"Where…where am I?"
Blossom Utonium blinked in confusion as she stared around at her dark surroundings. Strange…Her voice sounded strange…younger actually. It certainly was not one of an eighteen-year-old girl. Her eyes darted down to her hands, which she had brought up to her face. They were tiny….as if she were…twelve. Yes, she got this cut on her hand on her twelfth birthday – the day that she and Buttercup argued over who would get to cut the cake first and the raven-haired girl nearly ran her hand through with the knife –accidentally. It was the day she first began her lessons in magic. Just a few days before Buttercup…
Buttercup…
So it was this dream again? She had not had this particular dream since she was smaller and now it had become a reoccurring thing for the last week now. But since she'd been having it…it had grown more and more sinister. She was now living all her darkest thoughts from her childhood. Blossom shuddered at what was to come and felt wary. But this was new to her dream. This time she was younger while the other times she was still eighteen. Perhaps this time it would be better? Yeah right, it'll just be a new way to watch her die, Blossom thought darkly. She couldn't explain it. Why was she having this dream? Why now? Her torrent of thoughts soon drifted over to questions like why was it dark in the beginning and when would the dream begin…
In response to her thoughts, an image appeared. It was an image of a small raven-haired girl who sat by a pond, carelessly hitting at the water's surface with a stick. She had remarkable emerald green eyes, the nicest green Blossom had ever seen. Her hair – though people say Blossom has beautiful hair – was another thing she envied. The ebony strands could defy gravity, something her hair refused to do. She wished she had that hair and idly thought over all the things she could do with it when suddenly…
"Are ya jus' gonna stand there lookin' like an idiot all day?"
Blossom looked up, her twelve-year-old eyes wide. Her eyes locked with sparkling hues of green and then a smirk. She had been caught staring. She felt her face heat up considerably.
"Well are you?" the green-eyed girl prompted.
Blossom glared at her and then "hmphed" in her cute twelve-year-old way and then marched over to the pond, plopping down into the grass and refusing to lay her eyes on the other girl – though she really wanted too. Buttercup is so annoying sometimes, she thought, her mind reverting back to its younger self.
The girl went back to playing with the stick in the pond, ignoring Blossom. Blossom eventually overcame her initial embarrassment and chanced a glance at the girl next to her. She opened her mouth to say something, but then shut it again. This was awkward…Her attention then focused on the pond as well. She remembered this pond. It was just outside of the house they used to live in, before they moved when she was older. It was the new house they had just bought with her new father, Professor Utonium. She had liked this pond, even though she originally believed it to be a "crummy" pool. She couldn't remember why exactly…no, wait. Oh yes, now she knew. It was because of her. Blossom glanced at Buttercup again and smiled shyly before looking away. Buttercup had loved this pond – either for the nasty little things that she could do in it, or for the things that lived in it. Blossom recalled that Buttercup loved the ocean and this pond was the closest thing she had to one at the time.
"Wanna kiss a bullfrog?"
Blossom looked up and screeched when she came face to face with a bullfrog held by a grinning Buttercup. "Ew! Gross!" She really hated frogs. "Buttercup!" Buttercup laughed. Hearing her laugh warmed Blossom's heart and she smiled. Her fear of the dream completely washed away.
As the two girls mad mud pies, a ruffling in the bushes was heard. Blossom felt her heart begin to race. Not again. "Did ya hear that?" Buttercup mummered curiously. "Stay still Buttercup," Blossom ordered fearfully, standing protectively n front of Buttercup, forgetting she was not an adult now. She began to run though a list of spells in her head. She wouldn't let it happen again. She couldn't.
Buttercup gave her an odd look. "What are you talking about? Get out of my way, I wanna go see what it was!" Buttercup pushed past her and ran off into the forest. "Buttercup! Buttercup stop!" Blossom chased after her.
She found the girl standing by some nearby shrubs, looking at something past it. "Oh gross!" Buttercup squealed in delight. Blossom tried to see what she saw, but the other girl and the bushes blocked her view. "Buttercup…?"
Buttercup looked up and turned to face Blossom, with an odd smile plastered on her face. "Hey B, wanna see?" Blossom felt a chill travel up her spine. What was this?
"Look" Buttercup stepped away, pulling back the branches so Blossom could see clearly. She had the same eerie smile on her face. "It's me!" She declared, as if it were the coolest thing in the world. Blossom's heart stopped as she found herself staring down at the mutilated body of the young girl. She was going to be sick…
"I'm dead…" Blossom whipped her eyes up to Buttercup. Her voice had sounded different. "Neat huh?" Suddenly Buttercup's face began to contort and her jaw and nose began to protrude out as she fell to her knees, her back arching upward. Blossom's eyes only widened at the sickening sight as the girl continued to morph. "Bu-butter…" Silvery hair shout, replacing skin, and human nails extended into nasty claws. Blossom wanted to run, but she was frozen – completely petrified and shaking.
"BlOSSom…" the creature that had once been Buttercup growled. "dON't YoU WiSh tO PlAy?" Buttercup had turned into a full grown werewolf like creature.
Blossom screamed and her feet learned how to run again.
She ran and ran, as fast as her legs could carry; the vision of Buttercup and fear were her fuel. Branches and brush scraped past her face and tangled with her limbs and hair; an upturned root finally did her in and she soon came crashing to the cold, hard ground.
She cringed, the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. She shivered, tears springing up to her eyes. She began to cry, clinging to the earth. Buttercup had been…she was…Blossom coughed and continued to shake. Get a hold of yourself! Her older mind screamed to the younger one. It's just a dream! It's only a dream… "Just a dream…" she whispered. Suddenly she was no longer the preteen but the eighteen year old. She gasped as she clawed her way up into a sitting position and began to hug herself. She felt so very cold now…
"Blossom"
Her eyes widen as she looked up. She was surrounded by shadowy figures. It's them… She shuddered. They always appeared at the end. This was new to her dreams too.
"Blossom"
Their voices sounded innocent…
"Are you alright?"
…Warm…
"Come back to us"
So loving…caring…
"We miss you"
She knew better.
Refusing to look up, she lifted her arm and began to recite a spell. "Stay back! Stay away! I'm warning you!"
These were the voices of her family. Of the people she had loved and once knew. Her entire home…before it was destroyed by the war.
"You're not them…you're not! They died…they're dead…I saw it….I saw everything!" she sobbed bitterly, her heart aching at the images of her mother and father's burning flesh…Her brother….
"Blossom…"
"Mama…papa…" Blossom whispered as she tried to drown out the voices of the shadows.
"Blossom"
Buttercup.
Blossom lifted a shaky head up and stared at one of the figures.
"I'm bored," It was Buttercup, looking like her regular happy teenage self. Stupid grin, complaining voice, hair, eyes…everything.
No you fool! She's dead! Wolves killed her when you were little! Remember? She's dead!
"Buttercup…" Despite how her mind screamed. She still saw her. Her heart still ached for her. It was still her…She missed her…and they had never found a body. This girl…could be her…she could…
"Play with me?" Then the smiling Buttercup changed into the mutilated body of Buttercup. "Play with me!" The shadows jumped out. Blossom screamed and let loose the ball of energy forming in her hand.
Blossom shot up in bed screaming. "Blossom! Blossom please wake up! Wake up!" a girl's voice cried in fear. Blossom managed to stop screaming, her face pale and her eyes wide. She felt hot and her throat hurt. She could feel beads of perspiration roll down her face, mixing with her tears.
"Blossom….Blossom…" a young blonde girl sobbed. Blossom turned to the girl. It was Bubbles.
"Bubbles…I…" she stammered. "You-you were crying! I couldn't get you to stop…I was so scared! You were…" Bubbles rambled as she threw her arms around the redhead.
Blossom stilled her heart. She was home…she was back. But Bubbles was crying. No, she couldn't let that happen. She had to take care of the girl.
"Bubbles…shhh…it's…ok. I'm fine…see? I'm fine" Blossom cooed as she held the other girl, who cried into her chest. "Just fine…" she whispered. A tear rolled down her cheek. "It was only a dream, I'm alright now" A dream? It was no dream. It was a nightmare. She felt her jaw clench and she gripped the other girl tightly.
Blossom began to cry.