Two Halves | Book One of The Judgement series

Chapter 7

Dove's Point of View 

When I came to I didn't recognize where I was. It was oddly dark and it was cold. Not cold in the physical sense, more like the place had an aloof atmosphere to it. Maybe that was because the owner of this place was the same? I can't answer that question yet. I haven't met the owner yet. 

Before getting up, I checked if I had all of my clothes on and if I felt any pain anywhere. Raven told me that was always the first thing I did it I got abducted and to tell her if there was pain when I got back. I still don't understand why she told me that. Luckily, I had my clothes on but there was pain all over my body. Upon further inspection, I noticed red lines on my skin. I think it was from when Error took me hostage. That is the last thing I remembered after all. I started to get out of bed but froze when footsteps echoed behind the door, I assumed it to be an exit. When they left I exhaled a breathe I didn't even know I was holding. "That's good. Now I can look for a way out of here." 

The room I was in was big. It held a queen size bed with a light blue canopy draped over the bedposts, an old school wardrobe, two large bookcases that were filled to the brim with novels, a couch with matching arm chairs and a coffee table set up. On the coffee table sat a heavy looking candle holder. I decided to grab it for protection purposes. Heavy drapes covered the window and by the looks of it, this room hadn't seen any type of light in awhile. I opened those up in order to get a feel for my surroundings. Beautiful silver moonlight illuminated the room quickly. Everything was a darker color, aside from the canopy, and it felt like the room had never been used before. I was so caught up in admiring the room I didn't even realize that someone had entered it. 

"Glad to see you awake, kid," a deep voice bounced off of the walls. Upon reflex I turned around, threw the candle holder at the owner of the voice, and dashed out of the room without looking at the person. I took a random series of turns while navigating the hallways and somehow made it outside. It didn't look like normal nature though. It looked like home. 

There was the Tree of Feelings. Right there, in front of me. I could feel the darker side of the tree call out to me. There were voices yelling behind me so I made a mad dash to the tree and started climbing. I stopped climbing when I knew I was hidden by the foliage around me. Instantly, I relaxed into the branches. My eyes closed and I listened to the wind blowing through the leaves of the branches. This was definitely home. 

"What are you doing on this side of the tree, Soleil?" My eyes flew open and I was immediately met with the sight of a skeleton. He was wearing an outfit made of purple and gold and wore a golden crown with an engraving of a crescent moon on it atop his head. I knew this skeleton. 

"You're Nightmare. The original Nightmare." He frowned at my statement. 

"You didn't answer my question." 

"I will once you answer one of mine." He seemed to think this over. 

"One question each. You know mine already."

"This side of the tree has always been home. Now could you tell me why I'm here?" 

"You were in danger. I brought you here to keep you safe." 

"So my sister is here too?" 

"I thought we said only one question each." I pouted and he chuckled. His smile was nice but it faded due to the commotion underneath the tree. The same voice from the room was yelling, presumably at others, to find me. "What did you do to Killer? I've never seen him this riled up before." 

I sweatdropped and cringed at my previous actions. "I, kinda, threw a candle holder at him and took off." 

"Did you hit him?" 

"I'm not sure but I think I did." Nightmare was silent for a few seconds and then started laughing. He laughed so hard he nearly fell out of the tree. I wasn't sure why he was laughing but I let it be since it seemed like he didn't do it often. 

"Hold on," Nightmare struggled to compose himself. "I'll talk to him." Black goop covered his bones and several tentacles sprouted from his back. He used those tentacles to maneuver his way through the branches of the tree. I watched until he disappeared behind the shield of the foliage. It wasn't long after that I heard his voice boom through the meadow. He was yelling at all of those in the area about being in his 'dreamscape.' He also said that he would find me and explain the situation. From the sounds of it, everyone apologized for being in his space and left. When Nightmare returned, he simply gave me a smile and offered me his hand. 

~~~~~~

Raven's Point of View

When I came to I was back home and on the couch. When I tried to sit up, my entire torso throbbed with pain. Dream rushed to my side when I cried out. "You need to lay back down. You were really hurt by whatever Error did to you." 

"No, I don't matter right now." I attempted to get up again, though it was hard since Dream was pushing me back down. "I need to check on Dove." Dream went silent. Sadness flit through his eyelights and I felt my stomach drop. I pushed the Protector of Positivity off of me and rushed down the hall. I checked every room in the small house and when each one turned up empty, I gripped at my hair. Unshed tears welled in my eyes. "Where is she, Dream!? Where's my sister!?" His next words were like a punch to the gut from Undyne, which I have experience with and trust me when I say it hurts. 

"She's been kidnapped."