Silently and without warning, tears ran over my cheeks. He hugged me tightly, and I relaxed into his shoulder and chest. Dawn’s absence made me feel as though there was no one left who understood me or could help me understand myself. My dreams didn’t make sense anymore, and without her wise words, how could they ever make sense again? For the first time in my life, she had made me feel normal, created a world where I could fit in and now that had all disappeared.
‘We care about you so much, Amelia. Me, Sarah, Rose, and Joe. And let’s not forget your parents, who would do anything for you. They even let a stranger stay in their house simply because you trusted him.’
He was right. It wasn’t all gone. I still had my friends and family by my side, who felt exactly as I did. They may not all be Dreamers, but they accepted me for me and were willing to fight for me.
‘I really like you, Amelia, and I’m sure you know that. You have so much going on at the moment, so I don’t expect anything from you right now except friendship. When this is all over, if you want me to be more than a friend ... I’ll be waiting for you.’
I nuzzled closer into his chest with my face, and he pushed the hair from my face sliding it up behind my ear, softly kissing me on the forehead.
For the first time, Cameron’s absence made me feel lost and sad. Joe had become more social again, and was beginning to let me do things on my own. He enjoyed teaching Mum what he knew about her new orchids. They were so unique and beautiful I could tell why Dawn had loved them so much. Sometimes when we were visiting Mum and Dad’s property, I would sneak off to spend time in there just to feel closer to Dawn, and I imagined the others, especially Joe, did the same.
Towards the end of the week, Mum received a visit from the MMC, who’d arrived unannounced at their doorstep. Dad was at work, and they’d invited themselves in, asking many questions about me and my involvement with a cult who were brainwashing me into joining them. I’d laughed at them using the word “brainwashing” as she relayed the story. Were they not the ones manipulating thousands into buying products and services they didn’t need? They’d looked through, under, and all around the house and property. After a couple of hours, they decided that Mum had no idea where I was. I suspected they would still be keeping a close eye on her, which made me feel very nervous after what they had done to Dawn. Mum had asked the lady with the long ponytail pulled back slick and the black-rimmed glasses where they thought I may be. Dr. Muller had simply apologised to Mum for letting me escape and promised she would do everything in her power to find and rehabilitate me. With that, she left with her convoy of black SUVs, kicking a trail of dust up behind them. The meeting had spooked Mum as much as it had me. The thought of Dr. Muller being so close sent shivers through my limbs. We decided to lie low for a while, which meant no more visits to the property until it was safe.
Some days I found the sounds of cicadas and frogs and the green and brown colours of the bushland surrounding our camp serene and tranquil. On other days, I found it choking and confining and I would have given anything to find myself on the warm sandy beach of Sandhaven. Sarah and I spoke of Sandhaven often, reminiscing about our adventures, most of which had taken place at the beach or Tavern. We told Rose and Joe what it was like to live without responsibilities, and I realised how much I had taken my freedom for granted. When I listened to Joe’s stories of looking after his mother and then staying with his Aunty Dawn and Rose’s stories of falling pregnant at nineteen to an abusive boyfriend and living with her mother, it put my life into perspective.
They’d experienced so many heartaches and trials in their lives. Both Sarah and Joe had lost their mothers, and then Joe had lost his Aunty. Rose had lived in terror while with her boyfriend, and then struggled as a single mother. She hadn’t seen her son for months. I’d never experienced anything that terrible in my life until I’d been taken away by the MMC. Sarah’s mother’s death was a shock, but I could never understand what it would be like to lose your mother, nor did I ever want to. My upbringing had been happy and drama-free, and although I did not tell them, my friends made me truly appreciate the life I had for the first time.
Through our conversations and stories, we grew to know and understand each other, reminding us why we were together in our small camp in the first place. Individually, we had faced our own trials, but together, we’d overcome many of them. It gave me faith that if we stayed together, we could overcome the hurdle that was the MMC.
When Cameron arrived back on the farm the following week, he agreed that it was safe once again to visit my parents. To celebrate, Dad cooked us a barbeque. We sat, once again, on the back veranda overlooking the surrounding bushland and farms. The moon was full, painted a brilliant orange, and looked huge in the clear night sky. Joe had helped Mum hang fairy lights along the beams of the roof, giving the deck a romantic and relaxed atmosphere.
I took a sip of rum and coke. It warmed my throat and stomach, the first alcoholic drink I’d consumed in months. I’d missed having a relaxing drink at the end of the day. Dad stood; it was clear that he had something important to say.
‘Both Trish and I just want to say thank you for everything you’ve done for our Amelia. You took care of her and were a family to her when she needed it most and brought her back to us when we needed her most. The five of you have forged a bond that will last for years, and because you are so important to her, you are important to us. Trish and I want to welcome you to our family, and we want you to know you are always welcome here.’ His eyes welled, but a large audible swallow ensured they didn’t flow, and he sat back down in his chair.
A chorus of ‘thank yous’ chimed back at him and hugs and handshakes ensued. My dad wasn’t much for speeches. He always took a backseat to the constant chatter of my mum, Sarah, and me. The others didn’t realise how important they were for him to make such a statement.
Kissing him on the head, I thanked him. ‘We love you, sweetheart, and please make sure you all look after each other in this thing you are all planning.’
Looking around, I took in the faces of the people that meant most to me. Warmth filled my heart for the first time in weeks.
Mum and Dad left us to discuss our ideas. Cameron had suggested it was best they knew nothing in case they were questioned by the MMC again. Cameron announced that his friend Tech thought our best bet was to hack into the MMC’s computer system that produced and sent out the dreams to the Wristcuff wearers. He believed that if he could find images and have them in our online video, it would jog people’s memories and they may believe us.
‘We only have to sow that seed of doubt, and they will do the rest,’ Cameron promised.
Tech had already been working on ways to hack into their system but admitted it wouldn’t be easy if it was possible at all. The closer he got, the more roadblocks he found, and it concreted in my mind that they knew what they were doing to people was wrong.
‘He’s thinks our best bet will be to break into the MMC facility, not only to retrieve the images we need, but to erase the dream simulator’s memory so people are more awake than ever when they see our video.’ He waited anxiously for our reaction knowing what he was asking of us was dangerous.
‘If that’s what needs to be done, then I’m in.’ Unsurprisingly, Joe was the first to answer, his bravery pushing me to do the same.
‘I’m in. I can’t live like this anymore, and I want you all to go back to your lives.’ It felt good to have a plan of action. Excitement coursed through my veins.
‘I’m in too. We’ve come too far to turn away from it all now.’ Sarah held my hand, and I squeezed it to give her the courage she needed.
‘Me too. I want Ethan back. If I can’t have him, I will die trying.’ Rose’s words not only made realise what we were fighting for but reminded me how deadly our mission could be.
Whether intentional or not, they had murdered before, and who knows how they would react if we could actually shut down their entire system.
Cameron explained the plan, and the depth of what we would do sunk in. We started working out what our video should show and say because Tech needed it to be ready so he could post it online on the night of the shutdown. It would happen in just two days’ time. It took a little while for us to focus, but soon ideas were being thrown around. It was unanimously decided that our rebellion needed a face, one that was relatable and believable so that people would sit up and listen to our message.
We suggested around the table who we thought should be the face of our uprising. Cameron felt that Joe would be the best after everything the MMC had taken from him, as did Sarah. Rose felt that I would be best because of how much they had changed my life, and I counter-argued that her life had been changed more than my own. After bickering back and forth, it was Joe’s turn.
He leant forward on his hands in deep thought, taking great consideration into who he would choose.
‘Dawn.’ He sat up and said it with conviction. ‘Aunty Dawn should be the face of our family.’
‘Are you sure?’ Rose had taken on the role of being his new protector to give me a break and in an effort to reforge the relationship they’d had on the farm.
My jealousy had been replaced by appreciation which had helped in healing the broken parts of the friendship between Rose and me.
‘Surer than I’ve been since we lost her. We’ve lost nothing compared to what they took from her. Her beautiful home and her life. We will give her a voice she no longer has because of them.’ He had us convinced.
Dawn would be proud to be the face of a campaign that could topple the MMC from the top of their towers of wealth. Armed with information and ammunition, we created a script of what would be said in our video, and Joe produced a photo of Dawn he had on him. He explained it had been in his car and he had found it on the day of her funeral. He thought it was Dawn giving him a sign that he had to finish what she started.
‘So be it,’ announced Cameron, ‘if we can get down what we want this video to say, I will take it to the city and get Tech to put it together. Then once we have the footage we need from the MMC, all we can do is put it on the Internet and cross our fingers. It’s enough.’
Coming up with the right words to convince people wasn’t easy. We wanted them to take the video seriously, not just shrug it off as another conspiracy theory on the Internet. Most of all, we were careful not to put words in Dawn’s mouth.
Cameron was ready to head back to the city. We were all happy with what we’d come up with and the ideas we had given him for the video. Once again, I hadn’t been able to have anytime alone with him before he left, and I wasn’t sure if I was happy or sad about it. As I watched his car drive off into the bush, an empty feeling formed inside me.
Sarah noticed my sad expression. ‘Won’t be long, Amelia, and you two can sort all of this out.’
‘I’m not sure what scares me more,’ I confided, ‘taking down a major corporation like the MMC, or deciding if I want to be with Cameron.’ She wrapped her arm around my shoulder, and we joined the others.
Rose was getting very frustrated with Joe. No matter how hard she tried to rekindle their close friendship, he kept her at a distance. I wasn’t sure why, but it was strange for Rose to let her frustration show. I wondered if her obsession with Joe was really about Joe or about trying to distract herself from missing Ethan. The fact that she hadn’t hardly mentioned her son for days hadn’t evaded me.
‘Are you okay? You seem a bit on edge lately.’ My words didn’t come out as compassionate as I’d hoped, but she answered all the same.
‘Not really. I think it’s because I’m trying to put the thought of Ethan being dragged into any of this out of my mind. The fact that Jonah is so reluctant to talk to me. He was so inviting when we first met, but now, he is all about the mission.’
‘He’s definitely not the same Joe that I first met. This is important to him, and maybe he just doesn’t wants to make sure nothing gets in the way. I know you’re worried about Ethan, but in a few days, this should be over and you can enjoy your old life with him again.’ She nodded, appreciating the positive outlook.
The confinement of our bush camp had begun to drag us down again. Rose was sad and depressed. Joe was lost in his own thoughts of destroying the MMC. Sarah tried her best to make things more upbeat but was only being brought back down by everyone else’s bad mood. I was in my own world, needing some space for myself. To escape the moody fog that had settled over our camp, I made the trip up to Mr Whitmore’s farm and begged him for some work. He said we could mow the lawn and clean the house if we wished. He was just making jobs up, but I was happy that we would all have a distraction until Cameron returned.
Cameron returned to our camp the morning of the MMC break in. He held his computer tablet under his arm reminding me of the times I’d attended the sleep sessions in Sleep Room Four. It was confusing to recall that place with fond memories. Today though, Cameron’s expression was more serious than I had ever seen it. We sat around our table that looked blue under the rustling tarp and ran over the plan once more. He showed us various maps on his tablet screen of the MMC. I had been right in thinking the staff had a GPS because with his tablet, Cameron easily showed us around the building floor we would be on. This did little to ease my mind, though, as the labyrinth was as confusing from a bird’s-eye view as it was when you were inside. Cameron marked each of our positions with a coloured cross for our final destination; mine was a yellow one placed in the most important room of them all. We changed into business clothes; long black pants, navy blue tops, and smart shoes, and he clipped a ‘Visitor’ badge on each of our chest pockets. Cameron pressed an earpiece behind his ear and handed Sarah a small device she could use to talk to him while we were all inside. We then piled into the small van he had driven out in. I had no idea where it had come from, and we drove quietly focused into the city.
When the large glass and metal building came into view, anxiety began to fill my stomach, gurgling and bubbling till I became ill. Drawing in deep breaths, I willed it to go away. I looked at Sarah, who was also taking a deep breath, no doubt feeling the same.
‘Okay, everyone, you know what you have to do.’
We all nodded as Cameron climbed from the van and headed towards the front of the building. Joe took the driver’s seat and drove us around the back, down a narrow alley that had skip bins lining the wall at its end. Without speaking, we all climbed out. Joe put his arms around both me and Sarah. Then Sarah and I put ours around Rose, and we came together for a group huddle. Still silent, we all looked into each other’s eyes, feeding off one another’s adrenalin, fear, and excitement.
‘I love you all like my family.’ Tears welled in Joe’s eyes. ‘And no matter what happens today, Dawn would be very proud of us all.’
I knew she would be watching over us, doing her best to keep us safe.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE
Cameron came through a back door close to the bins at the end of the alleyway followed by a guy. He looked around the same age, but he wore long pants and a button-up shirt instead of the white coat usually paraded around the facility. He also had short curly hair that sat like a nest on his head, and a short beard. We headed towards them squeezing each other’s hands for courage.
‘Guys, this is Tech. Tech, this is Joe, Sarah, Rose, and Amelia.’ I could sense Tech’s nerves but wasn’t sure if it was because he was meeting us or he knew more of the dangers of the mission we had ahead of us.
Nervously, he waved.
‘So are you ready?’ Cameron was looking directly at me.
‘Ready!’ Joe was pumped, and his energy filled us all with a much needed kick of adrenalin.
The door closed behind us, and I didn’t have time for my eyes to fully adjust to the dimly lit landing before everyone moved silently into action. The stairwell smelt of stale air mixed with concrete, and I wondered if this had been the same stairwell I’d used to escape. It felt like it was a lifeti
me ago, but the fear of being put back in the ward was still as fresh as the day I’d been dragged inside.
We climbed the narrow stairs, up to the next floor and then the next, until I’d had lost count which floor we were on.
‘Floor Ten,’ declared Cameron, and Sarah slipped through the doorway, giving my hand one last squeeze before she disappeared.
She would be safe. I was glad she’d been given the job to keep watch. Cameron had given her an earpiece and a microphone, and he wore a set too. Most of the security was located on Floor Ten, so she was to keep watch and let Cameron know if they were onto us. Rose’s position was more difficult, as she would be easily identified if the wrong people caught sight of her. It upset me we couldn’t keep her safe too.
We continued to climb higher until we reached Level Twelve. I couldn’t believe that every time I had been in the outdoor centre, I had been sitting just below the computer system and servers that contained everything I would need to destroy the MMC. Cameron scanned his wrist and walked through the doorway, leaving us all alone. I caught Tech’s eye, and he smiled at me awkwardly. I decided that if Cameron trusted him, then so did I.
Light shone back into the room, and I blinked to focus as Cameron poked his head around the corner. ‘Clear.’
We filed through the doorway and stood in a group behind him. We were in a stark white hallway lined with fluorescent lights. The vision filled my muscles with fear, and I tensed remembering my dreams, the desperate attempts to escape, and the fact that they had all ended in death, my death.
Breathe, Amelia.
The hallway wasn’t empty like my dream. A handful of people walked up and down, strolling past us without a glance, turning into doorways that seemed to appear from nowhere and turning at the end of the hall. We followed Cameron down the corridor to our right, and he began to fill the silence by talking with Tech, who wasn’t as comfortable acting as Cameron was.
‘Our visitors are very interested in the technical side of the corporation, Mr Smith. I thought they would be delighted to see the exciting projects your crew have been working on.’
Dawn of the Dreamer (Dreamer Trilogy Book 1) Page 20