Dreamland free porn video

Dreamland By: Light Clark Synopsis: Due to his mother's work, Henry and his family are moving to New York, hoping to find a fresh start there. Not everything can be left behind by a move, however, just like not all new beginnings go according to plan. Warning: This story is 'technically' set in the Whateley universe. It uses no characters or places from that universe; just borrows a few terms and general thematics. It is certainly not canon. Chapter 01 - Day 1 "Mom! Greg's poking me!" my little sister, Lindsey, whined shrilly from the back seat of the car. "She kicked me first!" came my little brother, Greg's, expected retort from his spot beside my sister. In the front seat, I rolled my eyes at the childishness of my two siblings. Letting out a weary sigh, I looked off to the side, hoping to see some clue that we'd be at our destination soon, so that I could finally get away from the two brats. They really needed to hurry and grow up already. Looking out the side window didn't really offer any sort of clue as to my family's progress on their trip. All that I could was yet more of the seemingly endless urban tangle that was New York City. It had been nearly an hour since we'd entered the city limits, much of which had been spent in traffic. The only thing that had changed in that time was that huge apartment buildings had started to give way to small houses packed closed together. "Both of you stop it!" my mother yelled, trying to keep order even as her shoulders sagged with weariness and dark circles hung under her eyes. "But, Mom!" the two siblings whined in unison, showing an odd flash of solidarity in the midst of their argument. "But nothing! It's not much further, and I don't wanna hear another peep out of you two until we get there!" my mother commanded, earning a respectful silence. While the silence was appreciated by me, I knew that it wouldn't last. Lindsey and Greg would start at each other again once they thought my mother's attention had slipped from them, which it inevitably would. No only were there three of us for her to worry about, but also driving in unfamiliar city, the move, and the uncertainty of her new job. It wasn't like there was anyone around to help ease her burden either. My younger siblings didn't give me the same respect that they did her, and Dad ... well if he was still there, then we wouldn't have had to move in the first place. Feeling a tightness in my throat, I shook away thoughts of my family and tried to focus on what lay ahead. It was summer, so I wouldn't have to deal with a new school yet. That was certainly a relief. At the same time, though, it also left me unsure of what I was supposed to do in the coming months. I didn't know anyone in New York, nor anything about the place. It seemed like I was going to be in for a rather boring summer. "Ah ha! There it is!" my mother suddenly declared excitedly as she pointed off toward one of the little houses. It was easy to spot which one my mother was pointing at. She'd showed us all a picture of it before we'd left our old home behind. It hadn't seemed like much then, and in person it seemed like even less. It was much smaller than our old house, with an old, sort of worn out look to it. In spite of its obvious age and wear, it did look well-maintained, lacking the peeling paint, rotted front porch, or sagging roof, that I would've expected from a truly decrepit house. It might be a little cramped, but it seemed like something I could live with. In the back seat, my siblings clambered forward to get a good look at their new home. Lindsey seemed quite excited by the place, smiling brightly. Greg, always the more serious and brooding, had a scowl on his face that showed his disapproval. That didn't surprise me. He'd been the most obstinate about not wanting to move. He'd probably hate the new place even if it was some fancy mansion which it definitely wasn't. A few moments later, my mom pulled into the driveway of our new home. The moment the car stopped, Lindsey burst out of it, rushing over to get a closer look of the house. I joined my sister in getting out, though, not in racing off. I just wanted to stretch my legs after the long drive. My mom followed suit, groaning a little from her stiffness. Even Greg got out, though, only so that he could lean against the car with his arms folded in a pout. After stretching, my mom ducked back into the car long enough to grab some keys from center terminal. "Greg, here's the key. You and Lindsey can go in and look around," my mom told my brother, tossing the keys to him. All she got was an annoyed sigh before Greg pushed himself off to walk over to Lindsey. Once that was done, she turned to me. "Henry, mind helping me bring stuff inside?" "Sure thing, Mom," I agreed dispassionately, turning toward the trunk. For the next few minutes, all I did was carry the various luggage from the car into the house and set it down. By the time that was finished, Lindsey and Greg were already arguing again, this time about whose room was whose. As my mother went off to deal with that, I took the opportunity to wander about the small house. The inside of my family's new home was much like the outside: old and worn, but well maintained. It was also very very empty. The movers wouldn't be there until the next day, meaning there was no furniture or appliances - no memories either. Once the short tour was over, I made my way over to the room my siblings had been fighting over. By then, my mother had separated the two to their own corners of the room. There, they were forced to just stand quietly in place while looking at the wall. "Place seems fine," I commented neutrally as I stepped through the door. "Good," my mom sighed, clearly out of energy. "You have any opinion on which room you want?" I shook my head. "Nope. Whichever is fine with me." "Great, then this is your room," my mother declared. "But-" my siblings started to protest. "No buts!" my mom cut off with a scream. "You guys refused to agree, so everyone gets their room assigned to them. Now come on you two. Time to get out of your brother's room." With the decision handed down, my mother ushered my younger siblings out, leaving me alone with my new room. There didn't seem to be anything special about it. It looked just like the other bedrooms that I'd seen when I'd walked around - empty. The view wasn't terrible at least, as it was the one bedroom that had a window that looked out onto the street. "Maybe that's what they were fighting over," I mused as I looked out the window at the neatly packed little subdivision. I highly doubted that was the case, though. One of them probably just decided that they liked that particular room and the other had insisted it be theirs instead. "Such children ..." *********************************************** *********************************************** "Good thing I brought one of these," I mumbled as I finished setting up a little, folding, camping chair. Currently, it was the only piece of furniture in my new room. "Otherwise, I'd have to just sit against the wall." Sighing, I plopped down in the chair, grabbed my book off the floor, and popped it open for a little reading. Within moments, I was lost in the story, following along on the daring journey of a group of adventures in a mystical land. Currently, they were in the middle of a fetid marsh that blocked their way to the villain's stronghold. Naturally, it was a treacherous place, full of pitfalls and dangerous creatures that they had to be ever alert for lest something terrible befall them. Any slight sound or little blur of movement could be the sign of something about to - A knock yanked me from the rising tension of the book, causing me to jump slightly in my chair. Jerking my gaze up, I spotted Lindsey meekly peeking into my room. "Oh ... hey Linds. What do you need?" "Nothing ... I'm just ... bored," the girl murmured, glancing nervously back over her shoulder. "Greg's using the laptop to watch some stupid movie." "What movie is it?" I inquired as I marked my page and set the book aside. Lindsey shrugged with pretend indifference. "Just something about some stupid puppet." Even that vague description was enough for me to figure out what had sent my sister to my room. The only puppet movie I could think of that my brother might watch was definitely not something for little girls. Really, Greg probably wasn't old enough to watch it either, but he'd been going through a phase where he liked things very dark and adult. Since my mom was out of the house getting dinner, that left only me for my sister to seek out for protection from something so frightening. "Ah, yeah. That movie is stupid," I remarked, mostly just to help put her at ease a little. "I can't believe he's watching it." "Me either!" Lindsey agreed, stepping into my room. "You should totally go take the laptop away from him so we can watch something good." That suggestion was one of my sister's classic moves. After all, Greg was three years older than her, so she had no way of really resisting him by herself. If Greg wanted things a certain way, they were going to be that way, unless Lindsey got help from someone. When possible, she got that help from our mother, but when she wasn't around, or wouldn't side with the little girl, Lindsey came to me. At fourteen, I had the same three years on Greg that Greg had on Lindsey, making it easy for me to bully him, if I felt like it. I rarely did, since it seemed kind of pathetic to bully a little kid like that, but occasionally, my sister did manage to garner enough of my sympathy to get me to help her. This wasn't one of those times. "Well, it may be stupid, but we should probably let him finish it anyway," I answered rationally. "You wouldn't want him interrupting one of your movies, would you?" "No ..." Lindsey admitted reluctantly. "I guess that means we'll just have to play in here, instead," I offered as an alternative. "A board game maybe?" Mention of a game perked Lindsey right up. "Can I pick?!" I nodded. "Sure." Immediately, the little girl spun to race off, only to skid to a stop a step later and turn back to me. When she did, she once again had a nervous look on her face. "Uhm ... I don't know where mom packed the games ..." It was an obvious lie, but I saw no reason to not let her save face. I probably would've been scared too if I'd seen some of that movie at her age. Besides, I was already wasting my time playing a game with her. "I know where they are," I told her, rising from my seat. "Let's go together." *********************************************** *********************************************** Chapter 02 - Night 1 An involuntary yawn escaped my lips as I tried to finish off the book in my hands. I still had a few chapters to go, but the yawns were coming closer and closer together, interrupting my flow every time they did. Worse, my vision was starting to blur whenever I blinked, and sometimes I'd even zone out while I was reading, going through a whole paragraph without remembering any of the words that it contained. "I guess, I'll finish it tomorrow," I mumbled responsibly. There really wasn't any rush, and it was getting late. I was supposed to help my mom and the movers early the next morning, too. Sighing in disappointment, I marked my page and set the book aside. Flipping off the flashlight I was using to read, I snuggled down into the sleeping bag that was going to serve as my bed for the night and closed my eyes. A few moments later, I was already drifting off to sleep. I woke with a start, unsure what had even caused such a reaction. All I knew was that I'd been lying there asleep, and the next moment I was lurching upward and opening my eyes. I couldn't even find the faint impression of whatever dream had caused such a startled reaction. Even as my actions confused me, the room I woke into confused me even more. It was not pitch black, as the room had been when I'd gone to bed, nor was it lit by the morning sun. Instead, there was a weird silvery light to the place that was bright enough to see by, but still dark enough to imply that it was nighttime, a fact that was confirmed by the dark sky that was outside my windows. The odd lightning was not the limits of the confusing sights awaiting me. The room was every bit as sparse as I remembered, but the bare walls were not white but purple. They didn't have the flat finish of normal walls either. They were glossy and smooth with an almost fleshy quality to them that made me think that they would feel spongy to the touch. The floor seemed to match the walls, made of the same glossy purple material. A quick feel with a hand confirmed my earlier suspicions. The stuff was firm but spongy texture under my fingertips. Something about the sensation was familiar to me, but I couldn't remember what the material was. "What is this place?" I mumbled as I looked around, trying to piece things together. I didn't have enough information to go on, though. I needed to go find more. Luckily, whoever or whatever had brought me to this strange place had not bound me in any way, so I would be able to explore freely. Suddenly, I was on my feet, walking over to the door. Trying to stay quiet so as to not alert anyone that I was moving around, I reached out for the door. Carefully, I turned the knob before inching it opened. Outside my room was an upstairs landing that looked much like the one in my new home. It had the same five doors for the four bedrooms and the bathroom. It had the same stairs leading down to the floor below. Yet, it was all different, made from the same weird purple material as the room that I'd come from and lit by the odd silvery light. "Where is that light even coming from?" I questioned, glancing around. It seemed to light all things equally, regardless of position or angle. There was no light outside that could do that, nor any lamps in the house that were on. As I looked around for the light, I suddenly found myself in front of a door, the door that would've lead to my sister's room if this was my family's new house. Perhaps, she'd been in there like I'd been in my own room. It was certainly worth a look. The next moment, I was in my sister's room which was as bare, purple, and oddly lit as my own had been. There was a girl laying in it as well, but it wasn't my sister. This girl was about my age, blonde and very pretty, looking nothing like my rather plain, brunette, little sister. She was also dressed in a fancy, pink dress that looked very much like it must belong to a princess. Far more disconcerting than the girl's appearance was what surrounded her. It looked like an aura of black mist that writhed about as it clung to the girl's prone form. Whatever it was, it was decidedly menacing looking. "Uhn ... no ..." the girl mumbled, twisting and jerking her head around. Worried, I stepped forward. The next moment, I found myself kneeling beside the girl, calling out in concern. "Hey? What's wrong? Hey!" The girl didn't answer, seemingly sound asleep in spite of her clearly tormented expression and movements. Words didn't seem to be able to reach her. Perhaps shaking her would work, but then I'd have to reach through the writhing black mist. "No ... Please ... " the girl begged desperately of some unseen terror. Spurred on by that plea, I reached out for the girl, hands meeting with the black mist. When they did, a sharp chill ran through me. Shivering, I tugged my hands back and tried to shake it off, rubbing at my arms for warmth until it passed. Even as the chill faded, a cool wind blew across my face. Confused by the out of place wind, I looked up only to find that I was no longer in the purple room. Instead, I was in a dark forest filled with scraggly trees devoid of leaves. In the sky, there was a huge moon, red as blood, casting its eerie light across a land of deep, red-tinged shadows. A shriek of terror cut through that night, followed by a girl screaming. "Stay away from me!" Jerking around, I saw the source, the same blonde, princess girl that had been laying in the room before. She wasn't lying down now, though, but was running along through the woods in a wild desperate sprint. Her long, blonde hair flew out behind her, wild and whipping in the wind. At the same time, the clothes she wore were in tatters, especially the skirt, seeming to have been torn apart by some clawed beast. Even as I took in the fleeing princess, a malicious cackle echoed through the night. Its owner appeared a moment later, a little, porcelain faced puppet with a terrifying visage and a malicious red glow to its eyes. On its arms, instead of normal hands, there were metal claw-like fingers that glinted red, but whether it was from the moon or blood soaking the blades was hard to tell. "We're coming for you!" the puppet spoke, only for it to be followed by an echoing chorus of dozens of the same voice. "We're coming for you!" A moment later, a whole horde of the puppets joined the lead one, bursting out from behind trees and bushes to join in the chase. They were small, but very fast, grinning and cackling as they ran. They were also closing in on the helpless princess, cutting the distance between them with every moment that passed. "No! Please! Help!" the princess screamed, but her pleas were meaningless to the puppets, drowned out by their cackling glee. Before I could even really think about it, my courage made me act, lunging me forward to the princess's defense. An instant later, I stood between the girl and the horde of puppets, hands raised to ward them off. The next moment, the little beasts were upon me. The first puppet leapt at my face, trilling out a shrill war cry as it came. Before it could slash its claws across my face, however, I snatched it out of the air by one of its arms. Whipping it about, I brought it around in time to smack into the next of the leaping devils. When they struck, they burst apart like miniature bombs, leaving behind nothing but wisps of black smoke. I didn't even have time to celebrate before more were upon me. Another puppet charged at my ankles, earning a kick from me that sent its head careening through the mob, taking out another two along its way. Yet another leapt toward my face, this time eliciting a head butt from me to splat it back to the ground. The reason for that was that my hands were already busy snatching a third one from my waist before throwing it hard against a nearby tree. Even destroying five within moments, I did little to slow the advance of the horde. While I fought, the others swarmed around me, moving past me toward their original quarry. There were just too many to stop. As I battered yet another to the ground, I glanced back over my shoulder to see the princess pressed up against a tree. She was surrounded on all sides by grinning little puppets, who were clacking their claws against one another, creating a terrifying din. All the poor girl could do in response was scream in terror. "Go away! Leave her alone!" I yelled, desperate to save the girl. Even as I called out, I tore free of several of the puppets to try to dash over and help her. The puppets around the princess scattered as I closed in, dashing off behind bushes and trees to evade my efforts to crush them. Much to my surprise none of the many behind me took the opportunity to slash me. In fact, when I spun back toward them, I found they had fled as well, vanishing into the dark forest like shadows chased away by a light. "Thank you, your majesty!" the princess squealed happily from behind me, just before I felt her arms wrap tightly around me. "Thank you so -" Suddenly, I jerked upright, wide awake. A damp chill coated me as I gasped for breath that seemed in very short supply. Even as I did, the memories of the terrified fight in the forest replayed through my thoughts. It had seemed so real, so true, and yet looking back it had clearly been a dream - an absurd one at that. At the same time, I felt so worn out that it seemed like I had really been in a fight with a horde of demonic puppets. Sighing, I flopped back onto my sleeping bag and stared up at the ceiling. There was no strange silvery light this time. There was just the black of night and the very faint yellow of a streetlight bleeding through the blinds of one window. Everything was solid and normal again. "What a dream ... " I breathed, memories of the dream still playing vividly in my head. If nothing else, it had definitely been intense, enough so for my heart to still be pounding. I was already starting to relax, though, as my body tried to draw me back to the sleep that it still needed. "At least I got to save the princess ..." *********************************************** *********************************************** Chapter 03 - Day 2 "Henry! The movers are here!" my mother's voice called out from downstairs. Pulled from sleep, I opened my eyes to the bright light of morning. Groaning, I reached up to rub at my eyes groggily as I fought off the sluggishness of sleep. It didn't quite want to release its grip on me, though, leaving me feeling tired and stiff as I sat up. "Be right there!" I yelled back to my mom to let her know that I was awake. That way, she'd be able to focus on directing the movers while I got up. Rising from my sleeping bag, I quickly threw on the same clothes that I'd worn the day before. Undoubtedly, I was going to get very dirty today regardless, so there was little reason to bother with fresh attire. After I was dressed, I hurried off to the bathroom to relieve myself and grab a drink of water, all while thinking about my tasks for the day. For the most part, the movers would be doing to real work, unloading all the furniture and boxes from their trucks. My mom would be busy directing them, making sure that everything went exactly where she wanted it. That left me in charge of the munchkins, and we had our own job to do. First, we had to get the camping gear that we'd used the night before out of the way. Then, I was supposed to help the two younger kids unpack their things and get it all properly put away in their rooms. "Alright, time to go find the brats," I mumbled to myself as I left the bathroom behind. A quick check showed neither were in their rooms, so I headed downstairs. Unsurprisingly, I found the pair out front watching the movers work. "Who told you two that you could stand around gawking?" Greg looked over his shoulder at me in disdain. "No one tells me what to do." "Well, today they do," I retorted commandingly. "Mom's put me in charge while she's working with the movers, and first order of business is to clean up. So back up to your rooms you two. Clean up your stuff and put it all in the closet so it's not in the movers' way." "Whatever," Greg muttered, rolling his eyes as he started off toward the house. Lindsey did not start moving so readily as she kept glancing back toward the truck which was packed with a jungle of furniture and boxes. The look on her face said she wanted to go play in that tangle. That was definitely not something I could let happen. "Come on, Linds," I instructed, walking up to put a hand on my sister's shoulder and guide her back toward the house. "The sooner we finish, the sooner you can build a castle out of the empty boxes." Just the mention of getting to build a castle brought a bright smile to Lindsey's face. "Really?" I nodded in confirmation. "We've gotta hurry, though, because otherwise Mom is going to make us break down all the boxes as punishment." The smile on my sister's face immediately swapped to a look of concern. "Then let's go already!" she declared, grabbing my hand to drag me toward the house and the work that waited for us. *********************************************** *********************************************** "No! That one goes on the dresser!" my sister whined, glaring at me angrily as she pointed toward her dresser. Rolling my eyes, I sighed out a little, "Alright dresser it is," as I walked over to set the stuffed bear over on the dresser. Even as I did as my sister asked, I couldn't figure out what criteria Lindsey was using to decide which of her stuffed animals went where. They weren't organized by type or size or color or anything else. Looking at them, they seemed to have just been tossed around haphazardly, and yet if one wasn't in the right spot, my sister would immediately notice it. It was weird. "Alright, that's the last of the animals," I declared as I returned to the box to find it empty. "Think you can handle putting away the clothes on your own?" Lindsey nodded confidently. "Sure." "Alright, great. I'm gonna go check on Greg. Let me know if you need me again," I told her. "Bye!" Lindsey chirped as she hurried over to the next box she planned to unpack. Letting out a weary sigh, I left my sister's room behind to check on the next room over - my brother's room. The door was closed, but I didn't care about his privacy and just shoved it open without a knock. What waited for me on the other side was a room full of boxes that hadn't been touched yet and my brother sitting on his bed's bare mattress with the laptop. "Hey!" Greg protested as I barged in. "Don't you know how to knock?!" "Don't you know how to do what you're told?!" I retorted. "You're supposed to be unpacking, not watching movies." To punctuate my point, I stomped over and snatched the laptop from the smaller boy. "Give that back!" Greg growled, swiping at the laptop as I pulled it out of his reach. Rolling my eyes, I shook my head at him. "Not happening, squirt. You've got work to do." "Screw that!" Greg spat. "Mom's the one that wanted to move, not me. She can unpack everything." "So you're not gonna do it then?" I questioned, setting up the trap. "Nope," Greg answered acerbically. I shrugged. "Fine. Since you won't do anything for Mom, then she shouldn't have to do anything for you, like let you use her laptop. I'm sure Lindsey will be thrilled to get to watch some of her movies for a change." "What?! You can't do that!" Greg whined. "Sure, I can," I declared as I folded up the laptop and stuffed it under one arm. "Watch." With that, I turned and walked out, closing the door behind me. "Now, unpack!" From within the room, I heard an aggravated huff from my brother, but I ignored it. It was just him throwing another tween temper tantrum like always, so he could pretend he was all rebellious and grown up. I didn't have to patience to put up with that nonsense like our mother did. "Hopefully, he'll work now," I muttered, before letting out a weary sigh. After all, I still had my own boxes to unpack, since I'd spent all morning helping Lindsey with hers. Being an adult sure was a pain. *********************************************** *********************************************** "Hey, Mom," I greeted neutrally as I came into the kitchen. My mother pulled her head up from being shoulder deep in one of the many box scattered about the room to smile wearily at me. "Hi, Henry. How'd things go with your brother and sister?" "Linds was good. We got her all unpacked pretty early, so I let her play around with all the empty boxes," I reported as I pulled the laptop out from underneath my arm. "Greg, though, was just watching movies, so I had to take this from him." "Alright," my mom sighed as her shoulders slumped. "Just ... uhm ... set it on the table, I guess. I'll talk to him about it later." Immediately, I did as asked, setting the laptop down. "My stuff is all unpacked as well, so I'm free to help down here if you need me." "Huh? Oh, no. That's alright," my mom mumbled distractedly. "I really don't mind," I assured my mother in case that was her concern. After all, if I didn't help her, she'd have to do like seven rooms worth of boxes all by herself. My mom shook her head. "No, actually, we should probably go get something for dinner before I end up forgetting. Can you go up and get the other two for me? I want to finish this box before we go." "Sure thing, Mom," I answered helpfully before turning to get started on the task. Jogging up the steps, I stopped at Greg's door. Before I knocked, I listened in to see if I could hear him unpacking. There wasn't much noise, but I did hear a little scuffling. Figuring that would have to be good enough, I knocked, and called out, "Dinner time, squirt!" The only response I got from Greg was some kind of mumble which I took to mean that he was coming. That freed me up to head next door in search of my sister. There was just one problem with that goal - her door was open, but the way through was blocked by a wall of cardboard boxes with only a small gap at the bottom to crawl through. "Damn it, Linds," I grumbled in annoyance. There was no way I was crawling into whatever tangled maze that girl had built. "Button!" I called out, using one of Lindsey's nicknames. "Dinner time! Get out here!" "As if I would fall for such an obvious trick! If you want me, you'll have to come in and get me, ruffian!" Lindsey yelled back defiantly. Rolling my eyes, I shook my head at the barrier of cardboard. "If I have to come in there and get you, I'm going to knock it all down and take it away." "You wouldn't!" Lindsey gasped, sounding horrified at the idea of her castle being ruined. "Try me!" I dared her as I reached out to rattle the precariously stacked boxes with one hand. "Better hurry!" "Alright, alright! I'm coming!" Lindsey caved easily to the threat. Almost immediately, I heard some scuffling as the stack of boxes shook some more. A moment later, a blonde head poked its way out from the hole at the bottom of the stack. Startled by the unexpected hair color, I fell back a step, blinking in surprise. In between blinks, the blonde disappeared, replaced by the normal brown of my little sister. The change was just in time for her to look up, peering at me in confusion. "What's wrong? Something on my face?" Lindsey asked, wiping a hand along her cheek. "No ... I uh ... had something in my eye/," I mumbled uncertainly while rubbing at my eyes with one hand. It had to have been something like that. "Get it out?" Lindsey inquired as she scrambled to her feet. I nodded. "Yeah, I think so. Now, let's get going. I'm hungry." "Me too!" Lindsey chirped in response. "Hope we're getting pizza." "Pizza, huh?" I mused as I started off toward the stairs, putting the weirdness behind me as I did. "Sounds good to me." *********************************************** *********************************************** Chapter 04 - Night 2 "Here again?" I questioned the room as I peered at my surroundings. Once again, I'd 'woken' to a room with purple, fleshy walls and strange silvery light that defied science. Looking at it for the second time, it struck me as more like the kind of lighting one would expect from a night scene in a movie. It was bright, omnipresent, and clearly artistic, designed to make everything in the world clear while still creating an ambience of night time. There were differences to the room as well. Most noticeable was that it was no longer completely empty like it had been the night before. There was a bed, a dresser and a desk, all placed like they were in my real room. They were not my furniture, though. The bed was made of a red and white speckled mushroom with sheets laid on top of it. The desk had legs made from stacks of books and a surface that was a single giant book laid atop the smaller stacks. The dresser was the most normal looking of the three, but I could've sworn I heard a slurping sound come from that direction at one point when I'd been looking the other way. As weird as the place was, it was weirder for me to be there. It wasn't the first time that I'd had a dream that I was aware was a dream, but this didn't quite feel like that. The place was more detailed, more ... complete than I would have expected from a dream. Furthermore, there was no driving action to the dream. It seemed to just be there as if waiting for me to take the first step. Shrugging, I turned toward the door. "The last dream wasn't so bad." Outside, I once again was on the landing that mirrored the one in my home. Next to my room was my sister's room, the one where I'd found the blonde princess only to have to save her from evil puppets. Thinking of that made me wonder if she was still there. Deciding to check on the princess, I opened that door, only to find a wall of stone blocking my way. At the bottom of the wall was a small door made of wood that had been painted pink and bound with gold bands. Upon the door were flowing, white, cursive letters that proudly spelled out the name 'Princess Lindsey,' for all to see. "Well unless there's a bottle marked drink me around here, I'm not squeezing through that," I joked as I looked at the door that was definitely too narrow for my shoulders to squeeze through. When no such bottle appeared to shrink me, I decided to just move on. A moment later, I stood inside Greg's room, glancing around with trepidation. It was far different from the room that I'd woken in. There was no clear silvery light, nor the vibrant purple walls. Instead it was a dark, muted room full of shadows and contrast. A pale light leaked from the window, creating a single keyhole of light in a room that was otherwise little more than vague shapes in the dark. Luckily, that little bit of light rested upon a lone figure. The room's occupant was a good looking, older teen with stylish hair and just a bit of scruff on his handsome face. He was dressed like he was ready for a arduous trip that involved braving a zombie apocalypse or some ancient tomb. There was dirt and grime on the clothes, as well as a few snags and tears - there were even a few blood stains in the mix. The bed that he slept upon was in no better shape than his clothes, a ratty, broken thing that looked neither comfortable nor clean. In spite of the creepy appearance of the room, I drifted forward to get a closer look at the boy on the bed. Unlike the princess from the night before, there was no black mist around him, nor were there any signs of distress. He seemed to be sleeping quite peacefully. Raising a hand, I glanced between it and the sleeping teen. If I touched him, would he wake up? Would I be sucked in, even though, there was no black mist? Would nothing happen at all? "It's just a dream," I told myself as I reached forward. From behind me, I heard a loud, throaty gurgled. Spinning around, I spotted a shambling figure moving through deep shadows cast by the combination of a setting sun and dilapidated buildings. In spite of its hobbling walk, the figure moved quite quickly, cutting across the shadow and into the orange light. Only then could I truly see it, the disgusting rotting flesh and tattered clothes. "Get down, Greg!" a male voice shouted. After that shout, there was more noise. I could faintly hear it in the background of my mind, but it didn't register. All I could hear were those words in crystal clarity. Moving so slowly I felt like I was trapped in slow motion, I turned to the voice and just stared in stunned silence. Standing there before me was a man, rifle in hand as he shot over the ducking form of the boy from the previous room. Like that boy, he was dressed for an apocalypse in tattered dirty clothes. He hadn't shaved for days, and even had a belt of magazines thrown over his shoulder, but even in the strange attire it was still obviously him. "Dad ..." I breathed in absolute disbelief. "Dad! Look!" the teen yelled to warn my father. "It's Henry!" A moment later, a new shambling figure approached. It was different from the first one, though, larger and faster. It had to be at least seven feet tall while also being broad and bulky. Every step it took caused an audible rumble as its great weight slammed into the ground beneath its feet. It certainly bore no resemblance to me. "I'm sorry, son," I heard my father say as he reached down to grab a grenade from his waist. Pulling the pin, he chucked it at the approaching hulk. The next thing I knew, the thing was engulfed in flames as it shrieked out in a tortured shrill voice. Suddenly, I was once more in the dark brooding room, stumbling back from the sleeping teen. Even though it was a dream, I felt strangely out of breath in that moment, gasping for air as my heart raced in my chest. Only after several moments, did I finally start to calm down. As my breathing slowed, I stared at the sleeping teen. In the scene before, my father had been there, and he'd called this boy Greg. For some reason, that hulking zombie had been called Henry. It didn't make any sense. Why would I have a dream about something like that? "Alright, no more touching people," I told myself as I turned to leave the room. Back out on the landing, I glanced toward the last of the bedroom doors. It belonged to my mother, and if the trend continued, there would be someone sleeping in there as well. I couldn't help but wonder who it would be. Passing through the door, I found a room that was more like the one that I'd started in, with the same fleshy purple walls and silver light. It even had a mushroom bed, though, unlike mine it was a canopy bed. It, and the other furniture as well, looked much nicer overall as well, obviously expensive even with their odd appearances. A step later, I was by the bed, pulling back the curtain to see who slept there. Curled up on her side was a pretty, brunette woman in her early twenties with a faint smile on her sleeping face. Unlike the previous people, she was dressed more normally, wearing a fancy, silk nightgown to go with her soft, expensive sheets. Drawn by the girl's smile, I started to reach out, wondering what made her smile so. I managed to catch myself, though, yanking the hand back. "No touching," I reminded myself. Whatever the woman was smiling about, I didn't want to get dragged into it. Even as I resolved myself to staying out of it, I struggled to take my gaze off the young woman. I just knew there was a whole world waiting for me if I just reached out my hand to her. I could see not just what made her smile so, but so much more. Shaking my head, I forced myself away from the temptation. By the time I truly shook it off, I was already out on the landing with the door to that room closed behind me. Even then, I still felt an empty longing for what might've been. "This is such a weird dream," I mumbled as I started down the stairs to see what else waited for me in this fantastical place. Like the upstairs, the downstairs of the house mirrored the lay out of my real home. At the same time, it held many of the same oddities as the bedrooms. The walls were fleshy and purple, the furniture was wacky, and the whole place was lit up like a movie set, allowing me to see with ease even in the dead of night. For all of its oddity, there wasn't really anything else within the house of interest. Room after room flitted by quickly with nothing grabbing my attention. As odd looking as it was, the place was just an empty house. If I wanted to find anything interesting, I'd have to try somewhere else. After seemingly no time at all, my search of the house ended, and I found myself standing out on the porch looking out upon the neighborhood. Along a street seemingly paved with asparagus were the neat, little, tightly packed houses that I'd seen during the drive through the city, except they weren't houses - at least not normal ones. Each was instead a giant vegetable that had been carved into to create windows and doors, making bizarre facsimiles of houses in the process. My own home was an eggplant, big, purple and plump. Another was a potato, lumpy and speckled with dirt. Yet another was a head of lettuce, wet and glistening in the light. I even saw a few broccoli houses in the mix. Altogether, it made for a scene that looked more like a produce store aisle than a neighborhood in Queens. Even as my eyes widened with wonder, they roamed further, lifting up into the night sky above me. There I saw a moon so huge and bright, it seemed to take up a whole quarter of the sky. In spite of that, all the stars could still be seen, twinkling brilliantly against the pitch black blanket of space. At the same time, silver clouds drifted along the sky, dancing with shadowy shapes that flew amongst them. "Wow ..." I breathed in disbelief at the panorama that lay before me. It was so beautiful that it made my heart ache - like a masterful painting that I wished could be real. Suddenly, my eyes were opening, groggily peering into the dark of my rather normal looking room. The ache in my heart followed me into consciousness, filling me with a feeling of wistfulness for the fading dream. Reality just couldn't compare with that magnificent vista. "Maybe, I'll get the same dream again," I mumbled as I rolled over and closed my eyes. I knew that it was very unlikely, but what were dreams for if not wishful thinking. *********************************************** *********************************************** Chapter 05 - Day 3 Groggily, I cracked my eyes opened and for a moment, I swore that I saw purple on the walls of my room. Jerking upright, I yanked my eyes wide, only to be met with the usual pale blue color lit by the faint light of the morning sun that drifted through my window. The dream was gone. While I might have woken, visions of what I'd seen the night before danced within my thoughts, filling me with longing. I wanted so badly to just lay back down and sleep again, hoping for another such dream. It hadn't worked in the middle of the night, though, and I'd actually been tired enough to sleep then. Now, I was fully awake, ready to get up and start the day. It was such a disappointment. "Maybe tonight," I sighed as I slid out of bed and got started on my morning. Even with stuff to do, I couldn't shake that dream, though. I thought about it on the toilet, I thought about it in the shower, and I was still thinking about it as I went downstairs to find some breakfast. "Morning, Henry," my mom's voice greeted me as I walked into the kitchen. Distractedly, I looked up to greet her, only to freeze where I was and stare. My mom was at the counter, unpacking a few of the remaining boxes for the kitchen that she hadn't gotten to the night before. That was all very ordinary. What wasn't, was what my mother looked like. There seemed to be two women standing in the same place, like I'd unfocused my eyes and each was sending a different image to my brain. The more solid of the two was the mother that I'd known for years, a tired, slightly heavy, brown-haired woman of forty-one. Overlaid upon that image, though, was the ephemeral shape of the pretty, young brunette that I'd seen sleeping in my dream. "What?" my mother questioned, peering at me in confusion. At the same time, the other woman mirrored that action, giving me her own version of the bemused look. Like when I'd seen blonde hair on my sister the day before, I blinked in surprise at the sight, but this time, it didn't fade away. The twin images just remained there, their confused looks starting to shift toward concern. It had to be some kind of hallucination. "Is something wrong?" my mother asked worriedly. Still staring, I managed to shake my head. What else could I do? It wasn't like I could tell my mom that I was seeing some strange hallucinatory version of her from my dream. She'd think I was nuts. "No ... I ... uhm ... thought I saw something ... on the wall ..." I lied awkwardly, forcing myself to look away from the strange illusion. Used to reading her kids, my mom peered at me suspiciously. "You sure you're okay." "Yeah. Of course," I reassured her, trying to sound confident about it. That wasn't exactly easy to do with evidence of my apparent insanity looking right at me. "Alright ..." my mother conceded. "Anyway, I'm going grocery shopping in a little bit so we can stop relying on the gas station's selection, travel snacks, and fast food. Can you handle the cable guy if he comes while I'm gone?" I nodded. "Yeah. Shouldn't be a problem." "Thanks," my mom replied before getting back to unpacking her box. With the conversation ended, I turned around and walked right back out of the room, appetite completely forgotten. I was far more concerned about the strange hallucinations, specifically if it was just my mom or everyone. As such, I ran right back upstairs in search of one of my younger siblings. Once I got up there, I glanced between the two options available to me. My sisters door was still blocked by boxes, meaning I'd have to get her to come out. My brother's door however was closed, and there was also a decent chance that he hadn't gotten up yet. He'd been sleeping in later and later with every passing day. Deciding to go with the one that was less of a brat, I went to my sister's room and rapped on the boxes a little. "Linds, you in there?" "Yeah!" my little sister called out from inside. "Mind coming out real quick?" I asked. "Why?!" Lindsey questioned. The question stumped me for a moment before I answered. "I want to see if you've gotten any more princess like ... y'know since you have a castle now." It wasn't really a lie, after all. Immediately, I heard scurrying from inside followed quickly by a head poking out through the gap in the boxes. Just like with my mother, there were two images before me. One was blonde and the other brunette. As I looked at the dual images in shock, my sister scrambled to her feet and looked up at me with a grin on her face. This only made the dual images more discombobulating for me as the blonde princess was a great deal bigger than my little sister. It was hard for me to look my sister in the eye when doing so put my gaze right about chest level with a pretty girl. ?I was thinking that I might?ve gotten a little taller,? my sister declared, still caught up in the idea that her appearance had changed in some positive way just from having a castle of cardboard boxes. ?Huh ? oh ? yeah ? maybe,? I mumbled distractedly. ?You do look a little more mature.? ?I?m gonna go measure myself!? my sister announced before racing off. By the time she got to the bottom of the steps, she was already yelling for our mother to find a tape measure. Meanwhile, I just stood where I was, trying to wrap my head around the visions that I was seeing. I could remember both alternate versions of my family members from my dreams the last couple of nights. I?d never seen something from a dream while I was awake before, though. ?Maybe I just didn?t get enough sleep last night,? I hoped as I turned toward my room to go lie down. *********************************************** *********************************************** In front of me I heard the clicks and scrapes that came from the cable guy working. He?d been at it for a little while now, getting everything properly installed so that we could have TV and internet. That alone was enough to make it a big deal to my younger siblings, but there was something else about it that was making it a big deal to me. Like my mother and sister, the cable guy had the nearly transparent image of another person hanging over him. However, it wasn?t of someone that I?d seen in my dreams before like the other two. Instead, it was an entirely new hallucination. The real cable guy was a rather average looking guy. He was a bit husky with a scruffy beard and a long ponytail. The illusory one, though, was rather suave with dignified features and crisp, well-maintained look to him that spoke of class and intelligence. Something about him also made me think that he was british or at least would pretentiously affect such an accent. ?Is everyone like this?? I mumbled to myself as I rubbed at my chin thoughtfully. It certainly seemed like that was going to be the case. ?You say something?? the cable guy asked, looking up from his work. I shook my head. ?No, just uh ? thinking about what I want to watch first.? ?Can?t help you there, man. I don?t really watch much TV, myself,? the cable guy replied as he got back to his work. ?Really?? I asked. ?I mean ? you work for the cable company. Don?t they give you it all for free?? The cable guy shrugged. ?Just prefer something with more depth than the kind of stuff they put on the airwaves. Occasionally, a good independant film gets enough notice from the masses to get on one of the movie channels, but that?s about it really.? ?Right ?? I agreed uncertainly. Hearing the man talk had only disconcerted me further. While he didn?t have a british accent, everything that he?d said sounded like something the illusory version of himself might say. That didn?t seem like it could be possible, though. I?d certainly never met the guy before, and he didn't look like an intellectual snob in real life, only his illusory self did. There was no way that I could have created a delusion that actually matched him like that. Clearly there was more going on here than I?d thought. I had a feeling that I was going to have to go back to that dream again to figure out exactly what, though. I only wished that I could do so right away. Suddenly, my head jerked upright as if I?d been starting to nod off but caught myself before I could truly fall asleep. At the same time, the reality that waited for me when I looked around seemed to belie that sensation. Clearly, I must have fallen asleep. The room I was in had been replaced by the purple fleshy walls of the eggplant, dream house. It was different than usual, though, lit by warm golden light that was soft and pleasing to the eye. That wasn?t the only difference either. The living room, previously lacking in people now had a person in it, the suave, intellectual snob form of the cable guy. There was no sign of his real identity, though. Strangely, he was still installing the cable, even in the dream. ?I?m actually back,? I breathed in disbelief as I rose from my seat. ?But how? I could?ve sworn I was focused, and I wasn?t tired ? was I?? No answers came, not even from the snobby cable man. In fact, he didn?t even seem to hear me. Instead, he just kept at his work as if I wasn?t there at all. Perplexed, I stepped forward, intending to tap the man on the shoulder to get his attention. A moment later, I was across the room, starting to reach for him when my mind finally managed to warn me to pull back. Touching people in this world had not worked out like I would?ve expected in the past. ?How do I get his attention then?? I mused, peering at the man. Even as I pondered that question, the man straightened up and turned toward me. At first, I thought that he?d finally heard me speak, but his eyes didn?t focus on me, but on something behind me. A moment later, I got further proof that he couldn?t see me when he took a step forward, coming right at me. Surprised, I darted out of the way, barely getting to the side before the man plowed through where I?d been standing. As I caught my balance, he didn?t even slow, just kept right on walking across the room. When he got to the couch, he reached out with a hand ? ?Hey, kid,? I heard the cable guy call out, as something shook my shoulder. ?You fell asleep.? Suddenly, my eyes were popping open and the dreamworld was gone. Standing in front of me was the cable guy with the illusory snob hovering over him. Leaned forward, his hand was on my shoulder, clearly in the act of waking me up. ?Oh ? sorry ?? I mumbled groggily as my body struggled to fully wake back up. ?No problem,? the cable guy told me. ?I got you all hooked up, and everything tested fine, so you should be good to go.? I nodded along with the information. ?Alright. Thanks. Need anything else from me?? ?Nope, you?re good,? the cable guy assured me. ?I?ll go ahead and let myself out.? Not bothering to say anything else, I just gave the man another nod to show that I?d heard him. I was too distracted by the brief dream to give him any more thought than that. I wasn?t even sure if I could call it a dream, since the action had so perfectly mirrored reality. What I was sure of was that it had given me no answers and even more questions ? questions that would have to wait for the next time I found myself in that place to get answers. *********************************************** *********************************************** Chapter 06 - Night 3 The silvery light of that gigantic moon dominated the night sky above me. Beside it, the stars twinkled and danced like happy fireflies, never quite staying still. Below, the suburb of vegetable houses bathed in the heavenly brilliance, seeming almost an offering to the god of the moon. From where I stood on the porch of my eggplant home, I could do little besides stare at the fabulous tableau before me. It had overtaken me the moment that I?d stepped from my house, stripping away my reason as punishment for daring to step out into the world. In its place was only rapture. It took several long moments, but eventually a stray thought managed to stick in my head, reminding me that I wasn?t here to sightsee. I needed information ? information that I would only be able to get in the dream world. Since I didn?t know how long I?d be able to stay this time, I couldn?t afford to waste time just standing there, looking at the world no matter how beautiful it might be. Prying my gaze away from the sight, I shook my head to clear my thoughts and try to rattle them back on track. Once they were, I lifted my head to look first left then right down the road. I needed information but neither way seemed more likely to give it to me than the other. ?Your majesty!? a male voice gasped from my left. Surprised by the sound, I spun back that way. What awaited me there was even more surprising than the noise. Kneeling on the ground before me was a boy in his late teens wearing nothing but a black speedo. He was handsome with a toned swimmer?s build, long blonde hair, and boyish features. I barely noticed that, though. I was too focused on the little black horns sprouting from his temples, and the matchings wings and spade-tipped tail that he had thrusting from his back. While I stared the boy remained where he was. He was not only on his knees, but had his head bent forward almost as if he was praying to me. There was no movement outside of his breathing, nor any attempt to say more. ?I ? uhm ? you may rise,? I commanded uncertainly, my mind awhirl at this new oddity. It wasn?t just the boy?s demonic look that was confusing me. The fact that he was talking to me was confusing as well. The cable guy had been unable to see or hear me. The only other person to speak to me had been the princess, and that had only been after I?d touched her and gotten pulled into the black mist. Before that, she?d just been sound asleep, not even rousing when I called out to her. ?Thank you, your majesty,? the boy replied, getting his feet back under him. He still did not lift his eyes, though, keeping them carefully on the ground. ?Why do people keep saying that?? I blurted unconsciously at the strange form address that people kept using for me in this world. Recoiling slightly, the boy?s face scrunched up in worry. ?My apologies, your majesty, I didn?t mean to upset you.? ?What?!? I gasped in confusion at the reply. ?You didn?t upset me. I just want to know why people keep calling me your majesty.? ?How else should one address his queen, your majesty?? the boy questioned. ?Queen? I?m no?? I started to speak, but the voice that made the words was not my own. At the same time, I was suddenly acutely aware of my body, and how very different it was from the one that I knew. Thoroughly bewildered, all I could do was look down. The body that I apparently now possessed definitely fit the title of queen. For one, it was female, a fact that was very obvious thanks to a pair of a huge breasts which were on display in an elegant, but low cut, pale green gown with a rather renaissance styling to it. There was even a slim sword belted around my waist with a golden, basket hilt, and I could feel the cool weight of something metal resting upon my brow. As strange as suddenly being female was, it was, unfortunately, the normal part. A red fox tail swished across my butt in agitation, while a pair of white feathered wings thrust out from my back, and there was even long, pale green hair spilling over my shoulders. I was clearly not human any longer. This whole situation was just too weird. I couldn?t remember ever having a dream where I was a completely different person, and certainly not a girl. Why would I suddenly be some strange, inhuman queen? ?Your majesty?? the boy inquired timidly. The words penetrated my thoughts enough to get me to look up at the boy, but it did not alleviate my shock. Even without looking, I could still feel the unfamiliar body as it produced sensations that I were beyond foreign to me. How could I possibly know what it felt like to wag a tail or spread wings or even have my chest jiggle? In spite of that, I could feel all of that and more in the dream. ?Sorry, I ? ? I trailed off, unsure of what I could even say to explain my situation. At the same time I wondered if I even should. It was just a dream, after all ? a strangely persistent one that returned night after night ... ?Are you alright, your majesty?? the boy?s concerned voice cut into my thoughts. Returning my focus to the boy, I nodded quickly. ?Yes, just scatterbrained tonight. Could you answer a few more questions for me?? ?Of course, your majesty,? the boy agreed graciously, adopting an easy smile. ?Could you tell me what I?m queen of?? I asked. ?Of dreams, of course,? the boy responded matter-of-factly. Given my situation, that answer didn?t surprise me. What else could one be queen of in a dream besides the dream itself. It also likely meant that the beautiful world around me was supposed to be dreamland, and it certainly fit that description. ?Of course,? I agreed with the boy as if I?d known that answer all along. ?Now, this will seem odd, but do I have a ? name? Y?know, besides ?Queen of Dreams?.? Furrowing his brow, the boy gave me a quizzical look. ?Are you sure you?re alright, your majesty?? ?Oh, yes,? I assured him. ?Like, I said, just scatterbrained tonight.? ?Forgive my impertinence, your majesty, but your brain would have to be awfully scattered to forget something like your own name,? the boy remarked. ?And it is,? I told him. ?More scattered than you would believe.? Oddly enough, the boy seemed to accept that answer, nodding nonchalantly. ?Very well, your name is Alaria Amenia Anastasia Tsaren ? the First of course.? ?That?s quite the mouthful. No wonder I forgot it,? I joked, eliciting a polite laugh from the boy. ?Thank you for reminding me of it.? The boy dipped into a low bow. ?It was my pleasure, your majesty. Do you require my services further?? While I certainly had plenty more questions to ask, I wondered if I hadn?t asked this one boy enough. I had already given him more than enough reason to worry about me, and I didn?t really want to find out if dreamland had insane asylums. The last thing I wanted was to get stuck in a nightmare like that. ?No. Thank you again,? I replied, letting the boy go. ?Good night, your majesty,? the boy said, giving me a polite nod before he walked past me and continued on down the sidewalk. I was just about to start off the other way when a curiosity popped into my head that just had to be indulged. ?Hey, boy,? I called, turning toward the strange young man. ?One last thing. Where are you going?? The boy stopped and turned to answer me. ?Just down the street, your majesty. There?s a young woman there that is just starting to dream about her crush at school. It should be a most delectable meal.? As is often the way with curiosity, the answer to my question had served only to drive me into wanting to know more. What was the demon boy eating, the dream or the girl? Would either be harmed by this? Was that how he sustained himself in this world? I believe I?d heard once that succubuses fed on the eroticisms of men, so maybe he was the boy version of that, an ? incubus I think they were called. So many questions, but I had said the boy could go. ?Thank you. Good night,? I told the boy, letting him get back to his meal. It was a little disappointing, but I had other more important questions to find answers to than ones related to the random demon boy. A glance down was more than enough to prove that fact. Taking a moment, I gathered up what I knew so far. It wasn?t much, but the one thing I had to go on was that I was supposedly the queen of this dream world. Everyone that had spoken to me here had recognized me as such and acted with the deference that title would warrant. That didn?t explain why I could see the characters from the dream in the real world, though. It also didn?t explain how things worked in this world. However, it seemed likely that, if I could find more people like the demon boy, I could ask them about those very things. ?Alright, I?m a queen, so I must have servants or subjects or something around,? I mused, looking down the street in either direction. ?Maybe in like a castle or ?? A twinkle out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. At first, I assumed it must have been one of the brilliant stars, but when I looked up, my jaw nearly dropped. Floating there atop the silvery pillow of a cloud sat a castle that sparkled and glistened in the brilliant light of the stars and moon. It was like something out of a fairy tale, all graceful minarets,graceful arches, and elegant towers that created a dynamic silhouette against the night sky. All of it was made of white stone adorned with gold and silver that intertwined like woven threads. There were even little lights within, soft, incandescent glows that mingled with the light of the sky to illuminate the entire structure beautifully. The next thing I knew, my eyes were opening, replacing the stunning castle with the dark of my bedroom. The loss of that vision was palpable, leaving me feeling strangely empty and lost as I lolled my head to the side and sighed. In that moment, I desperately wanted to go back there right away, to see it all again, to never let it be taken away. Toward that end, I rolled over, trying to get back to the dream, but that very desire seemed to keep it at bay. *********************************************** *********************************************** Chapter 07 - Day 4 The blue walls of my room greeted me in the morning light, unwanted and despised. I had never managed to get back to the dream, to the floating castle in the sky that had so tantalized me. Even now, the idea of exploring it thrilled me, but rather than guide me back to sleep, it only woke me further, taking away the last edge of grogginess from my thoughts. ?Ugh ? damn it,? I groaned, truly not wanting to get up. I did so anyway, though, rubbing at my face as I sat up. At the same time, I remained filled with frustration. My time within the dream had been so short, and I?d learned so little - just a name and a title. There was still no explanation for why the dream bled into the real world, nor any clue how to make it stop. There wasn?t even an indication of how I could go about getting