EDDIE'S POV

That was the best moment of my life.

The moment my name was called, something inside me began to glow. A sense of pride waved over me, a feeling I'd never truly experienced before. Very few times have I accomplished anything in my life. Throughout my entire life, I've been a complete failure, never living up to anything. This - this feels… spectacular. As if for once in my life, I have finally done something right.

Yacker and I left the prom at midnight, and now, being back at the house, I cannot sleep. I lie awake, thinking only of my greatest moment. The way I felt climbing up onto the brightly lit stage, the proud moment I shared with Patricia, dancing through the night as king and queen.

A faint rapping sounds of my door. I can't fathom whom it may be; it is almost two in the morning, and everyone is asleep. I immediately worry that my worst fear has been realized; Set is back.

Wait… why would Set knock?

Hesitantly, I make my way towards the door. I creak it open slowly, terrified by what might be on the opposite side.

"Yacker?" I say in a faint murmur. I am shocked to see her there, yet relieved it is not a bloodthirsty god. "What is going on? It's the middle of the night."

She avoids my eyes. "I had a… dream."

I immediately snap into sympathetic boyfriend mode, which has become a sixth sense for me this year.

"What's wrong?" I ask, guiding her in my room and shutting the door. I offer her a seat next to me on my bed.

She breathes, and the air is expelled shakily. "I had this… nightmare, I guess you could call it. But it was nothing like I've ever had before. It was so vivid, so real, and I was terrified. I am terrified."

I engulf her in a hug, pulling her close to me. "You want to talk about it? If it has anything that could involve Set, I need to know. It's ok," I assure her. "It's ok."

"I-I don't remember much. Mostly… darkness. But amidst the darkness, there was a lot of fire. Flames were ablaze everywhere. And I heard this… screaming. It was bloodcurdling. It was like a murder cry. And then, there was this face. It just appeared, looming over all the chaos. It stretched out its hands to me and whispered something inaudible. But his crooked smile is implanted in my brain." Patricia lets her head fall into her hands and begins to cry.

I take a second to really look at her. Her hair is frazzled, as is the rest of her. Her eyes, when they looked at me, were vaguely red and watery. There is something she isn't telling me. I know her too well by now.

"What else, Yacker? I know something else is bothering you. You can tell me. You can always tell me."

She lifts her head only slightly, enough to make her muffled words audible to me. "I heard you. You were screaming in pain. I heard other screams, but mostly yours. I'm afraid it's like your dream, where you thought Set was just trying to scare you, but it ended up almost coming mostly true. But what if… what if this is just the same? What if it turns out exactly like I dreamt it? Something is going to happen to you if it does. I don't know what, it just sounds painful. I can't lose you for real this time."

Her last sentence stirs a painful memory. This year, I've almost died… on numerous occasions. Patricia has been so hurt and damaged inside, and she is immensely frightened by the potential loss of me. I refuse to let that happen.

"I'll be ok. I promise. I will not let Set get to me, ok?" I reassure.

"You can't promise that, you know," she says despairingly.

"I-I know. But I can promise that I will try. I can promise that he will not get to you. If he is going to hurt anyone, it will be me over you any way. Nothing will ever happen to you."

Stop it, Eddie. Stop making care-free promises you can't fulfill.

Patricia kisses my lips, then my cheek, then my neck. She needs this, right now. She needs me in her arms to bring her back into the present where nothing can hurt her.

"Do you want to stay here?" I ask.

"What do you mean?"

"I-I mean, do you want to sleep here. With me."

I somehow have managed to provoke a slight smile on her lips. "Yes."

I have a feeling I'll regret this in the morning when Liam and Fabian wake up to see Patricia sleeping here, especially the day after prom. But I relent anyways.

I spread the covers over top us. She tucks beneath, her warm hands pressed gently against my side. She rests her head on my chest and drifts to sleep.

But I? I cannot sleep. Too many worries flood my mind, worries that I promised myself I would never reveal in front of Patricia. But she is asleep. She cannot sense my worries through her sleep.

Right?

There is also the fear that if I drift to sleep, I'll have a dream. An Osirian dream. Those are never good. With my powers growing and strengthening, I can never be sure as to what the meanings of my dangerous, vivid dreams are.

Against my will, I slowly fall asleep and enter a dream I wish I can forget.

A darkness fades into light, and raucous noise grows. I am suddenly transported to what looks to be a party - people partying and laughing in dresses and tuxes. Everyone seems calm. Too calm.

Of course, that is how the worst of things always begin.

The party is interrupted by a loud crash! and everyone turns and jumps. I expect myself to jump as well, but when I look down, I see I have no feet. I am simply a disembodied idea in this dream. I have no control.

And that is what worries me.

The frightened squeals and starts cease once it is realized that it is not a threat. But they are wrong. The crash sounds again, this time followed by a voice.

Descendants of my brothers and sisters - step forward. It is time to claim your punishment. You cannot defeat me. You will die now, and no more of you shall be born. You are the last of your bloodline. I will crush the earth into pieces and you will not be there to stop me. I have won!

The wretched, strangled voice is bellowing, booming. It is the type of voice that chills the blood and reminds you of your worst fears. Memories flood back to me at it's resonance, memories of deadly occurrences I've faced, times I've almost died, times I've almost lost Patricia or she has lost me. It is as if the voice's goal is to provoke this fear in me, shake me up inside.

I am no longer in a specific area. My dream shifts, and I stand in nothingness while images of bloody knives, sacrificial altars, and slain bodies whirl around me. And there is nothing I can do to stop them.

"Eddie!" A voice cries. "Help me! HELP!"

"Patricia!" I want to call. But I can't. I cannot move nor speak. I am only an idea.

"Eddie! Help!" And suddenly, off in the distance, one of the knives I envision is slowly raised in the air and ferociously struck against the chest of a helpless figure, who cries out in pain with I scream I shan't soon forget.

I can only think: Patricia! No…

And just as quickly as she screamed, she is gone.

"AH!"

I jolt upright as I awaken with a start. Impulsively, I look to my side to be sure Patricia is safe and sound. And as I expect, she is sleeping calmly next to me, no clue of what just occurred in my head. I can only hope we stay like this forever.

I stroke her hair, needing to touch her to bring myself back to reality. The present. Where she is safe by my side. As if sensing my distress, she flutters her eyes open.

"Eddie?" she mumbles. "Are you ok?"

I try to pretend I am fine. "Yeah. Just a bad dream," I lie.

Her tired expression turns to a stern, worried one. "Bad dream? Eddie, is this an Osirian thing?" she whispers.

I gulp, knowing I can't lie to her. "Yes."

She nods add me, urging me to continue.

"I dreamt Set took you."

"I-"

"But we weren't even in a real place. I was standing in darkness, immobile and I couldn't speak. There was no 'here.' It was just darkness. Around me was a swirling image of you being sacrificed. You were calling out for me and I couldn't do anything. But, like I said, it can't be real. We weren't even in a real setting."

Patricia's mouth purses into a thin line. A subtle tear rolls down her cheek as she burrows her face into my chest.

"It'll be ok," I say as I stroke her hair. "Don't worry. Don't cry."

How can I be honest to her when I'm worried myself? I'm terrified. It seems that Patricia's dream depicts me dying, and my dream depicts her death. Set has yet again implanted images in our heads that may flourish into reality.

When I wake in the morning, I realize that I did not dream of anything else.

And that worries me.

It was peaceful, but disconcerting. I smile down at Patricia, who is still sound asleep by my side.

"Dude?"

I jolt with a start at that sound. I evidently smack my head on the shelf above my bed.

"Um, F-Fabian?" I say nervously.

He smirks, trying not to laugh. "So… someone had an interesting prom night, I see?"

I scowl indignantly at him. "Oh? And where's KT, huh? In her room? By herself? After prom? That's no fun now, is it?"

Fabian frowns at me and stomps back to his bed.

"I'm kidding, dude," I say. "C'mon, man, you're my best friend. And Patricia… she's here because we both had, you know, 'Set' dreams."

Fabian's eyes widen. "Wait… you mean like that dream you had a few month ago? And she had one too? Is that even possible?"

"I guess Set can do whatever he wants. He plants those images into my head, so he can probably do it to her too. I thought it was an Osirian thing. Guess not. But it's creepy."

"I can assume so." Fabian bites his nail, as he always does when stressing over a problem.

"Patricia dreamed of a party. Do you think Set might attack at the graduation party?" I ask.

"Oh God. Yeah. We should tell the others."

"Ugh, tell us what?" Liam says through a moan as he wakes up.

I explain our dreams to Fabian and Liam, struggling at the part in mine about Patricia as a sacrifice. I choke through tears as I attempt to speak.

"Hey, it's ok," Fabian consoles. "You've got four other descendants of gods on your sides. Shouldn't that be altogether more powerful than Set? And what was it you told me- that Cassidy was born for extra power against Set? That alone should reassure you that you guys have the ability to defeat him."

"I guess."

"Patricia will be ok," Fabian says sensing my greatest fear.

"How can you say that?" I demand. "All of my visions have come true in some respect. They always do. How can you possibly promise that she will be ok? Have you been oblivious to all that's happened this term? I don't know if Patricia or I are safe. And after what Cassidy has told us, one of us is probably going to die! And now, Patricia is getting dreams. That's not possible. Set is coming after us, he's trying to kill us all. She isn't safe, so don't make false promises. I don't know if I can protect her."

I break into tears before realizing how loudly I screamed.

"Ed-Eddie?"

I turn to face a sobbing Patricia. Her eyes are swirling with fear, and I do not know if it is of Set… or me. She backs away from me, evidently falling onto the floor. She struggles to get on her feet, then runs out of my room.

"Patricia, wait!" I call, but it is too late. I flop down onto my bed, wondering if Patricia will ever come near me again. But I also wonder if what I said is true- am I truly able to protect her anymore? Set has penetrated her mind and wrapped his cold, dark fingers around her throat - metaphorically speaking, of course. For now.

I shudder.

I can't let anything happen to her, but I can't go near her either. Set sees her as my weakness, and that is the last thing I need right now. Set can't think I have a weakness. He'll torture Patricia, hold her for ransom. There is only one thing I can do.

I must break up with Patricia and stay away from her.