Just a Dream

Chapter 3

After classes, it's time for another dream assignment for our wing. I'm called up to Kimishi's office along with Caeli and about ten other people. When we've all gotten into his massive office, Kimishi begins with the usual stuff- what part we'll be playing, which emotions we should display, etc. I'm an unimportant extra, as usual. Now it's time for him to tell us the general plot of the dream, just so we can get an idea.

"Okay. Now we get down to the important business. We're dealing with a nightmare here. About a level 9 on the scariness scale." At this comment, all of us gasp. The scariness scale only goes up to 10. Generally nightmares are only a five or a six, sometimes a seven. I can barely remember the last time that I was assigned to a nine. What I can remember, however, isn't pleasant. The dreamer screaming his head off. My wing members looking slightly pained as they chase after him, threatening to strangle him, stab him, burn him at the stake, every terrible punshment you could think. Me being a bystander, shuddering by the edges of the dream, having no problem at all keeping a horrified look in my eyes. Not exactly a fun experience.

Kimishi sighs as if he were expecting this reaction. "Yes, I know it's a bit hard to deal with these. But I know youall can manage. Just remember, show absolutely no emotion other than the ones that you're supposed to be showing, and everybody will be fine.

Show absolutely no extra emotions? Why do I have the feeling that this dream won't be a great one for me?

Kimishi finishes telling us the plot and unlocks the door that leads to the dreamworld. We all file out. When we're all out side of the door, the setting of the dream begins to fade in. It starts in the very center of the dreamworld, and begins to slowly spread out. After about thirty seconds, I can tell what the scene of this nightmare is. We're in a grassy field, which is surrounded by evergreen trees. The weather feels warm, the birds are chirping, everything seems just fine. It looks like a peaceful place. It won't be in a minute or two, though.

The setting finishes spreading out, and the dreamer starts to fade in. That's our cue to start working. Even though Kimishi only told us part of the plot of this dream, we still know exactly what we have to do. It's just in our instincts. Picnic baskets and blankets materialize, and we all begin to spread out the blankets and spread the food out on each one. There are a bunch of blankets and baskets, so I'm guessing that we're in some type of large group function. I take a look at myself and realize that I am now taking the form of a little girl, probably about nine or ten. My hair is plaited in red braids down my back, and I'm wearing a plaid little dress. I sit down on a blanket next to Drant, a boy from my wing who I am apparently supposed to be friends with. Its all I can do not to wrinkle my small, freckled nose at the thought. Drant is definitely the most disgusting boy in our wing. He has a habit of letting a glob of spit drip down his face, and then slurping it back up again. He's one of the unfortunate many who were born ten years old, but that doesn't matter. We're supposed to mature normally.

A few minutes go by, and it looks like Drant (Whose name in this dream is actually Sam) and I are going to be sitting alone. But then the little boy who's having the dream comes and sits down next to us. Oh no.

Just a few seconds ago, I thought anything would be better than sitting next to Drant/Sam. (His dream habits and personality traits weren't much different from his regular ones.) But now I know better. Kimishi has put me on the same blanket as the dreamer. Which means that when the monsters that will invade this dream come (And they're due to come soon) I'll probably run away from them by the dreamer's side. And that means that I'll  have a prime view of all the misery and terror that the boy is going through in his dream.

Lovely.

As if cued by my thoughts, all of the sudden, peace turns to chaos. Horrible five legged things come out of the trees, and immediately begin to wreak havoc. Oozing some weird type of pus, they dash with incredible speed to all of us. *A/N: Gore warning!* Two of them run up to one of the adults. Digging their claws into her eyes, they stuff their fists through her now empty eye sockets, and grab a mass of something that must be brains, and smear it on the blood-stained ground. The other creatures are doing many of the same things to the rest of us. I try to play my part perfectly, to run and shriek, but my acting is mediocre. I just can't take my eyes off the young boy. Right now he's screaming for his father, who has just recently been literally torn to shreds by the monsters. I know that I have eons of practice, and that I really should be better at holding in my emotions, but I just can't seem to.

All of the sudden, one of the monsters grabs me. I look at its face and see that it's Caeli. No one other than her would give me a half-smile that says "Yeah, I know this dream's terrible, but we can make it through." Caeli-beast then proceeds to tear me apart, limb by limb. I hear a sickening rrrrrippp as one of my arms is torn off and the crunch of my hand being stepped on. Luckily, I can't feel any of this. Dreamwalkers never feel pain in a dream. They don't even die. Well, not for real anyways. When one of us dies in a dream we just lay there, pretending to be dead. Unfortunately, this means that we have to witness the rest of the dream.

As soon as Caeli-beast decides that I am dead to her level of satisfaction, she tromps away on her five legs, and I am left lying there. The boy notices my death and rushes over to me. I can immediately tell that we are (were?) good friends from the way he is weeping. He sounds so pitiful and mournful, that I can't help but let some sympathy into my supposed-to-be-dead-looking face. Only for a moment, and I doubt that he tear-stained, bleary eyes could even tell, but I know that Kimishi will be livid with me.

After what seems like forever, the torture that is this nightmare ends. I was for my limbs to reattach and wince as my spine bone shifts back to its normal position. All of this makes me a little sore, but it's better than having to feel the pain of "dying".

When I walk over to her, Caeli is steaming.

"Kimishi did that on PURPOSE!! I just can't believe him. I mean, he knows that you're the most compassionate dreamwalker out of all of us, and he just goes and makes you the best friend of the dreamer? In a level nine dream!?!? If he doesn't want to do it for your sake at least do it for the sake of that poor little boy! I mean, you had a speaking part in that dream!! You could have said something to him! That boy could've died!!" I just nod, and let Caeli keep on talking. When she's in a mood like this, sometimes it's easier just to let her talk it off. I walk with her to the fading edges of the dream, not bothering to watch my hair transform. I know happiness is the worst thing to feel right now, but I do feel grateful that I have a friend like Caeli. I know that if it weren't against the rules, she would march right down to Kimishi's office and give him a piece of her mind. Fortunately, that is against the rules, because that would be mortifying. But still. She's the only friend that I've ever had who is this loyal.

Suddenly, I'm snapped out of my reverie by the sound of the intercom.

"Another one?" Caeli practically shrieks, "Has Kimishi gone out of his mind? We just barely left this dream! I need a few seconds to rest! I've been murdering people for at least an hour!" But Caeli gets her rest time. Because when the intercom makes the announcement, its not a dream assignment. No. I'm being called to Kimishi's office. Which means I'm in trouble.

Again.