chapter three

It was suddenly cold. The atmosphere was surprisingly freezing. I shivered and rubbed my palms together.

Where am I? I asked.

I was standing in the middle of the zebra crossing road but there wasn't any cars or building or any sign of life.

I looked up, the night was cloudy. It was beautiful and the moon smiled at me.

For the first time, I can say, am at peace and in a good mood.

I kept on looking at the sky as I crossed the walkway.

The clouds were white and pure. They moved slowly in different directions and gradually it gets bigger and bigger.

What?!

I looked down and found myself standing on a huge cloud. It was taking me up and we kept on going until there was a very big bright cloud in our way.

On top of it was a very tall skyscraper.

"It's really big, tall, and huge!" I heard Ruby's voice behind me. I turned and saw her approaching with her own cloud. She was wearing her purple bunny pajamas with her hair roughly tied down.

"Ruby?" I asked when she had already stopped at where I was.

"Karen." She smiled.

"What's going on?"

"I think we are heading to a dream agency." She replied. It was then I start to recollect everything.

"But I was asleep, Ruby."

"And so am I. After our chat, I got into bed and slept off before I found myself here." She explained.

"So it's in our head?"

"Stop asking me questions, I don't know any more than you."

"Okay! Grumpy. I was just asking."

"Don't ask, Let's go." She said and immediately her cloud took her forward. Mine followed suit but we stopped just outside the gate that wasn't there before.

"It's really tall." I admired.

"Yeah."

Just above the gate is a sign saying, WELCOME TO DREAM AGENCY.

The gate opened on its own. Normally, I'd be freaking out but ever since I'd been riding on that cloud, everything is possible and besides, it's just a dream. It's all in my head.

"Cool," Ruby exclaimed.

"Nah, there might be a CCTV camera and the watchman saw us so he let us in." I shrug.

"Don't ruin this for me," Ruby warned and then giggled. "I don't know why am excited."

"Maybe Because this is the first time something like this is happening?"

"You're right."

We went in. Cool air greeted us but my eyes shifted to the very dark cloud at the top of the skyscraper.

"Look at that." I pointed it to Ruby. "What could that be?"

"Karen, sometimes I ask myself, are you the smart one, Or am I? Isn't it obvious? It's a dark cloud."

"I know what it is, stupid. What I was asking is why's there a dark cloud at the top?"

"Mystery Karen. Mystery."

"I don't like Mystery."

"Hey look at that sign." She ignored me, She pointed up. There was a sign saying, DREAM AGENCY. Motto: don't think.

"Everything about this agency is weird. Just look." I pointed above the sign. "From there, everything is dark."

She looked at me again and whispered, "Mystery, Karen."

I don't think I like a mystery.

She smiled at me again, "How many floors do you think it has?"

"Thirty-six," I replied immediately. I'd already counted it before. It's the first thing I did.

"Welcome, Karen Hicks and Ruby Woods." A girl, am very sure is about our age, said just outside the glass sliding door of the agency, suddenly.

She wore a white straight skirt, a blouse sleeve, and high heels with heavy make-up. Her blonde hair is tied up to a neat and high ponytail. Just above her head is a sign saying, sweet dreams department.

Thinking of a high ponytail, it only makes me remember Stephanie.

"Thank you," Ruby answered and curtsied.

"Ruby, behave yourself." I reprimanded but they both laughed.

"Why don't you both come on in? We've been waiting for you." Immediately she said that the clouds went forward and stopped in front of her. We got down and watched as they returned back to maybe their previous position and blended in with the other clouds.

"So! How old are you?" Ruby asked when we had returned our attention to the girl.

"Won't you first ask me my name?" She smiled. The light from the moon totally made her skin glow and she was gorgeous. She looks like a model and a famous movie actress, especially with that smile.

"That's a great idea, please tell us and ignore her, she's not used to talking,"

I interjected.

"She can't be any worst than me, I haven't spoken to anyone for five years now." She whispered softly for only us to hear. 

"What?!" Ruby and I exclaimed. "How come?"

"It's a long story, which I might be telling you tonight but first, let me introduce myself. Am Rylee." She introduced herself and shook our hands.

"It's nice to meet you, Rylee."

"Please forgive me if I say anything to offend you during this tour because my experience in speaking is failing me."

"Sure," Ruby answered.

"A tour?" Am sure I heard say tour.

"Yeah. I'll be showing both of you around the place while giving you instructions and info about the contest." She said while walking in and we followed but stopped when we heard a noise behind.

"Oh, the rest of you came." Rylee squealed. I turned to see Stephanie glaring at me and Ruby with other kids I don't know.

Three girls and a boy.

"Stephanie, you have nightmares too?" Ruby shouted.

"Shut up, you loser." Stephanie was clearly embarrassed to be here. And why is she here? She doesn't seem to be someone dreading sleep because of continuous nightmares.

"What are you looking at?" She crossed her hands on her pink pajamas. She turned to Rylee, "This isn't the reason I came here."

"Am sorry, am Rylee by the way. Please let's all go in."

We went in, everything inside was all white. The walls, the ceiling, everywhere. The floor is your reflection staring back at you. The edge of every corner was decorated with diamonds and everywhere glittered.

There were lots of handsome guys and heavenly girls walking and working orderly.

Is this heaven or just a business place?

All the girls dressed like Rylee while the guys wore a lineless shirt, black pants, and sandals. Their hair was just like Landon's? But theirs was blonde. Everyone there was blonde and all teenagers!

Is this place really govt. Approved?

We gasped and took in the environment. Everywhere was magnificent and glorious and beautiful and... Am speechless. Even though am getting a little very curious.

"This is so amazing." I finally admitted. It was like I wasn't angry anymore and I wasn't, it was like I wasn't minutes ago, angry with them for making me have only Nightmares.

"Yeah."

"I can't believe am dreaming this." A guy, pretty sure he dyed his hair red, said. He too was wearing bunny pajamas and I giggled.

"I've seen better." Stephanie shrug and both me and Ruby rolled out her eyes.

"Karen, please close your mouth." Stephanie spat, distastefully.

The agency had a very beautiful interior design.

"This is the sweet dreams department," Rylee announced. "This is where one of your dreams will be made. And also where I'll be touring you."

"Why just one? I think we all have had enough of those nightmares." A girl, fat and big said. She was wearing a sky blue nightgown with little hearts on them. Her violet black hair was loose down her chubby face.

"I think so too." Another girl, a little slim, was wearing a white onesie with black stripes. Her hair is tucked inside it's good but am sure she has Brown black hair.

"There's a reason for that but it's not my place to tell you, so shall we continue, or do you want to leave?"

"I'll stay," I announced.

"I will too." Ruby followed.

"You both are losers because am going to win this." We were all surprisingly energetic, including Stephanie. Oh wait, she had always wanted that.

"Okay, so where do I start?" She thought for a while. "Hmmmmm. Ah, let me tell you about our computers, as you can see, they look like they were made from glass but no, it's far more indestructible. They are high-tech and finely made, our technology is ahead of our time. They can do lots of things, the system tracks things better than any other, it creates and designs realistically, which is why you can definitely trust we'll give you the best of the quality dream." We followed her as she showed us the systems. We even drool over some guys who just waved at us.

"It provides unlimited data for the agency about our consumers, which is you guys. Its power never shuts down as long as this department stands on that cloud. You must have seen it your way here." She continued.

"Isn't that Thomas cox?" The chubby girl that I believe whose name is Susan, pointed to a painting far ahead. There were several of them.

"And Maya," Ruby added. Maya is the hyperactive in our class.

"That's definitely Dominic." I pointed to another painting there. We knew some of those people. Why are their paintings there?

"Yes, those are definitely them," Rylee answered my question. It was like she knew what we were asking in our minds because am sure I wasn't the only one who asked that question.

"Why are their pictures hanged there?"

"Because for now, they are the regular consumers of this department." She said.

"So they get to have nice dreams every day?" Stephanie exclaimed distastefully.

"Yes but let's not dwell on that, now where..."

"Why do they get special treatment? Are they that special?" I asked.

"No Karen, it's just how things are run here, it's been a long time since things happen this way and it's not because they are special."

"They why?" Stephanie interrupted.

"Ancient dilemma but that's not why we're here now let's continue because everything in dream agency is breathtaking. Now, where were we? Yes. The system is almost unhackable...."

"You mean to say there's a possibility that the system could be hacked?" Ruby interrupted her again. I could see she was getting impatient with all the questions.

"Yes but that's almost impossible so let's not dwell there. Moving on, as you can see, all the staff, since the beginning have been dressing in this code. Straight white skirt, a blouse sleeve, and high heels with a high ponytail for the women while...."

"Did you just say, women? You all look like teenagers! How old are you guys?" Ruby interrupted again and we all nod. Rylee was boiling with anger then.

"We are deviating again. The men dress is a shirt with pants and sandals...."

"Why do they all have blonde hair?" Stephanie interrupted this time.

"Is blonde hair a criterion because you and Stephanie will definitely pass there," Ruby whispered to me softly but not softly enough.

"May I have your attention?" Rylee was fuming.

"Yeah, it's totally with you." We smiled sheepishly.

"Let's move on to other parts of the building."

"Yes ma'am."

We followed her to an almost never-ending hall. There were paintings of some people that I don't even know exist, hanging on the wall. The frames were white and their dressing was decent and replica to that of staff. The paintings were as long as the hall.

Finally, at the end of the hall, a glass elevator was waiting for us.

Inside, thirty-six buttons, colored white with their numbers written on them were lined up at the left vertically.

While at the right are strictly classified buttons.

She pressed the eighteenth button.

"So will you let me inform you all about the agency?" Rylee asked, she sighed and was calmed now.

"Yeah, go on."

She sighed.

"I won't delay any further, about the contest..., so every five years we hold this contest for every regular consumer in the nightmare department for them to have a nice dream in the sweet dreams department." The elevator was fast and by the time she was done, we had already reached the eighteenth floor.

The room was filled with seven white beds. They were decorated beautifully with flowers.

"What's this?" I asked.

"The contest." She answered.

"We are supposed to sleep?" Stephanie shivered.

"I think it's about the first one to sleep." A girl that I believe her name is Mindy replied.

We all looked at Rylee.

"No. It's not about the first one to sleep. Do you all remember the rule?" She asked.

Yeah and yes came but I was mute.

"In that case, you don't have to worry, just enter a bed each and you'll be good to go."

Everyone walked to a bed including me but I saw an inner room locked. There was a sign saying PROHIBITED at the top.

I felt drawn there like it was calling me. It was like whatever lies in that room was my fate.

"Karen please get on a bed." Rylee gestured to the bed beside me, she had walked closer and I could see fear in her eyes.

"What's in there?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing and it's prohibited?"

"As you said, it's prohibited so it means you can't go inside nor learning anything about what's behind the door."

"Please don't scare her." Sean appeared beside the elevator. He was so neat and he dressed like all the staff downstairs and not like he was sleeping before. He said he got an invite too but he seems like he works here.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"This is Sean, am sure you already know that. He's just going to help out." She walked over to him and smiled.

"I knew you guys would forget about me." Landon appeared from the elevator. He looked very different from the staff I've seen. He has shiny jet black hair and he dressed differently from the neat and orderly way I saw him back in school. He looked rough.

"What are you doing here?"

"My question too." Rylee's glad demeanor changed.