The Castle of Dreams

Chapter 4 - Princes, Castles and Gowns

Casey had never expected this. She woke up to the sound of a grandfather clock striking noon. Casey sat up so fast she felt dizzy, she knew for a fact Rebecca had no Grandfather clock in her house. Turns out her suspicions were right, she wasn't in Rebecca's house at all, but a ginormous amazing castle. She climbed out of the magnificent bed and walked over to the full length mirror. Her reflection, startled her. She looked like herself but she was wearing a silk nightgown, the kind she could only dream of owning. Casey rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked around the room. "I must be dreaming" She thought aloud. Something squeaked to her right. Casey looked over at the vanity and screamed, jumping back away from it. There were two mice squeaking and sewing a patch onto an apron sprawled across the chair. Casey took a deep breath and stepped closer to the vanity. She bent down and held out her hand. Both little mice ran up and climbed onto her palm. She giggled to herself. "Let me guess, you're Jaq and Gus?" She asked as a joke, but when they mice nodded realization hit. Casey looked at the room and she knew she had to get out of this place and find the others. Carefully, she set the mice down on the table, grabbed the dress and apron they had been fixing, and changed. Now the real problem, would the shoes fit? She's never once had a pair of shoes fit her perfectly. Well, there is a first time for everything. Casey stepped into the shoes and amazingly they fit. She turned to leave the room, but she felt wrong leaving Jaq and Gus, if that was really their names and if she wasn't really dreaming. Casey turned around and held open the pocket on the apron. The mice jumped in and she was out the door. As Casey tried to find the staircase she became more and more amazed by the castle. This place was surreal. As far as Casey knew castles like this didn't even exist anymore. She found the stairs and she ran down them as fast as she could, almost falling on her face more than once. At the bottom of the grand staircase, Casey froze. Why had she not seen a single person in this castle? The smaller of the two mice squeaked and Casey looked down into her pocket. The mouse continued to squeak as if it were trying to tell her something. Casey was trying to understand but it was hard considering she was listening to a mouse. "Who are you?" A young man's voice asked from behind her. Casey was so startled she didn't even turn around she just ran straight outside and down the front steps. "Wait!" The boy called chasing after her. Casey reached the bottom of the stairs and was about to keep running when she realized she only had one shoe, and the boy that had chased her was laughing. "Oh, the irony." He chuckled. Casey slowly turned around and gaped at him. He was maybe a year older than she, with raven black hair and sea green eyes, wearing a tuxedo holding Casey's shoe. He started to move down the stairs and Casey took a step back, threatening to run away again. The boy stopped and held up his arms. "Whoa, hey. I'm not gonna hurt you, I was just gonna give you back your shoe." He said, stepping down a step slowly with his hands still out to the sides. He continued down the stairs slowly, never looking away from Casey's eyes. When he reached her, he bent down and held out the shoe. Casey hesitantly held out her foot. The boy slipped the shoe onto her foot, and stood back up slowly. "I really didn't mean to scare you, I just..I haven't seen anyone here in days." He said. Casey thought for a moment. Who was this boy? Why was he alone? "Wh-what do you mean? You haven't seen anyone in days?" She asked. The boy shook his head. "Come back inside and I'll explain everything I've figured out." He said. Casey wasn't sure she could trust him but at the moment he seemed to be her best shot. So, she nodded and followed the beautiful boy back into the magnificent castle. "I'm Zackary, by the way, but you can call me Zack." He said leading Casey towards a kitchen towards the back of the castle.
"I'm Casey." She said as Zack showed her to a small table. He smiled at her and made them some tea.
"So, Zackary. What exactly is this place?" Casey asked. Zack turned around to face her. His green eyes met her blue ones, and for a moment Casey forgot everything else in the world. She shook her head clearing her mind. Zack set down a tray of tea and sat down across from her. Casey took her cup and sipped it. Zackary, on the other hand, didn't touch his he just folded his hands and began explaining.
"Okay, so it started about a week ago. I woke up here with this guy I had never seen before, shaking me awake telling me I had to get ready for a meeting of some sort. I was confused. I had no idea how I got here or where here even was..or is. Honestly, the only thing I know is that first day I was here there were people working here and everyone kept calling me 'Sir' or 'Your Majesty.' The next morning I came downstairs and the entire staff of people had disappeared. I've been alone until just now." Zack finished explaining to Casey right as there was commotion in the grand hallway. Zack and Casey were on their feet in seconds. Racing into the room they saw a group of people already rushing to clean the already sparkling castle. A guy in a blue suit with a monocle walked up to them. "Good Afternoon, Your Excellency. Do you need anything?" He asked. Zack stared at him long enough for Casey to have to elbow him in his ribs for him to realize the man was speaking to him. Zack cleared his throat. "Ahem. No, No thank you. We'll just go get some air." Zack said slipping his hand into Casey's and pulling her out the door. He kept pulling her until they reached the beginnings of the orchard. "I swear to you I have no idea where they came from." Zack said after a moment. Casey cracked a smile and giggled at him. "I believe you. But why did they just appear like that? And how did we end up here?" she asked. Zack didn't answer for a moment. He reached up and plucked an apple from a tree and tossed it to Casey. Casey caught it and picked up the corner of her apron to wipe it off. "It's almost like we've become fairytale characters, but that doesn't make any sense at all." Said Zack, sliding down the side of a tree. Casey tossed him back the apple. "Is there any possible way, we're still asleep? And we're just two very very lucky young individuals that meet their soulmates in their dreams?" Zack asked, catching the apple and tossing it back and forth between his hands, making a weak attempt at a joke. Casey sat down next to him. "But, what if we're not dreaming and we really are.." Casey glanced at Zack and then focused on the tree right in front of them, "Prince Charming and Cinderella, then how come I woke up here? And not in a town house with Diamond and Jewel?" Casey asked. Zack momentarily stopped tossing the apple and looked over at her. "Who?" He asked.
"Oh, my stepsisters. They're the reason we rarely ever had our weekly sleepovers at my house." Casey said matter of factly. Zack was still confused but he let it slide. The two of them sat quietly for a moment. "We have to find Baylee." Casey said suddenly getting to her feet. Zack got to his feet as well, abandoning the apple on the ground. "Who is Baylee, and why do we suddenly have to find her?" He asked. Casey grabbed his hands and made him look into her eyes. "If anyone can figure this out, it's her. We have to find her." Casey said.
"Alright, any idea where we should start looking?"
"I might have a pretty good idea. Think you can find us a carriage?"