"I can't sleep either, kid." Sad blue eyes stared back at me, showing the soul of a familiar face. His name was something of a bird's...Wren. That habitual face twitch, illuminated by the moonlight. This is impossible.

He sighed, eyes towards the window."I've always been good at betrayal, but something didn't feel right this time."

Am I asleep? I untangled myself from the mess of sheets, staring at one of the few faces I never wanted to see again. "What is this? How are you here?" I croaked, rubbing my eyes. This can't be real.

Wren hummed, tapping his fingers on his chin. "Well I'm not actually here. You know that." He got to his feet, pacing by the end of my bed. "If I was, I wouldn't stay for that glare." He snorted, "Five years and you still haven't forgiven me."

"You don't deserve it. What you did was terrible," I growled.

"I didn't do anything." He crossed his arms. "I'm not really Wren."

"You're not Wren anyway you slice it." I buried my head in my pillow. "Merle called you Leo, that's your real name."

He stopped, his face going blank. "Hmm...yes, your right. Leo something." His face twitched. "I'm having trouble placing the last name, do you remember it?"

"No, why would I bother."

"I don't know?" He shrugged. "Details are important."

"You don't even know your own last name," I snarled.

He leaned on the bedpost. "I only know what you know. This is a dream after all."

"Are you certain about that?" I peeked out from the pillow.

"Am I certain?" he laughed, "You ask the figment of a dream, if It's certain that it lacks reality? How am I supposed to answer that?"

"Don't then, just go away." I shut my eyes, hating the sound of his voice. Why'd it have to be Wren?

He stepped closer, peering at me. "C'mon, aren't you curious about why I'm making appearances in your subconscious?"

"Not particularly," I hissed. Sick amusement slapped across his face. "I thought about you yesterday, so I guess the touture continues." I whipped the pillow at him.

He caught it, cackling. "Ya sure, but don't you think there's something deeper going on?"

"What do you mean?" I glared at the ceiling.

"What did that psychologist lady on television say?" He sat down on the bed. "Something about dreams being windows into subconscious fears?"

"We both know that's ridiculous." I rubbed my temples.

Wren's grin fell. "It sounded smart, when she said it."

I rolled my eyes."No one knows all that much about dreams or the things beyond them." I crawled out of the covers, sitting up.

Wren took a breath, shaking his head. "You're talking about the voice, aren't you." What did he say?

"You know about the voice?" I croaked, scrambling off the bed. The voice at the end of the dream.

Wren shrugged, walking across the floor. "I know as much as you...which is nothing. The dream isn't real. There's no magical spring, no never ending darkness. And there's definitely no voice offering escape." He slid open the balcony door, a cool breeze drifting in.

"Sure...I know that." I brushed my hair away from my face, cold air on my skin. "But it felt real."

"Real?" He motioned to the room. "This feels real too, but I'm not actually here."

"What does it matter? It changes nothing, I'm stuck here," I said, my breathing shaky. "Let me hold onto something."

"This gets to the heart of the problem, now doesn't it?" Wren stepped out onto the balcony, motioning for me to follow.

"Heart of what problem?" I grumbled. The door swinging shut, I stumbled out after him.

The stars faded out in the early hours of the morning. A rusty purple across the deep blue night. Skyscrapers spanned the horizon. Windows lit up, sparkling with the early hours of the morning.

Wren leaned on the railing, a shine off of his dark hair, wearing the stupid guard outfit from Euphoria. This is definitely a dream. He turned his head, another twitch of his features. "What about your current circumstances reminds you of me?"

"I don't know…" I crossed my arms, burning a glare. "There's no knives in my back, so things are wildly different."

"Now we're getting somewhere!" He clapped his hands, eyes brimming with excitement. "Why are there no knives in your back?"

"Why?" I laughed, sarcasm biting my tone. "You wanna know why?!"

"Yes, please tell me." He stepped closer, his stupid grin in my face.

I pushed him away. "Because I've been alone for the last five years! Because you taught me I can't trust anyone! Because maybe if I didn't trust you…" my words faded off, replaced with a new terror. Maybe I wouldn't have failed to kill Merle. My eyes stung with tears, the ground spinning. That day...that last day. He stole our chance, wasted our time. Luca and I would've never gone to Arcane. I would still be in Tetrad. Another knife in my heart.

I want to throw up. Anger pounded like a drum, everything else blurring out. I can't take his smug face. I shut my eyes, my jaw quivering. "Trusting you cost me everything," my voice broke.

Wren's face fell. "You can't blame me for all of this-"

"Shut up! Shut up!" I roared at him. "I hate you, Wren, I actually hate you." I squeezed my eyes shut, locking my fists. "I hope you died despite your best efforts. That your life was miserable, and painful, and empty, because that's exactly what you deserve. You're the worst kind of scum, Alexander Wren, and I will never forgive you."

The shine disappeared from his eyes, pain etched across his face. "Do you really mean that, Phyn?" he murmured, his lip twitching.

"I don't know..." I blinked back tears, wiping my eyes "...No." I crumpled to the floor, laying my head on the concrete. "You really hurt me, Wren."

He nodded, sitting down beside me. "I know...and I'm not the only one," he whispered. "That's what you're afraid of now...that you'll trust people and they'll fail you again."

"No." I shook my head. "It was my fault. What happened was my fault." A tear escaped, rolling down my cheek. It has to be.

"Not completely, kid." He hung his head. "Your friends failed you for many reasons: stubbornness, unrequited love, injury, insanity-"

"Cowardice," I growled at him.

"Yes, cowardice…" Wren's eyes glazed over, he nodded dully. "And last of all Luca, your trust in him was the most misplaced."

Eyes wide, I shook my head. "Don't you dare! Luca loved me. He was there till the end, he tried to save me..."

"It was his prophecy that failed you."

I shut my eyes. "It's not the same thing! I knew the risks, I was ready to die."

"But you didn't, and you didn't stop the catastrophe. He was wrong."

"Stop it, stop saying that! I don't care what you think-"

"These are your thoughts," Wren said, his image blurring in and out. "Or did you forget what this was?" His form lost focus, like ripples over a pond.

A crash sounded behind the glass. A shadowy silhouette moved inside, shuffling through dresser drawers. "Someone's in my room…" I mumbled, crawling towards the door. Wren chuckled, walking away from me. I reached after him, my hand falling through. He faded altogether.

My limbs weighed heavy, fighting against my will. "This feels different than a dream," I whispered, my vision blacking out. The darkness pulled me under, losing my grip on consciousness.

----------------------------------------

I woke up halfway through the open balcony door. A string of drool across my cheek, hair over my eyes. I wiped off my face. My drawer on my dresser, pulled out ever so slightly. Did someone actually break into my room?

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I tried to crawl to my feet, tumbling to the floor. Both my legs asleep, they stung. I sat up, taking a breath. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. The ache subsided, I got to my feet, tiptoeing to the dresser.

Hand on the drawer, I hesitated. All my maps are inside. If they did anything to them...I don't even want to think. I turned away, sliding it open the drawer. I peered inside. It's empty.

I pulled the drawer out, all the way, staring at the hollow inside. They took everything. Not a corner of a page, a scribbled note. It's all gone. A shaky breath, I cradled the drawer in my arms. Why would they take it? Why would anyone want my maps?

"Phyn?" Scout said, scratching her head in my bedroom door. Auburn hair over her shoulders, a navy hoodie and sweatpants. She blinked at me. "What are you doing?

"I was just looking for something." I got up, carrying the drawer back. I forgot someone was coming for me. I slid it into place.

Scout pointed over her shoulder "I was more concerned about your front door being left wide open."

"What? It is?" I ran past her, tripping over my feet as I turned.

"I shut it already." She frowned. "I know this is a nice neighborhood, but you shouldn't be so careless."

"I know...I must've forgotten," I muttered. Rather the intruder must've, running away with all my maps.

Scout leaned against the wall. "Well we still have a train to catch, so you should get ready."

"That's right...training day." l stifled a yawn, inching back towards my room. "Just give me a second." I shut the door, walking deeper in. Combing my fingers through my hair as I returned to my dresser. I pulled out a fresh t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Changing clothes, I tossed away pajamas.

A blue backpack nearly buried, I pulled it from the drawer. Stuffing it full of the basics, I shoved down my extra clothes.

I shouldn't leave anything valuable behind. If they're bold enough to break in while I'm in the room, what will they do when I'm gone? I packed my sock full of cash and my messy scratches of smuggling records. I lifted out the drawing of Broc's cabin, brushing my fingers over the lines. No way I'm losing this. I slipped it in the back pack, somewhere it wouldn't get wrinkled.

The light shone through my balcony window, a bird resting on the railing. Was it really just a dream? A shaky breath, I zipped up the bag. This is not about trust...and I don't blame Luca for what happened. My heart ached, Wren's taunts circling in my head. I'm not going to let him get to me. I walked towards the door, moving forward. What he said doesn't make sense.

I cracked open the door. Scout straightened her shoulders, wandering towards the exit. "All ready to go?"

"Ya let's go." I picked up the jacket from my chair, shuffling as I got my boots on. I ran to catch up, marching after her down the hall.

Out of the apartment, we slipped into the stairwell. Running down endless grey stairs, our footsteps echoed through the stairwell. Scout moved with stiff determination, eyes straight ahead.

I took a breath. "Am I allowed to know your name now?"

She turned her head, her expression softening. "Oh, it's Gwen. You can call me that, it's fine."

"Alright, Gwen." I gave a half grin.

Reaching the base floor, I opened the door. Following Gwen, we shuffled into another dark coloured vehicle. I'm not sure why we keep driving places with me around. I shuffled in my seat, crossing my arms.

The car broke out into the daylight. Driving past skyscrapers, their shadows strung across the street. Gwen kept her eyes to the window, hands in her jacket pockets. Slowing, we passed through busy streets, the Ruling train station coming into view.

Huge stone steps led up to the open air entrance. A wall of intimidating height, large pillars along the surface. The height stared down at the world below. Getting out of the car, Gwen paused in front of the train station. "The rest of the team should be waiting for us inside," she said, starting towards the steps. The car drove off, leaving us on the sidewalk.

A heavy shadow cast over us, giant letters hand-carved deep in stone. Climbing up, I kept track of each letter: Y...D...E...M...E...R Strange...it doesn't spell anything. I stopped at the top, the letters falling in opposite order. Wait. Eyes wide, my heart slowed. It can't be.

Why does it spell Remedy?

"Phyn, come on!" Gwen shouted. I ignored her, my mind spinning. Is this a coincidence? A lost part of history? ...Or did Merle fail to kill them. Terror mixed in my heart, I shook my head. The past here is blurry. A murky swamp of blatant propaganda, censored details, painful inaccuracies. What are they really hiding?

The crowds of people blended together, coming to and fro. I followed Gwen's pull, abandoning the terrible stairs. I can't trust Avarice...I can't trust anything. Deep breaths, I blinked away the panic. I need to calm down, get more information. I don't really know anything...this could be nothing.

"Phyn?" Gwen tapped on my shoulder, pointing me to a group of familiar faces. Murray, Lewis and Guard Dog stood on the platform, against the movement of the crowd.

Lewis waved, his eyes lighting up. Murray's expression cold, eyes locked on mine. Is he still mad at me? We drifted closer to the group. I frowned back at him.

Murray took a breath, holding out his hand. "Welcome to the team, Phynley."

"Thanks…" I shook his hand, keeping my glare steady. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Murray shrugged. "As it becomes necessary."

Of course. I rolled my eyes. Several rows of tracks, a train moved along the rail, wind picking up. "Which train are we getting on anyway?"

"North connection to Lattice," he said, turning his head towards the incoming train.

"Huh...Lattice," I muttered, pulling my arms in as we followed his direction. I've avoided going back. Too many bad memories, too few reasons.

"Are you familiar with it?" Gwen asked, walking beside me.

"I lived there once." I shrugged. The old city, but the ground is the same, so is the name. The doors of the train opened, flood gates releasing a new wave of people into our path.

Murray pressed on ahead, charging through the crowd. The rest of us fought to keep up, following. Guard Dog slipped in beside me, offering his hand. "Max, by the way," he said. I shook his hand, giving him a nod as we got up to the door.

"Are you guys coming?" Murray poked his head out of the doorway. Cold grey eyes, a tired glare.

"We're coming," Gwen growled, stepping up on the car. A sarcastic smile, she slipped past him. I followed her up into the train, Lewis and Max coming behind.

Shuffling my feet as we wandered in. People dispersed to their seats, clearing as we made our way to the end of the train. Murray opened a compartment above the door, throwing our bags up.

Seats on each side, a large window out, facing the platform. I settled in the seat closest to the window. Lewis slouched on the opposite corner, tapping his fingers on the window pane. Squishing in beside him, Max sat down. "A whole train ride together...how fun," Max snorted.

"I'm sure none of us want to argue." Gwen gave a strained smile at them. Taking a seat beside me, she placed a black briefcase on her lap. Now what are they keeping in there?

Murray slammed the baggage compartment, walking inside. Max pushed Lewis over, making room for him. An awkward silence resting over the room. He slid the door shut.

A little bell rang over the intercom. "Thank you for using Avarice Transportation. You are riding the North-Lattice Connection line. The next stop is Entryway," the robotic female voice chimed, the train's brakes realising.

The station moved away from the window, colours blurring together. Murray cleared his throat, lifting his eyes. "I'm sorry, Phynley, if my behaviour yesterday was at all...unprofessional." Murray pursed his lips, hesitating with his words. "I didn't mean to get angry, it was an overreaction."

I blinked at his apology. Now this I didn't expect. "It's alright, I shouldn't have minded my own business," I said, moving my eyes back to the window.

"What is this referring to?" Lewis asked, leaning in. Max elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow, I was just asking," he hissed, rubbing his side.

Murray took a breath, shooting Lewis a quick glare. "I'm just trying to make sure we're on the same side in this." His eyes rested on me

"My commitment has never wavered," I said to the window, turning back. "We're going to end this war."

Gwen raised her eyebrows. "You're very confident."

I leaned my head back, staring at the ceiling panels. "I have enough fury to end a thousand wars, why would I worry about one?" My words faded off, choked by memories of failure. Who do I think I am? I rubbed my face. "...Maybe that sounds arrogant."

Max snorted, "None of us are short of arrogance." Murray hid a chuckle. I cracked a grin, leaning my head back on the window pane. Maybe these people aren't too bad. A knot in my stomach, fear building. They seem nice, but how do I know if I can trust them? Trust...maybe Wren was right about me and trust.

Gwen tapped me on the shoulder, warm brown eyes worried. "I wasn't trying to call you arrogant, I was just surprised."

Murray smirked. "What? Do you lack confidence in us, Gwen?"

She rolled her eyes, sliding back in her seat. "No, but I'm a realist. Vitriol is ruthless."

"Then we'll be doubly ruthless." Murray pointed, fire in his eyes

She raised her eyebrows. "Sure, whatever you say."

Lewis stared out the window, lost in thought, his face twisted in a frown. I moved to the edge of my seat. "Something wrong, Lewis?" I asked.

He shook his head, eyes wide. "Oh no…not at all." He scrunched up his face. "I just don't appreciate getting lumped into the label of arrogant," he huffed at Max.

"You're no exception, Lewis," Gwen said, moving a hair from her face.

"Ya whatever." He rolled his eyes, moving his gaze back to the window.

A sudden bump made my stomach lurch. I took a shaky breath, the uneasy feeling like a wave. "There's a bathroom on here, right?" I stuttered.

"Ya, in the hall." Murray pointed back to the door.

"Thanks." I got up quickly, sliding the door open. I don't want to gamble on my stomach. I took a breath. Out in the corridor, I wandered down the hall. Following signs, I stopped in front of a narrow door. A red occupied sign, glaring back at me. Well this isn't much better. I rolled my eyes, stepping back.

"Psst," someone hissed behind me. An empty row of empty seats stared back. Huh? "Look down," he hushed. A man squished underneath the seat, squinting up at me through the shadows.

I gawked at him, leaning closer. "Drake?" I spat.

"Hey Phyn." He gave a little wave, whacking his head on the seat. "Ow..." He grimaced, rubbing the spot.

"What on earth are you doing here?" I asked.

He gave a nervous laugh. "Well…"