It was unknown to Kate why her friends had suddenly turned their back on her. Were they mad? Or was she? This must be some twisted joke, a hallucination caused by some outside influence. There was no way this could be real, yet it felt as real as anything she had ever experienced. 

Her eyes held a glossy stare on Claire as she yelled and let out her rage towards Kate. It was when she approached her and put her hand in the air that Kate grew terrified, but before she could react, Claire's hand made contact with Kate's face and sent her reeling to the side, holding her face where a red mark was quickly appearing. 

A cry escaped her, more out of shock than pain. This trippy simulation was beginning to overwhelm Kate and her frustration was mounting. It was cruel, the way she was being treated by her friends, which told her it must be fake. The words that left Claire's mouth and were directed at her began to gnaw away at the bit of sanity she was keeping here. 

Kate stood there, frozen in shock at the slap to the face and the hurtful words that targeted her very soul. Now her sadness was turning into anger. Why was this happening? If this were a terrible dream, she would not be able to feel the pain radiating on her cheek like she did. It didn't matter anymore, her hope was fleeting and she was sure she would be trapped forever here in this hell hole of a dream, doomed to live in it for eternity. 

Elijah had turned when he heard Claire's hand smack across Kate's face. He considered approaching her, but only for a moment before deciding that he was better off keeping to himself. His hand was pressed against his neck, and blood continued to pour down his torso from a phantom wound that could not be found. The sight of the blood made bile gather in the back of his throat and he bent over to heave. 

He felt a sharp pain as he vomited, and opened his eyes to see that in a pile of puke and blood lie a double-sided blade. Eli gagged and tasted something metallic in his mouth, which he now could not distinguish between blood or actual forged element. This sent him stumbling backwards, eyes wide and arms frantically splayed at his side. 

He glared at Claire and rolled his eyes, standing and backing away from the two women. His hands were still tightly wrapped around his neck as he used every bit of concentration in his body to keep from having a panic attack and falling into an oblivion of madness. 

Kate had clenched her jaw and blinked away tears of rage, all the while listening to Claire ramble on. 

"I [i]am[/i] the real Kate!" She said through locked teeth. It did take her by surprise when Claire stated that she probably would let Kate touch her in a different way than friends really should, but she did not take this statement to be true, but rather a result of an angry outburst. 

Kate threw a hand to her face in an annoyed gesture. She had never thought Claire to be barbaric or unintelligent. In fact when she heard other people from the circus talking behind her back, Kate had threatened to pin them up and use them as target practice if they kept it up. 

Elijah turned his head towards the pair at the sound of his name, but he scoffed. Kate shook her head and let it hang hopelessly in defeat. 

"Nightmare? This is more like worst fears come true..." She remarked. But then, her head jumped up and her brain began working. "Wait!" She started thinking about a time when she had visited a gypsy that traveled with the circus. The woman had once said "If you want to be free of your worst nightmare, you must first face your fears. Only then will you have peace of mind." 

Kate recited those very words and looked from Claire to Elijah, unsure of whether they were a part of her nightmare or trapped in this place with their own, but she knew now the answer to how to escape this terrifying world. 

"Face your fears."