All of the children crowded into a nearby cave. It was uncanny how many there were here. Everyone was left to their own dark thoughts when Claire began to cry. They tried to calm her, but it was no use. Finally, Bronwyn read a story to Claire. Jane'd already known the tale, and tried to think where the hidden loop was. The tale finally finished, and Claire was appalled.
"That's it?"
Enoch began to laugh.
"That's a terrible story! Tell another one!" 
To everyone's surprise, Jane looked up and said, "Here. I've got one."
"Jane-" Emma started, but Jane waved her away.
"But, this isn't from the tales. It's one never heard before. The great princess of Parnisla told me it."
"Really?"
Jane smiled mysteriously. "Maybe."
"Once upon a peculiar time," Jane began, rubbing her hands together, "there was a little girl. Perhaps no older than you, Claire. She had everything. Dolls, lace, dresses. You name it, she had it. But. There was something missing." Claire raised her eyes to Jane's.
"What was it?"
"I'm getting to that. She silently vowed that she would never rest until she found it... whatever it was. No sooner than she did," Jane's face clouded over. "The dreams began."
"Every night, as she fell asleep, she had an adventure. Chasing pirates across the seven seas, becoming a fairy, traveling the jungle. Racing around on dinosaurs against herself. Always searching for what she was missing."
"As time passed, she became hard. Unsentimental. Casting off the dreams that no longer came as insanity. But, then,-" her voice dropped down to a whisper. "Her grandfather told her about the monsters." Olive and Claire gasped, fully enthralled. Jacob frowned. This was sounding a bit close to home, yet he'd never heard it before.
"The dreams started again. Except, this time, she was running all the while from blood-hungry monsters who would rip her apart as soon as the chance came. Once again, the dreams stopped. How silly she'd been! Monsters!" Claire and Olive laughed along with her. Jane had captured the attention of everyone in the cave.
"But then," her face was unreadable, like she was wearing a mask.
"Her grandfather died, under suspicious circumstances. She embarked on an adventure to find who-or what-on earth her grandfather's last words meant."
"What next?" Enoch asked, bored.
Jane chose to ignore him.
"She came upon a hellish island, with monsters that could be seen by the light of day and some that you didn't know was there until it was too late. Finally, one day, after days of searching, she came upon a little house. It'd been abandoned, but upon closer inspection," she paused. Claire and Olive pressed forth. "She found it full of what she'd been looking for, all those years ago."
"What was it?!" asked an excited Olive.
"Acceptation. She'd been excluded in everything. Family. Her own was never close. Friends. Forget about her getting some where she'd come from. Here, no one judged you. You could be chubbier than an elephant or lighter than air." Olive squealed.
"You could be brighter than the sun, or wear black all the time. You could be strong as a mountain. You could be weak as taffy. You could see the invisible or be invisible. You could have five mouths or none. You could be yourself. You could love yourself. From the moment that not-so-little-anymore girl walked in, she knew she was home. And wherever these extraordinary people went, she would too. She felt whole, for the first time in her life." She smiled, and you could see the truth in her eyes. She was telling nothing but the truth.
And it seemed sometimes truth and love had a price.
"Now, to bed, the both of you! Although... would it be called 'your small area of the floor'?" she shook her head. "Whatever it may be, to it!" The children giggled, and plopped down on separate areas of floor. Jane laid down next to Claire, and soon she was out cold, snoring softly. Her hair fell on her face, but not before throwing the bathmat around the two like a blanket. One by one, the rest of the group followed suit, until only Millard remained, thinking about Jane's tale. Then, he fell asleep, dozing peacefully...

Jane bolted straight up. It was the middle of the night. She clamped her hands on her mouth and rushed out. Millard sat up, and followed her. He followed her, just in time to see her get sick in a small bag. She made sure her hair didn't get in the way, and coughed. The moonlight revealed the bags under her eyes. Had they always been there? As she coughed again, Millard stopped and froze.

She was coughing blood.

She groaned, and wiped it on her dark cargo pants. She stood up, and started picking the nearby flora. It took a second for Millard to realize that she was making some medicine to help her sleep... or something like that. She made it in excess, murmuring softly. She stowed it in her many pockets, and continued on. Soon, she had enough for fever medication for twenty-three people. Twelve times over. She gathered them all up into her arms, and crashed right into Millard. She fell, the herbs falling around her comically.
Great, she thought. Now I look like some anime character. She blinked in surprise, looking like she wanted to hide in Millard's jacket. 
"Hey, Mill. Are you okay? Need anything?"
Millard paused, then finally burst out like a popping balloon, "Better than you, apparently!" He lost it, and Jane went red, than pale by the light of the moon.
"Er- you, erm, um- saw that?"
"YES! What has been going on! Do we need a doctor? Should I tell someone?-" He was hyperventilating, waving his arms about as if he were an avid roller-coaster rider.
"No, please don't tell anyone. Please."
"Why not?!"
"It's just something that happens to ymbres, sometimes. And, uh... it happens after bad dreams for me. And I don't want to worry them. Especially Jacob. He's already on ice, with you and me-" she sniffed, and shifted her weight, looking at the ground. 
"It... happens whenever I have The Dreams. I...get sick after them occasionally. I have special pills with me, but I... couldn't take it in time. So I made natural ones...just in case. Also, fever stuffs because Claire's burning up." They walked to the cave entrance.
"Please don't get upset, Mill." She looked miserable, and Millard softened. She stooped to pick up a loose herb.
"I'll get that for you. Go to sleep." Millard soothed.
"But...I-"
"Go to sleep." Jane relented, and went back to her spot next to Claire, and plopped down. Within seconds, she was out cold. Millard threw the herb in the trunk, and laid down next to Jane. He finally slept, a nice, dreamless, sleep.