Cobweb Head

t h i r t y - t h r e e

Oliver's room was full of Effie's small clockwork creations. Birds attached to chains hung from the ceiling, small horses were spread out at the end of his bed and bronze wolves lined his desk. He didn't have a dorm mate – there was only one bed in the room.

"You've both become close..." I muttered before Oliver pointed towards the bathroom door.

"You stink, Moore. But don't use my soap." He wrinkled his nose with a shudder.

"Then how am I supposed to not stink?" I opened the door.

"Fine, use it. But toss it in the bin when you're done." He strode over to the bed and sat at the edge, where Effie was already spread out over the clean blankets.

The bathroom was impossibly clean – more kept together than mine and Leo's. The dusting of freckles stuck out against the pale of my skin in the reflection of the mirror, much whiter than it usually was, and my hair was matted with dried black blood. I looked ghastly.

I couldn't stop my hands from shaking when the hot water struck my skin. I traced a finger down my palm, where the deep cut Grimm had given me no longer existed.

I knocked against the door when I was finished, wrapped in a towel. "I need clothes."

The words that came next were muffled. "You're not wearing my clothes!"

"What else are we going to do? Let him leave in those bloodied rags?" Effie retorted. "Go on, just pick a shirt you don't like or something."

I heard grumbling, and soon Oliver had passed me a pair of jeans and a large shirt that smelt strongly of dust through the crack in the doorway. It was a faded black band shirt – my chemical romance was written across the front in scrappy lettering. I grinned.

"Wow, Oliver." I called out.

"Shut up – it was a phase, okay?"

Effie laughed.

|||

The sunset draped the diner in an orange glow. We sat a corner booth, where a large plate of pancakes stood on the tacky table in front of me. I was eating like Leo. God bless all day breakfasts.

Effie had to leave her echo back at Oliver's room, even after asking about a dozen times to take "Greg" with us. Yes, its name was Greg.

Oliver watched in horror as I drenched the meal in maple syrup. Golden puddles formed at the bottom of the plate. I glared back at him. "I haven't eaten in three days, give me a break."

He shifted his attention away from it.

Effie leaned forward with her elbows pressed into the table. A milkshake sat next to her. Oliver had a plain black coffee – which was unsurprising.

"So, what are your thoughts on the walkers? Great, right?" Her smile wavered slightly.

"I'm sorry, Scarlet said she wanted to coexist with nightmares? How is that even possible?" I shovelled a chunk of pancake into my mouth. "And how does she know about me?"

"She said the walkers sensed you." Effie frowned. "I don't understand it."

"It's not your job to understand it," Oliver leaned forward next to her and held his mug in both hands. Steam rose from the hot drink, smelling bitter. "Just because something is born out of fear doesn't mean it's bad – of course some nightmares are, but that's when attaching them to people or objects comes in handy."

"And all the Frights want to do is kill them off and put them in their little cave, I'm guessing." I leaned back into the booth.

He nodded.

I looked from him to Effie. "What would happen if I was to help them?"

"That's the fun part," Effie grinned. "You'd get to travel all around the world – hunting nightmares, finding the strongest ones. Scarlet has already pinpointed a few areas that have the most nightmare activity. Where you used to live is one of them."

"And what about my dad?" I shrugged back the tousled hair that'd fallen over my eyes.

Effie blinked. "Your dad?"

"Yeah – it's not like he's not going to have a say in this. He's still going to want to know how and why I've just ditched school to travel the world. I've still got a life." I tilted my head at her. A slight drizzle had started to come down outside.

She smiled uneasily. "That can be fixed up easily. We'll tell him about the new travelling school program for especially troubled students."

"You're one of those, aren't you Will?" Oliver snickered.

I sent him a brief glare before directing my attention back at Effie. The dark circles around her red-rimmed eyes, the paleness to her lips – the walkers were doing this to her. How could I join anything that hurt my friend like that?

After a few long moments, she shifted out of her seat. "I'll be back. I need the bathroom."

The smell of Oliver's shirt made me sneeze, it was so dusty. I rubbed my nose with the heel of my hand. "Isn't this the right time to try and persuade me to join the walkers?"

He didn't look at me when he spoke next, instead looking out the window as he leaned back into the booth. His voice was distant as steam rose and touched his face. "I really couldn't care less about what you decide to do in the end."

"You seemed pretty eager to get me to find you some strong nightmare before." I sniffed.

He turned his head to look at me – his eyes were slits. "I said I didn't care about what you decided. Not anything else."

I tensed. That was a masked threat. It had to be. Oliver looked away dryly. Whatever I chose in the end, the walkers were going to get me to help them either way. I didn't have a choice.

I looked down at my plate, where the puddle of maple syrup suddenly seemed less appetising. The sweet taste in my mouth soured as I stood.

"I'm going to get some fresh air," I patted down the pale blue jeans and started for the back of the diner.

"I'll come with you." Oliver shuffled down the booth.

I groaned. "Fuck off why don't you?"

A woman gasped and covered her child's ears with her hands as I passed their booth. She sent a quelling glare my way.

I shoved the back door open and poured out onto the concrete clearing. When I turned, I saw Effie standing next to the dumpster. She had a jar of dream syrup clasped in a pale grip, and she lifted a dropper over her face, where two golden yellow droplets fell into her eyes. She blinked, sighing.

I stepped forward. "Effie? What are you doing?"

Her head flicked towards me, and a droplet fell against her cheek, streaking her cheek like a teardrop made of golden honey. She smiled airily. "Will..."

I moved forward. I heard Oliver open the door behind me. Leaves skidded across the concrete, carried with the wind and hitting my heels. Effie's hair blew with it. She laughed and staggered back, leaning against the grimy brick wall.

"Are you okay?" I knitted my brows.

She tucked the small jar away into the inside pocket of her short-cut jacket and blinked away the dream syrup. She wiped a delicate finger across her cheek, licking the honey-coloured liquid from her hand.

"I'm fine, completely great." She sent me a thumbs up and moved back towards the doorway.

That didn't sound right.

My gaze trailed her as she disappeared behind the door, and lingered there for a moment longer. Oliver shrugged dismissively.

No, I couldn't help the nightmare walkers. Not when they did this. Not ever. I needed to get out of here quick – I needed to find Leo.

I didn't say anything as I walked back into the diner, eyeing Oliver as he held the door open for me. I grunted as I shifted back into the booth. "Your shirt is stupid."