The Vale (Nanowrimo 2013)

Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

             What does she mean this is all a dream? I couldn’t believe my ears, I couldn’t believe Aria! She was lying to me, she just had to be! I scanned my eyes up and down her, tears were blurring my vision and running down my cheeks, leaving a slight sense of warmth on my cheeks. Does that mean that… Ariella and Malachi… are fake? They’re just figments of my imagination that I put there just to entertain myself, give myself some sort of friendship while I’m in this imaginative world. I was fake. My body, the body I have been walking around in and caring for… it wasn’t real. I myself, my mind was real, but everything else was just lies I fed myself. My own mind had betrayed me. My own mind was the reason of all this pain I was feeling right now. It is true what they say… you are your own worst enemy.

            “Malachi and Ariella… are you saying they’re fake too?” I questioned, choking on my words and sobs.

            Aria nodded, “Yes. Figments of your imagination. They aren’t real, they never were. They are just something your mind created, probably people you would desire to meet or the perfect kind of person through your eyes.”

            “So… how do I… how do I… get out of the dream?” I asked, wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my black long sleeved shirt.

            “That is for your own imagination to decide. Just remember, if you die in the dream… you die in real life. You are also on an unknown time limit, I’m sure there will be signs of when your time is running dangerously short.” Aria explained, almost grinning, as if she was enjoying watching me go through this, going through realizing everything you can remember is a lie, and a lie told by yourself.

            “How do I… control my dreams, control this world? If this world is something created by my own mind, that would mean my mind can control it, I can control it when I want to.”

            “That is a skill you must master, and practice. Figure it out on your own, nobody else has such a power, nobody else knows how to do it. There is one more thing I need to show you… well more like give you.”

            “What-what is it?” I asked as Aria turned around and started walking towards the wall. I followed her, cautious with every step. So I need to somehow manage to figure out a way to get out my own dream, while trying to survive and not be killed by my figments of my own imagination. Everything, my imagination created and half of it wants to kill me.

            Aria walked over to the wall and placed her hand firmly on the wall, her palm perfectly flat. She put her head down, and whispered something I couldn’t quite make out. After her whispering and muttering some words was finished, the door swung open just like it had when Malachi was opening the secret door inside the castle wall. Aria motioned for me to follow through the door as she walked through. I quickly ran to the door and walked in before the door had a chance to shut. The moment my body had finished passing through the doorway the door slammed shut, echoing throughout the large room we now stood in. All the torches in this room were lit, and it was very similar to the first room. Almost completely stone, and only one small piece of furniture which lied in the middle of the room.

            “Come on. It’s a gift for you.” Aria said as she quickly walked towards the single piece of furniture, which happened to be a small wooden round table with a silver small chest on top, with some words in another language, and designs engraved on the top. Aria reached for the small silver chest, and opened the lid, revealing its contents. Inside, was a beautiful light blue gem necklace connected to a silver chain. The gem was surrounded silver lining. Aria picked up the necklace very gently out of the box, and held it by its chain in front of me. I held my hand out, and touched the necklace. It turned completely around, and on the other side, engraved in the silver was two words written clearly, Clara Everell. I snapped my head up and looked at Aria, who was grinning bigger than I had ever seen anyone grin.