Mr. Sandman (Chapter 6)
Summary: Felicity Burgess, the adopted daughter of Alex Burgess and Paul McGuire lived a sheltered life from the dark secret that lay beneath her feet. But what happens when that secret is now her's to keep? Will her love for her family keep her from doing the right thing or will Mr. Sandman bring her a dream worth sacrificing everything?
Chapter Triggers: Slight fluff and mild OOC Morpheus.
Click here for chapter 5
Wonderland's Workshop
She could not breath, the air within her lungs would not expand as if lodged in the deepest parts of her cavernous chest and would not release. She stumbled dizzily while being acutely aware of the atoms in her body being torn apart and then rearranging themselves like zaps of lightning sparking through her body; she almost feared that she would seize up with it's intensity. A strong lean arm covered in a black sleeve was quick as it caught the girl before she could stumble to the ground and kept her upright on her feet; pressing her up against a tall frame. Felicity's body shuddered at the contact and she blamed the reaction on the streaks that ran through her veins from the teleportation and not on the feeling of finally touching him. She squeezed her eyes closed feeling like vertigo would keel her over into the sand and she found some grounding measures as she pressed her face against a black-cloaked shoulder to regain her breathing and gather her boundaries. She was finding it hard to suck in the air reminding her of being on top of a mountain where the air was much thinner to take into human lungs. A pale hand rose to cup the back of her head calmly to keep her still against his shoulder and for a second Felicity felt safe; she forgot who held her and the thought that perhaps she shouldn't be holding let alone touching this being like this didn't even cross her mind at that moment. It never crossed her mind that this was the first time they had actually made contact since the moment they had met in the basement of her father's estate all those months ago that felt more like years. She also tried not to fall into the feeling of security the relief that flooded her made her feel. She could only imagine the feeling kin to having a long and hard day at work and falling into the most comfortable bed that waited for you at home; wrapped up in a warm fluffy comforter that could drown out the rest of the world around you. Of course, she didn't think that...not at all because there was no memory foam mattress and warm comforter that she fell into but the tall imposing figure of the creator of dreams and nightmares, and he had been imprisoned because of her family for over a century but yet, while her brain wanted to remind her of the cold hard facts of the short history between herself and Morpheus the feminine side of her preened at the feeling of finally being able to touch him after so long of a time craving the contact when he was imprisoned.
"I am sorry. It will take a moment for your body to acclimate to my realm's energy. It was not made for waking humans to enter outside of a dream." his voice was somewhere above her head but it felt as if they were speaking right near her ear with the richness that vibrated against her palm as it lay against the black T-shirt covering his chest.
Felicity managed a slight nod; cheek pressed against the fabric of his black jacket was oddly comforting against her skin. She tried not to think of the uniqueness of his scent with her being up close to him like this. Normal men in her world would smell of some sort of cheap cologne that made her nose hairs tingle or burn and even the expensive colognes gave her a headache. But Morpheus did not have that effect on her. There was something so natural but ethereal about it. There was no actual scent that she could place exactly but the only thing that she could think of a way to describe it in any sort of complexity was...he smelt like a nostalgic memory. Something so happy but bittersweet because it was something you could never have but could always cherish. To Felicity. She couldn't help but think of home. Of safety. Of being complete.
"I'm okay." her voice was soft as she finally peeled her eyes open and slowly withdrew from the confinements of his arms. "I'm alright."
Her green eyes slowly lifted from his black shirt up his alabaster neck and grazed along his sharp jawline before settling on his lips. She blinked realizing she was staring and quickly pushed away completely ignoring the briefest of looks that crossed the dream king's face as she pulled away from him. She spun around looking around her with an awed look.
"What is that? That's not a sky...are we in space?" she pointed up at the beautiful cloudy space above them and looked like the spans of a cosmos swirling and drifting above their heads.
"In a way. We are in a different realm entirely, after all. Things in this world may not make sense to you nor will they follow the laws of your world." Morpheus replied slowly turning around to look around him.
Felicity looked over at him and smiled; the glow of the unnatural cosmetic sky above them made his features look so heavenly. He was beautiful in person in the waking world but there was just something different with him being in his own realm. As if he could not be touched.
"So, tell me Morpheus, you created all of this, yeah?" the redheaded female sidled up to him as he began to walk; leading them in a direction she did not know.
"I did."
"What gave you the inspiration though? Does the king of dreams have dreams of his own?" she asked staring down at her feet as her boots skimmed along the dark sand.
"Every living being has a dream of some kind," Morpheus replied but he never truly answered her question and she peered up at him with a squinting stare.
She was going to call him out on that vague reply but instead, she wasn't watching her feet; clumsy in the sand but even clumsier in boots as she tripped over a small dune she hadn't seen and she toppled forwards. Pale hands quickly surged forward to catch her but he didn't catch her in time before as his hands grasped hers the weight of her descent dragged him down into the sand with her.
She laughed. She couldn't help it. The blackened sand grains were warm beneath her as she lay there; one arm thrown over her eyes as laughter bubbled from her lips. Morpheus looked down at her confused; his body propped above hers by hands on either side of her head and knees bracketing her form. He did not find it funny but he could see the tint of pink on her cheeks beneath the bend of her arm as if she was embarrassed and he wondered what was wrong with her. He blinked as she withdrew her arm and he was momentarily stunned to see how she seemed to glow; had he ever seen her smile like that before? Had she ever smiled in his presence period?
"Are you alright?" he asked looking down at her with a tilted head and guarded eyes as if he was afraid she would do something unpredictable.
"Y-yes, I'm fine Morpheus, truly." Felicity breathed through a lasting giggle. "It's...been a while since I've found humor in anything," she confessed with a fond smile before her hand suddenly reached up to pat through the strands of spiky black hair dislodging black specks from the locks.
"You have sand in your hair mister sandman." she teased and Morpheus couldn't help the warmth that spread through his chest at the gesture.
He was a solitary creature; partly not by choice but partly out of force. He was not connected to humanity as he once was thanks to over a century worth of imprisonment that kept him from his duty so perhaps it was the way the human girl smiled up at him seemingly so relaxed within his presence or the way she seemed to glow in the colorful light of the cosmos above them but for a brief moment, the king of dreams felt at peace and he was reminded of that feeling back in the Burgess mansion when he had first laid eyes on her; the feeling of need to reach out and protect her. But this was Morpheus, he was never good with words let alone the lives of humans; he never understood them. He left that job up to Death.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" her head tilted when she noticed the way his blue eyes bore into her
"You are a complex creature Felicity Burgess." the man rose from his position and held out a hand to her to help her up.
"Complex creature? Well, that's one way to put a girl at ease Morpheus, you should really brush up on your terms of endearment." Felicity chided playfully as she bumped her shoulder with his as he began to lead her once more through the sand for a destination she was not yet aware of.
The man did not say anything else as they walked in comfortable silence. As they strolled along Felicity took in everything her eyes could. This world was so pretty; pretty much like a dream which all things considered was. It was Morpheus's world and for a moment in time, Felicity wondered if she would be able to visit again after today. Would Morpheus take this as an act of thanks for saving him from his imprisonment and then ditch her afterward?
"There is someone I'd like you to meet." A hand pressed to the small of her back regaining her attention
She looked ahead realizing that they were not standing in a large desert space on a dune. Here, the place was sullen and dreary looking. Ahead a huge...massive... colossal-sized gate decorated with all sorts of carvings in the large doors spread ahead of them. For a moment Felicity wondered if the gates of ivory that she saw would ever end the more she gazed one way and the other. But it was not the gate that he was attempting to draw her attention to but rather the figure who was walking up the path towards them.
At first, Felicity thought it was a small man until the figure got closer to reveal a beautiful woman of what Felicity could only assume was of African-American descent with rich dark skin that gleamed with a smooth polish. Her head was buzzed and her ears were..small but pointed at the ends like a little elf which made Felicity smile. Thin-rimmed glasses perched on the other's nose as the newcomer peered over the rims at the pair with a look of surprise and caution as she stood with hands clasped behind her back.
It did not go lost on the young woman that the other was dressed in an old Victorian long-tailed waist coast and suit to match. She wondered what that was all about but she did not get a choice in the matter as Morpheus held his hand out slightly in the other's direction.
"Lucienne." his rich voice spoke formally as he regained her attention. "This is Felicity Burgess. She is my guest."
That seemed to surprise the woman, Lucienne, even more as if guests were not common within the Dreaming. Not wanting to be rude the girl stuck her hand out with a beaming smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Lucienne!" she told her "This is also my first time in the..." she lifted her gaze to Morpheus as if asking for help.
"Felicity is from the waking world. She has never visited the Dreaming before." The dream king stated
Lucienne's brows rose sharply "Sir, no waking soul has ever-" she began but as the man's gaze turned to her, her words died away and she cleared her throat.
"It has never happened before. But you are a guest of my lords so thus you are a gust of ours. Please, let me show you around." Lucienne held her hand out towards the gates. "If my lord permits it of course," she added quickly
"Please do. I have matters I need to attend to first before I join you." Morpheus did not follow when Felicity began following Lucienne
"You're not going to abandon me in your realm are you, my lord?" Felicity teased over her shoulder.
Her lilted tone brought a slight smile to the man's face as he watched her walk with his librarian. "I would not dream of it, Ms. Burgess."
~
"So you're the librarian of the dream world? That sounds like a heavy load on your shoulders." Felicity strolled along the aisles of the library; lightly gracing her fingers along the spines of the books on the shelves.
"Yes, that is correct. There is nothing about the waking world or of the Dreaming that I do not know or have cataloged here in this library." the woman jotted something down on a ledger book she held as she walked along the rows of books.
The red-headed girl hummed thoughtfully. "So you know about me? Or have something about me in a book here?"
"If you dream my dear, then yes."
"What if I don't dream?" the librarian paused and looked over her thin-rimmed metal glasses at her.
"What do you mean child?"
Feeling a bit embarrassed Felicity shrugged it off. "Oh, nothing. Don't think much of it. So, when's Morpheus coming back? It's been a while, hasn't it? Or does like...time move differently here?" she questioned frowning
"Time has no concept here Ms. Burgess." there it was again. That little tick in the librarian's voice that Felicity had been picking up on every rare time that she would say her last name
Had she known all about what happened to Morpheus and who imprisoned him? Did she hold contempt for Felicity despite the only thing tying her to the crime against her master was a simple name?
"You look stressed, are you feeling well?" Felicity jolted where she stood to see the librarian standing a few feet from her watching with keen eyes.
"I'm fine...Just tired." the girl placed a smile on her face despite it wholely being fake.
"If you need rest, please allow me to show you to one of our rooms. Lord Morpheus does not get guests very often but I will not assume he would mind it if you took some rest. It could be some time until he returns." Lucienne offered; it sounded like a kind offer so Felicity chose to take it.
She was tired; whether from simply being awake for an unknown amount of hours since she never got sleep after she got home. Or from her body draining itself from the realm of the Dreaming that she was not used to. Could one even sleep inside the Dreaming? She was about to find out. She allowed Lucienne to lead her through the large castle where Morpheus resided. She gazed around thinking that this place was something beautiful and magnificent once upon a time but most of which was in shambles thanks to its creator being gone for over a century. She could understand wanting to rebuild this grand city. From what Felicity was told, most of the attendees and residents of the Dreaming had left either thinking Morpheus abandoned them or others went in search of him.
It was sad really and she understood now why the lord of dreams was so adamant about finding his tools to rebuild his grand kingdom. She was shown to a room in the less destroyed part of the castle. Granted, it was still pretty rundown but it was much better in comparison to the other rooms. It had a bed and the weather was nice so she did not have to worry about being rained on even with a collapsed roof. She could see the stars above her; whole constellations and clouds of gasses, twinkling planets, and portals to different dimensions above her head. So she did not mind it as she lay on the large bed staring up at the sky through the broken ceiling. Even as she lay there she could not go to sleep instead, she just wondered until her eyes fluttered closed and her mind went blank.
Unknown to her as she rested in the guest wing. Lucienne the librarian was searching with haste through her library for a book that would tell all about the mysterious waking girl that resided within the Dreaming. But her findings came up short because she realized. According to the universe and its secrets that lay within the pages of every living human being awake and in the dreaming... Felicity Burgess did not exist.
~
She did not know how long she lay there. Dreaming or not dreaming. Simply lying with her eyes closed. The energy here in the Dreaming world was much different than that of the waking world. It held the energy and power that thrummed through her body that she had not felt since she had first been drawn to her basement door where Morpheus had been once imprisoned. But it was much more potent now that she was in the source. She could also ever say that Morpheus's presence was a lot more tangible and powerful than it had been before but that was a given since he is back where he belonged. With the pouch of sand that he has finally reclaimed he still has a lot of work to do to get back his helm of state and his ruby before the Dreaming could be back to it's normal glorious state.
Felicity hummed softly and rolled to her side; feeling as if she was being watched. She'd expected to see Matthew perched somewhere within the room but instead her eyes met a very troubled looking Morpheus standing in the shadows of the room. She startled and half rose to sit up.
"Morpheus? I didn't know you were back! how long have I been out?" she asked looking around as if she was trying to find a clock or something out of habit.
The lord of dreams did not say anything at first as his eyes, dark and lit with starlight in the shadows gazed at her. Although his face was passive and did not give away what he was feeling. There was something about the clench of his jaw and the way his eyes bore into her from afar that gave her the feeling that perhaps he was not happy with something. She could not help the shudder that raced down her spine as a fleeting thought crossed her mind that perhaps he wasn't happy with her.
"I have known Lucienne for centuries. She has never once lied to me and I in turn have always placed my trust in her abilities." the words were spoke low and measured as one black boot took a step closer to her.
"W-well yes, I would think so. She seems like a very knowledgeable and trustworthy person...What's all this about? Did something happen?" she rose from her resting place
"Who are you?" the question came a little harsher than probably intended and it made her look at him strangely.
"What are you talking about Morpheus? I'm Felicity, have you already forgotten?" she teased trying to keep the air that was starting to feel tight in her throat from suffocating her by breaking it was a jest.
"The library holds every single whole of those who dream. From those in the Dreaming and those in the Waking world."
"Yes, I know. Lucienne already explained it." Felicity raised a brow forcing a tight smile. "What's the matter with that?"
"I will ask you again. Who are you?" He stood right in front of her now staring down like a tall shadow; his black robe fluttering like smoke around his feet and for a good second, Felicity realized why he was called the king of dreams and ruler of the nightmare realms.
"Morpheus...I-I don't understand your question..." she swallowed thickly; her voice sounding weak even in her own ears. "You're scaring me." she whispered taking a step back until the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed and she was forced to sit. The dream king himself still inches from her never giving her room to breathe as he glared down at her.
With a voice so dark that her blood went cold and her vision dizzy he spoke "There is no book of a Felicity Burgess in the Library of Dreams."
"W-what are you saying Morpheus?" her voice quivered as she stared up with misty eyes feeling her heart beating like a trapped and scared rabbit in her chest.
He leaned down until they were eye to eye. "Felicity Burgess does not exist."
Click here for chapter 7
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