{-Sharena-}

"Welcome, lady and gentleman! Please leave your weapons at the door, and remember not to look into anything with 'album' in the title." Enn started walking backwards to look at them as they headed towards the library. "Thought you two'd be here sooner, actually! This is definitely later than your normal study time. Honestly, I assumed you had a change of plans."

"I'm just glad you're letting us in after such short notice," Alfonse remarked.

Enn snorted. "Of course I would! You guys are the best. Plus, the library's pretty much open to the public so it wouldn't matter anyway." She turned back around, pushing open the library's doors and motioning them in. "Some of the books are still out from last time but some of the others have been put away."

The library's size had surprised Sharena the first time she was here. Just about as big as the royal castle's library (which was, suffice to say, huge) but lacking a second floor, it held just as much books—but instead of having a variety of genres, this one focused on a specific type: legends and history. The siblings often came here together for multiple reasons, since it showed to likely be more helpful than the royal castle's. Though they rarely ever came up with anything new.

"Did you find anything since our last visit?" Alfonse asked Enn.

She shook her head. "Forgot. But I hope you remembered to have your report on why nonfiction is better than fiction. I finished mine yesterday. Don't forget, if you didn't, I automatically win."

Alfonse sighed. "Right. I made the mistake of trying to prove a point." He looked over at Sharena. "Can you gather the books from over there and bring them to the table?"

"Sure thing, Brother." Sharena nodded and walked over to the area she knew she'd find the books.

Really, she hadn't as much as memorized how books were organized in a library as she did memorize where the specific books she was looking for where. Given she'd had no reason to use a library in her childhood, the need to learn where everything was never really arose. Not to mention "alphabetical order by the author's last name" just seemed hard for her to remember. Alfonse was the book person here, not her.

A familiar, discomforting feeling slowly came to her as she was out of sight and earshot of the other two.

After making promises to both Alfonse and Anna, Sharena was pressed to tell either of them when something happened or changed. Given her apparent ties to the nightmares, it was important to not keep whatever happened to herself in case it turned out to be something that could turn out to be not as harmless as she perceived it. And for a majority of the time, she kept those promises. She'd told them a while ago that she felt like Natheniel left something behind; what she hadn't told them was that she knew what it was and what it—or more specifically, they—looked and sounded like. With everything else going on, she didn't really want to give the others even more to worry about. It was also considerably weird and annoying to have everyone on top of her all the time, which was something she didn't expect to change soon but definitely wouldn't get any better if she told them that.

Sharena was confident that the thing Natheniel had left behind had been following her around. They showed up at just about every time she was alone, whether as a voice or just the body or both. She knew that was what was trying to talk to her in the dream she had last night, but she doubted that version was anything more than her mind's creation. She didn't know their name yet, but they didn't seem to know hers either, and their interactions were rather brief so there was never much time. Not like she was particularly fond of meeting the creature responsible for making the others worry about her more.

"How nice of them to give us some time to chat, don't you think?"

She chose to ignore the shadowy figure that had appeared beside her, and continued looking through the books.

"Come on, now…I just want to talk. There's something rather important I want to tell you."

"Go back to whatever hole you came from," she shot back. "Leave me alone."

They tilted their head, doing something very similar to a frown. "We both know we don't really want that. To be alone means to be afraid and to be afraid means to feel helpless. Neither of us want to be like that, do we? I know I certainly don't…and I believe that you don't, either."

What they were possibly implying did not sit well with her. "And you know that how?"

"I'm what the mortals of my world called 'near-physical manifestation of a nightmare,'" they began to explain. "So, to put it simply, I can sense the fears of those around me. Yours are particularly hard to ignore, by the way—and quite adorable, if I might add. Reminds me of Nathen. He was full of fears, too; it was because of those fears I exist."

This was the first time they really ever explained themself. Before, the only thing they ever really did was say or do something kind of creepy and call her "little dreamer." They'd also insisted she not refer to them as "it" as they found it mildly offensive. She'd only recently started actually doing it, though it wasn't like she really talked to anyone about them. But knowing a bit more about the thing that had been pestering her for the past month was both welcomed and unwanted.

"Who's Nathen?" Sharena already had a guess which would confirm the other theories she had about them.

"Oh, right, no one calls him that here…" They paused. "How to best explain this… You've actually met him, you know. That boy who came to this world a bit ago; Natheniel. I've called him Nathen since our humble beginnings. He's actually talked about me. Rather rudely and highly antagonizing if you ask me, but he did. I can ensure you, though…I'm nothing like what he made me out to be."

Sharena still didn't look at them. She didn't exactly know if she wanted to believe what they were saying, either, or believe what Natheniel had told her. "You're Lekra then, aren't you?"

They nodded. "Nathen's nightmare. We were close friends for a time, but both of our past mistakes taunted us and we grew apart. He was set on everything harmful I've done by mere accident, while I'm simply just trying to keep history from repeating itself." Lekra looked down for a moment, before glancing back at Sharena. "I've never properly caught your name. I mean, I think I've heard it but I'm not sure."

"Sharena."

Lekra smiled. "Finally, we're acquainted! But enough of that. I have something very, very important I need to ask you…Sharena." They said her name slowly, like they were testing it out. It was a bit unsettling. "Please don't yell—someone might overhear you and I'll have to go. With your permission, I'd…I'd like to take you on as my new dreamer."

It took everything in her not to shout "WHAT?!" when she heard their offer. They noticed her expression and continued.

"I was once tied to Nathen, and once we entered the world of nightmares, I was free to roam beyond what bound me to him. He refused to acknowledge me and, as such, he ignored me and rendered me completely unseeable to him. When he came here, I came along as well. While he wandered, so did I…but not for the same reason. I was growing desperate for someone to talk to. Someone who could see and hear me in the way Nathen had, that we didn't have to be alone. And then…then I found you. I recognized your fears and your dreams and was drawn to them. The first time I tried interacting with you was when Nathen told you about me. I'd hoped that, with me in mind, you'd be like him. Soon after, I realized that the two of you were alike in other ways and I continued to reach you when you had company. It worked. When I knew that Nathen had left, I felt myself…dying without him. After all, what's a dream if there's no one to dream about them? I can't help the feeling that you'll end up in a state of being similar to Nathen. I promise that I only want to protect you and your friends. I have personal experience with the nightmares and the other things to come. With my help, maybe…maybe you won't have the same fate as him."

Sharena felt torn between denying Lekra's request and gong to Alfonse and Enn, or learning more about what Lekra was asking of her.

"You don't trust me," Lekra muttered, sounding hurt. "I only want to help. Become my dreamer, and I can explain everything. Why the nightmares like you, why it's so important that your friends are aware of it…anything you want to know. I've got to warn you, though—sometimes the truth is a little too much to handle. Some things might not be easy to—"

"I'll do it."

((A/N: Okay, so, I've made a decision. Has anyone watched She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, far enough for a character named Double Trouble to be introduced? Lekra totally sounds the same as Double Trouble, you can't convince me otherwise. Try unhearing it now.))