For Now | Dreaming Trilogy | Book 1 (HEAVY CONSTRUCTION)

Phoenix | Sky, Land, and Sea

I hadn't been sure you could dream here until I accomplished it.

I'd seen Kayla. In a courtyard full of red roses and men in white and red suits, she stood, bound to Jake by chains that snapped with razor teeth. Jake was begging a woman with tumbling, sleek black hair.

"Please!" He shouted, green eyes wide in terror. "Let her go!"

Kayla was crying. "Where's Shane?" She asked, her voice shaking. "Where do you have him?"

The woman with black hair, whose back was to me, spoke in a voice like silk. "You have a brother?" She seemed interested in a self gaining sort of way. It was evil.

"Please, Your Highness, don't kill her!" Jake begged. The chains made a fruitless snap at his wrist.

I felt a twitch in my stomach when he said kill.

Kayla fell silent.

"Answer me, girl," she snapped.

Kayla shook her head, tear streaked and terrified.

"Petulant child!" She spat suddenly.

Kayla jumped.

"No!" Jake cried.

"Off with their heads!" The Queen yelled, and turned with a swish of her great red dress.

...

It was in the middle of the night, when I awoke in a nice warm bed from that horrible nightmare, that they called to me. My room was the farthest from where I so wanted to be, but I knew I could make it. Living a life of jumping from house to street to Hell hole meant knowing how to move silently through still houses.

I sat up, throwing the blankets to the side. I looked across the room to the pastel purple wall, where I knew, on the other side, Shane was fast asleep. My feet hit the soft rugged floor without a sound. I heard a soft snoring from across the hall: Anzen.

My breath stilled to make no sound. I walked to the door, knowing the other side held the hardest part: creaky wooden floors. I'd learned my way around these, too, because I made it softly and carefully to the library doors. I opened them just a crack, letting the scent of vanilla take me over. I loved that smell. Slowly, I crept in.

The aisles of books still astounded me. Everywhere I looked, there was another title staring down at me, winking with words and worlds I'd never heard of.

I walked down an aisle, running my fingers over the soft covers of books. I felt the words wash over me, sending an odd tingle down my arm. I'd always felt this around books. They were my safety.

I opened one and started my late night love affair with the words. I let them soak into my skin, occasionally running my fingers along one that I loved, like astonish and agathokakological. I didn't see that one often.

I didn't know what time it was when Anzen's tiny hooves creaked on the floor. I looked up, eyes wide to take in as much of the light as I could.

"I see you're enjoying it in here," he spoke softly.

I nodded. "I'm sorry, Anzen. I didn't mean to wake you."

He held up a tiny clawed hand to stop me. "You didn't, Phoenix." I liked him. "Don't worry. Though, I did not know the people of your world still loved such things as books."

I tilted my head and blue bangs fell into my eyes. "Most don't," I said quietly, thinking of all the times I was ridiculed for loving books more than parties and bonfires. I could clearly recall one of my foster sisters smacking the book from my hands and screaming that those horrid, useless words matched the horrid, useless wretch reading them. So many people hated my love of words.