Pin woke, her heart thumping wildly in her chest.
She lay in her own bed, staring at the ceiling above her, trying to get a hold of herself. There had been another dream, but she wasn't sure what it meant. She wasn't even sure it had been a real nightmare anymore.
Just a bunch of random nightmares that had plagued her since she started having them.
She wasn't completely sure when those dreams started coming. It was dark in the bedroom, except the dim lights of her computer screen.
She didn't know what time it was, nor did she bother checking the clock. Sleep had been almost impossible tonight anyway. After her dream, she was awake almost all night, unable to sleep.
Now the sunlight was streaming through her curtains, lighting up the edges of her bedroom. It felt wonderful, to be lying here, without worrying about anything.
It was so peaceful. She wished she could stay in this moment forever.
She thought about her friends and her alliance.
She wondered if any of them had bad dreams. She hoped not.
Just then she heard footsteps approaching her room, and she sat straight up, listening carefully.
The door cracked open ever so slightly, and a face appeared, leaning close so she could see the person standing there. "Pin?"
"Mmhmm." She acknowledged.
There was silence for a moment longer. Then Leafy pushed the door farther open, entering silently until she stood next to Pin's bed.
They sat together in the dark for a few minutes, letting their eyes adjust to the light and listening to each other breathe in the silence. When they spoke again, they sounded almost normal.
"Are you okay?"
Pin shrugged, her voice quiet. "I guess so. I haven't really had any dreams since…" Since. Since that day. Since everything changed.
They lapsed into silence again.
"Do you want me to leave?" Leafy asked hesitantly.
"No. Stay." Pin said softly. "It's just, I can't seem to find any peace. Can't fall asleep and it just keeps coming back…and then it's different." She added, glancing over at her friend.
Leafy nodded slowly. "Well, I would suppose you need company? I don't mind."
"Really?" Pin said, surprised.
The two girls laid in their beds, thinking about all the things that kept going on. The fight for the top spot in the whole 'Battle for Dream Island' thing. It was hard to think about, but at least the dreamless nights helped. At least for now.
Eventually, though, they would wake up exhausted and have to think again about what happened.
And then, inevitably, they'd talk about their problems. Their fears. The ones that neither would admit out loud.
"Yes." Leafy replied simply.
"Thanks, Leafy." Pin smiled weakly at her, before closing her eyes, ready to go back to sleep.
