Blinking a few times, Klein's vision focused on the gray ceiling of the police station. He felt refreshed and invigorated as he tried to sit up, forgetting that he was restrained.
"That was quick. It hasn't even been an hour yet."
A female voice spoke off to the side as Klein felt his restraints loosen.
Being freed, Klein is able to sit up and see the mysterious women.
She was a middle-aged woman, with sharp features and short black hair. Her icy blue eyes were shadowed by heavy eye bags and staring at Klein with interest; however, what really caught Klein's eye were the three stars on her military jacket.
"Congratulations Sleeper Klein, you completed your first nightmare," she spoke cheerfully.
"You're a master?" Klein asked a bit taken aback.
Ascended were always in demand so it was odd to see one watching over a sleeper.
"You're observant." she remarked. "Quick as well. Most first nightmares take a day or two, but you awakened in under an hour. I'm Ascended Jet by the way."
"Nice to meet you, and mine was... an urgent situation."
Truthfully, Klein didn't know how much to reveal about his nightmare or runes.
If he revealed his true name, he would definitely be able to get a good job after awakening and secure a comfortable life for him and his siblings. However, a sleeper receiving a true name is unheard of, especially one from the outskirts. Once word got around, and it would, Klein would have eyes on him for the rest of his life.
Not only that, but all clans would want a sleeper with a true name, and I've heard they can be quite ruthless in persuasion... revealing anything might put Benson and Melissa in danger... I should keep quiet for now.
"You're awfully quiet. I take it you don't want to talk about your nightmare. Not that I'd blame you, they can be pretty traumatic."
"Y-yeah, not really..." Klein replied sheepishly as he stood up from the chair.
"Good, keep as much to yourself as possible. It'll help you live longer."
What... I thought the government workers were supposed to pry secrets out of sleepers... Don't tell me she's a bad employee.
"You should go shower first; you smell like nightmare. We can talk after," she said, pointing to a door down the hall.
"Oh, and some people stopped by to see you by the way. I don't know what you did but they seemed pretty worried. Said they were your siblings."
This caused Klein to freeze.
He had been so caught up in surviving and awakening, he had completely forgotten about the note he left his siblings.
As expected, they rushed straight here after reading it, and now Klein was in for a very strong verbal lashing.
Not that he blamed them. If either Benson or Melissa disappeared to die, leaving only a note behind, Klein would be pretty upset to; and truthfully, if a scolding was the price to see his sibling again, then Klein would pay it a hundred-fold. Hell, he'd pay it a thousand-fold if it meant getting to see them.
The showers weren't hard to find; Jet had pointed them out after all.
They were simple, and the water was warm. A welcome comfort after fighting for one's life. Jet had even left him a police tracksuit to wear afterwards.
His previous clothes weren't that bad. Sure, they were old and worn, but it was a lot better than the rags most outskirts kids were stuck with. In fact, Klein though he and his siblings we're pretty well off compared to the majority of the outskirts.
They had stable income, even if it wasn't a lot. They had a roof above their heads, even if it was dirty and leaky. They even got to eat every day, even if it was only a single meal of synth paste.
It wasn't an easy life by any means, but Klein was one to count his blessings.
Stepping out of the shower room and making his way to the cafeteria where Jet should be.
He found her sitting alone at a table, two plates of food sitting in front of her. Walking over, Klein scanned the room, looking for his siblings, but didn't spot them anywhere.
"They were sent back home," Jet called out, noticing Klein's behavior.
He finally sat down, and Jet slid a plate towards him.
"Naturally the officers didn't want any civilians around in case you failed," she explained, digging into her food.
"Were they notified I woke up?"
"Normally they would be, but you never mentioned any family members to the officer, and since people from the outskirts don't have files there was no way to confirm you were related, so the officers never got their contact info."
"I guess that makes sense," Klein remarked a bit disappointed. He was really looking forward to seeing his siblings after waking up. Eventually he turned his attention to his plate. It was a pile of bland porridge, but he didn't mind. It was better than synth paste after all.
"Anyway, Kid, I'm going to offer you some advice. Whether you listen to it or not is up to you, but I wanna help a fellow outskirts rat out."
Klein's spoon paused on the way to his mouth.
"Wait, you're from the outskirts?"
"What? You couldn't tell with my flashy clothes and wonderful manners?"
Ignoring her sarcastic comments, Klein really couldn't tell she was from the outskirts. He assumed a big reason was the natural beauty that came with ascending.
It was well known that the farther along one was on the path to ascension, the better looking they were, and you wouldn't expect someone with Jet's looks to be from the worst part of town.
"I really couldn't... Are there a lot of people like us?"
"Nope, I can count them all on one hand. Which is why I hope you make it back from the Dream Realm alive. So, first things first, you're going to be offered free psychological counseling. Turn it down."
"That's what I planned on doing, but I'm surprised you suggested it as well"
"Even if they claim to keep it confidential, nothing in that room stays a secret, and once the clans or government get a hold of it, they'll hold it over you the rest of your life. Take my word for it."
"Alright, keep my secrets close."
"Second, do you plan on attending the Academy?"
Klein was no fool. He knew he survived his first nightmare mostly due to luck, and he knows getting that lucky again in the Dream Realm was nigh impossible.
He was still a scrawny outskirts kid, with no experience or training. So, as much as he hated leaving Benson and Melissa behind, he knew the Academy was his one chance at survival.
"Yes. I don't know much about the Academy but it's probably my one shot for surviving."
"Good, focus all your efforts on the Wilderness Survival class."
"Why? Shouldn't I take combat classes as well?"
Jet replied with a smile.
"Tell me, what was the most dangerous part of your nightmare?"
"A pregnant lady," Klein replied, dead serious.
Jet's smile disappeared instantly, being replaced by a look of confusion.
"Well... I doubt there will be any pregnant women in the Dream Realm, but there will be harsh environments. Your biggest issues will be thirst, hunger, and likely the cold. That's why you need Wilderness Survival. As an outskirts kid you never learned these things in school, so you need to learn them now."
Klein nodded along. Jet's thought process being very similar to his own.
"How do I enroll in the Academy? I'm assuming there are forms or something I have to fill out."
Jet waved off his questions.
"The officers are already sending your papers in. All sleepers have a file at the academy, so once you finish eating, I'll drop you off. There should be an introductory ceremony today, so you're quite lucky. Though, only having four weeks before the solstice isn't the best."
"Before heading there, can I go see my siblings first?"
Jet seemed to think for a bit before responding.
"Sorry kid, that doesn't really fit in my schedule. I am a busy woman after all, but if you give their address or phone number, I'll let them know you're safe and at the Academy."
"That works, as long as they know I'm alive," Klein said with a sigh before standing up. "So, we're leaving now?"
Jet got up with a smile.
"Yep, got to drop you off before the ceremony. Then I can start doing some other jobs."
"You sound very overworked," he commented, following the master out of the police station.
"I work for the government; everyone is overworked and paid like shit. If you're going to work for someone pick one of the clans. They'll treat you way better."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Getting to the Academy didn't take long, mostly due to Jet's PTV. It was Klein's first-time riding in one and he was surprised how comfortable it was. Seeing how fast they went on the streets; he assumed it would be a bumpy ride but was thankfully proven wrong.
Soon, the red gates of the Academy came into view, with Jet's PTV coming a stop in front of them.
After putting his siblings' number and address into Jet's communicator and saying a quick goodbye, Klein exited the vehicle and started walking towards the gates. However, Jet had rolled down her window and called out to him.
"Hey, kid, final piece of advice."
Stopping in his tracks, he turned to hear her final piece of advice.
"No matter how strong or smart you are, no one survives in the Dream Realm alone, so make some friends alright."
"Got it... and thank you for everything," Klein replied with a nod.
"Don't worry about it. How about you pay me back by surviving and coming home."
With that she drove off, leaving Klein alone in front of the gates as they lowered. He took a deep breath and walked across.
Let's make some friends...
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Author's Note
This is my first time writing this much dialogue so it's probably pretty bad, but I tried my best.
Next chapter will be Fors POV and Amon will make an appearance. I'm skipping their first nightmares because it'll take too long, so their first moments will be at the academy.
Klein probably won't see Benson or Melissa until after awakening, mostly because I'm not confident in my ability to write them well.
Next chapter hopefully won't take as long as this one.
My upload schedule is all over the place because of school, and I'm sorry.
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