“Because I did some research,” I replied. I walked over to my nightstand and willed myself to pick up my phone instead of ghosting through it. I nearly squealed with delight when I picked up my phone and punched in my password. When I had left Dharma’s, I had did more research about dream demons and Nybbas, and found the same picture of the Shadow Creature with the ruby eyes. Afterword, I had done a little research on out-of-body experiences and had found out that if someone who is having an out-of-body experience concentrated hard enough, they are able to pick up physical objects. Using my newfound ability, I brought up the picture of the ruby-eyed demon and turned the screen to face Reve. “This looks exactly like you.”
“No.” Reve shook his head, making some of his white-blond hair flop on top of his head. “My eyes aren’t red. Mine are amethyst.”
“Besides the eye color,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Jacqueline, look at me,” Reve demanded.
I sighed but looked at him.
“Do I look like a demon?” he asked, his amethyst-colored eyes bright in the darkness of my room.
“Not right now you don’t, but–”
“Is this the body of a demon?” He took a step closer, so I had to take a step back.
“Well, no… But–”
“Is this the face of a demon?” He rubbed a hand over his defined jawbone as he took another step toward me.
“Reve…” My back bumped into my wall, trapping me in place as Reve advanced toward me. I opened my mouth to say something, but I felt as if I were frozen. My eyes didn’t leave Reve’s as he reached me, his hands running down my arms until they laced with my fingers. I could feel my heart thumping wildly within my chest.
“And if I were a demon,” Reve said, his voice low and husky inside my head, “would you have these feelings toward me?”
Before I could say anything, Reve closed the space between us. I closed my eyes just as his warm lips touched mine, but instead of basking in the kiss, my mind brought up a picture of Alec, like back in ninth grade when he and I had spent the whole day down by the creek, swinging from the old tattered rope swing that some generation before us had put up, then back in tenth grade when he threw a punch at Oscar Ipkiss when he shoved me to the floor during a game of floor hockey. Then instead of going to our Junior Prom, he had invited me to just hang out at his house to watch Netflix until dawn. And last there was the kiss he had planted on my lips almost a week ago. How had I been so blind? Throughout the years, Alec had presented his affection toward me, but I had been too blind to even notice it.
“Reve.” I placed my hands on his chest and gently pushed him away. “I… I can’t.”
“Wait. What?” A confused smile claimed Reve’s lips as he took a few steps back, putting space between the two of us.
“Look, you’re really good looking, and demon or not, you’re really sweet, but I can’t. You’re just a dream.”
“You like him, don’t you?” Reve asked, his eyes furrowing.
“What?” Did he know about Alec? But if so, how? The only time I ever talked to him about Alec was when I was venting about him.
But Reve didn’t answer. He just shook his head and turned his back on me, once again, going through the portal, and leaving me alone in the dark.
Alone, I slid down to the floor and thought about the little memory flashes I just had of Alec and me. Why had I just thought of it? Why did I just realize that Alec’s crush wasn’t just a spur of the moment thing, but developed years before? And why did I have this sudden urge to tell him that I liked him too?
Chapter 18
When I saw Alec through the Mom Van’s windshield the next morning, I could feel a cluster of nervous butterflies in the pit of my stomach. But was it because I felt something toward him or because I had thought of him last night when Reve kissed me? Either way, I couldn’t look him in the eyes when I climbed into the passenger seat beside him.
“Are you okay?” Alec asked as I strapped on my seatbelt.
“Yeah.” I was glad my head was down so that Alec couldn’t see me blink twice. When I looked up at him, I plastered a smile onto my face. Alec returned my smile with a small smile of his own, and with that little act, made my heart flutter.
Stop it! I mentally scolded myself. You don’t have feelings for Alec. He’s your best friend. He can’t be… your boyfriend.
I could feel Alec looking at me, watching to see if I was lying, but after a moment, I heard him shift in his seat, before we pulled out of my driveway.
* * *
A feeling of dread washed over me in a cold wave as soon as I stepped into school. At first, I didn’t know why I was feeling like this until I saw Lindsay and Audrey coming toward me, smiles that made my blood run cold on their faces. I almost called out to Alec, to pretend I didn’t see them coming, but he was already heading toward the table where the rest of the jocks were gathered.
“J.J.,” Lindsay said, stopping a few feet in front of me. She held something out to me. “Here.”
“What is it?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at the blond-haired devil.
“Duh, it’s an invite,” Audrey said from Lindsay’s right. She rolled her dark eyes.
“For what?” I took the envelope cautiously and looked at it. It had my name written on it in Lindsay’s swoopy handwriting. This had to be a trap. No way could Lindsay Fischer actually be nice and invite me to something.
“To a party, silly,” she said, shaking her head.
A party?
“It’s at my house, tonight,” she continued, smiling. “And look, I know we haven’t been on good terms, but I’d really like to change that, being it’s our last year together and all. So I really hope that you come.”
“Oh, um, thanks?” I really didn’t know what to say. Lindsay had never been nice to me before.
“Of course.” She and Audrey started to walk away, but then stopped and turned at the waist to look at me again. “Oh, by the way, J.J., it’s a Halloween party. So wear a costume, okay?”
“Uh… Okay?”
With a flick of her hair, Lindsay and Audrey strutted away just as the bell rang, dismissing everyone from the commons to their lockers.
I looked down at the invite, opening up the crème-colored envelope. I pulled out the slip of paper that had Lindsay’s address and what time the party was.
Was Lindsay actually being nice? If so, why did I have a sudden feeling of dread swimming in the pit of my stomach?
* * *
Alec had gotten an invite to go to Lindsay’s Halloween party too. He had offered to give me a ride there after he convinced me to go, saying stuff like how it’s my senior year, and that the party is going to be so big that I would hardly even see Lindsay, and that if she did try to start something between us, he’d be there to stop it, but I figured, being that the city was so small, I could just walk there.
When I had gotten home, Dad was still at work so I had the whole house to myself. I thought about what Lindsay said about it being a costume party, but knowing her, she probably meant slutty costumes like skimpy nurses and naughty devils. And since I really didn’t want to flaunt myself in some costume that could be considered lingerie, I decided to wear a little makeup and the Princess Jasmine costume I had gotten a year or two ago, when Alec and I had actually went trick-or-treating just for the kick of it. Being that my hair was so dark, it was either going as Jasmine, Snow White, or some mystical creature. I had figured Princess Jasmine would be the least embarrassing.
Thankfully the costume still fit. After slipping into light blue, slipper-like shoes, and tying two hairbands into my hair, I waited till it was time.
I had felt confident when I had left my house, but now that I got closer to Lindsay’s house, my confidence was not as strong. There was a nagging sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. And the dread kept building as I walked up to Lindsay’s door close to six o’clock. Being that winter was creeping closer like some predator, it was starting to get dark earlier. The
sky was already growing dark and the yard lights on Lindsay’s house were already on when I got to her front door. From inside, I could hear laughter and loud music. I could feel my nerves bundle together, but I tried to convince myself that it was just because I was going to my worst enemy’s house for a senior party and not because my stomach was partially naked and I was dressed like a Disney princess.
Inhaling a deep breath, I wrapped my hand around the cool doorknob and twisted.
As soon as I stepped into the house, I wanted to disappear. No one was wearing a costume. The guys were just wearing their school clothes that they had worn earlier while the girls wore short cutoff shorts and low halter tops despite the season. When I stepped into the house, I could feel people’s eyes on me, watching, judging. Some people even started to laugh. I could feel my face flame a bright shade of red.
“Well, well, well,” Lindsay said, slowly crawling off some guy’s lap. She advanced toward me, her eyes twinkling deviously with a matching smile on her face. “I didn’t really think you’d wear a costume, let alone come.”
Around me, more people started to look at me and laugh. All I wanted to do was turn around and go home, but I knew even then I wouldn’t be able to run away from the humiliation. But I couldn’t just leave without getting back at Lindsay.
“But, Lindsay, I’m not the only one wearing a costume,” I said, trying to keep my voice from cracking with emotion.
She frowned in confusion. “What?”
“You know, how you’re dressed like a bitchy tramp? Oh, wait, I forgot, you’re not dressed like a bitchy tramp, you are a bitchy tramp.”
Lindsay’s frown deepened and her mouth popped open in shock. I could hear people laugh, but I couldn’t tell whether or not it was because of me or the insult I just threw at Lindsay. I had a feeling, though, it was more at me. Before my eyes could get all watery with tears, I spun around and hurried to the door. I was just about to grab the handle when the door swung open and I ran into Alec, and like everyone else, he was dressed in his regular school clothes. When he saw me, he frowned. “Uh, J.J.? Why are you dressed like Princess Jasmine?”
Just like that, I could feel tears poke at my eyes. Emotion swelled up inside me, tightening my throat, making it hard to breathe. It was not bad–okay, not really–when everyone was staring and laughing at me, but now that Alec was looking at me with the why-are-you-dressed-like-a-Disney-princess look, I felt the need to disappear from the face of the earth.
“Uh, I got to go,” I said quickly, diverting my gaze from him. I tried to move around him to get out of the booze-smelling house, but before I could get too far, Alec snagged my forearm, stopping me from leaving.
“Are you okay?” he asked as I whipped around to face him. With his other hand, he had closed the door, giving us privacy from the people inside the house.
I forced a smile. “Yeah,” I lied. I blinked twice. Doubt showed on Alec’s face. I knew, even if I didn’t have a major tell, he’d be able to tell I was lying. I could feel the tears in my eyes, making my vision blurry.
“Do you want me to take you home?” he asked, his voice low and caring. It made something inside me turn to mush, and because of that, I wanted to smack him. He was making my emotions for him even more confusing!
I shook my head, sending my bangs to fall into my eyes. I shoved them away. “No. I’m–I’m just going to walk.” I pried my arm away from Alec’s hand.
“You sure?” His eyes scoped over me. “You might get… cold.”
“I’m fine.” I double blinked again and took a step away from him.
“J.J…” Doubt filled his emerald-green eyes.
“Really, Alec, I’m fine.” Then before he could say anything else, I spun around, and started to walk away.
During the time it took me to walk from Lindsay’s place back to my house, I convinced myself that I had left all my troubles behind me. But when I opened the door and found my dad sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of cold pizza sitting in front of him and a hard look on his face, I knew my troubles weren’t over quite yet.
“You’re mother called,” he said, sneering on the word “mother.”
“What for?” I asked, freezing by the door. For some reason, I got a cold chill. I suppressed a shiver and tried to force the feeling of dread down.
“The wedding.” He raised his cold gaze to look at me. “She wanted to know if you planned on being in it.”
Suddenly, I knew why the feeling of dread hadn’t left my stomach. Because of this. Dad and Mom didn’t get along, like, at all. And I could understand why. No one would be happy to find their spouse cheating on them with someone else. But for Dad, it seemed like he was drowning in the misery of my mother. And with this sudden bombshell, Dad was going to be in a mental hell.
“So, are you going to stand in her wedding?” he asked, looking at me, oblivious that I was wearing a costume.
“Uh, I don’t know.” I shrugged my shoulders. I really hadn’t thought about it much.
“Well, you shouldn’t.”
“Uh… what?” Yeah, I had been thinking about not going, but that was with my own freewill. But having someone tell me that I couldn’t go is something that didn’t sit well with me. “But Dad, if I want to go, I’ll go.”
“And support them in what they had did to me? To us?” He frowned at me.
“Dad, I wouldn’t be supporting them,” I denied, but was cut off.
“Yeah, you would be, Jaqueline.”
“But Dad, she’s my mother.”
“She is also the woman that ruined our family,” he reminded me sternly. I could tell he was getting mad by the rise in his voice.
Bringing up the past with my mom caused the emotions I was already feeling to double in size. I felt a pain twist in my stomach, as if someone had just twisted a knife in my gut. I couldn’t deal with this. Not now. Not ever.
“Dad, I can’t deal with this right now,” I announced in frustration, marching through the kitchen toward my room. All I wanted to do was go somewhere where I didn’t have to worry about bullies or parent issues or complicated feelings toward best friends.
And I knew exactly where to go.
Chapter 19
“So, you finally believe me?” Reve asked when I stepped through the portal to the Land of Dreams. I found him right outside the fun house, in the middle of all the commotion.
I shrugged my shoulders as I walked down the metal steps to the fair road. “Honestly, I don’t know. All I know is that I’m having problems in the World of Reality right now, and I kind of need an escape. So voila!, here I am.” I started toward the Tilt-A-Whirl, hoping to spin away from all of my problems.
“Well, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for, but I’ll take it.” Reve jogged to catch up with me. “So, want to talk about it?”
A part of me wanted to talk to Reve about my problems, but another part of me didn’t want to face all my problems again. If I buried my problems deep down inside me, maybe, just maybe, I could pretend that they weren’t even there.
“No. I just want to go on some rides,” I said, my voice stern, getting in line for the Tilt-A-Whirl that was slowing to a stop.
“Okay, but if you want to talk about it, I’m here,” Reve said.
I gave him a strained smile. “I know. Thanks.”
A short moment later, the riders that had been currently on the ride, clambered off, and the line I was in moved forward. Reve and I made our way onto the ride, picking a seat. Once all the big, red, clamshell-like seats were filled, the ride started moving, and the world before me started to spin.
* * *
The tingling sensation through my spirit form told me that my body back in the World of Reality was starting to wake up.
“I don’t want to go back,” I murmured as Reve and I slowly made our way back to the fun house. And suddenly, I realized how true that statement really was. I knew if I went back, I’d have to face Lindsay and the rest of my classmates and be the la
ughingstock of the school, face Dad’s solemn hatred toward my mother and his constant reminders on why I shouldn’t take part of her wedding, and my complicated emotions for Alec. I didn’t know if I could handle all that. It just seemed like too much for one person to bear.
“Well, you know you don’t have to,” Reve said, throwing a glance at me as we walked side-by-side with one another.
“I know.” We passed by a gangly boy with a bad acne problem, holding hands with a pretty girl with curly copper hair and glowing lime-green eyes. I knew she was one of them. A Shadow Creature like Reve (I didn’t want to call him a demon. He just couldn’t be one. He was too nice and understanding to be a demon, trying to steal souls and wreak havoc on the world). She flashed Reve a smile before they passed us. “But what if what Dharma said is true–”
“What Dharma said, isn’t true,” Reve said, his voice rising within my head in frustration.
“Okay. Fine. I believe you.” Even though I said this, I wasn’t exactly sure who I believed. All I knew was that I didn’t want to be tormented by bullies, be caught in the middle of World War III between my parents, and the awkward emotional rollercoaster I was having with Alec.
“So, you’re going to stay?” Reve asked telepathically, his voice soft and tentative.
Inhaling, I nodded my head. The tingling was getting worse in my body. I was about to wake up. “But not today. I want to say good-bye to everyone first.”
“That’s fine. I’ll wait.” He smiled.
I smiled lightly back before I hurried home.
Chapter 20
The early morning sun dappled through my window blinds when I woke up to the sound of the alarm clock on my phone buzzing. I groaned and turned to my side to turn off my phone that sat perched on the edge of my desk. I didn’t want to go to school. I didn’t know if I could face Lindsay and Audrey and the rest of the school.
The Land of Dreams Page 9
