Dreamers

Ventus
I soar above the treetops, relishing the feeling of flight, my fingers cutting the air. Dark clouds are ahead of me, but nothing will squander this joyous moment. I bank sharply to the right, and feel like I’m on a roller coaster. Unable to restrain myself, I loop and twirl through the air. I love this dream, until the bad part comes. I hear a loud pop and feel a sharp pain in my wing. As I loop again, I can see a crimson blossom on my gossamer wings. Suddenly I’m falling, trying to support me with my one good wing. The red-stained wing disappears, and what support I had there vanishes. I fall faster, and my other wing disappears so I’m in a complete free-fall. And then the dream ends. Of course it ends before I can tell what happens, but I can guess. I either get saved by a knight in shining armor, or I become a pancake. Most likely the latter will happen.
I open my eyes blearily stare at my ceiling. Grabbing a locked book, key, and pen, I rub the sleep out of my eyes. The locked book is rather plain and ordinary, with a leather cover and silver clasp. On the front cover it reads in green lettering, “Ventus.” It means wind in Latin, and is a very odd name, which belongs to me. It is kind of fitting, seeing as I dream of flying. I write in my locked book,
“I had the same dream. The dream ended with me at a fall, with no wings.”
Closing the book with a sigh, I crawl out of bed and select an outfit. I throw on a clean T-shirt, jeans, and boots and put my books and binders in my shoulder-bag. I brush my hair, braid it, and put on my sunglasses. I grab a croissant as I run out the door, calling “Bye, mom! See you after school!” The bus is nowhere in sight when I reach the end of our driveway, so I take out a drawing pad and start to shade my illustration of a girl with wings. One of the wings has a stain on it. I can hear faint footsteps and quickly stow my drawing pad in my shoulder bag. A boy walks along the road towards me.

Nox
I see the moon and stars, like jewels spilled on black velvet. Under a veil of shadow, I slip unseen, jumping over puddles of moonlight. I have become one with the darkness. I am the knight of the night. Through the trees I invisibly weave. I love this dream, until the bad part comes. I hear a loud gunshot and instinctively duck. An unknown force makes me look up and see an angel that has lost its wings fall through the sky. Right before she gets close enough for me to distinguish her features, the dream ends.
I open my eyes telling myself, “I have to save her next time.” Reluctantly, I get out of bed and throw on a black shirt and black pants, comb my hair, pack my backpack, pull on my shoes, and walk outside. Hurriedly, I write a note saying, “Gone to school. See you later, Nox,” and tack it to the front door.
After walking for five minutes, I come to the train tracks. I check to make sure no trains are coming, and listen closely as I walk a little ways along the rails to the road where it intersects the tracks. The road is in sight when I hear the lopsided breath of the train. I walk faster, step off the rail to get into the safety of the road, and slip. I try to keep walking, but my shoe is caught in the track. Seeing the train round the bend in the distance, I hurriedly slip off my shoe. As it comes free of the metal, my sock catches on a spike and rips off of my foot. Creeping along the road, I take off my other shoe and sock, walking along the road barefoot. I know I’m late, but I’ll just have to hope I didn’t miss the bus. I see a girl with blond hair and sunglasses standing at the end of a driveway quickly shove a book back into her shoulder-bag.

Ventus
His hair is black and he wears a black shirt, black pants, and no shoes. “Hello?” I cautiously ask him. He looks at me with dazzling blue eyes, turns his head and keeps walking. “Do you need shoes?” I try again. He looks at me again, and holds my gaze. His eyes are like pools of sapphire and turquoise. He says something with a small voice that is barely audible. “What?” He repeats himself louder, “What’s your name?” His voice is deep and smooth. “My name’s Ventus. Do you go to the middle school?” He nods and says, “My name’s Nox. It means night in Latin. We both have Latin names.” I nod, “My name means—" He interrupts, “Wind. Your name means wind.” I nod, and ask, “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to your shoes?” Nox laughs and says, “They got caught in the railroad tracks. Is this where you always wait for the bus?” I nod. He continues, “I’ve never seen you here before, probably because I’m late today. Do you mind if I stayed and waited for the bus with you?” I shake my head, and we stand in silence for a few seconds. He shifts uncomfortably, looks at my bag, and says, “Do you like writing?” I shake my head, “I have a diary, but that’s all. I mainly enjoy drawing.” Why do I never let my friends see me drawing, but immediately open up to a complete stranger? He nods, and we stand in silence for a while.
“I’ve been having the weirdest dream lately.” I stare at him, suddenly curious. He notices and shifts uncomfortably some more. “What is your dream like?” I ask him. Nox nervously rubs his thumb along a curving line on his palm, but almost immediately stops. “I’m… walking through the woods and I see a falling angel, but right before I can see who she is, the dream ends.” I gasp, “That’s me! I’m the falling angel! Did you hear a pop before I fell?” He shakes his head and I deflate a little. Nox hurriedly says, “But I did hear a gunshot.” I say, “That would explain it! In my dream I’m flying over a forest and I get shot in the wing. Both my wings disappear until I’m just falling! Right before I hit the ground, the dream ends!” Nox smiles, “I’m not walking in my dream, I’m shadow-jumping.” I frown, “Shadow-jumping?” He shrugs, “It’s just a fantasy like flying. I become a shadow, jumping over moonlight.” I think for a few seconds in the silence that follows. “Isn’t it odd that our names have something to do with our dreams? Like me, I fly, and to fly I have to have wind. You shadow-jump with darkness, and you need night,” I say. All the words come out in a blur, but Nox understands, and he nods. “What if the dreams were what is to be, and it was, like, our destiny or something? What if there are more people like us? We should check the student book at the library to see if there are any other Dreamers!” I smile, “Dreamers?” He laughs shakily, “Yeah, I came up with a name for us. Since our names may or may not be entwined with our dreams, we are the Dreamers.” He looks down at his bare feet, “Do you have any shoes I could borrow?” I frown thoughtfully, “You might be able to borrow an old pair from my brother. He’s in college right now. I’ll run in and get a pair, and you stay here. If the bus comes, tell the driver I’ll be right out. What shoe size are you?”
I run inside and grab the closest size pair of shoes and a pair of white socks and run out again. Nox accepts them gratefully and slips them on right as the bus appears in view. We get our stuff and take our seats. I sit in the middle, as usual, but Nox starts making his way to the back. I catch his attention and slightly shake my head. Only the ninth through twelfth graders sit in the back. He moves back up the aisle and sits two seats away from me. In silence, I work on a drawing with my feet in the seat and my back to the bus wall, so nobody can peek on my drawing. It shows the girl with wings, but she doesn’t have wings, and she’s in the arms of a shadowy tree. In small letters circling the top of the tree I write, The Dreamers.
The bus pulls to a stop at the brick school building, and I grab my stuff and walk down the aisle. A foot reaches out to trip me, but I hop over it nimbly. It belongs to John Haynes, who sneers at me as I walk down the steps. I look around, but Nox is nowhere in sight. I take a deep breath, prepare for the first day of a new school year, and walk to my first class. I’m the second one in the classroom, and the only other student is Nox. I wave and take a seat next to him. “Where were you after you got off the bus? I didn’t see you.” He smiles slyly and brandishes a stack of papers. “I was getting a copy of the student book. The librarian asked why, and I told her my mom wanted to get me to know some of the kids to make friends, and she gladly handed it over,” he says with a smug grin. I whisper, “When will we get to look over it?” He whispers back, “Can you meet me at the railroad tracks at 6:00PM, sharp?” I nod, “I’ll try. I can call my mom during lunch to find out if I can go “meet a friend to discuss homework”. I don’t like being in the lunchroom anyways.” He laughs, “Neither do I… You like drawing, right?” I nod. He continues, “There’s an art contest, and I thought that you might join. Can I see any of your drawings?” I reluctantly take out a drawing that depicts an aerial view of the forest, with storm clouds over a section. I take out the one of the girl with wings. He smiles, “I like drawing too, but I’m not as good as you. I also mainly write stories,” As he talks he pulls a wrinkled paper out of his binder, showing a wolf in armor and moons and stars in his fur. I look around and notice that everyone has taken a seat, and the teacher says, “Welcome to the first day of school, my big eighth graders! Aren’t you excited to be in Geometry with me? We’re going to have so much fun together!” She laughs, but suddenly turns serious and smacks her desk loudly with her palm. We all jump. “If any of you think this is a laughing matter, I assure you it is not. It is no laughing matter to be smart, and if you think you can brush this class off and get an ‘A’ in your sleep- think again!” She suddenly softens again and says, “Now, let’s start with roll-call, shall we?”

Nox
The teacher starts spouting names, “Annabelle Jackson? Bentley Grant?” After every name a child quietly says, “Here!” I notice she’s going in alphabetical order due to first names. After waiting for a few minutes while corrections, pronunciations, and spellings are made, she finally calls my name. “Nox Marks?” she asks. “Here,” I reply. I hear a few sniggers resonate from the class, but ignore them and continue zoning out the teacher’s voice. The only name that I listen to is Ventus’. The teacher, Mrs. Worth asks, “Ventus Empry?” Ventus also ignores the laughs and replies, “Here,” She immediately glances over at me, and I smile. After Ventus’ name is called, Mrs. Worth asks, “Now, class if you could kindly write your name in the log provided in your textbooks after you receive them and turn to page 342.”

Ventus
During lunch, I grab my lunchbox and head in the direction of the cafeteria, only to veer away to the guidance counselor’s office. The counselor looks up, from a bus pass he’s writing, and says, “Yes?” I smile, “I need to call my mom.” He nods, “Dial 99 before calling, please,” and goes back to writing the bus pass. I punch in my mother’s number, who answers after the second ring, like always. “Hello?” I smile, “Hey, mom, it’s me! I was wondering if I could meet a friend after-school to work on Geometry homework together.” I grit my teeth, but she replies, “That’s fine, dear. What time did you say this was?” I say, “Six o’clock.” She laughs, “Ok, tell your friend I said hello, and be safe. You can ride the bus home with them if you want.” I say, “They ride the same bus as me. Anyway, thanks! I love you! See you after school!”
I hurry out of the guidance counselor’s office, reading the name on the plaque outside the door. It reads, “Mr. Lewis.” I walk swiftly to the school courtyard and eat my lunch. The courtyard is deserted, so I take out my drawing pad when I’m finished with lunch. Again hearing footsteps, I stow it in my back and look around. The footsteps belong to John Hayes, who has some of his cronies with him, shoving each other and joking around. John laughs mockingly, “If it isn’t Mrs. Hot-air herself!” I face him, “Shove off, Haynes.” He puts his hands up, palms facing outward. “Sorry, Gas-bag, I thought that’s what your unusually abnormal name meant!” I roll my eyes, “It means ‘wind’, Smart One.” He laughs, “You can’t take a joke, can you Jet-Stream?” I retort, “You’re not much of a Saint, are you John?” John’s ears turn red, and he boasts, “My mother and father are good Christian people, not hippies like yours! My father is a minister!” I smirk, “And I thought he owned an underwear company!” John points his index finger at me, “You just wait, Gusty! You’ll regret those words when we meet again.” I laugh and sing jokingly, “God be with you ‘til we meet again!” John’s face turns red and I walk away, proud to have had the last word.

Nox
As the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch, I walk out of the library and see Ventus and the kid that tried to trip her on the bus facing it off in the courtyard. I crack the door open and listen to the argument, preparing myself to aid Ventus if need be. “My father is a minister!” The boy says. “And I thought he owned an underwear company!” Ventus snaps back. “You just wait, Gusty! You’ll regret those words when we meet again!” I’m about to go help Ventus, when she randomly starts singing, “God be with you 'til we meet again!” She walks away to another door, a triumphant smile on her face. The annoying boy catches a glimpse of me, and storms towards me. He snarls, “Do you know who I am?” I shake my head no. “I am John Haynes, and I have something to say to you.” I gesture for him to go ahead. He gets up in my face, which is hard for him to do since I’m about a foot taller than him, and says, “You tell your girlfriend creep to stay away from me, or I might get my mom to kick you both out of this school.” I glare at his retreating figure, but say, “John, I have something to say to you too.” He turns around, urging his friends to keep walking. “Yes?” He asks. “Are you really so dumb that you can’t remember anybody’s correct name?” I ask innocently. He says, “Don’t you get on my bad side, Dusky.” I say, “My name’s Nox, Sir Undergarments,” And walk away, back to class.

Ventus
I board the bus at the end of the day, seeing no sign of Nox. John Hayes sits in the seat right behind me, so I sit sideways in the seat for privacy. Nox boards the bus last, sees John behind me, and sits at the very front. How could he know who John was? I move up to the seat next to him, and see John get up to move, but he’s stopped by the engine turning on. Once the engine is on, no switching seats. Nox faces the window, but I try to talk to him anyways. “How do you know John?” He stays turned around, but says, “We met after your argument.” I frown, “What’d he say to you?” He sighs, “Nothing. He told me to tell you to buzz off, basically, but I had the last word. He called me Dusky, and I called him Sir Undergarments.” I see a hint of a smile playing on his face as he turns to me. I smile, “That’s a good one. You still up for doing Geometry homework together?” He laughs, “Yeah. See you at the railroad.” I laugh as well, “Let’s come up with a code name for the meeting place.” He frowns, “Like what? There aren’t many names for trains…” I grin and pull out a Latin dictionary. “In Latin, syrma means trains.” He nods, and as we come to my stop, says, “See you at six at Syrma!” We laugh and get off the bus. He hands me the shoes and socks, but I let him keep them, and we part ways.

Nox
I smile as I walk along the road, my new shoes on my feet. When I reach Syrma, I take my shoes and socks off and walk along them, the metal hot against the coolness of fall. I make it across and slip my shoes and socks back on, and then run to my house. The note I put on the door is no longer there, and I walk through the door. I live in a yellow house, with a basement and two levels. My father is a restaurant owner, and my mother is the co-manager with him. They work late every night and leave early from home every morning, so I hardly ever see them except for their days off. I heat up a can of soup in a pot on the stove and eat in silence, periodically checking the clock to see how long I have to wait until six.

Ventus
I walk up my driveway and open the door to find the house deserted, or so I thought. My mother, an author, sits in her office typing away at her computer. I sigh, but say, “Mom! I’m home!” She waves; never taking her eyes from the screen, and says, “That’s nice, sweetheart.” I go and fix myself a snack and wait for six to come.

Imber
I walk along the tracks, tired after the day of school. I didn’t sleep hardly at all last night, however much I wanted to. I wanted to have the dream again, and can remember every detail.
I can feel water and static around me, my hair standing on end. I spin around, and dark clouds form around me, blocking the view of the bird and the trees. I create a frenzy of activity, lightning and rain and thunder. I hear a pop that doesn’t sound like thunder, but ignore it and continue to create a storm.
“Imber,” my mother would say, “You are not normal. Normal people do not dream about birds and storms and such.” Her country accent resonates in my head as I remember her words. I refuse to speak with an accent. She would say, “Rain, my dear, you must accept your Southern heritage. We did move here from South Carolina! I know some people in Virginia don’t always speak like this, but it is in your blood and your DNA to speak like your mother!” I would ignore her, but she would continue, “And if I catch you on them railroad tracks again, you will watch no TV for a week!” I would shoulder my bag, walk out the door, and go straight to the railroad tracks.
I check my watch, which reads 5:49. I stop and go back into my house to get my emergency bag, which holds a water bottle, trail-mix, a bag of chocolate chips, matches, and my cellphone. When I step back onto the tracks, my watch reads 5:54. I walk along the metal rail and don’t stop walking at the “boundary” that I’m not allowed to pass. At six I stop and eat some chocolate. After five more minutes, I see two people on the tracks. The boy has black hair, and the girl has blond hair. My brown hair hides under the hood of my sweatshirt, and my brown eyes hide behind sunglasses like the girl’s. She looks up from a book and says, “Hello? Who are you?” But somehow manages to say it in a cheerful, nice way. I smile slightly and say, “I live a little ways down the tracks. I was just walking. Who are you?” The girl looks down at the book, but looks up again and says, “I’m Ventus, it means wind in Latin. This is Nox, which means night. We both go to the middle school.” I smile wider and say, “I’m Imber. That means rain in Latin. I go to the middle school too.” I walk up to them and sit down, offering the trail mix and chocolate. They both turn it down, probably having already eaten dinner. I silently eat some chocolate, looking at the book they seem so enthralled by. “What’s so special about the Student Book? I mean, there are lots of more interesting books! Heck, I could fall asleep and it would be more interesting than that!” They suddenly stare at me like I’m some deep-sea fish that just washed up on the beach.

Ventus
“Why’s that?” I ask. Imber says, “Oh, nothing. Just a dream I’ve been having. I can make storms in the dream, which is weird, because it totally fits my personality and name! But there’s this weird pop, and the bird, and forest…” I smile, “Welcome to the Dreamers! We all have the same dream, with different point of views.” Imber stares at us, “You all have the same dream and I can be in your club?” She says suspiciously. I laugh, “Yes, but this isn’t a club. It’s a search to find the truth!” Imber raises an eyebrow. “You do realize how hopelessly geeky you just made yourself sound, right? Oh well, my dear mother is always trying to get me to join clubs, so what can I lose?” She stretches out her hand, palm down, and Nox and I stack our hands on hers. “The Dreamers!” we shout, and lift our hands. We discuss our different points of view in the dream, and Imber slowly warms to us. “In my dream, I have wings and am flying above the forest, when I hear a pop—a gunshot—and get shot in the wing. My wings disappear and I fall down to the forest, and right before I hit the trees, the dream ends,” I say. Nox grins and says, “In mine, I’m a shadow and can jump from shadow to shadow. I’m in the forest, and I hear a loud gunshot. I look up and see Ventus falling, but right before I can tell it’s her, the dream ends.” Imber laughs, “Your dreams are so serious! In mine I’m creating a storm and see a bird and the trees but then a cloud obscures my vision and I hear a pop, but just barely, and then the dream ends! Do you think this could actually happen?” Nox and I look at each other, “We’ve thought about it.” Imber looks at both of us, and instead of laughing as I expected her to, she smiles, “I’m definitely most assuredly in. Do you all ride the bus to school?” I grin, “Yep.” Imber grins back, “See you tomorrow, I’m going to ride the bus from now on.” Nox frowns, “Doesn’t your mother drive you?” Imber shrugs it off, “Please, she’ll be glad to get me out of her hair faster and not have to use as much gas!”

Nox
When the meeting ends, I hurry back along the tracks, going the opposite way as Imber, and enter the front door silently. Dad and Mom are already asleep and the note I left saying, “Gone to study with some friends,” is laying on the table. I pack my backpack for tomorrow and take a hurried shower before slipping into bed.

Imber
I walk back along the tracks, thinking to myself, “What is that dream is one of those ‘visions of the future’? It could happen!” I reach my house after a while and slip in quietly, so I don’t disturb my mom. She’s in the room, so I crash on the couch. I set a quiet alarm for tomorrow and pre-write a note explaining that I went on the bus. I fall asleep with a smile on my lips, anticipating the come of the dream.

Ventus
I slip into the house and find my mother asleep on the bed in her office, the computer humming softly. I creep to my room, shut the door, turn on my desk lamp, and take out my drawing pad. I open it to the picture that I labeled “The Dreamers” and sketch in rain drops, storm clouds, and lightning. Determined to stay asleep after the fall, I quietly make a cup of night-time tea and slip under the duvet. Almost immediately the dream starts. I’m flying once again, but fly faster and harder than I ever have. No loops or spins this time. Now I head straight for the thundercloud forming ahead of me.

Nox
When the dream starts, I start routinely hopping through shadows, but a new shadow is over head. It’s Ventus, flying straight over head and towards the storm cloud! She’s changing the dream! I rise up, a shadowy figure, and run through the shadows as fast as possible. I shudder when I accidentally run the moonlight, because it cuts through me and makes me feel stretched out and thin. I hear the gunshot, but it misses Ventus and she keeps running. I turn towards where the gunshot came from and run in that direction instead. Another gunshot sounds, closer this time, and I sprint to the source. Ventus keeps flying. The thunder cloud engulfs her, and I hope Imber is keeping her safe. More shots resonate through the woods, and my ears protest numbly. I run for a few more paces and see a figure in the woods. Shrinking down into the shadows, I feel myself changing. I take on the form of a crow, black as night, and fly swiftly to a branch above the figure. It is none other but John Hayes, but he’s different somehow. His eyes glow red and he’s dressed in a black cloak. In his hand is a shotgun, which looks odd in contrast with his almost medieval looking attire. I take on the form of his father and descend down to him amidst shadows. “John.” I say in his father’s voice. He looks up at me with fear in his glowing red eyes. “What are you doing?” I say sternly. “Oh, father! I was just dreaming! No harm done!” I morph into myself, only shadowy, and say in his father’s voice, “Never pick on people, John, it is a bad thing to do!” John starts shaking. I change into Ventus and again say, “Never pick on people!” I switch back to looking like his father, “Never come into this dream again!” John’s eyes grow wide, and the red slowly leaks out, leaving his regular colored eyes. “How do you know this is a dream? Most people don’t know that they’re in a dream!” I laugh sinisterly, “I know everything, John.” I switch into a huge shadowy serpent. “I know that you fought with Ventus and Nox yesterday, and you picked on them.” John sneers, “So? You can’t prove anything!” The serpent changes into the principal, John’s mother. “John, I do believe you’re mistaken. I can prove it, Sir Undergarments!” I change into a fly, so it looks like I disappeared and look at John’s face. Well, faces, for he appears many times in my fly vision. I start to get a headache, and fly up to the branch where a crow appears. John turns pale and screams, suddenly disappearing. He must’ve woken up.

Ventus
I fly like mad, hearing more and more quiet gunshots, when suddenly I’m engulfed in a torment of rain and clouds. My hair prickles, feeling the electricity in the air, but I emerge into a calm oasis. There is Imber, suspended serenely in her thunder cloud. She looks mildly surprised to see me, but does nothing other than beckon me slowly over. She looks mysterious and powerful, her hair flipping around, her eyes dark, and the dark cloud surrounding her. She wears a dark flowing shirt, black pants, and a dark cloak. On her feet are boots, and on her head is a simple circlet with a raindrop etched into it.

Imber
When Ventus appears in my cloud, I almost have a heart attack, but simply beckon her closer. I take a good look at her dream version. She has creamy gossamer wings like a fairy’s, a light brown silky shirt tucked into dark brown pants, and boots like mine. She doesn’t have a cloak, but she has ivory gloves peeking from her sleeves. Her golden hair shimmers down her shoulders like a waterfall and her circlet has a feather etched into it. I wave and say, “Have you looked at your dream version yet? You look awesome, but medieval…” Ventus laughs, “No, I haven’t found any mirrors in this place yet!” I shake my head, “You don’t need a mirror, silly! You just have to imagine yourself in a different place, say, a dressing room, and you’ll have yourself a mirror!” She frowns, closes her eyes in concentration, and disappears. I will myself to a grocery store, take some chocolate off of the shelf, and (since the store is deserted) I go back to the weird dream world and my cloud. Ventus appears not too long afterwards. Her hair is a little less windblown, and she has a gold necklace on. I noticed the necklace when we met at Syrma, but thought nothing of it. It must be some heirloom or good luck charm or something. I take her hand and will myself to find Nox. When we arrive, I see nothing but a tree with a crow perched on a branch. The bird starts laughing, and changes into Nox’s dream form. He wears black pants, a black shirt, black boots, and dark eyes. He looks evil, but changes into his regular life form, only with black pants and a sepia shirt like the ones we have on. Our clothes look oddly medieval and old-timey. He smiles, “Fancy seeing you two here! Ventus, you won’t have to worry about the gunshot anymore, but guess who shot you in the wing!” Nox changes into John Hayes, who had picked on me not too long ago, but this John has red eyes, sinister black clothing, and a shotgun. Nox changes back to the not-so-shadowy dream form of his. He looks tired, so I offer him some chocolate. He doesn’t have a circlet, but he does have a bracelet with a dark spiral (probably signifying a shadow) on the simple silver chain. We sit and eat chocolate for a few minutes, but Nox stands up and says, “We should spend the night exploring! We have the opportunity to have our own world to be in at night, so let’s take advantage of it!”

Ventus
I stand up next to Nox, and Imber scrambles to her feet. “Wait!” She says. “We can’t just march off without supplies!” She disappears. I grab Nox’s hand and will myself to follow her. I find myself in a dream market. Imber has a leather backpack and is stuffing some trail rations into it, and is filling a water canteen at a fountain. I look around, but there is nobody around except for us. I realize I’m still holding Nox’s hand and hastily let go. We wander through the deserted stalls, picking and choosing the items we need. I feel guilty, especially when I find a stash of coins and put them in my bag, but if ever I have the chance to repay them I will. When we’ve gotten as much stuff as we’ll need, we meet up again. I look at Imber, who has a black outfit on and a brown belt with a sword hanging by her side. Her circlet is hidden under a black hood and her backpack is stuffed with items.

Imber
I look over my comrades. Nox has his black outfit on again from his dream form, and he has a black bow and quiver of black arrows slung over his shoulder. He looks like an angel of death without wings. Ventus, however, is the complete opposite. She has an ivory hood, a simple leather backpack full of items (but not stuffed like mine), cream-colored pants, blouse, and boots. She has a leather purse hung on her shoulder and resting on her opposite hip that jingles when she walks. I can only assume it has coins in it.

Nox
We find a stable full of horses and pick out a horse each. We fill saddlebags full of food for the horses, and mount. Mine is a black stallion with white hooves. Imber chooses a dappled gray horse with silver hooves. Ventus mounts a white horse with ease and lets her horse prance around us for a few minutes while we mount. Then we’re off, riding through the trees at a gallop.

Imber
We reach a village in almost no time. I take Nox’s hand and slip the chain-bracelet off. I put it in his quiver right as we reach a bridge across a river leading to the village. A huge wall surrounds the village and after paying admission to cross the bridge, our horses trot through the heavy-duty door into a simple town. The old gate keeper says in a gravelly voice, “You all look out of sorts. Do you know where you are?” I shake my head, “No, kind sir, we were lost in the woods just west of here. Could you tell us where we are?” I had no idea if the woods we came from were north, south, east or west but it seemed like a good idea to specify. Besides, there were woods surrounding the whole town, so it didn’t really matter where we actually came from. The old man coughs and says, “You are in Quizalia, finest magic-folk place out there.” He cackles, “Ain’t any other magic-folk places around anyways! You all happen to be in Wyvyn, a country in Quizalia. This here city is Mayi, the capital of Livindy. It’s the third-best trading village in all of Quizalia. Livindy is the first, and that’s in Wyvyn too! Guess we’re just the best traders.” He cackles again, but it turns into a cough. “Bloody weather is making me sick! Anyways, the best tavern happens to be the Humming Bird. Follow this road, take a left at Ivy Lane, and there’ll be a sign reading “Humming Bird” and it has a picture of a bird sipping from a flower. Tell the innkeeper that Lesta’s husband sent you, and you’ll get a fine room.” With that he turns to enter his little shack by the door. We follow his directions and come upon a nice little inn. We pay the stable boy one of the silver coins, and he bows and takes our horses to a dry stall, giving them feed and clean water as well. He offers us a copper coin back but I put my hands out and shake my head. He bows and kisses Ventus and me on the hand, bowing again to Nox. We look at each other skeptically and walk into the inn. We’re greeted by boisterous laughter and cheer. Candles in lanterns give the room a mild glow. A long table with stools is at the side of the room, a stairwell in the back, and tables in the main area. Behind the long table is a woman. She has blonde hair and sparkling eyes. She seems to be only thirty years old, and she wears a red dress with a white apron. At the moment, she’s getting a glass of ale from a keg and laughing. We walk up to her and when her eyes fall on us she wipes a tear of laughter from her eye and says, “How can I help you? You all must be foreigners, and you look half-starved and freezing! Take a seat! Take a seat! Wait here while I get you a nice meal and some drinks. How old are you?” I pipe up, “Eighteen, ma’am!” Nox and Ventus look at me and I shrug and say, “Who cares about six years? Besides, we could be eighteen!” The lady, of course, doesn’t catch this and says, “Why you’re awful small to be eighteen! You must be from one of those places where people are shorter…” She says this as she walks away, but suddenly comes back, “What type of drinks and food do you want?” I glance around at the tables and see odd groups of people chatting and drinking. I look back at the lady, “What do you have?” She laughs loudly, “My dear, we have no menu, if that’s what you’re asking for! But I can write up something in a few minutes. Wait here and talk amongst yourself while I help you all.” She stops by other groups at the long table but makes her way to a door to a backroom, probably a kitchen. I turn to Nox and Ventus. “What are our names? And what is our story?” Nox says, “We’re from a city near Usha, and we’re traveling to visit relatives in Nyosha.” I look at him skeptically. He grins, “While you were having a chat with that lady, I was listening to people’s conversations. Apparently Usha is in an Iceland of Tryxia and the traders there are smaller than people around here. Nyosha is a fishing country in Balmuous, and traders come from there too. All the talk is about trade. Anyways, the easiest route from anywhere to Nyosha is through Mayi, because through Balmuous, there’s a rainforest. Nyosha borders the North Woods, so that’s impassable, but through Mayi is a direct route to Nyosha for most traders. And Mayi is a big trading city, again good for traders. The man behind me in the brown tunic is from Livindy and he was talking all about his path from Livindy to Usha, and his trip from Usha through Mayi, to Nyosha, and back to Mayi. He’s heading back to Livindy in three days.” By this time I can see the lady returning, so I nod, “Ok, that’s our story. And now we eat,” The lady says, “Here’s a menu, but it won’t be the same tomorrow. We always have whatever is available, but don’t worry you can trust all the food, unlike some places. Speaking of, I wouldn’t go near the Red Hopper if I were you.” She pushes the menu towards us and goes to another group. I look over the menu, reading it aloud so Ventus and Nox can hear. After reading it off, with a few nods and more than a few grimaces, we choose a dish and drink each. At the bottom of the menu, she wrote, “Ask me, Jaz, if you need anything. NO DRINKS SERVED TO THOSE UNDER SEVENTEEN!”

Ventus
I look up as my plate is put in front of me. It holds slices of potatoes, with cheese and rosemary baked on top. A piece of chicken with crispy sliced garlic holds a spot on the plate as well, along with a few fried mushrooms. I ordered a small glass of cordial that fills me with warmth. Nox has a plate that holds a pastry and a few small potatoes. He has a small glass of cordial as well. Imber’s plate has a piece of salmon, a small baguette, and fried mushrooms. She has a small glass of blackberry wine that she sips experimentally. We all dig in as if we haven’t eaten in a day. Only as I eat a fried mushroom do I think of something. “Guys, if this is a dream, then why is everything so realistic?” Nox stops chewing, “Maybe it isn’t a dream at all?” My wings shift under the cloak Imber threw on me and I say, “How can it not be?” He shrugs and we continue eating. The food tastes real, and smells real, and feels real, so it’s real, right? I shake my head and keep eating. Jaz comes back to us and says, “Everything alright?” I nod, but say, “Ma’am, could we have a room? Lesta’s husband sent us to you for a room.” Jaz laughs, “Lesta’s husband the noble gatekeeper. Ha! He envies my job. He was the one that tried to get the job from me, but I took it right back. Lesta is such a sweetheart, though. She and I used to wait tables here, but then I got the innkeeper job and she opened up a dress-shop. You all can have a room for a silver coin, an Argentum is its real name but nobody calls them by those fancy names anymore.” I think back to when Imber paid the stable boy and how he reacted. That must’ve been way more than anybody paid him. I hand her a silver coin and ask, “If you pardon me asking, we’re traders, but we normally barter goods. This is our first real trading experience. Could you tell us about your currency?” She laughs, “Ten copper coins equals a silver coin. Ten silver coins equals a gold coin. If anyone charges more than two silver coins for a room or dinner, don’t accept the offer. Unless, of course, you’re staying at the Gold Dragon, which has the best rooms in all of Quizalia, most likely. Except for the Fairy rooms or castle rooms, those are better.” She bids us a good night and continues on her way, talking to people as she goes. We finish our meal and take the key that Jaz lays by us as she passes by.

Nox
We find two adjoining rooms, 12A and 12B, both of which the key fits. I enter 12B and Imber and Ventus take room 12A. We fall asleep almost instantly, and my last thought is, “How odd that I can fall asleep in a dream.”
When I wake up I find myself in my bed at home. I look at my clothes and see my non-dream form pajamas. Feeling confused, I hurry up and get dressed for school and leave a note on the door before walking to Ventus’ stop. She and Imber are already there, both looking as confused as me. “Maybe whenever we fall asleep we get transported between lands?” Ventus nods, saying, “Hopefully the dream won’t start over like it usually does when we fall asleep.” Imber laughs, “At least now we know that if anything bad happens to us we can fall asleep there and wake up here, think about what to do, and go back to fix it.” I feel myself get pale, “What if we die there? Will we wake up here?” They both fall silent, staying that way until the bus comes. John Hayes is in his usual seat, and when he sees us he cowers and glares out the window. I almost laugh, but restrain myself. We take our seats, and notice that numbers were put over the windows to the seats. Mine says 12B and Imber and Ventus’ says 12A. I point and say, “What a coincidence!” We laugh as the bus pulls away and heads to school.
We meet up again after school and I say, “Meeting at Syrma?” Ventus shakes her head. “I can’t. My mom wants me to write a story for her to ‘see if I have her talent’ and I have to write it by tonight. I don’t even have an idea of what to write!” Imber says, “Us.” I frown, “What?” Imber laughs, “Write your story about us! But use different names.” Ventus smiles, “Our dream forms? Or us in this life?” Imber’s eyes grow wide, “Not the dream us, not yet at least. Just write about three friends and their everyday lives at school!” Ventus nods and we board the bus.