From the Ashes

(sent Tuesday evening)

Spencer,

I used to use this to keep me from drifting off when I was waiting up for someone during the war. It kept my mind off where they were and what might be happening. It's stupid, but it always seemed to make the time pass quicker when I didn't want to lie in bed alone. Maybe it could help you a little until we manage to work out what's going on with your dreams.

It was a gift from my parents, so I might have to ask for it back at some point, but until then it's yours.

Mikey

In a pouch with the note is a polished wood Rubik's Cube. Rather than being coloured differently, the squares are made from different types of trees. As it is a magical toy, it reshuffles itself at random and doesn't always respond to touch the way it should. Mikey swears that on the lonelier nights it used to glow at him.

Who: Joe and William
Where: Joe's rooms
When: Slightly after eleven p.m. on Tuesday
What: Further lessons in Dreamwalking

At the end of his third day awake, which was mostly spent poring over medical texts and herbal encyclopædias, William nearly canceled on his nightly meeting with the Divination professor. He'd missed yesterday, though, without warning or excuse, so he could at least do Joe the courtesy of showing up to apologise. And with as desperate as the situation was becoming, he didn't really have the time to slack off. It was possible his energy might be better diverted elsewhere, but words had begun to swim on the page when he tried to read and a few minutes ago he'd copied the same sentence four times over before noticing, so he doubted he could be useful until he'd at least slept for a few hours.

Staying awake during tonight's lesson - which usually involved meditating, relaxing his mind, and letting go of conscious thought - would be the real challenge.

He knocked on Joe's door softly, not wanting to attract undue attention, and looked up when the door opened. "Good evening," he said, drawing himself up to look attentive and alert. "I'm sorry for missing yesterday. I should have sent an owl, but something came up and I forgot completely. I do beg your pardon."