Chapter Seven: Illusion

Reina sat in the room by herself, not knowing what to do with her weird dream. She was so unsure if it was a dream. The voice she had heard seemed so real, yet she felt there was something sinister behind it.

She felt restless, unseated in her mind because of the dream. Maybe she should talk to Sam, she thought. She hesitated – what would she tell them? She was hallucinating? Dreaming?

She paused at the door, having gotten up to go to Sam – but she didn't know where anything was. She vaguely remembered the way from the library to her room, so she decided to follow it back. She took a few steps outside the room, tentatively following her memory of the library when she stopped suddenly.

What if – the boys don't like her roaming around the bunker this way? She was after all a guest. Ah well. I've already been to the library, she thought as she resumed her walk.

There was nobody in the library. She looked around a bit but didn't hear anyone. She wondered if she should go looking for Sam's room, but the books were inviting her. Libraries had always held a fascination for her, and this was the most unique library in her knowledge.

She ran her fingers along the spines of the books on the shelf near her. The tightly placed volumes with obscure names shined at her, as she walked across to another shelf.

"Lore of the Djinn." She stopped at the title, wondering if she should take it out. Djinns had always fascinated her, right from the tale of Aladdin she'd heard as a child, to the show Supernatural itself. Meanwhile, the fright she had earlier gotten of that voice, had slipped her mind.

"Hey."

She was in the act of taking the book off the shelf when Dean spotted her, and she was so surprised she almost dropped the book. "Djinns, huh," He read the title of the book in her hand.

"Y-Yeah." She stood awkwardly holding the book to her chest, looking so directly into Dean's eyes that he was a little unnerved. "You like to read?"

"Yeah. Yes. I do." She smiled, and slowly, her tight grip on the book loosened, as she brought it down from her chest. When Dean didn't say anything else, she moved to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Dean didn't know what to do or say – he just stood where he was, looking at her movements.

"Dean?" She said after a few moments, her note of voice hesitating.

"Yeah?" He jolted to motion, joining her at the table. "Are you okay?"

"What?"

"I – I asked if you're ok." She looked up from the book.

"I'm fine, I'm – Why are you asking me?" Dean couldn't help blurting the words out. "I mean, here you are, stranded in a different universe, which you know how dangerous it is – and there's no way – I mean

Dean suddenly stopped himself, realizing what he'd said. Her eyes looked glassy, and her mouth was in a thin line as if she could just push the tears back in. Great, Dean, you just made her cry, he thought as he shook his head. "Hey, I didn't – I didn't mean to say –

She laid the book on the table and held up a shaking hand. "It's alright, Dean. I realize the predicament I'm in."

She closed her eyes for a second and looked back at Dean. "I just – you guys have gone through a lot recently. I hate the fact that because of me, you'd have to go through any trouble. Even if it's just letting me stay here." She shook a few stray hairs out of her face. She got up the courage to look up again, and not cry and saw Dean looking at her, dumbfounded at her words. "I'm sorry," He said.

She felt a sudden rush of emotions. "You don't have to be, Dean. Seriously. None of this – none of anything has been your fault." She said, the tears gone from her eyes, an angry-ish look taking place of it in her eyes.

"It's going to be fine. Cas- he'll know." Dean stood up. "He'll be able to send you back. He just – we'll find him." Dean whipped out his phone once again. He was about to dial Cas's number once again when she said -

"Hey, Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry too, you know."

"What for?"

"Being a case."

"What do you mean?" Dean looked at her, the phone dangling in his hand by his side. "I mean, I'm the case right now, aren't I?" Had she heard him and Bobby talk? "You just finished a big battle, and instead of taking a nice long vacation to the beach, you're here, cleaning up the messes, and I just piled on."

"Oh, c'mon. You didn't mean for this to happen, did you?" Dean wandered over to the table, and sat down in front of her. "Not explicitly. I mean – I didn't make this happen, but I'd watch the show and wish I was here with you. And now I am. In a way, this is my wish come true –

And a big horror spread over her face, as she stood up, shakily.

"What?" Dean's voice carried the same panic that was on her face.

"What if- what if I'm in my world and I've been captured by a Djinn? They usually give you your dream but with mistakes in it, right? This is perfect – perfect except I'm feeling bad about leaving my life, and – Am I in a hallucination right now? There was even that voice from earlier, that wanted me to stay here – what if it was the djinn wanting me to quit thinking about my old life and get trapped in this fantasy – what if this is all unreal?

I need to kill myself."