Cole Nathanial Robinson the Fourth, Dreamer of roads and trails and paths and all the ways people get from one place to the next, had a hole in his sock the big toe had poked through. He wiggled his toes, trying to fix it, but it wasn’t working. He wanted to stop and try to adjust his sock, but couldn’t, they had too far to go. The forest around them faded into the mist and darkness until only the road remained. The other Cole’s, the copies, at least Cole thought of them as copies, followed behind in a long ragged column. Cael had explained how all the Dreamers were each from an original fragmented soul, but Cole didn’t understand, nothing about any of this really made any sense. Cole wasn’t in charge of the group. He had been the last to arrive in the place of endless night, and Boss had been first. Boss was in charge. Though, that wasn’t unusual for the Dreamers. Jack Warrior was in charge of the Blue Group, and Akot the Wise was in charge of the Purple Group. Though, he did understand he was the only Cole that could make the brown crayon work, so that gave him a lot of pull with Boss, and Sting. Sting was Boss’s right-hand man. Sting had tried to take the crayon from him, and for it the crayon had punished Sting by encasing him in hard mud. There had been a moment of panic as they had beat on the mud to free Sting before he suffocated. Sting had survived the incident, and wide-eyed and a little shaky, gave the crayon back, and Dreamer had been elevated to a new level of importance. The Cole fragments hadn’t aged and matured as the other Dreamer groups had, but instead had all remained their original nine years old while they had slept and waited in Limbo. There had been times a few of them would wake, but it only lasted for a few minutes, and then they would fall asleep again. Boss had somehow managed to wake the most often, and stayed awake the longest, and so by right of being first, and endurance, had become the Boss. “Are you sure this is the right way?” asked Boss. Cole glanced at Boss from the corner of his eye. Boss was an exact copy of Cole, down to the hole in his sock. Boss wasn’t bigger, or stronger, and neither was Sting, but everyone knew not to mess with them, something about them was different that set them apart and made them the undisputed leaders. “Yeah, this is the right way,” said Cole. “He’s lying,” said Sting. Cole held the brown crayon out to Sting. “Do you want a try?” Sting flinched back from the crayon. “Keep running your mouth and I’ll make you eat that crayon,” said Sting. “Knock it off, just find the road home,” said Boss, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Sting, there’s kids wandering off to play, get back there and get them on the road.” “You got it, Boss.” Cole was glad to be rid of Sting for a while, the kid had a mean streak and liked to push the other kids around. Cole laughed at the little shake of Sting’s foot as he ran back to round the stray kids up; Sting was trying to get his big toe back inside his sock. After Sting was gone, Boss asked, “Do you know where we’re going?” “I told the crayon to take us somewhere safe.” “We’re dead, aren’t we?” “Yeah.” Boss kicked at a stone in the road. “It’s not fair, I’m being punished for doing the right thing.” “We’re not being punished,” said a kid walking a few steps behind Cole. Cole looked back. “Hey, Brain, I thought you were in the back.” “I wanted to see where we were going.” Boss scowled. “How can you tell who he is, we all look alike?” Cole shrugged. “Brain and I woke up at the same time a lot. He tried to run up the hill from where we slept to see what was on the other side, but he couldn’t stay awake and fell down. Rock and I went and dragged him back. See…” Cole pointed at Brain’s knees. “…grass stains.” Boss nodded. “We need name tags. So, why do you think we aren’t being punished? This looks like the bad place to me.” “It is bad,” said Brain, “but it’s not the bad place, or the good place, it’s something else. I don’t know what yet. Dreamer is right, though. We are dead, and we all had a second chance, but we did the same thing again. I asked that guy with the guns a lot of questions when he took me back for my second chance. I think it was a test to see if I’d do the same thing again, knowing I would die doing it.” “You’re talking about that dream,” said Boss. “I know everyone had the same dream, but it wasn’t real.” “Denying it doesn’t make it not true,” said Brain. “We all saw it. That guy in the black robes dropped us like a milk glass and we shattered into thousands of pieces. I heard that guy say we all had to be given a second chance, and if any of us failed, he was going to take us to somewhere bad. I think maybe the bad place.” “Bull, I don’t believe any of that,” insisted Boss. Brain shrugged. He was one of the few people not afraid of Boss and Sting. “I think this happens to a lot of people, but I don’t think many pass.” “If Mikey wouldn’t have gone out on the ice, we’d still be alive,” said Boss. “Maybe, or maybe something else would have happened,” replied Brain. “But he did, and he went through, and we jumped in to save him.” “I saw him make it to shore before I went under the water,” added Cole. “We died to save our little brother, and I think that makes up for anything bad we ever did.” “Yeah,” said Brain. “The crayon will take us to the good place.” Boss stopped and shook his foot. “The only thing for sure is we’re dead and nobody is coming to help us. Let’s take a rest here, the kids in the back are getting too far behind.” The group of Cole’s stopped and sat down in the road, and 2,347 Coles pulled their shoes off to adjust the hole in their sock. *** Akot and Ember walked along the edge of the road at the front of the column of Coles, listening, but staying out of their conversations. Akot and Ember walked a short distance ahead to be out of earshot. “Those kids are seriously messed up in the head,” said Ember. “Akot the Wise told me stories about when the Akots arrived. We were just as messed up, but we had many years to grow. The Coles were in Limbo, they haven’t had a chance to grow yet. They will find their way given time.” “I don’t see how they can perform any Dreamer duties.” Akot lowered himself to the road and crossed his legs. “They’re taking a rest, we should also.” “There’s something following us,” said Ember. “I’m aware, but it’s an herbivore, it won’t attack.” Ember stared into the darkness. “Where there’s an herbivore, there’s a carnivore not far behind.” Akot bent forward and laid his hands on the ground. The crust of every planet, the surface, the dirt and soil, those were the domain of the little boy sitting in the middle of the road wiggling his big toe through a hole in his sock. But the mantle, the bones of the planet, was his domain, and below the mantle at the core of the planet was Ember’s domain. He didn’t need Ember for this though, he only needed to reach down to the rock and crystal that jutted up through Cole’s domain like the boney fingers of a giant reaching up for the sky. He found bedrock and connected, and through it the vibrations of even the smallest creatures moving across the land. “A large herd of something heavy, fifteen miles away, moving this direction,” said Akot. Ember turned her head back to Akot. “Oh, you’re doing fancy Dreamer stuff.” Akot smiled; yes, fancy Dreamer stuff. “Call Ronin, I need the wind to blow southwest so the kids' scent isn’t picked up by the herd.” Ember held her palm out in front of her, and the image of the red crayon appeared. The crayon wavered slightly and changed into a little stick figure. The figure bowed and spoke. “Greetings, Dreamer of the Wind.” The air in front of Ember solidified into the shape of Ronin. “Greetings, Living Flame.” “We need some help with the wind,” replied the red crayon stick figure. “We’re escorting the Brown Dreamer and his group to the Yellow World, but there’s predators headed this way.” Vines with large leaves wrapped around Ronin – one of the leaves looked like Bran. “Hi, Red. We just delivered a group of kids to the Yellow World, so we’re free. We’ll come help.” Ronin batted at the leaf image of Bran. “Do you mind?” The image of Ronin and Bran disappeared, to be replaced by a portal of clouds with a wind coming through that smelled of wild flowers and jasmine. Bran came through the portal first, laughing as Ronin followed playfully slapping at him. Ember formed her red crayon back to its natural state and made it vanish in her hand. “You guys are in a good mood.” A geyser of water bubbled up out of the ground and rose like an ocean wave. Jack Dreamer stepped out of the water grinning. “Did I hear the Brown Dreamer is in trouble?” Ember squealed. “Oh, Jack, you figured out how to make your portal, it’s beautiful!” “Yeah, it’s awesome, but do you know how long I tried to get my crayon to walk around. I thought everyone could do that,” said Jack. Ember laughed. “I’m the only one that can do it. I’m fire, so I can make the crayons melty and mold them into stick figures. Everyone has their own way of calling each other and making portals. Your portal is really good. Akot’s portal looks like a crystal door, and Ronin’s is like a door made of clouds, Bran’s is like a tunnel of vines, Jax’s is a sand storm, and mine is a door of fire. Oh, and you should see the twin’s portal, oh my gosh it’s like they are stepping out of a Pharaoh’s throne room.” Akot rose to his feet. “Taku was a boy Pharaoh, and Anat his twin sister. I too like their portal of raven statues with wings outstretched to form an arched door.” “Hey, Akot, where do you need me?” asked Jack. “Is the battle at the Gates over?” asked Akot. “Naw, I got kicked out. They said I was getting in the way.” “Ah, I see. Do not feel bad for that, you are the Dreamer. You are not the part of Jack that was a soldier. I too have been asked not to touch farming equipment, as I am not the part of Akot that was a farmer.” “Not me,” said Bran with a mischievous grin. “All the Brans are woodsmen.” “Ignore him,” added Ronin. “He can be a brat sometimes.” “I think you misunderstood,” said Jack. “I’m in the 5th Infantry Company, but we only have 1st Infantry and 2nd Artillery deployed, with 2nd Cavalry in reserve, so I was kind of getting in their way. Warrior told me to either go do some Dreamer stuff, or get back to my Company.” Jack shrugged. “I’m still a genetically enhanced super-soldier, and even if I’m not good enough for the 1st Infantry, the 5th Infantry could still annihilate any non-Aeden army on any world, anywhere in the Universe.” Akot glared at Jack while Ember giggled. Akot had forgotten just how arrogant the Jacks were. “I think all the boys are being brats today,” said Ember. Cole approached tentatively and looked up at the older kids. “Excuse me, what’s going on?” Akot took a deep breath to calm himself, and smiled reassuringly at the small boy. “There are some dangerous animals approaching, these Dreamers have come to help guard your brothers.” “Oh, okay,” said Cole. “And…umm…some of the others wanted me to ask…” Cole pointed at Bran. “…is he Peter Pan?” Ronin laughed and nudged Bran. “I told you so.” Bran narrowed his eyes. “Oh, they’ve asked for it now.” Bran lifted off the ground and into the air facing the column of Coles. “Come on, Lost Boys, we have a grand adventure waiting, first star to the right and straight on to morning.” The Cole’s jumped to their feet cheering, ready to follow Peter Pan. Jack smacked his forehead and groaned, and Ember rolled her eyes and stared at Ronin. “You gave him the power of flight?” asked Ember. “As if he wasn’t a handful enough already?” Ronin stared up at Bran and… Ember saw the expression in Ronin’s eyes as she lifted into the sky to follow Bran. Another cheer rose from the Coles. “It’s Tinkerbell.” Ember sighed. “Oh, I see.” “I’ll take the back of the column where I don’t have to watch this,” said Jack, opening a watery portal and stepping through. Ember stepped to the edge of the road with Akot as the column of Coles chased after Peter Pan. “I do not know who Peter Pan is, nor why Ronin would give such a gift,” said Akot. Ember took Akot by the hand. “It’s a story about a boy that never grows up.” “I don’t understand,” said Akot. “Peter Pan has a fairy called Tinkerbell that gives him the ability to fly,” explained Ember. “Tinkerbell is in love with Peter Pan. Get it?” “No.” Ember rolled her eyes again. “She probably loves the Peter Pan story and fan crushes on the Peter character, so she turned Bran into Peter and is telling him how much she loves him.” “Why doesn’t she just say it?” asked Akot. “She’s twelve,” replied Ember. “This is the limit of her romantic abilities, and even then it’s pretty advanced for twelve. Normally a twelve year old girl would huddle in a circle with her friends and giggle while the boy does something stupid to show-off. But, they’re prodigies with magical crayons to turn fantasy into reality. Give it a few years and they’ll start re-enacting Snow White and the Woodsman.” “We all come from different worlds, yet all of you knew the story,” said Akot. “We talked about this before, remember,” said Ember. “Time isn’t a straight line here, and everything we do echoes out to the real universe. Their cute little crush may very well be the origins of the story, and is being echoed to thousands of worlds.” Akot nodded thoughtfully as they joined the column of Coles. “And I should wonder if our story is being echoed out beyond the Crystal Universe also.” “Possibly,” said Ember. “You know Jax is in love with me.” Akot’s jaw clenched. “I am aware.” “Well, if Jax ever abducts me, and you launch a thousand ships to come get me, then maybe. I’ll have Jack get you the book from The Great Library, if you want.” “I do not believe Jax would ever do such a thing, but if he did, a thousand ships would be the least of his concerns,” said Akot. Ember leaned against Akot. “Aww, how sweet.”