Welcome to My Dream World

Chapter Two

I found myself on a cold cement floor. My back throbbed. The windows were too high to climb out of. The stone walls surrounded me in the empty space. Light poured into the dark room through a rectangular hole, which was low enough for me to pull myself out.

Well, that's my way out I guess. I stretched a bit on the ground before sitting up. I got to my feet, brushed the dust off of my clothes, and tip-toed over to the hole. An eerie feeling gave me shivers up my spine, paralyzing my lower body. I hate nightmares. I focused my strength into each leg as I moved closer to the light and stopped before the exit. Pulling myself up, I was welcomed with a dirty, red carpet. I looked around. A library?  There were rows upon rows of book shelves as far as my eyes could see.

I wandered around for some time before I came across a man collapsed in the middle of an aisle. I walked over and crouched down to get a closer look. Black, curly hair covered part of his white jade face. From what I could see, his eyes were stained with the same darkness as mine underneath. I noticed a wine bottle a few feet away from his open hand. My body instinctively went to go pick it up when a hand wrapped around my ankle. A startled scream escaped my mouth. I quickly turned around to see the sleeping man was holding onto me.

He sat up and tucked the hair behind his ears. Then, he held up a finger to his lips before whispering.

"I wasn't expecting to find a human dancing over my body when I woke up. Why're you here? "

Human? I tried to shake his hand off of my ankle, but he refused to let go. 

"First of all, I woke up in this place. It's not like I wanted come here. Second, I was checking to see if you were alive. I wasn't dancing. Third, are you drunk?"

His mouth cracked into a delirious smile, revealing a set of white fangs.

"Heehehehehee...I drank some wine, but I can hold my booze. Are you drunk?"

Shit. I need to get away from this guy. I managed to hold some confidence in my voice despite the threat of being sucked dry by an intoxicated vampire.

"No. Can you let go of me?"

He opened the hand holding my ankle like a claw machine dropping a toy. I scrambled to my feet and ran into the maze of books. The vampire's drunken laughter was fading into the distance. I just need to get out of here. A bat screeched overhead and swooped down, lifting me back up by my hair. I hit the bat over and over again, but it kept flying higher. The vampire stopped laughing in the distance. What kind of dream is this?

Next thing I knew, the vampire was flying beside me.

"How's the flight?"

I ignored him as I struggled against the bat's grip. The vampire crossed his arms.

"You'd rather be kidnapped by another vampire that treats you like this than play with me?"

My scalp was burning with pain. The bat kept a tight hold on my hair.

"I'll play with you if you save me!"

He wiggled his finger side to side.

"Tsk tsk tsk...that's not how you ask. I thought humans would have some manners..."

"Fine! Please save me Mr. Vampire..."

He snapped his fingers, and the bat caught on fire. The pulling on my head stopped, but there was another problem. I was at least 50 feet in the air...falling. My throat squeezed as I fell to my death. The vampire watched me fall into the maze of bookshelves and waved.

"You have to play with me next time as payment for saving you! See you soon!"

I continued to fall further. And further. And further.

***

It was already dark outside the window. Sweaty hair stuck to my face. My blankets were kicked to the foot of my bed. The alarm clock that sat on the dresser told me I'd been asleep for about two hours. I sat up and pat my face. The mirror confirmed that I was alive...in the real world. I slipped off the bed and headed towards the bathroom for a quick shower. I passed my brother's room, where he was reading his school textbook.

In the bathroom, I took a shower and used one of the spare towels to dry myself. I thought back on the dream I had. That drunk vampire was just a stupid drunk. The jerk let me fall from a height like that! I drew a picture of him with my finger in the steamy bathroom mirror. After admiring my awful finger painting, I erased its existence with a towel. 

I walked back to my room with a towel wrapped around me. I forgot to bring clothes to the bathroom with me. My brother noticed me on my way back.

"You should put some clothes on before you get a cold, Alora."

I paused to look at him. His textbook was in his lap as he sat on the bed. I waved my free hand. There's no use arguing with someone studying to become a doctor. He's just looking out for me...

"I'm going. I'm going."

I went in my room, closed the door behind me, shut the curtains, and dressed myself in comfortable clothes. It was only a matter of time before we'd be called to eat dinner. I wasn't hungry. Especially after having a dream where I suddenly fell to my death. Just thinking about it made me feel sick. Solid bubbles multiplied in my gut, building up an overwhelming pressure. I wrapped my arms around my torso and curled over. It's okay...I'm okay...it's all in my head...

My grandma called us down for dinner. Her voice echoed in the high ceilings on the second floor. I could hear my brother shuffling papers and collecting his pens. I took a deep breath and headed downstairs before my brother came out of his room. Each step down felt like a split second of me floating in zero gravity before my foot slapped the wood beneath me. The disappointment of being in the real world always stuck with me. And it continued to grow. The Dream World had no burdens like growing up or paying bills or going to school. I muttered under my breath.

"I wish I could stay in the Dream World."

I should've been more careful with my wishes...

Author's Note:

Hi readers! I hope you're liking the story so far. What do you think of Alora and Mr. Vampire? I have to admit that this chapter was a bit of a struggle to write because I was trying to balance the story line and descriptions. I promise that the next chapters will be more story than descriptions. Right now I'm just world building.

Happy National Novel Writing Month!

♡ writers_cubby ♡