Chapter Text
Ethan pushed open the door to his counselor's office, upon the man's invitation.
"Good morning, Ethan!" Otto greeted him with a warm smile.
"How are we feeling today?"
"Good." Ethan replied automatically.
A lie.
He never felt "good" anymore.
Not since the nightmares started.
But Otto didn't push,
Instead sitting down in his chair, notebook and pen in hand.
"Have a seat," Otto suggested, gesturing twords the red leather chair across from him.
Ethan obliged, seating himself, trying to get comfortable.
Though he always seemed to be somewhat on edge around his counselor.
"So," Otto went on.
"Have any dreams last night?" He asked, almost conversational.
Almost.
"Yes." Ethan answered.
He knew there was no point in lying.
Otto always had a thing for being able to tell when someone was being truthful.
"From the beginning, then."
Ethan began from the start of his dream—
He had been in what looked like a library.
But things had looked..
Wrong.
Not out of place exactly.
Wrong was just how everything was supposed to look in The Nowhere.
But it still made him wary nonetheless.
He had traversed through the building, weaving through twisted halls and between warped shelves with no books on them.
Strange for a library.
Libraries were supposed to have books in all the shelves.
But then again,
Nothing made sense where he went in his sleep.
He had just narrowly escaped another one of those terrifying creatures.
It had nipped and swiped at his ankles, leaving shallow marks once he had gotten away.
It was a like a rabid dog.
Angry and desperate to attack anything in it's path.
He had just left the building, heart pounding, when he spotted something in the corner of his eye.
He hadn't thought much of it, continuing on, unsure where he was heading, but feeling a need to keep moving.
But it didn't go away.
He would catch glimpses of it from time to time, never getting a chance to really look at it.
Weirdly, he didn't feel put off by it.
It felt like, whatever it was, it was watching over him.
Protecting him.
Eventually, though, while he was walking through a rainy street, he saw it.
Saw him.
A tall, bulky figure,
With a long, rugged trench coat.
He had no eyes and yet—
Ethan could feel his gaze.
Unwavering.
Unyielding.
Staring right at him.
"Did he say anything?" Otto interrupted, voice full of urgency that made Ethan slightly nervous.
"I.. think so," Ethan answered hesitantly.
He didn't know for sure.
His encounter with the figure was fuzzy,
Like static on a TV screen.
"I can't remember."
"Try."
Otto seemed more impatient now.
"I am trying." Ethan said, slightly frustrated.
Otto sighed, annoyed.
"Of course," His counselor agreed, voice tight, his grip on the pen straining.
"Of course you are."
He repeated, sounding kinder this time.
There was a momment of silence before Otto broke it.
"Well," He began. "I think our time's up for today."
Ethan stood, getting ready to leave, when his counselor stopped him.
"Wait." He said, grabbing a jar of candies from his desk.
"Here," He offered, holding the jar out for Ethan.
"Take one."
Ethan stuck his hand in the jar, rummaging around for a few seconds before selecting one.
Otto smiled at him.
"Sweets for my sweet."