Rafael & the magic DarKNight

“Hi Maddox,” Rafael said. His friend was gripping the doorframe of the infirmary, his face wearing a comical expression of relief. “You can’t get rid of me that easily. We still have a tournament to win.”

Maddox smiled. “You’re right, bro.” His eyes checked Poppina, and he frowned. “Are you out of your mind to go out alone like that?”

She gave him a hard stare. “Don’t I know it.” She didn’t elaborate. Some things were better left unsaid – at least until they were out of reach of prying ears.

“You’ve got a few bumps and bruises, but they’re nothing a good night’s sleep won’t cure. Take it easy for the next few days, though.” Ms. Pepper’s mood had been wavering from light to brooding during her examination. “You’re remarkably healthy for someone who has been roaming Dreamland for four days.”

At that moment, Rafael realized they didn’t know he had been back in the real world. He scrambled for an acceptable answer. “I can’t remember all of it, Ms. Pepper.” That was technically correct because he couldn’t remember something he hadn’t experienced. “As my mum always says, I’m sturdy. Plus, I can make food.”

“Don’t tell me you survived on chicken nuggets,” Maddox joked.

Rafael grinned. “I had a few.”

That was the truth, at least in one sense. Rafael pushed down a twinge of guilt. Although Ms. Pepper had been a real gem to him, his priority was now his brother’s survival.

“I’ll remember to eat more chicken nuggets,” an amused, deep voice came from the door.

Mr. Demetriu, followed by Mr. Dowotski, stepped in and filled the space with their personalities.

Rafael was glad Poppina took the lead and inundated them with her side of the story. While she rambled, he contemplated the ramifications of everybody’s assumption that he never left Dreamland. It was an unexpected – albeit welcome twist.

“… then, Rafael did a lightshow to signal his location, and I ran there,” Poppina continued.

Her story offered him a ticket back to Earth. If no one knew he had activated his Planeweaver power, and he could resist the pull of Dreamland, then he could go back home and get on with his life.

Already, he could feel a deep urge in his inner being to heal the wrongness that radiated from Dreamland. It wasn’t maliciousness he detected from the wild creatures, but rather something akin to sickness that seemed to stem from the weakening fabric of the universe. Rot.

But first, he needed to focus on saving his brother.

Poppina was the queen of flamboyant storytelling. She answered their questions in detail, telling them how she noticed the search parties were called back, and how she decided to find Rafael herself, and how Mr. Dowotski rescued them from the beasts, and how...

Rafael noticed Mr. Dowotski’s occasional winces during her flattering narrative and how he expressed relief with a cordial smile when she finally stopped talking.

Mr. Demetriu cleared his throat. “While we are glad to have Rafael back, your actions, Miss Poppina, were reckless. You endangered not only yourself but several Guardians as well.” He sighed. “You’ll write an essay about your actions and how you intend to conduct yourself in a more responsible manner in the future.”

She glared at him but kept her mouth shut.

He turned to Rafael. “So, what happened to you?”

Rafael played the amnesia card again and was glad to see Mr. Demetriu buy it.

“What do you think Rahima wanted from you?”

“Who?”

“The girl who abducted you.”

His hand flew to the scar on his throat. “I have no idea, sir. I only remember how she was threatening Jennifer and slashed at me with a knife when I tried to help.” At Mr. Demetriu’s nod, he surmised the Headmaster was informed. “I couldn’t get enough air. I can’t remember anything after that.”

Jennifer. She had some explaining to do.

Centisom was overjoyed at Rafael’s return, and the entity spoiled him with childish enthusiasm. A glancing thought was enough for a bowl of chocolate ice cream to appear in his hands.

“Quit that, Centisom,” Rafael said, amused, but mostly irritated. “I don’t need this kind of attention. You’ll get me in trouble.”

Regular training was set to resume the next Monday. Therefore, they had a long weekend to recover. He didn’t plan to relax, though; the PIC Team had a lot to discuss, and he needed preparation time.

He woke early Saturday and was the first to their hangout. After a few hours of work, he glanced at the multiple project boards aligned on the wall and nodded to himself. Showtime.

“Centisom, please activate phase one.”

He was polishing off the last of his ice cream when his friends came in.

“Rafael, you should quit the junk food, it’s not good for you.”

“Why, Poppina, you sound like my mother,” he answered, amused by her concern for his health. Except for the occasional ice cream, he never saw her eat junk food.

Maddox looked at the boards. “Whoa, Rafael, you’ve been busy.”

He was about to answer when the door opened, and Grace came hurtling toward him. However, she stopped right before they made contact and stood in awkward silence for a second.

“You had me worried, Rafael,” she finally said, her voice soft and her green eyes glinting.

“Yeah, me too.”

She was a little too close for comfort, but he didn’t feel crowded.

Her lips curved in a small smile, and she turned to the others. “Good morning.” Spotting the boards, she asked, “Our next PIC Team assignment?”

“The same assignment, actually, just expanded,” Rafael said. He went to the wall and inclined his head to Poppina. “You were right. The T.P.O.D. tablet is the origin and source of all the trouble: the creatures, the astral bodies on the loose – everything.” He pointed to the project boards. “That’s what I know so far. I wrote everything down and placed it on a timeline. Now I need your help to fill in the blanks.”

When they nodded their assent, he continued, “If we can find the tablet and destroy it, I think security and peace will be restored to Dreamland and Centisom.”

Poppina pondered his words. “I tried to talk to Mr. Demetriu about that. He told me not to worry and to go back to my studies.”

Maddox rolled his eyes. “When will you learn that adults don’t care about the opinion of teenagers?”

“Sad, but true,” Grace chimed in, still studying the boards.

Poppina got down to business. “Okay. From the beginning. Let’s assume this mess we are facing was triggered when Kiano entered the simulation game. After that, somebody stole the T.P.O.D. tablet, then the first creatures appeared in Centisom.”

They nodded, she continued. “Rafael, Bobby accused you of breaching Gateway Hall shortly after he and his band of morons beat the crap out of you.”

Grace gasped, and Rafael reassured her with a gentle shake of the head. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

Poppina winced at her slip-up. “Sorry. Sooo, we searched for the tablet and in the process, found out that Mr. Zhou programmed the game. Now we have two questions to answer: Who hacked the code... and who is T.P.O.D... granted, it could very well be the same person.”

Maddox went to the board and added, Who modified the code? next to Who is T.P.O.D.?

Grace took over. “Now, it gets interesting. Kiano joined Bobby’s crew and somehow ended up with the tablet – assuming it was the actual T.P.O.D. tablet.”

Poppina looked at the board. “Kiano and Jennifer worked together... how surprising,” she said with a twist of sarcasm. “Kiano tossed the tablet to Bobby, and Bobby was forced to give it to Mr. Zhou.”

Maddox wrote Plan? next to Jennifer and Kiano’s names.

“That’s where things get confusing,” Rafael butted in. “After Kiano handed the tablet to Jennifer, Maddox and I went after him, but somehow we went different ways. Then I stumbled on Jennifer. Rahima was threatening her and attacked us.” He pointed to the scar on his throat. “I was out for a while after that.”

Maddox nodded. “Kiano was hiding from the Guardians, and he grabbed me when I was running by.”

“Okay, did he tell you what he was up to?”

“No, he said it was all a misunderstanding. But right after that, Jennifer came back with a bump on her head, yelling that a wild girl took you. Things were hectic after that.”

“That’s all he said?”

“Yep,” Grace answered. “The teachers immediately organized a search and rescue party. Almost everyone volunteered to help.” She sighed. “But it turned into a nightmare when feral creatures and astral zombies started appearing everywhere.”

Rafael glanced at the boards, grabbed a pen, and added the missing bits. “Maddox was with Kiano. Check. Beasts and zombies. Check. I make a lightshow, Poppina finds me. Check. Mr. Dowotski and Mr. Santiago save the day. Check.”

“So, why were you outside alone, Poppina?” Rafael asked.

Maddox turned to Poppina. “Right. Why didn’t you ask me to go to Dreamland with you?”

Poppina snatched the pen from Rafael’s fingers and wrote Intuition on the board. Maddox added a question mark to it. They glared at each other.

Rafael stifled a sigh. She was hiding something, but wasn’t he, too?

“The thing is, Jennifer had another tablet, and Rahima stole it,” Rafael said, trying to get them to refocus.

That got their attention.

“There is more than one tablet?” Grace asked.

He inclined his head in affirmation. “I think Kiano and Jennifer have a lot to confess. Centisom, please initiate phase two.”

“What’s phase two?” Poppina asked, her eyes narrowing into slits.

“What was phase one? Us?” Maddox asked.

Rafael blinked in surprise. “Of course not,” he denied, pointing to the boards. “That was phase one.”

Grace was still next to the boards with a pensive look on her face. “The creatures and the astral zombies appeared after the tablet was in Dreamland,” she said. “And Mr. Zhou is involved to some degree. He’s connected to the program, the tablet, the Gateway Hall breach, and he took the tablet from Bobby.”

“A Guardian has to be involved to some degree,” Poppina corrected her while writing Insider help next to Gateway Hall. “Mr. Zhou couldn’t have opened the doors at that time. And he is a teacher, for goodness’ sake.” She seemed scandalized at the idea a teacher could be involved.

“Teachers are human, Poppina. Stop being so naive,” Maddox said.

A hesitant knock saved Rafael from calming Maddox and Poppina once again.

“Just so you know, Kiano and Jennifer participated in the search and rescue mission. They were devastated when you went missing,” Grace told him quietly as they went to open the door.

Time for phase two.

The bickering ceased when their next guests entered the room. If looks could kill, Jennifer and Kiano would have dropped dead the moment they walked in the room.

“How can you let them in our headquarters?” Maddox asked, fuming.

“Don’t worry,” Rafael said, “Centisom led them here. No one can enter the hidden corridor without my permission, remember?”

When they didn’t answer, Rafael sighed. “Let’s hear them out before we judge.”

Poppina muttered something under her breath but sat with a huff and crossed her arms.

“Have a seat,” Rafael instructed Kiano and Jennifer with a smile. “Thanks for coming. I’m sure you’d like to explain yourselves, get things off your chest.”

They stayed in the middle of the room, shoulder to shoulder, their eyes flicking back and forth between the boards and Poppina’s sulking presence.

After a beat, Kiano’s defiant attitude deflated. “Look, I didn’t mean to hurt you, Rafael.”

Rafael smiled. He had surmised as much. “Okay, let’s start at the beginning.”

Kiano touched Jennifer’s arm, and they took a seat on a small couch opposite Poppina.

“I was furious after I saw what Bobby and his gang did to you. So, I went looking for him. I wanted to... I don’t know... get some payback.” Kiano shrugged. “Anyway, he was with his crew, gloating about how he made you understand the pecking order. His words, not mine.” He pursed his lips in disgust. “I wanted to catch him alone, so I followed him when he left.” He glanced at the boards. “He went to Gateway Hall and spoke for a while with Mr. Zhou.”

Poppina gasped.

“I was also there,” Jennifer said, her eyes on Maddox. “I followed Kiano because he looked mad and was acting out of character. I joined up with him. We couldn’t hear anything because they were whispering, but after a few minutes, Bobby pulled a tablet out of his bag and handed it to Mr. Zhou. He seemed really angry when he walked away.”

“So it was that snake Bobby all along!” Maddox shouted, leaping to his feet, causing Jennifer to recoil.

“Hang on, let me finish,” Kiano said, trying to calm Maddox. “So, we were just about to follow Bobby from Gateway Hall when Mr. Zhou opened the doors to Dreamland and stepped out with the tablet. After a few minutes, he came back in, but Bobby had circled back and was waiting for him. That’s when he bashed Mr. Zhou’s head with his bag, grabbed the tablet, and bolted.”

“We decided on the fly to trick Bobby and get the tablet as soon as possible,” Jennifer said, chin high with pride. “That guy is a plague. Kiano offered to infiltrate his circle–”

“I wondered,” Poppina cut her off and threw a hard stare at Kiano, “why Bobby let you in.”

Kiano looked down. “I told Bobby what he wanted to hear… mostly that I was fed up with Rafael’s aloofness.” He looked up at Rafael. “No offense, pal, but you’re intensely private. Sometimes, it rubs me wrong.”

Rafael sighed inwardly but didn’t protest. While the judgment was harsh, and it stung to hear, it wasn’t far off the mark. He did keep to himself, even if he had his reasons.

Kiano relaxed at Rafael’s nod of acceptance and went on. “Did you know that Centisom refused access to our hangout to Bobby and his gang? So, I offered to open the door for them. He took the bait. I was in.”

“Well, not your best move,” Maddox said with a frown.

“Don’t be mean, Maddox,” Jennifer said. “It wasn’t easy for Kiano. Bobby and his gang are nuts.”

Jennifer continued, “We reckoned it would be easier to replace Bobby’s tablet than to steal it. But Bobby didn’t take his eyes off it – he’s fascinated by the video game. If we wanted a perfect replacement for the tablet, we had to copy the engraving as well. We decided to wait for the Dreamland field trip to do it, while everyone was distracted by the Glab show. Kiano stole the original tablet, I cloned it and gave Kiano the clone to put back in Bobby’s backpack. It went smoothly until Maddox and Rafael showed up and ruined everything.” Her voice was ripe with disgust.

“Cut it out, Jennifer,” Poppina said, pointing an accusing finger. “You could have warned us. In fact, why not? All you achieved on your own is to hand over our hangout to Bobby and let the guy play with a mass destruction weapon while you hatched your plan! Oh, and before I forget, where is the authentic tablet now?”

Rafael felt impatience well in him. He didn’t have time for disputes. “Poppina, it’s over now. I’m glad Kiano and Jennifer were on our side the whole time – it’s what I suspected from the moment I put the boards together. Their plan was brilliant, and they would have succeeded if not for our bad-timed intervention.” He gave them a bright smile. “And look at the cool new hangout we got out of it.”

Poppina blinked like an owl but subsided without further comment. Rafael turned toward Jennifer. “So, the tablet I saw Rahima take from you that night, was it the authentic one?”

“Hold on, I thought you had the tablet,” Kiano said, scowling at Jennifer.

She looked down. “Well, the thing is, I can’t be sure,” Jennifer conceded in a small voice.

Poppina was up and pacing now, unable to contain her angry energy. “How can you not be sure?”

“She can’t be sure because she made two clones,” Rafael answered, still looking at Jennifer. “You knew you needed two clones in case Bobby saw the exchange and demanded his tablet back, in which case you would have handed him the other fake. Am I right?”

Rafael smiled in triumph when she nodded yes and added, “That’s exactly what I would have done.”

“Well, which tablet did Rahima get?” Grace inquired.

Jennifer shook her head. “I don’t know. After I awoke, Rafael was gone. I panicked and took off without my bag. When a Guardian found it and brought it back to me, the tablet wasn’t in it.”

Maddox groaned. “You must be kidding. So, the tablets are still in Dreamland?”

Grace slumped back on the couch. “And we don’t even know which one Rahima has.”

They were all silent for a moment, then Poppina announced in a bleak voice, “We need to retrieve at least the one Jennifer lost. It sounds like we’re making another trip to Dreamland.”

Rafael updated the boards while they discussed the logistics of an unauthorized trip to Dreamland. Despite their efforts, no matter how they tried to put it together, they couldn’t find a way to open Gateway Hall’s doors to Dreamland without getting caught. And even if they succeeded, their chances to avoid an attack from the feral creatures were slim.

While Rafael wrote, he turned the problem over in his head. He needed the authentic tablet to save his brother, whatever the cost to himself – but not at the cost of his friends’ lives. Poppina was right, they needed to retrieve at least the tablet Jennifer lost. If they were lucky, it was the right one. “I’ll go,” he said abruptly, interrupting their discussion. “Alone. That’s the only way.”

His friends didn’t lack courage, he thought as he listened to their vigorous protests. They were ready to risk their lives to save Dreamland – uh, make that Nightmareland. They were, in all but name, already Guardians. Brave. Clever. Committed to their duty.

“All right, I won’t do anything rash. But I need some thinking time to finalize my plan. Can we meet tomorrow, same time and place?” He turned to Jennifer and Kiano. “Until further notice, you’re guests of the PIC Team, so you have access to this room only accompanied by one of us.”

Even Poppina nodded, Rafael noticed. She was mature enough to put her disgruntlement aside and work with a team for the greater good. However, his own motive wasn’t as noble. He just needed every available resource to save his brother, and while he was relieved that Kiano had tried to do the right thing, his betrayal still hurt.

On their way to the door, Jennifer asked, “What is the PIC Team?”

Grace chuckled. “Well, that depends on your point of view.”

Rafael caught the attention of Poppina and Maddox as everyone filed out and motioned them to stay behind.

Once they were alone, he said, “I think I can make myself invisible.”

He chewed his lip as they looked at him in stunned silence.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

Life wasn’t about what he wished for, but about what he needed to do. He didn’t want to reveal his secret, but it was the only way to ensure that someone would complete the mission and save Lennart’s life if he failed. Maddox and Poppina were the most logical choices because they were the only ones he fully trusted.

Rafael took a deep breath, steeled himself, and unleashed the truth. “I wasn’t lost in Dreamland. I went back to Earth.”

“What?” both friends shouted in unison. They were funny like that, sometimes.

“I can’t tell you why or how my astral body went back to my physical body.” He shook his head to stall their questions. He would tell them what he could, nothing more. “At first, I thought Dreamland and Centisom were only dreams. My memory was hazy, and I was so happy to see my family...”

The incredulous expressions on their faces were priceless.

“It gets crazier. The modified simulation from the T.P.O.D. tablet is now available in the real world. It’s an online game called DarKNight that turns kids catatonic. The zombied-out astral bodies wandering all over Dreamland right now are its victims.”

“Oh my gosh, why would someone do that?” Poppina asked, baffled.

“Because it’s the fastest way to build an army,” Maddox replied in a grim tone.

Poppina’s eyes widened in horror. “Holy crap, the hacker is scheming to take over Dreamland, and the Guardians don’t even see it because they’re focused on the feral beasts. They have no idea the zombied-out kids are being controlled.”

“The kids are ticking bombs because no Guardian would ever hurt an astral kid. The perfect trap,” Maddox breathed out in awe.

“Exactly. And that’s why we must find the tablet before the trap snaps,” Rafael said, raking a hand through his hair. “And that’s not all. My brother is one of those kids.”

The news hit his friends like a bomb.

“Oh no, no, no...” Maddox paled.

Poppina hugged Rafael and said, “We’ll save him. And all the others.”

Rafael gulped his sadness down. “Okay. If we want to stop that madness, we need that tablet. I think it contains the malicious source code. If we destroy the code, it could be enough to save the kids and Dreamland. And we also need to identify the hacker.”

“I’m in.”

“Me too.”

“Awesome.” Rafael turned to Poppina and pushed a slip of paper and the key to Infinite Library into her hand. “That’s the name I found in Mr. Zhou’s office. Please find out everything you can about him.”

“I’ll do it,” she said. “But what are you going to do?”

Maddox elbowed her. “You missed something important, Poppina.” He looked with narrowed eyes at Rafael. “How did you come back without Transcry?”

Poppina’s jaw dropped open, and she face-palmed herself. “I’m getting slow.” She put her hands on her hips. “Spill it, Rafael.”

Rafael bowed his head to Maddox. “Well combined, dude.” He went to the couch to buy himself some time.

“Right. The easiest way to put it is that Mr. Demetriu and Mr. Dowotski lied to me about my power. But that’s okay-ish though because I knew it almost from the beginning, and I can understand their reasoning. I was even grateful they left me alone.”

“You’re talking in riddles, Rafael,” Poppina said and sat next to him. “Does it have to do with your picture in the glass dome? Your belated arrival? The fact you supposedly have only one gift, but you do things no one else of your Manifestation classmates can do?”

“Yes, I guess.”

She jumped up and gyrated in a weird victory dance. “I knew it! You’re like the... chosen one! I called it!”

“Don’t be so happy,” Rafael said with a sigh. “I’m not the chosen one... I just happen to carry the outdated gift of Planeweaving. And being the only one in existence is not a desirable place to be.”

Maddox’s eyes widened, and a strange mix of wonder and excitement crossed over his face.

Poppina slowly spun back to him. “Why is your Planeweaving gift such a terrible thing?”

He sighed. “That’s a story for another time. Here’s the short version: I activated the Planeweaving gift so I could come back. And I think I can slip out of Centisom without anyone noticing.”

Maddox’s brows creased. “I don’t see how, dude. Mr. Demetriu is in tune with Centisom. You can’t open the doors without setting off an alarm.”

“Yes, he can,” Poppina shot back. “The Headmaster implied he could as he was interrogating him.” She looked at Rafael. “It has to do with your Planeweaving gift, doesn’t it?”

He opened his mouth, but Maddox cut off his reply. “But he’ll notice when you open a door, and then he’ll close it. You’ll be trapped in Dreamland.”

“You’re right.” Poppina’s hand flew to her mouth.

“Well, if you’d let me explain,” Rafael said in irritation. “Planeweavers can manipulate energy: the energy of space, and consequently – because they are linked together – the energy of time.”

“You can stop time?” Poppina asked in awe.

“Maybe, I don’t know. But back to the problem at hand. You know Centisom creates a pocket dimension – that’s a spatial and time distortion – each time the doors in Gateway Hall close. Centisom is the creation and the legacy of Planeweavers.” He looked to the ceiling. “Aren’t you, my friend?”

At that moment, glitter descended from out of thin air and covered them in a blanket of multicolored happiness. Rafael laughed and pleaded, “Stop, my friend, that’s enough!”

After Poppina stopped giggling, Rafael told them his plan. “I think I’m able to transport out of Centisom’s pocket dimension and collect the tablet without raising an alarm. And because I’d be moving in the no-time zone, I’d be invisible to Mr. Demetriu and the feral beasts.”

“You can teleport?” Maddox’s eyes were bulging.

“Well, yes, I thought we had established that when I said I came back without the Transcry, Maddox,” Rafael shot back in his driest tone.

“Teleport. That’s so awesome.” Poppina was back to dancing, kicking little clouds of glitter in her wake.

If only she knew the cost.

After he escorted them out, as usual, he doubled back to his secret room. But just as he reached the hidden hallway, a meaty hand descended on his shoulder.

“Still looking for some civilized green, Rafael?”

He put a hand over his pounding heart. “You scared me, Mr. Santiago.” He paused as the man’s question reached his brain. “Ah, I told you the jungle would be the end of me, didn’t I?”

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m glad if you just stick to the soccer field, Rafael. You gave me the scare of my life, battling those wild creatures on your own.” The Guardian’s dry tone made it clear he was parroting Rafael.

Rafael narrowed his eyes. Two could play that game.

“Well, as far as I’m concerned, I’m glad if my future entails only kicking soccer balls, no wild beasts.”

The Guardian winked and crouched in front of him. “Why am I not surprised to find you here when you’re supposed to be in your room? I’ve spent a great deal of time checking on you and your friends, only to realize you’re mostly somewhere other than where Centisom indicates.”

Rafael’s stomach clenched. He parted his lips, unsure what would come out, but Mr. Santiago gave him a sign to zip his lips.

“Don’t insult me with a lie, Rafael. I won’t betray your secrets. You’re the most fun I’ve had in years. It’s clear Centisom supports you, that’s enough for me. I’ve got your back should you need help. Understood?”

Rafael nodded slowly, relief curbing the dread. The Guardian stood up and strode away, his signature booming laugh trailing behind.

Unbelievable. It seemed he had a new ally.

Even if he was mere entertainment for Mr. Santiago.

As he walked into his secret room, he felt a wave of nostalgia. The room had once been the private office of the last Head of Planeweaving, and it felt a little bit like home to him. He had spent many hours there in blissful, secluded peace, reading book after book about the forgotten Planeweavers.

He was now the Head of Planeweaving, he guessed.

He rubbed his chest to soothe the uneasy mix of emotions caused by Dreamland’s pull and his own dread and sighed, regretting he couldn’t turn back time and undo that disaster. Sadly, reversing time was beyond his Planeweaver abilities.

He figured out he was a Planeweaver almost from the start. His ability to see what happened on Earth through mirrored surfaces, along with his affinity to Centisom, were dead giveaways. The journals and old books explained his gift’s infinite potential, but also warned of its dangers and drawbacks. All in all, it would have been a wise move to leave it alone. On that point, he agreed with Mr. Demetriu’s opinion.

Too bad life didn’t care about people’s opinions – or wishes.

He scanned the bookcases until he found the ancient book he sought. He could do the instant-reading thing, plus he had a great memory, but it wouldn’t hurt to go back and refresh his knowledge. Curling up in his favorite leather winged chair next to the hearth, he went to work.

“We’ll meet tonight. Good luck,” Poppina said later that day, as she and Grace set off to tackle the research part of the investigation.

“Don’t get caught,” Rafael answered when they departed his room.

Kiano left with Jennifer. Their task was to observe Mr. Zhou.

Maddox turned to Rafael, who was sprawled across his bed. “All right. Let’s get this show on the road. You ready?” The worry in his face undermined his light tone.

They had opted to start from Rafael’s bedroom, in case something went wrong and he needed medical care. Maddox’s task was to provide said assistance or fetch Ms. Pepper in case it went really wrong.

“Yes. I’ll be back in no time,” Rafael joked. “No-time, get it?”

Maddox leveled a strange look at him that said: well yes, but no, not funny.

Rafael took a deep, calming breath and stretched his hands. When he brought his palms together, golden light spilled out, and he visualized the clearing where he had been with Jennifer in Dreamland. A tremendous force pushed him to the floor.

“Ouch!”

The sound escaped his lips but didn’t reach his ears. He double-blinked at the new imagery all around him. He was in the right place, down to the soft moss and the stones, which were strewn around like toddler’s cubes. But his mind insisted that he was looking at a flat picture. And like a picture, there were no smells, no sounds, no wind, nothing to help his senses orient him.

When he tried to stand up, he fell on his side because his sense of equilibrium was gone too. His stomach flipped when he realized why the books warned that people weren’t supposed to exist within the no-time area: You couldn’t orient yourself without sensory references. He couldn’t feel his body, hear himself, or know if he was lying or standing.

He would have to rely on muscle memory.

He gave himself a mental shake: He needed to get moving and find the tablet before the strain of being in a hostile environment incapacitated him.

Overwhelmed by nausea, he turned his head to the side and hurled, wondering what would happen to the waste when time resumed. On the plus side, it was odorless.

Once his belly settled, he crawled over the green floor – the floor that was supposed to be soft but didn’t register with his sense of touch. Did astronauts feel like that in space?

The dragon inside was restless. It didn’t like being in a no-time zone either.

After an agonizing stretch of crawling, he spotted a patch that seemed darker than the surrounding shadows. The problem was, he couldn’t estimate where it was in relation to himself.

He scuttled to the shrub, patting the ground in front of him until his hand covered the darker form. He peered closer, and his heart stuttered in relief. He had worried the tablet was already gone, but there it was. Got you!

His stomach heaving, he grabbed the small blade in his pocket and pressed the tip to his finger. Sucking a breath, he applied more pressure until his skin broke. He closed his eyes when a drop of blood welled up but managed to open them and smear a droplet on the tablet.

Each movement was an exercise in dexterity and muscle memory, and it took forever to pluck the tablet from the ground and tuck it into his waistline, flush against his belly. He was sweating and panting in exertion, but... he had done it!

Time to leave. He clasped his hands together and felt himself move.

He missed the bed by a large margin and crashed to the floor.

His senses were back, and he moaned as a wave of pain rolled through him. Never again, he thought while trying to stifle another bout of nausea.

“Are you okay?” Maddox was crouching next to him, wrinkling his nose. “One moment you’re on your bed telling jokes, the next you’re on the floor, with puke all over your face.”

“Help me up instead of gawking, Maddox. That trip wasn’t funny,” he said through clenched teeth.

He was still struggling with the mixed signals his body was trying to process when Maddox helped him to his feet. He made a beeline to the bathroom.

When he returned, his friend was waiting, concern in his eyes. “Dude, you’re covered with scratches, how did that happen?”

“I didn’t feel a thing, that’s how.”

Maddox approached to heal him. “All... right... So, did you find it?”

Rafael lifted his shirt, revealing the black device. “Yeah, but please slap me if I ever consider doing this again.”

He rubbed his forehead and focused on the tablet. Because he wasn’t able to feel in the no-time environment, he hadn’t checked to see which one it was.

His eyes lifted to Maddox in excitement. “This isn’t a recent creation. We’ve got the right one!”

Maddox jumped in triumph and shouted, “Victory! Take that, evil hacker!”

Praise to all holy snabarca, it seemed the nightmare was finally about to end.