Simon had spent the last two hours explaining everything he'd been through to Katherine.
From his first dream, Carla's brooch that had appeared in reality, defying all logic, to the Ghost system.
Katherine got up from the couch, walking across the room to open a window through which they could see the starry sky, lighting a cigarette.
She looked at Simon, at first with doubt, but then filled with determination.
"So, what are you going to do now?" she asked, glancing sidelong at the lottery ticket. "I get that your situation is… complicated, but you should still celebrate."
A small smile formed on the girl's lips as she exhaled smoke.
"You're a millionaire, Simon," she declared, incredulous.
Simon picked up the ticket, feeling its rough edges.
"I guess I am, aren't I?" he said, with a dry laugh devoid of emotion.
Katherine noticed the conflicted look in her friend's eyes and sighed.
"You're worried… what's going on?" she asked.
Simon approached her, leaning against the window to gaze at the stars, but the sky was completely overcast, leaving him with nothing but the cold breeze from outside.
"Clara wants to talk to me," he murmured, "at the usual club, in my dreams. So I need to sleep."
Katherine nodded silently.
Simon closed his eyes, still feeling the weight of the lottery ticket in his hand, as if its roughness could anchor him to reality.
The cold breeze coming through the open window brushed against his skin, but it couldn't clear the fog in his mind.
Katherine, beside him, took one last drag of her cigarette before putting it out against the window frame.
The silence between them was heavy, laden with unspoken questions, but she didn't press him. She just looked at him with those eyes that seemed to see more than Simon was willing to share.
"So, you're going?" Katherine asked, her voice soft but edged with concern. "To the club, I mean. The one in your dreams."
Simon nodded, though the idea twisted his stomach.
'It's just the club in my dreams,' he thought, recalling the place he'd visited so many times in his mind: neon lights, a pulsing rhythm that seemed to beat inside him, and Clara, with her magnetic presence.
But a new message from the Ghost system appeared before him, throwing him off:
— Nightclub. 11:00 PM. Don't be late!
"I don't know what she wants from me," Simon murmured, more to himself than to Katherine. "Clara said I need to meet her at the club… the usual one. In my dreams."
Katherine frowned, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall.
"The club in your dreams? And what about that sign you mentioned? Remember when you insisted the club was real?" She paused, as if trying to piece it together. "I was there with you… You seemed so convinced."
Simon froze.
'The sign,' he thought.
He hadn't connected the dots until now. Back then, he'd thought it was a hallucination.
Simon shook his head, trying to sort his thoughts.
"I don't know," he admitted, his voice trembling slightly. "She just said I had to go to the club. That it was important."
Katherine huffed, but her expression softened. She stepped toward him, her hand brushing his arm in a gesture warmer than usual.
"This is sounding crazier by the minute, you know?" she said, a playful edge to her voice. "But if you're going to dive into your weird dreams, don't do it alone. Promise you'll tell me everything when you wake up."
'Why does she always make me feel like everything's going to be okay?' Simon thought, caught in the warmth of her gaze. There was something different about Katherine tonight, a glint in her eyes that threw him off, as if she were testing something new between them.
"I promise," he said, managing a weak smile.
She flashed a wider grin, leaning in a little closer.
"And, hey, if you're going to that club, even if it's just a dream, wear something decent. I don't want my favorite millionaire looking like a mess."
Simon let out a dry laugh.
"Favorite millionaire? I'm pretty sure I'm the only one you know."
"Don't be so sure," Katherine replied, winking. "But you're the only one I care about."
The air grew charged with a new tension, and Simon felt his pulse quicken.
'What is she doing?' he thought, torn between Katherine's warmth and the shadow of Clara waiting for him in his dreams.
Simon swallowed hard, steeling himself for what was to come.
"I should go," he said, stepping away from the window. "I need to… sleep."
Katherine nodded, though her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Be careful, Simon," she said, her voice more serious now. "And don't let Clara wrap you around her finger too much. I don't trust her."
'Neither do I,' Simon thought, but he just nodded. As he closed the window and headed to Katherine's guest room, he felt the weight of the day pressing down on his chest.
'It's just a dream,' he told himself, collapsing onto the bed as he closed his eyes, letting the world dissolve.
The dream pulled him in like a current, no preamble. A blink, and he was in the club.
Neon lights painted the walls red and purple, the air thrummed with a deep bass, and the crowd moved as one, a sea of dancing shadows.
'The usual club,' Simon thought, relaxing slightly. It was the same place he'd visited in his dreams so many times: the same flashes, the same rhythm that seemed to pulse within him.
But something was different this time—a weight in the air, a metallic, ozone-like scent that made him frown.
He scanned the crowd for Clara, her familiar figure vivid in his mind. He found her by a bar lit with blue lights, leaning with a relaxed posture.
She wore a black dress that caught the lights, her red hair loose, cascading in waves over her shoulders.
When she saw him, her face lit up with a smile warmer than Simon expected, almost flirtatious.
"Simon!" Clara said, standing from the bar with an enthusiasm that caught him off guard. "I thought you wouldn't show. The system can be… a bit intense, right?"
'Why is she so happy to see me?' Simon thought, taking a step toward her. The crowd parted, as if knowing not to get in the way.
"Clara," he said, his voice drier than he intended. "What is this? What do you want from me?"
Clara tilted her head, her smile turning a touch more playful.
"Always so serious," she said, stepping closer.
She tried to place a hand on his arm, but the gesture was clumsy, her fingers barely grazing his jacket before pulling back. She let out a nervous giggle, covering her mouth.
"Oops, I'm a mess at this. But come on, lighten up a little. Don't you love the vibe? It's the best club in the world!" She gestured broadly toward the dance floor but stumbled slightly on her heels, steadying herself with a laugh. "Okay, pretend that didn't happen."
Simon frowned, thrown by her demeanor.
'What's wrong with her?' he thought. Clara had always been enigmatic, distant, but now she seemed to be trying too hard to be… friendly?
"What do you want, Clara? The system told me to come, but this is just a dream. The usual club."
Clara bit her lip, a gesture that seemed more nervous than seductive, though her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"That's what you think, isn't it?" she said, leaning in as if to share a secret. Her voice dropped, but kept that playful tone.
"This club… it's not just a dream, Simon. It's real. It's out there."
Simon felt a chill, his mind reeling.
"Real?" he echoed, his voice barely a whisper.
'That makes no sense,' he thought, shaking his head.
"This is my dream. The club I always see with you. How can it be real?"
Clara sighed, crossing her arms, though her posture remained open, almost inviting.
"It's not just your dream," she said, stepping closer. She winked, but the gesture was clumsy, and she let out another giggle. "Okay, that didn't go as planned. Look, Simon, the Ghost system shows you this place because you're special. Only you can see it for what it really is, because the system is connected to you. That club, the real one, is a meeting point… for ghosts."