dreamscape

AC: I’m sorry to disturb you, but it appears I’m in a rather sticky situation at the moment.

AC: Do you have a minute?

VL: ah, yes. the big day.

VL: the one that wasn’t supposed to happen, according to you the last time we spoke.

VL: what happened?

AC: I’m afraid I... was not able to tell the truth about certain matters.

VL: i suspected as much.

VL: but for the sake of having it said out loud,

VL: jesus christ, amaya.

AC: It’s not as easy as you’re making it sound, you know.

AC: We are talking about the greatest business deal my father has ever planned in the duration of his entire career.

AC: Nothing will change. All telling people will do is make everyone angry.

AC: But just the thought of going through with it makes me want to throw up.

AC: Quite frankly, I’m at a complete loss.

VL: i’m not saying you have to tell everyone.

VL: i’m aware the black kingdom’s politics differ from ours on an unfathomable level, and you guys have to go through several incomprehensible dances of pure bullshit before you can ever get anything done.

VL: which honestly, to me, seems like a total waste of time.

VL: i mean, seriously. all this beating around the bush is completely useless. why do you even bother with it? 

VL: it’s just a giant mess of paperwork and strained relations.

AC: Vincent.

AC: What is your point here?

VL: have you told andrew about this?

VL: i would think that he, of all people, has the right to know.

VL: after all,

VL: you’re going to be marrying him in a couple of hours.

AC: Please don’t keep reminding me. I don’t think my stomach can take it.

AC: Also, he is the one person I cannot tell for that very reason!

VL: what reason?

VL: andrew’s one of the nicest people in the universe.

VL: honestly, i think he’s the one person who wouldn’t flip out on you if he found out.

VL: he’d probably just say some sappy bullshit about how he wants you to be happy and find a way to help you screw up the wedding somehow.

VL: best course of action, in my opinion.

AC: That won’t work, and you know why.

VL: okay. yeah. 

VL: he would be totally crushed by it.

VL: he really likes you, ‘maya. i can’t lie to you about that.

VL: but the fact of the matter is that you don’t want to marry him.

VL: either you break his heart, or you have to throw aside who you are and marry him.

VL: it’s your choice to make.

VL: now, if you’ll excuse me, i should probably take out this bastard already. he’s been trying to assassinate me for the past hour. it’s starting to get more annoying than funny.

AC: What?

AC: Wait, Vince!

Getting married, pardon my language, is a tremendous pain in the ass.

The entire house was currently in a flurry, dresses flying everywhere, maids swerving to avoid each other, platters stacked so high with various types of edibles that it was a miracle they hadn’t toppled over, considering all the chaos. People were running everywhere, carrying things, shouting to each other, spinning around in such a whirlwind of disorder that I was honestly fairly astonished that none of them crashed into each other. Though, to be fair, it was probably a great relief that none of them did. After all, it was a very big day. The big day, for me, at least. 

I sat in my room, clutching my phone, and tried very hard not to vomit on my shoes. 

It was a rare emotion for me, I must admit. Panic does not suit a distinguished member of the Carnegie family. Father would be ashamed if he ever saw the text I had just sent to Violet — a cry for help at best, and a pathetically executed destruction of poise at worst. But it had to be said — I was panicking. And my best friend, unfortunately, was not picking up her phone.

Not that this was a rare occurrence, of course. The Red Kingdom was a mess on a good day, and as one of the two people with any substantial hold over it, Violet was a very busy person. But it did still sting a little. Really, today, of all days.

Though it wasn't as if Violet knew, of course. No one knew. Not her, not Father, not anybody. To everyone else, it was simply The Big Day — the day the heiress of the Carnegie corporate empire was to enter into holy matrimony with the heir to the Fricks, the biggest suppliers of pretty much anything in the Black Kingdom, sealing the two biggest business names in the kingdom together in the most powerful trade deal ever executed. A veritable holiday for the Black Kingdom, really, considering that both Father and Richard Frick had given a good proportion of their workers the day off so that they could attend the wedding. It was the event of the century, and nothing and nobody, Father had declared, was going to screw it up.

AC: I believe I am in desperate need of your assistance at the current moment.

AC: You are not too busy, I hope? It is a matter of utmost importance.

AC: Violet?

AC: I suppose you are, then.

AF: VIOLET 

AF: VI ARE YOU THERE RIGHT NOW

AF: I NEED YOUR HELP WITH SOMETHING

AF: ARGH VI WHERE ARE YOU I’M FREAKING OUT HERE

AF: VIIIIII

AF: COME ON WHERE ARE YOU WHEN I NEED YOU 

AF: SOME FRIEND YOU ARE

AF: I’M SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING ASKING VINCE 

AF: AND THAT IS ONE DESPERATE MOVE LET ME TELL YOU

ok but the murder, at least, was not my fault.

the flirting, yes. the heartbreak, partly. the severe lack of appetizers toward the end of the night, i greatly contributed to. but the murder?

the murder is completely on vince.

AC: I have come to believe a group chat may be more effective in discussing our current abnormal situation than our previous game of telephone.

AC: So, with that said.

AC: Does anyone have any ideas as to what all of this may mean?

VV: uh, yeah!

VV: wizard theory for the win!

VV: c’mon amaya, by this point, you gotta agree that it does seem pretty logical!

AC: ...

AC: Not to be entirely offensive.

AC: But I fail to see how a theory based entirely on your desires to become “violet friggin’ potter” could be in any way logical.

VL: actually, it sorta... is.

VL: i was skeptical at first too, but yeah, she got me.

VL: i’m siding with vi on this one.

AF: Okay, dude, I know Violet’s convincing as hell whenever she wants to be

AF: And I have no idea what the hell this “wizard theory” is all about

AF: But it sounds as if she has somehow just convinced you that she is somehow Harry Potter, and moreover, that Harry Potter is real

AF: Soooo... now I have to start asking the important questions and questioning whether you have somehow been brainwashed or something because well yeah

VV: ruuuude

VV: you haven’t even heard my theory yet!

VV: wizard theory simply states that we’re like one of those characters in books

VV: and there’s like, something awesome or special or whatever about us!

VV: and we’re gonna have to end up saving the world or something cool like that

VV: which really, if you think about it, makes perfect logical sense, considering our circumstances

AF: What

AF: What kind of circumstances could possibly make any of that seem logical?

VV: siiigh

VV: ok, well

VV: what could the actual probability of all four of us somehow meeting and becoming friends, while all possessing the same super rare condition be?

VV: that’s right, stupidly low!

VV: a low enough possibility that we can rule that out as impossible

VV: following so far?

AC: Yes, I managed to garner as much.

AC: What are you getting at?

VL: she’s saying it was all preordained.

VL: that we were somehow specially chosen for some kind of reason.

VL: what that reason is, however, is the question of the hour.

VV: aw, jeez, vince, stealing my thunder! not cool

VV: but yeah that’s the gist of it!

VV: i do have to say though

VV: whatever that reason is, we’re not going to have to wait very long to find out what it is

VV: you guys got that latest email too, didn’t you?

AF: Yeah

AF: Apparently, things are going down tonight

AF: Call me crazy, but does anyone else find that seriously, intensely creepy, even more than all the other ones?

AF: Like, are they gonna try to break in while I’m asleep or something? Should I put the security guys on high alert?

VL: oh, damn, i hope they do. my cousin just got a new bat. 

VL: that should be interesting.

VV: vince, didn’t your cousin break her old bat by smashing some guy’s truck?

VL: right after his kneecaps, yeah.

VV: ... you’re right

VV: that WOULD be pretty awesome to see

AC: As interesting as the idea of this trickster getting his kneecaps smashed might be, I think we are forgetting a particularly important detail here.

AC: Specifically, the statement that whatever is going to happen is supposedly going to happen in our dreams.

AC: The ones we, as our mystery man knows, can’t remember. 

AC: And if Violet’s theory is right, and our inability to remember them is somehow planned...

AC: This is simply conjecture at this point, but we might finally be able to find out what that reason is by tomorrow morning.

AF: Huh

AF: Well, if you put it that way

AF: I’m actually... pretty curious now

VL: well.

VL: there’s only one way to find out.

VL: guess i’m going to bed, then.

VL: i’ll see you guys tomorrow.

VV: amaya!

AC: Yes, I know.

AC: It appears it wasn’t the boys after all.

VV: oh right i guess andrew told you huh

VV: that kinda takes the wind out of things

AC: I think that there are far more pressing matters to be concerned with here.

AC: Especially considering the fact that the one lead we had has turned out to be a dead end, and I have just received another message.

VV: another message? what’re u talking about, i didn’t

VV: oh

VV: you know, that email ping has never sounded so ominous before

AC: You should go examine it. I daresay it is probably the most disturbing one yet.

VV: ooooh, spoooky

VV: v-lizt!

VL: vi.

VV: finally got enough free time on your hands to pay a girl some attention?

VV: you know it does get lonely sitting around here waiting on you

VV: but hey, don’t worry too much, i might still be willing to forgive you 

VV: for a price, of course ;)

VL: if you’re going to suggest that i take you out on a date again, i’m going to have to give you the same answer as always.

VL: which is to say: that would be extremely difficult, considering i live three thousand miles away from you.

VV: aw, boo, you always ruin my fun

VV: but, but!

VV: luckily for you, i’m not just here for fun

VV: i’m here on actual, serious business!

VV: like, suuuuper serious

VV: life or death serious

VV: like

VV: threatening emails and creepy messages serious!

VL: huh.

VL: so it was you.

VL: weird. i’d been thinking about it, and i was getting pretty close to convinced that it wasn’t your style.

VL: guess i was wrong.

VV: what?

VV: what do you mean it was me?

VV: i was talking about the fact that you and andrew sent amaya and me these super freaky emails

VV: what are you talking about?

VL: what?

VL: i was talking about the fact that you and amaya sent me and andrew these weird-ass messages.

VL: do you mean... you got them too?

VV: if you’re talking about those “have you ever remembered how come you can’t remember your dreams” things, then yeah!

VV: me AND amaya!

VV: so it wasn’t you?

VV: omg 

VV: i thought i was joking when i said it was life or death but damn if this hasn’t just evolved into a legitimate situation

VV: if it wasn’t you or andrew or me or amaya

VV: then who could it have been?

VV: something like this isn’t easy to pull off, especially when you consider amaya and andrew’s computer security systems

VV: do you think that someone is targeting us specifically? because of our shared conditions?

VL: oh crap you’re right. we DO all happen to have the same weird inability to remember our dreams.

VL: what the hell does that even mean? 

VL: how can ALL of us possibly have the same super rare condition? it’s just not possible.

VV: oh, vince, of course it’s possible

VV: you’re just not openminded enough

VV: this means my wizard theory was right!

VV: or some variant of it, anyway

VV: just watch: we’re all going to turn out to be some random Specially Chosen Ones who are going to have to Save The World somehow

VV: which means we’ll finally get to meet up face-to-face, and you can finally give me that date you owe me!

VL: vi, i think you’ve been reading too many comic books.

VV: not true! i reached this conclusion through logical thinking, fair and square!

VV: “when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth”

VV: we have already determined that something like this happening by sheer chance is impossible

VV: therefore, it must have been preordained!

VV: and in order for it to have been preordained, we must have been Specially Chosen somehow

VV: that much is clear

VV: and for us to have been chosen, that means we have a purpose

VV: which is likely but not entirely limited to saving the world

VV: that part, at least, was a joke

VV: c’mon, vince, you can’t deny that it makes sense

VV: i may enjoy playing the flirt in our little group, but that doesn’t mean i can’t nerd whenever i want to

VL: ...

VL: i can’t believe i’m saying this, but you’re right.

VL: that does sound reasonable.

VL: but.

VL: what kind of purpose could this possibly serve?

VL: four kids, all friends, all with a strange inability to remember their dreams, getting a creepy email on the same day...

VL: and when you factor in the fact that we don’t all even live on the same continent...

VL: you’re right.

VL: this was planned.

VL: the only question is, what’s the purpose?

VV: i’m sure we’ll find out

VV: i only hope it’s not something too dangerous

VL: yeah, well, if it is.

VL: then rest assured, i’m going to make sure they realize exactly who they’re dealing with.

VL: not only are they messing with me by this point, they’re messing with my friends, too, and that’s not really something i’m willing to stand with.

VV: aww, you’re adorable

VV: you mean if somebody lays a finger on me you’re gonna come swooping in to save the day like some kind of superhero?

VV: oooh, swoooon

VL: that does include andrew and amaya, you know.

VL: besides, i’m sure you could handle yourself.

VL: you’re a pretty capable girl.

VV: well duh, but it’s still nice to have the sentiment

VV: oh right!

VV: i told amaya i’d report back to her after chatting with you!

VV: i’ll bet she’s going to want to know all this

VV: i’ll go tell her right now!

VV: ttyl! <3

AF: Well, well, if it isn’t Amaya!

AC: Yes, I would assume that attempting to message me would, in fact, mean that you are contacting me.

AC: However, I must say that this is excellent timing. I was just about to ask you something.

AC: You aren’t too busy at the moment, are you? This may take a few minutes.

AF: Who me?

AF: Haha, whew, you’re uh, being pretty serious about all this! I mean, whatever you’re gonna say, you don’t have to be so nervous about! You can talk to me about anything, y’know! I’m never too busy for a pretty girl like you

AF: Uh

AF: Not that I think you’re pretty or anything

AF: Wait no I mean I do think you’re pretty!

AF: But not in like a weird or awkward way or anything!

AF: In a totally platonic, not creepy, not weird way, of course!

AF: Ha

AF: Ha

AF: Ha...

AF: Uh, right, yeah, what did you wanna ask me?

AC: Are you... all right? You seem to be a little flustered.

AC: Really, if you happen to be busy at the moment, I can ask later.

AF: No!

AF: I mean

AF: It’s nothing! I’m totally fine. Ask away!

AC: Well, if you’re sure. 

AC: I simply wanted to know if this looked familiar to you at all.

AC: 

AF: Holy crap

AF: Wait

AF: You mean you WEREN’T the one sending these messages?

AC: I...

AC: Take that to assume YOU weren’t the one sending these messages either.

AC: Goodness, and here I was certain that Violet was right, and it was simply you boys playing a prank on us.

AC: Does this mean that you have received one of these as well?

AC: And that you ALSO have this strange condition?

AF: I, well, yeah!

AF: Me AND Vince!

AF: Does this mean that all four of us have the same supposedly uber-rare condition and for some strange reason, we ALL received this super weird email on the same day?

AF: That’s...

AF: Seriously disturbing

AC: I must agree.

AC: For all four of us to have the same extremely rare condition, and for someone to have found out about us and sent us these messages... The probabilities are extremely low.

AC: What could this all mean? I am completely baffled, and I do not like it one bit.

AF: Yeah, I don’t like it either

AF: But uh hey, don’t freak too hard

AF: We’re both in the same boat, aren’t we?

AF: And you’re a supergenius, and I’ve got a security system better than almost any other in the country

AF: Not to mention Violet and Vincent’s respective skillsets

AF: Whoever this is, it’s doubtful that they could actually pull off anything capable of hurting us

AC: Hmm.

AC: You’re right. It would be difficult to bypass any of our defenses.

AC: These messages still make me uneasy, but now I am sure they must simply be a cruel prank on the behalf of some thoughtless stranger. 

AC: Thank you for relieving my concerns. I really appreciate your care.

AF: Of course!

AF: Haha, no problem, anytime

AF: You know I’d do anything for you

AF: Uh

AF: Because we’re friends!

AF: And we do things for each other

AF: In a friendly way

AF: Not romantic

AF: At all

AF: Of course

AF: ...

AF: I, uh, have to go

AC: Oh, yes, of course, I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time.

AC: I know you must be busy, what with the company and all.

AC: Do please excuse me.

AF: Don’t apologize, I don’t mind at all! If anything, chatting to you is a relief from all my responsibilities

AF: Well

AF: Uh

AF: Yo, V-Man

AF: You busy right now?

VL: not particularly.

VL: what do you need?

AF: Well, see I just got a weird-ass freakin’ email

AF: And I kinda wanted a second opinion on it before I started freaking out

AF: 

VL: hm.

VL: that’s certainly… strange.

AF: Right?

AF: So what do you think, should I start freaking out or what?

VL: i think we should both probably be concerned.

VL: considering the fact that i received one of those nifty things myself.

AF: Get outta town!

AF: You telling me somebody sent us BOTH these weirdo messages?

VL: i’m a little more surprised at the fact that these actually apply to both of us.

VL: from what the doctors said, i was fairly sure it was a rare condition.

VL: pretty low odds of meeting somebody else with the same one.

VL: what are the chances?

AF: You want percentages, man, you gotta ask Amaya, I don’t really have a program to do that and I’m crap at math otherwise

AF: But more importantly, who could’ve sent us these weirdo emails? I’m scratching my head here, I don’t got a clue

AF: It’s super weird bro, usually I’d assume it was some weird person with a bone to pick with the company but I doubt they’d care about you too if that was the case

AF: Who do you think it is

VL: who do i think it is?

VL: well.

VL: since you did bring up amaya.

AF: You think it’s Amaya???

AF: No wayyyy

AF: She’s not really the type to think of something like this, I don’t think she would

VL: amaya isn’t the type to think of this, no.

VL: however. 

VL: violet is.

AF: Oh damn you’re RIGHT

AF: And Vi can be super freaking persuasive whenever she wants to be, we both know that perfectly well

AF: She wouldn’t have had any trouble roping Amaya into this

AF: Man, and here I was all worried

AF: How do you think they figured out about our condition though? I never said anything

VL: with their combined skillset, i’m sure it wasn’t too hard.

VL: the girls do happen to be a pretty formidable pair when it comes to info-gathering and pranks.

VL: i wouldn’t bat an eye at them doing something like this.

AF: Geez, I know we’re both like majorly freaking hot and the ladies adoooore us

AF: But this is kinda excessive

AF: What the heck are they even thinking? If they wanted our attention, they coulda just texted

VL: who knows what goes on in girls’ heads, man.

VL: anyway, how do you want to break the news that we’re on to them?

VL: because we kind of do have to tell them that at some point.

AF: Well, knowing Vi, you should probably be the one to talk to her

AF: Because of… you know

VL: that, and also you want an excuse to talk to amaya with an actual purpose instead of just floundering around trying to look cool.

AF: Well

AF: Yeah and also that

VL: go try to not make a fool of yourself.

VL: i’ll chat up vi in the meantime and try to figure out what exactly we did to deserve this.

VL: no promises, though.

VL: you know how she can be.

AF: Quit teasing, I don’t ALWAYS embarrass myself

AF: And yeah man good luck with that

VL: save it for yourself.

VV: um. amaya?

VV: what did you do

AC: I have only been gone for a few seconds, Violet.

AC: I’m not sure what I could have done in that timeframe.

AC: Did something occur?

VV: i just got a new email and wowee if this one doesn’t look even creepier

VV: i mean jeez get a load of this

VV:

VV: what does that even MEAN omg

VV: is this guy hitting on me because ew, he is SO not doing it right

AC: Hmm. 

AC: It appears I have received one as well.

AC: I am starting to become a little uneasy with these messages. They don’t seem very innocuous in nature.

AC: You may be right in that it is simply a strange, desperate fellow rabid for the attention of us ladies. 

AC: However, I have a feeling that there is more to this. I may need to get a second opinion. 

AC: Perhaps one of the boys will have an idea as to what these messages mean.

VV: oh you’re right! maybe we should ask one of them

VV: in fact, what if it IS one of them

VV: wouldn’t that be just like them, sending creepy messages to us as a prank. i can see af bouncing the emails off a buncha servers or whatever so you can’t track them right now

VV: i mean i know we’re gorgeous and anybody would be super lucky to get OUR attention but really

VV: i’m going to get them back so hard if this really is them, i was actually a little freaked for a sec!

AC: Hmm, that does sound quite plausible. 

AC: Very well, it’s decided. I will contact them and ask a few choice questions, and if I find anything, I will report back.

VV: why don’t we split up the job? you take one, and i’ll take the other. it’ll be faster!

VV: i’ll take mr. hard-to-get, he’s been quite distant lately and i’ve been meaning to scold him for that anyway

VV: that ok with u?

VV: hey soooo

VV: this is gonna sound super weird, but i just got like the freakiest email

VV: it kinda looks like spam but like also not at the same time???

VV: do i reply or

AC: What kind of an email is it?

AC: Honestly, Violet, I keep telling you, you need a better spam filter. One of these days, you’re going to end up seeing something you regret.

AC: And I don’t just mean another photograph of someone’s genitals.

VV: omg

VV: that is so ominous are you ok

VV: what could possibly be worse than seeing yet another dick pic

VV: actually wait don’t respond to that, i can think of a lot of things actually

AC: You still haven’t told me what kind of email it is. From that, I infer it is not another inappropriate picture?

VV: nope nope!

VV: c’mon, ur my bestie, u should know i’d never message u for something like that

VV: it’s like

VV: one of those super freaky emails

VV: like the ones some characters in books get before they suddenly get slapped with the realization that there’s like something awesome and special about them

VV: omg omg can you imagine

VV: me, violet vivaldi, bein’ like some kinda

VV: wizard or something

VV: like harry friggin’ potter except violet-fied

VV: like violet friggin’ potter

VV: can i get a hell yeah

AC: Would you like to just send me a screenshot of the email so I can see for myself what you’re talking about?

VV:

AC: Hmm.

AC: You’re right, this is certainly suspicious.

VV: i know right?

VV: how do you think they KNEW?

AC: Knew?

AC: Are you telling me that this statement actually does refer to a truth about yourself, and you really have been unable to remember your dreams lately?

VV: not even lately!

VV: awww you mean i never TOLD you?

VV: i can’t ever remember what goes on in my head whenever i dream at night, it’s super weird

VV: dad took me to like a buncha psychiatrists when i was little and they never could figure it out

VV: but i mean i was like ten, so my immediate reaction was like “whatever, i don’t care”

VV: and my reaction is still pretty much the same, ‘cause from what i hear, nightmares suck balls

VV: but how do you think this dude knows about it do you think i have a STALKER???

AC: Don’t you already have a stalker? This could be from him.

VV: whaaat pssh no way

VV: fabio’s a dumb jock who can barely even do algebra let alone send me creepy messages about my dreams

VV: no way he knows

AC: Right, of course, my mistake.

AC: And it would be even more unlikely for him to have sent me mine.

AC: I doubt your stalker cares very much about me and my particular brand of memory loss.

VV: what huh what do you mean YOURS

VV: are you telling me you got one TOO???

AC: I received something very similar, yes.

AC: I was also quite surprised to see you suffer from quite the same syndrome as I. I do wish you had told me before, having another subject to observe would have been very appreciated in my efforts to understand it.

VV: no wayyyy! twinsies!

VV: but also yeah that’s super freaky

VV: whoever this is, they probably somehow knew we both suffer from the same weird memory loss thing and sent us BOTH emails?

VV: omg what if we’re BOTH wizards that would be so awesome

AC: As pleasing as that would be to us both, I must say the probability of that is extremely low.

AC: It is more likely that we simply have an admirer of some sorts.

AC: A scientist, say, interested in finding more about our condition.

VV: oh

VV: laaaame

VV: but yeah i guess that makes sense

VV: i still like my wizard idea better though

VV: anyway, should i reply or not? you haven’t answered that yet

AC: Hold on. Let me do it. My computer’s security is better than yours, so it would be safer for me to respond.

VV: aw, taking one for the team? you’re the best

VV: message me back if you get a reply!