i'd rather lose (my mind)

Episode 9.4

Winter lay there, unmoving and still, her eyelids shut tight as she tried to ignore the pull of consciousness. She was too afraid to open her eyes, too afraid that she would have to face the harsh realities of her life once again.

The woman couldn't help but feel like a failure. The thought of facing another day seemed unbearable.

She couldn't remember her dream nor why she felt like had let down the only person she cared about.

Winter groaned as she was violently jostled awake. She blinked her eyes open to find her best friend, Giselle, hovering over her, looking frantic. "We have to open the bookstore, dumbo" Giselle said urgently. "The morning rush is going to start any minute now!"

Winter rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock. It was only 6 am. She couldn't imagine why anyone would want to buy books this early in the morning. But Giselle was already bustling around the room, gathering her things and urging Winter to do the same.

As Winter swung her feet out of bed and stood up, she noticed something strange. Everything in the room was blue. The walls, the curtains, the bedspread. Even the light filtering in through the window was tinted blue.

The young girl couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The blue tint seemed almost unnatural like they were trapped in a dream. She wondered if she was still asleep, dreaming of this strange scenario.

Am I dreaming?

No, this feels too real.

"Is it just me or is everything blue?" Winter asked, her voice groggy.

Giselle paused in her frantic movements and looked around the room. "Oh, yeah," she said as if just noticing it herself. "That's because you haven't found your soulmate yet."

Winter's eyes widened in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Giselle let out a sigh, "The world didn't change when you slept, Winter. The rules stay the same."

"What rules?" Winter asked in confusion.

Her best friend just gave a huff as she arranged her stuff, "The rule that everything will only bloom into all of the colors when you've finally laid your eyes upon your soulmate's eyes."

Winter doesn't know why she felt fear and excitement mixed within her. The thought of finally meeting her soulmate was only supposed to be thrilling... but why does Winter feel like it is also bound to break her heart?

Before she could think more on the matter, Giselle was already pulling her to push Winter to the bathroom.

Her mind was still reeling with questions when they reached the bookstore. As they unlocked the door and turned on the lights, Winter couldn't help but feel disoriented by the blue glow that filled the room. Even the books on the shelves seemed to have a blue tint to them.

"This is so strange," Winter muttered to herself, her head spinning.

Giselle and Winter were the owners of the small but beloved bookstore in town. They were an odd pair, with personalities that seemed to clash at every turn. Somehow, however, their opposite natures had blended together to create a business that had become a staple in the community.

When they had first opened the store, they had joked that they were like the characters from the classic comedy film "Dumb and Dumber". Giselle had laughed about it and tossed the name around, never truly expecting it to stick. But to their surprise, the locals had taken a liking to the name and soon it became synonymous with the bookstore itself.

People would come in and ask for recommendations from "the Dumb and Dumber duo", and Winter and Giselle would smile, knowing that they had somehow stumbled upon the perfect name for their store.