We gathered our gifts from the village, taking all we could physically carry. We sat around a roaring fire and contemplated the best strategy to return home. I'm glad I had the forethought to bring an empty backpack for the three of us. Arlan was more than willing to share part of mine with me, the other part with Chase. We took mostly weapons and precious stones; they were the most portable. I turned a hand carved bow over in my hands. It was at least three and a half feet from point to point. It had an opal inlay in the strongest part of the wood. No bowstring though. I'd figure it out. I looked at what the boys were looking over. Daggers, swords, enchanted books, stones; everything sparkly and shiny. I was more interested in the things carved from wood. It seemed fitting seeing as we were in the nature realm. This bow was by far my favorite thing. I kept stuffing things into my empty backpack until I physically could fit no more.
"How are we going to smuggle these on the train back home if you put all your weapons on top, boys?", I asked. It dawned on me that the conductor may not take kindly to lots of sharpened blades visible on his train. The boys looked between each other and all three simultaneously dumped their bags out on the ground and began packing them less conspicuously. I shook my head. They were ridiculous. At least my bow didn't even have a string; I doubt I'd be stopped for it, especially with a lack of arrows. I had finished packing my bag and laid back on my sleeping bag to watch the sky turn black. I started to drift off when Chase tapped my forehead.
"I made some instant noodles if you're interested", he said. He cocked his head to the side and smiled. I smiled back and sat up. We all chowed down with almost no talking. A rarity among our crew. Arlan broke the silence.
"What is the human world like?", he asked me in particular. I realized he had probably spent his entire life here, safe in his realm. His eyes searched mine. I swallowed and set my bowl down. Where do I even start?
"The human world... is far different from here. There's always danger. People kill people for all sorts of reasons. There's illness, famine, poverty. Corruption. Jealousy. Greed. There's unnecessary pain and suffering. All of that said... There is so much beauty. The seasons changing. The sun. The beaches. Flowers. Music. Art. Advencments in almost every sense. Family. Falling in love. The food. The lights. Almost every single thing there is simultaneously insignificant but pivotal. Especially friends. It's truly stunning", I said. I realized I had been rambling. All three of them seemed captivated either by what I was saying or how I looked. I looked down at my bowl and my markings caught my eye. They were glowing brighter than they ever had before. The light was swirling; dancing outside of my carvings and bled onto my skin. On a whim, I grabbed a sharp branch sitting on the ground near my bowl. Without a second thought, I shoved it deep into the cavity in my chest in a swift stabbing motion. The boys all yelled and threw their bowls of food, drenching each other in hot liquid and all reaching for me together.
"Girl, have you lost your melon?", Chase shouted at me, angry. Before he could reach my hand, I pulled the stick back out. It was heavily charred at the end and on fire. He stopped mid-grab of my hand. We all watched in awe as the white and blue fire slowly burned the stick to nothing in my hand, not harming me in any way when the fire reached my skin. Their jaws were all agape. I rubbed my hands together to dust the ashes.
"I had to know what would happen", I started to say. Gray held a hand up, still staring in awe. He opened his mouth again, as if to say something but no words came out. Arlan and Chase seemed dumbfounded as well. The gears in my brain started moving.
"Hit me", I said to Chase. His mouth flew open again.
"WHY would I do that?!", he almost shouted.
"You really have lost your goddamn mind", Gray followed up. Arlan kept his mouth shut. He sat back; he obviously understood where I was coming from. Why my curiosity was peaked. I wanted one of them to make me mad. Very mad. Or attempt to withdraw any strong emotion from within me.
"Arlan. I command you to strike me", I said, my eyes locked on his. His body moved of it's own accord. Before he could even respond, I was on my feet in front of him. He stood and dealt me an open palmed slap. It didn't even sting. I held my cheek.
"Harder", I said. He punched me across my other cheek. My head barely turned with the impact, but his punch was strong. Chase and Gray could do nothing but sit on their bottoms and watch, completely in shock. Arlan dealt me a couple more blows. He was growing tired. I could feel him holding back more and more. This wouldn't prove or disprove my theory. I turned to Gray. I held him hostage with my gaze. He sighed and rose to his feet. He reached into his pack and grabbed a dagger. He slid his hair over his shoulders. We moved further away from the fire. Chase protested, but Gray had also caught my drift. What can we do to make this fire rage? Arlan took Chase's arms behind his back. Chase fought vigorously to be let go.
"Are you ready?", Gray asked, flipping the blade between his hands. I gave him a quick nod, opening myself up for an easy attack. He took a running start, jumping into the air, holding the dagger in both hands. He plummeted towards the earth with me in the way. He caught my mark dead-on in my chest. The white light exploded out of my chest, wrapping me. Gray ended up further back than where he had started his run with. The light had tossed him like a ragdoll. He rolled a couple more times, getting covered in dirt. His head quickly popped up. Chase let out a yell, ripping himself away from Arlan. They both ran to us. Arlan checked on Gray while Chase approached me. I was still standing. I hardly felt the dagger enter my body. It was more of an annoying pressure. Odd. As Chase reached me, I put my hand out towards him indicating he should stop. My whole body was enveloped in a single white and blue flame. My hair floating high above my head; my dress had burned away to nothing as well. It charred the ground where I stood, also lighting the small grasses around it on fire. I wrapped my hand on the handle of the dagger, extracting it from my chest. Hot, molten metal dripped onto the ground as I pulled it away from me. The handle also melted at my touch, turning into a bright orange liquid. It moved like sand through the cracks of my fingers. Arlan gave a single whoop, his hands above his head. Chase gave him a look that could kill.
"I felt nothing", I said to Chase. He looked like he'd seen a ghost. He rubbed his temples.
"Why can't you just be normal?", he asked, pained. He stepped closer, immediately sweating from the heat. My fire lit up the trees and the surrounding ground. I was a beacon. I felt like a god. I couldn't be mortally wounded by just any old weapon anymore. It'd have to be magic. That was a huge advantage.
"How is Gray?", I shouted over to Arlan. He held a thumbs up. Now... the trick was putting me out. I turned to Chase.
"Will you grab a large bowl of water?", I asked. He threw his hands into the air, exasperated.
"Slap me, stab me, get wrecked, get me water", he said, his voice fading as he walked away, talking with his hands all the while. I couldn't help but laugh. I felt so good. This fire made me feel so warm; special. I wonder if this was the essence of the DayDreamer the elder had talked about. Chase returned shortly. He came way closer than the first time, dumping a bowl of water over my head. The fire went out almost immediately, spare my core. I could have skipped and jumped. It appeared that high intensity emotions or life and death situations unlock the majority of my power. It was like a barrier. We just need to hone it. I pulled Chase by the arm into a tight hug. I was high on the rush. He hugged me back, patting the back of my head, wincing at my touch. I released him, turning to Gray and Arlan.
I stood over Gray as he came to again. Then my vision came true. He looked around, confused. When he saw my face, his smile lit up. His hair and face were covered in small pieces of grass and mud. A bloody nose and light scratches covered his face. I had a premonition. This was beginning to all make sense. The DayDreamer lives in different dreams than the DreamWalkers. He lived in their daydreams. In their actual consciousness. It all started to click. I held a hand out to Gray, hoisting him back up to his feet. We discussed what happened to the blade. I turned back to Chase, who now had his arms crossed and a huge smile across his face. He realized too, that this meant I was practically untouchable by anything physical. I trotted over to him, grabbing his hand. He yelped, pulling his hand away. He rubbed it and smiled even brighter. I must still be hotter than sin. I was finally able to dress in my boring human clothes again. We threw our bags over ourselves after I had cooled off to a non-combustable temperature. We headed into the town, gave our thanks, and said goodbye. It was bittersweet to leave this place, but I knew I'd be back. Very soon, as well.
. . . . . . . .
The train was barren. We had caught the second to last direct train from Fuji. I couldn't sleep, I was still so elated. We made it back home at a relatively acceptable time. Too late to bother Miss Hima though. We entered as quietly as possible. How the hell were we going to explain Arlan, anyways? And where was he to sleep? I shook my head. Now that I was home again, I could definitely feel how tired I was. The odd timeline in the dream realm had worn me out. No wonder the boys were always ready for a nap after we returned. I set my backpack down next to the couch. I plugged my new phone into the charger. I looked at Gray. Our eyes met and something felt very different. He looked at me so different now. Like... I was something to eat, but also to protect. I blushed and turned my head away quickly. I cleared my throat, getting all the boys attention.
"Who's sleeping first?", I asked. I prayed one of them suggested me. Chase and Arlan shrugged.
"I'm not tired. I'll keep watch", Arlan proposed. I sighed. Very well. Gray was on the second watch. I headed into the bedroom. I was slowly getting over the modesty issues I previously had. I ripped my pants and shirt off myself, throwing them against the wall and into the hamper. I stretched and hopped in bed. Ahh, bed. A real bed. With pillows and a thick down blanket. Thank god. I swaddled myself. I felt Gray sit on the corner of the bed I was snuggling my pillows on. He placed a hand on my calf through the blanket. I turned to look at him. His eyes were a soft orchid, but glowed deeply. So were his markings. Smoke billowed out of his crevices, as if whatever he was feeling was growing stronger and stronger. He moved himself up the bed, now hovering straight over my face. He leaned down, placing a hand on my cheek. I was shocked by his boldness, but I wasn't able to move. His eyelashes fluttered, brushing my cheeks. He pressed his lips firmly against mine. My eyes were wide in absolute shock.