Nathan raised his hands as he looked over at Sophie. Sophie looked from him to the man behind him as the man pulled a walkie-talkie up to his mouth.

  “Kavi, I’ve located the targets. Can you see us?” He asked. There was a moment of silence before a voice spoke up from the other end.

  “I can see you, and am covering you, Cole.” a woman’s voice that Sophie assumed was Kavi said. Cole looked over at Sophie.

  “I’m going to need you to put the stuffed donkey down.” He ordered, “and come quietly.”

  Nathan spun around, smacking Cole’s gun away from him and shoving him back. He ducked as a bullet whizzed past his head, just nicking his ear a bit as he did so.

  “Sophie, get out of here!” Nathan shouted as he tackled Cole to the ground attempting to get out of Kavi’s range. Sophie could hear Kavi trying to call Cole on the walkie-talkie, so she assumed that he had been successful. Sophie looked around then back to Nathan.

  “Nathan, I’m not leaving you!” She shouted back. Nathan shook his head.

  “Get the others and run, quickly. I’ll be fine, just go!” Nathan shouted again. Sophie looked around, noticing the bullets had stopped once Nathan was out of range. Sophie attempted to step forward but found Eeyore pulling on her jacket.

  “We’d better go” Eeyore said. Sophie looked back to Nathan as he fought with Cole. She crouched down.

  “You guys get out of here. Get inside and stay safe” she said, then turned back around and ducked under some bushes and began to shout wildly, making more noise than there was before. Eeyore, Pooh, and Piglet ran out of the woods and towards their homes as the ground began to shake. Cole and Nathan froze.

  “What’s that?” Cole asked. Nathan grimaced.

  “Kid’s having a nightmare about the heffalump” Nathan stated. Cole made a face.

  “Fuck.” He said, then pulled out his walkie talkie.

  "Kavi, we need to leave. Can you hear me?" Cole shouted into the speaker. He and Kavi were having some sort of argument about the current predicament. Sophie looked over at Nathan who grabbed her hand as the group was now running, with no physical sign of the one known as Kavi.

  "Sophie, everything's going to be fine, alright?" Nathan asked as the group made a b-line for the door. Sophie nodded, but her moment of comfort at seeing that the door was so close was turned to sick horror as she felt the ground beneath her open up and her hand slip from Nathan's. Nathan spun around to see Sophie falling into a dark pit which was now sealing up.

  "Sophie!" He shouted, trying to run in after her. He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

  "You. There's nothing we can do. This dream has been taken over by nightmares, it's likely the original dreamer is no longer even here." Cole stated. Nathan shook his head.

  "We have to go find her." Nathan begged, "where do those holes let out?"

  Cole let out a heavy sigh.

  "Like I said. There's nothing we can do. No one who's fallen through those holes have ever returned to our world."

  When Sophie finally came to, she was confused as to what was going on. She was in darkness, and it felt as though she was falling, but it was hard to tell when everything around you was darkness. She looked up. Darkness. She looked from side to side. Darkness. Even beneath her there was no sign that there was anything but darkness. Sophie let out a sigh.

  "Perhaps this was a bad idea." She said softly.

  "Perhaps, but then you just would have been trapped forever." Cheshire retorted. Sophie nodded.

  "Yes, you're right... wait. How can I see you right now... or myself for that matter?" She asked. Cheshire sighed, unwrapping himself from her neck and choosing to fall next to her.

  "Because we're getting closer to the nightmare realm. And only nightmares can hide in the darkness here. Human souls will glow down here as a way to guide them, though nightmares tend to use the light to track the human souls." Cheshire expined. Sophie frowned.

  "So, are you saying there's really not much of a benefit to me glowing at the moment?" She asked. Cheshire shrugged.

  "No, not really. But we have more important things to worry about." He growled.

  "It's very true, you don't want to end up someone's dinner!" A voice chirped. Sophie whipped her head to the side to see a girl floating alongside them, grinning away. She had short, curly purple hair and dark skin. Vibrant almond green eyes perfectly accented her face, though two rge pink and blue ears were sprouting from her head. Her puffy pink dress gently wafted in the wind. Cheshire also looked as though he was at a loss for words.

  "I'm terribly sorry, we haven't been introduced, have we? Well, we have but I’m certain you'd never recall" The girl excimed, giggling as she did so. Sophie held out a hand.

  "Sophie Paterson." She stated.

  "Oh, I do know that." The girl remarked but shook Sophie’s hand anyways. There was an awkward pause.

  "And your name is...?" Sophie asked. The girl paused for a moment before letting out a cackle of ughter.

  "Well, isn't that the question of the day!" She retorted. Sophie and Cheshire exchanged gnces.

  "Are you here to help me or not?" Sophie growled. The girl thought for a moment.

  "Not. I'm here to have fun really." The girl replied, her words almost sounding a little harsh compared to the tone she was taking earlier. Sophie frowned.

  "Then we clearly have nothing to talk about here." Sophie retorted, folding her arms. The girl raised her arms in a defensive manner.

  "Touchy, touchy! Fine then, miss Sophie. If you insist." She said, slowly vanishing. Soon, nothing was left but her vibrant green eyes and rge grin, "But don't come crying when you see the true horrors of what y down there."

  And with that she was gone.

  "Can't even come up with any original tricks, can she?" Cheshire scoffed. Sophie frowned again, looking at the space where the girl once was. If it wasn't for Cheshire, she wouldn't have believed the girl was even there.

  "Curiouser and curiouser..." Sophie found herself muttering from a ck of words to say.

  "Sophie, pay attention. We're beginning to nd." Cheshire suddenly stated, snapping Sophie back to reality... or ck thereof. It was then when Sophie noticed that there were very dim blue lights passing them as they grew closer and closer to what appeared to be the bottom of the rabbit hole. There was no sign of the earlier pristine doors anymore, just dark, rotting doors lined the way down. Sophie looked over at Cheshire who seemed focused on what was awaiting them beneath their feet. She shifted her focus to the darkness. One thing you will find, is that when you are in the dark for a while you start to see things their way. And this was just what Sophie was beginning to do. Her eyes were adjusting enough that she could see buildings beneath her. The ndscape almost looked like a ghost town. She gnced over at Cheshire again. She assumed he would have a better time with it as he appeared to be a cat... at least Sophie was fairly certain that there was a bit of cat in him at least. He also seemed to be having a better time with it as he could see where they were going to begin with. He gnced back at her.

  "Sophie, when we touch down, we're going to need to figure out how to get back as soon as possible," He expined, "Trust me when I say that you don’t want to be down there any longer than you need to be."

  Sophie felt her blood run cold as she tried to imagine what Cheshire could be talking about. She then decided some things are best not thought about as her feet suddenly came in contact with what felt like grass beneath her boots. Cheshire leaped back up onto Sophie's shoulders.

  "With me around your neck, it will allow you to see better in the dark. We will need to do something about your light however... Ah look Sophie! Over there!" Cheshire suddenly excimed, pointing one paw in the direction of a rundown house. Now that Sophie could see, she could spot the dark fabric strewn across the front steps of the house.

  "Quickly, throw that over your head. Wearing a garment of the Nightmare realm will make it so that your light won't show. Quickly, quickly now Sophie!" Cheshire said, sounding a bit more frantic this time. Sophie dashed over and slipped it over her shoulders. Suddenly, she couldn't see her own light anymore, which drew more attention to the ndscape around her. She gulped. It really looked like a ghost town now. She didn't see anyone in the immediate area, and all she could hear was silence. The faint scent of rotting wood filled her nostrils as well as the scent of something... burning perhaps? Sophie couldn't quite put her finger on it. She could see figures moving in the distance, but there wasn't much sound to the pce.

  "Sophie. Now's not the time to take in the scenery. We need to move quickly." Cheshire growled. Sophie nodded, walking carefully forward, trying very hard not to draw any attention to herself.

  "Cheshire, do you know where we need to look?" She asked. Cheshire cleared his throat.

  "Unfortunately, no. I'm from the dream world, so we don't tend to venture down here." Cheshire said, "But if I sense anything from the rabbit hole, I'll be able to tell you."

  Sophie nodded as she continued walking down the path, closer and closer to the figures. She could feel her heartbeat quickening and willed it to grow quiet. As she grew closer, she began to make out the figures of the creatures. They looked almost like... a dog of some sort. Large dogs with pointed ears and bushy tales, though their bodies seemed to be made of thick, bck smoke. Their eyes glowed unusual colours as they turned to look at her, sniffing the air as she was close enough to them to pass through them.

  "Smells... strange" one muttered. Sophie felt her heartbeat quicken once again as she held her breath, trying to act normal. She gnced down at the dog-creatures whose mouths could now be seen growing into rge, twisted grins as they barred their fangs.

  "It smells like... fear." Another growled. When they spoke, their mouths did not seem to move, which was odd, but hardly something that Sophie needed to concern herself with. She could now hear them growling close behind her as they trailed, following her along.

  "Come, come little one. Don't be afraid" one of the creatures said, its voice sounding sickeningly sweet. Cheshire tapped her chest quickly.

  "Sophie. Run now." Cheshire snarled. Before Sophie could argue, she felt one of the creatures’ lunge at her and tear away her cloak. Sophie screamed and bolted, trying to escape the sickening howls behind her. They sounded like a dog and yet... not. She felt chills run down her spine. She could tell they were following her and that she wouldn’t be able to evade them forever. They must have been toying with her because any normal dog would have caught up to her at this point. She needed a pce to hide, and fast. She flung open one of the doors to a run-down, decrepit building and quickly ducked behind some boxes. She heard the creatures burst in behind her, looking around. They suddenly transformed into human shapes.

  "She's gone." One stated. Another shrugged.

  "It's a shame. She smelled so good. But it can't be helped. We’ll find her eventually.” It snarled as they both exited the house. Sophie sat there for what felt like forever before Cheshire finally spoke.

  “I don’t smell those beasts anymore. I think you’re safe…” Cheshire murmured. Sophie nodded as she very carefully and quietly pulled herself back up. Stepping slowly as to not alert anyone, she cautiously crept towards the door and opened it a crack. She peeked out at the world. It was eerily silent as she surveyed the dark ndscape. She held her breath as she opened the door and stepped back out into the world. Cheshire looked around her at the world, sniffing as he did so. There was no sound. Not a breeze through the trees, not a rustle or the sound of anyone walking along the cobblestones. Just… silence. Sophie felt a shiver run down her spine as the two of them quietly walked out further away from the clearly abandoned building as she headed down the path. Cheshire’s fur was puffed up as he sniffed the air frantically.

  “How is it so hard to smell those things around here?” He hissed.

  “Because this isn’t your world Dream Faye.” A voice stated behind the two of them. Cheshire practically fell off Sophie’s shoulders as he suddenly puffed his entire body up as his middle rose. Sophie jumped and spun around to face the mysterious speaker as she raised a hand to hold Cheshire up on her shoulders. Behind her stood a thin, sickly-looking hound with deep, glowing purple eyes. The hound bowed its head.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one of you, Dreamer.” The hound said softly. It had a distinctly feminine sounding voice, almost melodic. Sophie stood there as Cheshire spat at the hound.

  “Sophie, what are you doing? Run!” He hissed. Sophie frowned, staring into the hound’s eyes. It suddenly transformed. Before her stood a being with dark skin, almost as dark as the world around them. They had long dark hair and still kept their dark purple eyes, but they were surrounded by bck, rather than whites that a human would have had, and their pupils were bck slits. For clothing, they seemed to be dressed in dark rags and a cloak simir to the one Sophie had found when she arrived. Sophie paused as her eyes rested on the cloak.

  “You. You left the cloak for us.” She said. The Nightmare Faye smiled as it nodded.

  “Yes. That was me” The melodic voice spoke, “I had to try to protect you somehow, Dreamer, though it seemed that my pn did not work well enough. Please try to have a little more self-preservation next time. In this world you do have to keep your wits about you… especially since he took over.”

  “Who is he?” Sophie asked. The Nightmare Faye shuddered.

  “I dare not speak his name or he may appear. You know what they say,” The Nightmare Faye stated, smirking a bit, “But if you continue the way you’re going, you may run into him,” The faye paused, their smirk spreading into a jagged-toothed grin, “and all of his followers who have no qualms with devouring human souls.”

  Sophie felt all of her hair stand on end as Cheshire suddenly spoke up.

  “If you’re here just to make fun, then you can just leave.” He snarled. The nightmare faye suddenly turned into the hound form again, turning to go off the path.

  “There’s another way to get home. But it involves sneaking around the back way.” They stated, beginning to dash away from them. Sophie and Cheshire exchanged gnces but didn’t move from their spot. The hound returned after a few moments.

  “Well? Are you coming?” It asked. Cheshire rolled his eyes.

  “Why should we follow you? How do we not know you’re working for the Ja-“ Cheshire began but the Nightmare Faye cut him off, transforming again and storming towards him angrily.

  “We don’t speak his name!” they roared, before rexing and letting out a sigh, “And you can trust me as I was once within her court. That’s why I appear this thin. I am a traitor to the ruler as I am still loyal to the Nightmare Goddess.”

  Cheshire suddenly rexed as Sophie gnced between the two of them. Cheshire nodded as if he understood before turning back to Sophie.

  “Nightmare Goddess?” She asked as Cheshire jumped back on her shoulders solemnly. The hound turned away as Sophie began to follow him.“I’ll expin on the way. We have to go through their Forest to leave this pce anyways.” The hound expined, heading towards a grove of trees that Sophie could see in the distance. Next to the forest she could see a rge wall that encircled a tall tower. She looked over at the hound as they walked.

  “What’s in that tower?” She asked suddenly. The hound gnced back at her.

  “Nothing you want to come in contact with, believe me.” They muttered, before continuing on. The group walked in silence for a moment before Sophie spoke up again.

  “Do you have a name?” She asked. The hound gnced over at Cheshire.

  “Does she always ask so many questions?” they asked. Cheshire smirked a bit.

  “Mm no. usually she asks more. You should consider yourself lucky, she seems to be at a loss for words today.” He scoffed. Sophie shot Cheshire a look, before turning back to the hound.

  “I apologize if I’ve disturbed you, dear hound. I shall keep all thoughts to myself from now on.” She said sarcastically. There was silence for a few moments.

  “My dy… she called me Isra.” They stated. Sophie smiled softly.

  “That’s a lovely name” She replied. The hound’s tail wagged slowly for just a few beats before they continued their walk in silence. Soon, they had begun to enter the trees. Sophie felt a sense of familiarity within this forest, yet she knew she had never been here before. After a few moments, Isra spoke up.

  “This Forest is a sort of marriage between the Dream Goddess and the Nightmare Goddess.” Isra expined. Sophie paused.

  “Dream Goddess?” She asked. Cheshire snorted.

  “Well, if there’s a Nightmare Goddess, there has to be a Dream Goddess, doesn’t there?” He asked. Sophie shrugged.

  “Well, yes. I suppose that does make sense.” She said. Isra suddenly transformed as they came to a clearing. Sophie’s eyes widened as she looked around. It looked so much like the forest in Marigold. There were even the smaller dream Faye running about and the swans swimming in the ke. Isra looked over at her.

  “No creature that intends to do harm, no matter what the harm may be, can enter here. That is how you know I will never do you any harm, Dreamer,” Isra expined, “I serve the true Nightmare Goddess, and her kin alone”

  Sophie looked back at Isra.

  “Her kin?” Sophie asked. Isra nodded.

  “The Nightmare Goddess has a child within your realm. One day they will return, and our world’s bance will return.” Isra expined, before continuing on along the edge of the ke.

  “Why can’t the Nightmare Goddess return herself?” She asked. Isra let out a sigh as they pced one hand on the surface of the water in the ke. Suddenly, ripples began to shoot out throughout the ke as stepping stones began to rise to the surface. In the middle of the ke, a small, stone building rose with an ornate stone door in the centre.

  “I apologize, dear Dreamer. I cannot continue this story for now. But perhaps if you return, I will finish my story.” They said softly, resting a hand on Sophie’s head. Sophie sighed.

  “I wish someone would just expin something to me and be straight forward about it.” Sophie grumbled. Isra smiled at her.

  “One day, things will make sense. But it’s hard with your current condition, I know.” Isra stated, before motioning towards the door.

  “You should go. But if you ever wish to return to this forest, find this door. It will take you back here. I will wait for your return” Isra said, bowing at her, “I anxiously wait the return of the Liddell bloodline.”

  Sophie stared at them bnkly for a moment before turning back towards the door and making her way across the stones. As she reached the door, she gnced back to see Isra back in their hound form, watching them from across the water. She smiled and waved before exiting through the door and into the rabbit hole. It seemed extremely bright now that she had just departed the nightmare realm. Cheshire looked up at her, then back down.

  “Cheshire. What did Isra mean by that?” Sophie asked. Cheshire’s hair puffed up as he looked at her.

  “Mean by what?” He replied as his fur began to rex again. Sophie looked down at him.

  “The Liddell bloodline?” She retorted. Cheshire looked away from her quickly.

  “Oh that? I wouldn’t think too much about anything a Nightmare Faye says. Especially one that seems to want you to return.” He stated. She sighed.

  “If you don’t want to talk about it now, that’s fine. But if it’s something regarding me, then I think I have the right to know” She replied. Cheshire frowned, lowering himself down on Sophie’s shoulder and ying down.

  “Trust me. It’s nothing you need to worry yourself with right now,” He promised, “Honestly, it’s probably best that you keep those questions out of your mouth for now. The less information they can find out, the better.”

  Sophie looked over at Cheshire, who gnced up at her sheepishly, as if he said something he shouldn’t have. She frowned again.

  “Cheshire. Who is ‘they’?” She asked. Cheshire shook his head.

  “The less you know, the better.” He stated before turning away. Seeing that she wasn’t going to get any more information from him, she began to ponder his and Isra’s words. Perhaps she would ask Nathan about it when she- That was right! Nathan was with the LDPD the st time she had seen him. She felt another chill run down her spine. Now she had to find him.