Nina sighed as she looked through the window to the street below. As usual, a steady stream of umbrellas moved along the footpath, the rain that swirled in the breeze lashing down in sheets. As she watched the monochromatic procession of blacks and greys jostle amongst themselves, she frowned when she noticed the time on the clock in the reflection.

“It doesn’t matter, does it?” a voice behind her asked. “You’re not going to work today.”

Nina’s gaze moved along the reflection. The clock, her anchor of sorts, was now replaced by a woman who was sitting at the dining table with a casual smile on her face. Nina couldn’t see below the tabletop, but she already knew what was there. White pants that were tight on the woman’s calves and a pair of brown leather boots to match. Above the table, in a stark contrast to the greys and whites of Nina’s life, the woman wore a red shirt that was buttoned up high on her neck while a flowing white cravat was wrapped around it.

Rucille.

“I can make it,” Nina replied as she turned to face the interior. Like she had been in the reflection, Rucille sat unmoving at the table with an unreadable expression, although her dark and intelligent eyes slowly tracked Nina across the room when she set off. They didn’t have to move far, however, as Nina’s trip to the bathroom soon stopped in the centre of the room before she dropped to her knees.

“We both know it,” Rucille said as Nina slumped to the floor. “That you’re sick.”

Nina, who was clad in a simple black t-shirt and shorts, felt as though her limbs were turning into stone. At this rate she would quickly turn into a statue at the centre of her own living room, and Rucille seemed content to simply sit there and watch it happen. Not only was she being kept from fleeing, the enemy had also invaded the safe space which was her apartment.

It was already obvious that she was dreaming. Rucille of course wouldn’t simply turn up in her apartment as though nothing had happened in any sane series of events, so the conclusion wasn’t particularly hard for her to reach. The problem, however, was that Nina couldn’t escape it no matter what she tried. Forcing herself to wake up had been fruitless, and what was more worrisome was that she couldn’t bend the events of the dream to her will either. Control, something that ultimately governed her life, had not only been pried away from her, it had been snatched from her in a place where she was supposed to be god.

“Get out of my head,” she growled as her forehead touched the floor while both of her palms pressed against the floorboards. “You don’t belong here.”

Rucille smiled before placing her elbows on the table, clasping her hands together and then resting her chin upon them. The air about her was casual, almost dismissive as though Nina were simply an animal on the other side of the glass. It was strange to be looked down upon in such a manner, and thoroughly unpleasant too. This was her world inside her own mind, so where was her confidence?

“That’s a little rude, isn’t it?” Rucille asked, seemingly unfazed by the statement. “You invite me here and then suddenly I don’t belong?”

“Why would I invite you?” Nina replied to the question by spitting out her own. She felt that her strength was gradually returning, although lifting her head from the floor was already difficult enough. It was almost as though invisible weights were slowly being retracted from her limbs, but she still couldn’t work out why.

“Shouldn’t you be asking yourself that?” Rucille fired back with a smile. “Or do I need to tell you?”

“I wouldn’t believe anything you said, not anymore,” Nina groaned as she pushed herself back up to her knees. She wanted to stand, but the weight upon her seemed to prohibit her from moving further. It was almost like there was some kind of cap on what she could and couldn’t do, but the main problem was that she didn’t understand how it worked at all.

“You don’t need me to tell you why I was invited because you already know the truth,” Rucille said as she raised the back of her hand to cover a soft chuckle. “You might not want to admit it, but we both know that I’m here because I’m important to you.”

“You’re…”

“Not important? You’re in a coma that you might never wake from Nina, all because of me,” Rucille said with a grin as she pointed to her chest. “You think that your own life isn’t important?”

Nina ignored her words and instead used her arms to push herself up once more. The heaviness that she had been feeling had eased up slightly and as a result she somehow managed to get her bare feet flat against the floor. From there she managed to eventually stand, although she felt woozy like a drunkard as she staggered off to the left with very little control over her movements. After looking around for something to support herself on, she plodded erratically over to the closest available piece of furniture which also happened to be the table that Rucille was sitting at.

“I’m leaving,” she finally said to Rucille as she eyed the door. She didn’t need to dress, didn’t need to check the mirror, and certainly didn’t need to remember the keys or anything else as she was only dreaming. Right now, the only thing she wanted was to escape the apartment, even just to feel the cold concrete walls of the fire stairs.

Anywhere that Rucille wasn’t.

“You can’t leave,” Rucille replied with a light smile. “I already called your boss to say that you were recovering. Wouldn’t look very good if you went out and risked yourself in such terrible weather, would it?”

Nina paused as she thought back to her boss from her old work. Balding, greasy, and ruthless when it came down to managing staff, he hadn’t been a pleasure to work for at all even though he had seen the value that she had to offer. She never held it against him, however, as it was to be expected. Members of staff were just a number with an associated amount of capacity for work, nothing more.

It was impossible for everybody to be somebody.

“I don’t care,” she replied as she let go of the table and took a step towards the door. “I quit.”

If it was a dream, it didn’t matter. She wasn’t on Caecus, she didn’t have her old job, and she was never going to see Rucille again either if she could help it. This room wasn’t something that she wanted to feel uncomfortable in right now, and so any attempt to change the scenery was welcome. Maybe it wasn’t even the usual hallway behind the door, and instead there was The Cloud Orchestra’s office in Luem. It was a dream, after all.

“You can’t quit,” came a voice as the door to her apartment opened. Initially Nina had wanted to look past the figure to see what lay beyond, but when she saw who was standing there her focus locked onto a very familiar expression.

Wearing her usual black lab coat over a neat white shirt and a pair of cream coloured pants, her current boss turned to face her. Deep red hair that reminded her of wine flicked over her shoulders as her head rotated, while the pair of brown eyes that it framed met her own.

“Reina…”

“Sit down, you look horrible,” Reina said as she closed the door. Crossing the room while acting like there was nothing wrong at all, she took the seat at the dining table which was directly opposite from Rucille.

“Thanks for coming out so quickly,” Rucille smiled. “Would you like some tea?”

Reina rejected her offer with a shake of the head before she turned her attention to the window and the dreary weather beyond it. Nina felt better after seeing her in the dream and it was reflected through the fact that she was feeling lighter, although it still hadn’t done enough to settle her nerves. Rucille and Reina were being amicable, and that was something that shouldn’t be happening even in a dream.

“I’m just here to make sure she’s alright, I was concerned after your call,” Reina finally said as her attention returned to Nina. “On that note, it seems that she’s fine. Good to see you Nina, get well soon.”

Reina rose from her seat to Nina’s alarm before making her way back across the living space towards the door. Nina saw Rucille grin while she remained at the table, and as a result she suddenly had a bad premonition. Awkwardly dragging her legs across the floor towards her, Nina found herself doubled over and wheezing by the time Reina had reached for the handle.

“Don’t go,” she managed to spit out between breaths. “You can’t leave me here with her.”

Reina turned to face her with a smile before she casually stepped over and placed a hand up on her shoulder. “It’s alright, Rucille is a doctor who knows a lot more about your condition than I do. Rest up and I’ll see you soon.”

“Don’t,” Nina mumbled as she felt a tear begin to pool at the corner of her eye. “You can’t leave us here alone.”

“Alone?” Reina asked before pausing for a moment. “If you’re concerned about being alone with the doctor, I can arrange for security.”

Before Nina could respond, she was already tapping on a phone that she had pulled from her pocket. She was quick, and after only a moment she smiled before pocketing the device and stepping back over to the door. Nina was still uncomfortable with Reina leaving, and ‘security’ could mean basically anyone considering how dreams usually panned out. Hopefully Svanda or Trim would step through the door, but anyone who she could consider as a friend would be welcome right now.

“Take care,” Reina said with a smile as she reached for the door handle. “You too, doctor.”

“Thanks,” Rucille replied, although Nina remained silent. Staring at the floor, she simply nodded but didn’t look up as she heard the ever-familiar creaking of the door to her apartment. Her desire to see what lay beyond the door had evaporated the moment that Reina said she was abandoning her to her fate, and now all she could do was hope that the dream would end.

“Excuse me,” a voice said as the door opened the moment after it had closed. It was as though it was revolving, where one exits the stage only to be immediately replaced by another. This, however, was a little more frightening than a regular performance. Who would her mind end up dragging through the door?

The man’s black boots sounded heavy on the floor as he stepped inside. Unlike Rucille, his dress of white pants and a heavy white coat actually complimented the décor, something that was further highlighted by his neat black hair that was swept up in a wave. Deep blue eyes which quickly scanned the room before resting on Nina and a strong jawline rounded off a person that Nina would have called the perfect security if it wasn’t for who he was. Charming, attractive, and just as dangerous, the man strode over to the paralysed Nina in the centre of the room before placing a single finger underneath her chin.

“Ormain,” Rucille said with a tone which carried a hint of dissatisfaction. “You’re late.”

“Sorry,” he replied. “I didn’t expect her boss to turn up. Are we still on?”

“We are, let’s get started,” Rucille smiled as she stood up for the first time since Nina’s dream had begun. “Hold her.”

Already petrified at being so close to Ormain, Nina was helpless as he quickly spun her around before grabbing her at each elbow. Unable to resist his immense strength, her feet kicked and dragged as he pulled her across the floor before unceremoniously dumping her into one of the chairs at the table. While he had been doing so, Rucille had smoothly withdrawn a slim white briefcase from under the table and had popped it open to reveal an array of both syringes and glass vials full of liquid.

“Cut her shirt open,” Rucille said to Ormain casually as she ran a finger along a row of syringes before smiling in Nina’s direction. “It’s time we continue, isn’t it?”

Feeling her heart begin to race, Nina struggled but only found that Ormain’s grip was like iron. Even if her legs could move and kick the underside of the table, the points where Ormain had gripped her on the elbows failed to move even a centimetre. Locked into the chair, tears now began to flow freely as she managed a single question through the sobs.

“Why?”

“Hmm?” Rucille frowned with a puzzled expression on her face as she sat on top of her, pinning her legs to the seat. “Didn’t you ask this last time? You’re special to me Nina, I need you.”

“No,” Nina managed to spit out as her chest heaved. “Not this.”

“Exactly this,” Rucille replied with a smirk. “This is your dream, remember? You invited me here, and you also invited him here. That’s pretty messed up, isn’t it? Imagine having to tell your friends that when your mind dredged through whatever pitiful memories you have locked up in here, it picked the two of us.”

“Get out of my head.”

“It’s flattering, really,” Rucille hummed as she reached for one of the syringes that sat on the table. Briefly turning her attention to Nina’s chest for a moment, she then lined up the needle before looking into her eyes. “You’ll have to tell the real me what you thought.”

With a smile, Rucille drove the syringe into the centre of Nina’s chest.