The Elementals

Rules Were Made to Be Broken

The feeling is gone when I open my eyes. Yup, you guessed it. Looming trees, fog swallowing up the ground, darkness all around, etc., etc. But this time I look closer at my surroundings.

"No. Flipping. Way." I mutter to myself. I recognize the tree I snapped some branches off for firewood. I spin around and slowly, the rest of the forest becomes familiar. Over to the right is where the owl I scared off was perched. I walk back a few steps, to where the camp should be. I see the way the ground dips slightly, and the absence of trees in the clearing, but no people.

I pace thoughtfully back to the original tree I tore the sticks off of. I remember touching the bark of the other broken tree when I was looking for Oh'Rian, and the way my dream seemed to come back in the day. Should work both ways, right? Experimentally, I touch the splintered branch nobs still attached to the trunk.

Immediately, it feels like I've been socked in the gut. I bend over, gasping for breath, and then realize I'm stabilizing myself on the tree. My hand isn't passing through like it's made of smoke, and a more definite giveaway is that it looks normal. I can feel the rough bark under my hand, the moss tickling my palm. I stand up, and looking around see the entire forest has been returned to wood and leaves and other typical tree things. Excited, but still cautious, I creep back to the camp. I can make out the sleeping forms of Stella, Maple and Sparky curled in between her and Terra, Steel a little ways off, Oh'Rian in the middle, Coal on the far edges, and Caelum with...me.

I glance down at my hands. I can see them just fine. I walk over to myself. Apparently, I am sleeping. I jump back as I see that Caelum is awake. He doesn't seem to notice me as I step into the fire, which is almost out, but the wood is still smoldering sufficiently with a few tongues of flame burning persistently. The thing is, I don't feel it. My foot is in the ashes, and I don't feel it. All that's there is a slight tingling that feels good if anything. Well now I'm freaked out.

I step towards my figure. My head is resting on Caelum's shoulder, a small smile on my lips. I look content. At ease. Comfortable. I look...happy. Feeling like some sort of extra-terrestrial, I slowly reach out a finger to touch myself.

"It would best if you did not do that." Stella says. I jump around, tripping. "I am sorry." She says, helping me up. "If you touch yourself while dream-walking, you will get stuck in the dream world forever."

"Dream-walking? Are you-? What?" I say, looking back and forth between the Stella in front of me, the Stella sleeping some feet away, the Tide sleeping on Caelum, and my own self.

Stella smiles, at ease in this strange world. "You and I are dream-walking. We are sleeping," She gestures to the sleeping us's. "While us speaking," She points to me and herself. "Are our dream bodies walking about as if we are in the real world. With some exceptions." She nods down to the fire.

"Alright," I say slowly, trying to wrap my mind around it. "But shouldn't only you be able to do it? Being the night Elemental and stuff?"

Stella nods her head. "Good observation." She says and I feel like I'm in pre-school. "As far as I know, Elementals are capable of this, but not able to control when or where it happens, like I am."

"How fun." I mutter.

Stella chuckles. "Still sarcastic, even when privileged to walk among the dream world." She turns. "I have my brother to check up on," I feel a sharp pang of guilt as I realize I never even thought about Rico. As Stella walks away, she calls over her shoulder. "As I said, do not touch yourself, or you will be trapped here forever. And do not touch anyone else either, or you will be transported into their dream."