Post by Bailey Rosegale on Aug 21, 2011 2:16:38 GMT -5
Chapter One
“Siloqiu, this is really not the time to be lying around! You have to get up and get ready for school!”
I felt someone shaking me, and numbly, I opened my eyes. My older brother, Arthur, was standing over me, staring at me with a skeptical look on his face. I felt the cold sweat all over my body, and how my breath hissed in my dry throat and I knew I had been given another nightmare.
Arthur saw how I was panting and asked with worry in his eyes, “You okay, Qiu?”
“Yes.” I responded dully. Arthur stroked my light-brown hair from my forehead.
Unlike most big brothers, Arthur is always nice to me. He acts like he loves me all the time. Arthur is really smart and is a senior in high school. He has already been accepted into Harvard next year.
Arthur may be smart, but he looks like a classic dude. He has dirty blond hair that hangs in his face. He’s tan and skinny, but he has no idea how to work a skateboard. He was born tan. Most the girls at my school keep asking me to get Arthur to date them. I only tell them that he already has a girlfriend from the Academics club. She’s really pretty, but her glasses are huge, so it takes away a lot of her beauty. Her name’s Krystal.
I don’t really have a special talent like Arthur. I’m not super-smart, I’m not at all artistic, my athletic skills are about as advanced as a sloth's, and pretty much every social gathering or anything to do with other people I will not like. The only thing that I am praised for is my imagination and ability to sleep for two days straight. I have a very avid imagination, and that leads to me having horrible nightmares, which I suffer from nearly every night, even if I don’t remember them. They still scare me to death, though. Often I will wake up in a cold sweat, screaming.
“Another nightmare?” Arthur asked sympathetically. I nodded a bit, sleepy.
After getting dressed for school, I began my daily routine: I stumbled onto the bus, my eyes falling closed and my brain barely functioning. I was surprised I could still walk. I sat down in the first empty seat I could find and lay my head against the window. The bus finally halted at the school and we were led off in an ‘orderly’ fashion.
School was just a blur, as usual. I never really paid much attention, which was probably why my grades were F, F, F, F, B, C, D. I hated school like I hated the sun rising in my face each morning and waking me up.
After a vicious food fight and the whole school held in detention for an extra two hours, we were let free, and I rode the bus home. I still hadn’t woken up.
The minute I got home I tossed my backpack to the side, ate an apple for dinner and then flopped down on my bed and began to sleep again.
“Hello?” I called. My voice echoed around me in the turquoise background that I floated in. I knew I must be dreaming; this was way too weird to be real. There was a little golden-yellow bubble floating above my head, and it was twinkling like a star, so I reached out to it, and the tips of my fingers brushed it, and I was sucked in.
When I could make sense of what I was seeing again, I realized I was at the old park that had been destroyed for a hockey rink that no one used. People were around me, laughing, but I couldn’t see their faces.
As I turned, I saw a box. It was a rectangle shape, about a foot wide and a foot thick, but it came up to my waist. It actually looked like it was stacked with small, thinner boxes that were all different colors. The one at the top had a large black button that seemed just big enough for my hand to fit over it. The bottom one, which was a bright yellow, looked like it had some sort of mail slot in it.
As it was a dream, I could not control myself, and my hand reached out and pushed down on the black button.
Without warning, I was tumbling down a long slide that was slick with something really gross. Somehow, I knew I had been sucked into the box.
I began screaming as monsters began popping out of these doors on either side of the slide and shooting what looked like paintballs at me. No one ever hit me, though.
After a couple hours of screaming, I got quite bored, and I just sat there with my elbows on my knees and my legs crossed, supporting my head with my hands.
Finally, I saw the end. I slipped through a giant mail slot and ended up falling three feet onto a padded floor. I struggled to my feet and shook myself off, feeling disoriented.
This was one weird dream. Usually I was just running from something.
I turned and saw two twin kids about my age sitting there. The only problem was they seemed to be shifting shapes. They were still human, but they were turning into different people. They were both grinning at me, and there was something creepy how their eyes just stayed where they were, never moving.
My mouth moved, and I tried to scream, but I couldn’t.
“No need to panic.” The one on the right murmured. “We’re only here to ask a question.”
“What question?” I asked nervously.
“Would you like to control your dreams?” The one on the left asked, still smiling. “You will never have nightmares again.”
“Uh.... Sure?” I mumbled, not really sure. I knew it was a dream, but these people were creeping me out. Were they stuck like that, smiling?
“Guess what our names and what we are, and then we will let you control your dreams.”
Suddenly unnerved, I decided I wanted out.
“There’s only one way out.” The twin on the right said. “Guess our names and what we are and you can go free.”
“All right, then. And how many guesses do I get?”
“One.”
I frowned and looked at the floor. How was I supposed to know their names?
When you dream, you have an extra sense, the sense of just knowing. If you didn’t just know stuff, then nothing in your dream would make sense.
Well, my sixth sense finally kicked in, and I just knew who these people were. “I think I got it.” I said.
“What are our names?”
“Alice and Phoenix.”
“What are we?”
“Wolves.”
I blinked once, and the two looked completely different. The one on the left, Alice, was a beautiful girl with sparkling silver owl feathers tied into her dusty golden hair. She was very thin, and was dressed in a beautiful white silk dress. Big, silvery eyes looked at me.
The other, Phoenix, was a very handsome boy that had dark black hair that curled around his jaw and pale skin. He had a black, sleeveless shirt that hung off of his slim body loosely. Dark brown eyes stared at me from a perfect face.
“You were right.” Alice smiled, and it was friendly, not creepy. She was about twelve or thirteen, while Phoenix was sixteen or seventeen, about my age.
“You freed us from our curse. Thank you.” Phoenix bowed, taking up my hand and kissing it gently.
I blushed furiously and offered weakly, “You’re welcome...”
Phoenix smiled at me and put his hands behind his back, standing erect and looking over to Alice.
“Here are your bubbles.” Alice chirped, taking out a brown leather pouch that was worn from years of use.
“What?” I asked, taking the bag.
“Set them on the floor.” Alice insisted.
Seeing no harm in doing so, I sat down on the floor and tipped the contents of the bag out.
A turquoise bubble rolled out, along with a silver one, a yellow-gold one, a purple one, and a black one.
“What in the world....” I began.
“Each of these represents a different place.” Phoenix explained. I fell quiet, wanting to hear every second of his beautiful, perfect voice. “The yellow-gold one represents our land, which means you will be switched to this tower every time you activate it. The turquoise represents your state of mind, which is where you will go every time you enter Drimalia. You will stay in your state of mind until you pick somewhere to go. You can make your state of mind a little more comfortable if you want by buying things at the market. You can make a bed where you can rest during the day, put an ice place in there where you can cool yourself down, etc. The silver one represents waking and going back to the real world. The purple one is the market, which sells everything. The black one represents the Dream Zone.”
“Okay.” I said stupidly.
Phoenix smiled at my confusion. “You’ll get your partner right away.” He told me.
“Partner? What do you mean?” I asked, scrambling to my feet.
Phoenix and Alice stood with me while Alice stated, “Well, your partner is the person you hang out with in your dream world. You get to make them, but they have to be the opposite gender.”
I simply stared.
“Come on, you’ll get the hang of it!” Alice insisted. “Your dream state keeps you from going into too much shock.” She turned and started out a tunnel I hadn’t noticed before.
I quickly gathered up the bubbles and dropped them one by one back into the leather bag, each one making a high pitched note that sounded like a flute as they hit each other. It was a really quick sound, barely noticeable if you didn’t listen, but it was more beautiful than any sound I’d ever heard.
Phoenix stood and waited for me. I held onto the bag and followed Alice through the tunnel, though she’d already disappeared.
“Take out your purple bubble and drop it at your feet.” Phoenix instructed. “Your bubble will be in your hands when you get there.” He stopped, stepping behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders, and I felt his chest against my back. He was tall: I only came up to his shoulders. “Be careful, all right?” Phoenix whispered in my ear. His breath smelled like sweet grass, and it caressed my cheek.
Phoenix disappeared, and I trembled for a moment, looking around. After a moment, I opened the brown bag and stared into it. The silver bubble was for waking up, wasn’t it? Should I wake up, or continue this dream?
After a moment, I reached in, pulled out the purple bubble and dropped it to the floor. The whole world spun around me, and I began to swoon. All of the sudden, there were stone walls around me, leading out into a market place. My stomach lurched and I collapsed, my breathing ragged.
“Are you all right?” Phoenix asked me, kneeling down next to me.
“Oooh...” I groaned. “I’ve never felt like this in a dream before...”
“Well, you’re not dreaming anymore.” Phoenix told me. He smirked, and muttered, “You’re in Drimalia.”
“What’s Drimalia?” I asked quietly, clutching my churning stomach.
“Where the Dreamers are.” Phoenix explained. “There aren’t many. You’re the youngest we’ve ever had.”
“I don’t understand.” I mumbled.
“It’s hard to understand at first.” Phoenix admitted. “It’s just a place. How would you explain Realom?”
“Realom?” I asked, confused.
“The waking world.” Phoenix told me. “Try to stand, all right? We can’t stay here long. People will be after me.”
“Why?” My knees felt like jell-O as I stood, and Phoenix held my arm to hold me up.
“I’m... Never mind. It doesn’t matter.” Phoenix looked at me worriedly. “Are you all right?” He asked me.
“I think so... Just feel really shaky...” I breathed.
“That’s how it usually is the first time.” Phoenix smirked again. “As soon as your stomach calms down you’ll be hungry, so do you want to get a honey tart?”
“What’s a honey tart?” I asked quietly. I was still trembling, but I was getting stronger, and Phoenix placed my hand on his arm and he led me off slowly.
“They don’t have them in Realom?” Phoenix asked, looking startled.
“No. At least, I don’t think so.” I looked up at him, and he cocked his head at me, frowning slightly.
“Oh well.” He sighed. He then looked back at me as we walked, and he smirked again. “You guessed my name. May I guess yours?”
“I don’t think you’ll get it.” I admitted.
“Samantha.” Phoenix tried.
“Nope.”
“Sarah.”
“No.”
“Selena.”
“No.”
“Does it start with an S?”
“Yes....”
“What’s it end with?”
“U.”
Phoenix looked lost in thought for a moment, and then he pulled me over to a cart that stood in the long street filled with people.
I was amazed. My dreams had never been this vivid, this real. I could see everyone’s faces, and I felt each one stick in my memory.
As we approached the cart, the merchant looked up at us, and he stared at Phoenix in disbelief, his mouth gaping open and close like a fish. Ignoring the merchant, I drew in the sweet smell wafting from behind the cart, where I could see some bread baking in a brick oven.
Phoenix leaned against the cart and spoke to the merchant behind the counter. “One honey tart, please.”
The merchant still stared, and Phoenix smirked, amused. “Phoenix!” The merchant said in surprise, finally finding his voice.
“Yes?” Phoenix asked.
The merchant suddenly shook himself and began to make something, working quickly. He grabbed small bags filled with powder and dumped some into a bowl. “What happened, boy? You were gone for nearly a whole year!”
“The Curse.” Phoenix said quietly, and the merchant nodded. “She got us out of it, though.”
“Who is this pretty thing, anyway?” The merchant asked as he shoved something into the brick oven.
“This is...” Phoenix paused, looking over at me. “Well, she refuses to tell me her name.”
“Well then.” The merchant scoffed. “Feisty, or just stubborn?”
“Shy.” I murmured.
The merchant gave a kind grin and pulled the thing from the brick oven. He took a large syringe looking thing and injected something into the two-inch thick sugar cookie that had come from the brick oven.
“Will you tell me your name now?” Phoenix asked me, digging deep in his pockets, looking for something.
“Siloqiu.” I told him.
Phoenix sniggered as he pulled a large silver coin out of his pocket. “I would have never guessed that.” He admitted. “It’s a beautiful name.”
“Thanks.” I said, blushing.
“Here’s your honey tart, Phoenix.” The merchant said, handing a paper bag to him. Phoenix handed it off to me.
“Here’s an itur, Uli.” Phoenix handed the silver coin to the merchant and looked back to me. “Go on, Siloqiu.” He murmured. “Try it.”
Quietly, I opened the brown paper bag and pulled out the sugar cookie. It had caramel dribbled on the top now, and powdered sugar speckled it. Honey oozed from a hole in the side, where the merchant had poked the syringe.
Slowly and cautiously, I took a bite. You would think the combination of a sugar cookie, honey and caramel would taste bad, but it really didn’t. It was amazingly tasty, and I immediately moaned in pleasure. “This is amazing.” I said.
“I knew you’d like it.” Phoenix grinned, thanked Uli and then led me off. As I ate the honey tart, Phoenix said, “I should have Alice take you to get some new clothes. Your clothes are from Realom. You need some that don’t stand out in Drimalia.”
“All right.” I mumbled, licking some honey away from my fingers.
After I had finished the honey tart, I looked around a bit. The whole street was made of honey-colored cobblestones, and merchants covered every inch of it, with carts or not. Permanent shops stood there, their doors open and inviting. I was intrigued by a glass shop that had beautiful, sparkling animals in the windows. As I looked, I saw they were moving!
“Don’t get too enchanted by them.” Phoenix said, looking to me. “Most of them are quite dangerous.”
“Oh.” I muttered, disappointed. I looked forward, and for the first time I noticed a very, very tall tower made completely of glass, crystal and white marble. It was sparkling in the light of two large stars that hung in the sky. They were only about 1/5 the size of the sun back home, but together, the both of them let off a sufficient amount of light.
“Like it?” Phoenix said, noticing what I was looking at. “I suggested it be built four years ago. Gives the new Dreamers something nice to see when they first come here.”
“It’s amazing.” I murmured.
“All right, let’s go then, Siloqiu.”
“Oh, call me Qiu.” I told him quickly.
“All right, then.” Phoenix entered the crystal tower and walked through it like he owned the place.
The place inside was amazing, but didn’t have much in it. There were a few black marble chairs with red velvet cushions set along the walls. A woman sat behind a desk at the front that was made of crystal, talking to Alice, who was leaning over the desk, speaking to her.
“Is that her?” The woman asked, indicating me to Alice.
Alice spun around to see. “No!” Alice cried. “That’s my brother!”
“Alice, she meant Siloqiu.” Phoenix motioned to me.
“Qiu,” I mumbled.
“Oh.” Annie gasped. She blushed, grinning, and turned back to the woman behind the desk.
“Siloqiu, huh? Nick-name’s Qiu...” The woman mumbled to herself, typing on the computer in front of her. When she was done, the woman said, “Right through the right doors, honey. Your partner’s name is Quil.”
I nodded my thanks as Phoenix led me through a door on the right side of the desk.
There was a long, long hallway with hundreds of doors, each labeled in some language I didn’t understand.
“I’ll do the bottom half.” Phoenix offered, and I nodded, blushing slightly. “Stay here, all right?”
Again, I nodded as Phoenix disappeared into one of the rooms. He returned a moment later with a silvery outline of a person, covered by a cloak. I could see a pair of feet beneath the cream-colored cloak.
“The doors on the left should take care of the rest of him.” Phoenix instructed. “Go through them in order. Don’t skip one room, and start at the fifth door down.”
“All right.” I mumbled, and then turned to look at him. “Where are you going?”
“I need to get some money for you.” Phoenix said. “I owe you more than you know.”
“All right...” I muttered, nervous. I glanced at the silvery outline, which was standing there like a mannequin.
“I’ll get you a credit tab, too.” Phoenix told me, and then he said, “Be careful, all right?” He looked over to the silvery outline. “Take care of her.”
The silvery outline shifted for a moment, as though it understood, and then stood still.
“Okay, I’m gone.” Phoenix flashed me a smile and left at a swift pace.
I looked over at the silvery outline and grumbled, “This is one long dream.” I turned and stepped through the first door.
The black walls stretched so far that it had disappeared. Male torsos were floating in mid air, varying in so many ways I could even explain them all.
I found a section of skin colors that looked like it matched my partner’s, and I searched around for a chest. There were big fat ones, tiny little skinny ones, and ones that I just looked away from and begged my mind to forget that I had ever seen them.
All at once, I bumped into something, and I saw a bare chest right in front of me, thin and muscled with a broad chest and flat stomach. I spread my hands over the chest and cocked my head a bit.
After a moment, the silvery outline walked over, under the torso. The chest faded through the cloak as though it wasn’t even there, and there was a disgusting squelching noise as it attached to the legs.
Shuddering, I continued on, and my creation followed. For his arms, I picked a pair of thin, strong ones. They matched his torso quite nicely, and I was feeling safe for once as I looked at him.
Once I had grabbed a head, I began into the next room for eyes, the one after that for hair, and then ears, mouth, and nose. My creation was handsome. He was thin and had chocolate brown hair that was a bit curly at the ends, and it was ragged like a lion’s mane. His eyes were an icy blue, and they stared ahead blankly.
I led him back out into the hallway and stood there, examining him, figuring out if I had missed anything.
My creation didn’t move; he just stood there stupidly. There was no emotion on his face at all, and he looked like he wasn’t even there.
Suddenly, someone opened the door at the end of the hall and strode out. He was a blond-headed man, tall and lanky, with green eyes and a wide grin. He wore a white doctor’s coat, along with some black slacks, black shoes, and a light blue T-shirt.
He smiled at me when he saw me standing there, and he asked, “You’re new, aren’t you?”
I nodded and replied, “Very new.”
“This is your partner?” The man asked, looking through his silver glasses at my creation. Again, I nodded. “What’s his name?” The man looked excitedly at me.
For a moment, I couldn’t remember what the woman had told me my creation’s name was. “Quil.” I told the man.
Nodding his approval, the man studied Quil for a moment, and then he frowned. “Has he gotten a brain yet?” Suppressing a smile at the ridiculousness of the subject, I shook my head. “All right. Come with me, I’ll get him one real quick.”
“Okay...” I said, struggling not to giggle.
The man led me into the door at the end of the hall, and Quil followed me. When we entered, the only thing that seemed to be there were tables filled with large jars, which held grey brains.
The man scanned each jar, and then said, “Ah, here it is.” He put his hands around the jar, and the brain floated right out of the jar, not faltering as it phased through the glass. The brain floated in between the man’s hands, and he walked over to Quil and lowered it into his head. Again, the brain slid right through his skull like it wasn’t even there.
Quil jerked like someone had punched him, and he crumpled. Panicking, I rushed forward and turned him over, wondering if he was okay. His breath was hissing in his throat and he looked distressed, his chest heaving for breaths.
“He will be fine.” The man assured, covering Quil’s lower half with a blanket. “I’ll go get some clothes for him.”
I merely nodded and waited for the man, stroking Quil’s brown hair from his face. After a moment, the man came back into the room with some clothes, and I turned away while he dressed him. One of the brains in the jars twitched a brain stem at me, and I shuddered.
“You can look now.” The man told me.
I turned and saw Quil leaning up against one of the marble tables, his eyes still closed and his breathing still tortured. He was dressed in some light brown pants and a green, sleeve-less, button-up shirt. The collar on his shirt went up about hallway around his neck, and the buttons were thin rectangles.
“Is he okay?” I asked quietly. “He’s still breathing really weird. He looks like he’s hurt.”
“Oh, they all do that for the first couple minutes.” The man assured me. “They’re brains have to get used to being in a body.”
As we waited for Quil’s brain to kick in, the man asked, “What’s your name?”
“Siloqiu, but I like to be called Qiu.” I told him. I pushed Quil’s hair from his forehead, watching him.
“My name is Dr. Gilly.” The man said. He must have noticed the look I was giving Quil, and he said, “You’re very protective over him, aren’t you?”
“I dunno.” I shrugged. “I’ve only known him for about an hour.”
“Most Dreamers just watch.” Dr. Gilly explained. “No one has ever cared for them until they’ve been with their partners a while. Then again, most Dreamers we get here are boys. You’re the first girl we’ve had in a long time.”
I was about to say something when Quil let out a tortured moan, and his fingers twitched. Alarmed, I looked up at Dr. Gilly, who gave me a gentle smile and said, “He’s just waking up, getting used to pain and everything.”
We both watched Quil for a moment as he began moving. He worked his arms into strength, and then his legs. After a moment, he opened his eyes and blinked wearily, glancing around. He looked exhausted.
“Quil?” I asked cautiously.
His eyes rolled to look at me, and his ice blue eyes shone when they saw me.
Dr. Gilly merely watched us with an interested look on his face.
“Are you okay?” I asked quietly.
Quil took a moment to breathe, and then he said hoarsely, “Yeah.” Despite the breathy, exhausted sound of his voice, I knew when he got stronger, it would sound amazing.
Without warning, Phoenix walked in, and Quil’s hands stiffened into fist, and he moaned as he struggled to sit up.
“No, Quil!” I cried, pushing him back so he wouldn’t hurt himself. “This is Phoenix! He’s a friend. It’s okay.”
Quil went limp, still watching Phoenix wearily.
“Qiu,” Phoenix said, and I looked to him. “You have to wake up.”
“Why?” I asked, taken aback. “I like it here.”
“But you can’t stay.” Phoenix insisted. “You need to wake up. Take the silver bubble and wake up.”
“But-”
“Siloqiu, you are in danger!” Phoenix snapped. “Go! Now!”
I scrambled to my feet, and Quil murmured, “Siloqiu...”
“I’ll be back, I promise.” I insisted, and I pulled the silver bubble from the bag, which I had tied around my waste, and I dropped it at my feet.
I opened my eyes, and I felt numb. My dreams had always felt more real to me than my life had. I was back in Realom and out of Drimalia.
As I glanced around, I saw a hospital room, and I saw people walk in. I didn’t pay attention to their faces: my eyes were so blurry from sleep I could barely see.
“How do you feel?” A voice asked me. Their voice stung in my head, for I was unused to sound, and I moaned, my throat sore from breathing out of my mouth for so long.
I wanted to see Quil again. I wanted to see Phoenix and Uli and Dr. Gilly and Alice. I hated Realom. Everything was too numb, too painful. In Drimalia, I could actually feel myself.
“I wanna sleep.” I moaned, my throat stinging like it was on fire.
“You can’t.” One of the people said.
I shut my eyes tightly, turning in my bed, ignoring the drip in my arm, and I fell back asleep.
I had a feeling I was going to be in the hospital for a very long time.
“Siloqiu, this is really not the time to be lying around! You have to get up and get ready for school!”
I felt someone shaking me, and numbly, I opened my eyes. My older brother, Arthur, was standing over me, staring at me with a skeptical look on his face. I felt the cold sweat all over my body, and how my breath hissed in my dry throat and I knew I had been given another nightmare.
Arthur saw how I was panting and asked with worry in his eyes, “You okay, Qiu?”
“Yes.” I responded dully. Arthur stroked my light-brown hair from my forehead.
Unlike most big brothers, Arthur is always nice to me. He acts like he loves me all the time. Arthur is really smart and is a senior in high school. He has already been accepted into Harvard next year.
Arthur may be smart, but he looks like a classic dude. He has dirty blond hair that hangs in his face. He’s tan and skinny, but he has no idea how to work a skateboard. He was born tan. Most the girls at my school keep asking me to get Arthur to date them. I only tell them that he already has a girlfriend from the Academics club. She’s really pretty, but her glasses are huge, so it takes away a lot of her beauty. Her name’s Krystal.
I don’t really have a special talent like Arthur. I’m not super-smart, I’m not at all artistic, my athletic skills are about as advanced as a sloth's, and pretty much every social gathering or anything to do with other people I will not like. The only thing that I am praised for is my imagination and ability to sleep for two days straight. I have a very avid imagination, and that leads to me having horrible nightmares, which I suffer from nearly every night, even if I don’t remember them. They still scare me to death, though. Often I will wake up in a cold sweat, screaming.
“Another nightmare?” Arthur asked sympathetically. I nodded a bit, sleepy.
After getting dressed for school, I began my daily routine: I stumbled onto the bus, my eyes falling closed and my brain barely functioning. I was surprised I could still walk. I sat down in the first empty seat I could find and lay my head against the window. The bus finally halted at the school and we were led off in an ‘orderly’ fashion.
School was just a blur, as usual. I never really paid much attention, which was probably why my grades were F, F, F, F, B, C, D. I hated school like I hated the sun rising in my face each morning and waking me up.
After a vicious food fight and the whole school held in detention for an extra two hours, we were let free, and I rode the bus home. I still hadn’t woken up.
The minute I got home I tossed my backpack to the side, ate an apple for dinner and then flopped down on my bed and began to sleep again.
“Hello?” I called. My voice echoed around me in the turquoise background that I floated in. I knew I must be dreaming; this was way too weird to be real. There was a little golden-yellow bubble floating above my head, and it was twinkling like a star, so I reached out to it, and the tips of my fingers brushed it, and I was sucked in.
When I could make sense of what I was seeing again, I realized I was at the old park that had been destroyed for a hockey rink that no one used. People were around me, laughing, but I couldn’t see their faces.
As I turned, I saw a box. It was a rectangle shape, about a foot wide and a foot thick, but it came up to my waist. It actually looked like it was stacked with small, thinner boxes that were all different colors. The one at the top had a large black button that seemed just big enough for my hand to fit over it. The bottom one, which was a bright yellow, looked like it had some sort of mail slot in it.
As it was a dream, I could not control myself, and my hand reached out and pushed down on the black button.
Without warning, I was tumbling down a long slide that was slick with something really gross. Somehow, I knew I had been sucked into the box.
I began screaming as monsters began popping out of these doors on either side of the slide and shooting what looked like paintballs at me. No one ever hit me, though.
After a couple hours of screaming, I got quite bored, and I just sat there with my elbows on my knees and my legs crossed, supporting my head with my hands.
Finally, I saw the end. I slipped through a giant mail slot and ended up falling three feet onto a padded floor. I struggled to my feet and shook myself off, feeling disoriented.
This was one weird dream. Usually I was just running from something.
I turned and saw two twin kids about my age sitting there. The only problem was they seemed to be shifting shapes. They were still human, but they were turning into different people. They were both grinning at me, and there was something creepy how their eyes just stayed where they were, never moving.
My mouth moved, and I tried to scream, but I couldn’t.
“No need to panic.” The one on the right murmured. “We’re only here to ask a question.”
“What question?” I asked nervously.
“Would you like to control your dreams?” The one on the left asked, still smiling. “You will never have nightmares again.”
“Uh.... Sure?” I mumbled, not really sure. I knew it was a dream, but these people were creeping me out. Were they stuck like that, smiling?
“Guess what our names and what we are, and then we will let you control your dreams.”
Suddenly unnerved, I decided I wanted out.
“There’s only one way out.” The twin on the right said. “Guess our names and what we are and you can go free.”
“All right, then. And how many guesses do I get?”
“One.”
I frowned and looked at the floor. How was I supposed to know their names?
When you dream, you have an extra sense, the sense of just knowing. If you didn’t just know stuff, then nothing in your dream would make sense.
Well, my sixth sense finally kicked in, and I just knew who these people were. “I think I got it.” I said.
“What are our names?”
“Alice and Phoenix.”
“What are we?”
“Wolves.”
I blinked once, and the two looked completely different. The one on the left, Alice, was a beautiful girl with sparkling silver owl feathers tied into her dusty golden hair. She was very thin, and was dressed in a beautiful white silk dress. Big, silvery eyes looked at me.
The other, Phoenix, was a very handsome boy that had dark black hair that curled around his jaw and pale skin. He had a black, sleeveless shirt that hung off of his slim body loosely. Dark brown eyes stared at me from a perfect face.
“You were right.” Alice smiled, and it was friendly, not creepy. She was about twelve or thirteen, while Phoenix was sixteen or seventeen, about my age.
“You freed us from our curse. Thank you.” Phoenix bowed, taking up my hand and kissing it gently.
I blushed furiously and offered weakly, “You’re welcome...”
Phoenix smiled at me and put his hands behind his back, standing erect and looking over to Alice.
“Here are your bubbles.” Alice chirped, taking out a brown leather pouch that was worn from years of use.
“What?” I asked, taking the bag.
“Set them on the floor.” Alice insisted.
Seeing no harm in doing so, I sat down on the floor and tipped the contents of the bag out.
A turquoise bubble rolled out, along with a silver one, a yellow-gold one, a purple one, and a black one.
“What in the world....” I began.
“Each of these represents a different place.” Phoenix explained. I fell quiet, wanting to hear every second of his beautiful, perfect voice. “The yellow-gold one represents our land, which means you will be switched to this tower every time you activate it. The turquoise represents your state of mind, which is where you will go every time you enter Drimalia. You will stay in your state of mind until you pick somewhere to go. You can make your state of mind a little more comfortable if you want by buying things at the market. You can make a bed where you can rest during the day, put an ice place in there where you can cool yourself down, etc. The silver one represents waking and going back to the real world. The purple one is the market, which sells everything. The black one represents the Dream Zone.”
“Okay.” I said stupidly.
Phoenix smiled at my confusion. “You’ll get your partner right away.” He told me.
“Partner? What do you mean?” I asked, scrambling to my feet.
Phoenix and Alice stood with me while Alice stated, “Well, your partner is the person you hang out with in your dream world. You get to make them, but they have to be the opposite gender.”
I simply stared.
“Come on, you’ll get the hang of it!” Alice insisted. “Your dream state keeps you from going into too much shock.” She turned and started out a tunnel I hadn’t noticed before.
I quickly gathered up the bubbles and dropped them one by one back into the leather bag, each one making a high pitched note that sounded like a flute as they hit each other. It was a really quick sound, barely noticeable if you didn’t listen, but it was more beautiful than any sound I’d ever heard.
Phoenix stood and waited for me. I held onto the bag and followed Alice through the tunnel, though she’d already disappeared.
“Take out your purple bubble and drop it at your feet.” Phoenix instructed. “Your bubble will be in your hands when you get there.” He stopped, stepping behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders, and I felt his chest against my back. He was tall: I only came up to his shoulders. “Be careful, all right?” Phoenix whispered in my ear. His breath smelled like sweet grass, and it caressed my cheek.
Phoenix disappeared, and I trembled for a moment, looking around. After a moment, I opened the brown bag and stared into it. The silver bubble was for waking up, wasn’t it? Should I wake up, or continue this dream?
After a moment, I reached in, pulled out the purple bubble and dropped it to the floor. The whole world spun around me, and I began to swoon. All of the sudden, there were stone walls around me, leading out into a market place. My stomach lurched and I collapsed, my breathing ragged.
“Are you all right?” Phoenix asked me, kneeling down next to me.
“Oooh...” I groaned. “I’ve never felt like this in a dream before...”
“Well, you’re not dreaming anymore.” Phoenix told me. He smirked, and muttered, “You’re in Drimalia.”
“What’s Drimalia?” I asked quietly, clutching my churning stomach.
“Where the Dreamers are.” Phoenix explained. “There aren’t many. You’re the youngest we’ve ever had.”
“I don’t understand.” I mumbled.
“It’s hard to understand at first.” Phoenix admitted. “It’s just a place. How would you explain Realom?”
“Realom?” I asked, confused.
“The waking world.” Phoenix told me. “Try to stand, all right? We can’t stay here long. People will be after me.”
“Why?” My knees felt like jell-O as I stood, and Phoenix held my arm to hold me up.
“I’m... Never mind. It doesn’t matter.” Phoenix looked at me worriedly. “Are you all right?” He asked me.
“I think so... Just feel really shaky...” I breathed.
“That’s how it usually is the first time.” Phoenix smirked again. “As soon as your stomach calms down you’ll be hungry, so do you want to get a honey tart?”
“What’s a honey tart?” I asked quietly. I was still trembling, but I was getting stronger, and Phoenix placed my hand on his arm and he led me off slowly.
“They don’t have them in Realom?” Phoenix asked, looking startled.
“No. At least, I don’t think so.” I looked up at him, and he cocked his head at me, frowning slightly.
“Oh well.” He sighed. He then looked back at me as we walked, and he smirked again. “You guessed my name. May I guess yours?”
“I don’t think you’ll get it.” I admitted.
“Samantha.” Phoenix tried.
“Nope.”
“Sarah.”
“No.”
“Selena.”
“No.”
“Does it start with an S?”
“Yes....”
“What’s it end with?”
“U.”
Phoenix looked lost in thought for a moment, and then he pulled me over to a cart that stood in the long street filled with people.
I was amazed. My dreams had never been this vivid, this real. I could see everyone’s faces, and I felt each one stick in my memory.
As we approached the cart, the merchant looked up at us, and he stared at Phoenix in disbelief, his mouth gaping open and close like a fish. Ignoring the merchant, I drew in the sweet smell wafting from behind the cart, where I could see some bread baking in a brick oven.
Phoenix leaned against the cart and spoke to the merchant behind the counter. “One honey tart, please.”
The merchant still stared, and Phoenix smirked, amused. “Phoenix!” The merchant said in surprise, finally finding his voice.
“Yes?” Phoenix asked.
The merchant suddenly shook himself and began to make something, working quickly. He grabbed small bags filled with powder and dumped some into a bowl. “What happened, boy? You were gone for nearly a whole year!”
“The Curse.” Phoenix said quietly, and the merchant nodded. “She got us out of it, though.”
“Who is this pretty thing, anyway?” The merchant asked as he shoved something into the brick oven.
“This is...” Phoenix paused, looking over at me. “Well, she refuses to tell me her name.”
“Well then.” The merchant scoffed. “Feisty, or just stubborn?”
“Shy.” I murmured.
The merchant gave a kind grin and pulled the thing from the brick oven. He took a large syringe looking thing and injected something into the two-inch thick sugar cookie that had come from the brick oven.
“Will you tell me your name now?” Phoenix asked me, digging deep in his pockets, looking for something.
“Siloqiu.” I told him.
Phoenix sniggered as he pulled a large silver coin out of his pocket. “I would have never guessed that.” He admitted. “It’s a beautiful name.”
“Thanks.” I said, blushing.
“Here’s your honey tart, Phoenix.” The merchant said, handing a paper bag to him. Phoenix handed it off to me.
“Here’s an itur, Uli.” Phoenix handed the silver coin to the merchant and looked back to me. “Go on, Siloqiu.” He murmured. “Try it.”
Quietly, I opened the brown paper bag and pulled out the sugar cookie. It had caramel dribbled on the top now, and powdered sugar speckled it. Honey oozed from a hole in the side, where the merchant had poked the syringe.
Slowly and cautiously, I took a bite. You would think the combination of a sugar cookie, honey and caramel would taste bad, but it really didn’t. It was amazingly tasty, and I immediately moaned in pleasure. “This is amazing.” I said.
“I knew you’d like it.” Phoenix grinned, thanked Uli and then led me off. As I ate the honey tart, Phoenix said, “I should have Alice take you to get some new clothes. Your clothes are from Realom. You need some that don’t stand out in Drimalia.”
“All right.” I mumbled, licking some honey away from my fingers.
After I had finished the honey tart, I looked around a bit. The whole street was made of honey-colored cobblestones, and merchants covered every inch of it, with carts or not. Permanent shops stood there, their doors open and inviting. I was intrigued by a glass shop that had beautiful, sparkling animals in the windows. As I looked, I saw they were moving!
“Don’t get too enchanted by them.” Phoenix said, looking to me. “Most of them are quite dangerous.”
“Oh.” I muttered, disappointed. I looked forward, and for the first time I noticed a very, very tall tower made completely of glass, crystal and white marble. It was sparkling in the light of two large stars that hung in the sky. They were only about 1/5 the size of the sun back home, but together, the both of them let off a sufficient amount of light.
“Like it?” Phoenix said, noticing what I was looking at. “I suggested it be built four years ago. Gives the new Dreamers something nice to see when they first come here.”
“It’s amazing.” I murmured.
“All right, let’s go then, Siloqiu.”
“Oh, call me Qiu.” I told him quickly.
“All right, then.” Phoenix entered the crystal tower and walked through it like he owned the place.
The place inside was amazing, but didn’t have much in it. There were a few black marble chairs with red velvet cushions set along the walls. A woman sat behind a desk at the front that was made of crystal, talking to Alice, who was leaning over the desk, speaking to her.
“Is that her?” The woman asked, indicating me to Alice.
Alice spun around to see. “No!” Alice cried. “That’s my brother!”
“Alice, she meant Siloqiu.” Phoenix motioned to me.
“Qiu,” I mumbled.
“Oh.” Annie gasped. She blushed, grinning, and turned back to the woman behind the desk.
“Siloqiu, huh? Nick-name’s Qiu...” The woman mumbled to herself, typing on the computer in front of her. When she was done, the woman said, “Right through the right doors, honey. Your partner’s name is Quil.”
I nodded my thanks as Phoenix led me through a door on the right side of the desk.
There was a long, long hallway with hundreds of doors, each labeled in some language I didn’t understand.
“I’ll do the bottom half.” Phoenix offered, and I nodded, blushing slightly. “Stay here, all right?”
Again, I nodded as Phoenix disappeared into one of the rooms. He returned a moment later with a silvery outline of a person, covered by a cloak. I could see a pair of feet beneath the cream-colored cloak.
“The doors on the left should take care of the rest of him.” Phoenix instructed. “Go through them in order. Don’t skip one room, and start at the fifth door down.”
“All right.” I mumbled, and then turned to look at him. “Where are you going?”
“I need to get some money for you.” Phoenix said. “I owe you more than you know.”
“All right...” I muttered, nervous. I glanced at the silvery outline, which was standing there like a mannequin.
“I’ll get you a credit tab, too.” Phoenix told me, and then he said, “Be careful, all right?” He looked over to the silvery outline. “Take care of her.”
The silvery outline shifted for a moment, as though it understood, and then stood still.
“Okay, I’m gone.” Phoenix flashed me a smile and left at a swift pace.
I looked over at the silvery outline and grumbled, “This is one long dream.” I turned and stepped through the first door.
The black walls stretched so far that it had disappeared. Male torsos were floating in mid air, varying in so many ways I could even explain them all.
I found a section of skin colors that looked like it matched my partner’s, and I searched around for a chest. There were big fat ones, tiny little skinny ones, and ones that I just looked away from and begged my mind to forget that I had ever seen them.
All at once, I bumped into something, and I saw a bare chest right in front of me, thin and muscled with a broad chest and flat stomach. I spread my hands over the chest and cocked my head a bit.
After a moment, the silvery outline walked over, under the torso. The chest faded through the cloak as though it wasn’t even there, and there was a disgusting squelching noise as it attached to the legs.
Shuddering, I continued on, and my creation followed. For his arms, I picked a pair of thin, strong ones. They matched his torso quite nicely, and I was feeling safe for once as I looked at him.
Once I had grabbed a head, I began into the next room for eyes, the one after that for hair, and then ears, mouth, and nose. My creation was handsome. He was thin and had chocolate brown hair that was a bit curly at the ends, and it was ragged like a lion’s mane. His eyes were an icy blue, and they stared ahead blankly.
I led him back out into the hallway and stood there, examining him, figuring out if I had missed anything.
My creation didn’t move; he just stood there stupidly. There was no emotion on his face at all, and he looked like he wasn’t even there.
Suddenly, someone opened the door at the end of the hall and strode out. He was a blond-headed man, tall and lanky, with green eyes and a wide grin. He wore a white doctor’s coat, along with some black slacks, black shoes, and a light blue T-shirt.
He smiled at me when he saw me standing there, and he asked, “You’re new, aren’t you?”
I nodded and replied, “Very new.”
“This is your partner?” The man asked, looking through his silver glasses at my creation. Again, I nodded. “What’s his name?” The man looked excitedly at me.
For a moment, I couldn’t remember what the woman had told me my creation’s name was. “Quil.” I told the man.
Nodding his approval, the man studied Quil for a moment, and then he frowned. “Has he gotten a brain yet?” Suppressing a smile at the ridiculousness of the subject, I shook my head. “All right. Come with me, I’ll get him one real quick.”
“Okay...” I said, struggling not to giggle.
The man led me into the door at the end of the hall, and Quil followed me. When we entered, the only thing that seemed to be there were tables filled with large jars, which held grey brains.
The man scanned each jar, and then said, “Ah, here it is.” He put his hands around the jar, and the brain floated right out of the jar, not faltering as it phased through the glass. The brain floated in between the man’s hands, and he walked over to Quil and lowered it into his head. Again, the brain slid right through his skull like it wasn’t even there.
Quil jerked like someone had punched him, and he crumpled. Panicking, I rushed forward and turned him over, wondering if he was okay. His breath was hissing in his throat and he looked distressed, his chest heaving for breaths.
“He will be fine.” The man assured, covering Quil’s lower half with a blanket. “I’ll go get some clothes for him.”
I merely nodded and waited for the man, stroking Quil’s brown hair from his face. After a moment, the man came back into the room with some clothes, and I turned away while he dressed him. One of the brains in the jars twitched a brain stem at me, and I shuddered.
“You can look now.” The man told me.
I turned and saw Quil leaning up against one of the marble tables, his eyes still closed and his breathing still tortured. He was dressed in some light brown pants and a green, sleeve-less, button-up shirt. The collar on his shirt went up about hallway around his neck, and the buttons were thin rectangles.
“Is he okay?” I asked quietly. “He’s still breathing really weird. He looks like he’s hurt.”
“Oh, they all do that for the first couple minutes.” The man assured me. “They’re brains have to get used to being in a body.”
As we waited for Quil’s brain to kick in, the man asked, “What’s your name?”
“Siloqiu, but I like to be called Qiu.” I told him. I pushed Quil’s hair from his forehead, watching him.
“My name is Dr. Gilly.” The man said. He must have noticed the look I was giving Quil, and he said, “You’re very protective over him, aren’t you?”
“I dunno.” I shrugged. “I’ve only known him for about an hour.”
“Most Dreamers just watch.” Dr. Gilly explained. “No one has ever cared for them until they’ve been with their partners a while. Then again, most Dreamers we get here are boys. You’re the first girl we’ve had in a long time.”
I was about to say something when Quil let out a tortured moan, and his fingers twitched. Alarmed, I looked up at Dr. Gilly, who gave me a gentle smile and said, “He’s just waking up, getting used to pain and everything.”
We both watched Quil for a moment as he began moving. He worked his arms into strength, and then his legs. After a moment, he opened his eyes and blinked wearily, glancing around. He looked exhausted.
“Quil?” I asked cautiously.
His eyes rolled to look at me, and his ice blue eyes shone when they saw me.
Dr. Gilly merely watched us with an interested look on his face.
“Are you okay?” I asked quietly.
Quil took a moment to breathe, and then he said hoarsely, “Yeah.” Despite the breathy, exhausted sound of his voice, I knew when he got stronger, it would sound amazing.
Without warning, Phoenix walked in, and Quil’s hands stiffened into fist, and he moaned as he struggled to sit up.
“No, Quil!” I cried, pushing him back so he wouldn’t hurt himself. “This is Phoenix! He’s a friend. It’s okay.”
Quil went limp, still watching Phoenix wearily.
“Qiu,” Phoenix said, and I looked to him. “You have to wake up.”
“Why?” I asked, taken aback. “I like it here.”
“But you can’t stay.” Phoenix insisted. “You need to wake up. Take the silver bubble and wake up.”
“But-”
“Siloqiu, you are in danger!” Phoenix snapped. “Go! Now!”
I scrambled to my feet, and Quil murmured, “Siloqiu...”
“I’ll be back, I promise.” I insisted, and I pulled the silver bubble from the bag, which I had tied around my waste, and I dropped it at my feet.
I opened my eyes, and I felt numb. My dreams had always felt more real to me than my life had. I was back in Realom and out of Drimalia.
As I glanced around, I saw a hospital room, and I saw people walk in. I didn’t pay attention to their faces: my eyes were so blurry from sleep I could barely see.
“How do you feel?” A voice asked me. Their voice stung in my head, for I was unused to sound, and I moaned, my throat sore from breathing out of my mouth for so long.
I wanted to see Quil again. I wanted to see Phoenix and Uli and Dr. Gilly and Alice. I hated Realom. Everything was too numb, too painful. In Drimalia, I could actually feel myself.
“I wanna sleep.” I moaned, my throat stinging like it was on fire.
“You can’t.” One of the people said.
I shut my eyes tightly, turning in my bed, ignoring the drip in my arm, and I fell back asleep.
I had a feeling I was going to be in the hospital for a very long time.