Three Futures Enslaved | Dream Team

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Dream wandered through the castle, making his way from room to room. Most were empty, many deserted, but some held the distant promise of a room that had once contained secrets and treasures for him to find.

He didn't look too closely, though. Even though he'd begun to get used to the castle and its moody hallways and tall windows, that unnerving feeling surrounding the place still followed him around. 

He hadn't mentioned it to the twins, Lexerial and Alarie. They would only raise questions, but Dream had enough of those on his own. 

Unconsciously, his fingers had wandered back to the so-called "restraint" around his forearm. Dream glanced down at the intricate design and felt his chest tighten. He didn't really want to believe that the people his limited memories provided were bad, but at the same time, he had to face the facts. Not only were they still out of his life, but they'd put something as foul-sounding as a restraint on him. Not to mention the scars littering his body.

Scars told histories. Dream just didn't know what histories those were yet. But he was determined to find out.

He raised his hand and touched the stone wall of the corridor he was walking through, feeling the rough edges. He knew there was something about him that was wrong. First Azalea, then the royal twins... it was present in the way people reacted to his name. Names also told histories. Unfortunately for him, it was just another thing he couldn't recall.

Dream gritted his teeth. His hand curled into a fist, pounding the wall. "Dammit," he grumbled. His brain hurt.

He made his way out of the castle, into the outdoors. There was a garden, covered in a blanket of snow, but he had no trouble imagining it filled with beautiful flowers. Dream lifted his nose to the air and took a tentative sniff. Scents flooded his nose, full of honeysuckle and primrose and a hint of chrysanthemums, all in the memory of the flowers that used to be. 

It would've been quite the pleasant place. Even now, with the layer of white over everything, it still managed to give off a regal, beautiful air.

Dream followed the path leading through the wilted flower beds, heading towards the main attraction: a circular lake sitting in the middle of it all, a layer of ice over the top of the water.

A sense of nausea rushed through him. Dream sat down on the snow and stared at the frozen lake. For a split second, the scenery changed, replaced by still water and the reflection of the rainbow of colors surrounding it. The grass was green, incredibly so, and he could see all the flowers right there in front of him.

Then the moment faded, leaving him in the snow-covered garden again.

Dream blinked. His head throbbed painfully and he winced, bringing up a hand to his temple. Was that a memory? Have I been here before?

It would explain why this entire place freaks me out and why I want to leave it immediately. But it doesn't explain why I hate it so much.

Did something bad happen here?

He shook his head and sighed. So, so many questions. He hated being so lost all the time. He just wanted someone who could explain what was happening to him and help him connect all the pieces so he'd have a full, complete puzzle lying before him. One without missing pieces. One where everything made sense.

Dream raised his head and gazed up at the castle. All the castles looked the same.

He wasn't too sure where that thought had come from. 

But at that point, he was already used to not being sure.

***

Days passed. Dream got to know the Suspiro royal twins better and better, picking up on the small stuff. Lexerial's habit of pouring milk before the cereal. Alarie's fascination with small animals like mice and groundhogs. The way the two seemed to know what the other was thinking without having to say a single word.