Lucid Nightmares - Fated Flowers Saga

Ch 5: Pancake Reminiscing

**Play the song during the beginning part of the chapter for atmospheric reasons!**

"Rise, my children! Rise from your puddled states and become the manna of Heaven!" I gesture dramatically to the griddle, waving my arms around as if I were performing a ritual. "Rise so we may sacrifice you to the god our stomach, we mortal humans call Hunger!"

Orferio laughs his head off, leaning back against the counter. "You're so freaking weird," he says between his laughter. As if Karma was stalking his every move, he slips back and hits his head against a cabinet behind him. He winces sharply but it doesn't break his laughter.

I burst out laughing from my own silliness. "You should have thought of that before you brought me here."

Orferio rubs the back of his head, standing up straight. "Nah. Weird is fun."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Sweetheart, look who you're talking to," Orferio gestures to himself with a mock grin. "Bathroom pervert, remember?"

I roll my eyes, "You're crazy."

"I have no regrets," he smiles proudly.

I flip a few pancakes and flatten them against the back of my spatula. I study their light gold hue and decide to wait to flip the others. "How's it smelling? Have I won my crown yet?"

"It smells better than what our Heaven is supposed to be."

My gaze flicks to him through the corner of my eye. "Supposed to be?"

Orferio shrugs and doesn't offer an explanation. "Anyways, I hope everything's to your liking. I never come in here, I usually order take-out."

"You sure had a lot of ingredients for a guy who doesn't cook," I point out.

He shrugs and yet again, offers no explanation.

It's been like this since we got here. Despite promising to tell me everything, he hasn't brought up the other world since we arrived. It's as if he's avoiding it. He hasn't explained why he has a house in a world he isn't from, how long he's been here, how he is able to afford things since he mentioned he didn't have a job, everything he shrugs off and pretends like my questions were never spoken.

"So... what's that thing you have tonight?" Orferio asks nonchalantly, leaning against the counter behind me.

"Huh?"

"The thing you had planned," he clarifies, "the reason why we couldn't go out tonight."

"Oh..." My voice falters. I felt a rush of sadness as the memories I wish I'd forget come back. I almost forgot about my conversation with Maya and my desperate hope she'll show up at the Stump tonight. Why did I think she'd believe me now if she didn't before? Am I just hurting myself by continuing to hope?

"I might meet a friend tonight," I answer quietly.

"Might?"

"It's Maya. Our fight... I asked her to meet me tonight. I wanted to prove to her that the other world existed...I wanted to show her something important, something to trigger her memories... but I guess..."

Orferio watches me carefully. "You don't think she'll come?"

I shake my head. "I hope she does. Living here... it's like a prison. She doesn't deserve that. However, if she didn't believe in the beginning, why would she change her mind now?"

"You could get lucky," Orferio offers, though he doesn't sound optimistic. "But you said life here is like a prison? Why is that?"

I sigh as I check another pancake. It isn't isn't ready to be flipped.