Schooled [Laughing JackxReader]

5

A delicate breeze brushed across your face. The ground bobbed up and down beneath you and there was a salty smell in the air. Were you on a boat? You opened your eyes to a peculiar dreamworld.

You weren't on a boat at all. Warm light glowed softly from the center of the carousel as you bobbed up and down on a painted horse. You wobbled slightly to the side and clung to the pole to regain your balance. It was cool and smooth and felt way too real to be a dream. As you ran your hand down the gilded post, a moist, warm breath touched the back of your neck. A sharp pang of fear surged through your body.

Every muscle in your body went rigid. You could feel someone standing directly behind you, making the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Hesitantly you moved your eyes to the pole, scared of what the reflection may reveal. You saw.....nothing. Your own warped reflection stared back at you. The presence faded. You looked over your shoulder and there was no one there. As the drumming of your heart quieted, you could hear muffled carnival music coming from one of the tents. Warm lights spilled out of the black and white striped tents and booths. It was...tantalizing. Almost hypnotic. You had to go to it.

You dismounted your horse and placed your feet on the twirling circular platform. After getting a sense of balance, you let go of the pole. A step forward and you were standing on the edge of the carousel. The rest of the carnival became a dizzying blur around you, and the carousel felt like it was spinning faster and faster until you were certain you were going to be sent flying off of it into the dirt. Scared and dizzy you reached out for the pole. Your fingertips just barely brushed against the metal when you were suddenly faced with city lights. The pole was gone and the musky carnival air was replaced with the cool smell of night. The sharp, staccato sound of carnival music was now the sound of cars far below. Very far.

Slowly, cautiously, you turned your head and looked down at the street, seven stories below, from a precarious spot on the very edge of your apartment's rooftop. You let out a screech scrambled off of your perch, onto the roof. The rough concrete scraped your feet.

How had you ended up here? On the roof??? You thought about your dream, and the carousel. You remembered standing on the edge of the platform, lured by the light of the carnival, and you remembered the creature that had been standing behind you.

Your body trembled from cold and fear. After checking over your shoulder one last time, you made your way back to your apartment, unaware of the pale pair of eyes watching you with a curious intensity.