Kingdom Hearts: Dream Team

Chapter 7: Cloak of Mystery 💜

When we got to the house, my mom was lying on the couch, watching the TV. She wouldn't even look up. "How was work today, sweetie," she asked me. So I told her, "It was okay, Mom." I led my house guests to my room. "Wait here," I said. Everyone nodded, indicating they understood. Once they did, I began my search.

It took me several minutes, but I finally found what I was looking for. Then, I took it back to my room to show my guests. Joshua looked at me and asked, "What's that?" 

Letting out a sigh, I answered. "You keep asking me how I know Sora, well now you know." What I was holding was my copy of Kingdom Hearts.

"In my world, these video games chronicle Sora's story. For years, I've been trying to keep up with the storyline. For the games I don't have, I've been using YouTube to catch up." They all stared at me as if I was crazy. Neku asked, "Does that mean we don't actually exist?"

I tried to seem as blank as possible; as unreadable as a message written in invisible ink. "That's what I used to think, but lately, I've been having weird dreams. Dreams that remind me of what happens in the game. Dreams where I'm attacked by monsters from the dark that any sensible person would know to fear. Then, you two pulled me out of the street." I gestured to Neku and Joshua. "All of that was enough to change my perception of the entire thing. I know now that it was all real."

Shiki gasped, " So that's why Sora doesn't know you." I nodded; what I was saying was the truth. "It's also how I knew about the two Traverse Towns and that you guys made it back to Shibuya." 

Joshua stepped towards me. "It's alright, Aislynn," he assured. "I'm sorry that I was suspicious." Before I could say that he was forgiven, he grabbed my shoulders. "Now, tell us about your theory." The move made me feel awkward, but I shrugged it off.

"Joshua," I started, "you said in the car that a mission timer isn't supposed to stop." He nodded indicating that he remembered what he had said. "And," I continued, "if they do, something bad has happened." I paused for dramatic effect. "But, what if they stoped for a different reason?"
All of them looked awestruck, but I continued. "What if the timers stopped because there is no Reaper's Game in this world?" I mused. Before Joshua could interrupt, I held up my hand to silence him. "All worlds have different rules. The timers are probably just following the rules of my world." Again, Joshua tried to grab me, but I moved out of the way before he could. "Josh," Neku added, "Aislynn does have a point. Plus, I have other evidence."

Then, I noticed that Neku was holding something. "Ever since we got here," he started, "I haven't been hearing... the voices." Now, it was my turn to be the one confused. Neku held out his hand palm side up so that I could see what he was holding. It was a small black pin with a white skull graphic (really cool looking). The kind of pin one would have attached to the straps of a backpack. Curious, I asked him what it was.

"It's a player pin," Neku stated. I still had no idea what he was talking about. Slowly, he said, "It allows me to hear people's thoughts... and influence them." I was thinking whoa, but the words "That's... creepy" came out of my mouth. "Creepy and annoying," he added. "We each have one, but when me and Josh woke up here, mine stopped working."

Shiki held out her stuffed friend. "Mr. Mew has been really still lately," she said with a sad expression. "He's usually very active." Again, I was intrigued. "What do you mean by 'active'?"

Shiki gave me a wry smile. "Ever since I was entered into the Game, he's sort of had a mind of his own. Mr. Mew can move without any assistance from me." Even though I though that was cool, I was all business at the moment, so I didn't show my delight on the outside.

I turned to Joshua, trying to look as "matter of fact" as humanly possible. "How about that," I said, trying hard not to laugh. At first, he looked shocked, but then he smiled. "You're probably right," he told me. "The theory does seem plausible, but there might be bits and pieces missing." Joshua was right, there were lots of facts that I had probably missed. Some hidden in plain sight, while others you would need a telescope to find.

"Okay," I said regaining my composure. "The old sleeping arrangement has gone out the window. I'll come up with a new one later, but until then, how about we take some time to cool off?"

Everyone shouted, "Yes!"

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Dad was working today and Mom was in her room folding laundry. Which meant me and my five new friends got the living room all to ourselves. Neku and Beat were fighting over who got the remote; Shiki was doing her hardest to play peace maker and break up the fight. Joshua sat next to them, playing on his phone without a care in the world. Rhyme sat beside me on the loveseat and we talked about random stuff. A shout rang from the couch.

"Give it!" Neku shouted.

"No way, 'Phones," Beat replied. "I need this!"

That was it, I couldn't take anymore of this. "Knock it off, you two!"

They looked at me and dissolved into laughter. "What?!"

In between fits of laughter, Beat told me, "I can't help it, yo. It's just the face yer makin'." My dad says that I make this weird face very often - so often that he actually calls it "The face". He constantly pulls this face around me, but I'm not entirely convinced that I make that face. Before I could fully process that thought, there was a sharp knock at the door.

What made this strange was none of my neighbors knew me. We usually keep to ourselves because there are a lot of dangerous people in our neighborhood. Ever alert, I approached the door and slowly opened it. Someone was standing outside, but I couldn't tell who it was. They wore a black hooded coat with a zipper down the front. The hood was drawn, so I couldn't see their face. Looking in the general chest area, I gathered that the stranger was female. She started to come into the house, but I stepped out before she could.

"What do you want," I asked. The stranger held out her hand and said, "I'm selling magazine subscriptions. Would you like to buy one?" I could tell immediately that she was lying. To make her tell the truth, I asked, "For what magazine?" Immediately, her composure started to dissolve (if there's one thing I know how to do, it's making people uncomfortable). "There is no magazine, is there," I stated. Knowing she had been beaten, she caved, "No, there is no magazine."

I asked her, "Who are you?" She stared at me with eyes that I couldn't see. "Cyrena," she said. "I just move to this neighborhood." Something felt off. "I wanted to meet you," she said, "but I was afraid. You are... Aislynn, aren't you?" I looked at my shoes, then back. "Yes," I said slowly. She held out her hand to me again, as if she expected me to shake it. "Well, it was nice to meet you," she said. Carefully, I took her hand. "Likewise."

When I touched her hand, I felt weird, as if I'd just been shocked. I looked at her, "Did you just feel anything weird?" I felt her giving me an intense look. "No," Cyrena replied, "I didn't feel a thing. Everything is normal here." With that she dashed down the driveway and into the night. What was all of that about? What did she mean by that quote "everything is normal"? Confused, I went back inside.

"Who was that?" Shiki asked as I came back in. Apparently while I was gone, she had managed to get the remote away from Neku and Beat. I didn't know what to say, so I told them, "No one important." Rhyme turned from her place to look at me. "Are you sure, Aislynn?" Was the room spinning or was it just me? "It was just a new neighbor who came by to say hello," I stated matter-of-factly.

"Listen," I said with a yawn, "I should get to bed. Plus, I've come up with a new sleeping arrangement." After I talked about the new sleeping arrangement, we all headed to our places. Sleep didn't come easily to me that night; I started thinking about Cyrena. Something about her was off. But mainly I focused on her coat.

I knew I had recognized if from somewhere. Cyrena's coat looked like the ones worn by members of Organization XIII. I didn't know what the connection was, but one thing was certain, Cyrena couldn't be trusted. With my thoughts swimming, I went to sleep, hoping that would be the last time I would see Cyrena.