“From what I gathered, she’s pretty much on her own. She doesn’t have anyone,” he replied.
“Good-,” Norman started to say, but I quickly shook my head.
“I’m the one who brought the rose here. They’re kept locked away for a reason, never meant to be around people. I was supposed to take care of everything, and I’m the one who messed up. How can I just lie about it and then go back to working with herbs like I wasn’t reckless enough to land this girl in a dream prison?” I unfolded my arms and let out a frustrated, almost desperate, complaint.
“But it wasn’t your fault. She shouldn’t have been snooping around,” Norman defended me immediately. He would never hesitate to stand up for me or any of his brothers. He was always on our side, no matter what.
“She didn’t know. It was my responsibility to safeguard that rose,” I snapped, stepping away from him, needing some space. Maximus looked just as worried. This entire mess was because of me. A nagging thought started to take hold-what if I really am irresponsible?
I can’t seem to handle my responsibilities without dragging everyone else into trouble.
I have a problem or maybe I’m the problem.
“Kaye! Calm down. Don’t blame yourself,” Maximus stepped forward and hugged me tightly. I couldn’t even bring myself to return the hug, the guilt weighing too heavily on me. The fact that he was still comforting me, even after I had messed up so royally, made me want to crawl into a hole and disappear.
“I need to get her back,” I muttered, nodding to myself as I began to gather my resolve. I was pulling myself together, ready to take action.
“So what are you saying? Speak clearly,” Norman demanded, noticing the shift in my expression. Maximus released me from the hug and both of them watched my face, waiting.
“There’s a way to enter the same dream as the dreamer. If I get the same rose, tie our hands together, and-” before I could finish, Norman was already shaking his head, and Maximus was throwing his hands over his head, his body rocking back and forth in protest.
“Stop right there. I’m not letting you go into that dream and get stuck with her,” Norman cut in sharply, his voice firm. I knew he’d object. He was completely against this idea and would never let me attempt something so reckless.
“You get where I’m coming from, right, Maximus?” I turned to him, searching his face for some support, hoping for just one person to be on my side.
“I’m sorry, but I agree with Norman. You know how to enter the dream, sure-but not how to bring her back. What if you get trapped in there too?” Maximus stepped back, aligning himself with Norman. Both of them were adamant, and I realized it was going to take a lot of convincing to get through to them.
“You’re not understanding,” I sighed, exhaustion creeping into my voice and etched across my face.
“I understand that you want to fix this, but Kaye, it’s a suicide mission,” Norman countered, his tone softening just slightly. “Why would I let you go to save someone that, frankly, I don’t think anyone even wants back?”
His words shocked me. I had always seen him as protective of us, and it hit me how much he had distanced himself from the rest of the world.
“Don’t look at me like that. We both know the truth,” Norman continued, his voice cold. “Her own mother kicked her out. Why? Because a mother knows her child. She probably saw right through her. That girl only came back for the luxuries, not because she cared about anyone. Her father doesn’t want her home either. No one’s been looking for her. Doesn’t that tell you something about what kind of person she is?”
His explanation made me sigh deeply.
He wasn’t wrong.
“Yeah, she told me no one wants her and that she has nowhere to go,” Maximus added, his voice low.
“It’s not even about her anymore. I’m not thinking of her as my stepsister, but as someone who should have been protected from the rose. I gather these roses every few months to make sure no one falls victim to them-and now I’ve brought one right to her?!” The guilt weighed heavily on me. I couldn’t live with the thought that a girl was trapped in a dream prison because of my carelessness.
“I get it, but it still doesn’t justify risking your life. You have no idea if you’ll make it out alive, so let’s drop that idea for good,” Norman sighed, rubbing his face in frustration.
“Okay, listen-,” Norman placed a hand on my shoulder, his voice softening, “I’ll go talk to Emmet, our walking encyclopedia, see if he knows anything useful.” He paused, meeting my eyes to make sure I was actually paying attention.
“And in the meantime, make sure you two stay here and don’t breathe a word of this to anyone,” he pointed at Maximus, then gave my shoulder a reassuring pat. It was clear he wasn’t going to let me go through with my plan, which is why I stopped pushing.
“Okay?” Norman asked again, stepping back to look at both of us, gauging our reactions.
“Okay, I guess,” I mumbled, barely audible. Norman continued walking backward, maintaining eye contact with me until he finally broke it, turning to glance at Maximus.
“Maximus, come with me for a moment,” he gestured at him, then turned and headed out. Helanie was still sound asleep, looking as if she was caught in a peaceful dream.
As they walked away, I clutched the brown envelope tightly in my hand. Inside, there was one more rose. I knew Norman was giving Maximus instructions to keep an eye on me, to make sure I didn’t do anything reckless. After their conversation, Maximus returned while Norman disappeared out of the garage.
“Okay, let’s wait for Norman. How about I pour you some wine? It’ll help you relax a little,” Maximus said, walking over to a chair in the corner after grabbing a bottle of wine and two glasses in his other hand, patting the empty seat next to him. But I had already made up my mind.
“I’m doing it,” I declared, without hesitation.
Kaye:
I knew I had to repeat myself, even louder this time, and explain to my brother the plan that had been brewing in my mind all along.
“I’m going into the Dream Prison,” I repeated, noticing how clueless my brother seemed.
“Huh?” He tilted his head, slowly standing up and setting the bottle and glasses aside as he walked toward me again. I knew he would try to stop me, but I was determined to go through with it.
It was my responsibility to keep these cursed roses away from my people, and instead, I had failed miserably.
“I’m doing it,” I said more firmly this time. He shook his head in response, his expression hardening.
“You’ve lost your mind. I won’t allow this. Norman trusted me with this duty. He knew the moment he left, you’d try to convince me too. So no! I’m not letting it happen,” he said sternly, coming closer, standing right in front of me as if daring me to try and head toward the bed to begin the dream-travel process.
“Maximus! If you respect my decision, you’ll let me do this. I need to go in there and bring her out-” I was tired of the back-and-forth. I was an adult capable of making my own choices. The mere thought of someone suffering because of me was unbearable. How on earth did Norman expect me to go on living as if nothing had happened?
“No! Are you serious? You don’t even know how it works,” Maximus argued, standing so close as if to block any attempt I might make to lie down. Then his eyes fell on the envelope I was holding, and he realized what he had to stop me.
He tried to snatch the envelope from my hand, but I quickly hid it behind my back. I needed to speak to him first.
“I know how to get in there and bring someone out, okay?” The moment I said it, his jaw dropped.
“Then why have you never brought anyone out before?” he asked, genuinely curious. He knew how protective I was of these victims-whether from herbs, cursed plants, or otherwise. It made sense that I’d have jumped in to save them if I could.
“Because they didn’t have their roses with them when they were taken. She does. She has her rose, and I’ll have mine in hand. I just need you to keep an eye on us and make sure no one steals the roses,” I said confidently, even though deep down, I wasn’t entirely sure how I’d manage to rescue her. All I had was what I’d read in the old texts.
“First, explain how!” he insisted, ready to seize the envelope if I didn’t start talking.
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