The sun rises in the grey sky and I can see things around me again. I sit by myself, under the trees; and wait until it's time to hunt. Guess I was really meant to be a huntress. All my life, I've hunted dragons; then, after I realized the world I had grown up in was sick and wrong, I began to hunt for a better life. And here I am, hunting again; to survive.

I don't know why but I cried only twice since I came here. That's the third. I guess I wanted to prove myself strong – but what for?

I think of how many times Jake possibly slept thinking I'd meet him. But I never did. I feel really lonely sometimes; but I guess that talking to myself, singing, or even going to dreamscape helps me a lot. The problem is the fear I have; to forget I'm dreaming and lose my mind to the bracelet; if I'm awake too abruptly.

You fear so much…

Oh, how I wish those words were my own. How I wish that was my voice. But I freeze as soon as I hear them, cause they didn't come from my mind; and worse: I know that voice, maybe better than anyone.

He's here, somewhere. I try as hard as I can to reach for my weapon, moving slowly. I sense his presence.

And the funny thing is that you're afraid of something that you've walked by, for a long time. Have you forgotten, Huntsgirl?

His voice hits me, making my heart race. More than it did before. I don't wait for him to talk again. My legs stand up in an instant, and I point the laser weapon to nowhere.

"I'm not afraid of you!" I say. "And you're not real. You're dead. This is nothing but an illusion. Another one. Get out!"

"You really think so?"

Ok, that scared me. Mainly because I know where the voice came from. I turn around, ready to see his face; but as soon as I meet his gaze, I feel like I wasn't prepared at all.

His face is uncovered, showing the big dragon mark that crosses it. His eyes are hungry, evil, in a way that tells the story of a man who had hated, who had loved, who had betrayed; and yet was surprised to be tricked by his closest partner.

"How?" I say, before I can stop myself. I feel anger inside my chest. "What are you doing here? How – how did you get here?" I wait for an answer; but all I get is laughter.

"You surely underestimate my powers." He says, walking towards me. "You think I'm dead; and you just tell yourself that because you're afraid."

"You don't know what you're tal- king… About…" I noticed it. On his right wrist, there's a small purple crystal out of his sleeve. "The bracelet…" I whisper, still staring at his wrist; but on the corner of my eyes, I can see his lips turned into a little smile. "This is a dream… My dream."

"Clever… And you know that I exist somewhere, right?" He says; and my stomach is tied up with my veins. I try not to nod to that, but I do; 'cause it's true. He must exist to go into someone's dreams like that. Besides, the bracelet is something solid, that only a real being could wear. "And… You're still here because…" Crap, I wish he'd stop talking; just… Stop! "Oh, right… You have nowhere to go. You can't get out of here. Again, alone."

"Did I ask for a therapy session?"

"Am I lying?"

I glare at him, trying hard not to punch his face.

"I'll find a way."

"I'm sure you will. And your… Friends." He laughs again. "Do you really think the American Dragon and his gang of fools are going to do something for you?" I don't like it. I know where he's leading this conversation to. "They would be glad to see you dead. After all you're done to them, why would they try to save you?!"

I make the move as fast as I can and try to punch him. Just try. Because my hand flies across him, taking my whole body with it; and I share a beautiful kiss with the ground.

"You know, someday, maybe, you will learn how to do that."

"To do what?!" I almost shout, touching my lips. If this weren't a dream, I would have broken my teeth.

"To control your physical structure when you're inside someone's dream, I could teac-"

"No!" I cut him off. "I'd never accept help from you. You know that."

He smiles. "Yes, Huntsgirl. I know it." Now, his voice didn't sound like a murderer trying to get their partner again. Or like a man wanting to prove something. It sounded like a father, who is trying to apologize to a daughter. That's sick.

"But you give me no choice" He continues. "There's something I'd like to show you" I try to reply, but I can't say anything. I try, but I can't. Something is shutting my mouth. And I can't move either. "Oh" He says. "And that's something I'd also teach you to do. But let's stick to the point".

The Huntsman draws a line in the air with his hand and a new portal opens up. I still can't talk or move. I don't know what he wants to show me; but I do know it's not good. And I have no choice but let him show me.

"Shall we?" He says, making me walk towards the portal. I'd shut my eyes, but I can't do that either. He just pushes me into the portal; and comes behind me. I'm a kind of glad I can't do anything; that my features are neutral – because he can't read what I'm feeling. And now I'm really afraid of what I might find.

—

After we pass through the portal, we end up in one of my memories, where I am sleeping in bed. But, for some reason, I wanted to see that scene, and the Huntsman noticed that. So he stopped and stared at the scene too.

My heart races. Suddenly, something flies into my room: a red dragon; who comes from outside through the open window and lands already turned into his human form.

Jake sits by my side on the bed and rests his hand on my head, something I had never seen him doing. And I don't think I'm going to see that again. A single tear falls from my right eye as he looks at me like I'm someone precious, for whom he had been fighting for centuries to be with. But it's not a crazy look, or an ambitious one – it's lovely, worried. My eyes open and I see him, sitting by my side.

"Hey" He says, smiling.

I yawn and say: "Hey yourself"; and raise my head to kiss him, wrapping my arms around his neck. When I let go, he whispers:

"Good morning…"

Immediately, I glance at the clock; and realize he's at my place at 3:00 am. I look at him with an eyebrow raised.

"What are you doing here? I mean… Now…"

"I was waiting for you to say 'Good morning' " He says, speaking the "good morning" part with a little voice and blinking seductively.

"Okay, first: I don't talk like that. Second: I don't blink 10 times per second. Third: you didn't answer my question."

He looks at me with a playful smile on his face and stands up, turning the lights on. A white flash covers my vision; and, for while, I keep rubbing my fingers on my eyes. "What's the matter with you?!" I say, as my eyes try to adjust to the lights.

"I've got something to show you" He laughs a little. I stare at him.

"What are you laughing at?" I speak, smiling.

"It's funny to see you like that. You know… Sleepy and confused."

I shake my head, still smiling playfully. "I think you want to go home single…"

He doesn't say a thing; just walks towards the window and jumps from it, turning into a dragon again. I get up, worried about the fact that I might have hurt him; but as soon as I put my head out of the window, I spot Jake flapping wings a meter below my window.

"What are you waiting for?!" He says. "Jump on my back!"

The offer had indeed surprised me. And I see now that I made it clear, because my jaw dropped and my eyebrows curved.

"Jake… But… My parents…"

"Don't worry. I've talked to them."

"You did what? Wait, but-"

"Are you coming or not?! Don't think, just jump. Trust me."

I sighed and bit my lip. "Fine…" I frowned. Finally, I turned around, wore my jacket and shoes and jumped from my window, freefalling for a second and then landing on his back.

"Hang on!" He said.

I smiled. "As if I didn't know how to fly on dragons."

The Huntsman and I are transported to the place where Jake and I had landed; mainly because it is a memory, and we've got to see all of it. We end up at the Central Park, where, at night, the atmosphere is quite dark. But then it happened. A soon as Jake landed, there was a sudden flash of bright light – too bright for my eyes, at the moment.

"Are you trying to blind me or WHAT?!" I shout at him, but don't get a response. And when my vision goes back to normal, I start to recognize some familiar figures, although I can't really tell what they are until some seconds pass by, and then I see them all: my parents, Spud, Trixie, Fu, and Jake's family.

"I…" My words were lost. I remember. The explosion of feelings inside my chest; the hurricane of unspoken words, to which I had given strength inside my mind. That day was not an usual day. It was my birthday; and I had completely forgotten. Finally, I manage to whisper: "I can't believe this…" but I doubt they listened.

"SURPRISE!" They chorus and applaud.

I smile more than my face can support. "But… Why now?!"

"Well," my mother says. "We knew that if we did it now, you wouldn't suspect a thing."

"You're a person who is very hard to trick, you know that." Lao Shi said, grinning.

I walk towards her and give her a hug.

"Happy birthday, sweetie." I hear, as I feel someone kissing my forehead.

I was really thrilled. Those people really cared about me; they loved me. The feeling to have not just one, but two families of yours caring about how you feel is one of the best things in life. Maybe, the Huntsman had made a mistake stopping to watch this scene; he reminded me I have a reason to keep trying. Or maybe, it was what he wanted; to give me high hopes to crush them later.

"You're, indeed, more foolish than I had expected." He says, grabbing my attention. I keep my mouth shut, as he opens a portal with his hands. We walk into it and we end up at the Dream Corridor.

"I want to see how far you'd go to get your fools again."

"You don't know what you're talking about." I frown. "I don't want your help; and I don't want your tests either."

"Really?" He sings and opens another portal; but this one is different. I'm sure it isn't from Dreamscape. "That portal will send you home."

"You really think I'm that stupid." I say, a kind of shakily.

"Let me finish" He glares at me and I'm unable to speak or move again. I didn't notice I was back to normal until he did that to me once more. "It will send you home. That's for sure. But if you accept this help, it will be like a shortcut. You won't be playing this game correctly; they call it to cheat. You can waaaait there, sleeping, dreeeaming… BUT, you can use this portal; and you'll be back home in a clap of fingers. It's your choice. To be a waiter… Or a cheater."

The temptation is too strong. My head feels weak and unsteady, as too many thoughts run inside it, hitting each other. But one thought I seem to recognize: the one I might go back home, right now. But it's dirty help, I think. But it'll send you back, I think too. Two different people, arguing inside me.

Suddenly, everything happens so fast I'm not able to think. At a moment, I make a move to run towards the portal; but then, out of the blue, I feel a sharp pain in my belly, like a thousand knives cutting me, all at the same time. I fall to my knees, in pain.

"But don't forget" says a dark voice; different from Huntsman's. "Cheaters never win".

Those are the few words I listen, before everything goes black.