The Thought Keepers: Ability

Chapter 29: According to Plan

The plan was supposed to go like this:

First, West would project himself outside the way he had been doing to bother me all along. His other self would stand outside the gates, communicating to the one who stayed behind. He would be our compass through the dream world.

It would be easier if he could use his powers to help us escape. Apparently he was a Keeper Shade, with the power to create doorways that led pretty much anywhere. Much like Carson, he could slip in and out of places easily.

The problem was, Lumen wasn't an easy place to slip in and out of. The prison was designed to keep Shades in and keep unauthorized Unnormals out. Meaning that Carson would not be able to help from the other side of the gates even if he wanted to. It was a testimony to Jake's abilities that he even made it through West's doorway without being obliterated by Lumen's security system.

Our only option for escape was to break out from the inside. Inevitably, this would set off Lumen's silent alarm, which would trigger a series of psychic attacks. The attacks could be in the form of our greatest fears or our deepest wishes- it didn't really matter. The point was to keep us here long enough for the Guard to come and contain us.

So this led to phase two of the plan, where Jake would use his telepathic abilities to pull us out of the visions that Lumen conjured up for us. To keep us tethered to each other as we fought our way out, one illusion at a time.

While doing that, we had to remain aware that the visions weren't real, and that's where I came in. My ability to sort through dreams, the reason I hadn't been lured into West's trap as easily as Jake, was what we heavily relied on now. They weren't just visions, but memories and fears deeply connected to us, moments in time designed to keep us trapped in Lumen. It was my job to make sure they didn't.

If only that was where the problems ended.

Of course the final part of our plan was also the most dangerous. Once the prison failed to engage our minds, it would then focus on destroying our bodies. The prison was designed to crush those that attempted to leave, just like the protective charm over the Unnormal Archives. Not only was I supposed to keep us aware during the jailbreak, but I also had to use my power to slow the effect of the alarm. By the time we broke through the illusions, Lumen's defense system would be weak enough that shadow powers could take effect. It would be a split-second, but West would have just enough time to create a portal that led straight outside.

So, that was the plan. West explained everything to us in vivid detail. During his long incarceration, he had a lot of time to think about how to escape. It was impressive, although I didn't want to admit it.

West as a whole frightened me. It scared me that he manipulated me in such a simple but effective way. The fact that I followed him to the Archives out of pure desperation, without considering the true danger he posed- that scared me. He knew what insecurities to pray on, what things to say, and what parts of himself he had to hide in order to gain someone's trust. It made me sick whenever I thought about it for too long.

"Are we ready?" West asked. His voice was deceptively charming, and the smile on his face was equally disarming. If he wasn't covered in someone else's blood, I could easily forget that he was a monster.

I looked at Jake, who had his eyes narrowed at West like his life depended on it. At least we were on the same page.

Once he opens the portal, let's leave him here, I thought. I'll let the alarm crush him.

Jake's lip quirked, but his face otherwise remained unchanged. My thoughts exactly.

If he was going to betray us, we had to betray him first.