A/N: Welcome to chapter three! I thank the people who reviewed ^_^

"9" and its characters belong to Shane Acker.

Rikki, Uncle, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21 belong to me.

Enjoy chapter three!

+ Chapter Three +

- D R E A M I N G -

"Rikki, I don't think you should do that…"

"10, relax, it's not like I'm going to die or something."

"Well, you might!"

"…Really, 10? Really?"

"Yes, really! I think you shouldn't do it!"

I sighed. For the past twenty minutes, 10 has been arguing with me. Although he didn't bring up many good points, he was pretty persistent. "It's not due until September. I have plenty of time."

"I still think you shouldn't put it off until who-knows-when. If you do it now, at least you'll get it over with!"

"Te-e-e-en," I whined.

"Rikki," he said sternly. I pouted.

"Fine, I'll do a little bit of it – but not all of it!" Even though I told him this, he flashed a victory smile at me.

"Good! Now, I see you've got algebra II, summer reading, government, chemistry…" He rambled through the subjects of work I had, and I groaned. He looked up at me. "What's the matter?"

"Too much work!" I whined. "It's the second day of summer vacation; do I have to do it now?" He shook his head with a small smile.

"Well, tell me which one is the hardest to you, and I'll help you get through it so you won't have to worry about it. That sound good?" he tried reasoning. I saw that there was no way I was getting myself out of this now.

"Chemistry," I replied dully. "I don't understand it much, which is why I nearly failed the class." He pulled on one of the sheets to try and drag it over, but, seeing that he was having trouble, I picked it up and brought it next to my crossed legs. 10 smiled in thanks and sat on my bent knee, looking down at the packet.

"Alright, I guess the ideal place to start is question one…" As he went through the questions, he asked me what I didn't understand about it and gave explanations for them. I flipped through the pages, frowning at the questions. However, as 10 continued to give explanations to nearly every single question, it only took about an hour for the packet's questions to be answered, save a few problems.

I fell backwards onto my pillows, taking in a long breath. "Wow," I muttered. 10 jumped off of my knee, landing before the packet. "That took forever."

10 laughed. "At least we got it done. Now you won't have to worry about it for the rest of your summer." I nodded subtly. "Does chemistry put you to sleep that quickly?"

"Haha, you're lucky I stayed awake after fifteen minutes." I shut my eyes and squirmed myself into a comfortable position. "But, I guess it feels cool that I got it done."

"Almost done."

"Eh, I'm sure I can pass without doing them."

"Rikki."

"10?"

"Is it so hard to look up the questions?" I thought about the question for a moment, mulling it over in my head a few times, before coming back with a terse, yet completely honest, answer,

"Yes."

10 climbed unto my shoulder and looked down at my face with a displeased look. I smiled.

"I'm kidding, 10. I'll get it done at some point." His expression didn't change. "…After a nap?" He smiled.

"Good. I'll make sure you do it."

"Fine, fine." I yawned. 10 patted my cheekbone gently before I dozed off.

-

"Rikki, Rikki!"

My eyes lurched open, unwilling to be blinded by the lights of the room. It felt as if I had been sleeping for only a few minutes.

10 began calling my name again, now shaking my shoulder roughly. "Rikki, Rikki, we've got to leave!"

I looked over my shoulder to look at 10. "Whadd'ya mean, leave?" I slurred, half-yawning. His eyes were panicked, and his hands shook against my shoulder.

"Th-The beast!" he cried. Although my body fought against me, I sat up making 10 fall against the bed. "We must leave now!"

"What beast?" I questioned. He turned and pointed a shaky copper finger at my window. I rubbed my eyes in attempt to fix my blurred vision, but 10 managed to scramble up my arm and pull on my pinky finger before I was able to finish rubbing my right eye.

"Rikki, we have to go, n-now! Before it gets us—" 10's urgent voice cut short as the house trembled. The beast was coming. 10 made a final tug on my finger and I grabbed him, leaping off of my bed. I looked outside of the window. A large, red orb was advancing, with long spidery legs that smashed through buildings and tore apart civilians. I looked away fearfully. 10 shook in my hand. "Rikki, we have to go!"

"W-What is that?" I asked him, not looking back at the window.

"The beast!" 10 tried to squirm out of my hand, but I held on to him tighter. I wasn't going to let him get away. I couldn't lose him.

"What are we supposed to do?" I panicked, looking around my room. I slid my sneakers onto my feet, nearly falling over as the house continued to tremble. I looked around frantically, trying to find something to hold 10 in so I wouldn't drop him. My eyes landed on my bed post. My buckled hat.

"We're supposed to run and hide!" 10 looked out of the window, and tried pulling away from my grip again. "Rikki, come on!" I grabbed the hat and stuffed him inside. He made curious noises, but I slid the hat on. I felt him crawl around my head.

"Just stay there," I called to him. I bolted out of my bedroom. I ran down the hallways of my home, panicking far too much. As I passed through the kitchen, I back-tracked and jumped onto a flight of steps, landing awkwardly on my foot. I hissed, but grabbed the doorknob to the workshop's door and twisted it. "No, no, no!" I cried.

It was locked.

I tried pulling at it and twisting it harder, anything to make it unlocked. I pounded my fists against the door and kicked it hard. Tears began to roll down my cheeks. There was no hope.

The trembling became harder. The beast was coming closer.

Suddenly, a hand pushed me to the side, and I almost screamed. However, the figure of a man obstructed my vision, and the sound of keys jingling distracted me of the beast's spidery legs thumping against the ground. The door to the workshop opened, and the man shoved me inside. From inside my hat, I could hear 10 breathing heavily, panicking.

The man flickered the lights on, and the withering face of my uncle was showed.

"Uncle!" I cried. I jumped and wrapped my arms protectively around his neck. "Uncle, uncle, the beast!" My uncle pushed me off gently and quickly hobbled over to the workbench. He threw the chair away and dropped to his hands and knees. His hand wrapped around a handle bolted to the floor, and he pulled up. He waved his hand, signaling for me to come over.

"Get inside, Rikki!" he told me. I ran over and slid inside. I looked around. It was a bomb shelter. My uncle slid inside and pulled the handle down.

Everything was dark, and the air was heavy.

"Rikki, where's 10?" my uncle asked fearfully. I pulled off my hat and held my hand to my head. 10 clambered into my palm.

"He's right here, uncle," I said to him. My uncle tried to peer through the dark in attempt to make out 10's small figure.

"Put him in my hand, Rikki," he ordered, giving up on trying to see the stitchpunk. I found my uncle's hand and placed 10 gently in it. I heard my uncle make a sound of approval.

"How are you, 10?" my uncle muttered quietly. 10 was silent. I heard him fiddle with his copper fingers.

"To be honest…I'm frightened." The ground shook again, and I cowered. My uncle was silent. He took my hand and placed 10 back in it. I held 10 close to me. Finally, my uncle spoke.

"Rikki…I must do it now." He raised a hand to open the door for the bomb shelter. However, a reached a hand out to him and grabbed his shirt.

"Uncle, what are you doing?" I asked fearfully. He gently pushed my hand away.

"I have to do the transfusion now. We are running out of time."

I didn't have time to say another word to him. He lifted the door up and pulled himself out. The world, with the door opened, was so loud – I could hear screams, buildings crumbling and falling, the cries for God – but, all was silent as soon as the door dropped and closed. I instinctively held 10 closer to me, and he curled up in my hand, afraid.

"He's going to make the others," he muttered. I looked down at 10 as best I could. I then looked at the door. "He could kill himself if he does it too fast without rest…"

I pressed my hand against the door, trying as hard as I could to open it. However, I knew that my uncle was right above it, at his workbench. I could hear him grunting and moaning in pain as he created the other stitchpunks. I pounded against the door, not to gain my uncle's attention, but to express just how I felt.

I felt like screaming and kicking. I felt like crying until my tears would drench my face and drown my lungs. I wanted to stop my uncle. I didn't want him to die. Not now. Not ever. Not my uncle.

I suddenly heard a loud thud from above the shelter. My breath caught in my mouth and fell back into my throat. 10 uncurled and looked up at me, and then looked up.

"He…" 10 shook his head. I felt a tear roll down my cheek, and a wail emitted from my mouth. 10 placed a hand against my shoulder. My head dropped, and my chest heaved as my tears and sobs took my breath. 10 patted my shoulder soothingly with his tiny hand.

The ground trembled. The beast was extremely close now. Maybe even just above us.

I was going to die. I knew it – the beast would come and destroy my home and get me and tear me up. I pulled 10 so close to me, I hoped I wasn't killing him. I knew I wasn't because I heard 10's voice in my ear.

"Rikki, Rikki! Wake up!"

I looked up, my eyes opening. 10 towered over me, not in the dark of the bomb shelter, but in the light of my room. 10 stared down at me with a panicked face. I looked back at him. My vision was blurry.

I had been crying.

"Rikki, are you okay?" he asked softly. He put his small hand on my forehead. "You were crying in your sleep." I closed my eyes again and took a deep breath. He moved his hand to push away a tear stuck on my cheek.

"10…the beast."

"What beast, Rikki?" he asked curiously. He held onto my shoulder as I sat up, rubbing the tears from my eyes.

"…Nothing," I muttered. I shook my head as I said it. He patted my shoulder gently.

"Are you sure, Rikki?" I nodded.

"Yeah…" I held my hand out for 10 to climb in, and he did so. He looked at me sympathetically. I smiled a little at him. "10, when you escaped the workshop forever ago, was the door unlocked?"

-

I pricked my finger with the needle again. "Ouch," I hissed. I put the head of the doll down to rub my pricked finger. "I didn't realize making stitchpunks was so hard…"

10 looked at the dark grey-colored burlap head. "It looks pretty..." I stared at him. He was looking at the head with a smile. He caught my stare. "Pretty good, I mean!" he saved himself quickly. A sly smile overtook my lips.

"Thanks, 10." I picked the head up again and looked at the shape – it was as perfect as I could get it. "Alright, time for the body." I picked up the dark grey burlap square with the outline on it and picked up the pair of scissors.

"Rikki, why are you doing this?" 10 asked me suddenly. He was walking around the nine other stitchpunks that lay on the table, lifeless. "If this was because of a silly nightmare—"

"I have to do this, 10. I have to make sure that, if the beast comes, my life will still go on. I have to."

"Rikki, it was a nightmare, the 'beast' isn't real—"

"10." I put down the half-cut fabric and looked at him harshly. "It is real. It is! It's going to come for us soon, and if I'm not prepared, then I'm going to die without anything to live on by." 10 looked down at the head of my stitchpunk, then back at me.

"Fine, Rikki. It's real. But, shouldn't you make more than one stitchpunk if you're going to do it?"

"I will, I will," I assured, happy that I got him to agree. "But, we have to start at square one."

I cut the rest of the fabric in silence, as 10 looked around the workshop. He looked at was one day going to be his brothers and sisters and studied them. I pricked my finger on the needle again and again, but didn't stop. The light green thread brought the pieces of dark fabric together. I looked at a blueprint of 10 that my uncle drew out as a guide. I finally was able to put the needle down and breathe. The stitching was complete, for now. I reached over and pulled out all of the machinery for the stitchpunk's insides, and worked away. Hours and hours, but I didn't give up. At one point, I saw 10 lay down on a pile of fabric and close his eyes to sleep. I put down a screw and looked at 10. He looked peaceful when he slept. It was only my third time seeing him fall asleep.

I continued to work until I finally attached the three strips of velcro to keep the skin together. The velcro was a darker shade of grey than the skin, only a shade above black, with light green ends. I put my hands down, at last. I looked down at my doll and smiled. My work was complete.

I squinted my eyes away from the work light and peered at the time – quarter to five in the morning. "Good God," I muttered quietly. I looked at 10, who was still sleeping. I poked him very gently on his side. "10," I called softly. His eyes opened slowly. He sat up on top of the heap of fabric and looked at me.

"Ah, Rikki," he said quietly. He looked past my face and down at the workbench, at my stitchpunk. His eyes widened and he leaped off of the fabric. "She's done," he whispered. He stood over her hesitantly, afraid to touch her. He turned his head over his shoulder and looked at me, smiling. "She looks wonderful."

I yawned a huge yawn and nodded. "Thank you, 10," I thanked through a yawn. He put his hand on my finger.

"I think it's time you rest," he told me. I nodded again. My heavy eyes drooped, and I felt my head nod again. He patted my finger. "Alright."

I took my stitchpunk in my hand and turned her over. I blinked. "I forgot to give her a number," I mumbled tiredly. I picked up the pen out of the ink jar and readied my hand.

"What's her number?" 10 asked. I wrote the number on her back.

"21. She's stitchpunk 21."

---

"D r e a m s are like s t a r s...you may n e v e r touch them, but if you f o l l o w them they will lead you to your d e s t i n y."

-Unknown.

A/N: Thanks for reading, please review!

-Abby