Imagine #1: A Dream...

Chapter 30: Return

SYLVIA KUMAR

Tuesday, June 30, 2020 - 2080 RC

The morning after the party was filled with a sort of tension that nobody wanted to talk about. We all knew that at some point, everyone would have to go back to their own homes, that their stay with us would be over soon.

They were leaving just after breakfast, so after we were done eating, we walked with them to the Planet Room to say good-bye. Dane was still staying in the palace, he had been here longer than all of us had. The things Diana had said lingered in the back of my mind every time I thought about him, but with no proof, I didn't want to blame him immediately.

Diana and I were staying in the Dream Realm as well. We had been taken here for a two-month-long "camp", and we still had a whole month left before we needed to go home. I was excited to explore the realm a little more without the threat of Darkness lurking over our heads all the time.

"So..." I started, as we awkwardly stood in front of the portal, waiting for somebody to do something. "What are you guys going to do when you get home?"

Vex looked a little embarrassed, but answered anyway. "Apologize. I left on a bad note. I don't intend to return on one as well." She said simply.

I glanced at Aiden and Hazel, wondering if they were going to respond, when I was suddenly reminded of something. "Aiden. Where are you planning to go? Would you rather stay here than go back to NatureVilla?"

He shook his head. "I'd like to stay here, but it can't be my home. The palace will never be my permanent place to live, I'll never really feel comfortable here, always like I'm just here however long they can use me." He said uncomfortably. "So Hazel offered that I could come stay with her family in Forestical. From what I've heard it's not too different from my planet." He finished.

"So I guess the first thing we'll do is get Aiden settled in," Hazel jumped in, smiling. "And talk to my family, I guess." She added, her grin fading a little.

"What about you guys? What are you going to do while we're gone?" Vex asked us.

I looked to Diana for an answer. "Explore the palace a bit more, take a virtual look at some of the planets, plan for what we could do to prevent another attack? Maybe even bother Daydream and ask her questions," She suggested, a mischievous smile on her face.

After that, we fell into a silence, nobody really wanting to leave, but staying wasn't an option either. Finally, just as Vex turned to go through the portal, I had to speak up. "When are you all planning to come back? Are you planning to come back at all?" I asked, almost desperately.

Vex gave me a small smile. "Just a couple days I think. Till the end of the week? I'll be back here on Sunday. You don't need to worry, I'll be back soon." She reassured me, tapping Polarex's round ball on the map. "Portal," She commanded, and the now-familiar drifting clouds appeared past the doorway. "Bye for now," She waved, stepping through.

Hazel changed the portal to take them to Forestical, waving and leaving with Aiden before we could lose our will to let them leave and spend another ten minutes saying goodbye. I looked at Diana and Dane, the group feeling small and empty without everyone else.

Before we got to the Dream Realm, I spent all my time with Diana and Skylar, just two others. But now it just feels wrong to have so little people with us.

With everyone gone, I turned to think about what we were going to do here. With the Nightmares gone, at least for now, we had all the time we wanted to do whatever Dreamers normally did in the realms. I can't believe that Amma was here too, at our age, I thought, my thoughts drifting. How come she never told us about it? I thought she told us every story about her life, I wondered as we walked through the halls.

Glancing around the pastel cloud walls, thinking about all the different planets in the entire universe of Dreams, I felt less overwhelmed than before. Everything made sense now, the realm seemed like a real place now, not just a strange fantasy. Our adventures and battles, fighting the Nightmares, it all felt possible. We were Dreamers now, both the Dream Realm and the Waking World could be our home.

I couldn't wait to see what the next dream would be.