A Curse Evermore

Chapter 1

"Amara, Get up!" A deep voice calls out to me.

I consider this proposition.

On the one hand, I can stay on this hard, uncomfortable concrete floor with sharp rocks digging into my back and increase the possibility of experiencing a very likely and painful death. On the other hand, I can risk facing something even worse by getting up and dealing with whatever mess my dream world has brought to me today.

The answer to this choice is obvious to me.

"No," I answer, cracking my eyes open. I look up at the boy hovering above me, his familiarity providing no comfort for the situation we're currently in. "Go do this by yourself for once."

His face lights up as he breaks out into one of his world-famous smiles, deepening his dimples. "We're a team, remember?"

That smile isn't doing it for me today. Ignoring his outstretched hand, I stand up to face him. "No, I don't remember."

I don't remember a lot actually. As I'm facing him now, I can't tell you how he looks like. His eyes, his hair color, who he is to me. He's a mystery, a partner in my dreams that I've been fighting monsters with since I was little.

The only way I'm able to recognize him is by his deep silk-like voice, and that stupid, beautiful smile. Other than that, he's a blur.

I don't mind though, the safety he signifies and the comfort he provides by sticking by my side is enough to keep me satisfied.

My eyes start hurting with the familiar pain I feel when I look at him too long, and I turn to examine the maze we're standing in front of. We're in the middle of a school courtyard, and the maze is smack dab in the center of it. It is big and concrete, about eight feet, and really intimidating.

Thankfully I know exactly what to do.

I grab Dream Guy's hand-still outstretched-and we race through the entrance. Like clockwork, a pair of swords appear in our hands, and the scuttling starts.

I look over to my partner. "You ready?"

Again, that smile. "I'm always ready."

This dream is pretty simple. It was made from the brain of six-year-old me, so of course it's outlandish.

Inside the maze is a horde of human-sized ants whose sole purpose is to turn anything they come across into one of them. Every time I've faced them in previous versions of this dream, they were easily defeated.

After passing the ants and reaching the end of the maze, I will have to fight the ant queen that is holding a school full of children hostage. And being the happy-ending entranced child I was, I made it so I won every time and all was good.

Except, this time something feels off.

Right from the jump I'm not as strong as I usually am and the ants are pushing us back before we're even halfway through the maze.

It isn't until Dream Guy falls back and drops his smile that it becomes apparent we're losing. The realization is scary because I have never faltered like this in a dream before.

What would happen if the ants got me? The dangerous thought enters my brain before I can stop it.

It's enough to push me off my game, and in that moment of weakness I push the ants I'm fighting behind me, toward my partner. I immediately recover but it's too late.

A scream pierces the air, and I spin around to be met with a terrible sight.

The ants are surrounding Dream Guy. And despite what little me had imagined; they aren't putting an ant suit on him.

The ants are eating him.