A world where time is eternal and all are immortal. A majestic city full of possibilities. The only catch, once you arrive, you can't leave. That is the Dreamworld.
After falling into the Dreamworld, all Ashlyn wants to do is return home to her f...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Ashlyn Keys' head was spinning when she came home from school that day. The news echoed in the background as she kicked off her shoes, shuffling around in the basement in search for the remote.
...There has been a shocking increase of people all over the world falling into comas from the simplest of head injuries. Dr. Ellison, do you have any input on...
The camera panned to a lady in her mid-thirties with spirally black hair, her olive skin sparkling against the lights of the studio cameras. Ashlyn finally found the remote, clicking the television off not caring to hear the noise anymore.
This had been the worst migraine yet, and all she wanted to do was lay in a dark room and not be bothered. Migraines were nothing new to Ashlyn. She had gotten her first one at nine years old. By the time she was twelve, they made a stubborn reoccurrence in her life. Countless trips to the neurologist and many MRI's later, they still couldn't find a cause for her migraines.
When her medicine didn't work, the only cure was a bag of ice, a dark room, and a whole lot of sleep. Ashlyn let out a sigh and collapsed on the couch, appreciating the surrounding darkness. Sitting under the fluorescent lights at school all day listening to their annoying hum only intensified the migraine's effects.
She reached up, pressing her hand against her throbbing right temple. Ice would help, but that meant walking up the stairs and leaving the comfort of darkness. Maybe her mom was home and would bring her some.
"Mom?" Ashlyn called out. She swallowed, wincing at the sound of her own voice. "Dad, is anyone home?"
No answer. As usual. Her parents weren't supposed to get off from work until five. It was barely three o'clock right now. Two hours was too long to wait for a pack of ice. She would just have to suck it up and get it herself. Ashlyn pushed back a strand of her hair from her face as she struggled to stand. Everything spun as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. It was a long and slow process making her way towards the steps.
Sixteen steps. That's all she had to climb. Sixteen steps and a right turn to the kitchen. A nice cold bag of ice awaited her in the freezer. Ashlyn weighed the reward in her mind as she took her first step. Her knuckles had grown white from how hard she was gripping the guardrail. Ashlyn winced at the sight of her worst enemy creeping in from the top of the steps, the rays illuminating the doorway at the top of the stairs.
There was a loud clicking noise as her television flipped itself back on. Her tv had been wonky lately. Her head protested to the booming noise in the background, some weird jingle playing.
Welcome to the Dreamworld, welcome to this place! You'll never want to leave here, isn't an eternity great? Immortality awaits you here in the Dreamworld. Yeah, the Dreamworld!
The jingle repeated itself, the sound increasing as Ashlyn struggled to stay on the stairs. Her whole head was swimming while the words flowed into her ears. She winced, crying out in pain, her head screaming in agony. It felt like her brain would explode, some invisible force stabbing and twisting a knife repeatedly in the side of her head as the music from the television echoed in the background.
Ice. She just wanted a bag of ice. Only a few more steps and she'd be that much closer to her goal. The light only intensified as she pushed forward. Then the light was fading, growing farther and farther away as she fell. The jingle ended playing in the background leaving only static and Ashlyn's entire world went dark once more. The pain had finally gone as she fell into a deep sleep.
~~~~~
Thanks for checking out my latest book! Originally, this was something I wrote back in middle school and decided to rewrite to upload here. If you enjoyed the prologue, feel free to share/comment/vote! I'd love to hear your feedback!
Please note that this book is only a working draft and is subject to have errors. All constructive criticism and feedback is appreciated to help me make improvements.
