

They all exchanged knowing glances and I wanted to scream. "We think..." Hannah started. "We think that the old Rhea... Is back."

I closed my eyes and I wished to fall asleep quickly. I didn't want to think that the girl I was named after, and look identical to was back. I didn't want to imagine a girl that looks like me plunging a dagger into my mother's stomach. I didn't want to imagine what she could do if she couldn't die again.

Looking back, maybe I shouldn't have gone to sleep that night at all, for the dream I had that night would haunt me forever.

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I stood in a dark, square room, with no lights except for one shining down on a full body mirror, which was the only other thing in the room besides me. I stepped forward to look in the mirror, but my reflection wasn't there.

I turned around to see if there was anyone else in the room, but there wasn't.

When I turned back to the mirror, I could see myself. I could see my blonde hair, and my blue-green eyes stared back at me. I studied my light skin and saw that in the mirror, I was wearing a black leather jacket, black combat boots, and shimmery black leggings. 

I looked down at myself, and saw that I was wearing a silver parka, camoflauge jeans and running shoes.

Confused, I looked back up at the mirror, only to see my reflection smirking at me.

"Hello," it said.

I jumped back and looked around, sure that there was some kind of projector or something. 

"It's not a trick," my reflection said. "I'm on the other side of the mirror."

Blinking, I shook my head. "That's... There is no other side of the mirror."

She smirked and chuckled slightly. "Well, not in the physical realm. In the dream realm, anything is possible. But, because of... limitations, I can only appear to you in this way." She stared at me scrutinizingly. "You do look exactly like me."

It was only then that I realized who the girl in the mirror was. I took a step back. "You..." I said in a quiet voice. "You're Rhea!"

"And, as far as I know, so are you," Rhea replied snarkily.

I glowered at her. "Did you have anythign to do with the kidnapping of my mom?"

Rhea inspected her fingernails. "I may or may not have."

I walked straight up to the mirror and screamed, "Give her back! You had no right to take her! That's my MOTHER!"

"I had no right to take her?" Rhea asked, dangerously quiet. "She killed me."

"AND YOU KILLED HER!" I wanted to punch the mirror. "The only difference is that she came back. And if she hadn't come back from the dead, I wouldn't be here."

"And I'm supposed to, what, applaud that?"

I huffed. "You used to be her best friend. Why can't you be the least bit happy for her? I mean, she's happy. She has a family who loves her. You used to love her like a sister. What on Earth could have changed that?"

Rhea glared at me. "Your mother is perfect in every way. She's gorgeous, kind, intelligent, able to make everyone love her after one meeting. I had to make the effort to make friends, and to succeed in school, and to get Artemis's attention. She was flawless. She could get Artemis's undivided attention in seconds. You think that I hate her because she was secretly awful? No. I despise her because she was always perfect. Always the image of grace and the epitome of class and humor."

Suddenly, everything made sense. "You hate her because she was everything you could never be."

When Rhea said nothing, I looked up at the ceiling before asking quietly. "Is she still alive?"

"For now."

It was like the weight of the sky had been lifted off of my shoulders. My heart weighed slightly less, but it was still heavy. "Is she hurt?"

"Let's just say that there's no way she will be escaping any time soon." Rhea cocked her head to the side and gave me a sweet smile. "I'm afraid that our meeting must be cut short. Be assured, we will meet again."

The mirror disappeared, and I felt myself waking up.