Chapter 10

"She's stable, but right now, she won't wake up, she's still under the effects of the drugs," the doctor informed him. Alex frowned and nodded, starting to sit in the waiting room.

"You can go into her room, if you want," the doctor suggested. Alex nodded and followed him.

He wondered where Katie, Lucas and Trip had gone, they were right behind him, and suddenly, the ambulance had lost them. He shrugged it off; the only important thing right now was Jennifer's health.

He entered the room and sat next to her holding her hand. "What happened to you, Jennifer?" he asked her softly, caressing her hand. "When did you start believing that dreaming your life away was a good option?"

*******

"There are no clues. Not one fiber, one scent; not even a tooth mark on the children's bones. There's nothing," the officer in charge told Lucas.

"Did you double check?" he asked.

"Yes, physically there's nothing we can do," the man assured him. "Didn't you have a psychic in your team, a captain? I thought she was helping."

"She's not feeling very well right now."

"Ah, did she discover the wonders her powers can do when she's asleep? They all do, eventually they all fall asleep."

"Eventually," Lucas commented and walked away.

He met Trip and Katie inside one of the apartments. "Trip, why don't you go to the hospital, and tell Jen that we need her help with this case?"

"All right," the green-haired boy said and left. Katie and Lucas stayed and directed the photo session, since there wasn't really any evidence to pick up, except the skeletons of two five-year-olds who apparently hadn't see it coming (judging from the fact they were on their beds and their torn pajamas were next to the bones).

"It seems like it didn't hurt them," Katie said. "They were asleep."

"No, they weren't," Lucas whispered pointing at a bone that seemed backwards. "They were posed."

*******

Trip got to Jen's room and found Alex staring at her, caressing her hand, as if hypnotized. "Alex?" he asked.

The other man looked up and pointed at another chair. "Where have you guys been?"

"At a crime scene." Alex stood up suddenly at the news.

"Crime scene?"

"Yes, six more children were taken, two of them were eaten on the spot, another four disappeared," Trip explained. Alex ran a hand through his hair. "I'm here to beg Jen to come back and help us, because the mutants didn't leave any physical evidence, and my powers aren't half as strong as Jen's."

"Sure, go ahead," Alex authorized. "I'll be right back, I have to call to the office." He left the room.

Trip took Jen's hand and a deep breath.

*******

Trip entered Jen's mind, it was night, and he was standing outside of a restaurant. Jen was sitting inside, with Alex, Katie, Lucas and (it really didn't surprise the original) a Trip. The real Trip walked inside, and Jen looked up at him, rolling her eyes.

"Now what?"

"Six more children have been attacked, we need your help," Trip said.

"None of my business," she answered coldly.

"Jen, please, you are the only one who can help us."

"The only thing I can tell you is where to start looking for the bodies."

"That's good enough; maybe we'll find more evidence on them."

"I said it's not of my business."

"Think about all those mothers, Jen. You always dreamt of being a mother, think about how you'd feel if your son was taken from you, and the only person who could help you find him simply refused to, because it's too comfortable to stay away, living in a dream."

He had asked her to think about something, and she was doing so. The restaurant was gone, and the kindergarten where the first attack had occurred came to be around them. The mothers of the missing children were all sitting there, crying, and Jen was seated among them, crying as well.

She looked at Trip bitterly and said, "I don't like this." She opened her arms and a baby boy ran to her open arms.

"Mommy!!" the boy cried. Jen hugged him tightly.

"Don't ever scare me like this again, Dylan!" she said softly.

"You are so lucky," said one of the other mothers. "Your baby got the chance to hide, and he was just too scared to come out. Not like mine, who I will never see again."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Jen said, letting go of the toddler, who immediately disappeared along with the rest of the kindergarten.

"Why don't you come back and help us?"

"Because I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just had an overdose of sleeping pills and no matter how many times I say it was an accident, they'll always think it was an attempt of suicide, which it wasn't," she added when she saw his expression. "They'll lock me in the psychiatric wing of the hospital for weeks, maybe months, what use will I be awake if I'm locked in a bedroom?"

Trip was left speechless. She was right, they would never let her work again after she woke up; she was going to spend some time in rehabilitation. If she wakes up, Trip couldn't help himself from thinking.

The restaurant was back. Jen was again seated next to her friends and husband enjoying a delicious dinner, and ignoring his presence completely. He decided to get out, it occurred to him there was a better way to make Jen come back. Next time, instead of coming in alone, he was going to bring Alex along with him.

*******

"Perfect," the Mistress said. "These are the right children, feed them to my precious little boy," she instructed.

"Everything is ready, ma'am," said one of her mutant minions. "We can start the plan now."

"Great," she said. "After we are done, Jennifer Scotts won't know what hit her." She laughed evilly picking up a picture she had on her table that showed Alex and Jen holding hands and smiling to the camera. "But first, I want to make myself sure everything is really ready."

To Be Continued.