Three Fates Entwined | Dream Team

Chapter Nineteen

Sapnap couldn't help but notice how tense Dream was the next morning.

He slid into the spot next to him at the long table where all the knights ate and frowned. "Are you okay dude? You look like someone's going to jump you at any moment."

"Exactly right," Dream said with a wry smile.

"Really?"

"No."

He picked at his food. Sapnap glanced down at the meal, then over towards Filens, then back at Dream. "So then, why is there blood on your hand?"

Dream started, then looked down. "Oh."

"Is that seriously your only response? 'Oh?'"

"It's nothing," Dream said, returning his attention to his food. "Don't worry about it."

Sapnap scowled at him. "Oh, I'm definitely going to worry about it. Who's blood is it? Is it yours?"

"No."

"Then who's is it?"

"No clue."

"You... are the worst. I hate you."

"Okay, sure."

Sapnap sighed irritably. It felt impossible to hold a decent conversation with Dream, and usually he only got that feeling with George.

"Hey," Dream said suddenly, "it was in self defense, okay?"

"Oh, really? Why would you need to use self defense then?"

Dream didn't reply. Sapnap glowered angrily. "You can't just throw that statement out there and then not elaborate on it! That breaks all the laws of the universe!"

Again, no reply. He huffed and started eating his meal, feeling ticked off. But under layers of annoyance, he was also worried. Dream was acting all casual about it and not saying anything, but Sapnap could tell that something was wrong. He was more jittery and alert than usual, and for the first time in weeks, Sapnap noticed that he was wearing the strap with his knife again.

He looked the same way Sapnap had felt after that attack by the wolves: constantly alert, ready for danger to strike again at any moment. The blood... that must've been from his attacker. And seeing how Dream was still alive, his attacker probably wasn't.

"So, where did you hide the body?"

Dream blinked. "What?"

Sapnap gestured at the blood again. "The body of the person who tried to kill you. Where did you hide it?"

The man stared at Sapnap, and Sapnap stared right back. Dream's stare was lacking its usual intensity. Another sign that something wasn't right.

"In the forest on the left side of the training field," Dream said finally, dropping his gaze. "I figured that nobody would go there, since Filens specifically told us not to."

"And yet you went. When did you even go?"

"Last night." A yawn escaped him. "It was so dark I could barely see. I'm not even that sure where I hid him."

"Wow. Your attacker tried to kill you in cold blood? While you were sleeping? How are you not dead?"

Dream shrugged. "I'm a light sleeper."

The way he said it, as if it didn't faze him at all, made Sapnap nervous. He had no doubt that Dream wasn't faking it. Stuff like this was clearly nothing to him. And yet he was still acting tense.

"You think anyone else is going to potentially get murdered?" he asked in a light-hearted voice.

"No," Dream said, stabbing a potato with way too much force. "I was targeted specifically."

"Because you're famous?"

"It doesn't make sense," Dream said suddenly. Sapnap raised an eyebrow. He was finally letting out his frustration.

"What doesn't make sense?" he asked.

Dream glared at his potatoes. "Nobody should be able to recognize me without my mask on, much less find me in the dead on night. And how did they know? It--- it's all just so impossible."

Sapnap didn't really understand what was so impossible about it all, but he kept his mouth shut. The way Dream was fuming made him want to inch away from him. If he wasn't careful, he'd probably end up in even worse shape than the potatoes were in.

Dream was a really chill guy... until he wasn't. Then Sapnap wanted to run away.

"I'm sorry," Dream sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I shouldn't be getting you involved in these sorts of things. Forget I said anything."

"I'm not going to forget that some dude attacked my friend and tried to kill him in cold blood, if that's what you mean."

The man flinched almost involuntarily. Sapnap went over his words again, wondering what it was that had triggered the effect. The "kill" part? Dream seemed fine with killing. Maybe it was the "attacked" part. But by the way he said it, he was fine with being attacked, right?

Then again, what sane person would be fine with being attacked?

"Don't tell George, okay?" Dream said, another yawn escaping him. "I don't want to worry him."

"But he's the prince," Sapnap protested.

"Exactly. He might start getting paranoid that someone's going to try and lynch him off in his sleep. I don't think he needs that pressure right now."

"Actually, it sounds like you don't want that pressure."

Dream glared at him, and Sapnap accidentally bit the inside of his cheek. He forced a laugh. "Sorry, man, I was just saying."

"This is for George's sake, okay?" Dream said, stabbing another potato. "Really."

"Okay," Sapnap said. "But I'm worried about you as well."

"Don't be. I'll be fine."

"...If you say so."

"Yes, I say so," Dream huffed. He pushed away his plate, sparing the few potatoes left. "I'm going to go train a bit, take my mind off of things."

Oh, no, Sapnap thought. He's trading off stabbing potatoes for stabbing training dummies.

Dream suddenly froze. "Oh...."

Sapnap frowned. "'Oh?' What's that supposed to mean?"

"There's only one way they could've come here knowing exactly who I was," Dream said, his green eyes glinting murderously. "Only you would associate my face with my name. Because I showed you."

In an instant, Sapnap understood. His hands clenched in his lap as Dream's next words confirmed his suspicions.

"We were being followed."