Dark Chest of Wonders(Monroe)

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Oriel wasn't sure what it was about being away at camp - maybe it was the long days, maybe it was the constant activities, maybe it was the relaxed freedom he felt from not being imprisoned in a place that still made him anxious - but he'd managed a normal sleep schedule for the first time in a long time for two nights straight. With any luck, maybe he could make carry this over back to Hammel, once it was all over with. Or maybe he could hide himself in the woods when it was time to go back and they'd just leave him here? Oriel could rough it out....maybe....

But thanks to his early-to-bed-early-to-rise routine, Oriel was crashing and fastly gone asleep by 8:00, curled up in the top bunk of a bed in the corner of his cabin. The only other people there were those who were just passing through before going off to the other evening camping events and shenanigans.

And so he snoozed like a cute little baby.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe had really been trying to get involved in activities at camp, but at one point he almost fell asleep during the canoe race and so he'd retired himself to his cabin. It had only been just after seven and who would go to sleep at that time? He'd laid down in his bunk in the corner, sheets pulled over his head, so he looked like a lump laying there and drifted off within moments; however, he didn't anticipate somebody going to bed early...

[Deleted]

Oriel didn't usually dream when he napped. Sometimes he did, but when he did, he never remembered any of it. So he may as well have not dreamed at all, right?

Or maybe the reason he didn't remember it was because there was nothing there he wanted to remember. Because it all only served to remind him of everything he wasn't.

This particular dream started out innocent enough. Pleasant enough. The sky was blue and all the leaves were green. So was the grassy field. A rather large grassy field, with hills and flowers and a crystal clear lake where there stood a tall stone tower along its edge. And at the tower's base stood a girl. A brunette, in a flowing white dress, standing with her back to him, her hands clasped behind her. He knew her, didn't he? "Orin?" Oriel took a step forward. She didn't move. He stepped closer to her. Then closer. He tried to walk around her but no matter how far he went, he couldn't get in front of her. Oriel circled and circled, running as fast as he could, until he finally grabbed her shoulder and forced her to look at him.

"Princess?"

The world cracked around them and shattered like glass. And he fell. Or was he floating? He couldn't tell anymore. Oriel turned. It was dark. He turned again. He was alone. Once more, he turned. There was nobody there. And there never would be. Silently, Oriel curled himself up, holding his head down and his knees up. And he floated down, wrapped up within that ball of himself until his feet touched down where he remained still in his own dark void.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

The dream Monroe fell into was a collage of images-- a grassy field and a dark haired girl. A guy (the one who he guessed was dreaming) was trying to get her attention and then the scene changed like wildfire, images spinning and making Monroe dizzy. Man, it was confusing. Not to mention he thought that nobody else would be in the cabin.

So much for that theory.

Darkness...and then he saw the guy, floating until his feet touched the ground. It was so dark that he could barely make out the outline of him. He could pull out of this weird dream right now, but somehow he was intrigued.

[Deleted]

Oriel's dreams were always like this. No wonder he didn't remember them, they were confusing as hell.

The boy sat there, curled up, still, until he though he heard someone call him. A child stood up from his crouched figure, an apparition of himself maybe?, and it ran towards the silent voice. Oriel lifted his eyes and watched as the small child ran from him and past the figure of something, someone he didn't care to acknowledge. His eyes shifted up to the figure, then back down to watch the child.

"Go away! Leave us alone" The child screamed at a horde of shadows, standing in front of a little girl the same age as he. The child cowered over the girl. A fairy flew by, sprinkling it's dust over the shadows, melting them into a swirl of technicolor. The child watched the fairy as it drew closer and he swat it.

"Don't hit!" cried the girl.

Oriel continued to watch with a darkness hung over his eyes.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe watched as a small child ran in front of him, his eyes following them. There was also a little girl. Was the young boy supposed to be this guy as a child, or what? He was confused and honestly he shouldn't be really thinking about it too much because it wasn't his dream to analyze. He swore he saw the dark haired guy whose dream he was in scan over him, but maybe he thought that Monroe was just a part of the dream.

He honestly wanted to keep it that way. People tended to get hostile towards him when they found out he wasn't.

[Deleted]

"Don't hit!" The voice of the little girl called again.

But she was farther now, growing smaller as the distance between them grew. And the farther she got, the more distorted she became. The boy tried to step forward, but there was a wall in front of him. And the shadows returned. They surrounded the boy, the white noise of their collective voices showering over the child. "Leave me alone!" he screamed at them, his face stubbornly refusing to give in to their taunts.

"Hey, Mister!" The scene dissipated as another child-like voice appeared. Or was it the same one? The young boy Oriel tugged on the back of the shirt of the man he'd never seen before and who should not be there. "Hey! What, you deaf or somethin'?" Oriel tugged harder.

"Wanna play?" Little boy Oriel grinned mischievously up at Monroe.