What the hell am I in?

Dixie glances around in complete bewilderment. She looks down at her own body. Protruding collar bones, white dress, red hair and very delicate hands. Who's hands are these? She jolts in shock when the fingers move according to her will.

Why are her hands tied together?

Why are her ankles chained together?

She twists her neck around. What is this? Why is there a log on my back? She can't fully turn around so she looks straight again. Her breathing becomes heavy when she suddenly realizes that she is completely exhausted. How long has she been kneeling here like this? A bead of sweat runs down her temple.

Her eyes widen in shock. She's facing a large number of people staring directly at her. An assembly? Everyone is wearing very strange clothing, like something you would see on the set of a historical movie. On the left hand side, there is a collection of clergymen.

Is this a church or a palace? It looks like the Sistine Chapel without the paintings. Maybe, the Florence Cathedral?

Her eyes continue to roll around wildly until the ache in her knees and shoulders flare up again. She groans and glances to her right. There is a man who's dressed up as a knight in shining armor. Is this cosplay?

"Hey! Hey, bro. Can you take this thing off my shoulders? It's heavy." He looks at her briefly with bland eyes.

"Hello? Um...where am I? What's all this about?"

Oh, he's ignoring me. Tsk! So much for being a knight in shining armor. He won't even help a damsel getting distressed by a block of wood.

Her eyes move back to the front. Most of the people seated are speaking amongst themselves. Some are staring at her with scorn and disgust, while others look grim.

The mood is quite heavy. Dixie only just realizes this.

She's reminded of Harry Potter's trial in Order of the Phoenix. Except the court room consists of polished white marble instead of polished black marble. And they were in sunlit room as opposed to deep underground.

The architect was stunningly beautiful! Wow! Ever since Daddy cut us off, we no longer visit beautiful places like this anymore. Wait, where's Bonnie?! Damn it, girl! Focus! If we're both having the same crazy dream than that means she could be here too. And dream or not, I'm---or rather the woman I am in this dream, is obviously in trouble. Hence the chains, the low mood, impending trial and all the stinky eyes.

I wonder what crime dream me committed. And how wild is this dream going to get? First the book that drums, then we get sucked into a symbol, then I'm transversing through a white world and now I've lost my body!! I've become a redhead in chains. Gosh! I didn't know dreams could even last this long. According to the extractors of Inception, once a dreamer realizes they're dreaming, the dream collapses and they wake up.

Dixie knew her line of reasoning sounded whacky, but she didn't have any other reference to draw upon. This was a scene straight out of Inception. Finding yourself in a certain place and not knowing how you got there.

Also, the surroundings are completely unfamiliar to me. Am I perhaps, in someone else's dream? Ouch!!! My fucking knees are throbbing so much!! How long will I be made to stay like this? When will my trail start? Can I stand up then to testify? Where is my lawyer?

She tries to stand up but her body is seriously too weak. The earlier knight sees her movements and warns her to stay still. She huffs in annoyance.

"My knees are hurting, my back is aching and my shoulders feel like they're going to break! Can you, please take this thing off me? It's not as if I can run away with my feet chained." She squirms some more, trying to ease her pain.

"A dangerous criminal such as yourself must be bound. And the pain you're feeling now, little lady, is nothing compared to the pain you will soon be facing."

Dixie swallowed hard. Even though she believed she was dreaming, those threatening words felt all too real. And why did they sound so familiar? She felt as if some one else had said the same thing to her some place else. "What is my crime?"

The man's eyebrows shot up. "Hm. Pretending ignorance? Yes, that is a very common tactic amongst criminals facing execution."

Crap!! What the hell am I in?!!