Dreamcatcher (ONC 2020)

7

Layla looks exactly the same as she did last year. Her black hair is pulled back into two identical space buns, and her chocolate brown skin is still as frustratingly flawless as ever. Apparently, her weird sense of fashion hasn't died out. She's wearing a crop top that has other weirdly textured fabrics stitched into it, and a jacket that's made up of various color splotches of different shapes. Her eyes are a deep violet—almost black—and two twin moles peek out from underneath them.

She beckons us to take a seat. Liam plops down on a magenta-colored bean bag on Layla's right side, and I take a seat next to him. Bailee sits down on the ground beside me, looking uncomfortable.

Layla nods at Florence. "Thanks, Florence. You should probably go back to the counter now—I wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting. Just give that bell a ring if you need me."

Florence nods back. "Of course." Then she turns around and walks out of the room. Her footsteps echo off the walls of the corridor and shortly disappear.

"So," Layla says, once the silence in the room gets too pressing. "How are you doing? Still wreaking havoc on our universe, I suppose."

"I'm fine," I grumble. "What about you? Still doing as poorly as your personality?"

"Not as poorly of that face of yours," she replies. "What'd you do, self detonate a sand orb?"

"Jeez, of course not! I'm not stupid."

Layla sighs. "You know, this is all because you didn't eat those mints, man," she says, completely changing the topic. "It honestly baffles me why your dad didn't bring you over here before. Like, before the whole you-almost-going-crazy thing." She rolls her eyes. "Dreamcatchers. Always making things more complicated than they should be."

"Psychics," I reply with a glare. "Always sticking their noses where they don't belong."

We stare at each other for a few moments as the tension in the air thickens. Then Layla asks me, "Is he still in New York?"

I hesitate. "Canada now, apparently. He called a few weeks ago."

"Huh. Interesting choice." Layla pauses, probably thinking, if she still has the brain capacity to do so. "Well, good thing one of you fools actually listened to me. We'd probably be having another world war if he didn't leave."

I scoff. "Doubt that. Pretty sure we'd be on our fifth world war by now if everyone actually listened to the stupid words that come out of your mouth."

"Stupid? Listen here, you bumbling—"

"Guys!" Liam interjects. "This isn't the time for arguing." Layla opens her mouth to utter a snarky retort, but then apparently decides against it. I glower at Liam.

"Look," he says. "We might all have our differences, and we're not necessarily friends, but there are way more pressing matters at hand right now." Liam nods at Layla. "Tell them why you wanted them to come. Please."

Layla sighs exasperatedly. "Christ. Fine, Liam." She looks at me. "Okay, Dakota. You've heard about these new dreamcatchers in town, right?"

I nod grudgingly. "Found out yesterday. They came into my shop today. Two of them."

Layla raises her eyebrows in slight interest. "Oh, really? Was Vera there?"

"Yeah. She came with a woman named Hyacinth."

"I see..." Layla taps a finger on the table. The sound is muffled by the tablecloth. "That makes things interesting. What did they say to you?"

"They gave me a choice," I reply. "I either join them, or I—" I raise my fingers to make air quotes— "'get eliminated.'"