The Lucid Effect

Chapter Eight

"Alice?"

The young man with dark hair and eyes held the woman in his arms while she buried her face in his shirt. When he tried to pull away, she shook her head and held on to him in a vice grip.

Felix looked at Arin, confusion apparent on his features. Arin just shrugged.

"You're getting a better reaction than I did. She just kinda stood there and stared."

"You guys were getting chased by rems," Pav pointed out.

"Details," Arin dismissed.

When Alice unburied herself from Felix's shirt, she looked up at him, eyes shining.

"I thought I would never see you again."

"I'm sorry."

"What happened?"

He turned his gaze away from hers and scratched the back of his neck. Alice was a little relieved that his nervous habit hadn't changed over the years.

"It's kinda complicated..."

"I don't care; you owe me an explanation."

"Not right now he doesn't," Raz cut in. "We haven't much time. You said that Nightmare was looking for you not too far from here, and it's no secret in this town that I am a Dreamer sympathizer. We need to get you on your way—but first, Rip Van Winkle. Felix, the book, please."

At Raz's request, Felix managed to get out of Alice's hold to pick the large, old book up from off of the floor and set it gently in the Knower's lap. Alice watched as she opened the book up to the desired page on the first try. They all waited for a moment before Raz spoke, her eyes scanning the page as she did:

"Rip Van Winkle is not unfamiliar to Wakers, but to you, Alice, and perhaps even you, Pav, this will be new to you."

Pavlov shook his head. "Can't say I'm familiar. Monsters aren't much for stories."

"I figured as much. Van Winkle is a legend about a Lucid who stayed asleep, in order to stay here in the Dream World. To us, he's just a legend, a story we tell children before we put them to wake at night. But, all legends have some base in fact. It's quite possible Van Winkle is still out there somewhere."

"And you think he can help?" Alice asked, trying to control her voice so it didn't sound too eager.

"It's a long shot. A very long shot. I know a lot of things—I didn't earn my title by sitting here doing nothing—and it is very rare that I don't have an answer or solution. When those of us with knowledge fail, it is appropriate to turn to things that are unbelievable. Rip Van Winkle's legend has been around since before Pitch came into power, and perhaps he knows a way to stop the Nightmare Dagger's curse. With old age comes wisdom, and if he's still alive, it's possible he may know something."

"Or, he might not know anything. He might not even exist."

Arin was standing with arms crossed with a frown. His skepticism was radiating off of him in low, invisible waves. Alice could feel herself deflate.

"Well, do you have any better ideas?" Felix challenged him meekly.

"No, I don't. I didn't even know Alice was alive until an hour ago."

"Then what's the harm in trying?"

"We don't even know where to start! How do you find a legend?"

"And that's why this is helpful," Raz interrupted, tapping on her book. "I don't keep all of these old dead trees around just for show, you know."

Raz turned the page, revealing a cut-out in the heart of the book, containing a smaller book. She pulled it out carefully before presenting it to Alice. Everyone in the room just stared at the small journal, confused, until recognition dawned on the Lucid dreamer standing in the middle of it all.