“Sooooo, how’d it go?”
I blink while I turn my attention from the TV which had just finished playing an older movie about a team of Magical Girls saving the world. It was a pretty generic movie, but despite its age its effects held up remarkably well and I had to admit the outfits were quite pretty. But I knew that wasn’t what Eric had been talking about.
My face scrunches in thought though in the end nothing comes to my sluggish mind, drowsiness having encompassed me. Not enough to put me to sleep, yet more than enough to keep me from piecing together why Eric who was currently cocooned in his own little setup meant by that.
“I meant the talk you had with my sister.” He clarifies upon sensing my struggle.
Oh, that was what he meant. “You were right, she’s more perceptive than she seems. It helped, even if I’d have rather not taken up her time and that the last part of it got a little strange.” I pause for a moment before continuing when a realization belatedly hits me. “You sent her to talk to me, didn’t you?”
He smiles unashamedly. “Told you I’d sic her on you if you continued being the way you were. And I’m glad I did, it’s good to see you able to relax more than you have this entire week.”
“I wasn’t that bad.” I deny.
“Sure you weren’t. But seriously, I’m glad she was able to help you out with whatever it was that was bothering you. I can’t imagine just what it was that happened to you in that Upheaval. My sister on the other hand, she-” He abruptly pauses as if he had been about to say something else. “Has some friends I know she’s helped out with that same exact issue too.”
For a moment I wondered if he knew that his sister was a Magical Girl. I wanted to say he probably did especially after that, though it was hard to truly say for certain. “Honestly, all she did was tell me to relax a bit and distract me a bit.”
“And sometimes, that’s all we need. Though right now, I’d say we need to get some sleep before we stay up too late and end up having a cold breakfast.”
I smile a tiny bit as some good memories flash through my mind. “You mean you have a cold breakfast. I specifically recall myself waking up on time that day and trying to wake you up where you said that you were up and would be at the table soon. Only for you to sleep for another hour after that.”
He squirms slightly in embarrassment at that while he shuts off the TV, plunging us into darkness. “Okay, maybe I need that sleep more than you do. My point still stands though.”
“That you and…” I abruptly trail off, frustration suddenly surging through me when the feeling of forgetting something comes once more.
Eric catches on quickly in the silence that something was off despite the darkness. “Lewis?”
I take a deep breath, why did this keep happening? “Sorry, just have you ever felt like you’ve forgotten something really important and no matter how hard you try, you can’t figure out what it was?”
“I can’t say I have before. At least not that I’m aware of.” He says slowly. The silence afterwards all but yells out his unspoken question of why I asked him that.
Isabella’s words about talking about it echoes through my head. I wasn’t exactly jumping at mentioning much of it, but to Eric… Well I still didn’t want to though he deserved to know a little at least even if it was far from everything bothering me. “I’ve just had a bit of trouble remembering things lately. It’s not a big deal, just something annoying to push through.” That was an understatement with how often it cropped up.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
“I see,” He says. “Well, actually, I can’t, literally. Too dark and all, you know?” He awkwardly jokes before he continues on more firmly. “That’d certainly frustrate me if I had to deal with it. All the more reason for you to get some good rest though. Might be all you need to deal with that and begin remembering again.”
I doubted that, though I certainly couldn’t say I had gotten a good night’s sleep since then. “Maybe.”
“You’ll remember, I know you will. Just give it some time and I’m sure it’ll come back.”
I don’t have much to say after that, I didn’t share his optimism and belief but I couldn’t begrudge him for it. In the silence that follows, it takes no time at all the drowsiness from earlier to claim me.
I don’t fight it and the world soon fades away.
----------------------------------------
I wasn’t on a couch anymore.
That was the first thought that hit me while I floated through a strange misty void. There was nothing to anchor me to anything, nothing pulling me up or down or sideways. There was only a dense silvery mist that enveloped everything here and a dark wall encompassing it all.
I found myself quite liking this strange dream despite how unique the feeling of it was. It felt in some ways like I was actually here and capable of thinking even if I didn't particularly want to do much of that last part. A far cry from usual dreams where meandering through the mirages and mazes of my mind were all I was capable of or even the nightmares that had been plaguing me recently. Nightmares where I could think with the caveat of every thought being one of fear and waking up screaming. Here I felt relaxed, like nothing here could hurt or disturb me while I was cradled by the silvery mist.
It was nice, but nothing nice lasts forever.
The world around me seemed to shake once, then twice, then thrice. My eyes shot open while I flailed my limbs around the misty void. What was happening? For a moment nothing more seemed to happen within what had swiftly become my safe space. Then the world shook once more in that same exact pattern.
“Where is that coming from?” I mumble to myself in annoyance. Really I should be quite terrified of everything here instead of just annoyed. But I couldn’t bring myself to really feel much more than that, much less being worried about the peculiarities of the situation I was in. This was my strange misty world. If something wanted to disturb that, they had another thing coming. Now if only I had a sense for what was happening to disturb me.
I blink when I suddenly find myself floating in front of my bedroom’s window, only without any walls or anything else from my bedroom joining. It was certainly bizarre but I instinctively knew that if I peered through it I could see whatever it was that was disturbing. Wanting to get there before my world was disturbed once more I kick off the mist and gently spring towards it.
I caught myself on my window’s sill before craning my head to see whatever had thought they had the right to disturb my world. I don’t find myself feeling surprised when I see three different figures standing in front of a person sized egg that I knew instinctively was where I was. Magical Girl Surging Earth and Celestial Weaver alongside Magical Guardian Engulfing Shade.
I find that I actually care very little upon seeing three different MG's, one of which I knew was Isabella, and caring far more about the fact they were disturbing my dream for whatever reason. I throw open the window in front of me and level them all with a hard stare.
“What do you all think you’re doing disturbing my dream right now? I will not stand for-what the, ahhhhh!” I find myself panicking as what had begun as just me yelling at them instantly begins to devolve when Surging Earth rushes towards me before grabbing ahold of me. Despite how dainty her arms look, her grip is crushingly strong and easily drags me out from the window before depositing me on the formless ground they’re standing on.
The moment that happens and I’m no longer in my world it’s like a switch is flipped in my mind and everything comes rushing back to me while the strange sense of relaxation and muted emotions flit away. My throat quickly becomes dry while I stare up towards her beaming smile. I take a deep shuddering breath, doing my best to withstand the sudden surge of emotions within me, especially the panic. It’s only the presence of three different MG’s that lets me keep it at bay for the moment.
Her now vibrant brown eyes that are filled with life are locked to mine. She extends an arm out towards me. “Lewis Vellum, I know this might be more than a bit of a shock, but let me be the first of my team to welcome you to the Dreaming!”