Dream
I wake up from a painful… nap, maybe. I’m sore and bleeding, and I want to go back to sleep. Whose bed am I in? This one is so much better than my own. No way. The pink canopy, the ultrasoft bed, and the pristine space. I’m in Rose’s room.
“Rose?” I push aside the canopy and call for her. She comes from her bathroom in a fluffy pink dress. A dress I’m amazed anyone would wear casually. Maybe today isn’t casual?
“Hey, Nap. What are you doing? Go back to sleep,” she says.
“Oh, okay.” I am tired.
“Sorry I woke you. You do need your sleep, my dear. You don’t want bags under your eyes by the time you reach my age.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Well—no that’s not h—”
“Here.” She hands me an unopened face mask still in plastic. “You can put that on. This mask is great for your skin, and you won’t feel it. Trust me. It really opens your pores.”
“Hey, no, wait a minute, Rose. You can’t just boss me around. What am I doing here?”
“Oh, Little Nap is too clever to just do what I say.”
“I go by Dream now.” I slide out of bed and jump on her, locking into a big, tight, wonderful hug. I return her hug.
“We need to talk,” she tells me.
“Nope, not done yet.” I give one last squeeze.
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“So, Dream…”
“Wait, how did I get here? Why am I here?”
“Yes, about that. That’s my fault. I’m in a bit of trouble with the queen, so she put a hit on you, and that was Dummy with the strings. The clowns were a clique also trying to take the hit, but they were, umm… disposed of by Dummy.”
Her face tells me she’s ready to accept my wrath. Like she thinks I’m just going to yell at her. That’s the worst part about her being gone so long. She doesn’t know me at all.
“So… I’m not here because you wanted to see me?”
“No, no, I want to see you too!”
“Oh, uh-huh, um, Rose? Do you not like me?”
“What, no? You’re my sister. I love you. I will always love you!” She says it with passion, but I don’t really believe her.
“This is just… the, um, longest we’ve talked in years. You only call when Mom tells you something that makes you worry about me, and we only talk for a minute. Even with LWLL, you didn’t stay long enough for me to thank you.” I wait for a logical reason. No, I think I really want a reply to make the pain of abandonment go away.
“It’s illegal.” Her voice rises in pitch to an embarrassing level. “It’s illegal while I’m an Heiress-to-be to come visit.” She adjusts her speech and repeats her statement, trying to reclaim her dignity.
“Is it also illegal to answer your phone when I call and want to talk to you or to answer a letter?”
“It isn’t.”
“But I’m here now.”
“It’s… It’s complicated.”
“Could you tell me about it, please?”
She takes a deep breath.
“The queen has requested you and I come to her.”
“When?”
“As soon as you wake up, so now.”
“Oh, okay… are we going to hang out after, or do I have to go?”
“I—I don’t know. Dream, I’m not sure what will happen to you after we meet her,” Rose says, and for the first time in a long time, I’m scared with her near me. Here, in this castle, I don’t think my well-being is her priority.