37

IT'S DARK WHEN I first wake up. Then I realize I'm not awake in reality. Lanterns glow around me. I sit up, though I find it's achingly hard to do in this ball gown I'm in.

I rub at my eyes, then pull my hands away, puzzled. They're coated in a layer of glitter. I rise to my feet after some struggle. I walk around this strange place, though there's not much to walk around in. It's a dome of sorts. As I go closer to the walls, I realize they're tree branches, overlapping one another.

"Ophelia."

The whispers sound near me, yet echo in this dome-like structure. I freeze where I stand, waiting to find what spoke my name.

Or waiting for it to find me.

There's a slight breeze that blows my hair, chilling me.

I'm startled when I turn, finding Rook sitting on a ledge about ten feet off the ground.

I don't acknowledge him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of my fear.

I begin walking along the walls, feeling my way around the tangle of branches. Everything is sealed shut.

In the center of the dome is a floating object made of flowers and branches, shaped like an anatomical heart.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

I'm startled by the sound of Rook's voice. He's hovering behind me now, cloaked in shadows, as he always is. His pale orbs for eyes seem dimmer than usual.

This close, he almost seems more human than shadow.

"What do you want?" I demand.

"Ah, you ask the wrong question," he says. "You already know what I want. You should be asking why I saved your nightmare for last."

"This can't be my nightmare. I'm in a dome made of trees, covered in glitter and wearing a ball gown."

"You have a very poetic soul, my sweet Ophelia. I took a little creative freedom with designing this. That heart is yours. Locked away in this place to keep it safe, just as you always do. You don't like to let people close to you. You don't want them seeing the contents of your heart. I admire and applaud that."

Where's Atlas?"

The sudden absence of Atlas has my heart, the one in my chest, beating rapidly. Every time we were cast into a dream, we were together.

The lack of him here is frightening.

Rook chuckles. "Oh, he'll get to this place eventually, but there will be many challenges he has to face, as this is not only your nightmare. I don't know what sort of bond you two have, but his newest fears are entangled with yours. It will be a challenge to escape this one, I can assure you of that."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I already told you why I'm doing this."

I shake my head, taking a step closer to him. "I mean, why are you putting me in a safe situation? You've basically put me in a gilded cage. The only way out is if Atlas saves me. Why am I not fighting for my own soul?"

Rook laughs again, as though this is something humorous and not serious. "My sweet Ophelia, you are fighting for your own soul. But if I'm honest…" He lowers himself to the ground, the shadows all around him dissipating. His face is covered by a mask, only his glowing eyes visible. The rest of him is more human than he's appeared in the time we've been dealing with him. His skin is still dark from the shadows, but now, I am less afraid. "I don't want to hurt you. You're special. This was my loophole, my way of not bringing harm upon you."

I'm about to ask more questions, but he's gone. I look around this cage I'm stuck in, stare at the centerpiece that represents my heart.

I rush to the walls, feeling for any sort of opening. Any weak point that I can break away. Then I can escape and find Atlas.

I'm no damsel in distress, waiting for my prince.

Each branch is tightly woven, making the walls impenetrable. I collapse to the ground, my ball gown pooling out from under me. The hope that there might be a crack in the wall was all I had.

It never can be that simple.

Without Atlas here, I don't know how I'll escape. And if our fears are intertwining, I don't know what that means for either of us.

The only way Atlas will enter this place is if he goes to sleep.

I don't remember falling asleep. I don't remember much before entering this dream. Was it night? Did I fall ill and take a nap?

I pace around the heart Rook claims is mine. It beats, though not fast or strong. It's almost like it's fighting just to keep beating. As though there's something weakening it. Maybe there's a time limit.

There's an ache in my own chest, but I ignore it for now. Whatever awaits Atlas, I can only hope he'll be able to fight it to find me.