Kevin's eyes flutter open, making eye contact with the woman he's been having strange dreams about. The room is dark except for the lights that stream delicately above them, the bed is luxuriously cozy, a thick comforter cocooned him securely between silk sheets. He felt too comfortable to believe that he was awake. "Hey," he finally says. Kevin's face flashed with a hint of confusion, in his dreams he wasn't capable of speaking directly to Yugen, but he still didn't fully believe he was awake.
Yugen studies the mans face in front of her, he appears perplexed and frightfully uncertain. She remembers her dream and knew this wasn't Barry, "Kevin?"
"Yeah, Yugen right?" Kevin doesn't really know this woman, but based on the dreams he's been having, he had nothing to be afraid of. The corners of Yugen's mouth twitch into a small smile as she nods, feeling alleviated by him knowing her name.
"A-am I awake? Like, really REALLY awake?" Kevin stammers as he bravely dares to wonder, his doe eyes muddled with incertitude.
Yugen nods, "I believe so." Although she was beginning to feel as if she may be delusional, she went with the flow, not wanting to alarms Kevin or the others.
"What day is it?" Kevin's voice trembles, dreading the knowledge of how much time he had lost.
"Christmas day, 2016." Yugen answers the question as softly as she could, aware that the information may be a shock.
Kevin shot up, rubbing his face with frustration, "Oh God..." he mutters in a state of panic, "I can't believe I've been away for that long." Kevin places his hands on his thighs, looking down at his palms as his eyes began to water.
Yugen takes a hold of his hand, "Don't worry, I'll catch you up."
Kevin slowly turns his head towards her, peering at her as if all of his memories rests safely with her. He glances over her, noticing she was wearing a shirt that appeared to be one of Dennis'. Then he remembers, Patricia gave her the shirt, then allowed Yugen to wake him up by carrying him to the light. This confuses Kevin above all else, "How did you wake me up without saying my name?"
Yugen thought for a moment before answering, "you're not the only one with a unique brain." Yugen smirks, trying to answer as honestly as she could. If she hadn't been paying attention, she wouldn't have seen Kevin's barely noticeable smile, just before it faltered.
Kevin had seen his alters outside of his head before, so he looked at her with wrinkled brows, "are you another alter?"
Yugen looks down, the question was perfectly reasonable, but for a while now she hasn't felt so sure of herself. "Good question, lately I've been wondering what's real and what isn't. Maybe one of the others, or even Dr. Fletcher can help answer that question for both of us." Yugen let out a small laugh, trying to make the conversation less serious than what it is, not just for her sake, but Kevin's as well. She glances over at her mushroom wall clock, noticing the time is 9am. "I'm very happy to finally meet you Kevin, I'll go make us some coffee," Yugen gives him a small kiss on the cheek before getting up and walking out of the bedroom, leaving Kevin in contemplative silence.
Barry stands over the empty crib, frowning with disconcertment. Everyday, before he woke up and before he went to sleep, he always checked on Kevin. He knew no one had said his name because if they had, they would all be in disarray—yet, he was no longer protected, no longer wrapped in safety within his own subconscious. Heinrich emerges from his space at the other end of the room, he stands next to Barry and his eyebrows shot up. He darts his head back and forth between Barry and the crib, "when did Kevin wake up?"
Barry shakes his head, he continues to stare down at the crib as the others begin to emerge from their spaces. "I don't know… I just woke up myself."
"What's going on?" One of the others ask.
"Kevin's awake," Heinrich replies as he walks over to his chair.
"Man, I was beginning to think he'd never wake up." Samuel playfully punched BT on the shoulder, then states that he owes him $20. BT sighs heavily, rolling his eyes as he reaches into his back pocket.
"You guys are jerks!" Jade barks at Samuel and BT's sordid attitudes.
BT laughs loudly then puts his hand over his heart in mock hurt, "Aww! We're jerks Jade? How could you say such a thing?!" BT chuckles as he hands the money to Samuel, his crooked smile conveying amusement.
Jade responds by rolling her eyes, then walks over to the crib next to Barry, Orwell follows suit. "Is it wrong that I'm worried?" Barry whispers to the both of them as they look down at the crib, considering the situation.
"Of course not, you're the gatekeeper. It's part of your job to worry." Jade tries to reassure Barry, understanding the possibility of having to make tough decisions if Kevin gets hurt, especially by Yugen.
Barry knows of Kevin's history, but doesn't hold the emotions associated with it the same way Kevin does. Barry remembers how cold and distant his mother was, creating a multitude of intimacy issues—for years he struggled to connect with women on an intimate level, although he's very friendly and sociable, he's kept others at a distance; he also learned to despise being touched. He looks over at Dennis, the man who was there with Kevin from the very beginning, no one really knew much of his personal history, but everyone knew that he was damaged by Kevin's trauma.
Barry, Jade, and Orwell turn to watch the group; they all chatter amongst themselves, discussing what they'll do in the light, or placing bets on how long it'll take for Kevin to retreat from the light.
"We'll all do what's necessary to ensure Kevin's safety," Orwell matched Barry's concern, he really likes Yugen, but Kevin is extremely sensitive and most of them are unsure of her ability to handle him. "However, if anything does happen, we'll just have to make sure the horde doesn't try to form any alliances." Orwell gestures towards Dennis and Patricia, who appear to be having an intense conversation.
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