The Rose Diaries Ch. 06

"I know!" She said with a cheery smile. "But it's fun to dream isn't it?" She closed her eyes. He felt faint again, the world grew hot, and his head hit the pillow as a wave of lethargy overtook him.

Sleep was different this time. The streets of Glendale opened up before him. He was dreaming? He floated down to the park once more. He walked the verdant grounds from the bus stop where he got off to the fountain in the center dedicated to fallen heroes who once lived here. As he tried to look around, he couldn't focus on anything aside from the lone bathroom the girl had taken him to. The people had no faces yet spoke and cheered all the same. The animals were constant blurs of motions never stopping to reveal their wild forms. The buildings had a fuzzy sheen that kept him from reading anything. He shook his head as he tried in vain to focus.

This was his dream! He was in control! He imagined everything fading into view, but nothing worked. Why couldn't he control his own mind? Peter's mind rebelled against his every whim forcing him little by little to walk the same path he had done so long ago.

"So, you work at an electronics store?" A lithe pale girl said with her arms behind her back. Her name was Alice though he knew her by her online handle as BattyBrat. She wore a long black dress with a folded white collar. He remembered her ruby lips adorned with two twin rings and how she held a black parasol in the spring sun to hide herself rom the sun's rays.

"Yeah. Sparky's Electronics." He heard himself answer. He faded into view next to her as they walked past a row of trees. A group of scattered children were playing some kind of game. Their parents watched from nearby.

"Wouldn't have pegged you for a customer service type." She laughed. She was absolutely enchanting. He couldn't believe that he had a chance at having a quintessential goth girlfriend.

"What can I say, I live to please." He grinned as she laughed again. "How about you? What do you do?"

"Oh, I collect interesting boys to put on display in a macabre exhibit of human nature." She flashed him a white smile. It was a bit of dark humor. Nothing he couldn't handle.

"So, you're serial killer?"

"Something like that. I'm an artist."

"Like you paint?" He said scratched the back of his head.

"Exactly. I paint beautiful oil pieces for a price."

"So, you paint macabre pieces of art. Can I see?" She shook her head.

"I don't photograph my work. You'll have to see it in person." They were so close to their final destination now. He remembered how excited he was to meet someone so interesting. But he knew the end result of all this deception. That somewhere nearby Marcela was orchestrating the creation of his nightmare.

The dream collapsed as they took their places before those horrid words. As quickly as it came he was shunted back into his cruel reality. As he slowly returned to his senses he heard something odd.

"Come back soon!"

*****

Preview of Chapter 7:

"For them it'll be soon. For you, it'll be awhile."

"You're the devil."

"You're avoiding Lavender."

"Did it have to be pink?"

Next time: Doll attends a Slumber Party!