By the time evening settled in, the group had found the perfect place to camp. The private estate was sprawling—far larger than they'd first thought. Inside the towering fence, there was a patch of thick woods, a wide grazing field, and a narrow river cutting across the property like a silver ribbon. And right at the heart of it all stood a two-story, colonial-style mansion, its reddish-brown exterior darkening with the dusk.
They chose to hide in the small forest, sticking close to the edge farthest from the house, blending into the dense shadows.
Setting up camp brought its own challenges. A large fire was out of the question—the smoke would be a dead giveaway. Instead, they settled for a tiny flame, just big enough to cook and provide a little warmth. To help even more, Hal created a shimmering energy dome around the camp, trapping heat and keeping smoke from leaking into the night air.
The downside? Hal had to stay awake, focusing to maintain it. The dome demanded constant attention, and any lapse in concentration could collapse it.
Still, it was worth it. After a full day of running and hiding, the group finally had a proper meal—cooked by Roberto, who managed to throw together every raw ingredients they had left before it spoiled.
Now, everyone was bundled up and asleep soundly due to the warmth—everyone except Hal.
He sat at the edge of the dome, legs crossed, eyes half-closed, outwardly calm. Internally, he balanced the delicate weave of his powers, channeling his focus while doing… well, absolutely nothing else.
And that's when he started to notice.
There was something strange in the air—some kind of energy slowly being drawn toward him. It wasn't alarming, just… odd. He couldn't tell what it was exactly. Maybe static electricity from the air, maybe residual heat from the fire, or maybe something else entirely. He wasn't sure.
Still, he made a mental note of it. Just in case.
Hal then suddenly noticed movement—Dani was stirring in her sleep. She twitched restlessly, her face scrunching in discomfort. A nightmare. Hal straightened, a little concerned. If she lost control, she might end up dragging the others into nightmares.
Before he could act, Dani jerked awake with a sharp gasp, sitting up and looking around in confusion. Her wide eyes locked onto Hal, who was still sitting calmly, keeping the dome in place.
"I'm doing it again, aren't I?" she said weakly.
"Doing what?" Hal asked, keeping his voice low.
"Giving people nightmares."
Hal glanced around. Everyone else still slept peacefully—at least, from what he could tell.
"Doesn't look like it," he said. "Seems like you're just haunting yourself."
"I just…" Dani muttered, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I can't control it. The doctor said I had that power, but I never really felt it. And you—you said it too. But how do you actually know? Not just reading it off a report. Know it?"
Hal shrugged. "I don't. But I know Illyana once got caught in it. You wanna wake her up and ask what she experienced?"
Dani shook her head quickly. "I'd rather not."
She looked at him, a little desperate. "You said you could teach me. Any tips?"
Hal leaned back, exhaling through his nose. "You have the power of fear, Dani. But from the looks of it, you still let it control you. Of course it's not going to work right."
"You mean I'm afraid?" Dani scoffed. "I'm not—"
"Don't lie," Hal cut her off, not unkindly. "You can fool the others maybe, but not me. Not when I can feel it pouring off you."
She glared at him. "Oh yeah? What am I feeling right now, psychic boy?"
"Fear," Hal said simply. "Probably from everything happening around us. Anger too—leftover baggage from Milbury. And a whole lot of repressed crap you don't want to deal with. Don't do that, it's not good."
Dani frowned. "How do you even know it's bad to repress stuff?"
Hal gave a short laugh. "Because it's killing me. Sitting here, feeling it from all of you—it's like having a ten-ton boulder dropped on my chest."
"Oh…" Dani muttered, finally looking a little sheepish.
"Yeah." Hal leaned forward a bit. "And the longer you bottle it up, the worse it gets. Repressed feelings build pressure. Eventually, something's gonna crack. Maybe you'll hurt someone. Maybe yourself. Maybe both."
Dani let out a small, humorless laugh. "You sound like a therapist."
Hal smiled faintly. He could've told her about all the therapists he'd met during his time stuck in a hospital bed... but he didn't.
Instead, Dani went quiet for a moment, thinking. "So what—you're saying I have to face my fears?"
"Exactly. Fear is natural. But don't let it control you."
"Well," she said with a shaky smile, "they'll probably go away once we're safe, right?"
Hal shook his head slowly. "No. You're carrying more than just today's fears, Dani. And they're not gonna disappear on their own."
"Like what?" Dani asked softly.
Hal stayed quiet for a moment, choosing his words carefully.
"How did you end up in Milbury?" he asked. "Did your parents send you? Was it... something worse?"
"I, uh…" Dani hesitated. "It was a freak accident. A typhoon hit my reservation. But…"
Hal didn't push. He waited, letting the silence work.
"I don't think that's the case," she muttered. "I think... It was me."
"What do you mean?"
"They never really told me the full story," she said, voice barely above a whisper. "The doctor, I mean. I must've... lost control somehow. Hurt people. Maybe worse."
She stopped there, the words hanging heavy between them.
"Now I'll never really know," she said with a weak, hollow smile. "Unless I go home and find out for myself."
"Do you want to?" Hal asked.
"I don't know." Dani hugged her knees tighter to her chest. "I don't know anything anymore."
Hal could feel it then—an overwhelming wave of lethargy from her. It wasn't just fear or anger. It was something heavier. Something deeper. Something that... maybe wasn't even part of the Lantern emotional spectrum he knew. Sorrow.
Dani stood up suddenly and sighed. "I'm gonna get some fresh air. This smoke is getting to me."
"Alright." Hal nodded. Inside his chest, he felt a familiar radiant warmth, the same comforting spark he'd noticed when talking with Sam earlier. "Just don't wander too far."
She just nodded quietly and slipped out of the dome into the cold night air.
Hal sighed to himself, running a hand through his hair. It was hard—talking to someone carrying that much weight. He wasn't good at comforting people. Never had been. Patience, sure. Silence, sure. But real emotional support? Not exactly his skill set.
Before he could sink too far into thought, someone else stirred from the circle of sleeping bodies.
Illyana sat up, stretching lazily before fixing him with a smirk.
"Well done, new guy," she said, her voice low and teasing. "So much for not being a therapist."
"I never said I was one," Hal shot back. "And I do have a name, Illyana. Or would you prefer if I just called you 'Russian girl'? Or maybe... 'bitch'?"
"Very funny." She chuckled, nodding as if giving him points for the effort. "Come on. Try therapying me."
Hal snorted. "That's not even a word."
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. You kept asking if I'm okay all day. Here I am. Ask away. Analyze me."
"You're serious?" Hal raised a brow. "Now you're just mocking me."
"I'm serious." Her smirk softened into something more genuine. "You feel emotions, right? So, what's your read on me?"
Hal sighed but played along. "Same as before. A ton of repressed emotions. Anger. Fear."
Illyana tilted her head, amused. "You always say those three. What if I'm feeling happy right now? Can't you tell?"
Hal shook his head. "I don't feel it. I know some emotions, yeah. But this group?" He gestured broadly at the others. "We're not exactly sunshine and rainbows. It's always the same—fear, anger, sorrow, and... all the stuff you all bury so deep it practically screams."
"Sorrow?" This time it was Illyana's turn to raise a brow. "You feel that in me?"
Hal paused, considering her carefully. "No. Not right now. You're probably just... repressing it."
"Or maybe I'm just not sad," she said with a shrug, like it didn't matter.
Hal chuckled under his breath.
"What?" she snapped.
"Nothing," he said, still smiling a little. "It's just... the story you told that cop earlier. Was it yours? Or something you made up?"
Illyana's expression darkened. "What are you talking about?"
"Crossing from Russia to Alaska," Hal said quietly. "Getting taken by bad men. Was that—?"
"Stop." Her voice cut sharp through the air, the casual smirk wiped clean from her face. "Not funny anymore."
"Emotions aren't a joke, Illyana," Hal said gently. "Sorry if I'm intruding. But—"
"Well, yeah, you are intruding." She snapped to her feet, glaring at him. "Next time? Don't spy on people."
"Alright, I'm sorry," Hal said, hands raised in surrender. "I won't ask again. Not unless you want to talk about it."
"I won't." she hissed.
Without another word, Illyana stepped out of the dome, conjured a shimmering portal, and vanished into Limbo.
Hal sighed, rubbing his face tiredly. Figures. Like he thought, he wasn't exactly built for socializing—never had been.
Before he could gather his thoughts, Dani stumbled back into the dome, her face pale and confused. She stopped short, glancing around.
"Where's Illyana?" she asked.
Hal gave her a weary, half-hearted smile. "Let's just say... I screwed up. Hopefully she'll cool off and come back by morning. What about you? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I... yeah, I…" Dani stammered, pacing back and forth like a nervous cat. "I think... someone spoke to me. In my mind."
Hal's expression sharpened. "What?"
"I heard a voice," Dani said, her hands trembling slightly. "A girl's voice. In my head. I think... I think someone in that house is like us. A mutant."