34 34–Her Dream Man Vs Her Stepbrother
Kaye:
“Hey, who are you?” I heard someone speaking right in my ear, making me wince slightly as I struggled to open my eyes.
“Hey, don’t you know black isn’t allowed?” A woman shouted, and I finally snapped into full awareness. I jolted up as if waking from the dead and looked around at the crowd, all gasping, dressed entirely in white.
They all looked like some kind of Al characters–almost as if they had been hand–drawn. Each of them wore the same expression, like one person’s emotions were copied across the others. If one appeared worried, the others mirrored the concern instantly. I didn’t need to think twice; I knew exactly where I was.
I was in the perfect dream of Helanie.
“Who are you?” A woman holding a white umbrella asked, her eyes scanning me from head to
toe.
“I–uh–I’m here for Helanie,” I stammered. The moment her name left my lips, I watched them smile, placing their hands on their hearts.
“Oh, our sweet Helanie? Why are you looking for our beautiful child?” An elderly woman spoke kindly, nodding her head as she used such affectionate words for Helanie.
“Do you… know her?” I asked, unsure of how things worked here. I had learned a lot about this dream world. Yet, aside from one person–who many still called a myth–no one had ever escaped this prison of dreams.
“Of course we do. She’s marrying our king tomorrow. We all know her well,” the woman looked almost offended by my question.
“Can you take me to her?” Her statement terrified me. Marrying? Who was she marrying? And what kind of dream was this?
Did she want everyone to love her? Well, she could have just started acting nice and responsible in the real world. She didn’t need a dream prison to have her perfect life.
“Why? Why would we take you to her? She is pure–so sweet, and a virgin. Why would we take you, dressed in such dark clothes, to her?” A man stepped forward, clearly displeased that I even mentioned Helanie’s name.
“Because I’m her stepbrother, I blurted out, realizing I needed to respond quickly before they turned on me. I knew nothing about these people or what kind of power they might have.
“Oh? Her stepbrother? That’s strange. But we’re heading to her special dance with the king. If you’d like, you can join us. I’m sure the king will know what to do with you.” The old lady’s smile was blatantly fake.
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34 34–Her Dream Man Vs Her Stepbrother
I knew full well they were taking me to this so–called king, and I had a bad feeling about him. I rose from the spot where I had landed and began walking behind them. They turned occasionally to cast quick, suspicious glances at me, whispering among themselves as we moved.
Before long, we arrived at a grand hall where everyone stood around watching a couple dancing. And that’s when the alarm bells started going off in my mind.
As I stepped inside, the crowd parted, creating a path for me. They looked at me like they might tear me apart, but my gaze settled on the woman in a golden dress. She was the only one wearing a color other than white. And that’s when my heart began to race uncontrollably.
Even though her hair was now black, Helanie was still unmistakable.
Her eyes sparkled, wide and vibrant, and her lips were fuller, tinted with a deep red. She had rounder cheeks, but her sharp jawline made her stand out from everyone else.
I had to take a deep breath and shift my focus to the man standing beside her as I announced, “I’m here to take my stepsister back home.”
I noticed a confused look on Helanie’s face, as if she had no idea what was going on. At this point, I began to wonder if the person who had been labeled a myth wasn’t lying after all.
That mythical person claimed to have escaped the dream prison, saying that the dream reflected something deeply desired in real life. They spoke of a master in the dream, someone who wanted to manipulate the victim into accepting him as their ruler. And perhaps that’s how the victim would remain trapped forever.
“You cannot be her stepbrother. Her mother is married to her father, and they live happily ever after. There is no stepson,” the man spoke in a sharp accent, one that was hard to place.
I glanced over at the people he referred to as her parents, and sure enough, they weren’t her real parents. They were just random people who looked nothing like her actual mother–or, likely, her father either.
“I don’t know… I just know she’s my stepsister,” I quickly adjusted my tone to sound as confused as possible.
If I wanted to save her, I had to make her hate this dream world and want to return to reality. But the way she stood next to this man, she had never seemed happier.
That was not a good sign.
The man looked over at Helanie, whose gaze was fixed on me, making me uncomfortable. Why was she staring at me so intently?
The man then cleared his throat and smiled. “Well, welcome. I assume you’ve come from a different place?” He tilted his body slightly to the left, leaning on one leg as he waited for my
response.
I nodded, and only then did he smile with relief. “Well, you’ll need to take off that black shirt first. We have some strict rules here. We don’t allow dark clothing. They remind us of darker
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34 34–Her Dream Man Vs Her Stepbrother
times,” he said, gesturing with his hands as he spoke.
From his words, it was clear he wanted me to forget where I had come from.
“Okay,” I agreed, forcing a weak smile.
“The dance was wonderful, my love. I think you should head home now and rest. You’ll need to prepare for the wedding in the morning,” the man said softly, holding Helanie’s hands with care.
“And Mrs. Niles, why don’t you take this gentleman home and give him some of your husband’s white clothes?” The man addressed Helanie’s supposed “mother.”
“Of course, Alpha King Rune,” the woman bowed to him, though the strange look they exchanged didn’t sit well with me.
I realized I might be running out of time. This man was the alpha king in Helanie’s perfect life, and like a master in someone else’s dream. His ultimate goal was to make her submit to him
completely.
In Helanie’s case, marrying her would be the final step in controlling her.
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