Crystalline Heart

Chapter Five: ...Well, That Happened

"You don't look so good."

Hope raised her good eye just enough to catch a glimpse of Ink's. Dream was trying to support her, as her knees would give out every few seconds and he'd have to catch her. However, she'd be trembling so badly that she'd just fall again. It wasn't just her bones, either. There was that flutter of fear in her chest again, and a horrible, horrible swirling in her stomach... She crumbled to her knees and began retching.

"Oh, goodness... I-It's okay, relax... just... yes, just go ahead, let it out, it's alright..." Dream rubbed her back until she was able to catch a breath.

"Geez, kid, that wasn't something we see everyday." Ink crouched down beside them. "Most don't react like that with teleportation." 

Dream sighed, clearly upset. "Ink, that's because most are used to such magic... Hope, I'm so sorry. I wouldn't have teleported with you if I'd have known that would have happened..."

Hope just lowered her head. "I'm sorry," she wanted to say, "I'm so sorry that I messed it up again."

"N-No, don't be upset," Blue cried. The sheer energy in his voice made her skull pound. "You didn't mean to!"

She closed her eyes, pretended to listen as she blocked the three voices out of her head so she could compose herself. Deep breathing. No tears. Pressure in the hands from clenched fists. Face on fire from the rush of color. The dizziness subsided, and the nausea disappeared after a few minutes, leaving the girl drained and embarrassed.

Ink was the first to gain her attention; he shoved a cold bottle of water into her hands and sat right in front of her. He'd... cleaned up her mess when she was mentally disconnected. He had a somewhat stern look on his face, and it made her uneasy.

When she was able to focus on him for more than seconds at a time, he asked, "Are you feeling okay, now? Not as queasy?"

She nodded and then gagged from the awful taste still on her tongue.

"Drink some of the water," Dream gently urged. "It'll help you. Just take small sips so you don't upset your stomach again."

Hope nodded and obeyed after a minute. Then, she looked up to the "sky" in a sort of wonder. This place felt open. It WAS open! They were sitting on a floating island among a sea of hundreds of thousands of other similar - but unique - islands.

Ink noticed her shock, giggled excitedly and said, "Welcome to the Doodle Sphere!"

Curiosity got the best of Hope. Cautiously, she crept to the edge, and instantly regretted it. They were so far up... was there even a ground to this ocean of a sky? Dizziness crashed on her, and she felt her arms begin to collapse as black, spiraling darkness fogged her vision...

Someone gripped the hood and yanked her back, and a pair of arms held her. "Steady," Dream whispered. "Breathe, it's okay. Relax."

She couldn't relax. The fears enveloped her again. She wasn't supposed to be scared... Why weren't they mad? ... Why weren't they mad like THEY would be? ... If they took her back to THEM...

She burst into sobs.

The voices and their owners were all just a smudge of color and a jumble of noises, as if she were underwater.

When Hope finally came back to her senses, she felt cold, clammy, and weak. She was trembling, being held tightly in someone's arms. Whoever he was, he was talking calmly to her, comforting her, keeping her safe. Broken noises left her mouth and she looked up questioningly into Dream's eyes.

"Hey, it's okay. You may have just gotten a little stunned by the height, that's all..." After a moment, he added, "Something frightened you, too... perhaps a memory? But it's going to be alright..."