Writer note: sorry this fic is kind of confusing. It's an Alternate Universe fic, so it's suppose to be like that. Hope this chapter makes it a little more clear!
***
"You didn't." That was Specs.
Dutchy shrugged, carelessly. "I had to."
"No, you didn't!" Specs shouted, eyes blazing with frustration and fear.
"The Dream Keepers will find out and they'll have our hides!" Pie added, nervously. "You know what they do to betrayers."
"I do know and I don't care" Dutchy retorted, defiantly. He clenched his fist.
Bumlets observed the conflict from his post on the armchair. He saw something in Dutchy that he'd never seen before - caring. The four knew what caring was; they took care of each other in the Dream World. But, this was different...
"You feel for this girl" he spoke out, quite bluntly.
All motion in the room halted as three heads switched to stare at Bumlets. He continued, "We may be naive to everything else in the Other Realm, but we do know what emotions and feelings are and we are not numb to them."
Beat of silence, then, "He's right" Pie said, looking at the others. "I have this overwhelming feeling to play soccer even though I have no clue what soccer is."
"See." Bumlets pointed to Pie. "That's just like I want to sing and dance - whatever those things are - and just be out there."
"You don't know what it's like out there" Specs claimed, matter-of-factly.
Bumlets smirked at the challenge. "That makes me want to be out there even more."
"It's true" Dutchy finally spoke. "So what if we don't know what's out there. The people who have dreams live in the Other Realm beyond the gray. I want to be Callie's friend." Specs still looked at him in doubt. "Oh, come on! Like you have no desire for something."
For a while, Specs keep his mouth shut - staring heavily at the floor. They could tell he was brooding, and hopefully would crack soon. They stared intently at him until...
"I want to act" he mumbled it so lowly, no one could hear.
"What?" Pie said, almost mocking, holding his ear to hear.
Specs threw his hands up. "I want to act! I don't know why or how, I just do. All I know of acting is you play pretend. Why would I want to do that?"
"Because, like the rest of us, we have a desire from the Other Realm" Bumlets answered.
"Why are we having this conversation when we won't ever leave the Dream World?" Specs asked.
Dutchy stood up. "We could try."
***
Callie drug her feet to the kitchen of her house. Her mind was a boggle of dozens of thoughts...all because she had, had -another- dream with them! One a night was enough, but two?
"Good morning."
Callie snapped her vision from the floor to stare droopy-eyed at her grandmother. "Hi, Grandma" she mumbled and sat down at the round table.
"You seem beat this morning" Grandma said, setting down her fork. "Did you get any sleep?"
"Yeah, I got sleep but I was surely awake in my dreams" Callie replied, heaving. She placed her head in her hands. Grandma rubbed her back. "Goodness, child. What kind of dream would make you feel like this? They must be awfully bad."
"No, not really" Callie started. She sat up straight. "Let me begin from the top." Her Grandma nodded, listening intently. "For four months, these four guys have been appearing in my dreams. We're all friends, but I have no clue who they are. I mean, when I wake up. In my dreams, I know them like old friends - I even know they're names. We're always doing fun stuff like riding roller coasters or playing in a park. But, sometimes, they try to get me to go in this evil looking cave. It scares me, so I never go in. I don't know why they're doing this.
"This morning, I had two dreams with them which has never happened before. One of them even told me they were 'real'. I'm so confused as to why these guys, who are probably just figments of my imagination, are in my head."
Grandma smiled. "I think it's a sign that you need to get out again."
Callie looked at her in horror. "Get out again? As in having friends and doing fun things again?"
"Of course." Grandma rolled her eyes. Her granddaughter had been a hermit for so long, she sounded confused as to what fun meant.
"I think I forgotten how" Callie replied, miserably. "It's not that I don't want to. I took care of Mama for so long that nothing else mattered to me."
"Callie, listen to me. You were a great caretaker for your mother. You never left her side the entire time she was sick. But, honey, she's not here anymore. She wouldn't want you to live like this for the rest of your life."
Tears gleamed off Callie's eyelashes. She knew Grandma was right. It was all too clear in front of her face, but never close enough for her to grasp. She wiped the wetness from her eyes. "I better get ready for work."
***
"I wonder if Callie is asleep yet?" Dutchy mused.
The others didn't have time to respond. The alarm didn't even go off before they found themselves fading into a dream. It was an emergency.
"Does that answer your question?" Pie Eater asked, pointing to Devil's Cave. Callie was standing directly in front of it, creeping toward the evil cave.
"She's going in it by herself" Bumlets pointed out the obvious.
Specs' mouth hung open. "I can't believe she's doing it."
"Come on, Callie. You can do it." Dutchy cheered her on, under his breathe.
It seemed forever for her to reach the entrance, but she made it. All too soon, the victory was crushed. The burning flames spewed wider catching Callie by surprise. She fell to the ground, curling into a ball. Dutchy rushed to her side, and scooped her up - running back to the others. They all gathered around her as Dutchy laid her on the ground.
"Please, don't make me go back there! It will hurt me! I don't want to go!" Callie cried, eyes closed and head thrashing. She had no knowledge of anything but the nightmare she had just faced.
"Callie, it's all right" Dutchy told her, smoothing her hair.
"We're here, Cal. You don't have to be scared" Bumlets said.
"I want Mama. Why did she have to die?"
Shock suddenly halted any movement or words. The four exchanged stunned expressions. All too soon, the scene melted away and they were back in their room.
"Did you hear what she said?" Pie Eater asked right away.
"That has to be the horrible thing she went through" Bumlets concluded. They'd heard of death before...when someone goes away and never comes back.
Dutchy plopped down in his chair, and ran his hands through his hair. "Now I really wish I could be there for her."
"What's going on here?!" a voice demanded. The four let out yelps of surprise, and spun around. Callie was there.
***
"You didn't." That was Specs.
Dutchy shrugged, carelessly. "I had to."
"No, you didn't!" Specs shouted, eyes blazing with frustration and fear.
"The Dream Keepers will find out and they'll have our hides!" Pie added, nervously. "You know what they do to betrayers."
"I do know and I don't care" Dutchy retorted, defiantly. He clenched his fist.
Bumlets observed the conflict from his post on the armchair. He saw something in Dutchy that he'd never seen before - caring. The four knew what caring was; they took care of each other in the Dream World. But, this was different...
"You feel for this girl" he spoke out, quite bluntly.
All motion in the room halted as three heads switched to stare at Bumlets. He continued, "We may be naive to everything else in the Other Realm, but we do know what emotions and feelings are and we are not numb to them."
Beat of silence, then, "He's right" Pie said, looking at the others. "I have this overwhelming feeling to play soccer even though I have no clue what soccer is."
"See." Bumlets pointed to Pie. "That's just like I want to sing and dance - whatever those things are - and just be out there."
"You don't know what it's like out there" Specs claimed, matter-of-factly.
Bumlets smirked at the challenge. "That makes me want to be out there even more."
"It's true" Dutchy finally spoke. "So what if we don't know what's out there. The people who have dreams live in the Other Realm beyond the gray. I want to be Callie's friend." Specs still looked at him in doubt. "Oh, come on! Like you have no desire for something."
For a while, Specs keep his mouth shut - staring heavily at the floor. They could tell he was brooding, and hopefully would crack soon. They stared intently at him until...
"I want to act" he mumbled it so lowly, no one could hear.
"What?" Pie said, almost mocking, holding his ear to hear.
Specs threw his hands up. "I want to act! I don't know why or how, I just do. All I know of acting is you play pretend. Why would I want to do that?"
"Because, like the rest of us, we have a desire from the Other Realm" Bumlets answered.
"Why are we having this conversation when we won't ever leave the Dream World?" Specs asked.
Dutchy stood up. "We could try."
***
Callie drug her feet to the kitchen of her house. Her mind was a boggle of dozens of thoughts...all because she had, had -another- dream with them! One a night was enough, but two?
"Good morning."
Callie snapped her vision from the floor to stare droopy-eyed at her grandmother. "Hi, Grandma" she mumbled and sat down at the round table.
"You seem beat this morning" Grandma said, setting down her fork. "Did you get any sleep?"
"Yeah, I got sleep but I was surely awake in my dreams" Callie replied, heaving. She placed her head in her hands. Grandma rubbed her back. "Goodness, child. What kind of dream would make you feel like this? They must be awfully bad."
"No, not really" Callie started. She sat up straight. "Let me begin from the top." Her Grandma nodded, listening intently. "For four months, these four guys have been appearing in my dreams. We're all friends, but I have no clue who they are. I mean, when I wake up. In my dreams, I know them like old friends - I even know they're names. We're always doing fun stuff like riding roller coasters or playing in a park. But, sometimes, they try to get me to go in this evil looking cave. It scares me, so I never go in. I don't know why they're doing this.
"This morning, I had two dreams with them which has never happened before. One of them even told me they were 'real'. I'm so confused as to why these guys, who are probably just figments of my imagination, are in my head."
Grandma smiled. "I think it's a sign that you need to get out again."
Callie looked at her in horror. "Get out again? As in having friends and doing fun things again?"
"Of course." Grandma rolled her eyes. Her granddaughter had been a hermit for so long, she sounded confused as to what fun meant.
"I think I forgotten how" Callie replied, miserably. "It's not that I don't want to. I took care of Mama for so long that nothing else mattered to me."
"Callie, listen to me. You were a great caretaker for your mother. You never left her side the entire time she was sick. But, honey, she's not here anymore. She wouldn't want you to live like this for the rest of your life."
Tears gleamed off Callie's eyelashes. She knew Grandma was right. It was all too clear in front of her face, but never close enough for her to grasp. She wiped the wetness from her eyes. "I better get ready for work."
***
"I wonder if Callie is asleep yet?" Dutchy mused.
The others didn't have time to respond. The alarm didn't even go off before they found themselves fading into a dream. It was an emergency.
"Does that answer your question?" Pie Eater asked, pointing to Devil's Cave. Callie was standing directly in front of it, creeping toward the evil cave.
"She's going in it by herself" Bumlets pointed out the obvious.
Specs' mouth hung open. "I can't believe she's doing it."
"Come on, Callie. You can do it." Dutchy cheered her on, under his breathe.
It seemed forever for her to reach the entrance, but she made it. All too soon, the victory was crushed. The burning flames spewed wider catching Callie by surprise. She fell to the ground, curling into a ball. Dutchy rushed to her side, and scooped her up - running back to the others. They all gathered around her as Dutchy laid her on the ground.
"Please, don't make me go back there! It will hurt me! I don't want to go!" Callie cried, eyes closed and head thrashing. She had no knowledge of anything but the nightmare she had just faced.
"Callie, it's all right" Dutchy told her, smoothing her hair.
"We're here, Cal. You don't have to be scared" Bumlets said.
"I want Mama. Why did she have to die?"
Shock suddenly halted any movement or words. The four exchanged stunned expressions. All too soon, the scene melted away and they were back in their room.
"Did you hear what she said?" Pie Eater asked right away.
"That has to be the horrible thing she went through" Bumlets concluded. They'd heard of death before...when someone goes away and never comes back.
Dutchy plopped down in his chair, and ran his hands through his hair. "Now I really wish I could be there for her."
"What's going on here?!" a voice demanded. The four let out yelps of surprise, and spun around. Callie was there.