Dreamland

Lola was in my room and called out: "Good night, Dolores!" loud enough for her parents in the living room to hear. I let out a snort; her acting was so transparent!

She approached me and whispered impatiently,

"Are you leaving now?"

I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, give me a second to fix my hair," I replied.

Lola grinned and said,

"OK, take care!"

She gave me a kiss on the cheek and whispered,

"I want a full report!"

before finally leaving.

I rolled my eyes and breathed in relief once she was out. She can cause so much unnecessary stress!

White Flower was not very fond of Lola but abstained from commenting. She focused on fixing my appearance instead.

"I can't let you go out looking like that!" - she whispered in my mind.

I protested,

"What's wrong with how I look? This is my face!"

I heard her sigh in frustration.

"Let me at least do something with your hair, okay?"

I reluctantly agreed, not expecting much from a simple hair arrangement. But to my surprise, she worked some magic. Even with the burn on my face, I looked good.

"How did you do that?"

I whispered in amazement.

"It's just an illusion," she explained. "It looks good, doesn't it? And it reacts to touch. Watch."

She demonstrated by moving my hair, and I realized that I could see through it as well.

Illusory hair! Covering my wounds! Now this was a cool level of magic!

“I want to learn to do this. Can you teach me?”

What better way to learn to do magic than let my magic-alter-ego teach me?

“Of course, but I do not think you will be able to do any spells once we separate.”

“Oh? Why that?”

“Because I do not feel magic in you... Oh... I can feel your disappointment… You know I might be wrong… besides, if we stay longer together, you may cultivate some magic aptitudes… it may happen...”

Is she trying to blackmail me to keep her longer?

“So, will you teach me?”

“Sure, but you need to put in more effort than what you have shown so far."

I sighed. Motherly echoes rang in my ears: you need to work harder if you want to have success in life. I heard that more than one time. Yes, ma!

I was now back in the lead as she was finally satisfied with how I looked. I must say she did a pretty good job.

I cautiously opened the window, casting furtive glances to my left and right to ensure no prying eyes were upon me.

I was currently sporting a pair of sneakers, ones that I would have to swap out once I made my way down. My "proper" shoes were already waiting for me on the grass, having been thrown down earlier from my window over four meters above. Luckily, the old tree outside boasted a conveniently dangling branch right in line with my window. All I had to do was grab onto the branch, shimmy my way down to the trunk, and then carefully make my way to the ground.

“I want to see Lola doing these gymnastics.” - White Flower mused in my ears.

“You are right. She never did it yet, but she knows I use the window to evade home from time to time.”

“Which way now?”

“Wait and see.”

I changed my shoes and stashed my tennis shoes in a tree hollow. They would wait for me patiently until my return.

Then, I set out on my journey.

Tim's place wasn't too far away from where I was. It was a tranquil locality located near the camp, with no towering walls, just some bushes or occasional flowers delineating the yards. I strolled down the dimly lit streets.

“You are not afraid?”

I laughed: “This is no dark woods as in Mephisto’s land!”

“Why do you call it Mephisto’s land? I lived in the Evergreen Woods! Those were not his lands! Call it Dreamland; that sounds better.”

“Dreamland is much bigger and includes many different worlds, of which Mephi's World is just one. The biggest, indeed, but just one of many. You’ll see it when we return to the game; this is what everybody calls it.”

I'm getting used to talking to myself. In the end, I'll miss her. I laughed at the thought. I was feeling better.

Ma and pa have been here, and they had no doubts about my sanity. The Robertsons also. So I am ok.

Take it easy, Dolores, be normal. Small steps, learn, and try to understand.

I raised my head.

“Well, we are there; it is that house.”

“It seems very quiet. Are you sure there is a party inside?”

“I thought you knew nothing about parties?”

“Hey, I said I do not remember the last time I was invited, not that I do not know how parties are… spawns parties are noisier. Even birds make funnier parties!”

“Birds make parties?”

Interesting personality I have. I knocked at the door.

After a short moment, the door opened, and Tim's surprised voice greeted me:

"Dolores!?"

"Hey, Tim."

"Hey! Is Lola with you?" he asked, scanning the area around me. Was he worried she might be with me?

"No, she couldn't come; you know how she is after the accident... still recovering," I replied.

"Oh, right," he sounded relieved, "come on in. How are you feeling? Good to see you made it! Does it hurt?"

"No, it just looks like a Halloween costume on one side," I joked.

I stepped inside. It wasn't as loud as I anticipated, but soon enough, a group of five or six appeared, and the party began to ramp up.

It was nice of him to ask how I was feeling. At least he was trying to be polite. Although Tim was my friend's boyfriend and my acquaintance, it didn't really work out between us. He was too superficial and evaluated girls based on their sex appeal. Obviously, Lola was higher on his list than me, but it didn't bother me.

“Who's that guy?” she promptly asked. I tried to not look at him but couldn't.

“That's Joe,” I replied.

“Why are you looking at him like that?” she drilled further, noticing my red cheeks. My alter ego had discovered my kryptonite.

Drats, Joe was here, and I had a Halloween-class cheek.

“What do you mean?” I asked, trying not to reveal too much.

“Hehe, you like him,” she teased.

“And what if I do? Obviously, I can't hide it from you,” I replied, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Hehe, that's true. Why don't you talk to him?” she asked, genuinely curious.

“Because he doesn't give a damn about me. He doesn't like me,” I said sadly.

“That's not possible. You're such a nice girl!” she exclaimed, trying to comfort me.

“Thanks, but it's true. Actually, what's even more painful is that he likes Clara,” I revealed.

“Clara?” she repeated, surprised.

“Yes. She broke up with him a couple of weeks ago, but they say he still has feelings for her. She never really appreciated him since he's younger than her, but she used him. That's Clara for you,” I explained.

“May I?”

“What?”

“Let me talk to him?”

“Oh no. Don't try; you’ll ruin it. He does not like me, that’s all, but at least we are cordial, better than being the over-attached girl from whom he has to run, you know what I mean? And give Clara ammunition to laugh about me? She dropped him, but he does not even look at me?”

“Oh, don't worry, he will not run away. Let me talk to him, please?”

“Hm… O.K. But if you fail this, you will not lead for a week and speak only when I ask you. Deal?”

Heh, if I am to make a fool of myself, at least let me have some benefits.

“If I win, you let me lead any time in the coming week whenever I want? Deal?”

Lol, she is trying to bargain with me, but this does not look like a bad deal.

“Deal!”

After all, why not? Let's try to see how my other self is doing this. It is still me, isn't it? It is a manifestation of my character that somehow impersonated in my brain through that dream interface. At least I am not so crazy to do things that I do not remember.

To my surprise, White Flower did not go to him. She went directly to the bathroom.

“Getting cold feet? What do you want to do?”

“OK, for this operation, we need more preparation. Look at yourself!”

“What’s wrong with how I look? You just fixed the hair?”

White Flower did not answer, raised only her shoulders, letting out a sight. She started to put everything in order; this is what she called it. It took her only about 2 minutes, but I must confess she did some outstanding work to my surprise.

“Did you change something through magic?”

She looked so good that I was not sure she was not cheating in a 'magic' way.

“Well, some kind of little tricks to make things look shiny and pretty, nothing that you couldn't do even without magic, but I am more efficient. I put your hair better in order, changed your eyeshade colour, your brows were done wrong, your lipstick colour was horrible, and your taint, now really, Dolores, you gave it the wrong colour... and...”

I wanted to give a deep sight but could not… Not being in the lead. She gave me the time to look at myself. I continued to grouch, but I was being unfair to her; I was looking much better now; I was surprised to see the girl in the mirror and realize it was me. I can look like this!?

She went out and headed for the main room. In a mirror, I saw myself advancing. How is she doing this? I never moved so felinely gracious; I am rather the broom type.

I felt the boys were watching me, but she did not seem disturbed by this. Good that I was not leading; I would certainly stumble upon my feet from stress. She was moving naturally and confidently; sometimes, a split personality is a blessing!

Joe saw me and waved.

“Dolores? Hey Dol!”

He said that with a note of pleasant surprise. It was not his usual bored look.

As she came closer, she grinned and stopped in front of him.

“Enjoying the party?”

Ding, ding! My breasts greeted him from under the blouse as she moved from one foot to the other, changing the centre of gravity, my thights slowly, moving my hips whilst my head hung on one side. Of course, the healthy half of my face was for him to see. My long eyelashes (are my eyelashes so long?) blinked shortly.

“Starting to enjoy it, and you?”

He replied with a smile I'd never seen before on his face when he was looking at me. As if he would show me thumbs-up for my look.

Well, that was only the start-up. She sat near him on the couch, chatted with him and even touched him slightly to point out something. I was simply drooling behind those eyes that were looking at him, enjoying any moment.

She even told him about Tim, that I am here to check on him, and both laughed over this, even if I despaired.

Later on, Joe went to bring some drinks, and White Flower used the opportunity to talk to me:

“How am I doing?”

“I never managed to talk to him so long; you did well; keep on going!”

“Don't forget about the lead for the coming week… By the way, who is that guy?”

“What do you mean?”

“He is sitting there near the table? He was watching you from time to time. I think he likes you!”

“Oh, that is Matthew. It’s new in our class, unfortunately, a poor loser….”

“I like him. Why do you call him a loser? Hihi, look again.”

“Now concentrate on Joe. You are doing well, but you only started; if you screw it, gone is the week. Don't flirt with that idiot. Look at his doggy eyes and open mouth; he will soon start salivating like Pavlov's dogs. And he looks like the neanderthal at the human exposition.”

“But I like him; he looks open, sincere, straightforward.”

Now, this is funny. I never thought I could not agree with myself on boys. Yeah, I was always a bit hesitant, that is true; maybe this is the reason why I am still single when almost all other girls have their friends. I do not look really that bad. I would say I look at least acceptable, but even girls that look worse than me have already had at least one boyfriend. And I am eighteen (being two months older than Lola) and had none. Sight.

“Flo, don’t drive me crazy. I hate that loser. Joe is my option. Joe ok, Matt loser, Joe ok, Matt loser, clear?”

I had been calling her Flo for some time. White Flower was too long, and Flo was much better. Getting cosy with my alter ego.

“Hmm, well, maybe a week's lead is worth it.”

When Joe came back, he invited me to dance, then we chatted again and then danced again.

Dancing with him was a surreal experience for me.

If I were there, I would tremble. But I was there, and she did not shake. She asked me a couple of times to take over, but I refused. I did not dare yet. I could enjoy it, let the feelings overwhelm me, savoured any moment and still be sure that she did everything perfectly.

Splitt personality, I love you!

Several others joined us, between them Janice, Clark and Thomas. After a while, we went to play snooker in the basement. It was intimate and romantic there, and we had a lot of fun.

I heard Janice talking with Clark about Clara. The two, together with Thomas, were Clara's colleagues, and for sure, my escapade with Clara's ex will reach her ears very soon, but Joe seemed not to care, and since Flo allowed him to kiss me (actually my neck) he had sought contact with my skin very often. Yes, he showed me how to play, helping to guide my hand and so on.

After the third game, Clark went to the toilet, and I went with Joe upstairs for another dance round. Thomas went with Janice to the kitchen to grab some food. Once we arrived in the room with the music, only a couple of pairs were dancing. A group of five was sitting in a corner and talking in a low voice. Joe embraced me immediately, and we started to move slowly in the rhythm. He then kissed me on my neck. Again. It was a simple, tender kiss, and I was in the ninth heaven. My heart bumped in my chest.

I could not believe my luck. I could not believe it was happening. As we made another break and Joe went to bring more wine, Flo asked me:

“Do you want to take over? I think he wants to kiss you and makeout, you know?...”

Take over? Me? My knees will get weak, and I will lose my balance instantly.

“No, please … you do it!”

“Oh, don't exaggerate. Look, I did it for you. I can feel your feelings, but frankly speaking, I am not sure I want to make out with him.”

“Oh, please, please! I can feel I am here! Do not let me alone! I'll panic!”

“Oh, come on. This is not ok!”

“Please, please, please? You get a whole month to decide when you lead, but please, please, please?”

She sighed, then laughed a little.

“OK, I started this; I'll do it for you, but kissing him will be expensive...”

“What do you mean?”

“I am not sure, but I will ask for fair trade. I won't go further; kissing is my limit.”

“OK, sure. Whatever. A little makeout is included, hm?”

I got only a grumble as an answer. This does not mean no, isn't it? I was wondering, what will my alter ego ask for as a price for kissing him? Joe came back with two full glasses and sat with a smile near me.

The fuck why am I so afraid to make out with him? She is so confident, poised and calm. Why can't I be like her? He has always been my dream, and she conquered it one evening?

“By the way, how is your victim progressing?”

He was asking about Tim. Flo shrugged:

“To tell the truth, I lost him.”

“Hm, I haven't seen him anywhere; it could be that he went to the upper rooms.”

Flo took the bait:

“I wonder what for? Are there other games like the snooker up there?”

He had a mischievous grin.

“Hm. Good question. Should we check?... We could just stumble upon… by accident.”

“So, do you want to go with him? This sounds like an invitation to visit the house?”

At first, I thought she had asked me again to take the lead. I was still numb and emotionally charged one hundred per cent; therefore, I could hardly follow their conversation, my legs still trembling in my inner world. Is it really happening? Am I really on the verge of becoming his girlfriend?

“Oh sure, please...” I finally managed to answer her.

“Well, maybe I'll check shortly...”

He answered laughing:

“Hey, I cannot leave you alone on such a dangerous journey, and it is the best pretext to check the rooms.”

We went in the direction of the stairs, I hanging at his arm with my body touching his at each step and chatting happily. We were almost dancing. I felt excited and felt his excitement.

On the stairs, I felt as if all were watching us. Maybe they did. Flo stopped, and Joe put an arm around me again. He then continued whispering in my ear:

“It is funny; we have known each other for almost a year, we are colleagues, but I have the feeling I have never really known you before.”

“Well...”

Flo was going to answer him with something wise, and meanwhile, I could enjoy it.

Yes, baby, yes! It is real; it is me! I was feeling great! It was not like a film you watched; it was so much more; I was there, touching and feeling his fingers on my skin. His hand was now around my waistline; his fingers slipped a little under my shirt, dragging me with more power against his body. My leg was touching his leg, and my breathing accelerated. Feelings submerged me; my heart was beating harder, faster, stronger. There was something in the air around us; you felt you could almost touch the tension between us, and I felt his accelerated breathing on my neck.

Strange, even if not in the lead, my feelings reflect in my heartbeat, my breathing, which means that it is still me here under my split-personality-alter-ego. But what does Flo want to do? Can she no longer wait for us to go upstairs? Does she want to give a kissing show here on the stairs?

She acts as if she would have some other priority suddenly. Confused, I felt a different tension building up in Flo, fear and hesitance. What was wrong? What does she fear? She stayed on the stairs, resisted his push and finally looked behind and saw him, the cause of her fear.

She said, shocked:

“… a Warlock!”