Dreams Come True

Minion Mystery

I awoke with a start when Ralph suddenly shifted next to me. With a quiet grunt, I sat up and took in the site before me. Ralph was buried under Marco, Majima and Barranco. Gladius was to my otherside, still and peaceful. I held back a chuckle, and just left the tent. I walked out onto the fake turf, stretching as my eyes adjusted to the secret lair's bright lights. But, surprisingly, it wasn't that hard, because they were thankfully dimmed as everyone slept.

I let out a quiet sigh, relaxing my muscles as I sat in one of the left out chairs. I closed my eyes, and suddenly realised something. Sticking my hand into my sweater pocket, I pulled out a pair of headphones, which were in surprisingly good condition. I put them on my head, my ears covered, and turned them on. Still had battery, nice. With that, I pulled out my phone (which surprisingly went unused thus far in the trip), and opened my music playlist.

As the gentle tune of No Matter Where You Are from The Book Of Life played directly into my head, I began to subconsciously sing along. While I wouldn't call my singing voice amazing, it was still surprising how well I could hit the higher notes. I kept my eyes closed as the song played through its entirety, Manolo and Maria's voices, beautiful and untainted, were joined with my voice.

As the song ended and Learning To Fly by Pink Floyd started up, I got into the images that played in my head as the music echoed through my mind. I weaved my body back and forth, my singing becoming more intense as it rose in volume from a whisper. As the next song started, The Cave by Mumford & Sons, I had raised from the chair and began to dance around. My eyes remained closed as I twirled like a ballerina, a calm smile on my face. I could feel tears start to trail down my cheeks as my emotions exploded.

I was in my safe place.

But I suddenly froze when the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

I whirled around and faced the little audience that had formed. All my friends stared at me, but there weren't any smiles. Rather, they looked concerned and a bit sad. But there was that glint of curiosity in their eyes as well.

I felt my face flush with embarrassment, and I turned away from them. I hunched my shoulders, my mind hurtling into overdrive. I stopped my music and pulled my headphones off.

"You saw nothing..." I mumbled.

I heard someone approach. "Caleb?" It was Maria. "You sounded wonderful. But, what was that about?"

I was silent for a moment. "Music is usually an escape for me. I grew up listening to so many genres that I always feel at peace listening to music. Sometimes I just get sucked in, and suddenly the world ceases to exist. It's just me... and the melodies that echo through my mind."

Ralph hummed. "Well, you don't have a bad singing voice. It's really good."

My blush became fiercer. "Th-Thanks, Ralph..." I had a small embarrassed smile on my face, I could feel it, and seeing everyone's smiles made my heart warm.

Vanellope glitched in front of me, her eyes alight like the night sky. "Glasses, you've got to keep singing! That's nothing like the pop stars in DDR!"

I chuckled and rubbed the back of my head, and was about to decline, only for Hilda, Ruby, Iris, and The Powerpuffs to join in. All the kids looked up at me with massive puppy dog eyes. I folded, and as I went to turn on my music again, Jenny stepped in.

"Need a speaker?" She asked. Her chest transformed into a music player, with a spot to plug my phone in with a pair of speakers.

I smiled and plugged my phone in, and as Eyes Wide Open by Gotye began to play, I began to sing.