Waking Hour by K. M. Frost

Author:K. M. Frost [Frost, K. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781722200145
Published: 2018-08-02T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

I never thought I would miss school. But this is different. I’m not just skipping class or something. I’ve been banned because everyone thinks I’m a criminal.

My parents have tried to convince both the Council and the school that I have nothing to do with the disappearances, but they’re desperate to blame someone, and no one will listen to them. They’ve even banned Dad from patrolling, saying he can’t be trusted to keep the village safe.

Even though my parents don’t believe me about the Reality Dreams, at least they still have enough faith in me to believe I’m innocent.

And to top it all off, Counselor Gerrit is spending every waking hour spreading rumors about me, and now I don’t dare go outside because even in our yard I get dark looks from scared and angry neighbors.

Ellie’s having a hard time being stuck at home, and a couple of times we’ve asked Mom and Dad if Leah can come over (she’s refused to go to school, and I guess her dad didn’t complain), but so far they’ve always had some reason why she can’t. I guess things haven’t improved as much as I thought.

So it’s just me and Ellie, which wouldn’t have been too terrible, except it’s me and Ellie all day, every day.

The only relief I get is in the Reality Dreams—and it isn’t much of a relief.

The Entities keep pushing our boundaries, trying to break through our defenses to reach the Clinic.

Harris took over command of the patrols at Rick’s request, though he keeps insisting he isn’t a leader. But no one else will step up to take the responsibility, so Harris remains in charge.

Dani and the other criminals are actually proving to be a valuable asset to our survival, but I still worry they might decide they don’t like cooperating and would rather have the Clinic to themselves.

The other Reality Dreamers haven’t caused any real problems, but Becka definitely likes to push Rick to his limits. He doesn’t like when his authority is challenged, and Becka must have figured that out. She hasn’t stopped trying to undermine him at every opportunity.

Jeremy’s recovering and Gary says he should heal completely. Abby was with him when he woke up and they’ve developed a special bond. And now that Abby’s awake and spends all her time in the Reality Dreams, they’re hardly ever apart. I wonder how Abby will take it when he and his friends leave.

As I head back inside the Clinic after a long and terrifying patrol, I listen to the other patrollers complain about the attacks.

“They just keep coming.”

“Where are they coming from?”

“What are they?”

I watch them walk past with a jolt of guilt. When we decided to keep them in the dark, it was because they’d been having such a hard time coping. But now it feels like we’re just lying to them, keeping so many secrets. It isn’t right . . .

I spot Rick across the Clinic, arguing with Becka (a common occurrence), and I make my way over to them, determination flooding me.

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