Description
Dreams can be messy. The ones that cause fear are the worst, and you can't escape them. "Shift," they said. Again, again, and again. "No! You can't expect me to get rid of who I am to satisfy your own needs!" "Shift," they said. "Stop it!" I screamed, my mind tired from all the anger and frustration. And that's when I felt Abuela's grasp again, only this time I couldn't free myself. Next thing I know, I'm underwater. I don't attempt to get back to the surface, and I just keep sinking. I look down, and everything is pitch black. My lungs start to shrink, aching from the lack of oxygen. I knew this nightmare would end soon. I've had this dream before, they all end just the same. Before my lungs give out, I hear a voice calling out to me. That's when I heard it. This time, however, it's different. The realization immediately hits me, I know that voice! "Camilo?!" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The world was an unfamiliar canvas, painted with shadows that whispered of forgotten fears. The bed she lay upon felt both soft and foreign, and the air held an eerie stillness. Panic surged within her, an unwelcome companion in the disorienting landscape of her mind. In the absence of familiar faces and known landmarks, fear clawed its way into her consciousness. Struggling to piece together the shattered fragments of her memory, she was confronted by an unsettling void that echoed with the silence of unanswered questions. The very essence of herself seemed to slip through her fingers, leaving her trembling on the precipice of an abyss. The air hung heavy with the weight of uncertainty, and at that moment, her disoriented gaze reflected the stark realization that her existence had become an enigma to her-a puzzle whose solving held the promise of both revelation and trepidation. ----- Camilo Madrigal x OC
Prologue
