REVERIE: Twisted Reality

Last Door: Time to Wake Up

Alexandria Lennon

There was one last door left. 

The checkered neon-green and red. I walked towards it and it finally opened.

I found myself in a throne room of bright contrasting colors.

I heard Shaw speak from behind me, "So, did you enjoy watching my pathetic life? After all, there's a reason why I am called the Prince of the Broken Throne."

I slowly turned around and face him. 

His lonely gray eyes and beautiful red lips. 

'How could I... I can't forgive myself for leaving him all alone like that.'

"Oh, please, Alexandria. Don't look at me like that. This is why I didn't tell you in the first place." He said while avoiding my gaze.

I shook my head and said in a shaky voice, "N-no, I wasn't pitying you, I was just thinking about how twisted our reality is..."

I took a step closer to him, "Even if it wasn't all good back then, we still managed to be happy. How did we come to this?"

Shaw smiled bitterly and his eyes were filled with tears and frustration, "We didn't change, Alexandria. We just happened to lost our innocence and realized that happily ever after doesn't exist."

"Can't you see? Nothing is waiting for us out there. I will never be your prince in shining armor or let alone just be able to help you. And you still have those problems to face that made you fell into a deep sleep in the first place." He's trying to convince me to stay.

"But here, Alexandria," He said and looked around the place, "Here we can at least pretend that we are happy."

'Another game of pretend?'

I've already learned from the Duke, White, and all my other reveries. 

How long can we keep on playing pretend?

"Please, Alexandria, stay here with me." He pleaded.

I closed the distance between us and embraced him in my arms.

"I'm sorry for leaving you all alone... for causing you pain... I'm sorry." I cried for his forgiveness. 

'How mortifying it must've been to be the only one who remembers...'

I hugged him even tighter and buried my head on his shoulders. 

"I can never be mad at you..." Shaw quietly said that only made me cry harder. 

I wiped the tears from my face and looked at him in the eyes.

I slowly shook my head and said, "I can't stay here with you, Shaw."

"Then go, I no longer have the power to stop you," He said bitterly. I shook my head and held his face.

I rested his forehead in mine and looked at his beautiful gray eyes, "If you don't like me anymore, then please don't do this. It's painful." He said weakly while tears streamed down his face.

I shook my head and told him, "Did you know that you managed to make me like you in this reverie. And remembering everything, my feelings for you are no longer as simple as 'like.'" 

"I'm the one who told you to dream yet I'm the one who forgot everything. I'm sorry. I can only imagine how hard it must've been to be the only one who remembers. But I also want to thank you for holding onto our memories when I couldn't." I said as I gently caressed his cheek with my thumb.

"But now I remember everything, I stand by the words I said years ago. Even if time has changed us, I still need you so let's go back together." I tried to convince him.

With every moment passing the harder the beating of my heart becomes and after what felt like a long time, he finally took my hand and smiled.

But instead of holding onto me, 

He pushed me away and said,

"I'm sorry, Alexandria. But I've been dreaming for far too long that I've forgotten to wake up."

I tried to reach for his hands but the moment I blink,

I was back in my room. Not a huge fancy room with a soft bed and silk blankets but a tiny shabby room with futons on the floor.

"Shaw..." I muttered to myself.

'He didn't come back with me! He can't come back with me!'

I cried myself out the whole morning. After a few hours, I finally calmed down. 

And I looked at the time. 

'I'm almost late for work!'

I quickly got out of bed and took a shower and headed for my part-time job. 

As I was getting on the bus I can't seem to remember why I had been crying this morning.

Hmm... Weird. 

Maybe I just had a bad dream.