Author's Note: I'm sorry this is kinda late, I had a ridiculous amount of schoolwork to complete, and my teachers won't stop emailing me about missing work even though THEY'RE THE ONES WHO DECIDED THEY WOULDN'T TAKE OFF POINTS IF IT'S LATE

My science teacher also assigned a 20 slide thing for us to complete and it's really ridiculously hard and the answers aren't on quizlet. . . *sob*

Anyway, have fun reading, and thank you for your continued support!

This is madness, I think to myself.

The Garden of Dreams is amazing. It's like all of my daydreams and fantasies have combined into one marvelous spectacle.

Part of me wants to stay here forever, traverse these cobblestone streets lined with fairy lights, revel in the magic and beauty of this place. But another part of me keeps nagging, telling me that something is wrong. It feels like an illusion, a dream. I cannot fathom how it could possibly be real.

I need to get away from the fortune-teller's tent, where I left Sophie. I feel kind of bad about leaving, but I had to get away before I did something stupid. She looks too beautiful in that magic dress, too alluring. If the Nightwalker Circus —because honestly, what else can I call it— is stunning, then Sophie is absolutely radiant. In that dress, she shines brighter than any of the flashing lights or glittering diamonds do.

I noticed a few people staring at her, and I had to resist the urge to growl at them. She's mine, I wanted to say. She's not. Not really. I wish she was, but she can't know that.

This Garden of Dreams worries me more than I let on. I don't like the idea of something that forces you to uncover secrets. Sometimes secrets must stay hidden for a reason. Also, this place feels off. I can't place it, but something is wrong.

I wander into a tent full of mirrors. They are all shattered, and shards hang from the ceiling on thin strings. The mirror shards spin slowly, moved by the wind or some other force, I don't know. My reflection is distorted, constantly shifting as the mirrors spin.

Human mirrors, I notice. Everything is backwards in the reflection, and if I were to hold up a piece of paper, the letters would be flipped around. Interesting.

My head hurts from looking at all these spinning mirrors. I leave the tent, deciding it would be better to wait outside. But, instead of returning to Saga's tent, my feet carry me towards the edge of the tent circle, in the opposite direction of the arch.

I don't try to stop myself, curiosity overcoming my desire to protect Sophie. She'll be fine alone for a few minutes. Sometimes I forget that she can defend herself perfectly fine without my help. Still, I can't help but want to protect her.

I weave through the tents, and it takes a solid three minute walk before I can even see the border. I am starting to reconsider leaving Sophie. However, the white glittering magical strands are so close now that I can feel the energy humming off them. I wonder what will happen if I touch one.

"You might not want to go near those," someone says.

It's a gnome, with green thumbs and dark skin. He ushers me away from the magic fence.

"Why not?" I ask.

"It's not allowed," he replies. "Nothing good can come of it."

I thank him for the warning and turn back towards the tents. However, instead of going to meet Sophie, I head to another section of the wall, purely to avoid the gnome. While his warning might have been with good intentions, it was very vague, and I don't trust him. The fence might be important.

I walk up to the magic, and it's so close that I can feel its power. I don't know what it's made of, but it's very potent. I reach through two of the delicately woven strands, but my hand stops, as if it hit an invisible wall. A quick probe determines that all of the other gaps are sealed with an invisible barrier, too.

Finally, I decide to risk direct contact with one of the magic strands. I reach out, marveling at how cold it feels, and I'm not even touching it yet.

My fingers connect with it, and the world goes dark.

I can see the Nightwalker Circus from above, as if I am a bird. From this view, however, the white magic that surrounds it covers the whole thing in a translucent white dome. I can see Sophie, walking out of Saga's tent. I can see myself, fingertips still pressed against the magic wall. I can see all the different species walking around inside, completely oblivious to the wall they are surrounded by. The cage.

From here, I can see the forest, too. The trees are no longer blue and purple. No, they are gray, withered with age or something else. The dome surrounds tents that are no longer midnight blue. Instead, they are brown. The clothing of all the people inside is still their boring old clothes, and none of the magical attractions even exist.

I am suddenly whisked back into my body, and I pull my hand away from the wall, gasping for breath.

It's all an illusion.

I start racing through the tents. I need to find Sophie, and we need to get out of here. I don't know if we can, with the magic dome, but we have to try.

I sprint past lights and magic and beauty and splendor, knowing it's all fake. This is a trick, an illusion, a lie. This is no forest of glittering lights, no enchanted circus. It is a gilded cage, and we are stuck inside it.

This isn't a garden of dreams.

It's a prison of nightmares.