in an alternate reality - dreamnotfound

Chapter Three

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And then, as if it were some sort of secret, Dream whispered, "George-"

***

That singular word was lost to the nighttime's silence, every other sound in the world seeming to drown him out.

He stood in silence for a moment, simply let the cool air wash over him, gentle as it brushed through his hair and rippled his clothes. He hadn't felt fresh air in so long, and this was probably the most perfect way to experience it once more.

Making the decision to continue on through the forest was a hard choice to make, as a part of him wished he could just sit down here and let himself relax for a bit, but George was awaiting him at home, expecting a dinner that he assumed hadn't been prepared.

Dream sucked in one more breath of air, as if he'd never step outside again, and then began his journey down the rocky, leaf-covered path, in search of familiarity.

He only found what he was looking for when the community house came into view. It was made of bricks and wood, simple materials that were all they really had access to at the time it was built. It had never really been used for much after their group parted ways and made their own homes, but its history seemed to be what kept it standing in the middle of the lake, unsturdy paths still leading up to it.

Dream made sure to look in every direction more than once before deciding the coast was clear and absolutely booking it towards the community house. He felt less than steady as he wobbled across the floating bridge, but that didn't stop him from moving fast.

The door was already open when he came upon it, and he worried it was because somebody was inside, but when he searched over the front of the building again, he saw that no lights were on and upon listening at the door for a minute or so, he heard absolutely no noise, so he took it upon himself to wander in.

He was careful as he moved silently across the house, making his way to the spiral staircase in the middle of the room. If anyone was here, he didn't want to be discovered by them in this state. Maybe after he had showered and cleaned up.

The stairs were creaky, making much more noise than he would have appreciated, but it proved to be no issue, as nobody came out of hiding, ready to question his appearance and ask him why he wasn't at home at this hour.

The second floor was nothing like the first. While the first floor was nothing but unnecessary amounts of chests filled with useless items, the second floor had multiple bedrooms and a communal bathroom where there were multiple showers and everything you'd need if your house was under construction, or you had just gotten there from a different reality and wanted to trick everyone into thinking everything was completely normal by drastically altering your appearance before sitting down at the dinner table and acting like nothing was wrong.

Dream slipped into one of the shower rooms, taking extra care to bring a towel with him, and turned on the water, twisting the dial until it rested on the coldest possible temperature.

Water immediately engulfed his body, and he basked in the feeling of it dripping down his skin, washing away dirt and blood in the process. He screwed his eyes shut and tipped his head back, running his hands through his hair as the water soaked it, adding twice the weight to his head.

It had to have been almost fifteen minutes before he opened his eyes and reached for the shampoo. He squirted some in his hands as he stepped out of the water, and then began scrubbing his hands through his hair. As his nails scraped his scalp, he counted the months since he had taken a proper shower. It had been six- almost seven.