Dreamwalking Roommates (ALICE!)

[Annaleigh Valentine]

Annaleigh was trying her hardest not to fall asleep. She was completely and utterly exhausted and found herself in her bed with her iPod blasting music in her ears while she tried to read something. Her vision was going blurry though and she knew that it wouldn’t be long before she actually fell asleep.

When it came to night times when Anna didn’t sleep, she often tried to stay in her room so that no one knew that she didn’t sleep. So she had a lot of energy drinks and things to keep her awake. But today she didn’t want that. They made her sick if she drank too much of them, so she hadn’t had many today. Meaning she was a lot more tired than usual.

Slowly Anna rested her head down on the pillow and ended up closing her eyes. She hadn’t meant to. Sleep was not something that Anna liked to do often. Unfortunately today her body wasn’t giving her a chance and before she could stop herself, she drifted off to sleep with her music playing in her ears, and the music wasn’t her usual loud rockish music that made her ears hurt when she was trying to get some sleep, it was her calmer playlist meaning that she probably wouldn’t wake back up because of the noise.

When Anna opened her eyes she knew that she was in a dream, looking around she wondered if it was her own dream or someone else’s. This was the annoying part. Slowly Annaleigh began to walk and saw her roommate Alice. Blushing she sighed. She’d accidentally walked into her roommates dream? That was not supposed to happen! Pressing her lips together Anna decided to just stand there waiting to see if Alice would notice her or not. She didn’t want to intrude on Alice’s dreams or anyone else’s dreams to be honest.

((OOC- Sorry this isn’t brilliant DX))

[Alice Perette-Johnston]

Alice, however, was the exactly opposite of her roommate. She never tried to not fall asleep. She never tried to fall asleep. It just happened. Suddenly and unannounced, like a heart attack. One minute she was in the library studying, the next she was thrusted into a vast area of blankness, complete whiteness. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, looking around her in awe.

Since then, she’d been moved back to her bed by school nurses, and the never-ending whiteness slowly because to take shape as a landscape. To Alice, to dream was really not to dream, and there was no such thing as a reality. Anything was possible; who was to say the real world wasn’t the world she entered in her rare moments of sleep? It was possible that it could be. Frankly, Alice didn’t know, nor did she care. At least she wasn’t alone. She heard the cautious footsteps of Annaleigh before the other girl could hide.

She turned and smiled warmly at her roommate, the whiteness of the dream area pulsing a bit with her happiness. “Hi.” She said simply, picking at the hem of the powder-blue dress she’d worn to the library. There was one white sock on her right foot, but her other foot was bare. She looked disheveled, but somehow completely at ease. If this was Anna’s dream…well Alice seemed awfully glad to be in it.

Though it was quite likely it was Alice’s dream. Her powers of projection were vastly more developed than her dreamwalking skills, and horrible things were known to happen when she fell asleep. Uncontrollable sleep patterns meant uncontrollable dreaming, meant uncontrollable nightmares, meant uncontrollable projections…meant disaster. But there was no reason to think of that now. A flower popped up near Alice’s feet and she picked it up, examining the oil-slick colors shifting in its petals. Giggling, she held the strange flower out to Anna. “Here. Looks like you need a pick-me-up, Yeah?”

[Annaleigh Valentine]

When Anna realised that the dream she was in was pure white and nothing else she couldn’t help but feel a bit small. Weird thing to feel but she did, it was just what seemed like a never ending white world that Anna had never seen in anyone else’s dreams. Either Anna was dreaming and just couldn’t remember her old dreams (though she was pretty sure that wasn’t true) or Alice had some very strange dreams.

After a while the whiteness disappeared and it became something else. Pressing her lips together Anna looked around taking all the details in. It was so strange. Anna was used to just landing in the middle of a dream and having to take it all in, this time, it seemed that the world was being built around them this time. Glancing over at Alice, Anna smiled lightly. “Hi, uhm sorry about intruding on your dream, I didn’t mean to.” She said sheepishly, what else could she say? Usually people kinda ignored Anna or included her in their dream world, never breaking their character as they just assumed that she was part of their dream, but this time it seemed that Alice was interacting with Anna calmly, like they both controlled themselves in this dream.

Glancing over the girl, Anna noticed that she was wearing a beautiful dress and oddly she only had one sock on, Anna herself was standing there in a grey vest top and black pj shorts. Often that was Anna’s choice of bed wear, unless it was cold where she’d switch to pj pants. This was slightly strange, the two were wearing completely different things, both having dream powers and both in this strange yet slightly amazing world, which Anna had realised was definitely Alice’s dream and not her own. Anna usually had more nightmares than dreams like this.

When Alice handed Anna the flower, Anna took it frowning at the colours in the petals. It was pretty, but very strange. “Uhm thanks.” She said smiling lightly at the girl. She liked Alice, she wasn’t like the other people here (though having said that no one was like anyone here since everyone was completely different), she smiled lightly. “So your dreams seem different to other people’s dreams, it’s a really nice place and stuff.” Anna said. How could you compliment something like this? It was such a different world, how do you compliment a dream world?

[Alice Perette-Johnston]

Even as Annaleigh spoke a field of the strange flowers popped up around Alice feet, contributing to an emerging landscape that looked suspiciously like Hammel campus…only in Technicolor. The grass seemed a bluer green than real grass, and the sky was full of clouds oddly pink in hue. Nothing seemed strange to Alice as she wiggled her one bare foot in the newly projected grass. “Oh? Is this a dream?” She asked distantly, looking around her as if she didn’t quite believe it wasn’t reality. She chuckled again. “I hadn’t noticed. If this is my dream it means I’m asleep. I don’t sleep very often you know.”

Nervously she chewed on the side of her thumb, the flowers quivering around her with an intangible wind. “Though usually I have terrible nightmares. I hope this doesn’t turn into one.” She mumbled more to herself than to her companion. It was at that point Anna complimented her dream land. Another warm smile broke Alice’s thin face. She was right. This place was nice. There was no air of darkness like her other dreams.

“I think you’re right. This place is nice. Its not a nightmare place.” She hummed lightly to herself, her watery green eyes gazing to no point in particular beyond Anna’s shoulder. “Dr. Neville says I dream constantly. That’s why I project them so well.” Alice blinked and refocused her gaze on her roommate, tilting her head like a mockingbird. “I don’t sleep much. Did I say that?” Alice giggled at her own silliness and twirled once before flopping into the grass, which suddenly shot up to about knee height. “Lets sit!” She chirped.

[Annaleigh Valentine]

Anna couldn’t help but be surprised as the flowers just magically popped up. The place was beautiful, and it seemed like it definitely came from Alice. Though Anna didn’t really talk to Alice often, she knew that the girl was pretty different. Anna liked it about her, but the dream Alice was having was amazing. Smiling when Alice said she didn’t notice it was a dream, Anna couldn’t help but laugh slightly. “Don’t worry you’re not the only one who doesn’t sleep often. I’m surprised I’m here too.” She said as she glanced around slowly. Anna didn’t feel bad about going into Alice’s dreams because Alice had a similar power, Anna just wished she could control it so that she didn’t have to go into other people’s dreams. Not that she was willing to try to control it properly.

Frowning slightly, Anna walked over to Alice. “This doesn’t seem like a nightmare. And if it is at least someone else is here too, maybe it won’t be as bad.” Anna said trying to comfort her roommate. In all honesty, if it turned into a nightmare, Anna probably wouldn’t be able to deal properly, but she would try.

Watching the girl, Anna smiled as she said she didn’t think it was a nightmare. She listened to the girl’s words about the projection of dreams. She smiled again and nodded. “You did say that you didn’t sleep much, that’s probably why they put us in the same dorm.” Anna joked lightly before following the girl’s lead and sitting down in the now long grass. Smiling Anna couldn’t help but feel happy to be in someone’s dream. This was a type of dream she’d like to be in, one which could be controlled.

[Alice Perette-Johnston]

Alice had no concept of her power. She had no concept of controlling it because to her, her world was normal. It was why she was so far behind in her training, and why she sometimes struggled to stay encouraged in class. What was wrong with her world? Why should she have to see reality the way other people saw it? Clearly people liked her world, as exemplified by Anna’s star struck reaction to Alice’s dream world. Clearly something else was amiss. Alice sighed and wiggled slightly in the long grass, which was soft as cotton. No reason to fret now, not when there was a new friend to be made.

“Mmmm…I don’t think it will be a nightmare. I’m not feeling nightmarish.” She murmured, sticking her tongue between her teeth. Alice looked sideways at Anna as she flopped down and laughed a bit. “Perhaps. That way we can’t keep each other awake. Though I sometimes pretend to sleep, just to make sure people don’t think I’m too strange.” Alice tilted her head to one side, her silken blonde hair catching in the grass and being pulled every which way, making her look more disheveled.

“I don’t know your name, but do you like music?” She asked, putting together to seemingly unrelated ideas. Anna’s name had nothing to do with her like of music, but Alice rarely considered semantics in her day-to-day speech. Brain to mouth filter? Not a chance.

[Annaleigh Valentine]

Anna laughed slightly when Alice said that she didn’t feel nightmarish. What a brilliant way to put it, continuing to glance around everywhere, Anna couldn’t help but agree. Unless things turned ugly rapidly and suddenly, the world seemed beautiful, bright and amazing. Then again she didn’t know how quickly things could change in this girl’s dream. She knew that dreams obviously could change very rapidly indeed, she just hoped that it wouldn’t happen in this dream.

Though the girl wasn’t like anyone else Anna knew, it was refreshing. The way that Alice looked at Anna was strange but it was interesting. Smiling she laughed when the girl explained that she pretended to sleep. “Now you see if I pretended to sleep I’d probably actually fall asleep.” She said smiling. It was true, if she pretended to sleep she’d often find herself actually falling asleep. Not great for someone who obviously didn’t want to sleep.

Frowning at the girls question, Anna pushed her hand through her dark hair and smiled. “Uhm, I’m Anna, and yes I like music.” Anna said slowly. She hadn’t been sure how to answer that question so she’d just decided to answer it together. It seemed kinda logical right? Or was logic out of the question at this point? Anna wasn’t sure but she liked the randomness of her roommate’s questions.

[Alice Perette-Johnston]

Alice sighed wistfully. “Wow how lucky. I don’t know what its like to sleep, I can never remember.” She said, making a goofy face at Anna and laughing despite how depressing it was that Alice had no clue what sleeping was like, nor any control over when she did sleep. But that was Alice for you. She was not particularly concerned with being sad since that tended to ruin the mood of everyone around her. Why bother worrying about sleep when she could clearly do without it (even if she was slightly unhinged)?

As Anna replied to her questions, Alice nodded distantly, pulling grass after blade of grass out of the ground from the root, arranging them on her stomach in parallel rows. “Hmm. I like music too.” She murmured. “My name is Alice.” She beamed and drew up a flower, whacking the blade of grass on her stomach playfully. Rather than scattering as they might have in a normal situation, they went rigid and reverberated against her, making a sound like a struck guitar.

Alice made a face, sticking her tongue between her teeth in disgust. “Ew. That’s not right.” Absently she took a blade of grass by each end, the sound still ringing around them and pulled on it, stretching it as if it were a rubber band until the sound it made became mellow and throaty like a string instrument. Alice giggled with glee and repeated the process with the other strings, drawing the flower across them like a bow. The gentle noise that came forth was much more pleasant and soothing, but clearly otherworldly. And otherworldly it was. This grass-thing, it was Alice’s creation. It made a noise that the real world couldn’t create, and Alice looked ecstatic that she’d managed to find it. “I play cello sometimes. It helps me think.” She said, continuing to draw the flower over the grass on her stomach, and though no real song came forth, the sound was gentle and quiet enough no to grate on their nerves.

[Annaleigh Valentine]

Anna frowned slightly. Alice confused her but she didn’t really mind, it was interesting. Smiling, Anna laughed slightly. “Sleeping is overrated, don’t worry you’re not missing much.” Anna said smiling trying to be helpful. She liked Alice and the way her mind worked, it was different, and different was definitely refreshing. Plus, the girl obviously didn’t have a problem with anything that she did.

Watching her roommate pull the grass out, it confused Anna quite a lot but she smiled as she watched Alice pick up a flower. It amazed and shocked Anna when she heard the noise the grass and flower made. “That is amazing.” Anna whispered completely unable to hide her excitedness.

When Alice said eww, Anna frowned. Ew? Seriously? It was amazing. But as she watched Alice her wonder grew. The girl made the sound better, and it just completely amazed Anna. Alice’s words kinda went over Anna’s head. Anna was too surprised at the sound the girl was making to think about the girl playing cello, even if it wasn’t a proper cello. “That’s just, wow.” The dark haired girl was completely lost for words. She had never realised how amazing some dreams were.

[Alice Perette-Johnston]

Alice giggled at Anna’s incredulousness. Really this was quite normal for her. Sometimes she couldn’t do it by the pond, but what was to keep others from making music like this? She shrugged one shoulder, continuing to pull music from the strings of grass. “You can do this too, yeah. Anything is possible if you think about it hard enough.” Alice said, blinking her dusty eyes over at her roommate. “Try. Flute always sounds nice with Cello.” Alice abruptly stopped and sat up.

The long blades of grass fluttered to the ground as Alice looked around her, a tendril of a reed snaking up behind her. She gasped with glee. “perfect!” and snatched it up before it could grow another inch. Though the reed was solid all the way through, Alice blew on it. A shrieky, out of tune note came out, but it certainly sounded a bit like a flute. She handed the reed expected to Annaleigh.

“If this is your dream, you can do anything you want. If its mine…” Alice beamed and rearranged the blade on the ground. “Well if its mine, you can do whatever you want!” she chirped, laughing merrily. “I give you permission, yeah?”

[Annaleigh Valentine]

Smiling slightly Anna watched Alice for a while just smiling. Anna raised an eyebrow when Alice said she could do it too. Then she giggled slightly as Alice said that. “And how do you play the flute?” Anna asked just before Alice sat up. Glancing around at the grass Anna let her hand run through the long beautiful grass. She couldn’t help it, it was so beautiful.

Then when the reed came over and Alice handed it to Anna, Anna obviously took it. Slowly she blew on the flute as the note came out like it had with Alice. She laughed. “Wow, that’s kinda amazing.” Anna said laughing as she pushed her hair back slightly.

When Alice said about how if it was her dream Anna could control anything and if it was Alice’s Anna could do anything, Anna smiled. “Thank you for your permission.” She said slowly as she laughed, pushing her hair back. “That’s exactly what I needed.” I teased. “But this is definitely not my dream, I couldn’t dream something this nice up.” She said.

((OOC- Oh my god I am soooooo sorry it took me so long to reply I hadn’t noticed until today DX I’m so so so so sorry))

[Alice Perette-Johnston]

Alice clapped her hands when Anna produced a note, but the atmosphere around them seemed to tremble. It rippled with the sound of Anna’s playing, darkened, then lightened again. Alice’s smile fell slightly and she looked thoughtful, peering around. “I think I’m waking up…” she murmured.

Her person seemed to fade as well, flickering like a television with poor reception. She giggled, tossing her hair behind her ears. “Yes. I think I’m waking up.” The colors started to flicker and fade, the ground crumbling around them slowly, non-threateningly.

“Goodbye, Annaleigh.” Alice said, waving tenderly. “Maybe we’ll meet outside of Dreamland someday!” Soon after that, she disappeared. Sitting up in bed, she blinked and stretched.

((OoC:: No worries. Sorry this post is so lame. XD I think its time to close up?))