Awake in Dreams

Chapter 4

Chapter 4  

Amelia woke with a start. 

Just a dream. 

Right, it was just a dream, but Amelia’s heart was racing and she was sweating, as if the heat of the non-existent monster still enveloped her. 

She tried to sit up from the hard surface she was on, only then did she realize she was bound tightly to a huge rock. She snapped her eyes shut again, mentally telling herself, I woke up in my own dream; it’s just a dream, it’s just a dream... now wake up! 

Opening her eyes, nothing changed. She scanned around her surroundings and shocked to find herself in a forest, very much like the one she had dreamed of. Her head was aching, but not so much as her left arm, which was practically throbbing. Then, memories rushed back to her.

That day — yesterday — while her father was walking Natalie home, Amelia snuck out of their house and effortlessly found the chief village head’s mansion, thanks to its extravagant design. A yawning woman in pajamas opened the door and was about to shout at whoever disturbed her sleep, but her eyes softened when she saw Amelia.

“Miss Wechsler? Can I help you with something?”

“I need to see the chief village head, please.”

“I’m afraid Master Cantrell is in bed already. Can I leave a message?”

“It’s important, please. It’s about Natalie.”

The woman frowned and rubbed her chin. “Miss Erikson?”

 “Yes, that’s her, Miss Natalie Brittany Erikson.”

“I know about the ritual. I’m so sorry, dear, but I’m afraid it’s too late.”

“I have another solution, Ma’am. Natalie doesn’t have to die.” She added, “please.”

The older woman pondered for one full minute; at the end, she sighed, “all right, come on in, Miss Wechsler.”

Amelia was led to an elegantly decorated room on the first floor. Two antique leather couches facing each other were in the center of the room, with only a small coffee table separating them. The room was cool despite the summer heat, Amelia noted. Three giant windows stood opened on one of the walls, framed by emerald velvet curtains that were waving lightly at the moment. 

“Make yourself comfortable, Miss Wechsler. Master Cantrell will be here in a moment.”

The woman motioned her to sit on one of the couches and strode out of the room.

Walking to one of the windows instead, Amelia was surprised to find a labyrinth garden outside illuminated by the dim moonlight.

Her gaze traced the path toward the center from the entrance on her side — it wasn’t very complicated; within half a minute she reached a glimmering pond in the middle of the garden.

Floating on the pond was a pair of swans swimming in quick little circles. They seemed to be swimming faster and faster as Amelia watched them become a blur of shiny white, and then, they stood up right above the water and embraced each other with one wing, while the other pointed outward.

Okay, this is weird.

What was even weirder was their necks started to intertwine; their bodies elongated, shimmering bright, so bright that Amelia had to squeeze her eyes shut. When she opened her eyes again, her jaw dropped as she gasped, “mother?” 

A woman stood where the two swans were just a second ago, floating on the still water as if it was solid ground.

She was wearing a long, white and pale blue Victorian gown — in fact, Amelia could really describe the woman as “white and pale blue” because her skin, her hair and even her eyes were all very very pale; though she couldn't decide if her skin was white or blue. She had wings exactly like those of the swans’, only they are also a little blue.