Fiction/Fantasy
Dreamwalkers -Chapter Six
Even asleep, you’re not alone
That night, as I drifted into sleep, the anxieties of the day melded into the realm of dreams. The familiar forest from my previous dreams materialized, but this time, there was an unexpected presence.
Zuli, whom I’d never spoken to before, appeared before me. She was alone, Chase and Stefan were not in sight. Her expression was stern and urgent. “Cera, you need to be careful,” she warned, her voice echoing strangely in the dream forest.
“Careful of what? Chase? Stefan? Zander? What are you, Zuli?” I asked, confused by her sudden appearance in my dream.
“I’m a dreamwalker too, but also from a royal line of..." Zuli paused as if she were trying to figure out how to tell me. “You would know us better as witches. But Zander, he’s not what he seems. There’s darkness in him, a danger you can’t see yet. Trust your instincts,” Zuli urged, her eyes scanning the forest as if expecting someone to emerge from the shadows.
Before I could respond, the dream shifted violently. Zander appeared, his usual friendly demeanor gone, replaced by a cold, calculating look. “You shouldn’t listen to my dear cousin, Cera. She’s trying to deceive you,” he said, his voice laced with an edge I hadn’t heard before.
Zuli faced Zander defiantly. “She needs to know the truth, Zander. You can’t hide it forever.”
Their confrontation escalated quickly, the dream warping around their conflict. Both were screaming at each other. It was like watching two forces of nature clash—a storm brewing with me caught in the middle.
Then, without warning, the dream shattered. I awoke with a start, my heart racing, Zuli’s warning echoing in my mind. The dream felt so real and intense. I lay in bed, trying to make sense of it, but the images and words were already fading, slipping through my fingers like sand.
The next morning, I was on edge, the remnants of the dream lingering like a bad aftertaste. At school, the atmosphere felt heavier, and the halls were quieter. It wasn’t until I met Elizabeth that I understood why.
“Did you hear?” Elizabeth didn’t wait for me to answer. “Zuli, she went missing. No one has seen her since last night.” Elizabeth’s voice was casual, almost nonchalant.
My heart skipped a beat. “Are they looking for her? What about Zander, he’s her cousin, right? ” I asked, a sense of dread building inside me.
Elizabeth looked away and shrugged. “She’s… gone. Let’s just say she won’t be a problem now.”
“Gone? How?” I pressed, my mind racing. The timing was too coincidental, too sinister.
Elizabeth shrugged. “I don’t know the details. But trust me, no one outside of Chase and Stefan cares. Zuli was a total bitch.”
The conversation left me shaken. Zuli’s disappearance, so soon after the dream confrontation, couldn’t be a coincidence. And Elizabeth’s vague answers, evasive demeanor, and talking about Zulin in the past tense added another layer of suspicion.
Was Elizabeth like Zander, Stefan, and Chase? Was she another player in this hidden world, another dreamwalker with her own agenda?
The questions haunted me throughout the day. I needed answers, and the only way to get them was to confront Zander.
I found him after school, leaning against his locker, looking as carefree as ever. “We need to talk,” I said, my tone leaving no room for argument.
Zander’s smile faded as he saw the seriousness in my eyes. “Sure, what’s up?”
“In private,” I insisted, leading him to a secluded part of the school grounds.
Once we were alone, I confronted him. “What happened in my dream last night? And what happened to Zuli?”
Zander’s expression hardened. “Your dream? I’m not sure, Cera, dreams are just that—dreams. They’re not real.”
“But Zuli warned me about you, and now she’s missing,” I countered, feeling my frustration grow.
Zander sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Cera, I don’t know what happened to Zuli. But I can assure you, I’m not your enemy. I’m here to help you.”
His words did little to soothe my doubts. The dream had felt too real, too intense to be dismissed as mere fantasy.
“Listen to me, Cera. There are things at play here—powers and conflicts—that you don’t fully understand yet. You need to be careful who you trust,” Zander said, his voice earnest.
I stepped back, feeling more confused than ever. “I need time to think,” I said, turning to leave.
“Be careful, Cera,” Zander called after me.
“Who you trust can be the difference between safety and danger.”
His words lingered in the air as I walked away, a heavy weight settling in my chest. The complexity of the situation was overwhelming.
Zuli’s disappearance, Zander’s warning, Elizabeth’s evasive behavior, and the conflicting narratives of Stefan and Chase—it was like navigating a maze with no clear exit.
That night, I lay in bed, restless, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts and theories. The pieces of the puzzle were there, but they refused to fit together. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I couldn’t navigate this alone. I needed to seek help, but from whom?
The answer came in a dream, but not the kind I had grown accustomed to. It was a gentle dream, a guiding presence leading me through the darkness. In the dream, I saw a figure shrouded in light, offering me a hand.
“Trust in yourself, Cera. Your heart knows the way,” the figure spoke, their voice soothing yet powerful.
“Mom.” I would know that voice anywhere.
And then she was gone.
I woke up feeling a sense of clarity. The dream was a reminder—amidst the chaos and deception, I had to rely on my own judgment. I couldn’t let fear or uncertainty cloud my vision.
Determined, I made a plan. I would confront Elizabeth first. Her knowledge about Zuli’s disappearance and her cryptic remarks were too suspicious to ignore.
The next day at school, I found Elizabeth in the library. Her usual cheerful demeanor was absent, replaced by a somberness that was out of character.
“Elizabeth, we need to talk about Zuli,” I began, my tone firm.
Elizabeth looked up, her eyes meeting mine. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded. “Okay, let’s talk.”
I didn’t beat around the bush. “What happened to Zuli? And what did you mean when you said she wouldn’t be bothering anyone anymore?”
Elizabeth sighed, closing her book. “Cera, it’s complicated. But you should know, Zuli... she wasn’t your friend, you didn’t even know her. She had her own agenda, one that could have hurt you.”
“But how do you know all this? Are you involved in... in whatever this is?” I asked, feeling a mix of anger and betrayal.
Elizabeth hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Yes, I am involved. More than I ever wanted to be. But my priority has always been to protect what’s important, you.”
“Protect me? From what?” My voice rose in frustration.
“From the dangers that surround you—the ones you’re not fully aware of yet,” Elizabeth said, her voice tinged with sadness.
I took a deep breath, trying to process her words. “Are you like them? Like Zander, Stefan, and Chase?”
“In a way, yes. But my role is different. I’ve been watching over you, ensuring you don’t fall into the wrong hands,” she explained.
“Wrong hands? Whose hands?” I pressed, feeling more confused than ever.
Elizabeth looked around, ensuring we were alone. “There are factions, Cera. Groups with different beliefs and methods regarding the Veil. Some seek to protect it, others seek to exploit it. You’re caught in the middle because of your connection to it.”
I sat back, feeling overwhelmed. The revelations were too much to take in at once. Elizabeth, my friend, was part of this hidden world, a guardian, so she says, in her own right.
“I need time to think about all of this,” I said, standing up.
“Of course,” Elizabeth replied, her eyes filled with understanding. “Just remember, I’m here for you, Cera. Always.”
As I left the library, my mind was a storm of thoughts. Each person in my life was revealing themselves to be more than they seemed.
Friends, foes, guardians—the lines were blurring.
But amidst the chaos, one thing was clear: I had to find my own path, trust my own judgment, and uncover the truth about the Veil and my role in its protection.
The journey ahead was uncertain, but I was ready to face it, armed with strength from within and the guidance of those who truly had my best interests at heart.
Whoever that may be.
Thank you for reading. You can follow and subscribe to get notified when I drop new content.
