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"Slowly, carefully, I picked up the necklace and hung it around my neck. Then I put on my jacket and ran for the stairs."
Then I woke up to beeping noise and bright lights. "What happened?" I asked in a very groggy voice once I realized that I was in a hospital.
"Oh sweetheart, you're finally awake!" A nurse said, running out of the room - probably to get a doctor. They came back in and started checking all sorts of things. Finally, I was able to ask a few questions.
"What happened?"
"You were in an accident with your group of agents. You got the worst of the injuries and were in a coma for a month."
"What were their names?"
"Norrie, Paul, Julie, Steph and Alfie-Joe."
"Wait... they've all been dead for years now."
"No, they're all alive and well."
"But I found them all dead from ghost-touch. I ran away to London and started a new life."
"None of them died. You were touched close to the heart and have been out since."
"But it seemed so real! And it was a few years I was there."
"Some patients have that, others don't. There was a case where the patient was out for a month- like you - and lived almost a whole life within it."
"But I woke up right before I got to go on a date with a really hot guy!" I complained. The doctor chuckled.
"We've already called your mother, and I believe that they're calling your agency."
"Okay."
"Do you have any more questions."
"Have you ever heard of Lockwood and co.?"
"No. They may be a small agency, though."
"Okay."
"Why do you ask?"
"They were the agency I worked for in my dream."
"Alright." He said, leaving. I stare out the window until I hear a short knock, and then all of my friends come flooding in.
"Hey Luce, how ya' feeling?"
"Alright, I guess."
"You guess?" Norrie says, walking over to me. "You were unconscious for a month." I must have given her a confused look. "They had to have told you. You were out that long."
"They did. That's not what I was confused by."
"Then what are you confused by?" Julie asks.
"What's wrong, Luce?" Alfie-Joe asks.
"Nothing, I just had a weird dream. I guess I'm still just trying to figure it out."
"Was it that weird?"
"It was like three years long."
"Three years?" They ask astonished.
"Yeah, it was crazy."
"Okay. You guys are going to have to leave. We can't all fit in here." I hear mum say.
"See you later, Luce." Norrie said, kissing my cheek before leaving.
"Later." I say quietly.
"Hey baby sis, how you feeling?" Chelsea asks.
"Alive."
"Well, that's good." She laughed, sitting on the end of my bed. Mary came over and laid down with me. "Although 'alive' doesn't always mean she feels good."
"That's why you're my favorite," I say, hugging her.
"Yeah... I know my little sister."
"She's all our little sister. She's the youngest." Becka joked.
"Yeah. But like- you have a twin and two little sisters, she's my only little sister."
"I'm right here."
"Did they tell you how much longer you have to stay here?" Mum asks, oddly sweet.
"No, I meant to ask, but it slipped my mind earlier, and it's only been you guys and my friends in here since."
"Okay. I'll go ask for you."
"Thanks, mam." Once she's gone, I turn to the others. "When did she start being nice?"
"When she got an almost dying daughter."
"At least there's one good outcome." I laugh.
"She seemed like she was really worried." Chels says as mum comes back in.
"Well, they said after a quick check up you can come home today, but you can't go back to work for another week." She said, practically petting me. After kissing my forehead, she leaves with most of my sisters; only leaving Mary.
"That was weird, I don't think I've ever seen our mother that- well- motherly." Mary says, astonished as me.
"I know, I think the last time she was ever like that to me, I was just born." I say laughing.
"Probably and same." We just sat there hugging each other and talking until the doctor walked in.
"Is this your girlfriend?"
"No! We're sisters!" We both freak.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Most of the time, when I walk in and see people like that, they're dating. It's rare to see siblings getting along, let alone cuddling."
"Plus, I'm straight."
"I still think that you're bi, but whatever." Mary interjects.
"Okay, get out. I just woke up, I don't need an identity crisis." I say, shoving her out of the bed.
"See you in a few little sis." She laughs, walking out.
"Well, you seem to be doing alright." The doctor jokes.
"I just need you to do the check over so I can go home." I say, already tired of the hospital bed.
"What's the last thing you remember that you wouldn't count being part of your dream world?"
"Going to the Wythburn mill for a case, I went to report to Jacobs, and I guess when I went back in is when the dream would start."
"Alright, any gaps in your memory?"
"Not that weren't there before,"
"Okay. Follow my light." The doctor moves a pen light in front of my eyes.
"Okay, can I go home yet?"
"Just let me make sure you can walk." He said calmly, unhooking me from the million machines. He makes sure I can safely stand on my own and lets me walk across the room. "Good, once someone brings you some of your own clothes, you can leave."
"Great."
"Well, I'll let you be." He walked out, and Mary and Norrie walked back in.
"Hey guys."
"Can you go home yet?" Norrie asks.
"Go get me some clothes then, yes."
"Okay." She said, hopping up.
"Mam already said she was going to get some." Mary said before Norrie could leave.
"Awesome," She sits next to my bed. "So you wanna know what we've been doing while you were out?"
"Sure." She then went on a long talk with fun gestures and noises, after the third case I zoned out, but then she started talking about a big one coming up, that I would actually get to go on.
"...So they're going to send two groups from London to come help us, and they said that one needs an agent, but wouldn't tell us what Talent they're looking for. Wouldn't it be awesome to get to go to London and be a big-time agent instead of stuck in this small town?!" I thought about my weird three-year-long dream, but then about how things are now.
"It would be pretty cool, but you'd be leaving your family and friends behind." I say, taking her hand.
"Oh come on, Luce, I thought this was our dream,"
"If I had a rough life, then I could see it, but right this minute... I don't think I'd want to go."
---------------Time skip a week--------------
I finally get to go back to work and immediately walk into Mr. Jacobs' office.
"Ah, Lucy Carlyle, happy to see you back. How are you feeling?"
"Good enough to come back and take on a case." I say happily.
"Great, Julie will probably appreciate it too. She's been a little overwhelmed this past month."
"If only Norrie had Listening too."
"Well then, one of you three would be obsolete, so it's a good thing you're not all Listeners."
"True..." I started to think about if one of us was not here, which again brought back the idea of the dream.
"Although one of you two will be going to London here in just a few days."
"Norrie said something about some groups coming up and that one of us could be recruited. She didn't know what agency they're coming from or what they were looking for."
"Well, it's a team from Fittes and a small company called Lockwood and Co." Oh shit, they're real!?! I thought.
"So which group is recruiting?"
"Lockwood and co."
"Okay, can I go join the others now?"
"Of course." I happily join my friends practicing. It felt so great to hold a sword again, I slashed at our dummies and sparred with my best friend.
"Well, you're feeling well." Norrie said once I beat her.
"Yep!" I reply without losing my focus.
"Well enough to impress some big shot Londoners?" She said, trying to catch me off guard.
"Always." I say disarming her.
"When did you learn that one?" She laughs, retrieving her sword.
"Some time in the last month." I said, and she raised an eyebrow.
"Care to tell me more about this crazy long dream you had?"
"Honestly, I'm still processing it, and I think I might just want to move past it."
"Well, you know I'm here if you want to talk."
"Thanks."
"Okay, that's enough emotions for one day!" Alfie-Joe interjected. "Work it out later. We're at work. Either start swinging a sword or filling supplies for cases."
"When did you become the responsible one?" I sass.
"When there was a chance of me getting out of this tiny town. I love you guys, but I want more in life."
"I hate to break it to you, but they're looking for a Listener."
"When did you hear that?"
"Jacobs just told me that Julie or I will end up in London. I had joked about it being too bad that Norrie isn't a Listener and he brought it up."
"Damn, so you or Jules are going to London."
"Sounds like it!"
"I hope it's Jules, I just got you back."
"I thought we agreed that it was our big dream to go to London."
"Yeah, our dream. We go together."
"Nor, do you really expect me to turn down a job in London just because of that?"
"Ye-... well, I guess I couldn't ask you to do that."
"I sure as hell wouldn't tell you to stay behind just because I couldn't go."
"Just because I'm not getting the London job doesn't mean I want to hear you lot bickering," Alfie-Joe complains.
___________________________________
It was them. The same Lockwood and George from my dream. Or, well, at the start of the dream, both of them were missing the gray hairs and scars that we had all gotten in that world.
"Mr. Lockwood, it's so nice to meet you!" Jacobs greets when he sees the duo.
"Mr. Jacobs, this is my associate, George Cubbins." They both shake Jacobs' hand.
"Lucy, Julie, come here, girls." Julie and I both go over to the small group.
"These are my Listeners Lucy Carlyle and Julie Young."
"Anthony Lockwood, and this is George Cubbins." Lockwood starts, "It's nice to meet the two of you. I look forward to seeing what you can do in the field. Though we have come prepared with a few tests of our own if you both seem like a good fit."
"Wonderful, now we just need that Fittes group to show up, and we can head out."
"Do you happen to know who is leading the Fittes team?"
"I was told, but I don't quite remember, I believe it started with a K."
"Kipps? Quill Kipps?"
"Yes! That was it."
"Odd, he's usually more punctual."
"Oh, are you friends?"
"Well. . . we know each other."
"Rivals then?" I ask.
"That's a better definition of it, Ms. Carlyle." Lockwood agrees. "I don't want harm to come to him or his team, but I don't have to like him."
"Well, it's good to know you don't wish me harm anymore, Tony." Is said from behind him. Again, the same people from the dream. "After stabbing me and all."
"We were both in full fencing gear. If you felt anything, it couldn't have been real pain. And it's not my fault you tripped and gave me the perfect opportunity."
"Well, we're all here now. Let's head to the mill."
"You're sure you're up to this, right Luce?" Norrie asks me a little too loudly.
"Yes, I held it off last time. As long as someone literally has my back this time, I'll be fine."
"Can I ask what happened?" Lockwood asks.
"The ghosts in the mill are intense, and we were unprepared. I was able to drive the main one off and didn't notice the second until it had already touched somewhere roughly around my shoulder blade. I was in the hospital for about a month because of it."
"So many others and none of them could give you so much as a warning?"
"None of us saw it." Norrie answers.
"I'm not thrilled that it happened, but there's no turning back time. I feel fine now and just need to move past the whole experience."
"The best way to go about, I think." Lockwood agreed. "And what about you, Ms. Young? Is anything exciting going on?"
"I've not spent a month in the hospital or anything like that if that's what you're asking."
"Good to know that both of the Listeners didn't go down then." George comments. "At least one has been working recently."
"No, she ran instead."
"Norrie, you didn't exactly stick around either," I say.
"Yeah, but -"
"Nor."
"But -"
"No."
"You've been weird ever since you woke up."
"We can talk about this later. Right now, I need to keep my head on the place that almost killed me last time."
"Wait, you were unconscious for the entire month you were in the hospital?"
"I was unconscious for a month. I had a week of bed rest at home before they let me come back to work, and even then, I spent a week confined to the office and then a week only doing smaller cases."
"So you've been out of the hospital for about a month, too."
"Yes."
"That's not as worrying then. I'd be questioning Jacobs' leadership if he let someone practically go from unconscious for a month straight back into the field." George says.
"Yes, that does feel like signing a death warrant. I could see a minor injury and going back to work the next day, but even then, I would not be right back to cases."
"So you two know that we're Listeners, what combination of Talents do you two have?" I ask.
"Sight, I'm deaf when it comes to ghosts." Lockwood answers.
"I've got a mix of all three, but my Listening and Touch definitely are not good enough to rely on for long-term." George answers.
"Which is where you ladies come into the equation." Lockwood says, smiling. "That is, if you actually want to move to London."
"Get out of this hell hole town? Absolutely!" Julies says.
"It would definitely be a change, but I'm up for it." I say.
"That's great to hear!" Lockwood said.