Lavender Snow

Stop

This home fucking sucked.

Tommy screeched in rage as Techno zoomed ahead of him and stole first place right as he was about to get it. "NO! I WAS AHEAD! I WAS AHEAD!!"

Techno stretched, smirking. "First again, losers."

Wilbur crossed the finish line a second later, pouting. "How come I never make it into the top five?"

"Some people are naturally talented when it comes to the art of Mario Kart," Techno said solemnly. "Others, well. . ."

"Oh you're a dick, you know that?" Wilbur flicked a piece of caramel popcorn at Techno, but his aim was off and it hit Tommy instead.

"Oi!" Tommy grabbed a fistful of his own popcorn, ready to throw in retaliation, but Phil decided to walk in at that moment and put a hand on his arm, lowering the popcorn back into the bowl.

"Nope, no more of that," Phil said, letting go and popping a cheese flavored kernel into his mouth. "We don't need a repeat of the L'Manburg revolution."

"You mean the Revengers' war. It's named after whoever won." Techno grunted as Wilbur smacked him over the head.

"So why'd that one book talk about the Cold war? Did the cold win? Or what about the World wars? The whole fucking world won?" Tommy stretched, wincing at the ever-present tenseness in his back.

"Oh, don't get Techno started on war," Wilbur said, poking his brother with his foot. "He'll talk forever."

Techno batted the foot away. "Oh, come on, they're cool. The first world war, especially, was interesting because—"

"Quick! Change the subject!" Wilbur cried. "Tommy, what sort of, er, food, do you have, uh, on the Essempí?"

Tommy shoved some cheesy popcorn in his mouth. "Nuf'in like 'is, we on'y had—"

"Chew and swallow before you talk, please," Phil said.

Tommy rolled his eyes but obeyed. "Nothing like this sort of food. We didn't really have a lot of variety, at least not for the Enderians. We don't have a sun or moon, so the only natural thing that grows on the stone are the chorus trees. I didn't see them a lot, but I smacked into them a few times on the street. They're all rough textured and purple."

"Do they grow fruit or something?" Phil asked.

"Yeah, chorus fruit. It's really sweet and grainy. We put it in everything, wraps, salads, soups. . . The main meal of the apartments was a sort of fire-roasted chorus pancake, actually. We got the rest of the ingredients from plant-species Elytrians." Tommy had a sudden memory of the gardener chucking a succulent at his head when he escaped. "A lot of the 'magic' plants were apparently from here, I guess."

"How is this more exciting than war," Techno grumbled. "No offense."

"Offense taken!" Wilbur said. "I think it's important to learn about other cultures, and food is a main aspect of a civilization."

"A civilization that oppresses an entire race and steals their magic."

Tommy shrugged. "He has a point. Also food is a kinda boring topic."

Wilbur stuck out his bottom lip and crossed his arms sulkily.

Phil snorted and picked up the television remote, turning it off. "Stop pouting, Wil, you can't be right all the time. Let's be done with the video games for now. Tech, will you run with Kristin down to the hardware store? She needs hooks for hanging up Tommy's fairy lights."

"They're Tik Tok lights, not fairy lights," Tommy protested. "They're for big men and they're very manly!"

"Sure, mate," Phil said. "Wil, get off the couch and clean up the popcorn. There's a bit that got smashed into the carpet there, you'll have to use the vacuum for that."

Wilbur groaned dramatically and flopped off the couch onto the floor, where he started picking up kernels and popping them into his mouth.

"And Tommy," Phil said, turning with a smile, "even big men need to clean their rooms. Off you pop."

"But Dad. . . Phil!" Tommy hesitated.

"Aww! That's the first time you've called him dad!" Wilbur cooed. He shuffled over and started wiggling his fingers at Tommy. "Tommy's a softie! Widdle softie Tommy!"

Weird tingle-chills spasmed through his body. Tommy gasped. "W-what are you doing?"

"Have you never been tickled before?" Wilbur said, a delighted grin coming over his face. "Ooooh, here comes the tickle monster!"

The finger wiggling intensified. A laugh escaped Tommy's throat, even though his chest was tightening and his hands were beginning to shake. He pushed at Wilbur, trying to get him off. "No— S-stop— Stop it—" Why was he laughing?!

Wilbur pushed back against his weak attacks, tickling more furiously. It didn't feel good, he didn't like it, he didn't like it—

The chair was too large for a five-year-old. Tommy hunched his shoulders, eyes flicking around the room as quickly as his breathing. His cheek stung and his voice was hoarse from hours of screaming.

Those were shapes in the dark. Just shapes. Right? But that was something moving, there. Or was that his imagination? A chill ran down his spine and he shivered.

His mama had told him stories about shadow monsters that came from other islands to steal his magic if he didn't clean his room, or brush his teeth, or go to bed. What had he done wrong?

"I'm a good boy," Tommy rasped into the dark. "I'm good."

"Good boys don't talk without permission."

Tommy snapped his head up. A smile was hovering in the dark.

"—ommy, breathe."

Tommy gasped, grabbing at Phil, burying his face in his shirt, green, but not that green that lime lime green—

"Oh god, I'm sorry, I'm sorry—" Wilbur stammered. "I'm so sorry, Tommy, I didn't know that would trigger you, I. . ."

Tommy reached out a hand and latched onto Wilbur's sweater, pulling him close. Wilbur froze briefly, then rested his hand on Tommy's blond curls. "Oh. . . Tommy. . ."

"Shush," Tommy mumbled. "No talking. Just hug."

Wilbur obliged, but Tommy still couldn't shake the horrible feeling that somewhere, in a mirrored palace, a masked emperor was searching for him.

❀✿❀✿❀✿❀

A low growl rumbled through Tommy's dream that night. Purple light blinked faintly from somewhere far into the darkness of this wall-less chamber. The dragon was keeping its distance this time.

Dream spun around slowly, staring at the star compass below him. Every once in a while he glanced up at Tommy, and each time it sent a shock of fear through him. He knows where I am, he knows he knows he knows

Dream held his hands out in front of him, then jerked both arms upward. The compass rose out of the ground, green light passing up and up until it was floating above them.

That's the Pegasus constellation, Tommy realized, recognizing the stars on the bottom of the compass. Earth's stars are just mirrors of our own.

Dream moved his fingers meticulously, manipulating the needle so it was sunk down to the wrong face of the compass. It spun for a moment, then came to a rest, pointing directly at Tommy.

The dragon finally appeared, its ebony muzzle creeping into Tommy's vision from the side.

"There you are," Dream murmured.

The dragon hissed, then opened its mouth wide, swallowing Tommy in a flood of purple light.