Godspeed

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     I THOUGHT I LIKED DREAMS. I liked the wonky dream logic and physics where I could be in America for a second and then open a door that led to Japan, or where my brain could make terrible conversations with people so bad I could laugh at it.

     That night was a weird experience. I've never shared my room with anyone, I slept on my own since I was barely six years old. I expected sleeping to be hard, or at least slightly uncomfortable. But after hearing Kristin's breathing rhythm slowly steady as she fell asleep, I soon also lost control of my consciousness and sank into my new bed.

     Maybe I'll dream about that one sweets shop I keep dreaming about. Maybe I'll dream of me watching the kelp dancing in the lake. Or maybe I'll dream of home. I preferred any one of those three ideas, or maybe all three of them mixed together with dream logic. But the dream I had last night was just weird.

     In the darkness of my forming dream, I didn't even notice at first I was dreaming. I heard snores, probably Kristin's, a soft whispering tune. But as I listened to it longer I began to notice it was patterned and it was clearly humming a melody of some sort. Unlike the random rhythm of snores, this had a soothing tune of a lullaby. One that I've never heard of.

     In the dark, a spotlight flashed- like at the start of a play- in a distance from my nonexistent body. In the grey light, I saw the silhouette of a woman, though not like Faith's in the fog. She had her back to me, she was skinny and pale, her dark waist-length hair dropped over her back. She didn't turn to look at me dramatically like I expected, she continued humming her lullaby. So I did whatever the main character in horror movies do, I walked over to the mysterious faceless woman.

     She said suddenly in a silvery voice, 'Maíre Coille, be warned. You've left your family unprotected. Greed's soon to come.'

     Although she spoke, the lullaby continued. Which made it from soothing to eerie immediately. I wanted to open my mouth to ask her, greed? unprotected? What do you mean? But no sound went out.

     'Study well, train well,' she advised, 'I'm willing to help you. Greed's never been fair, he's gone too far now, plotting to claim people.'

     Claim people? I thought, does she mean claim people as "his" own? Claim peoples' lives? Claim could mean so many things...

     'Don't worry, Maíre,' The woman assured me as I willed my non-existent body to get closer, she seemed to be knitting something, 'Power takes time, Greed can't do much now. But soon.'

     'Be warned,' she repeated once more. She faced me, though her face was nothing. Just darkness that I seemed to be sucked in.

     I opened my eyes to the early morning light. Under the warm blankets and sun's lighting, I felt cold, goosebumps were crawling up my arms. So many questions rushed into my head as I collected myself, what on earth inspired that dream? Was that dream magic that woman used to contact me or some sort? Who is she? 

     Then it settled on me... what if all this was a dream? Was Godspeed a dream? Was Faith, Kristin, and even Rosier a dream? Am I about to look around to see my parents' worried faces?

     I shuddered and sat up and took in my surroundings. The grey blanket I'd used was all wrinkly, the wardrobe in front of me had one door slightly ajar, the glistening gold hand of the clock now at the eight-hour mark, then Kristin's light breathing. Then I noticed my own ragged breaths.

I got up and stretched, it was just a dream... a weird one... calm down, M.

     Something sharp scratched against my skin. I looked down to see the red and gold pin tilted just above my chest. Realization hit me like a frying pan, trust me, I know how it feels. That girl who'd given me a room- Rosier and her goons... so that's how they knew I was new. I'd completely forgotten about the pin that literally screamed, "New!"