

You are about to read the first in the Dream Fighter Chronicles saga. This is where it all began for five cousins who would later go on to save the world. It's a tale of adventure and exploration, and discovering how to believe in yourself.

THE DREAM FIGHTER CHRONICLES

THE SARLAK TRILOGY

Book One: Discovery

Book Two: Sarlak's Revenge

Book Three: United They Stand

THE ZYRVIE CONFLICT TRILOGY

Book Four: The Nowhere Kids

Book Five: Hearts Burst Into Fire

_Book Six: The Heroes Among Us, Part 1_  
_Book Seven: The Heroes Among Us, Part 2_

_AFTERMATH SERIES_  
_Necessary Adjustment (July 2019)_  
_Saving Jillian (August 2019)_  
_Finding Allie (2019)_

Discovery!

(Book 1 of The DreamFighter Chronicles)

calvin locke

a dreamworlds book | New York

This book is dedicated to the memory of Daniel Stanley. You were only with us for such a short time, but the mark you left will stay with us forever.

# Chapter One

The Last Normal Day

Haley spun the basketball in the air in front of her, let it land and caught it as it came toward her. The ball spun in her fingertips as she grabbed it, just another part of the routine she had practiced all year. No one in the gymnasium spoke. She'd never experienced such silence in there before. It wouldn't have bothered her if she didn't know the silence came from everyone's attention focused on her.

She cleared her mind, trying to forget that her friends sat in the stands, along with her parents, her brother, and worst of all, Mark Wyler. He liked to make fun of her. If she missed these free throws, he'd talk about it all day the next day. He'd write things on the blackboard like 'Choker,' or worse. She couldn't worry about him, or anyone else. The basket, only ten feet away but looking much further right then, was all that mattered. In practice, the basket looked so much closer. Haley tried to shrug that thought off, telling herself this shot would be just as easy as in practice.

If she could only really believe that.

Her teammates looked at her from each side of the paint, smiling encouragement toward her. She knew the score. Her team needed two points. The elbow in the ribs the girl on the other team gave her still hurt, but the pain would be worth it if she sunk the two free throws and tied the game. Roryville North elementary school deserved to lose. They were the enemy, had been since Haley started school. Those kids in the north always thought they were better. She had the chance to show them otherwise.

_Breathe_ , she told herself, doing her best to focus on what mattered and not how the whole school would hate her if she missed, or what Mark would write on the board. And no, she couldn't think of how bad the basketball uniform made her look. The basket. It mattered more than anything. She had a simple task. Put that orange ball into the basket, twice. Greater things had been accomplished. Heck, Tommy Skarolis took a shower. Anything was possible.

She looked at the basket one more time, trying to imagine the path of the ball falling into it. It only took concentration, her coach said. Concentrate and the ball will do what you want. Funny, that didn't seem to work so well on her last jump shot, which missed the basket, the backboard, and everything but the opposing player's hands. Hopefully, it would be different this time.

She flipped the ball again, caught it, and brought it up above her head. Focusing on the red rim of the basket and nothing else, she released the ball, watched it sail toward its target. It would go in, she knew that for sure, judging by the flight. Maybe it would hit the back of the rim, but it would go in.

The swoosh of the ball going through the net broke the silence, followed by cheers from the hometown (or south part of the hometown at least) crowd. She heard her father say, "Way to go Haley!" in his booming, sometimes embarrassing, voice. She only needed to sink the next shot and then they'd go to overtime.

How many times had she seen this play out on TV? Too many, she thought, and realizing it put more pressure on her. Those TV stars made the last basket, they even scored the final shot of overtime to win the game. Fellow teammates, parents, coaches, even the mascot came over to greet them afterward. They went on to become class president, prom queen, leader of the free world. All over one basket. One she wasn't supposed to be thinking about all so much.

"Empty your mind," her coach had said as he attacked his chewing gum like it had done something wrong. How exactly does one empty their mind? She hoped there was a release valve or something to help with this strategy but of course there wasn't. She had wanted to say something back then, something like, "If I empty it, will all my thoughts fall all over the floor?" or "Won't I forget to breathe?" but Coach didn't exactly like responses. He just liked to talk and talk and see nodding from his players. Players talking cut into his hearing his own voice.

Two bounces of the ball and she brought it up again, staring at that basket, willing the ball to fall in, giving it every ounce of concentration she had. The ball had a destiny to fulfill, landing in the basket. The universe would not recover if this destiny went unfulfilled. She played her part; now it was up to the ball to play his, or hers, or whatever it was.

Before she launched the ball toward its purpose, she closed her eyes. When she did, bright images flashed before her. A wide open area, like a desert, lay before her. She saw her brother Jack falling and she tried to save him. It all flashed so quickly she couldn't make sense of it. Finally, a spinning sphere hung above her, pulling her toward it, not unlike the dream she had the night before. Then, like the dream, a voice echoed in her head.

"The time is coming." The voice sounded recognizable, but she couldn't place it.

"You okay?" her friend and teammate, Jessica, asked.

Haley opened her eyes.

"Yeah," she lied. "Fine." She was anything but.

The basket seemed even further away now. Her hands shook a little and she steadied them, sending the ball to the basket. It was high enough, for sure, and on the proper line to the basket. It sailed through the air slowly, as if suspended by her hopes, getting closer to the rim.

It hit the left side of the rim with a thud. It bounced up and over to the right side, hit that, then went off the backboard. It would not fulfill its destiny, Haley realized, and she, along with the other nine players on the court, rushed toward the basket, hoping to grab the rebound and shoot it in the basket.

Maybe she could be like one of those TV stars. She could grab her own rebound and win the game with one shot. It would be nice to be the star, if only for one night. Nailing the shot to beat the dreaded North team certainly would put her in that role. She moved quickly, shoving left and right to push opposing players out of her way. They pushed back but she remained determined. This would be her time.

The ball came down toward the players. Haley watched it closely, judging where it would go and when she had to jump to get it. Someone to her right drove a knee into her leg and she almost screamed out in pain. She held it in, forcing the pain from her mind if only for a moment.

The ball dropped toward her. She timed her jump and reached up, the tip of her finger touching its both rough and slippery surface for a moment before someone else snatched the ball out of the air. Haley came down with a crash, the pain in her knee sharpening as she did so.

When she looked up, she saw Jessica shoot the ball into the basket. Everyone from the team put their arms around her. Perhaps a little disappointed, Haley did feel glad one of her friends got to be the star she wanted to be. Not everything works out.

With a moment to think, Haley considered what had happened, the vision just like the dream she had the other night. Something certainly was up. What sort of person has daydreams like that and hears voices telling them the 'time had come'? Crazy people, Haley figured, and she decided right then not to tell anyone about it. Unless, of course, the visions became stranger, like if she saw something like she and Jack actually getting along.

Then it would be time to worry.

Braden had run out of challenges. He knew he shouldn't feel so confident but none of the enemies in the game could really beat him. They had a pattern, one he saw easily, and they never deviated from it. Defeating them became nothing more than running through the same strategy over and over; the faster he could memorize it the faster he could kill the zombies and move on to the next level. He felt like he could see the programmer's code and know what the enemies would do before they did.

_That's just bad game design_ , Braden thought.

He learned not to say things like that too often in front of his parents. His talk of wanting to program games only made them talk about him being a doctor or lawyer when he grew up. They said game design was a nice hobby. He tried to show them how many game designers were millionaires, but they had him saving the world already. That was too much for an 8-year-old to have on his mind.

His game wouldn't suffer from bad design. It wouldn't have simple, silly stories like most, nor would the coding be so easy to see through. Sometimes Braden wondered who made these games, if they knew what it was like to be a kid. The fun of playing a game came from feeling like you're in the game. Once inside the game, it was all about doing something a kid would really want to do. Repeating the same moves over and over didn't fit that. Sometimes, Braden thought some of the game designers who made games didn't like games at all. Or maybe they didn't like kids. It was tough to tell.

He decided not to give up on the game. Perhaps after the ending, he would think differently about it. The controller rumbled in his hands as he attacked zombie after zombie, all of whom disappeared in a cloud of dust because the game was rated for kids and not adults. He didn't mind that so much, but he could see through it, and that part of it bothered him. Zombies came at him from all sides, and for the first time, he didn't see an easy way to victory. Only, it wasn't fun. Instead, he got frustrated. The only way the developers could make the game challenging was to make the character have to fight off an uncountable amount of enemies. No strategy came into play; instead he just had to mash the buttons faster and faster, at a pace almost no one could accomplish. He threw the controller on the couch in disgust.

He didn't mind the fighting; he liked it. Looking at the game closely, Braden saw through the developers' intention and felt disappointed. They could do better. He'd played games with parts he just couldn't get through, ones with sneaky enemies who actually thought about what they did. It was rare, but he liked when something like that happened. Why couldn't more designers make games like that? Why did it seem they were so lazy? Braden didn't understand. If someone decided to make games for a living, he figured they really _wanted_ to make games. Surely there was a way to make them right.

Sinking into the couch and leaning back, he thought about what a game should be. Images of kids fighting off hordes of bad guys came to his mind. They fought with a variety of weapons and powers, and splashes of color danced across his eyes as he imagined it. He didn't see things clearly, just brief images that came and went. Still, something about what he saw felt so real, so possible.

# Chapter Two

Five Kids +A Basement=Trouble

Haley sat on the couch in her grandmother's basement, in charge of keeping an eye on her younger brother and cousins, who always found a way to get into trouble. All the adults sat at the dining room table upstairs, talking about whatever adults talk about. This time, they talked about the family golf trip, where all the men went to Pennsylvania to play golf while the women planned a trip somewhere else nearby. It usually led to some sort of argument. Haley wondered why they always told the kids to get along when they had a hard time doing it themselves. The other kids didn't seem to care much about it. They had other things on their minds, like playing video games.

Her brother Jack and cousin Braden played a game called _Sly Cooper_. Jack had the controller in his hands, pressing the buttons as fast as he could. Jack was eight years old, with blonde hair. Normally, he did pretty well at the game, but at this moment, he had trouble getting past one of the monsters. He tried to jump left and got hit by the monster hard, killing his character and causing him to have to start over again. He tried again, and the same thing happened. He couldn't figure out the right strategy. Braden stood up quickly from the couch.

"I know how to beat that monster. I did it last week. Let me show you," he said, reaching for the controller.

Jack pulled it away. "No. It's my turn. I'll get it."

"But you're doing it _wrong,_ " Braden insisted. He knew the right way. It frustrated him to watch Jack keep making the same mistake.

"I got it."

"No, you don't. You're gonna get killed again."

This time, Braden was right. Jack tried to jump left again and the monster grabbed his character out of the air and slammed it to the ground with a thud. Jack wanted to throw the controller on the floor but he had gotten in trouble two weeks ago for doing that. Throwing controllers wasn't a nice thing to do.

Instead, he handed the controller to Braden. As much as he didn't want to say it, he thought he might learn something. He couldn't stand the frustration any more. "Okay, it's your turn."

"It's about time." Braden took the controller. He would turn eight soon himself, but unlike Jack, he had dark brown hair, a little bit longer and curlier than his cousin's. He wore a camouflage flannel shirt and tan pants, one of his favorite outfits.

He went toward the monster. It came at him with a big hammer and swung hard. Braden jumped right and avoided the swing but didn't see the next one coming. The monster clonked his character on the head and knocked him out cold. It didn't make sense. He'd watched Jack play and saw the behavior of the game's intelligence. Braden thought he had the right strategy but still couldn't defeat the monster. He did something wrong, but couldn't figure out what. If he could only remember what he did last week to get past it. Sometimes games were too easy and sometimes too hard. Even knowing the cycle of the enemy in the game didn't guarantee victory. Braden got frustrated just like Jack had.

Haley played with Jillian and Gabriella, her two younger cousins. Gabriella, who was only two years old, played with blocks and Jillian, five years old, helped. Haley wanted to play something else but she knew Gabby couldn't play along so she decided to keep Gabby happy. After all, Gabby kept quiet, which was what the adults liked. Sure, Haley didn't get to do what she wanted but none of the adults bothered her either.

She really wanted to tell someone about the dream she

had a few nights before and the vision on the basketball court. What did they mean? She'd head that same voice, telling her the time was coming, but what time? She wasn't scared because it wasn't scary, and in the dream she felt stronger than she ever had before. She felt like she could leap high into the air easily. She just wanted someone to explain it. The problem was, before she woke up, she heard a voice tell her not to tell anyone about it. That familiar voice she just couldn't put a name to. She wondered if maybe one of her cousins ever had a dream like that. She wanted to ask really badly but she figured the best thing to do was listen to the voice. Plus, her cousins were younger than her. She was almost eleven. No way would they understand.

She figured everyone would just think she was crazy anyway.

"You got killed again," Jack said to Braden. "We'll never get past this monster." He fell onto the couch, frustrated.

Why did some parts of games have to be so hard?

"I know one way we can," Braden said, smiling.

Together, they yelled, "Uncle Johnny!"

Haley and Jack's mom came to the top of the stairs.

"What do you guys want?"

"We need Uncle Johnny," Jack said.

"He's eating."

"Oh," Jack and Braden said at the top of their lungs.

"Do you want me to come down there and turn that system off?" Haley and Jack's mom, Aunt Tina, asked.

Braden and Jillian's mom came to the stairs too. "What are you doing, Braden?" Aunt Lisa asked.

"We were trying to beat this monster and couldn't so we wanted Uncle Johnny to come downstairs and show us how," Braden said, as nicely as he could. He knew better than to sound angry. Moms had a way of making that end badly.

"Didn't Aunt Tina say he was eating?"

"Yes. But I thought everyone finished eating already," Braden said.

"Uncle Johnny got here late."

"But—"

"Stop it or both Aunt Tina and I will come down there and turn the television off, do you want that?" Aunt Lisa asked.

"No—"

"I didn't think so."

"But—"

"But nothing," Aunt Tina said. "I'll ask Uncle Johnny to come down, when he is finished eating." The last few words sounded sort of angry, Haley noticed. Not _angry-_ angry, like when someone broke something or lied, just angry, like if Braden and Jack didn't give in, _angry-_ angry would come next.

"Okay," Jack said, and plopped down on the couch. Haley thought he might say something else back, but she was happy to see knew better. Braden went back to playing the game. Jack was pretty smart, but sometimes he didn't act that way and they got yelled at for something she didn't even have anything to do with.

When Aunt Lisa and Aunt Tina left, Jack said, "Parents can be a pain." Haley knew he said this as a joke but he still shouldn't have said it. Sure, there were times when she got angry at her Mom and Dad, but not too many times. She wanted to tell Jack to take it back but she didn't. He probably wouldn't listen anyway.

"Oh no," Jillian said.

"What?" Haley asked.

"It's my doll. She went wee-wee again."

Jack stuck his head out from the side of the couch. "Your doll did what?" He did all he could to not laugh.

"She went wee-wee. I gave her too much water again. When she has too much water, she goes wee-wee a lot. Now I have to change her diaper. A mommy's work is never done."

"What kind of doll goes wee-wee?" Jack thought he'd heard of every silly thing a doll could do. He thought dolls were silly to begin with, but one that went wee-wee was the silliest he had ever heard of.

"Baby-Wets-A-Lot," Jillian said. "I brought her and three other dolls with me today. Baby-Wets-A-Lot drinks water and then either goes wee-wee or cries. Sometimes she does both."

"That's stupid," Jack said.

"Don't be mean," Haley shot back at him, wondering why he had to be mean sometimes. Boys liked being mean. Haley would never understand it.

"It's okay, Haley. Jack, you go wee-wee and cry and I bet when you were a baby you did both at the same time," Jillian answered.

Everyone laughed, except for Jack of course. Jillian was right, everyone did that so why not make a doll that did? Haley didn't think she would want a doll like that. That was more work than it was worth, she figured. Well, she had other things she wanted. She wanted a laptop the most. That would be cool, to have a laptop, so she could play games and go on websites almost anywhere. She didn't think she had much of a chance of getting one, but that wasn't going to stop her from asking, that was for sure.

Braden and Jack tried to beat that level of the game a few times. They replayed the same part over and over, always getting killed by that same monster. It didn't take them long to get bored with it. They grunted, exhaled, and made a lot of other noises of frustration. They did their best to keep quiet so their parents didn't come down, but had a hard time with that. Haley wanted to try the game herself but she didn't think she'd have a chance and she didn't want to fight to get a turn. Those two could get crazy when it came to video games. Silly boys.

Just when it seemed like Jack and Braden would give up, Uncle Johnny came down the stairs. "I hear someone's having trouble down here," he said.

"We can't get past this monster," Braden said, "We tried going left and right but he keeps getting us."

"I even tried jumping," Jack said, "just like you showed

us but it doesn't work. Maybe the controller is broken."

"We haven't been _throwing_ the controller, have we?" Uncle Johnny asked with a smile.

"No," Jack said. "I thought about it but remembered I am not supposed to do it, so I didn't."

"Good. Now, what part are you stuck on?" Uncle Johnny sat down on the couch between them. Haley wondered how he stayed calm and didn't get angry when dealing with Jack and Braden, who could get to be a bit much when it came to stuff like sports and video games. She watched Jack break three controllers playing video games. She never understood why he broke his own stuff. It meant he couldn't play the game anymore, and he usually got in a lot of trouble for doing it.

Jack and Braden showed the part they couldn't beat and Uncle Johnny remembered it, the same one they had a problem with the week before. It was pretty tough, but Uncle Johnny knew the trick and showed it to them again. Uncle Johnny knew a lot about video games.

"You have to jump and swing at the same time. That throws the monster off balance, so you can sneak past him on the right. Sometimes you don't have to knock out the monsters to beat them. Sometimes you have to use your smarts and beat them that way. Fighting isn't always the best thing to do to win."

"You don't have to beat them up?" Braden asked. This did make sense to him. Sure, he had recognized the programming pattern, but he didn't see the strategy to beat it. Now that Uncle Johnny pointed out how to win, it became clear.

"Not all the time. A lot of these monsters are bigger than your character. Your character is smarter than them, and so are you. So use that. Avoiding a fight sometimes is a lot better than winning one."

"I like beating them up," Jack said.

"So do I," Braden agreed.

Uncle Johnny turned and looked at Haley. "Silly boys."

She wondered if he read her mind. "Uh-huh. I am the one who has to be around them all the time," Haley said, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe you should show them how silly they are sometimes."

"Oh, trust me Uncle Johnny, I've tried. Silly doesn't see silliness."

"That's a good way to put it. Okay guys, I got you past this part. Think you can take it from here?" Uncle Johnny asked.

"Sure," Braden said, "it's my turn so I can take it."

"No, it's my turn," Jack said, trying to take the controller from Braden, "you remember, you died last." He pulled at the controller and Braden pulled back.

"But I still had one more life left," Braden insisted.

"No, no. You got killed twice. Every two lives we change turns."

"Enough," Uncle Johnny said. "I don't care whose turn it was. If you guys don't stop, I'll keep playing, and you know it will be a long time before I die."

"Oh!" Braden and Jack said.

"Do you guys want to keep playing?"

"Yes."

"Then learn to get along. I could tell you who goes next but I want you to solve this yourself. You guys are cousins, right?"

"Yeah," they answered.

"And friends?"

"Yes, but—"

"Hey, what's rule number one?" Uncle Johnny asked.

Haley smiled, and said along with Jack, "Listen to Uncle

Johnny."

"And rule number two?"

"Listen to Uncle Johnny." They'd been taught that years before when Uncle Johnny took them to McDonald's. If they didn't follow the two rules, he said he would take them home. They listened. Now, it was more of a joke than anything else. After all, they had grown up since then.

"Okay, then. So, like I was saying. You are cousins and friends. You shouldn't fight, you should be nice to each other. You guys figure this out. I am coming back down here in a minute and I want to see you guys getting along, not fighting over something silly like whose turn it is. There are more important things than that."

Haley agreed. Getting a laptop was certainly more important than arguing over who got to play some stupid game first. But, like Uncle Johnny said, they were silly boys. Haley wondered how silly Uncle Johnny was when he was a boy. Probably pretty silly, she thought.

# Chapter Three

After they sang 'Happy Birthday' to Aunt Tina, the kids came back downstairs and the boys went back to playing their game. They played the way Uncle Johnny taught them for a bit, but before long they went back to beating up the monsters instead of sneaking around them. Haley watched for a little while, and every time they tried to attack the monster, she could see a way to sneak around it. She tried to tell them, but they had their 'Girl Ear Filters' on, as they had called them once, and couldn't hear her. How many times would she be shown how silly boys can be?

Haley felt tired, and it got worse when she saw both Gabby and Jillian sleeping on the couch. She sat next to them, telling herself that she wouldn't go to sleep, just rest her eyes a bit. Jack and Braden, frustrated with the game, sat on the couch across from her. They looked pretty sleepy too. She closed her eyes and felt the darkness wrap around her like when she went to bed. She fought to stay awake, shaking her head every time her eyes closed. She couldn't remember ever feeling so tired. She felt herself falling faster and faster and struggled to fight it.

Luckily, her brother and cousin helped out.

"Uncle Johnny!" they yelled and yelled, trying to get him to come downstairs to help them with the game again. It seemed they could never leave him alone, Haley thought.

She opened her eyes, looking around the room, and rubbed them. They felt itchy like when she woke up in the morning, but she hadn't even been sitting down for five minutes. She could see the clock on the cable box, so she knew she wasn't crazy. Everything else around the room seemed the same, the couch, the television, Gabby and Jillian sitting next to her. Yet, something felt different. She couldn't figure out what.

"Can anyone hear us?" Braden asked. "We're having trouble with the game again."

Braden had said that pretty loud, but no one answered. That wasn't normal. It didn't take much noise for _someone_ to come downstairs. Braden yelled again, and Jack joined him. They screamed, stomped, and made as much noise they could without breaking something.

Nothing happened.

Haley started to worry, but she didn't want to let the rest of them know it. As the oldest she had to keep her cool, even if inside, she felt anything but. She tried to think what kept the adults from hearing them, then remembered that Uncle Michael had brought over a video from the last vacation and the adults upstairs were probably watching it in the kitchen and couldn't hear them.

Still, the TV in the kitchen had to be pretty loud, and she didn't hear anything coming from upstairs at all. She strained to hear something but couldn't. The adults had to be up to something. Maybe they wanted to scare the kids, like they did every once in a while. One time they had all hidden and it took almost an hour for the kids to find them. That was scary. She wouldn't let them get away with that again.

"Where is he?" Jack asked. He walked toward the stairs and called out again. No one responded. Had everyone gone outside? It didn't make any sense to Jack.

"I don't know. Maybe they are busy upstairs," Haley answered, trying to sound like she believed what she said, even when she didn't. She figured her parents did that a lot.

"He must be sleeping," Braden said.

"But Uncle Johnny only falls asleep on Christmas Eve," Jack said, "He never does it any other time." Haley thought about that. Uncle Johnny had only fallen asleep once on Christmas Eve after working all day. He hadn't been working that day, so he really couldn't be tired. Of all the adults, he had the most energy. Everyone said he was more like a kid than an adult that way.

"He could be tired," Braden said.

Haley wanted to argue that but decided to keep quiet.

Jillian sat up. "What's going on?"

"We can't get Uncle Johnny to come downstairs. No one is answering," Braden answered. Haley wished he hadn't said that. She didn't want Jillian to get scared.

"Is _that_ all? I can get him to come down here."

Jillian jumped off the couch and ran up the stairs. She got to the top and was knocked back, like she ran into a wall. The wall wasn't hard, but it did throw her back a little and her elbow hurt where she made contact. Looking again, Jillian noticed she could see the hallway, but couldn't go past the top of the stairs. She reached her hand out and felt something push back at her.

"Ouch," she said, rubbing her elbow.

"What?" Haley asked.

"Something's in my way."

"Huh?" Haley asked. What could be in her way, she wondered.

"Yeah, I can't get past the stairs," Jillian said. She tried with her hand again and was pushed back like before.

"Is the dog gate in the way?" Haley realized it was a silly question right after she asked it.

"I would have seen _that_."

Of course she would have, Haley thought. "Then what could it be?"

Haley went toward Jillian, and she got there quicker than she would have expected to. She actually glided through the air. She didn't really notice it until Jack said something.

"Wow," he said.

"Wow what?" Haley asked.

"You just like floated through the air," he said.

"Through the air? What are you talking about?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, you floated. How did you do that?"

Haley had sort of felt that, but she didn't think it was anything. "I don't know what you mean."

"Neither do I. But it was cool."

"I saw it too," Braden said, "Can you do it again?"

"Um, no," Haley said, a little confused about what was going on. "I have to see what Jillian is talking about."

Haley made it to the top of the stairs and put her hand out toward the hallway. Before she could get her hand past the top step, she felt something push her back. It wasn't hard, like an invisible wall, but instead more like trying to stretch a rubber band further than it could go, only this didn't snap. It just pushed back with a gentle force.

"That's weird," she said, looking at Jillian. Jillian just shrugged her shoulders. She did that a lot. Right then, Haley wished she hadn't left her cell phone at home. At least then she could call her parents and ask what was going on.

Maybe, if she had that phone, she could play a trick on them. "I can't get upstairs."

"We better call someone," Braden said.

With that, everyone starting yelling for their parents, and no one answered. Gabby had woken up from all the noise. She looked at everyone. Jack stood closest to her, and when he looked at her, he felt like he couldn't look away. It felt like Gabby had control of his eyes and wouldn't let go. He felt himself being pulled into her, like she had a power over him.

"Gabby, stop it," he said, but she just smiled at him. Jack felt the urge to get something for her, but he didn't know what she wanted.

Haley looked at Jillian and said, "We have to do something."

Jillian looked ready to cry but she held herself together as best she could. Haley put her hand on her shoulder. Normally, Haley would want to cry too, but for some reason she felt a calm feeling come over her, something telling her she had to take control and everything would be okay.

"We just have to think, Jilly. Think."

Jillian closed her eyes and squeezed them shut, like she thought about something really hard. Haley thought she looked funny doing that, but she closed her eyes and did the same thing, so if Jillian opened her eyes for a second, she wouldn't feel bad, like they all did it together.

Jack still felt trapped by Gabby, not in a bad way, but he couldn't look away. He could tell now that Gabby wanted a doll. But it wasn't just any doll, it was a particular doll, a doll he had seen before. A picture came to his mind.

Then, he knew what she wanted: Baby-Wets-A-Lot.

He looked around and couldn't find the doll, but he felt like he really needed to. He looked on both couches and under the old wooden table in the center of the room. He found a football they had been looking for, a couple of Lego's, an empty Capri-Sun, but no doll.

"Just try to think of something that can get us out of this," Haley said to Jillian, both of their eyes still closed tightly shut.

Braden stayed quiet through all of this because he had noticed something but didn't know how to tell everyone else. When he looked at the PlayStation controller, it moved. He thought perhaps he moved it himself. He couldn't be certain, but felt pretty sure about it. He wanted to try it again, but the whole idea scared him. No one could move things by just thinking about doing it. He saw stuff like that in the movies, not in real life. At least, everyone told him it worked that way.

He stared at the controller again, but it didn't move. Maybe he had just thought he had moved the controller the first time. There was no way to know. Maybe he had to do something special to make it work. He really had no idea and there was no way to know for sure. He kept focusing, willing the controller to move.

"Hey, did anyone see Baby-Wets-A-Lot? Gabby wants it" Jack asked. He wondered if anyone would ask how he knew that. He hoped they didn't. He didn't have a good answer.

Jillian and Haley didn't respond. Jack could see they had their eyes closed like they thought about something. Jack felt another nudge in his mind from Gabby. She was getting impatient and really wanted Jillian's doll, the one that went wee-wee all the time.

"I see it," Braden said. He pointed to a spot next to the TV, and Jack walked over to grab it. Before he got halfway there, the doll lifted off the ground and floated over toward Gabby.

"What the--?" Jack asked.

The doll kept floating across the room and landed softly on Gabby's lap, like it followed Braden's finger.

"I did that!" Braden said.

"How?" Jack asked.

"How should I know? I just did it, that's it. I did the same thing before with the game controller."

"When?"

"A minute ago."

"I didn't see that," Jack said.

"You don't believe me?" Braden asked. He really didn't believe it himself, so he could hardly blame his cousin for doubting him.

"I just said I didn't see it." Jack said.

"But you just saw me do that with the doll, right?" Braden asked.

"Well, I saw the doll float across the room."

"Yes. I did that!"

Haley opened her eyes. "What are you guys talking about? We are trying to think of a plan here."

"Braden said he made Jillian's doll fly and that he made the PlayStation controller move without his hands," Jack said, the sound of his voice making it clear he didn't believe it at all.

"What?" Haley asked. She wondered what crazy thing would happen next.

"I did it, I swear!" Braden insisted.

"Come on, there's no way you did that. That's like, magic or something," Jack said.

"I did it."

"No way."

"Yes way."

"Guys, guys, you've got to stop arguing if you have any chance of getting out of here," a familiar voice said. Everyone looked around the room to see where the voice came from.

"Who said that?" Braden asked.

"Doll talk," Gabby said, smiling.

"What?" Haley asked.

"Doll talk. Doll talk," Gabby said again.

"Doll talk?" the familiar voice said, and it sounded like it came from Gabby's direction.

"Uh-oh," Jillian said. She had an idea why the doll talked.

"Uh-oh what?" Haley asked, looking back at Jillian, who opened her eyes.

"I think I did that," Jillian answered.

"Did what, made that voice?"

"No."

"Then what?" Haley asked. Things got stranger as time went on. What in the world had happened in those five minutes she had fallen asleep?

"Yeah, what's with this 'Doll talk' stuff?" the male voice asked.

"Doll talk," Gabby said, laughing. "Uncle." It sounded like she said a name after uncle, but no one understood what she said. She had only started talking a few months ago.

"You told me to think of something, Haley, so I did,"

Jillian said.

"What did you think of?"

"Well, I thought of my Mommy and Daddy first, but not too much. Then I thought about something Uncle Johnny said today, and it made me laugh. Then I heard Jack talk about my doll."

"You're saying Uncle Johnny is talking through your doll?" Haley asked.

"I think so," Jillian answered.

"Oh boy," Uncle Johnny's voice said.

# Chapter Four

Everyone turned to look at Baby-Wets-A-Lot. The voice definitely came from there. The doll looked the same, sitting on Gabby's lap. Haley looked close, to see if it moved. At first, it didn't. Then, the doll moved its eyes. She jumped back a little when it happened.

"Jilly, does Baby-Wets-A-Lot move her eyes?" she asked. She had seen dolls do that before.

Jillian still stood at the top of the stairs. "No. She just cries. My other doll moves her eyes."

"I'm a doll?" Uncle Johnny asked. He sounded quite confused. No one could blame him. They all felt that way.

Everyone was surprised. The doll talked and moved its mouth. Now they knew for sure something crazy had happened. First Haley leaped, then Braden moved things with his mind. Now, their Uncle talked through a doll that went wee-wee. What was next?

"First the doll flies, and now it talks?" Jack asked.

"Someone want to explain that?"

"It didn't fly. I made it fly," Braden reminded him.

"Right. Either way, this is weird."

"Not as weird as me being stuck in a doll," Uncle Johnny said. "But, I am a cool doll, right? G.I. Joe, or like an action figure or something?"

"Um, you're a Ba—" Braden started to say.

Haley covered Braden's mouth. She didn't think Uncle Johnny would be happy to hear what doll he was stuck in. "You're an okay doll, Uncle Johnny. It's a baby, but it's normal looking."

"Yeah, and when you drink water you—"

"Aren't thirsty anymore," Haley interrupted, putting a finger to her lips to tell Braden to keep his mouth shut.

"You're just a normal doll."

"A baby? I am a baby? All these years I spent growing up, working hard and now I am stuck as a baby?" Tears started to fall from the doll's face. "A baby?" Uncle Johnny cried uncontrollably. Baby-Wets-A-Lot did that often and it seemed it took over Uncle Johnny as well. They had never seen him cry before.

"It's okay," Haley said, patting the doll on its head and feeling a little stupid doing so. It wasn't like she could calm the doll down and she didn't know if Uncle Johnny could even feel it.

"I'm, I'm, crying?" Uncle Johnny was losing it, Haley noticed. They needed him, so she tried to calm him down.

"Yes, the doll you are in can cry and do a whole lot of other cool things." Haley didn't believe for a second Uncle Johnny would find any of that cool. Still, she had to lie.

"I'm a girly doll, aren't I?" Uncle Johnny said through tears. "A silly, girly doll."

"Baby-Wets-A-Lot is not a silly doll," Jillian said.

"What? Baby who?"

"Baby- _Works-_ A lot," Haley said, looking around at her cousins and making a face that told them to keep quiet. "You're a doll that helps Mommy work around the house."

"Then why am I in a dress?"

"Jillian put that on the doll. We can change it if you want."

"Yeah, I think I'd like that. Being a baby is one thing, but having to wear a dress, that's just too much. Know what I mean?" The tears stopped a little. Uncle Johnny got a hold of himself again.

"I think so. Do you know what's happening?"

"Of course I do."

"What?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, tell us," Braden said.

"Where is everyone? Our parents?" Jillian asked, finally coming down the stairs.

"Well, it's kind of complicated, where everyone is. I'd first have to tell you where you are."

"Where did you come from?" Jack asked. "Was everyone else there with you?"

"I really don't know. I was sleeping when Jillian called for me and brought me here."

"How did she do that?" Braden asked.

"Yeah, how did I do that? I know that I thought of you, but how did I bring you here?"

"It's your Dream Power. If you think of something you can make it appear."

"So, I can make my Mommy and Daddy appear right now too?"

"Sorry, that you can't do. You can only call on one person to help you, and you called me. Good thing, though, because I'm the one who was supposed to help you. Even if you called your parents in, they wouldn't be much help with this."

"Did you say that was her Dream Power?" Braden asked. "Like we are in a dream right now?"

"Well, sort of a dream and sort of not. This isn't the _real_ real world, but things that happen here are just as important. Think of it like another world."

"Like an alternate reality?" Jack asked, "I saw that on a cartoon. I think it was _Jimmy Neutron._ "

"Exactly like that. That's why you feel like you are awake. But in this world, you can do things that you couldn't do in the other one. Every one of you has a Dream Power. You all have more than one. There are all sorts of powers. For example, someone who can't walk in the other world can in this one."

"Does everyone have them?" Jillian asked.

"Well, everyone _could_ have them, but most never learn about it. You guys are different, special. But I'll get into that part later."

"But this _is_ a dream," Haley said.

"Like I said, sort of. Sort of like the dream you had the other night."

Haley looked the other way. "What dream?"

"You know, the one where someone told you not to tell anyone about it. The one where you felt like you were being pulled into something. That something was this world. Someone was trying to show you but you weren't ready."

"That was you?"

"No, that was someone else. Did you recognize the voice?" Uncle Johnny asked.

"Not really. It sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure. Who was the boy with the long blonde hair?"

"We'll talk about him at another time. What's important now is that you guys identify your Dream Powers and learn how to use them."

"Why?"

"We'll talk about that later too. You've been chosen, long before you were born, to do things in this Dream World. Now, the time has come." That last phrase sounded familiar to Haley. She'd heard it on the basketball court. But what time was it?

"Chosen? For what?" Jillian asked.

"First things first. You need to discover your Dream Powers and train to use them," Uncle Johnny said. Haley didn't think any of this made sense. Maybe she just had another crazy dream and would wake up like before. Still, it all felt so real, unlike any dream she'd had before.

"What's your Dream Power?" Jack asked.

"I have many powers because I have been training for a long time. Right now, I don't think I have any real powers because I am in this doll. My powers don't transfer to objects like this. But, you did say this is a cool doll, so I am sure I will be able to do something."

Jack and Braden laughed and Haley kicked Jack in the leg to get him to stop. The kick hurt and Jack said so, but Haley didn't even look at him. He should have known that Uncle Johnny wouldn't want to know that he was stuck in a baby that went wee-wee.

"You probably will find out soon," Haley said. She actually had to hold back from laughing herself. It was pretty funny.

"Have you guys noticed anything strange other than what Jillian can do?"

"I can move things with my mind," Braden said.

"That's called Telekinesis, and it is a very special power. You have to be careful with it. You can't just move anything, or everything would be going in different directions. You have to concentrate, and you have to relax. Most important, and this goes for all of your powers, you can't doubt yourself. You have to believe you can do the things you do or they won't work at all."

"Okay," all the kids answered. They really weren't sure what to think of all of this, but they knew Uncle Johnny wouldn't lie to them. They needed to trust someone right then. They all felt a little scared, and Uncle Johnny was the only adult around. Maybe he could help them find their parents and make sense out of everything.

"With that power, Braden, you can move objects big and small. Don't worry about the size. But there are a few other rules."

"Rules?" Braden asked. Every time something cool came along, there were always rules. He hoped Uncle Johnny wouldn't say he had to share it with Jillian, like his parents said he had to do with just about everything else cool.

"Yes, rules. Like, rule number one, you can't doubt yourself. That goes for all of you." The doll moved its head a little and Gabby got scared. She knocked it off her, sending it toward the floor. Haley raced over in one leap and grabbed it before it landed.

"Thanks," Uncle Johnny said. He turned his head and looked over at Gabby. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Gabby just laughed.

"You were saying about rules," Braden said, and it was obvious he didn't like the word 'rules'. What kid does?

"Yes. For your power, you have two other rules. One is that you can't move a living thing, not yet at least. Anything that has its own mind cannot be moved through basic telekinesis. Got it?"

"Like animals?"

"Yes," Uncle Johnny said.

"What about trees? They don't have a mind, do they?"

"Yes, they kind of do, Braden. A tree can search for water with its roots in the toughest places. It can sense water. They can break through big metal pipes just to get to the water in them. They also can lean one direction or another to get more light. Also, if a tree is sick, you can rip off part of its bark and it will fight to live. So, you can't move trees either."

"They didn't teach us that in school," Jack said.

"No, they haven't gotten to that stuff yet I guess. I have a feeling you are going to learn a lot of things today that you were never taught and probably never will be taught in school."

"Right, like telekinesis," Braden said.

"Exactly. Your second rule, for now at least, is that you can only move things for a short period of time. After that you'll get really tired, so don't push it, okay?"

"Got it."

"What about Haley?" Jack asked. "She moved before like a superhero or something."

"I saw that when she caught me. Haley, you have the ability to soar through the air. It's not super speed, like someone else here has, but instead, you can make yourself light and jump really high."

"Very cool," Haley said, "but how do I control it?"

"You really don't have to. You just have to believe, and you can jump to the top of a house if you want to," Uncle Johnny said. Jack felt funny talking to a doll, and he figured everyone else did too. Every time Uncle Johnny spoke, Jack wanted to laugh.

"That's it? No other rules?"

"Well, you can't jump _too_ high into the air because you can hurt yourself when you come back down. You'll have to test it out and see what the limits are. Also, like Braden, you can't use your power too much or it will tire you out, especially if you are new at it."

"Okay, that seems easy enough."

"What about me?" Jack asked.

"Well, you were the one I was talking about when I mentioned super speed. You can run faster than any car, and with training, even faster than that. You can go long distances in seconds. And, even though your power really doesn't have any rules, there are a few things you should know."

"Like what?" Jack asked. He had a really big grin on his face, Haley noticed, like when he knew they were going to get pizza. Jack loved pizza.

"Well, if you can go that fast, you have to be careful not to run into anything, right?"

"I guess so."

"Also, you have to be careful not to get lost. And, most of all, remember that you have to plan your stop in advance so you don't overshoot your target. Got it?"

"Yup," Jack said, already sounding a little impatient, like he wanted to start running right then. Haley wondered, with the stairs blocked, where he thought he was going to run to. Jack didn't always think too far ahead, she noticed.

"And if you stop focusing on running, you'll slow down. If you get scared, you'll speed up, but that's dangerous. So pay attention, okay?"

"Yeah, no problem Uncle Johnny. I can do all that."

"Good."

"Uncle Johnny?" Haley asked.

"Yes Haley?"

"What about Gabby, does she have any powers?"

"Of course she does. Jack knows what it is."

"I do?"

"Yeah. I noticed it before. She made you do something for her, didn't you?" Uncle Johnny asked.

"Uh-huh. She made me get the Baby-We--, um, the doll for her," Jack said, remembering Haley kicked him the last time he almost said something about the doll. He wasn't sure why, but decided to keep quiet about it. Girls could be so confusing.

"She's got the charm power. If you look into her eyes, she can make you do whatever she wants. Be careful, because she is little, and she doesn't have much control over it. Try not to look directly into her eyes. And if she gets angry, she can drive you nuts, so you need to be careful."

"Gabby never gets angry," Jillian said.

"I am sure she does sometimes," Uncle Johnny answered, "but that's not important. You all know what your powers are and you are going to need them. Also, you all are stronger in this world than you are in the other one. Again, you are going to need that for what's coming."

"What's coming?" Braden asked as he floated the television remote in the air. He had good control over his power already. Jack wanted to see how his worked but he couldn't do it in the small basement. He'd end up running into one of the walls.

"I can't say right now. I just know there is trouble, and we have been expecting it for a while now. We used to have other Dream Fighters to handle this, but we haven't trained a lot lately and we need new recruits. It's kind of hard to explain it all to you."

"Dream Fighters?"

"Yeah, that's what we call you guys. How do you like the name?"

"I think it is kind of cool," Braden said.

"Me too," added Jillian.

"Good, because it's not like they are going to change it or something. It's been the name for centuries. Anyway, we needed to get some other young people involved because our last team has gotten to the point where it is time for them to retire. When they get older, they stop believing and are not as powerful as they should be."

"I thought you got stronger when you got older," Jack said.

"Yes, you can lift heavier things, and maybe run faster and hit a golf ball farther, but your belief gets weaker. You forget to believe actually. It's sad, but it kind of happens to everyone."

"Even you?" Jillian asked.

Uncle Johnny laughed. It seemed odd coming from a doll. "Even me, though a lot of people say I don't act as old as I am. In this case, that's a good thing."

"So, what's coming?" Jack asked. "You said we needed these powers because something is coming."

"We think it is Sarlak."

"Who?" Braden asked. "Who's Sarlak?"

"He's is leading a group from the planet Gorgon. We are not really sure who he is, but the Gorgons are a race of people seven feet tall. They have been convinced by Sarlak to attack us. We have known this battle was coming for a long time. The only question was when. Now we're sure it's about to happen. They must be stopped to protect the real world."

"What do you mean?" Haley asked.

"The events in the dream world can affect the real world. If Sarlak wins here, bad things will happen in the real world."

"How?" Jack asked.

"These two worlds are connected. The dream world and real world sort of control each other. When you become more advanced you'll understand it better. Now, you need to focus on the Gorgons."

"What are they like?"

"They are messy, ugly, and they have really bad breath."

Everyone laughed.

"It's not funny. Their breath is bad. Trust me; you don't want to be stuck in an elevator full of Gorgons. You'll pass out."

"Well, I won't need to use an elevator any more. I'll just jump to the floor I want to go to," Haley said.

"And I can run up the stairs superfast," Jack added.

"If there's something upstairs I need, I'll just think about it," Jillian said.

"And I can use my mind to bring it to me," said Braden.

"Right, and Gabby will just get one of you guys to do it for her. Still, I'm sorry that your first assignment is with these creatures. It won't be very easy. The good thing is although they are very strong, they are also not so bright.

We should be able to outsmart them."

"What do we have to do, kill them?" Braden asked.

"No, probably not. We're going to try and avoid fighting them."

"Like in _Sly Cooper_?"

"Yes, exactly."

Braden wondered if there was a connection between the two. Uncle Johnny had made a point of saying that fighting wasn't always necessary in the game and now they needed to understand that for the dream world too.

"And we have to do it? It's like, our job?"

"Yes. They have decided to bring their army here. It's the reason I pulled you into the dream world now. They detected you and will try to fight you off. Hopefully we can stop Sarlak from coming to Earth."

"But I thought this wasn't Earth," Jack said.

"Well, it is and isn't. We know Sarlak's plan is to try and transfer himself from the dream world to the real world, and we certainly don't want that. I left a trap for the Gorgons. They should be coming here soon. So, practice your skills. Jack, you'll have to wait, it's too dangerous for you to practice running down here. All I want you to do is think about how fast you can run. Just keep picturing it in your mind, okay?"

"Okay."

"The rest of you, start training. We got a big day ahead of us."

# Chapter Five

So, they practiced their powers. Haley worked on floating, something Uncle Johnny told her how to do better. It was hard for him to do that being stuck in a doll, but Haley got the hang of it. The first few times she lifted off the ground and then fell back down. She had to concentrate, Uncle Johnny said, and think of the air below her coming together like a magic carpet to hold her up. After a few minutes, she started to get tired, and he told her to stop, because they had work to do and she needed her energy.

Jillian had found a pair of doll jeans and a shirt that fit Uncle Johnny, so he would stop complaining about having to wear a dress. She didn't see why it was such a big deal, but she knew she stuck him in Baby-Wets-A-Lot in the first place.

"Now, that's better," Uncle Johnny said. "Wait, am I wearing a diaper?"

"Yes," Jillian said.

"Okay, simple question here. Why?"

"It came with the doll," Haley said, floating over to where they stood.

"You can't take it off?" Uncle Johnny asked.

"It wouldn't be a good idea. It would ruin the doll."

"Ruin the doll? What sort of doll is this, anyway?" The doll moved its head left and right to look at itself.

"A regular doll, like I said. And yes, the diaper is attached. Plus, you never know when you might need it," Haley said, hoping that would end the talk about it.

"All right." Uncle Johnny turned his head toward Jillian.

"Next time, could you pick something different?"

"I'm sorry," Jillian answered.

"It's okay. I'd prefer something a little more, um, manly, next time, if you know what I mean. G.I. Joe, a Transformer, maybe. Something like that."

"Okay, Uncle Johnny."

Jillian had practiced thinking of things and making them appear but she kept losing focus and getting things that weren't exactly what she wanted. She tried to think of a cup she liked but instead she got a different one. It was still a cup, but not the one she wanted. Uncle Johnny said this happened in the beginning, that Jillian's power was the most difficult and needed the most concentration. As she practiced more and more, she got better, almost to the point where she didn't call something she didn't want. It took a lot of practice, though.

Braden had a pretty easy time controlling things. He could float two objects at one time. He'd gotten to the point where he didn't feel weak doing it, too. He felt ready to try three objects, but Uncle Johnny told him to wait for that. Most times, one was more than enough. To be able to float two objects so quickly only meant Braden practiced well.

Uncle Johnny said Braden needed to do more than float things across the room. They needed Braden's power for offense, as a weapon. He couldn't practice this part in the basement, but Uncle Johnny said Braden needed to learn to sling things at the enemy when the time came for that. They wondered when that would happen.

"Sling them?" Braden asked.

"Yes, like if you could take a rock and send it at someone trying to attack you so you can get away."

"Oh, I get it. I did something like that in a video game one time. I used the rocks as a distraction."

"Yes, exactly like that." Uncle Johnny looked at Haley. "Pick me up."

Haley walked over and picked him up. "Where do you want to go?" she asked.

"Over there," Uncle Johnny pointed, to a spot by the stairs. "I am pretty sure I saw a Nerf ball over there before."

"I know the one you are talking about, the blue football," Jack said.

"That's it."

"We took it outside before," Jack said.

"Well, that won't work. We're not ready to go upstairs yet."

After a moment, Uncle Johnny had an idea. "Jillian?"

"Yes Uncle Johnny?"

"Do you know the ball I am talking about?"

"I think so. The blue one Jack and Braden were throwing in the backyard?" she asked.

"That's it. Can you get it for me?"

"I'll try."

"No, Jillian. Don't try. Do it. Believe."

Jillian crinkled her nose at Uncle Johnny and then closed her eyes. Again, it looked like she thought really hard. Everyone watched her and waited for something to happen. For almost a minute, nothing did.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a blue Nerf football fell to the ground by Jillian's feet. Her eyes opened wide when she saw it. She did it right on the first try.

"Wow," Braden said, "that was good."

"Okay Braden. Now I want you to practice slinging that ball into the wall over there. I wanted the Nerf ball so you don't hurt anyone or break anything."

"No problem." Braden floated the ball close to him then slung it against the wall. The ball traveled fast and it made a loud 'thud' when it hit the wood paneling.

"That's good," Uncle Johnny said, "but try to do it harder. Make it like a missile."

"But aren't Nanny and Pop gonna be mad at me if I break something on the wall?"

"No, this isn't really Nanny and Pop's house," Jillian said.

"Well, it is and it isn't," Uncle Johnny answered. "Still, you don't want to go and break something in any house. No one would like that very much, so try to be careful where you aim."

Braden nodded and went back to practicing.

"Okay, we need to get some stuff together. First, we need some food," Uncle Johnny said.

"Yeah, I'm hungry," Jack said.

"You're always hungry," Haley said.

"There's nothing wrong with that. That's how you get bigger and stronger, by eating," Uncle Johnny said.

"Until you become a doll," Braden said, not taking his eyes off the football.

"You just worry about practicing, wise guy. For the rest of you, it's time to get the supplies together. Go into the pantry in the laundry room and grab some stuff to eat. I am sure Nanny has a whole load of food. And don't go grabbing all junk. Get something that is good for you."

"We know," Jack said. He walked into the laundry room and turned on the light. "How are Lunchables?"

"Fine with me. I won't be eating them. I _am_ thirsty, though."

"I'm not so sure that the doll can drink anything," Haley said.

"Sure she, um, he can," Jillian said excitedly. "It's one of the things the doll can do."

Haley looked at Jillian with a stern face. "But now is not the time for Uncle Johnny to be finding out what the doll can and can't do, right?"

It took a second, but Jillian got it. "Oh, right."

"Is there something you guys want to tell me?" Uncle Johnny asked, sounding a little worried.

"Nope. Everything's good. Don't worry," Haley answered. She knew it wouldn't be long before Uncle Johnny figured it out but she wanted to take as much time as possible. She was pretty sure he wasn't going to like it.

"Why do I feel like I _should_ worry?" Uncle Johnny asked.

"Probably because you are stuck in the body of a doll and don't feel like yourself," Haley said. She was proud of herself for being able to convince Uncle Johnny that everything would be okay even when she knew he would most likely go wee-wee soon. She didn't want to think about how she'd handle that.

"Well, I guess that makes sense."

"Trust me," Haley said.

"I found a box of Capri-Suns," Jack yelled from the pantry.

"What flavor?" Uncle Johnny asked.

'Tropical Punch."

"That sounds fine. Bring the box. And try to find a backpack. I think I saw one in the laundry room."

"You mean something like this?" Jillian asked, holding up a pink Dora the Explorer backpack.

"Good job. Not my first choice on color, but you did fine."

Jack came out with the box of drinks and what looked to be about eight Lunchables. "This good?"

"It should be fine," Uncle Johnny said. "Now throw as much of it as you can into the backpack. It shouldn't be too heavy. Remember, you all are stronger in this world."

Jack did as Uncle Johnny asked, and without being told, Braden helped. When they finished, they carried the backpack over to Uncle Johnny.

"How heavy is it?"

Jack lifted it up pretty easily. "Not too bad."

"Remember, someone is going to have to carry that on their back for a while. Even though you are stronger here, that strength doesn't last forever. You can get tired."

Haley walked over and put it on her back. "I could carry this. It's about as heavy as my backpack for my school books is. It should be fine for me," she said.

"Okay then. Now, I want you to continue practicing for a little bit longer. I won't be able to talk to you for what will feel like half an hour, so be sure to behave. Don't worry, I will be back."

"But, Uncle Johnny, don't leave," Jillian said, "We're scared." All of the children pleaded with him not to go.

"Remember rule number one?"

Haley and Jack said, "Listen to Uncle—"

Uncle Johnny laughed. "No, not _that_ rule number one.

The other one."

"Don't doubt ourselves?" Braden asked.

"That's it. Don't. And believe in each other, too. It's sort of the same thing and it will definitely help you. I will be back very soon. I promise."

Then, the doll went back to looking the way it did before

Uncle Johnny started talking through it. It went lifeless in Jillian's hands, and she almost dropped it because the quick change shocked her.

"Okay, we should practice," Haley said. "If we keep doing that, it will make the time go by faster." She wanted to keep the kids focused on something so they wouldn't think about Uncle Johnny being gone.

No one argued with her. Everyone, except Gabby and Jack, practiced their abilities. Jack went over to where Gabby sat and put her on his lap. He wanted to watch TV but didn't know if it would work and he figured someone would get mad at him for trying to turn it on. So he just stared at the wall and thought about what it would be like to move real fast like Uncle Johnny said he could. He saw cartoon shows where boys could do that and it he always wanted to have that ability. He could play baseball better. He wondered if anyone in the Major Leagues could run as fast as he could.

Jack wished that his abilities in the dream world worked in the real one. He could impress his friends with his incredible speed. If he got into trouble, he could just run away and no one would could catch him. That would be great. Of course, he figured Uncle Johnny would say he shouldn't get into trouble at all.

About twenty minutes passed by, and Jillian came over and sat on the couch. She looked tired.

"I miss Uncle Johnny," she said. "I keep trying to wish him back here but he's not coming."

"He said he would be here in half an hour," Haley said. "Isn't it half an hour already?"

"No," Jack answered.

"How long is half an hour?" Jillian asked.

Haley thought for a bit. _She_ knew how long half an hour was, but she didn't know how to explain it to someone who didn't. Then, she had an idea.

"Do you know how long a TV show lasts?"

"I think so."

"Well, it's about that long. Most TV shows anyway."

"That's a long time," Jillian said. "And Uncle Johnny's been gone a long time, so shouldn't he be back already?"

"He should be back in about five minutes," Braden said, "If I timed it right. My new watch has a timer on it. I set it right when Uncle Johnny left."

"That's cool," Jack said.

"Thanks. Hey, I want something to eat."

"Uncle Johnny didn't say we should eat yet," Haley said. She felt like she should be the one in charge, being that she was the oldest.

"He didn't say we shouldn't, either."

"Well, I don't think he wants us to," Haley said.

"I think he doesn't care," Jack said. "And I am hungry too. Let's eat."

"You can't wait less than five minutes?"

"I could go for a snack too," Jillian said, rubbing her belly. "I can't remember the last time I ate something."

"All you guys have to do is wait a couple of minutes." Haley wondered if she now understood what parents went through. At least she knew why her mother complained about kids sometimes.

"There's other stuff to eat in the laundry room. I saw Doritos and potato chips and a whole bunch of other stuff."

"Just wait," Haley said, raising her voice so they would listen to her. She figured they probably wouldn't, but she had to try.

"Nah," Braden said.

Haley floated over to the door to the laundry room. "I am not letting you in," she said.

"Who made you boss?"

"I am the oldest, so you have to listen to me."

"No we don't," Jack said.

"Maybe we should listen to her," Jillian said, making this another boys against girls fight.

"She's not my mother, and she isn't Uncle Johnny," Jack said, "I say we eat."

With that, Jack tried to run past her. He looked like one big blur going toward the laundry room. Haley felt very angry that no one listened to her. She felt something tingly on her skin. She knelt down to try and block Jack.

Then, something really strange happened. A purple bubble formed around her body. Jack bounced into the bubble, came almost within an inch of hitting her, then bounced back, crashing onto the couch. Haley wasn't sure if he got hurt. She would have felt very bad if he did. She didn't want to hurt him. Then again, he didn't listen.

"I want to eat now!" Braden yelled, and put his hand out like he wanted to hurl something at Haley. He didn't have anything to throw. Instead, a small purple ball of energy came from his palm and shot at Haley.

The bubble was still around her, and the energy ball crashed into it, sending sparks all around. The ball bounced off into the ceiling, where it left a small burn mark.

"Uh-oh," Braden said. "I am sorry Haley. I didn't mean to do that."

Haley wanted to say something angry back but calmed herself first. They were all scared, even her, and she didn't want to make it worse with a fight. "It's okay," she said as she watched the bubble disappear. "Just don't do it again. That would have hurt."

Haley walked over to Jack. He was sitting up, and rubbing his shoulder. "That hurt," he said.

"It was your fault," Haley said, even though she really wanted to say she was sorry. She was just angry at Jack for trying to run at her in the first place. "Are you okay?"

"I think so. My shoulder hurts a little."

"You're all lucky that's all that happened," Uncle Johnny said.

"You're back, thank goodness," Jillian said.

"Yes. You see what happened? I was gone less than half an hour and you guys started arguing."

"I just wanted to get something to eat and Haley wouldn't let me," Braden said, sounding as nice as possible.

"I am the oldest, so I thought I should be the one to tell people what to do."

"Leading has nothing to do with telling people what to do, Haley. Unless, you are sure you know what the right thing to do is. Were you sure you knew that?"

"No," Haley said, "I didn't mean to do anything wrong."

"I didn't say you did. Really, you all did something wrong. You didn't trust each other in a bad situation. You didn't listen to each other. Imagine if this was during something really important, like a battle against the Gorgons. It would have been worse. And, you guys did the worst thing you could do in this situation. You got angry without control."

"We didn't mean to," Jillian said.

"I didn't want to do what I did to Haley," Braden added. He really looked upset. He got a little scared about what happened.

"I know. You have other powers I didn't get a chance to explain. Some of them will come out when you are out of control and angry. You have to be very careful. Also, if you are scared, even crazier things can happen, so try to stay calm whenever you can. We can't predict anger powers. You could have hurt each other."

Uncle Johnny turned the doll's head to look at Jack. "And I thought I told you not to go racing around the room."

"I don't know what happened Uncle Johnny. It was like I really wanted something to eat. That I _had_ to have something to eat or I would go nuts."

"Hmm," Uncle Johnny said. "Okay, that makes sense.

And I think someone here really is hungry."

"I would like something," Braden said. "No, it's not you. It's Gabby."

"How do you know?" Haley asked.

"She linked with Jack before to get her the doll. They might still have that link. When she decided she wanted something to eat, she might have just made him do what he did to get it."

"I had her on my lap," Jack said.

"That could do it. Anything could do it, really. That's why you have to be careful, and you have to make sure that what you are doing is what you want to do. Make sure your thoughts are your own, and don't react right away. Control your urges."

"Urges?" Jillian asked.

"You have to control what you want. As I am sure your mothers and fathers have told you, you can't always have what you want. And on top of that, you have to make sure it is what you want, not what someone else does."

"Oh," Jillian said.

"I'm really not that hungry at all," Jack said. "That's scary, that she can do that."

"You all have special powers, like I said. Haley, you learned how to protect yourself. And Braden, you found a new power too."

"An energy ball shot from my hand!" Braden said, excited.

"Well, that's not exactly a good thing. You used it as an anger power. You got really angry, probably just because you are trapped here, a little scared about what's going to happen, and maybe frustrated that you can't do anything about it right now. Your new power can be used in a good way, but it is uncontrollable when used out of anger, understand?"

Braden nodded. "I'm really sorry."

"It's nice that you apologized, but it's okay. You really didn't mean it, and I think Haley and everyone else knows it. You don't want to hurt anyone. None of you do. Just remember that, and try to control yourselves, okay?"

"Okay," everyone answered.

"It won't be easy, but you have to remember that. And you have to decide to agree on things, especially in an emergency. Or if I am not around for a minute and something has to be done. I can't worry when I can't be here. I have to know I can trust you all to do the right thing. You guys can choose a leader if you want, but remember, being a leader isn't about telling people what to do. You have to listen and then decide. It takes a lot of work."

The kids thought about that for a minute, and no one said they wanted to be leader. Everyone thought Uncle Johnny was going to pick Haley because she was the oldest. That was what adults usually did. When they were down in the basement, Haley was always told she was in charge.

"No, it doesn't have to be Haley," Uncle Johnny said, "I know that's what you guys are thinking."

"How did you know?" Jillian asked.

"It had to be what you guys were thinking. Haley has to want to be the leader, and you guys have to agree. It won't work any other way."

"I'll do it if everyone wants me to," Haley said, because she thought that's what she was supposed to say.

"That's not exactly the way you should volunteer. Why don't you guys think about that for a little while? Before that, I'll tell you about who you will be facing, and what you have to do."

Uncle Johnny told them the story of the Gorgons, and how their leader, Lord D'Raygon, was the one who was causing trouble. They came from a galaxy far away from Earth, right near the North Star. They had been friendly in the past but recently became evil and angry and wanted to attack Earth.

"I thought you said the bad guy was Sarlak," Jack said.

"He is, but he won't be who you face this time. It turns

out that the Lord is on his way himself. This is important for them. Sarlak is the evil one, and he has taken control of the Lord's mind. You guys need to show him that he is wrong, that we were friends and they shouldn't do this," Uncle Johnny explained.

"But this isn't Earth," Braden said.

"It isn't. But if this world, the dream world, becomes controlled by Sarlak, then our real world will become more evil. He will be able to come to the real world and affect it. You won't notice a difference at first, but after a while, you will see that people are meaner, and no one will care about what's really important."

"Wow," Haley said.

"Yeah, wow," Uncle Johnny replied. "This is serious stuff. You need to stick together and use your strengths to fight off the Gorgons. Then we have to find a way to convince Lord D'Raygon that he is wrong, that he is being controlled. None of this will be easy. Your best chance is to fight off this attack without actually 'fighting'. Get it?"

"We're ready," Haley said.

"And Haley will lead us," Braden added. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Sure?" Uncle Johnny asked.

Haley looked at her brother and cousins. "Yes. Let's get rid of these smelly Gorgons."

Uncle Johnny chuckled. "It's only their breath that stinks."

# Chapter Six

All the kids wanted to get out of that cramped basement. They had spent enough time down there and they really wanted to get some fresh air, at least. They packed all of the food and drinks into the backpack, and even found a pouch where they could put Uncle Johnny while they walked. Haley put the backpack on.

They walked to the top of the steps and stopped, knowing that they wouldn't be able to get past it. Did Uncle Johnny have a way?

"Yes," Uncle Johnny said.

"Yes what?" Haley asked.

"You all wanted to know if I had a way to get past the stairs. I blocked them to keep you downstairs and not

running all through the house."

"That wasn't very nice, Uncle Johnny," Jillian said.

"Maybe not, but it was necessary. It's a security gate.

One day, you'll learn how to bypass such things easily."

"Everything is always 'later' or 'one day'," Jack said.

"Patience. Okay, once I clear that security gate, there is no turning back. We'll have to deal with whatever is out there and most likely, things are going to happen pretty quickly. Any questions?"

Jack raised his hand.

"You're not in school," Haley said. Braden chuckled. Jack shot him a look.

"What Jack?" Uncle Johnny asked. Braden couldn't tell because of the doll but it appeared Uncle Johnny scowled at him.

"You never told us something."

"What?"

"Why us?"

"Yeah," Braden added, "why were we picked to do this?"

"Because it runs in your family, that's why."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not allowed to tell you too much about that yet, but all I can say is that you guys are not the first ones in your family to get signed up for this. You come from a long line of Dream Fighters."

"You mean like our parents?" Jillian asked. "Why didn't they tell us anything?"

"I can't say who. I'm sorry. All I can say is that I am your uncle and I am one of them. Other than that, I have to keep it a secret, for now. Later, I will tell you whatever you want to know, okay?"

Everyone nodded.

"Anything else?"

"Is it going to be dangerous?" Haley asked.

"Probably. But if we stick together, we'll be okay. All we have to do is turn back this first wave of Gorgons and hopefully find a way to convince the Lord that he is being tricked. I don't know for sure how we'll do that, but for now, let's just focus on what we can do. We have to at least fight off this first wave. That's what's most important."

"How are we going to do that?" Jillian asked.

"I'm not sure. You guys will have to think of something. You're all we have right now. You've been chosen. Now, remember, trust each other, listen to me, and don't get scared. We will be fine. Let's go."

The ground rumbled a little bit and a bright light flashed at everyone's eyes quickly. To Jillian, the light almost hurt, but it faded too fast to really feel anything. It felt like when her brother shined a flashlight in her eyes. She hated when he did that. She hated a lot of the things he did.

"Alright, we are ready to go outside," Uncle Johnny said. "Be prepared. The dream world holds many wonders, and things appear different from what they are. You will recognize some things. Others, you won't."

Everyone walked into the hallway. Things seemed normal enough there. They recognized the black and white tile on the floor, the gray carpeted stairway leading to the living room, and the brown cage for Wyatt and Doc, the two dogs.

The front door lay ahead of them, the window to the left. They couldn't see out of the window; it had the sort of frosted design that made everything blurry. Jack could only see daylight through it, so he knew nighttime hadn't come. He couldn't remember if it was day or night before they fell asleep. Still, he liked the idea of going out to this new place in daylight instead of the dark.

Haley went toward the door. Everyone held their breath, even though they didn't know why. They had no idea what lay beyond that door. They felt both excited and little nervous. After all, none of them had been through something like this before. Anything could be beyond that door, and Uncle Johnny stayed quiet about it, as usual.

Haley opened the door and bright light shined through, coming from the sun. Everyone had to adjust their eyes after coming from the darker basement. Haley then opened the screen door, which made the same squeaky noise it always did, and stepped out onto the porch.

Once everyone got onto the porch, the door to the house closed by itself. This shocked everyone and Jillian let out a small scream.

"It's no big deal," Uncle Johnny said, "I should have told you about that."

"About what?" Braden asked.

"I have powers in this world too. Now let's step off the porch."

Haley stepped off first, and she noticed something she hadn't before. Where the front of the house should have been was a huge open field of grass, with one tree all the way out in the distance. The house no longer existed, nor did the front lawn, the bushes, all the cars parked out front.

"Um, Uncle Johnny?" she whispered behind her.

"Yes?"

"Where are we?"

"Wait for everyone else. I haven't shown that to them yet. I'm still letting them see the house."

"Shown them yet?"

"I created sort of an illusion, a magic trick. I didn't want to frighten them, so I've let them still think the house is there, but I figured you could deal with seeing things for real."

Haley wasn't so sure she could deal with it, but she said, "Thanks," though she didn't know what she was thanking him for.

Everyone else stepped off the porch and gathered around where Haley stood. She paid attention and noticed that it looked like they followed the path of the walkway up to the house, which curved to her left. They must have really been seeing that. She only saw the open field. She started to feel a little scared but fought it. She was the oldest, after all.

"Okay guys. Now is the time for the shocker. I want everyone to turn around and look at the house."

They all turned around, and by the time they faced the house, it was gone. It just vanished, like it never existed.

Now, everyone saw what Haley saw.

"Wow," Jillian said.

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"We were never really in that house. It was just an illusion we created to make you feel comfortable. Remember, I said this place is like Earth but it is also not. This is a different place in many ways. Our mission takes place somewhere else."

"So it was all an illusion? That's pretty cool," Braden said.

"Yeah, but that also means we can't go back to the house, right?" Jack asked.

"Pretty much," Uncle Johnny answered.

"But I could think of the house and make it appear, can't I?" Jillian asked.

"Not really. I don't think you've gotten that good yet."

"I could try," Jillian insisted. She wanted to think about it and make it appear right then. She wasn't sure if Uncle Johnny would be happy about that.

"But there's no need to waste your time on that. The Gorgons need to be dealt with, and Lord D'Raygon too. Let's work on them first, then we'll see what sort of neat tricks you can pull, okay?"

"Okay."

Braden looked at the open fields and wondered where Uncle Johnny had taken them. They could be anywhere, like another state, or even another country. He liked geography so he really wanted to know exactly where they were but he knew better than to ask that question. Instead, he pretended they were in Ireland, because he had seen pictures of Ireland where there were a lot of grassy open fields.

"Now, I need to transport us to our destination. It's gonna feel funny and you might get dizzy but try not to let it bother you. The Gorgons will be close and you'll need to be ready."

"Let's go," Haley said. She couldn't wait to get started. She wanted to use her power.

Jack couldn't wait either. He didn't get a chance to really test out his power. He wanted to see how fast he could run. He held Gabby, careful not to look into her eyes. He didn't want to have to do something else for her again.

Jillian knew Uncle Johnny said she might get dizzy, but thought he only meant to warn them. First it looked like they rose closer to the sky, like they raced toward it. Then, the bottom dropped out and she felt like she was falling, fast. She didn't feel wind rushing at her, like when she opened the window in the car. They _felt_ like they moved really fast, but they weren't. The only sense she got of moving was the tightness she felt in her stomach. It felt weird but fun at the same time.

She saw colors, reds and blues and yellows, flashing in front of her and she wanted to close her eyes but she didn't want to get any dizzier, maybe even sick. As fun as it was, she just wanted it to end soon. The other kids must have felt the same thing because no one spoke.

As if Uncle Johnny had heard what she thought, everything slowed down, to the point where she could see buildings and streets they rushed toward, and then it all stopped, finally.

"We're here," Uncle Johnny said.

"About time," Haley said. Jillian felt better hearing that. If Haley didn't like it, then Jillian didn't feel like a silly little girl for feeling the same way.

"Yeah, I was about to throw up," Braden said.

"Me too," added Jack.

Jillian decided not to say anything.

"Okay, you see those buildings over there? The Gorgons are most likely right behind them. We have to plan something, but it will be tough to know exactly what they will do when they see us. If possible, we don't want to be attacked. I can't say for sure we can stop that, though," Uncle Johnny said.

"Why don't we just blast 'em?" Jack asked, "You know, use our powers and wipe them out?"

"We could try, but right now we don't know how many of them there are. Plus, sometimes it is better to avoid a fight. If we could get Lord D'Raygon to see what Sarlak has done to him and his people, he could call his fighters off and end this all right away. We need to show him that we aren't the enemy he thinks we are."

"Where is he?" Jillian asked.

"We don't know. I was able to locate the Gorgons but not him. We're going to have to keep a lookout."

"What does he look like?" Haley asked. Braden was going to ask the exact same question.

"No one knows for sure. He looks different than a regular Gorgon, because although his father was a Gorgon, his mother was not. Some say she was the most beautiful woman in the galaxy, maybe the universe. But no one knows what D'Raygon really looks like. He might look different since Sarlak has turned him evil." Jillian tried to picture what the son of a monster and a beautiful woman would look like but she couldn't really do it. Funny images of a man with an animal's body kept coming to her. That couldn't be right, she figured.

"He's evil now?" Braden asked.

"I wouldn't say evil just yet, but he's headed there."

"I thought you said the Gorgons were ugly," Haley said. "Well, I guess that depends on how you look at it."

"That means they are ugly," Haley said.

"Maybe. Ugly is nothing more than an opinion."

"So, how come we don't know what he looks like?" Jack asked.

"His birth was hidden at first because he wasn't a true Gorgon, and then Sarlak took over..." Uncle Johnny paused.

"Wait."

"What's the matter?" Braden asked.

"Oh, no. Uh, something's going on here."

"Is something wrong? Are the Gorgons coming now?" Haley asked.

"No, not that. I feel something warm. Something warm and wet. Say, what did you tell me this doll can do?" Uncle Johnny asked, his voice high-pitched, like something really bothered him.

"Um, a few things," Haley said, before anyone else could say something. She knew this time would come, when she would have to explain exactly what Baby-Wets' A-Lot could do. Uncle Johnny would not like it.

"Well, I think this doll has a leak, because I feel wet right now. Really wet. I also feel like I am going to—"

With that Uncle Johnny burst into tears again. He cried loud too, like a newborn baby, and Jillian took him from the backpack.

"It's okay Uncle Johnny. You're in 'Baby-Wets- A Lot'. She can cry and she goes wee-wee. That's why I said you needed the diaper."

"I am a crying, wee-wee baby?" Uncle Johnny asked through tears. "Those are the special things I can do?"

The kids could barely understand what he said because he cried so hard. They found it funny to hear an adult sound like such a baby.

"It's not that bad," Haley said. "At least you won't scare the Gorgons away. We'll get our chance to use our powers."

Jack and Braden laughed. Haley hadn't meant for her comment to be funny, but she realized it was, and she laughed a little too. Uncle Johnny didn't find it funny at all.

"Now you guys are laughing at me too. I am just a useless baby," he said, crying even harder.

"Baby-Wets-A-Lot only does this for a little while and then it stops. It won't be too bad," Jillian said, "and the diaper will keep you dry."

That didn't stop Uncle Johnny's crying. As a matter of fact, it made it worse. He seemed uncontrollable. Haley knew she had to do something.

"Uncle Johnny, you need to calm down. We need you. We don't know what to do!" she said, trying to stay calm herself. She found it harder than she expected.

"I-I-I'm trying," Uncle Johnny said, through tears. "It's not me, it's the doll. I am doing my best to control it." It didn't seem like he tried at all.

"Try harder," Jack said.

"Do you know how hard this is?" Uncle Johnny said, crying harder again. "I'm stuck in this doll and I am going wee-wee in a diaper."

Braden and Jack laughed again. Haley glared her eyes at them and frowned. They stopped.

"Now, Uncle Johnny, we need to know what to do. Are you okay?"

He made a sniffling sound. "I think so. I don't know what came over me. It must be the doll. Every time I get excited I feel like crying. I am sorry guys. I will try to not let that happen."

"It's okay, Uncle Johnny, it happens to me sometimes," Jillian said. No one thought that made Uncle Johnny feel any better. He stayed quiet for a moment, like he tried his best to control himself.

"Okay. The Gorgons are behind those two buildings over there."

The kids looked and saw two identical buildings. They weren't that tall, not like the ones they saw in the city, and made of red brick. They didn't seem much different than the ones they saw in the real world.

"What do the Gorgons look like?" Jack asked.

"Like I said, they are seven feet tall, and pretty wide too. They look more like animals than people, but they can talk. They are hairy. I guess you could say they look like really big cavemen," Uncle Johnny said.

"Cavemen?" Jillian said.

"Yeah, those hairy guys you see in museums," Braden said.

"I think they are on TV commercials too," Haley said.

"Oh, I think I know what you are talking about now,"

Jillian said.

Then music started to play. It wasn't scary music at all, more like bells. Haley thought she recognized the sound, as did Jillian. They definitely had heard it before but had a hard time placing it. Jack and Braden, however, knew exactly what music they heard.

"Ice cream!" they both said out loud, instantly running toward a white truck that had just appeared in the distance, not far away from the buildings Uncle Johnny talked about.

"Braden, Jack, stop!" Uncle Johnny yelled, but it was too late, they had already run so far they couldn't hear him.

"What are they doing?" Haley asked.

"They are running right into trouble." Uncle Johnny turned the doll's head. "Jillian?"

"Yes, Uncle Johnny?"

"In the mood for ice cream, are we?"

"Yes, but I didn't mean to make that truck appear. It just popped into my head."

"Any time you think of something you want, and tell yourself you really want it, it's going to appear."

"I'm sorry," Jillian said.

"It's okay. Now you know."

"What's the big deal about them going and getting ice cream from that truck?" Haley asked. Ice cream sounded like a good idea to her. It was hot.

"There's no ice cream on that truck. It's full of Gorgons. They can sense when you use your abilities, especially with the help of Sarlak. When Jillian thought of ice cream and created the truck, the Gorgons sensed it. It's a trap, and Braden and Jack are running right into it."

Great, Haley thought. Yet another problem caused by the silliness of boys. Would it ever end? She didn't think so, not soon at least.

"We have to do something," Jillian said, "or it's all my fault."

"Yes, but what? What can we do Uncle Johnny?"

"Well, that's where my help kinda runs dry. I can't tell you what to do, it's part of the test, you could say."

"Test?" Haley asked.

"Yes. Part of this is a test. We need to see if you guys have what it takes to be Dream Fighters. You have powers, but do you know how to use them? When to use them? That's what we need to find out."

"You have to tell us something," Haley insisted. "Trust each other," Uncle Johnny said.

"Well, that's a big help," Jillian said. Then she remembered Uncle Johnny's crying. She didn't want to go through that again. "But it's not your fault, it's the fault of whoever made the rules."

Haley tried to think. She looked at Braden and Jack and realized they had made it halfway to the truck already. She could see their bodies getting smaller and smaller in the distance. Jack obviously wasn't running as fast as he could because Braden was keeping up with him. She had to do something fast, though.

"We can't ask for help, but can we ask about our powers?" she asked.

"All you want."

"Well, I can leap, but Jillian can't. Can I make her leap with me if I hold her hand?"

"Good question, and yes, you can. You just have to keep her in your mind. Imagine that air carpet is under her like it is under you. It should be pretty easy."

"Okay, so we'll leap over to them and stop them from getting to that truck."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Jillian said. She had an idea too. She thought of something she could make appear that would help. Of course, she had to be careful; she had already made a mistake with the ice cream truck and she didn't want to make a mistake again.

Haley grabbed a hold of Gabby and Jillian had the backpack with Uncle Johnny in it. They held hands and were about to start running.

"I have an idea. Just start running. You'll see it when it comes," Jillian said.

"Okay," Haley said and they took off. They were running pretty fast, but they could see that Braden and Jack were getting really close to that truck in the distance. Jillian didn't know what a Gorgon was or what one looked like but she had a feeling she didn't want to know and she certainly didn't want her brother or cousin being attacked by one.

She closed her eyes and thought hard. In the distance, a large trampoline appeared, just like the one in Haley and Jack's backyard. It was about 20 feet away.

"Great idea," Haley said. "I'll bounce us off of that and we should get there twice as fast."

Haley did just that. She took a small leap, making sure to remember she had a hold of Jillian's hand, and bounced them off the trampoline.

They soared high in the air, higher than any of them had ever soared before. Jillian could feel it in her stomach. It reminded her of being on a Ferris wheel, or a roller coaster. Gabby just giggled. It seemed she liked being high up in the air.

Haley was pretty sure she had timed the jump correctly. It should land them right in between the truck and the boys. Hopefully, once they landed, she could talk some sense into

them. If her previous experience was any sort of guide, she didn't have much reason to hope she would succeed. Still, she knew she had to try.

# Chapter Seven

Jillian figured this was what it must feel like to fly. They had bounced off the trampoline and soared through the air. She could feel the wind rush against her face as they got closer and closer to the boys. She didn't understand why they ran off like that and she felt kind of guilty about it. She wished she could tell herself it wasn't her fault, but couldn't. She did make the truck appear, after all.

Haley focused on the ground, which came at them pretty fast. She hoped she could land them safely. After all, Jillian and Gabby were her responsibility. She didn't want to make a mistake and get someone hurt.

Haley braced herself for the landing and yelled out for Jillian to do the same. The ground was dusty, kind of like the dirt on a baseball field, and soft. They landed, and didn't crash. Haley figured she was lucky. So did Jillian. Gabby just kept laughing.

Braden and Jack were only ten feet away when they landed and Uncle Johnny screamed out, "Stop!" It was so loud the sound rang in Haley's ears. But it worked. The boys stopped.

"We just wanted some ice cream," Braden said.

"There's no ice cream in there, just Gorgons," Uncle Johnny answered.

"What?" Jack asked.

"It's a trap, that's all it is. They want you to go there so they can attack you. It's called divide and conquer. Instead of fighting a whole group, they fight you in smaller numbers so they can win."

"That's not very fair," Braden said.

"Nothing is going to be fair here," Uncle Johnny said, "and it would be good if you remembered to stick with the group. Running off like that was wrong, the both of you should know better."

"I'm sorry," Jack and Braden said at the same time. To Haley, it sounded like they really meant it. She'd seen Jack lie about being sorry before.

"Sorry doesn't cut it this time, guys," Uncle Johnny said. No one had ever heard him so angry before. "You put everyone at risk for something you wanted. That's not right and it won't be tolerated any more, understand?"

"Yes," the boys answered.

"Are you sure?"

"We're sure."

"Then make sure it doesn't happen again. This is a very serious situation and we need you to get this job done and get it done right."

"Okay," everyone answered.

Uncle Johnny explained that the Gorgon stronghold lay just beyond the two buildings. He also told Jillian to wish away the ice cream truck. When she did, it disappeared, along with the Gorgons inside of it. That felt like a small victory.

The kids needed to come up with a plan, something to defeat the Gorgons and save everyone. It sounded like a big task, maybe too big for a group of kids, Haley thought.

Braden stayed positive. He knew there had to be a way they could beat these guys and he put his mind to work at a solution. Jack did the same, trying to pretend this was a video game. He was good at those. If he treated this like a game, maybe he could make everything work out. Playing a game required strategy and he had learned how to plan. Sure, he had struggled with _Sly Cooper_ but he felt he understood how to plan better after what Uncle Johnny had taught them that day. He needed to figure out how his super speed could help, along with the group's other powers.

They all thought hard. Each one tried to figure out a way to beat the Gorgons by using a strategy like the one Uncle Johnny had taught them. Some of them closed their eyes, others looked up at the sky or down at the dusty ground.

No one saw it coming. No one expected it. The Gorgons must have sensed that the kids were busy thinking and not paying attention because they launched a sneak attack. Uncle Johnny never even got a chance to shout out a warning, things happened so fast.

The Gorgons didn't just have size on their side, they had weapons. One of their weapons was a cannon that shot out blasts of air. Maybe that doesn't sound so dangerous, but the Gorgons had found a way to harness the power of forced air so well they could knock down huge buildings with it.

They had fired the cannon at the kids. The blast shot through the air silently, smashing into the ground and sending a wave of dust in the air. Thankfully, it wasn't on the highest setting. Still, it was enough to knock the breath out of all of them and send them flying in the air as if there was a big explosion.

Haley landed on her stomach, totally surprised by the attack. She didn't know what hit her and the rest of them, but she knew she was hurt and took a while to get up. The first thing she did was look for Gabby. Gabby had landed on her back and seemed to be fine. She was laughing again, though Haley had no idea how she could be.

What scared her was she couldn't see anyone else.

Jack landed on his side, and his arm hurt. He also didn't know what hit him. He felt a pain in his neck as well. It felt like he was thrown a hundred feet, maybe more.

He got up slowly, dusted himself off and looked for everyone else. All he saw was a big cloud of dust. No one was around. He felt that feeling in his stomach he got when he was scared or nervous. He tried to control it, but it took over.

Before it got too bad, he heard a voice. It sounded like a boy, but it wasn't a voice he had ever heard before.

"Everything's okay," the boy said, "you just got the wind knocked out of you."

"Who are you?" Jack asked.

"Now's not the time for that." The boy's voice was forceful, like an adult's. "You need to act quickly. They will strike again, otherwise."

"Where's Uncle Johnny?" Jack asked.

"Don't worry about him now. Your sister and cousins are to your left. Braden is only ten or so feet in front of you. Run to him, and then get to your sister. You guys have to make a move. Everything will be fine if you do."

"Okay," Jack said, not really sure if everything really was okay. He wished Uncle Johnny was there.

"Do it now, and don't tell anyone you spoke to me," the boy said. He didn't yell, and he didn't sound mean, but he sure sounded like he meant business, so Jack did what he said.

Braden didn't know where he was. A minute ago, they ran toward the ice cream truck, then all of a sudden, he found himself on his back looking up at the sky through a large cloud of dust. He tried to breathe but his lungs hurt when he did. This wasn't good at all.

Like Jack, he started to get scared but he tried to control it. His mother always told him he could fight his fear if he wanted to; he just needed to want to.

It wasn't so easy this time.

Before he really got scared, he saw someone come toward him. He realized it was Jack and he got himself to his feet. No need for anyone to see him lying down like that.

Jack didn't even stop running before he said, "We gotta move."

"Where to?" Braden asked. He would have preferred to wait a bit to catch his breath. It didn't seem like he would get the chance.

"They're gonna strike again, real soon. We have to get to Haley and Jillian and Gabby," Jack said. He sounded sure of it.

"Where are they?"

Jack pointed in the direction the boy told him.

"How do you know?" Braden asked.

Jack remembered a line the boy said and it seemed like the right time to use it. "Now's not the time," he said, copying the forceful tone the boy had used with him.

"Huh?"

"Just follow me," Jack said. "And trust me. I haven't messed up yet."

Braden was a little confused, but Jack seemed to know what he talked about and considering everything else going on, that was fine by him. No one gave them any clear rules of what to do or what not to do, which meant they had to decide on their own. If something went wrong, at least he could blame Jack.

Braden ran as fast as he could, and Jack kept pace with him. Without running at top speed, to Jack it felt like it took forever to get to Gabby and Jillian. Braden tried not to doubt Jack. Jack had been right; he hadn't done him wrong yet. About halfway there, Braden yelled out, "Stop!"

"We can't stop now, we have to—" Jack cut off his words when he saw what Braden held in his hand; the head of Baby-Wets-A-Lot.

"Oh, no," Jack said.

"You got that right. Without Uncle Johnny, what are we going to do?"

"You are going to get to your sister," the boy said to

Jack, "and you are going to do it fast." "Did you hear that?" Jack asked.

"What?" Braden asked, looking left and right.

"Nothing. Come on, let's go. We'll talk to Haley and see what we have to do."

They started running again, both knowing they were in trouble without the help of Uncle Johnny.

# Chapter Eight

"What are we going to do?" Haley asked when she saw Jack holding the doll's head. "Uncle Johnny was supposed to be the one to help us, now he is gone."

No one said anything at first. Instead, they all tried to fight back the fear they felt. It was bad enough that they had to fight the evil Gorgons, creatures they never even heard of before, but to have to do it without their guide? That seemed near impossible.

"Maybe this is part of the test," Braden said.

"What test?" Jillian asked.

"The test Uncle Johnny kept talking about. Maybe this is part of it. Maybe we are supposed to see if we can work together without him." It made sense to Haley, but she couldn't fully believe Uncle Johnny planned on having the doll destroyed. She wanted to think he was okay, and watching them from somewhere. She just couldn't do it.

"He's right," Jack said, "this part of the test is to probably see what we do when things look bad. And this looks pretty bad."

"You have a point. So, what do we do now?" Haley asked. She'd go along just to make everyone feel better, like they were working together.

Braden and Jack didn't have a quick answer to that. In the distance, they heard a rumbling sound, coming from behind the buildings. It almost sounded like the buildings were going to come crashing down it was so loud.

"I think they are getting ready for another attack," Jillian said.

Jack remembered what the boy had said to him. "We don't have much time. We have to do something, and do it fast," he said.

Everyone nodded. Haley thought about what to do. Then, it came to her. "We have to find a way to work together. That's what this test is all about. We have to combine our powers and win this battle."

"How?" Braden asked.

After thinking for a moment, it became so obvious to Haley. "You and Jillian are brother and sister, and so are me and Jack. We should try and combine our powers that way first. It makes the most sense to me."

Considering no one else had a better idea, there were no arguments. Jillian had a question, though. "What about Gabby?"

"I think she'll use her power when the time comes for that," Braden said. That, too, made sense to everyone. It must have made sense to Gabby as well because she giggled.

"Like Jack said, we don't have time," Braden said. So Haley, you and Jack should leap and run over to those buildings and see what we are up against. Then Jillian and I will come up with a way to combine our powers and launch an attack on the Gorgons. What do you say?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Why not? You okay with that?" he asked Haley.

"Like you said, why not?"

Jack and Haley took off, Jack kicking up dust and dirt behind him and Haley leaping into the air like a superhero. That left Braden, Jillian, and Gabby alone. For a moment, Braden started to rethink how good his plan was.

If you've never seen a Gorgon up close, and not many people have, it surely isn't a pleasant sight. Gorgons are tall, and hairy. On top of that, they have no visible lips, so their teeth are always showing. Those teeth are big and pointy, too. They are almost as funny looking as they are scary, but it certainly isn't recommended to let them know that.

Haley noticed this when she landed on the top of the building on the right. The Gorgons couldn't see her but she could see them. She saw three groups of six of them. All of them held big wooden clubs, and one group controlled the big air gun they had used earlier. The gun had a long silver barrel. It reminded Haley of something she saw in history class, a cannon like the ones used in the Civil War, only this one was bigger.

Jack saw the Gorgons too, and he nearly froze when he did. From the ground, they looked huge. Each of them wore space suits made out of animal skins. It looked funny, these big creatures in space suits. The clubs they carried were almost as big as Jack himself and he decided right then he didn't want to be hit by one of them.

Jack looked up and saw Haley on the roof. She motioned to him that they should go back and he had no problem with that plan. He raced back, trying to beat his sister to safety.

Braden saw his cousins approach and he couldn't wait for them to get to him. He and Jillian had come up with a plan. It might not have been perfect, but he figured it was the best they could do under the circumstances.

After he told them the plan, Haley said, "That just might work. But what are Jack and I going to do?"

"While we launch the attack, you take Gabby and start thinking of how to get Jack's other powers to come out," Braden said. "He hasn't found others like my energy blasts and your bubble."

"Other powers?" Jack asked.

"I know what he is talking about. The anger and fear powers Uncle Johnny said we have to be careful with," Haley said. She didn't know if using those powers was a good idea or not. She did know, however, that they had to do something, find some way of fighting the Gorgons off, and maybe those powers could help. At this point, she'd try anything.

"Now might be a time when we are supposed to use them," Braden said.

"But I don't know what mine is," Jack said. He felt left out, not discovering his powers like the others had. He didn't even know how he could activate them. So much of this dream world confused him, and he wondered if the others felt the same way at all, or if he was the only one.

"That's what we'll figure out." Haley turned to Braden. "You guys get into position. I'll take Jack and Gabby to the roof of the building on the right. I saw the perfect safe place there. I'll let you know when we figure out Jack's other power."

"Okay. It's time to move," Braden said. "Do you remember the stuff you are supposed to make appear, Jillian?"

"I think so. Galaxy Slime?" Jillian said.

"Galaxy Gemstone Slime, the stuff I yelled at you for opening last Christmas."

"Oh, that slime. I remember that. It had sparkles in it." She recalled that Christmas well. She thought the present was hers and felt disappointed when her mother said no, it was for Braden. She liked things like Galaxy Slime too.

"That's the stuff," Braden said. "I'll try to think of it."

"Don't try. Do it. Be sure of yourself and make it appear.

I need you right now, Jilly."

Jillian liked hearing that. Certainly, her brother didn't say he needed her often. She hoped she wouldn't let him down so he would need her again sometime soon.

"Okay guys, we all know what to do," Haley said. "Good luck."

"Good luck," everyone replied, and they went their separate ways, hoping that what Uncle Johnny had told and taught them was enough.

Without saying it, each one worried about Uncle Johnny, wondering where he might be at what was the most dangerous time of their lives.

# Chapter Nine

My other powers, Jack thought, what are they? It seemed like everyone else had theirs figured out and he held the group back. He needed to think, to concentrate. It was like in school, the teacher would talk and Jack would try to concentrate. There was always something else on his mind.

He decided right then he would stop that.

Haley took his hand and he held onto Gabby as hard as he could with the other. All of this just didn't seem real, all this stuff about powers and Gorgons and saving the world. Maybe it was just a dream and only he experienced it. If that was the case, he couldn't wait to tell them about it when he woke up. If not, well, they would have a lot to talk about.

"You ready?" Haley asked.

"I guess so."

Haley chuckled. "I guess none of us really are. But we gotta do something. Here we go."

Haley and Jack started running, Jack making sure not to run too fast. The dust kicked up around them, forming a cloud. Jack heard a rumbling from somewhere behind the buildings. The Gorgons readied their next attack. He had to find his other powers before it was too late.

Haley bent down while running and yelled "Hold on!"

With that she leaped, taking Jack and Gabby with her. They almost flew through the air. Jack couldn't believe it. He looked down at the ground, watching it get further away. He felt a rise in his stomach as they soared, a nervous and excited feeling at the same time. Right then he hoped all of this was for real.

Ahead of them, the building on the right approached, and fast. Jack worried they would crash, but he trusted his sister. He really had no choice. Uncle Johnny had told them they had to trust each other. Even if it meant crashing, Jack thought.

They landed with a thud, and Jack felt just a little pain in his ankles, luckily nothing more than that. Haley had landed them right next to a huge metal box that Jack recognized as an air conditioner; his father had shown him one at the top of a building in the city not long before. He didn't completely understand how they worked; something about taking in hot air and cooling it with a chemical.

Thinking about his father, and then his mother, made Jack a little scared. Where were they? Did they know what happened? Would they be okay? He didn't know the answers and thought maybe he didn't want to. Uncle Johnny hadn't told them anything about it, and Jack's mind started to race. He thought something bad might have happened to them. Trying to stop thinking that way only made him think about it even more.

The fear he felt made his face feel cold. He'd felt something like that before when he was scared. He told himself to control his fear. His sister and cousins needed him to remain strong, to not be scared.

"No," the boy's voice told him. "You need to give into your fear." The voice was more forceful than before. Jack really wanted to know who spoke to him.

"But Uncle Johnny said not to, he said it was dangerous," Jack said in his mind, feeling a little silly doing so.

"Not all rules are true all the time. Sometimes you have to bend them, or break them, to get done what you need to."

"Who are you?" Jack asked.

"Not now. Now, you just have to trust me. Did I help you before?"

"Yes," Jack answered.

"This one will be harder. I'm going to ask something big of you, something dangerous. But you have to trust me. Do you?"

"I don't know."

"There is no time for I don't know," the boy said, this time sounding like he was losing his patience. "You have to trust me. All of your lives depend on it. Your sister's life depends on it."

"Okay," Jack said. He didn't want to be responsible for anyone else getting hurt. He'd do what the boy told him. After all, he was right the first time.

"Okay, what I am about to tell you do to might seem crazy..."

The Gorgons headed their way. They had arranged themselves in battle formation and prepared to make their move. They didn't have powers like the Dream Fighters so they needed to use their physical strength instead, and they had plenty of that. They were known around the galaxy for their strength.

The first part of the Dream Fighters' plan had worked, the Gorgons did not know Haley and Jack and Gabby had moved to the top of the building. The Gorgons would make their attack where Braden and Jillian stood. They would be confident in their attack with Braden and Jillian seemingly unarmed and terribly outnumbered.

"They're coming," Jillian said, opening her eyes after having them closed to concentrate.

"I don't see them," Braden said, scanning the horizon for the large enemies.

"I can feel them. They are ready to go," Jillian insisted. She couldn't explain why she felt so sure. Something told her, something from within her, but she couldn't place it.

Braden thought maybe Jillian made it all up but after what they all had gone through; he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she could feel them. Anything seemed possible.

"You know what to do?"

"I think so," Jillian answered.

"Don't think. Be sure," Braden said, remembering what Uncle Johnny had told them earlier.

Jillian did not want to let her brother down. "Okay."

"Let's do this. Whenever you are ready."

Jillian closed her eyes and thought back to that Christmas. Sure, Braden yelled at her a lot, like most big brothers do, but she was pretty sure she remembered the toy he mentioned. She concentrated like Uncle Johnny taught her and made something appear.

In front of Braden appeared a container of Galaxy Slime. "Okay, you're close. You brought it to me in the box. I need it out of the box so I can put it all together in one big ball."

Normally, Braden might have lost his patience with Jillian but this time he didn't, he actually said it nice. That inspired Jillian. Maybe she could make up for bringing the ice cream truck. Maybe she could show her brother that he actually did need her, that she could help and not be a useless little sister.

"How about this?" she said, closing her eyes and picturing a big blob of the Galaxy Slime, as big as she could imagine.

A huge blob appeared in front of Braden. It stood over ten feet wide, almost the exact size he thought of using.

"Great job," he said, and then he pointed his hands toward the blob and raised it in the air. Uncle Johnny had told him that the size of what he could move with his mind didn't matter. He believed him and the ball stayed in front of him, suspended.

"Wow," Jillian said, "We did it."

"Not so fast. We have to make sure part two works." Braden built up as much energy in his mind as he could. He could feel the heat in his fingertips. It rose from the bottom of his feet all through his body. He didn't know how he did it, only that it worked. He calculated a path in his head from where he stood to the Gorgons. Once he had the right angle set, he figured he'd score a direct hit.

"Hey, Gorgons, eat this!" he said and he launched the huge blob of Galaxy Slime toward the spot where Haley and Jack said the Gorgons were hiding.

The blob soared, flattening a little bit from the speed, but holding together. Braden had worried it might fall apart. He followed its flight path, looking up at the blob and then down toward the target. Now, he understood why his teachers always said to pay attention during math. It really could be used in real life.

The blob was moving fast, maybe 50 miles an hour, and it raced toward the Gorgon hideout. It appeared right on course, but at the last second, it smashed into the left building, splattering all over.

"Darn," Braden said, "the wind."

"That's a bad word," Jillian said.

"No, it's not. "

"Well, it's not a good word."

"Okay, maybe it isn't. I'm just mad because I forgot to calculate the wind. I know better than that. Can you do it again?"

"Of course," Jillian said, as if it were nothing. "But we better move fast. They know where that came from."

"Go."

Another big ball of Galaxy slime appeared, this one even bigger than the last. Braden lifted it and launched it even faster at his target, this time aiming higher and more to the right so it would drop right on the Gorgons.

He nailed it. The blob landed right in the middle of the Gorgon army, covering half of them in the sticky goo. It didn't hurt them but it would slow them down. The plan worked so far. And they had come up with it together, like Uncle Johnny suggested. He would be proud.

"You hit them," Jillian said, "I can see it in my mind."

"Great. Let's keep doing it. We'll hold them back until someone comes up with a way to stop them."

# Chapter Ten

Haley had finally calmed Gabby down, who didn't want to sit still at all. She really felt like she learned a lot about being a parent in this one day. She told herself to try to be nicer to her mother from now on, after understanding a bit of what she went through. Gabby kept trying to get up and a few times she said "Leave." Haley didn't want to stay there either but she knew it was the safest place for them to be. At least, she _thought_ it was safe. How could she know for sure?

"Building go boom," Gabby said. She didn't giggle afterwards, like she normally did when saying something like that.

"Boom?" Haley asked, not liking the sound of it at all.

Gabby nodded. "Leave."

"No Gabby, we can't leave. Not until Braden finishes and Jack finds his power. Then we can leave."

Gabby didn't seem happy with that answer but Haley knew they had no choice. She wished this was all over already. Sure it was great to have powers, but with Uncle Johnny gone, it didn't feel fun anymore. It felt dangerous. It didn't feel like a game like it did before. She had to worry about Gabby and everyone else.

"I am not gone," Uncle Johnny said. Haley looked around for the doll but didn't see it anywhere.

"Where are you?"

"I can't explain that. I can talk to you through your mind.

You don't have to speak, just think, and I will hear you."

"What happened?" Haley asked.

"The destruction of the doll forced me away. It doesn't matter; this is better anyway. I can be more useful this way."

Are you okay?"

"Yes," Haley said. She wanted to say she felt scared but decided not to. Just because she worried didn't mean Uncle Johnny had to. "What should we do now?"

"Keep doing what you are doing. Trust each other and work together. You're doing fine."

"Are you sure? It doesn't look like we are doing much. I feel like we don't know what to do next."

Uncle Johnny laughed. "No one really does. We just try to prepare ourselves and hope we make the right decisions when the time comes. That's really it."

"Gabby said this building is going to go boom," Haley said.

"Maybe you should listen to her. She has other powers she doesn't even know how to use. But first you need to help Jack find his power."

Haley turned around and looked at Jack.

Jack walked toward the edge of the building and looked down. It looked like he shook his head a few times. Then, out of nowhere, he jumped...

"Feel it, feel the fear run through you from your head to your toes," the boy told Jack. "We are all given fear to help protect us. It helps us run faster and make quick decisions when we need to."

"I'm scared," Jack said, as he fell toward the ground.

"Good. Feel it."

As he got more scared, Jack felt his face get colder and colder. He thought it was just the wind blowing against it. This was a little different though. He felt like he dunked his head in ice cold water.

The ground rushed toward him, and he saw a huge multicolored blob fly underneath him and crash into a large group of Gorgons, splattering them with goo.

Jack would land right amongst them if he didn't stop or someone didn't save him. He didn't know why he listened to the boy. It looked like he had made a huge mistake and he got more scared, making his face even colder. It felt like when he stayed out too long in the winter snow. It was so cold it hurt.

Haley saw Jack jump off the building and panicked. Uncle Johnny said something in her head but she didn't listen. Instead, she grabbed Gabby and in what looked like a streak of light, she bolted toward the edge of the building and sailed off, like a bird.

She raced toward her brother, who fell fast. He was more than halfway to the ground and the Gorgons. Haley didn't know what they would do if they had to fight the Gorgons head on. They would lose, for sure and she had to find a way to avoid that. The Gorgons were too strong and would easily defeat them in a battle, especially without the help of Braden and Jillian.

She told herself that wasn't going to happen.

With a mixture of confidence and good old fear, Haley streaked through the air toward Jack with gabby holding on to her neck tightly, laughing the whole way.

Before Haley got to him, Jack felt a surge of coldness run through his whole body.

"Good, you've got it. Now, let it go."

"What do you mean?"

"You're going to crash, Jack. It's going to hurt worse than anything you've ever felt before. You're going to let everyone down."

"No!" Jack yelled, feeling anger replace some of the fear.

He saw something coming at him from the side. He couldn't tell for sure, but it looked like Haley. Then, he felt her arm around him. He turned to look at the Gorgons, who saw him coming and got ready. Most of them were covered with slime and looked ridiculous.

Two blue bolts shot out of Jack's eyes and went directly toward the Gorgons and another Galaxy Slime ball heading toward them. The bolts froze everything in their path. The Gorgons that got caught in the bolt's range stopped in their tracks, and were then knocked over by the frozen Galaxy Slime ball Braden had launched at them. The Gorgon army was cut in half by the attack and the rest retreated about a hundred feet away. Jack's face felt normal again.

Haley landed softly, with Gabby and Jack in her arms. This leap wasn't really a leap; it was more like flying. She didn't know where it came from or whether or not she could do it again. She hoped she didn't have to.

"Good job," the boy said to Jack.

Jack didn't respond in front of Haley but felt proud.

"What were you thinking?" Haley asked.

"It was the only way I could get my fear power to come out."

"You almost hurt yourself bad."

"It was a risk I had to take," Jack said, repeating what the boy had told him.

"I don't know what you mean by that, but we better head back to the others. We might have fought them off this time, but I don't think the Gorgons are done with us yet."

"Haley and Jack are in trouble," Jillian said. "So is Gabby."

"What do you mean," Braden asked.

"I can _feel_ it. Something's gonna happen. The Gorgons are coming for them."

Though he couldn't feel it exactly the way his sister could, Braden did sense something bad would happen. In the distance, he could see the three of them. They walked right between the two buildings. He wanted to call out to them to get them to escape but he knew they couldn't hear.

"You have to go to them," Uncle Johnny said in Braden's head. "It's going to be up to you this time. Otherwise, they'll be trapped."

"Uncle Johnny, you're back!"

"Not exactly. But I can see what is going on and I can talk to you, at least for now."

"What should I do?" Braden asked.

"Who are you talking to?" Jillian asked.

"Uncle Johnny, shh."

"Uncle Johnny? He's back?"

"He's in my head," Braden said.

"And yours too, Jillian." Uncle Johnny was now talking to both of them. "You can't bring your cousins over here.

"You have to fight the Gorgons over there."

"But how?" Braden asked.

"That's up to you. I can't help there. Just find a way to combine your powers and defeat the Gorgons here once and for all."

"They are _not_ ready," a voice said, the same boy's voice Jack had heard before.

"We will never know," Uncle Johnny said, "and now is not the time to argue about it."

"You can't send them in there unprepared."

"I prepared them the best I could."

"Did you? I had to help Jack find his other power, and

Jillian doesn't know hers yet."

"Who are you?" Jillian asked.

"Not the time for that, Jillian," the boy said. "But I promise to properly introduce myself after this is all over."

"They have to make a move now. Braden, it's up to you. Haley and Jack and Gabby are about to get ambushed. You can't let that happen."

Braden thought for a minute. "Maybe I do have to let it happen."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see."

"They are not ready," the boy said again.

"We'll just have to find out," Braden answered, "won't we?"

# Chapter Eleven

Braden discussed his plan with Jillian, telling her that she should wait where she was. Jillian resisted at first, but Braden told her that they needed someone to stay in a safe place where everyone could meet after Braden acted out his plan. He knew this plan didn't include Jillian as much as it probably should but he wanted to protect her. He made fun of her a lot and teased her, but she was his little sister and his father always said to look out for her, that it was an older brother's responsibility. Braden thought keeping her safe right then would cover that.

After he finished explaining, Braden ran toward where Haley and Jack, hoping he could get there in time. He realized that for one day, he did a lot of hoping about things he knew little about.

"You'll make it, the Gorgons haven't started moving," Jillian said in his head.

"How are you doing that?"

"I don't know. I just thought it and you heard it. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah, very. Alright, let's hope this works."

Jack was shocked by what he had done. He now knew why his face felt cold when he got scared. He took a big risk jumping off the building, but the boy must have known that Haley would save him. If so, how did the boy know that? Who was he? Jack got tired of asking questions but no answers came to stop them.

And what about what Haley did? She actually flew, like a superhero. So many things happened to them; so many different powers discovered. Jack never experienced anything like this before. He doubted any of the others had either.

"What do we do now?" Haley asked.

"I don't know. I think we might have stopped them for a bit. But we have to do better than that."

"I know. But how?" Once again, Jack noticed a question with no answer.

"Braden," Gabby said. "Braden coming." She pointed excitedly in front of her. "He is?" Jack asked.

Gabby nodded. "Building go boom."

"There she goes again with that," Haley said. "She said the same thing before and Uncle Johnny said she is probably right."

"When did you talk to Uncle Johnny and how?" Jack asked.

"Before you pulled your little birdie stunt off the building. He said he can still talk to us."

"Really? Uncle Johnny, can you hear me?" There was no answer.

"Uncle Johnny?"

"I think he talks to us when he needs to. Maybe now he doesn't need to."

"That's not fair. I want to talk to him. I want him to tell us what to do," Jack said. He wanted someone to give them answers.

"He told me he can't help us that way. Maybe when Braden gets here we will figure it out," Haley said. Even though she felt just like Jack did, she didn't want to show it. Talking to Uncle Johnny had calmed her a little and she tried to believe everything would work out.

Just then, Braden did show up. He was out of breath.

"I need one of your powers. This regular running just doesn't work," he said, panting.

"Maybe I can teach you," Jack said.

"It doesn't matter. Right now we have to worry about the Gorgons who are on their way over here," Braden said, getting more serious. "We have to finish them off before they do the same to us."

"They're on their way here?"

"Yes."

"How do you know?" Jack asked.

"Think about it. Feel it," Braden said. "If you concentrate, you can sense things around you in this world. I didn't believe Jillian at first but it works. Try it."

Jack did. "I do feel it. I feel like when you say it, you're right. It's kind of weird."

"I feel it too," Haley said. She could sense a large group of Gorgons moving toward them. She didn't know how it worked, only that she could see it in her mind when she focused. Weird.

"Then you know we have to do something, and I have a plan."

"Where's Jillian?"

"Back where we were before. I figured one of us had to stay in a safe spot. Plus, we are going to need our powers and not hers right now."

"What do you have in mind?" Haley asked.

Braden told Haley and Jack his plan. It was absolutely dangerous and crazy, but they all figured it might just work. "Do you guys think you can use those powers?"

"I have control of my running," Jack said.

"I think I can do the protective bubble again, especially if you are going to do what you are planning to do."

"All right. Now all we have to do is get those Gorgons to come over here. Jack, when I say so, you take Gabby and run right toward where Jillian is. Try to contact Uncle Johnny

and find out if we can get out of here."

"Got it."

"And Haley, you put that protective bubble over us when

Jack takes off. Got it?"

"I do."

"If we can do that, we should be able to pull this off."

Braden looked down and saw a large rock in front of him. He lifted the rock and launched it at where the Gorgons were. He did this several times and before they knew it, the ground starting shaking. About twenty Gorgons, way more than they figured they could fight head on, came toward them.

Braden's plan had better work, they all thought.

Each one of them felt the fear inside them. The Gorgons came their way and they were huge. There couldn't fight them off. The Gorgons outnumbered them badly. Fighting was too dangerous, yet in a way, Braden's plan appeared more dangerous than doing that. Neither option looked to be the right one but it was all they had.

The massive Gorgons got closer. They were beasts, looking even bigger than they had before. Braden had never seen them up close and it shocked him as they approached. Even he started to doubt his plan. Right then, all of them wished they were back in the basement playing video games instead of fighting huge beasts. But Braden took a deep breath. If they were back playing video games, he'd wish to be in this spot, right here, pulling off his plan. He had to believe, to trust himself and his cousins like Uncle Johnny said.

When the Gorgons, who rushed in a straight line at the kids, came within one hundred feet, Braden said, "Okay, get ready. This won't work unless we wait until they are right on top of us, okay?"

"Got it," Jack and Haley both said, at the same time. They tried not to think about how dangerous this was and did their best to trust it would work. Neither of them wanted the

Gorgons so close. Jack felt his mouth go dry and swallowed. It felt full of dust.

The Gorgons got to fifty feet away. The kids could feel the ground shaking below them. Dust flew in the air behind the wave of Gorgons. The sound of their footsteps grew louder and louder. The kids could feel it vibrate through their bodies. Jack felt his face get cold. No, he said to himself, now was not the time for his fear power. He squeezed Gabby tighter.

"Anger," the boy said. "You have to get angry."

"I know."

"Think of how these Gorgons want to hurt you and your sister and your cousins. Think of how unfair that is. You did nothing to them."

"I'm trying," Jack said, though he couldn't say for sure he really did. What exactly was he trying to do? He thought of what the boy said, how the Gorgons attacked them for no reason. Still, instead of anger, more fear came. That, however, made him angry. He didn't want to be some scared kid when he could be a hero.

"Don't try. Do. There is no time for a mistake."

The Gorgons were now right on top of the kids, and raising their clubs high in the air as if they were going to smash the kids to pieces. Braden could smell them. He didn't smell the breath Uncle Johnny had mentioned. He just smelled the Gorgons themselves. It reminded him of when his dog came in from the rain.

Haley felt the fear rise up in her. She knew what needed to be done and was pretty sure she could do it. But would it be enough? Would the bubble that knocked Jack down back in the basement be able to protect them from what Braden was about to do?

Jack made sure he had a good grip on Gabby and looking at her, he got angry thinking the Gorgons would try to hurt a little girl. He got even angrier thinking about how he felt scared when he needed to protect her. It worked.

They stood right between the two buildings, and Braden raised both hands, pointing one at each of the buildings. He kept them there, concentrating like his uncle had taught him in the basement. He could feel their weight in his mind, their resistance to his pull. He imagined every brick, every support beam, the entire structure and willed it to do his bidding.

"Now!" he yelled.

Like a streak of lightning, Jack bolted away, toward where Jillian was, with Gabby under his arm.

Braden, in one smooth motion, brought his hands down, and the buildings started to fall toward them, like someone had blown them up. The noise thundered through the air, rippling across the field. Haley couldn't even hear her thoughts.

Still, she needed to concentrate. She thought about what would happen if the Gorgons got to them, how much their attack would hurt. Her stomach tightened and she focused on that, told herself they surely would fail and fall to the enemy. The tightness and pain shot through from the pit of her stomach to her arms, legs, and then straight to her head. Just before the Gorgons could bring their clubs down on them, the protective bubble appeared, and the Gorgons' clubs all bounced off.

The Gorgons didn't pay attention to the buildings behind them, and the bricks came down on them. Haley and Braden ducked down to the ground and heard the bricks bounce off the Gorgons and the protective bubble.

Jillian couldn't believe what she saw. A huge cloud of dust covered where Haley and Braden and the Gorgons had once stood. All of a sudden, she felt a fear she had never felt before. It flowed through her, pooling in her hands, making the feel like stone. She wasn't sure why, but she punched the ground and it felt like the whole Earth shook. She had found her new power, strength, and she had a whole lot of it.

Jack arrived, holding Gabby under his arm.

"Boom," Gabby said.

"Yes, boom," Jack said, "you were right."

"Are they okay?" Jillian asked.

"I don't know. Braden told me to leave before he knocked the buildings down."

"Are you okay?" Jillian asked Braden in her head. He didn't answer. Jillian was afraid he and Haley had gotten hurt. "What do we do now?" she asked Jack.

"Braden said to try and contact Uncle Johnny."

"I've been trying, but he isn't answering."

"Yeah, I know. But we have to keep doing it."

Braden stood up. The protective bubble Haley created disappeared, and bricks and rubble lay everywhere except for a small circle that surrounded Haley and him. Haley got up too. She looked very tired. Braden felt the same way, like knocking down those buildings took all his energy from him.

"You okay?" he asked Haley.

"Yeah, I am just weak."

"I think it worked."

They both looked around and saw no sign of the Gorgons. They must have been buried underneath the rubble. So, Braden's plan worked. He felt proud but knew they hadn't won yet. Now they needed to find a way out.

"I think we should go find everyone," he said.

"Braden, are you okay?" Jillian said in his mind.

"I'm fine," he answered in his mind.

"I think we should go too," Haley said.

"Good." Braden let Jillian know they were coming.

None of them knew, however, that the Gorgons had a lot more in store for them.

# Chapter Twelve

Halfway through Haley's leap, she and Braden heard a huge engine sound, like an airplane. They looked behind them and saw three large aircraft, shaped like the flying dinosaurs Haley had seen in a museum. They didn't look exactly the same, these were made out of metal and had smoother shapes, but they were close. They were shiny silver and the sun reflected off them, almost blinding Haley and Braden.

One thing they knew for sure was that this spelled trouble. Fighting off Gorgons on the ground was one thing, but this was different. What were they going to do now?

Jack saw the ships first. Jillian had said something didn't feel right. The three ships were coming right at them. Jack tried to think of what they could do, but no ideas came right then. Maybe they should all run, he thought, but he didn't think he could run with Jillian and Gabby.

Before they had the chance to react, the Gorgons fired their cannon, sending a shock wave right at them. The wave blew Haley and Braden to the ground and scattered Jack, Jillian, and Gabby.

Not again, Jack thought. He got up, feeling aches all over his body. He looked around and saw Jillian about ten feet away from him. He didn't see Gabby anywhere.

"Gorgon Warbirds," Uncle Johnny said so all of them could hear. "This is unexpected. You guys have to listen to me. Find each other."

"I'll try," Jack said.

"Get to Gabby first. She's not far from you, but the

Gorgons are coming for her."

"I told you they weren't ready," the boy said.

"Not now," Uncle Johnny said. "Let's get them out of this."

Jack ran toward where Uncle Johnny told him Gabby was. Another blast hit the ground before him. This one was smaller and more concentrated, and it knocked him off his feet.

When he got up, he saw a Gorgon heading toward him. What he didn't know was that the Gorgon wasn't coming for him, he was going after Gabby.

Haley got up. Her head hurt. She didn't see anyone around her at first, but then saw Braden get up a few feet away. Not much further than that, she saw a Gorgon bend down and pick Gabby up.

"No!" she yelled, but that didn't stop anything. "Braden, they have Gabby."

"Oh, no. We have to do something."

When they went to move toward the Gorgon, another blast like the one fired at Jack exploded the ground in front of them. It wasn't so powerful, and it just knocked them down.

The Gorgon bent down and with his hairy hands picked Gabby up, who was sitting in the dirt after the first blast. The Gorgon's hand was about half the size of Gabby herself, and she tried to get away but couldn't.

The Gorgon took Gabby and started running away, toward where Braden had knocked the buildings down. Before he got halfway, he stopped. Then, he made a big mistake. He looked Gabby in the eyes.

"Aw, cute little girl," he said in a deep, scratchy voice.

Gabby locked on his eyes. "Go back," she said.

"Go back," the Gorgon said.

"Help Haley."

"Help Haley," the Gorgon repeated, and he started running toward where Haley and Braden were. Jack and Jillian were coming toward that spot as well.

Haley couldn't believe her eyes. Coming right at her was a huge Gorgon and a giggling Gabby. She then realized that Gabby must have used her power on the Gorgon and now he had to do whatever she wanted. She wasn't sure, but she figured this wasn't so safe.

"A Gorgon," Jack said.

"He's with Gabby," Haley said. "I think it's okay."

The Gorgon stopped and put Gabby down in front of Braden. "Help Haley," he said.

"Go back where you came from," Haley told the Gorgon but it didn't seem like he understood her.

"Help Haley," he said.

"Gabby, make him go back. You can't control him forever," Haley insisted. "And he is better off there than with us."

The Warbirds swooped down toward them and the Gorgon jumped in the air trying to hit one of them. They didn't fire, probably because they were confused at what was happened, but they circled, preparing for another strike.

"What are we going to do?"

"Go back," Gabby said to the Gorgon, and he listened, running toward where he came from.

"Maybe we can knock them out of the air with something," Braden said.

"Like what?" Jack asked,

"I really don't know. Uncle Johnny, can you help us here?"

There was no answer. Instead, the kids watched in fear as the Gorgon Warbirds approached. On each wing was a cannon, and the kids saw the cannons light up, as if they were going to fire something at them.

"Haley, can you make that bubble big enough to cover all of us?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. I don't think so. I barely got it big enough to cover me and Braden."

"I told you they weren't ready," the boy's voice said, this time for all of them to hear. "You didn't listen."

"They needed to be tested," Uncle Johnny answered,

"And all of this wasn't my idea."

"Well, now we have to do something."

Underneath the Warbirds, a new group of Gorgons appeared and rushed toward the kids. There must have been twenty of them.

Without even thinking, Jack shot two bolts at them, but only one Gorgon was hit and he froze in place. The others didn't even react. They kept coming. It wouldn't be long before they reached the kids.

"Hang tight guys, I'm coming," they all heard Uncle Johnny say. None of them thought he would make it in time.

Then, out of nowhere, a boy appeared. They didn't really get a good look at him because he was moving so fast. It was more like a blur. He raced toward the group of Gorgons as if to try to stop them from getting to the kids.

In his right hand was what looked like a sword made of energy. He swung it so fast that all the kids could see were arcs of purple light. Gorgons were getting knocked in all directions, and the boy kept moving in such fast, fluid motions, no one could see his face.

Then, when most of the Gorgons on the ground were taken care of, he stopped. His back faced them. Haley could see that he was just a little taller than her, with blonde hair that came almost to his shoulders. He was wearing what looked like a black cloak.

He raised his left hand, and pointed it toward the Warbirds. Immediately, they stopped, staying still in the air. The Warbirds fired what looked like laser missiles at him but he countered by creating a huge bubble around him, just like what Haley could do. The lasers bounced off, not coming close to touching him.

Two Gorgons on the ground attacked and he quickly knocked them away with the sword. It happened so fast the kids almost missed it.

"Get them out of here already," the boy said in all of their heads. Again, he sounded forceful.

With that, Uncle Johnny appeared behind the kids. He looked a little different than he did in real life. He looked taller.

"Time to go guys," he said.

"Uncle Johnny!" all the kids screamed when they turned around.

"Let's get out of here. Everyone hold hands. Close your eyes."

They all listened. They felt themselves moving real fast. When they opened their eyes again, they were in a large room with what looked like computer monitors. They were standing in the back of room with Uncle Johnny.

"Where are we?" Jillian asked.

"The academy," Uncle Johnny answered.

"Academy?" Jack asked.

"Yes, this is where you guys will get your training."

"We left that boy all alone," Haley said. "He can handle himself."

"Who was he?" Braden asked.

"I think it's best if he tells you that."

Uncle Johnny led them out of the room and into another one. This one looked like a lobby. There was a large statue of a man with a beard in the center of the room. He wore hooded robes and held a white staff in the air.

"What happened with the Gorgons? And Sarlak?" Jack asked, expressing what everyone else thought.

"We fought off this attack. You guys did a great job. No one knew they would bring in the Warbirds or as many soldiers as they did, but you handled them pretty well," Uncle Johnny said.

"The boy helped us. We would have been doomed otherwise," Braden said.

"Well, maybe you should thank him."

A door opened on the left side of the room, and a boy with long blonde hair came in. Haley recognized him right away. It was the boy who was trying to tell her something in her dream.
The other kids didn't know the boy, but they all felt like they'd met him before. They just didn't know where.

"Hey guys," he said, in a much calmer voice than he had used before with Jack.

"Hello," the kids all answered.

"Good job out there. You all worked together and trusted each other like you were supposed to. I thought you weren't ready but you handled yourselves pretty well." The boy looked just a little older than Haley.

"Who are you?" Jack asked.

"You know who I am, don't you Jillian? You can feel it."

Jillian nodded. "Danny. But how?" Danny had been born a couple of years before, and Jillian didn't understand how the boy standing before her could be him.

"It's a complicated story. The best way I can put it is that it was important for me to be here. I was needed," Danny said. "That was why I had to leave the real world. I needed to take care of things here."

"But you look older than me," Haley said. She knew Danny was supposed to be younger than Gabby.

"When you stay here full time, you grow up faster. I had to leave Earth so quickly because I needed to be trained right away. I needed to be ready for you guys," Danny said with a smile. "And now you're here."

"So you stay here all the time?" Braden asked.

"Yes. I am a teacher. I'll be showing you all how things work here, like I have done for others."

"Isn't Uncle Johnny a teacher?" Jack asked.

"Not exactly," Uncle Johnny answered. "I was your guide for this test, but I don't officially teach."

"He's part time and I am full time," Danny said. "It's what happens when you get old." The kids laughed. Uncle Johnny did too. A little.

"So, you'll never come back?" Jillian asked.

Danny shook his head. "No. But I sent someone else in my place. Take care of Timothy for me, okay?"

All the kids nodded. They knew Gabby's mother was going to have another baby. Now they knew a secret; it was going to be a boy and his name would be Timothy.

"I can teach you guys all sorts of things. You haven't even started to learn your powers yet."

"Can you teach me to hold off Warbirds like you did?" Braden asked.

"Of course. And Jillian, I can teach you to create things you haven't even seen before. And we can make your strength even greater."

"Cool!"

"And Jack, imagine being able to send those bolts whenever and wherever you want."

"That would be great," Jack answered.

"And you," Danny said to Haley," I can teach you how to fly."

The kids talked with Danny for a bit, still amazed that it was actually him. The cousin they thought they had lost was with them, and they would get to know him. It felt a little strange at first for him to be their teacher, but it didn't take long to feel right.

Danny went over to Gabby and picked her up. The sister he never got the chance to ever meet was in his arms and Haley thought she saw Danny cry but he quickly covered it up. Of all the things Danny had to give up by training full time, not getting to meet Gabby was the hardest. He kissed her on the forehead.

"Danny boy," Gabby said. "Hello."

"How did she know who you are?" Haley asked.

"I've talked to her in her sleep. I've been around her and her parents from the beginning. She must recognize my voice."

"That's amazing," Braden said.

"There will be a lot of amazing things to come," Uncle Johnny said, "but right now it's time to go home. You guys have had a rough day."

"You're telling us," Jack said.

Just then, the door opened again and an older man, who looked to be about 60 years old, came in the room. He had a long white beard and looked a lot like the statue they had seen in the lobby, only he didn't have a staff.

"So here are our new Dream Fighters," the man said in a deep voice. "We have been waiting for a new class for some time."

"Yes," Uncle Johnny answered.

The man was tall, a few inches taller than Uncle Johnny, and very thin. He wore a cloak similar to Danny's, only his was white. It matched his beard.

"You did well today," he said. "I am Kal Ras, the headmaster of this academy. You can call me Kal. After you've trained with Danny for a while, I will teach you things you can't even dream of right now."

"That sounds great," Braden said.

"You all have your own special powers but you also have some powers in common. We will teach you to bring those out. But remember, the most important thing is that you tell no one in the real world about this. It is to be kept secret."

No one said anything but each of them wondered why it needed to be kept secret. Jack felt funny not being able to tell his parents. It almost felt like he would be lying.

"It's not like lying, Jack. It's the way it has always been done. Your mother was one of my students."

"She was?" Haley asked. "So we could talk to her about it?"

"She won't remember," Uncle Johnny answered. "Once Dream Fighters get to a certain age they retire to start families of their own. When that happens, all their memories of what they did here are erased, for their own good. Your

Mom and I fought some pretty cool battles back in the day."

"What about you?" Jillian asked.

"I think I might be leaving sometime soon, too," Uncle Johnny said.

"You're not leaving me to deal with Sarlak and the Gorgons," Danny said.

"You say you do all the work anyway."

"Well, you help sometimes." What Danny wanted to say was, if Uncle Johnny retired, he'd never be able to talk to him again. He would lose not only his teacher, but also his best friend.

"I'm not leaving yet, but soon, I think."

"Either way, we keep this a secret, even though many people in your family served with us. Your grandparents trained me," Kal said.

"Wow," the kids said together.

"Wow's a good word," Kal said. He looked to Uncle

Johnny. "Get them home. We will start their training soon."

"When will we train?" Haley asked.

"At night, when you sleep," Danny said.

"Okay, let's go," Uncle Johnny said, and directed them to another door. They all walked through the door, and the next thing they knew, they were teleporting. Flashes of colors shined all around them and it felt like they were moving faster than they ever had before.

"When you wake up, only five minutes in the real world will have passed. No one in the house will have noticed anything."

"How is that possible?" Braden asked.

"We were in another dimension. It's like when you remember something. You can remember a whole day in just a few minutes, can't you?"

"I guess," Jack said.

"Well, it's like that. So, time passes differently in the two dimensions. Your training, which will take 6 hours in the dream world, will only be about 10 minutes of your sleep."

"That's a little confusing," Haley said.

"A lot of this stuff is going to be, but you'll start to get the hang of it as you learn."

"What about Gabby?" Braden asked. "How can we stop her from saying something?"

"You don't have to. Little kids say stuff all the time that parents don't pay attention to. You don't have to worry about that. We're just about there. Remember, don't say a word."

Haley woke up first. She felt dizzy, like she had been on a roller coaster. She looked and saw everyone wake up, even Uncle Johnny, who was sleeping in the recliner next to the couch.

"Okay," he said, "go back to playing your video game and I'll go back upstairs. Remember, don't say a word about what happened. Even to each other. Not when so many people are around."

They all nodded. Uncle Johnny went upstairs and Jack picked up the game controller. Somehow, after all they had done that day, video games didn't seem so exciting.

# Chapter Thirteen

A week later, all the kids were at Jack's baseball game. His team made the playoffs and had to win to go to the championships. With all the Dream Fighters there together, they felt the urge to talk about their training, which had started the night before. They would learn so many things at the academy. They found out quickly how difficult of a teacher Danny could be. He didn't stand for anything.

Jillian and Braden sat next to each other on the bleachers. Haley stood by the fence. They sat on the first base side, where Jack's team's bench was. Jack stepped up to the plate.

The pitcher fired the first pitch. It came in high and the umpire called it a ball. The third base coach shouted encouragement to Jack. They had a man on third in the bottom of the last inning. With the game tied and two outs, it was all up to Jack. He'd been in that situation before, in the last game, and hit a fly ball to the outfield that the fielder somehow ran down and caught. He told himself it wouldn't happen that way again.

"I wish there was an ice cream truck here," Jillian said. "I could really go for some right now."

"Ice cream," Gabby said.

Usually, there was an ice cream truck at the park. For some reason, they didn't see one this time. Of all the bad luck, Jillian thought.

The pitcher threw the next pitch and Jack swung. He fouled the ball toward the bleachers. Haley jumped, higher than she had ever jumped before, and caught the ball. It wasn't _that_ high of a jump, but it was more than she would have expected. She really didn't think much about it.

"Nice leap," Braden said.

In the distance, the kids heard the sound of ice cream truck music. All the kids looked at Jillian and she shrugged.

"I didn't do anything," she said. "I think." But she wondered, did she? Was it a coincidence that the ice cream truck showed up right when she thought about it?

Gabby looked at a man who was talking on his cell phone. He looked back. He stared for a moment, and then went back to talking on his phone.

"Listen Gina, I can't talk about this right now," he said into his phone, "There's a little girl here, and she's so cute I just have to get her an ice cream cone."

Haley, Jillian, and Braden looked at each other.

The pitcher threw another pitch and Jack hit it into the ground toward the second baseman. The runner on third hesitated and then started running toward home.

Jack took off toward first, but it looked like he would be out for sure. The second baseman bent down and picked up the ball. He threw it to first.

Right then, Jack's feet moved faster. He sped toward first base and beat the throw. He was moving faster than Haley had ever seen him run before.

"Oh boy," the kids all said together.

If they only knew what they would have to face next...

Note from the Author:

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. Customer reviews really make the difference. Please consider leaving a review wherever you purchased this.

Thanks,

Calvin

# And now, a sneak peek at

# The Dream Fighter Chronicles, Book Two: Sarlak's Revenge

Haley stood on the edge of a high cliff. The wind blew through her blonde hair. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs. She'd been to this spot before; it was where Danny had taught her to fly. Back then he told her he had to trust herself, and what better way to learn than by launching herself off a mountain? She was scared then, but now she had become comfortable with the place, coming here whenever she had some time away from training.

She stepped to the edge, looking down at the valley below. There was nothing there but tan dirt and a tree or two. She turned her back to the valley, looked up at the clear blue sky, and fell backward. The same sensation she always felt when she did this came to her. First, it was a feeling of fear, of not being sure, and then the rush of excitement. She felt the air rush past her, and then she took control.

Out of the backward dive, she turned, and with the force of wind stronger than what was rushing toward her, she shot through the air, flying free. It was a feeling she had never felt before she learned to fly. It was better than she ever thought. It was perfect.

Haley floated for a little while, taking the time to enjoy the feeling of cutting through the air. It had taken a lot of time for Danny to help her perfect her ability to fly. He wasn't an easy teacher but she learned how to appreciate his methods and learn the way she needed to. She had complained to herself a few times about her training, but it all seemed worth it when she floated in the air the way she was.

She soared over the valley, noticing the birds flying below her, realizing she was doing something that everyone wished they could. She knew Danny and Uncle Johnny had told her not to brag about her powers, but it was hard not to enjoy them for what they were; special.

It was right when she thought about how special her powers were that she felt it. The feeling was both cold and angry at the same time. The anger was stronger, and she felt it overcome her. Something was terribly wrong, and she rotated to check if something was going on in the valley.

Far away, she saw her cousins locked in a battle, a battle very similar one to the one they fought against the Gorgons, back when Danny had saved them. She searched for him but couldn't sense him past the anger and fear. All she saw were the flashing lights of energy blasts.

With the sound of crackling thunder, she launched herself through the air toward the battle. She couldn't imagine why her cousins would fight without her, especially after they had been taught the importance of the group. She tried not to be upset. Something must have been really wrong for them to get involved without her.

As she rushed toward the battle, felt the heat of it, she noticed it moved further away from her. With an even louder cracking sound, she moved faster through the air, feeling the cold of it on her face.

The battle moved just as fast. The more she tried to get close to it, the more it stayed away from her. She was moving so fast at this point that her blonde hair was pulled straight back, and it felt like someone was pulling it out of her head.

That didn't matter to her. What mattered was why, if she was the leader of the group, the oldest, her cousins chose to fight a battle without her. Also, though she couldn't be sure, it looked like they were losing it, and badly. They needed her.

She had learned a little about moving faster, of teleporting, but she wasn't that good at it because Kal didn't have the time to teach her. She wanted to learn, but most of the time, she worked with Danny on flying.

She tried to reach out to Danny in her mind. She also tried Uncle Johnny. She could sense one of them in the middle of the battle but she just couldn't tell which one it was.

Blasts of energy and light shot from the battlefield, and she got the sense that Braden was leading her cousins. She noticed his purple energy blasts attacking the enemy Gorgons, but it looked like the attacks weren't working. For every Gorgon he and her cousins fought off, three more appeared. And Haley could sense another presence. Actually, she sensed two.

One of the presences felt familiar. The other, she recognized immediately. Before she had the chance to say something, she felt a power pulling at her.

Haley woke up, sweating. She thought she had been training but something didn't feel right. To be honest, she thought, something was very wrong.

Braden had been through this training before. He and Uncle Johnny had worked on it for weeks; he tried to concentrate his energy blasts, and Uncle Johnny clouded his mind his uncertain thoughts. The only difference was, this time the doubt was stronger than it ever had been.

Before him stood three Gorgons, the same way they appeared in the Simulation Room. Braden raised his right arm, balled it into a fist, and created a ball of purple energy in front of him. Then, as Danny taught him, he launched it toward the middle of where the three Gorgons stood.

Once there, he did what he was trained to do, he shot another burst of energy at the ball, causing it to explode and wipe out the Gorgons in its path.

The plan worked, like it always did, and the Gorgons disappeared in a flash of purple light. Even though he was successful, something just didn't feel right. The whole time, Braden doubted it would work. He never felt that before.

Braden ran his hand through his brown hair and felt that it was wet. He was sweating, but why? He also felt scared, something he had been taught to control. If this was the Dream World, the one where he and his cousins had special powers, he shouldn't be sweating. He was only eight, but in the Dream World, he felt older, almost as old as he thought Haley felt, his cousin who was four years older. Something was very wrong.

Immediately, the Simulation Room changed, and he was in the middle of a deep valley, one that looked like a desert. He felt a chill, and a strong fear, something he wasn't used to feeling.

When he looked to his left, he saw a huge battle going on, and he immediately felt the presence of his cousins. He didn't feel each one of them on their own, but he knew they all were there.

A strong blast of sound shocked him, and he wondered where it came from. None of them had learned a power like that, and the Gorgons only shot concentrated air as a weapon, so there must be someone new in the battle.

Braden was a little mad for not being told about the battle, but he tried to control his anger. Uncle Johnny had taught him to control his anger, even when he had to use his anger power.

When he was sure of which side his cousins were on, Braden created another ball of energy and launched it at the enemy. The ball rushed through the air but bounced off the target and came back toward him. It took all he had to avoid being hit by his own weapon.

Though he couldn't fly like Haley, Braden had learned how to raise himself off the ground. He did so, trying to get a better view of the battle. When he did, everything became blurry, like someone didn't want him to see it. He felt a great big fear, and he felt the need to run away.

He was taught to fight fear, but this one was harder than any other he ever felt before. He tried to get control of his mind back, but the more he tried, the more he lost it.

Before he had a chance to launch another energy ball, he found himself in his bed, and he was breathing heavy.

Braden didn't know if he was training that night, or just having a nightmare. All he knew was that he didn't want to feel that way again.

Gabby woke up from a bad dream. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew there was danger all around her. Only two years old, her idea of what was good and what was bad was clear. This was bad.

Even though she was only three, Gabby had learned how to get out of her bed easily. She did so, and walked quietly to her brother's room. She would go there some nights just to look at him sleep. She couldn't wait for him to talk, so she could hear his voice.

This time, she wasn't going to watch him sleep. Once she got there, she found her little his crib. Timothy was sleeping. She reached her hand into his crib and touched him on the forehead.

"Timothy ok," she said, "No one taking him."

Gabby went back to her room to sleep, hoping the nightmare she had was nothing. She wanted to call her parents, but she had been told not to do that anymore. She wished Haley or Jillian were there.

Jillian faced four Gorgons in the Simulation Room. Normally, she fought two Gorgons during training, but Danny was a tough teacher. She guessed he wanted to teach her something new. It wasn't the first time he did something like that.

The training didn't change much from one class to the next, and this one, other than the extra Gorgons, Jillian knew well. She rose herself off the ground, gathered her anger, and shot herself at the Gorgon in the middle. He was tall, over seven feet, and hairy, but she had learned a long time ago not to pay attention to that.

Before she reached the Gorgon, Jillian raised her fist, and then swung it right at her target. She had incredible strength, and she knocked the Gorgon out of the air. It disappeared. The other Gorgons didn't react to the attack. Instead, they came at her. Jillian used the first power she ever learned and created a wall between her and them. Anything she thought about she could create.

"You need to see something," a woman's voice said in her head. "Your cousins are in danger."

All of a sudden, Jillian was taken to another place, this one a valley that looked like a desert. As soon as she got there, a cold feeling of fear took over her.

Jillian looked to the right, and saw a huge battle going on. She knew right away it was her cousins against the Gorgons. She wondered why they fought without her, but she realized they had no choice. She also felt they weren't all together. Someone was missing other than her.

She tried to move toward the battle, but she felt something stopping her.

"This isn't your battle to fight," the woman said in her head. She didn't know the voice, but she felt comfortable listening to it. She thought she should know who it was, but couldn't figure it out.

"I am supposed to watch," Jillian answered.

"Yes. And learn."

Jillian tried to watch the battle, but all she saw was energy blasts and huge bolts of electricity. The whole valley lit up in a huge display of light that looked brighter than a fireworks show on the Fourth of July.

Then, a huge explosion happened, and Jillian saw her cousins move away from the battle. She sensed who it was. It was Uncle Johnny and Danny coming to save them. She watched as the two of them fought off a huge Gorgon attack.

What happened next shocked her. A swirl of air, like a tornado, appeared, and a gigantic blast of energy came out of it. It looked like Uncle Johnny and Danny tried to defend themselves from it.

A dust cloud blocked her vision, and when it cleared, Jillian saw her cousins, and she saw Danny get up from the ground and dust himself off.

Jillian all of a sudden felt sad. She knew something she never, ever, wanted to know. The woman was trying to say something in her head but Jillian didn't listen. Nothing else mattered but what she felt. Unable to hear the woman or to speak, she felt herself being brought back to her bed. She couldn't let go of the eerie feeling she had:

Uncle Johnny was gone forever.

Find out more about the characters, future books, along with free short stories at:

www.thedreamfighters.com
