Dreaming Of Them

Kayleigh opened her eyes and immediately recognized her surroundings. When she wasn't on medication, she would escape into this vivid dreamscape. It felt like ages since she had been to the forest with gemstones and crystals for leaves. The water was iridescent like a prism. The plants here looked familiar, but they were different hues than what she was used to in the real world.

Butterlies and dragonflies were a variety of different sizes. Pegasuses, unicorns, and horses roamed the lands in their herds. The sprites were the first to notice her as she rose from the ground. The glowing orbs drifted towards her and she heard voices murmuring.

"She's back."

"She has returned."

"Alert the Keys."

"Quick. Quick. They must be told."

She frowned at that, but she tried not let fear weasel into her mind. She hadn't been to this enchanting forest for awhile. She hated to admit it, but she missed being here. She glanced down at herself, noticing the beautiful gown draped over her body. If only she truly looked like that, but she knew in real life, her body didn't look that beautiful in the real world.

She heard voices echoing in the wind. Familiar voices she had heard before. Voices she put names to. Curiosity killed the cat, but this was just a dream. She knew it was just a dream. She walked closer towards the voices and the laughter. It was the voices in her head. She started to rush towards them. The sprites followed in her wake encouraging her to continue.

"What do you mean she's returned?" Kasper asked abruptly.

"Who's returned?" Arcardia questioned.

"The sprites," Alessia said. "Listen. They keep saying she's returned."

"But who actually returned?" Arcadia asked nervously. "Why was it so important to be here right now?"

"Well, it's a "she'," Fallon pointed out. "Wait. She? Wait. You don't think..."

Before she could stop herself, she stumbled into the clearing where there was a group, lounging around. The moment she made her appearance, they all looked up in surprise and jumped to their feet.

For the first time, she stood frozen, just staring at them. She forced herself to stay put. In the past, she used to run and they would chase her. He would always find her though. He would be the closest to almost capturing her. He would know exactly where she would run off to. He would beg her for her name, but she would wake up before giving in to him. There was something about him that called to her. Something that told her that she could trust him.

That voice was named Chance. She always liked hearing his voice the most. It was more the fact he was built like her dream guy. He was gorgeous and the perfect love interest in a romance novel. He was also the type of guy that would never give her the time of day in real life. He was the jock who was actually smart and was really nice to everyone, but he definitely had 'standards'. He had the most beautiful icy blue eyes.

Right now, he stood among the other familiar faces, looking at her in shock. For a moment, everybody stayed silent, just watching her. She swallowed, wondering if this dream was going to turn into a nightmare. She had a sinking feeling that maybe she was no longer invited.

She chewed her bottom lip. Well, tough. She had worked up the nerve to stop taking her medication to get in contact with these voices. She needed to know what happened to her grandma and her grandma said they could help her.

Her frustration grew when everyone continued to just stare and make really slow movements as if they were afraid to spook her. Oh, great, now even in her dreams, the voices were now scared of her just like everyone was.

"I don't care if I scare you like I scare all of them," she finally gasped. She was lying. It hurt for some strange reason. She felt even more betrayed by them than her town. She didn't know why. She didn't even know them. They were part of the reason she was dubbed insane. "But I want answers."

Chance swallowed as he slowly moved forward. "We're not scared of you," he told her calmly. The desperation in his eyes gave away that he was anything but calm. "We're scared you'll take off running again. This is the first time you showed up and found us."

"How do you manage to do that?" Kasper asked, crossing his arms. Arcadia shuffled next to him and he immediately placed an arm around her.

Kayleigh frowned at that. "How do I manage to do what?"

"Disappear without a trace," Arcardia clarified. "We can't hear you or even feel your presence for long stretches of time. It's almost like you're dead."

She took a deep breath. "I-I take medication so I can stop hallucinating. She-She says you're not real."

Alessia's eyes widened at that. "We're not hallucinations. We're real." She glanced at the others and lingered on Chance for a moment. Her eyes returned to Kayleigh. "We can show you we're real if you let us."

"I already know I'm clinically insane," Kayleigh said, with a shrug of her shoulders. "My entire town treats me like a psychopath."

Fallon chuckled at that, shaking his head. "You're not insane or a psychopath."

"What town would that be anyway?" Kasper cut in.

"Some small town in Maine," she said. Their eyes yet again widened at that. "I own a bookstore called Wit & Wisdom and I live right above it."

"So that's why we were drawn to come here!" Rose gasped in shock and excitement. The others gave her a look and she blushed. She immediately tunneled her face into Eli's shoulder as he attempted not to laugh.

Chance licked his lips as he stepped towards her, drawing her attention again. "What's your name?"

"My name is..." Kayleigh's eyes widened when she heard her alarm clock echoing in the forest. "Oh no," she gasped as she looked down at herself. She was starting to disappear. "Not now," she muttered. She looked up in desperation. Her eyes seemed to lock on Chance. "Please help me. My grandma said you all--"

Chance immediately rushed over to her. She gasped when she swore she felt actual hands on her skin as Chance cupped her cheeks. His icy blue eyes pinned her in place for a moment as if he were anchoring her here, but the winds curled about her body. It was the telltale sign she would be waking up soon. She reached out to grab at his shirt and body, attempting to stay with him. She actually felt a body. She swore she felt an actual body beneath her hands.

For a crazy moment, she wanted to tell him everything and anything. She wanted to know everything about him. A flash of images of two kids playing soccer to Chance scoring a goal that was met with a roar of excitement and his teammates surrounding him in victory. There was one of him reading a book before glancing up to see an expansive library of books before him. Another image caught her by surprise was of her running away from him through the same forest with him begging her to stop running. She could almost feel his desperation.

Stop running.

Wasn't that why she was here?

She needed answers and her grandma trusted them. If they were real, she would let them prove it to her. If they didn't show up, it confirmed the pathetic truth that she was indeed insane.

"Kayleigh," she finally confessed, sealing her fate. She desperately tried to grab his arms, because the wind was forcing them to break apart. "My name's Kayleigh Yale."

With that, the winds took her and the feel of him vanished from her hands. She no longer felt hands on her cheeks. The crushing pain of the loss caused her heart to shatter. A need she didn't understand swallowed her up in despair.

She jolted awake in her bedroom. She slowly sat up on her bed, trying to process everything that happened in her dream. She reached up and touched her cheeks, noticing tears were on her skin. Why was she so emotional? Why did it feel like she was broken?