‘Where were they? What happened? Was it not just a bad dream?’ Scarlett didn’t know what to make of anything. A sliver of her hoped that it wasn’t true. That it was all a bad dream.
Next thing Scarlett knew was that she was being lowered onto the couch and didn’t bother getting back up. Jenna kneeled in front of her and got their faces on the same level. She reached for Scarlett’s hand and held it in between her own.
“Scar, you’re a Dreamer.”
∞
Scarlett stared out the window, marveling yet unbelieving at the fact that she was one of them. The Dreamers that walked and flew among the stars.
When she first looked out the window, she hadn’t noticed them before as they’d blended in so perfectly. They went about their lives in sync and each minded their own. Jenna’s home was pretty far from the other stars, but close enough to be included. It’d taken a while for Scarlett to process everything her sister explained to her.
‘Hell, I’m still processing it,’ she thought to herself as she shook her head in disbelief.
Jenna had been perfectly patient and helped Scarlett sort out her emotional thoughts. She made sure Scarlett understood everything she was being told.
A Dreamer.
A supernatural being that kept Nightmares in check and away from the minds of the innocent. They’re dream protectors and Scarlett was gifted with the genes to become one of them. Jenna told Scarlett that a Dreamer’s power isn’t activated until their eighteenth birthday. That night, they do their first dream to pass through to Ever Realm. Which is exactly what Scarlett went through. It was the reason she’d never dreamt; her mind was secretly gearing up for what it’d need to do.
A curse had been placed on the Dreamer’s rite of passage. Before the curse, the gateway only had to be opened and walked through; a nice and easy transition. Now it’s chained and the Dreamers must find a way to open it before they get killed by the muck and creatures. Charming.
Scarlett could’ve died. For real and in all ways possible. The thought chilled her to the core and she was grateful to have made it through. The view before her was beautiful, however, it did nothing to ease her fear. Scarlett didn’t want to acknowledge it, but a small part of her was thrilled to be part of something bigger, something powerful. It would take a while for that part to finally shine through. She was afraid to embrace her new reality.
The door to the room Scarlett woke up in swung open. She didn’t need to look to know who walked through.
“How are you holding up?”
Jenna clasped her hands in front of her body and shifted from foot to foot. Scarlett didn’t say a word and bit the inside of her cheek. Jenna pulled her hands apart and sighed.
“I get it, you don’t want to talk. Just lay down, Scar. Your mind will return to your body and you’ll be able to talk to mom and dad once you get back.” Jenna finished and stayed a few seconds before lightly shaking her head and walking out the door.
Scarlett didn’t move after Jenna left. As much as she loved her sister, she couldn’t help but feel a bit betrayed at having all this information withheld from her. It felt like a stab to her chest and cold water being dumped on her out of nowhere. She couldn’t open up to Jenna yet.
Heavily sighing, Scarlett went to move when she caught sight of something in the corner of her eye. She stilled and didn’t move or acknowledge that she’d seen it. Something told her not to. A dark silhouette stood facing her while secluded from the stars. She could feel it like a pull in the back of her mind as it stayed still. It gave her a sense of unease and oddly, a peak of interest. A familiar push breached Scarlett’s mind and she blinked only to find the figure gone when she opened her eyes.
Whatever it was, she recognized it.
It was there at her rite of passage.
Shaking off the chills, Scarlett reached the bed at the center of the room and laid down on her back. She stared up at the ceiling and slowly felt the effects of the past events. Her body sunk into the mattress and a deep exhale left her mouth. Drained, Scarlett didn’t put up any resistance and allowed the blanket of light and dark sweep her under.
Five
Twinkling lights met Scarlett’s gaze as she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times and lifted her head to find herself surrounded by her family. Roger sat at the foot of the bed while Cher kneeled at her side. Her grandparents were on separate chairs on the other side of the room.
They all looked terrible.
Her father’s black hair stuck in all directions as if it’d been yanked a thousand times. His dark brown eyes were hidden behind closed and reddened eyelids. He wore the same clothes she’d last seen him in but in a wrinkled state. Her mother didn’t look any better. Her brown curls were thrown into a messy bun and she still wore the yellow dress with a blanket covering her shoulders. Her eyes were red and puffy as tear stains lined her cheeks. A pressure built behind Scarlett’s eyes at the sight of her parents.
Roger’s parents huddled together on the chairs and held each other’s hands. They had changed to comfort clothes and had their eyes closed. They looked at peace at least, even if they were asleep.
Cher caught sight of Scarlett first.
She screamed and jumped up as she met Scarlett’s honey brown eyes. Cher threw her arms around her daughter and a heave left Scarlett as she was squished. Scarlett lifted her arms to return the hug only to find that her right arm was not in a sling and yet, it hurt all the same. She hissed at the use of her arm and squeezed her eyes shut. A throbbing pain made its way up and down her arm and she sucked in a breath through her clenched teeth.
Cher quickly let go of Scarlett and backed away to sit beside her. Roger and his parents had gotten up and were alert at the edge of the bed. A smile graced their faces at the sight of Scarlett’s wide eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Her father asked as he rushed around to be beside her mother. He grabbed ahold of Scarlett’s left hand and enclosed both of his hands around hers.
“I... I don’t know.” Scarlett responded as everything slowly pieced itself together in her mind. Her thoughts buzzed as memories settled themselves. Scarlett squeezed her eyes shut and ached to forget everything. Deep down, she knew that she relished at the thought of knowing such things. She didn’t want to forget but didn’t want to accept it either. Scarlett observed her family as a question she’d forgotten to ask Jenna came to the forefront of her mind. She noticed her mother begin to open her mouth but quickly beat her.
“Did you know?” Scarlett asked.
The room became silenced as if muted and her parents froze while her grandparents winced. Scarlett locked eyes with her grandmother who offered her a sympathetic smile. She swallowed the growing lump in her throat and dreaded the answer she already knew to come.
Another second and someone had yet to respond.
“A warning would’ve been nice.” Scarlett croaked into the thickening air. It began to feel as if a weight was being thrown on top of her chest. She gripped the blankets beneath her and curled her toes.
‘I hate this,’ she thought as a tear made itself known and slid from the corner of her eye. Roger lifted his head, catching the tear as it slid its way down Scarlett’s cheek.