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The Cloak on Dreams

The room fell heavy with tension, Cristofer's unusually good mood vanished completely, his face darkening. He shot up from his chair, eyes wide with surprise and a hint of fear, knowing that what I suggested wasn't out of the realm of possibilities.

"What did you just say?!" Cristofer yelled, his gaze piercing straight into mine.

"Fabian mentioned the name 'Soren Varro.' He said that was his little brother's name."

Cristofer continued to stare at me, waiting for more information to confirm my suspicions.

"There was a doctor who enraged Fabian at the sight of him. I don't know his first name, but his last name was Moreno." As I said the name, I scanned the pictures on Cristofer's wall, searching for a familiar face. The photos were old, around 20 years ago. If Moreno was among them, he would have been in his 30s.

"I don't know of any Doctor Moreno, but here are the doctors who experimented on my team." Cristofer pointed to an old, worn-out photo, its corners burned and a piece missing. In it, I quickly recognized Davos, the one I fought before, but this version was thin instead of muscular. His dark-shining skin, long eyelashes, and hazel eyes were unmistakable. This must be the real Davos, not his clone.

Next to Doctor Davos was a man with a goatee and a familiar stern face. If this man drank wine daily and ate a lot of red meat, he would definitely turn into Doctor Moreno in 20 years. I had no doubt it was him. As Fabian said, his unsympathetic eyes were unforgettable. "That's him," I said to Cristofer.

"That's Doctor Gilroy, a heartless bastard," Cristofer replied. "I presumed he died in the breakout, just like Doctor Davos."

"So this Silas, or whatever his name is, killed his little brother, then killed Davos. You rescued him along with the others, and after some years, he killed a member of your group, went rogue, and ended up killing Mateos. Then, we faced him in the Senator's home, but that wasn't the real him. The real him must have been Fabian." I recalled how Davos' veins glowed during our fight.

"Arianna told me she noticed something strange about Fabian, and for a quick second, I saw his veins glow too, just like Davos' when I fought him." This was it; there was no more denying it. This Silas person had been impersonating Davos, and now, most likely, he had been impersonating Fabian.

"THAT BASTARD WILL PAY!" Cristofer yelled, dashing toward the door. I grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"Stop! We have to think this through. What if there is someone else besides Fabian? What if he's been picking us off one by one?" The thought terrified me. What if the whole team had been replaced? What if Annabella had been killed too?!

My insides felt like they were about to burst. I wanted to charge through that door and confront Fabian, but I couldn't. They all could be in danger if this went wrong.

"Jessie," Cristofer suddenly said. "Jessie could help; her powers let her see the past of the people she touches. She can confirm who is who."

"What makes you so sure that Davos hasn't gotten to her yet?" I replied, my voice laced with doubt.

"She... helps me with my memories. If she were Davos, she would've killed me a long time ago. Trust me."

"You know if you're wrong, we'll tip Davos off, and he'll attack before we can confirm anything," I recanted to Cristofer. We had to find a way to tell Jessie and not look suspicious, and we had to do it now. We can't risk not knowing who is really who.

"Do you have something in mind?" Cristofer asked me, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"I can think of something, but you have to go along with what I say," I said firmly.

"You know he will strike either way, once we know," Cristofer said, worryingly.

"After we confirm everyone is who they say they are, I have no problem with that." I looked down at the file again, my eyes pausing on the name 'Silas Varro'. I couldn't believe all the time I had with Fabian, the bond we built over on Amaracuya, all of it was a lie. It hurt me deeply; I felt like I really knew him. But that pain was not important; I had to save the team.

Stepping into the living room, Cristofer and I motioned for everyone to gather. Charles and Braden paused their game as Ryan complained. Jessie came over from the kitchen, as Alexander put his cell phone to his side and nudged Yelena to wake up. Daniella and Liam turned curiously to us as Ivory and Kyriah swiftly looked at us with suspicion. Fabian was sitting at the end of the living room with his bulged arms crossed.

I cleared my throat as all eyes were on me. "Cristofer had some information for me regarding USC plans for us, and we have reason to believe," I began, the words heavy on my tongue as Cristofer glanced at me with an eyebrow raised, "that someone might be leaking information to them. I know it's a tough accusation, and we don't have any direct proof, which is why I am going to ask if every one of you is okay for Jessie to use her psychometry powers on each of you?" I looked around the room to see how everyone reacted. Jessie jumped back when she heard her name, and the others all looked confused. I quickly glanced at Fabian, who was staring intently back at me, smirking as an unnerving chuckle escaped him.

Ryan stepped up, trying to lighten the mood momentarily, "Are we sure Jessie isn't just going to spill our embarrassing secrets for fun like she did with my-"

"Ryan, this is serious," I cut in, trying to maintain the gravity of the situation. "If you've got nothing to hide, there's nothing to worry about. But we need to make sure everyone here is on our side. If you guys have a better way to do it, feel free to throw in suggestions." I tried to calm them down a bit, although my voice wavered slightly, betraying my nervousness.

The faces staring back at us ranged from suspicion to confusion as Jessie, bewildered, started taking off her customary gloves. I could feel Ivory's eyes piercing into me from afar, like daggers. I couldn't risk telling her the plan or the truth; right now, everyone here was a suspect.

Suddenly, Fabian's voice cut through the murmuring, cold and authoritative, much more serious than his usual tone. "What exactly made you think there's a mole among us, Ellion?" His eyes bore into mine, searching, accusing.

Caught off guard, I faltered, searching for words that wouldn't come. Before I could respond, Ryan tried to crack another joke, trying to defuse the tension.

"Shut up, Ryan!" Fabian shouted, his voice deeper and harsher than usual. Ryan's mouth snapped shut as the room fell silent.

That's when Ivory seemed to finally understand what was happening. She stepped forward, her expression one of utter disbelief mixed with recognition. "How?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly, her eyes locked on Fabian, or rather, Davos. "How are you back?!"

All eyes turned to Fabian as Ivory's question hung in the air. Then Fabian responded with a cold, menacing undertone, "I never left."

Braden, unable to contain his confusion, blurted out, "Who is he, Ivory?!"

She turned, "Dav-!" but before she could finish, Fabian extended his arms, his hands outstretched as if embracing the sky. Suddenly, an intense force of magnetism erupted from him, invisible yet palpable as it swept through the house like a violent storm. It felt as if the very air was being torn apart, dragging us away from each other with unstoppable force.

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Everyone was thrown backward as if caught in an invisible tidal wave. The world turned into a blur of motion and noise. The walls of the house groaned and splintered, windows shattered, and the ground itself seemed to shudder under the strain of Fabian's power. In a matter of seconds, the structure we were standing in collapsed, sending us and the debris flying and scattering in all directions.

I was hurled through a window, glass shattering around me as I crashed into the interior of another abandoned house. I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of me, surrounded by shards of glass and splinters. For a moment, I lay there, dazed, trying to process what had just happened. The air was thick with dust and the sounds of the house's destruction. Shouts and cries of pain echoed around me, mingling with the groans of the collapsing structure.

Regaining my senses, I scrambled to my feet, wincing at the sharp stabs of pain from cuts and the dull ache of bruises forming. Outside, the sounds of destruction continued—crashes and thuds echoed through the ghost town, blending with the distant shouts of my friends.

Carefully, I stepped out of the wreckage of the house, my mind racing as much as my heart. The silence in between the crashes was almost worse than the noise, heavy with the unspoken fear of what Fabian or Davos could be doing right then. Could he be impersonating any of us right now, preparing to attack?

Anxiety gnawed at me as I considered my options. Heading towards one of the sounds might lead me to my friends... or straight into a trap. But staying put was not safe either; it was only a matter of time before Davos decided to attack.

With each crunch of rubble under my steps, my heart pounded louder as I agonized over how we could possibly identify each other. How could we fight back if we couldn't even trust who was who? The sun was high in the sky, casting short, harsh shadows across the debris, but despite the bright light, the silence, the destroyed houses, and the lurking evil had me trembling. The daylight and the desolation made everything feel even more surreal and terrifying.

Turning the corner of a partially collapsed house, my pulse quickened as a figure darted into view. It was Annabella, my sister, her face streaked with dirt and her eyes wide with a mix of relief and terror. She sprinted towards me, arms outstretched, crying out in a voice laden with emotion, "Ellion!"

Instinctively, I raised my hand, signaling her to stop. "Annie, wait!" My voice came out sharper than I intended, the edge of my fear cutting through the quiet. Time seemed to freeze for a moment as I considered what to do.

Annabella skidded to a halt, her expression shifting from relief to confusion, then to hurt. "Why? It's me, Ellion, it's Annie!" Her voice cracked, echoing her fear and confusion in the open space between us.

My throat tightened, seeing her so frightened, and halted mid-embrace. "I need to be sure," I murmured, the words barely escaping. "Davos, or Fabian, whatever he wants to call himself, he could be anyone, Annie. I... I can't risk it."

Tears welled up in her eyes, her frustration and fear mingling into a palpable tremble in her voice. "Ellion, how can you say that? Don't you know me, your own sister?"

I watched her chest heave with quick, shallow breaths, the hurt in her eyes piercing me. I knew my hesitation wounded her, but the paranoia seeded by Davos's deception gripped me tightly. "Please, just stay there a moment longer. I need to think."

The silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating, as we stood frozen on the debris-littered street. The tension twisted tighter, each second feeling longer than the last, filled with the unspoken fear that had driven a wedge between us.

I watched as a tear escaped Annabella's eye, tracking a clean line down her dirt-streaked face. Her lips parted slightly as if to speak, but no words came—only a shaky breath that seemed to carry all the hurt I had caused. The sight tore at me, knitting frustration and guilt tightly within my chest. My hands clenched at my sides, the need to reach out to her screaming in me.

Slowly, tentatively, Annabella took a step forward, her movements hesitant. Her eyes, wide and shimmering with unshed tears, were fixed on mine, searching for any sign of the brother she knew. "Ellion, please," she whispered, her voice so frail it was nearly lost amid the distant sounds of settling rubble. "It's me. It's really me."

The fear was evident in her approach, each step measured and fraught with the anxiety of my potential rejection. My heart ached to close the distance, to comfort her, yet my feet remained rooted, trapped in the cycle of suspicion that Davos had installed in me.

"I want to believe you, Anna, I do," I replied, my voice thick with emotion. The words felt hollow, inadequate for the rift that had opened up between us. "But how can I be sure? How can I know for certain?"

Her next step faltered, a small sob breaking from her as she wrapped her arms around herself protectively. "I don't know how to prove it to you, Ellion. But I'm scared... I'm so scared, and I need my brother. I need you to protect me."

The raw honesty in her plea, the unmistakable terror in her eyes—it all struck a chord deep within me. This was Annabella, my sister, my family, who had always been my anchor. Her cries of pain broke through my defenses, stirring the protective instinct that had always defined our relationship.

With a shaky exhale, I took a step forward, closing the gap with an outstretched hand. "Okay, okay, I believe you, Annie. I'm here," I said, voice steadying as I moved to embrace her. The moment our hands touched, a familiar warmth spread through me, chasing away the cold grip of doubt. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight, feeling the tremors of her sobs against my chest. "It's going to be okay," I whispered, more to reassure myself than her.

As I held Annabella close, the familiar comfort of our embrace began to dissolve the fear and doubt that had clouded my thoughts. Just as a wave of relief began to wash over me, a distant voice shattered the moment.

"Ellion, what are you doing?" The voice was unmistakably Annabella's, but it came from afar. My eyes snapped open, and my heart lurched as I saw another Annabella standing at the end of the street, staring at us in disbelief.

"That's not me, Ellion! She's fake!" she yelled, her voice filled with panic.

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I stepped back from the Annabella I was embracing, my movements hesitant, my mind racing. The Annabella I had just let go of looked at me with wide, frightened eyes, her voice trembling as she pleaded, "Ellion, don't listen to her. She's lying. It's me, Annabella!"

Confusion and fear tangled within me, pulling tighter with each passing second. I backed away further, my gaze darting between the two Annabellas, trying desperately to find something that would tell them apart. But there was nothing—both seemed genuinely terrified, and both looked exactly like my sister.

Then, the surreal became nightmarish. More figures began to emerge from the shadows of the ruined buildings, each one a replica of Annabella, each with the same expression of fear and confusion.

"Don't listen to her, Ellion!"

"I'm the real one, you have to believe me!"

"Why aren't you trusting me?"

The voices crashed over me like waves, each cry and shout jarring my senses, making it impossible to focus. I spun around, trying to make sense of the chaos, as dozens of Annabellas multiplied around me, each clamoring for attention. The air thickened with their overlapping voices, all seemingly distraught, all undeniably Annabella, yet impossibly so.

Panic clawed at my chest, overwhelming me. My sister's face, replicated endlessly in every direction I looked, made my head swim with dread. How could I possibly discern who was real in a sea of duplicates? Each "Annabella" seemed as confused and scared as the next, their pleas growing louder and more desperate.

I took a step back, my breaths quick and shallow. "Enough!" I shouted, the sound of my voice cutting through the melee. "Stop this! All of you, just stop!"

But the Annabellas didn't heed my plea, their cries grew louder, more urgent. My mind raced, grappling with the terrifying options before me. Use my ice powers? What if the real Annie was among them? I couldn't bear the thought of harming her by mistake.

The instinct to flee surged through me, but the same fear anchored me in place—if I ran, and one of these Annabellas was the real one, I'd be leaving her to a fate at the hands of Davos, who could be lurking behind any one of these familiar faces.

As my thoughts spiraled, a fleeting wish crossed my mind: If only Jessie were here, her ability to see into the past of things she touched could solve this in an instant. That's when it clicked—a realization so sharp it cut through the fog of my panic. Davos might be able to mimic their appearance and voice, but he couldn't replicate their memories, their pasts.

Seizing on this thread of hope, I raised my voice above the racket, "What happened to our parents?"

The responses came, a chorus of sorrow: "They died tragically in an accident!" "They were taken from us too soon!" Each voice was tinged with a rehearsed sadness, but one—it was softer, more reluctant—murmured something different, something true: "They left us to die."

That was it. The words resonated with the harsh truth I had avoided for so long, the reality Annabella and I had faced together. Only the real Annabella could remember that painful truth so vividly, so sorrowfully.

Without hesitation, I summoned my power, the air around me chilling as I unleashed a dense, icy mist. The mist billowed out, clouding the scene, and obscuring their visions. It was the cover I needed. I darted toward the source of the soft, truthful words.

I spotted her—the real Annabella—her eyes wide with shock and recognition as I approached. Grabbing her hand, I pulled her with me as we continued to run, Come on!" I urged.

We ran, her hand clasped tightly in mine, as we navigated through the thickening fog I had created. The cries and shouts of the other Annabellas faded into the background, their figures becoming ghostly silhouettes as the mist enveloped us completely.

We didn't stop, didn't look back, our feet pounding against the rubble-strewn ground as we made our escape from the haunting echoes of deceit. The icy mist trailed behind us, hiding us from the twisted game Davos had thrust upon us.

As we emerged from the fog, the sun's rays pierced through the mist, casting an ethereal glow on the path ahead. The remnants of the abandoned and destroyed urbanization loomed around us.