Krys' POV-

I couldn't sleep that night. I don't know if it was because of the 'Sam' kiss. (Sparrow and Kam). Or the other thing.

I turned over. I'd forget it. It was stupid. Just Lily and her tricks.

She just needed to back off. I didn't like Ash. Ash didn't-

Anywhat.

I rolled over. Izzy was laying beside me, the yellow blanket tucked around her shoulders. She was dreaming. You could tell. She'd mouth words then take a deep breath.

It was weird. Dreams. How even in sleep, a resting time, your brain keeps going. Thinking up all the dreams and wishes you hold, secret or not. They transport you to another world. Use thoughts you didn't even know you had to give you a picture of truth.

Like, for example, one time I lost a /very/ important thing at the Institute. That night, I had a dream where I found it under Ash's cage.

Next morning, there it was.

Maybe it's just me, but I think that dreams are what we should listen to. What we should learn from.

Maybe if I don't become the Picasso of Cosmetics I'll become a philosopher.

I looked up. Through the tree tops, which covered us like a dome, you could see the stars.

Not that star gazing is boring, but after 30 minutes of restlessness, I was bored. I knew Kam and Sparrow were up but I didn't want to bug them.

After living with them for so long you learned that if a.) they were talking tactics b.) they were joking or c.) Kam was angry and Sparrow was in comforting mode, you didn't mess with them.

And I was pretty sure they were solving their 'relationship' issues or something.

I sighed. This would be a really long night if I didn't do something.

I stood up and looked around. As usual, the twins were together, both drooling this time.

Iz was sound asleep so I decided to go flying.

I ran across the ground and pushed off. This was the best feeling. The freedom. The cold wind as it flew through your hair. I spun midair and dropped about 10 feet. That would've been bad.

I was thinking about life and Kam with makeup and how I'm a fail at cooking because of a fear of fire when I saw it.

Or should I say /them/.

Below, there was a dark van, barely visible from the height and through the trees. Surrounding it were 10 maybe 12 erasers. All of them armed.

There were probably more in the car.

How did they find us?

That was my first thought. My second was along the lines of 'I have to warn the others!'

So back I flew. This pouring on speed. When I was close to the clearing I descended.

As my feet touched the ground I stumbled and tripped. Making a /lot/ of noise.

Lily's head popped up at the sound of me falling. Ash's not far behind.

Both of them had a bit of little dried droll on their faces and tangled hair, spiking out in all directions. This would've been cute in other situations.

Lily stood and assumed the same pose Ash had yesterday, Ash also.

I stood up and brushed the leaves off myself.

"Aw come on, Krys. We gotta sleep. Stop doing landing prep and go to sleep." Lily wiped her face clean and was about to lay back down when I spoke up.

"Erasers. Lots. Wake up Iz." I then ran through the dark to Kam, leaving Lily and her brother scrambling to wake up Isabelle.

At the tree where Kam had flown off to before 'curfew', I paused. I really /really/ hated to mess with the romantic Sam time but erasers are erasers. And we needed to leave.

I climbed the tree as silently as I could, in case the erasers were nearby, and looked for Kam.

When I found her, she was sitting next to Sparrow, unlike the last time I had caught them together, they weren't touching. They seemed especially weary of each other now.

Maybe Iz's dare hadn't helped.

No time for that now.

"Kam. Sparrow. Erasers. They're coming this way."

Kam sprang into action, Sparrow following suit as always.

I was scared. I could practically hear the engine getting closer. No, I /could/ hear the car getting closer.

This was bad.

Kam barely look at Sparrow as she walked to me and down the tree. She was in leader mode.

"Everyone grab your bags and come back as fast as possible.

Ash must've taken that really seriously because he left and was back with all of our stuff in 3 seconds. I smiled.

You could tell that we were scared though. Iz kept glancing over her shoulder and her eyes were darting from one spot to the next.

Ash was messing with his fingers and looked like he really badly wanted some matches and TNT.

Lily was stone still, staring straight ahead, but I saw that slight hint of fear in her eyes.

Sparrow was in 'Alpha-male mode'. Not that that counts as fear but he looked like if someone were to even touch one of us, especially Kam, he'd maul their faces.

Kam was harder. But you could tell, if you knew her really well, that she was scared. But not for herself. For us. Typical leaderly selflessness.

"Good job, Ash. Now. We're not going to attack," Lily's shoulders slumped, "We're going to sneak out and-"

Then suddenly they were there. And there. Everywhere. The erasers came so fast Kam didn't have time to say 'darnit, I was just relaxing for one night.' Okay. She might not've said that but still.

An eraser was on me so fast I would've died if not for my reflexes. I was facing away from where they came, so really, I got the worst of it.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kam and Sparrow taking on a pack of six or seven. Iz stood right by me, fighting two of her own. I didn't see Lil or Ash so I assumed that they were behind me.

I kicked the one on top of me in the stomach and it fell back a bit. It took another kick to the gut and a two punches in the throat to even get it down on the ground.

When it was down I stepped on its face and heard a sickening crack. I hated this part.

Then I spun and kicked the one going at Izzy in the spine. It went tumbling and I jumped up, unfurling my wings.

I looked over the fight. There had to be 30 erasers. About 21 of them were left standing.

Iz was holding her own, Sparrow and Kam too. The twins were faring well, also, but seemed to have the most erasers surrounding them.

I must've been not paying attention because then I felt a clawed had wrap around my leg and jerk me down. I couldn't help but to scream. Loudly.

I'm not proud of that.

-
K POV-

Everything around me was blurred as I took out another one with a roundhouse kick to the face. Four down. I vaguely noticed that sparrow was doing quite well. It seems he'd already taken down about five.

We've had plenty of training in fighting. By training I mean fighting the erasers who decided they could have us as a snack or because the white coats sent them. Ok maybe they wouldn't eat us, but they would have loved to murder us.

I had just taken the knife out when I heard the scream. Krys. Suddenly I was overwhelmed with rage. I lunged at the nearest eraser, slashing it's arm with the knife.

That got his attention. He lunged at me, tackling my to the ground. When we hit the ground, I decided now was as good a time as any to use Sanity Theft. You see, the brilliant thing about Sanity theft, as I have discovered, is that if you play your cards right, you can do more than make then go insane.

I saw the erasers eyes glaze over as I slowly dissolved his defences. He got off of me, and started attacking the other erasers. I smiled evilly.

I got up quickly and saw Krys. She was unconscious on the ground, Sam eraser hovering over her. Suddenly the rage was back and stronger than before.

I directed my anger at about thee erasers at once. Sanity theft worked best when one is angry. Heh.

They all stopped and attacked their 'friends'. It wasn't enough. I still felt something weird happening about my anger. Suddenly, I felt a sort of.. Wave go through me. And when I say go through me I mean through me then was expelled outward. All of the erasers crumpled to the ground.

And so did I.
_\_\\_\\\

They came in flashes, the pictures. Images flashing through my head. Images of my friends being tortured and killed. In the most horrific and violent ways possible.

All the images appeared and died out. Leaving me in darkness. With each picture I could hear the screaming of pain, the breaking of bones.

I saw so much at once then darkness. Then more of the pictures.

I saw Lily being Drawn and Quartered. Krys being beheaded. Izzy being drowned. Ash being burned. Sparrow being cut up, and tortured. Lily being stabbed. Ash being shot. Krys and Izzy together, being torn to shreds by erasers. Sparrow being beat to death.

I could see the pure terror as they where killed off over and over again. Everything was red and black and bloody. All around me, all I could see or hear was darkness and pain. The fact that I couldn't do anything was what really killed /me/.

I was lost in the darkness.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

S POV-

I was in the middle of a fight with an extremely ugly eraser when it happened.

Suddenly the eraser just kind of went limp and fell. That's odd. I've never seen something like that happen before.

I looked over to Kam to see what she thought about it but she was on the ground. Out cold. That's Not good.

All I could think at that moment was 'Get to Kam, help her.'

So I did.

She was limp, like the erasers. I sunk down next to her. My second thought then was 'she /cannot/ be dead. My best friend can't be gone.'

Let me assure you. She wasn't. I felt myself relax a bit then.

"Kam. Kam," I lightly shook her. "Kam. Come on. Get up," I took her head in my lap. She wouldn't wake up.

She whimpered and cringed. What is going on?

K POV-

What. I don't even know what.

What just happened.

Mutation? Was that some twisted new ability?

I was back in the field but no erasers were there. Actually, neither was the flock. Where are they?

"Kam. Kam."

"Sparrow? Is that you?" I shot up, looking for him. He suddenly appeared right behind me.

He laughed. "Kam. You know I don't like you like that. Why do you even try." What the heck?

"What does that have to do with- why would you- This is a dream..." I shook my head violently trying to wake myself up.

"You know it's not Kam. You know it's all true." He smiled a very un-sparrow-like smile and walked away. What is all this about?

"Wait!" Why does it hurt so much?

S POV-

"Sparrow? Is she okay?" Izzy looked at me with the question in her eyes.

"Yeah. I'll wake her up. Go...go check on Krys." Oh. Oops.

I was kind of guilty that I didn't care to check on Krys. But Kam looked like she was in pain. I had to get her up.

Why is this happening?

K POV-

Sparrow kept walking.

Leaving me.

He was the one person who I always believed would never leave me.

"Sparrow."I need an explanation now.

He looked back at me. Hate was in his eyes. I don't understand. Was he pretending to be my friend or something? Why would he do that.

I knew it. Kam, this is what you get. Trusting. Caring. /Loving/. Geez.

This was stupid. I was right. Love is stupid. Woah. What? Where the heck did that come from.

love..?

S POV-

I could feel her heart hammering. No one could service this level of stress. Even I know that. She was slowly growing fainter. I could feel it.

"Kam. Come on. You need to get /up/." She's not going to leave me. Not today.

"Kam. Come on. These kids need you. They'd die without you. Get up." Why won't she just open her eyes.

"Kam. /I/ need you. You can't leave me. You're stuck with me. So don't even think about Trying to leave." I bent down, my face only inches from hers.

I whispered something to her, something she needed to hear.

She stirred. Oh thank god. Relief flooded through out my entire body.

Her eyes fluttered open. We were still only inches apart. I opened my mouth say something bit nothing came out.

So.. I kissed her. It wasn't some weird make out scene from a chick flick. It was only like.. Five seconds long. I have no idea what came over me. I just.. Did.

The thing is, she didn't react like I expected. I thought she would just push me away an go back to her whole leader job. But.. She kissed back. Well this is new.

K POV-

I was trying to reason with Sparrow, trying to get him to stop walking away, when I heard it.

I was shocked. The next thing I know I'm opening my eyes, and there Sparrow. The real Sparrow.

Then he kissed me. And I kissed back. What can I say? Actually absolutely nothing. I was more confused now that ever.

"So what was up earlier?" Izzy asks me. "Why did you pass out?"

"I don't know." I said. The question has been plaguing me ever since I woke up.

"It's like I was.. Trapped in my nightmares.." I trailed off, not liking the memories that were resurfacing.

"Wait a minute. I think It /was/ a new power. I remember reading something one time about something called 'Nightmare Imprisonment' and I'd bet money that's what it was." Well. I figured out that I gain the most twisted power in the universe. Brilliant.

I can trap people In their nightmares.