“As if you don’t know where we are, you’re nothing more than a part of my dream.” Claire snapped at Kate. “We are standing among the ruins of the circus.”

Claire was angered when dream Kate claimed it was not her who had been touching her at all, like she had not caught her in the act of groping her. She clearly thought Claire was a moron, and that was what angered her the most. 

She turned around towards Kate who had tears streaming down her face, as much as she hated to see her friend cry she had to remind herself this wasn’t her real friend anyway. Claire raised her hand and held it in front of Kate.

“Look at it! Look at it, Kate!” She shouted, and then slapped Kate across her face. “That wasn’t me! I didn’t do that, Kate, you must believe. I would never hit you. It was someone else.”

She bristled with rage, clenched her teeth and felt tears beginning to form in her eyes as well, but they were not of sadness. 

“Do you take me for a fool?” Claire snarled. “I’m probably just some tamed barbarian with no brain, right? Cause clearly no one else than me would be dumb enough to believe you over their own eyes.”

Claire felt her anger subside with every heavy breath that she took. Hitting and screaming at dream Kate had felt good, and it helped her calm down, as she had let out most of the anger by taking it out on someone else.  

“I love the real Kate.” She stated simply. It wasn’t news to herself or anyone. “I trust her with my life. She would never lie to my face or hide something from me.” She went on; speaking words she hoped were truth for Kate about Claire in return as well. “If she wanted to touch me like that I would… probably let her.”

Well, it wasn’t something she needed to consider in reality, but she saw no reason for her to lose her childhood friend over something so silly. Though she hoped the real Kate would have the decency to not do it when she was asleep and unaware. That had been creepy and unwelcome.

“I’m not some dumb animal.” Claire muttered to herself. “Animals aren’t dumb either.” 

She hated the idea that Kate would think about her like some did. Those who whispered behind her back about how she was uncivilized and had no understanding of how human interaction worked so she spent all her time with animals that were as smart as her, but just because she knew how it worked did not mean she wanted to be a large part of it. She was a member of a traveling circus for fucks sake.

Claire sighed. “Any suggestions for how I get out of this nightmare into something more pleasant?” She turned to look at each of her friends’ dream replicas. “Elijah? Pervert Kate?”

She turned back to the area around them. One of her worst fears come alive, her home destroyed and everyone gone. At least she hadn’t seen any corpses or signs of her kittens demise, so she could pretend like it was fine. It felt like the walls of her mind that had imagined this wanted to crush her psyche though.