Dreamchasers

Chapter 4 (1)

Suddenly, in a stream of memories emerging all at once, Beth remembered Bianca's words that she wrote on her Magical project. "I was once depressed, then this power came to me. I envisioned myself as my idealized self but unexpectedly became that person".

Her life was not over. However, she didn't feel herself and couldn't distinguish where she was.

Was that what you said, Bianca?

She picked up Bianca's words and reflected upon them, drawing thoughts and emotions that she had buried deep in her heart.

If life had a second chance, what would I want? What would I wish to become a better version of myself?

As Beth asked herself this question, she felt as if she was taken back to the care-free summers that she spent as a young child. The happy and awkward child that always laughed and cried like nobody was watching came back to her again. Always wearing a pair of twin tails, the child chased butterflies and ran barefoot in the meadows with her friends. While her friends complained about how butterflies got away so easily from their grasp, her heart stopped a beat when she caught the exquisite details of the butterfly's paper-like wing as the butterfly temporarily landed on the nearby flower. The butterfly was so fragile and tiny in comparison to her, yet she saw it as her equal.

When I was five, I thought I wanted to be a princess that helps people with her pals, a circus performer who can speak animal languages, or a dancer that builds a home underwater. There were so much beauty and wonder in the world that I wished to explore.

As time went by, the imaginative child found a new love. Whenever she went to the shopping mall, her eyes couldn't stop being fixed on the fancy outfits of the mannequins in each store's windows. Meanwhile, a difficult and lonely road came in front of her. With school and life getting in the way, she watched friends who used to play and dream with her left. She heard people tell her that she doesn't need to be sensitive about friends leaving. Her newfound fashion design dream was also stagnant. Would there be no place for her in the world? Would her life be unfulfilling if she went after a dream that seemed too impractical for others?

Maybe all I wanted now is to become a more capable and creative person who can put all those possibilities into reality like Jules, Simone, and Bianca.

I want to create a way to get out, to have a better future!

As Beth grasped onto her thoughts, she started feeling herself once again. Her smell, her vision, her senses...they have all come back. She thought about her better future. Amid warm, fuzzy lights, she saw images of her vibrant high school life, her excited cries at the graduation ceremony, her future first day at Lisette Arts, and her first independent fashion show after adulthood. The grown-up Beth in front of her had her identical curly blonde hair, but longer. Her bright green eyes peacefully reflected the splendid light sparks like a quiet koi pond. Golden glitters were pouring down her dress like gentle waves. Unlike the occasionally sullen teenage Beth, adult Beth was charming and had a confident smile.

Oh! That person is what I see myself being in the future. Am I looking at my idealized self just like Bianca did?

The lovely young adult walked toward Beth and handed her a bracelet.

"Don't be afraid. You have me here. If you ever need me, just call me with this bracelet. Then, you can use your power."

Beth nodded and took the bracelet with herself. It was golden with diamond decorations and floral pattern engravings.

"Follow me."

A strong beam of white light suddenly illuminated her way out of the colorful space, with the person gradually vanishing in the light. Hearing what the person had said, Beth run towards the light trying to find the person's whereabouts.