"I AM A DREAMER! I DO THAT DREAMER! ALL THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD, THEY ALL WANNA BE DREAMERS!"

The Teacher of Death's condo shook from the sheer volume of D-Money's new song, a brash, aggressive declaration of the arrival of Dreamer over a furious hip-hop beat. Happy danced clumsily by himself near the door, emboldened by a combination of Dreamer, Devil Dust, and alcohol. The elderly Teacher of Destruction stood behind the kitchen island in a baggy hoodie, bopping his head to the music. Erica sat nervously in an oversized armchair, feeling completely unwelcome. Little Gabby hid in her room with the door locked.

Replica stood on the balcony, smiling softly and tapping the railing lightly in rhythm with the song, his shirt unbuttoned and his long black hair flowing freely in the wind. And the one who'd brought the entire party together, Black Smoke, stood alongside him with a wicked gleam of satisfaction dancing in his eyes, a bottle of whiskey clenched firmly between his bony fingers. The sky above was covered with thick purple storm clouds that threatened rain at any moment.

"Grrrgh! Hahahaha! Isn't this... grand? We've got the Dreamer, we've got the dealers, we've got the music... we're finally back in business!" croaked Black Smoke in delight, holding his drink up high. He took a swig, then coughed hard.

"Easy now," laughed Replica. "Take it easy! You're going to pass out if you drink like that, man."

Black Smoke waved his hand dismissively, wiping the corner of his mouth with the sleeve of his filthy red jacket.

"Oh, c'mon... hahaha! I've got it together, Repli... Repla... uh..."
"Maybe we should get you lying down," said Replica, his voice calm but firm. "You're really not looking so hot."

"Hah! Ah! Nah... ahaha... I just need... some Dust to wake me up. You want some? Let's go... to the bathroom... ah! There!” he croaked out, opening the door and shakily pacing back inside. “Come on, boys! Ahahaha!"

The thin, pale figure wobbled his way through the living room with Replica to the master bathroom, collecting a few Brothers on his way with the promise of Devil Dust to snort and Dreamer to rub on their gums.

Erica stared at them as they went, too scared to move a muscle. Coming to this stupid “investor's meeting”was the worst mistake she'd made in her entire life. She'd only agreed to come because Miss Planner promised she was going to come too, but... well, Miss Planner was running late, and now it was looking like she might not show up at all, so she was starting to think should probably just leave.

"Hey, cutie! You want to... dance?"

The high-pitched, hiccuping voice came from her left side. It was Happy. He was a little guy in a white polo shirt and brown shorts and a perpetual grin on his face. Erica flinched and turned towards him with a nervous smile.

"Uh... what? Uh... yeah, maybe?" she squeaked in a voice she barely recognized.

"Hee hee! Or how about this?" he asked excitedly, waggling a baggy of Dreamer at her. "I am a dreamer! I do that Dreamer!"

"Mmm, maybe later..." she muttered quickly, averting her gaze and closing her arms off.

"C'mon. Try it!" said Happy, pushing his way in and reaching out to touch her hands, which were tightly balled in fists. "You won't be sorry!"

"Nnn... uhhh..."

Erica wasn't good at saying no. But the idea of getting high with this creep didn't exactly fill her with joy. He had a strange smell about him that reminded her of something unpleasant, and he kept staring at her with his beady little eyes, grinning and giggling every time she tried to look away. She had a feeling he wasn’t leaving until she did it.

"You know how, right? You just lick your finger and rub it on your gums. Like this... easy, right?"

He stuck out his tongue, showing her how to do it. Erica's stomach lurched.

"Uhh... okay?"

Erica nodded weakly, her mind racing. She could hear Black Smoke's horrible laughter echoing from the bathroom as she slowly reached out and dipped her trembling finger in the plastic bag.

"Now you gotta rub it above your teeth real quick, like so... ahaha!" cackled Happy, covering his mouth with his hands like an excited little girl. "That's it! Hold it there for a minute or two. Then you can spit it out."

It tasted nasty, like burnt rubber. Happy stared directly into her eyes as she did it, his own bright green irises boring into hers as she held her breath, trying to ignore the sickening taste in her mouth.

"Yeah, see? It's gentle," said Happy in a singsong tone as he leaned in close to her ear, breathing heavily into it. "Don't worry. Just relax, and..."

“Yeah.”

She could feel herself starting to relax. Her nausea faded a little. Her breathing became easier. She closed her eyes and listened to the music.

Happy had lost interest in her. He was singing again, off-pitch and warbling.

"Yeah! Yeah, yeah! I am a dreamer! I do that Dreamer! I'm D-Money, come on and get your dreamer!"

Erica swayed back and forth to the music, feeling the effects of the drug wash over her, losing track of time and place. She felt the warm glow spread through her body, relaxing all of her muscles, making her feel lightheaded and euphoric. She opened her eyes slowly, watching as Happy danced around the room in a trance. She was about to say something when Black Smoke appeared again, swaying and staggering back into the room. His eyes had glazed over a little bit, and he seemed a little unsteady on his feet.

"Ahhh... I think I'm gonna take a nap," he announced to the living room as though anyone cared, slumping down onto the sofa next to the wall and putting his head back. "Grrrrrgh. Hahaha... nnng... hahaha..."

Black Smoke always looked like he was having the best time of his life, but now Erica thought he looked almost... innocent. Almost kind of cute. Erica smiled at him. She felt a sudden urge to join him on the couch, but instead, feeling brave, she stood up and walked over to Happy, wrapping her arms loosely around his waist and joining him in a clumsy dance, laughing along with him and the music.

"I'M D-MONEY, COME ON AND GET YA DREAMER!"

She laughed. She couldn't help it. She laughed so hard that tears started streaming down her cheeks. She laughed even harder when Black Smoke suddenly stood up from the couch and began jerkily dancing all by himself like a broken puppet. She didn't know what time it was, or whether Miss Planner was coming to join them or not, but... she didn't care anymore.

"You know... you were right, Happy," whispered Erica, wiping the tears from her eyes as they continued dancing together. "Dreamer is... really... nice."

"Heheh... yeah... hahaha... it's the truth," said Happy as he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. "This is the stuff... huh...? What is this? Oh, hey... you're crying!"

"I'm not crying," said Erica, smiling through her tears. She’d never felt this way before. Black Smoke gurgled loudly on the couch.