I climbed into the bed, wishing I were in my proper cabin in my own bed. The bed wasn't very comfy. I guess Dylan was used to it, though, as she had fallen asleep immediately. I could hear her gentle breathing, and before I knew it, my breathing had slowed down to the same speed. But I wasn't asleep. Far from it. When we had climbed back down from topside, I had realized that Dylan must be scared for some reason. But I didn't know what!
Groaning, I pushed back the covers and swung my legs out of bed. I wouldn't be sleeping tonight. I began to tiptoe across the floor, avoiding the creaky spots. I was at the door, one step closer… the floor creaked. I froze on the spot, not breathing. Dylan stirred in her sleep. Stay asleep… I thought desperately. She stopped moving, and soon began snoring again. I sighed with relief, and walked out the door, shutting it gently behind me.
I turned right, and began walking to the other end of the ship. I needed to talk to Percy and Alek, even though I was mad at Percy for not believing that me. Something was wrong with Dylan, and I was going to find out.
I finally arrived at Alek's cabin, and saw a soft green light spilling out from under the door. I wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep, it seemed. I knocked softly, and a few seconds later, Alek was at the door. I barged past him, and stopped in the middle of the room.
Alek stared at me as though I were crazy. "What are you…" he began, and I could hear his thick Austrian accent. Percy began speaking at the same time. "Annabeth…"
I shushed them. "What are you two doing up?" I whispered.
"We were trying to figure out what is wrong with Dylan." Alek whispered. "As fellow males, we feel that it is our duty to help others in need." Percy added. I smacked my forehead.
"You know you lose a brain cell every time you do that." Percy said. I glared at him.
"You guys are the dumbest boys on the face of the Earth." I hissed. "What do you guys think is wrong with him?"
"Should we tell her?" Alek asked Percy. He shrugged. "She's going to find out anyways." Sighing, Alek motioned to the ground. He and Percy sat down, so I followed their lead.
"Dylan… never gets airsick. Like, never. So when he wanted to go down, I figured that something was wrong. I normally have to force him down. So I looked through Volger's stash of books, and found this." Alek held up a skinny book. "I've never seen it before. He must of hid it from me. So when I began flipping through the pages… I found this." He opened the book and slammed it on the ground.
It was a picture of any regular airman, but… he looked strange. The airman was pale, and his eyes were sunken. "Out mythology is a tad different than yours." Alek said quietly. "It says that if a ship were to travel to a different dimension, the crew would start getting airsick. But… they would become super pale, and their eyes will have dark bruises. They would become skin and bones, and too sick to move or talk. It says that the only cure is to take a bunch of living things back to their own dimension, and complete their mission. The ones they brought with them would return, and think it were only a dream." He paused, and looked me straight in the eye. "Dylan is starting to get it. He is my best friend. Please help me"
I rested my head in my hands, thinking hard. "Alek… hand me the book, please." He gave it to me, looking curious. I flipped to the beginning and began to scan each and every single page. It was the last page that had what I was looking for.
If an airman gets this a few hours after the ship lands, then they aren't who they seem to be. Be careful, and try to bring them back. Or the past, present and future could change as we know it. For every single one of the 5000 dimensions.
I read it out loud. "Five thousand dimensions." I whispered softly. Percy stared at me dumbly. Alek's eyes had glazed over. I waited for one of them to speak. I knew Dylan was a girl! And Percy can't tell me otherwise now. I almost smiled, despite the situation.
It was Alek it began to speak. "If Dylan isn't who he seems… then he must be a fabricated human." He whispered. He and Percy locked eyes. "Dylan is a fabrication!" Alek sputtered. I tried to speak, but Percy beat me to it. "You're right." He whispered to Alek. In one fluid motion, they both leapt up and ran to the door.
I followed them, of course. My mind was cursing their stupidity. I would show them that Dylan was a girl. They stopped outside of her room, and Alek slowly opened the door. We all stepped inside, and I shut the door behind us, enveloping us all in darkness.
Alek slowly began to walk to where Dylan slept. He sat on the bed, and whispered "You're a fabrication, aren't you?" Of course, Percy chose that exact time to trip over a pencil, and fell flat on his face. Dylan immediately sat up straight in bed, and smacked her face against Alek's. He fell back, while she did the same. I immediately rushed over and covered both of their mouths. It wouldn't help us if the crew suddenly decided to wake up.
Once they both recovered from shock, I let go. Dylan was the first one to speak. "Barking spiders, Alek. What in blazes are you doing in my room!" she then reached for her bedside, and got her whistle. She piped a few short notes, and suddenly the room was filled with the light of glow worms, all in a lantern.
"Blisters, why is Percy kissing the floor?" she asked, squinting. Alek was still sitting on her bed, looking like an idiot. I watched with amusement, wondering how this was going to turn out.
"Why didn't you tell me you were fabricated?" Alek suddenly asked. She turned her gaze towards him sharply. "I'm not…" He interrupted her. "I told you everything, and all the 'secrets' you told me were lies!" He was clearly shaken up. "Alek, I'm not…"
"Don't deny it!" he exclaimed, looking angry. "All this time I've been friends with an abomination! Tell me, Dylan, what are you?" At this point, I couldn't help it. I threw my head back and laughed. I wiped the tears from my eyes and, still smiling, helped Percy up.
"Oh, tell him your secret, Dylan. The poor boy has been getting these strange ideas that you're… fabricated." I giggled at it, at Dylan suddenly seemed to understand. She turned to Alek.
"Well, of course I'm fabricated. The same way you are, in your mom's tummy." She said, barely concealing her grin. Alek stared at her. "Don't be silly, Dylan! Who are you really? Is your real name X123?" she sighed, and seemed to be annoyed.
"You're right, Alek. My name isn't Dylan… its Deryn." Alek stared at her strangely. "Darren is a boys name. Why did you change it to Dylan?" She groaned, and grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him towards her. His lips made contact with hers, and before my eyes, they were kissing. She pulled away gently. "That answer your question?" He nodded slowly. "You prefer boys, don't you? Well, that's just terrible! Worse than you being…" she cut him off abruptly. "I'm a girl, you ninny!" she hissed. Alek glared at her. "Stop telling fibs, Dyl-Darren." She glared at him. "You need proof? Because Alek, if you don't believe the truth, the get out of this barking room!" He paused. "I-Why would you lie to me about your gender? I mean, I know you're a guy, and…"
She suddenly leapt out of the bed, and turned to face him. She wrapped her shirt tight against her skin, revealing a long and curvy form. "Why would I lie about being a barking girl?" she asked quietly. He got up, and walked towards her. "You mean…" She nodded. He shook his head sadly. "Come on, Percy. Let's get out of here." She grabbed his arm. "You won't tell anyone, will you?" she asked. I saw how desperate her eyes were. He shook his head in disgust. "It's not my place to tell. You kept my secrets, so I'll keep yours. But… just stay away from me, Deryn. And by the way… that kiss was…" he stopped, and dragged Percy out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
I watched Deryn's eyes begin to water, and walked over to her. I put my arm around her shoulder, and walked her to her bed. She sat down, and cried into my shoulder. I knew how she felt. I felt it before, with an old crush of mine. I stroked her hair, telling her that it would be okay in the end. She didn't answer. She just cried.
Yes, I updated since… forever. It's long, but the next chapter should be up soon. So… please review!