The Dream Walker

Chapter One

My name is Catie Elizabeth Quinn. I'm twenty-one years old, I live in Sundown, Missouri, and I'm pretty sure I'm crazy. Everyone says so. My father and stepmother even sent to live in a psychiatric hospital when I was thirteen because I kept believing that my dreams were a reality. My father was against it saying that I was, but my stepmother made a very convincing case. My older stepsisters, Daisy and Adaya, are the only people who visit me. I'm pretty sure they think I'm crazy too, even though they deny it. My father came of course in the beginning, but my stepmother forbade him from going. At the hospital, I share a room with a schizophrenic named Jade who spoke about nothing except fairies, talking animals, a handsome prince, and both good and dark magic. All things that didn't exist. But, I still listened to her every time she spoke of these things to at least try to get her perspective on things. After all, this was her reality. She's the only person I actually like about this place. Unfortunately, this is the last day I will be seeing her. Today is the day I get to leave! As of right now, I am packing up my things into a bag my stepsister Adaya had brought for me the day before. I didn't have much except for the few clothes they let me have which consisted of a few short sleeve shirts and thigh length shorts. These were the only types of clothes anyone in the hospital was allowed to have so that if we hurt ourselves it was evident. I heard a knock on the door and my roommate, Olivia, screamed and ran up behind me and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Ol, why are you hiding?" I asked her. "It's the monster! It's coming," she whispered. "Olivia, there is no monster," I said trying to calm her. "Yes, there is. You're going to protect us," she said slowly. I gave her a curious look. "Who's 'us'?" Before she could answer me, a man in a plain white doctors outfits came into the room followed by two nurses.

"Ms. Quinn, are you ready?" the man asked.

"Yes, sir," I said happily as I patted my bag. He smiled and then escorted me out of the room, alongside the nurses, and down to the psychiatrist's office. It's mandatory for anyone getting released to get a psych evaluation before leaving the facility. When we got there, I saw that my father and stepmother had gotten here before me. I would have much rather it have been just my father, but oh well. I sat in the seat between the two just as the psychiatrist cleared his throat and pulled out my file.

"All right, Ms. Quinn. I just have a few questions for you then you are able to go home." I nodded at him slowly. He smiled kindly at me and I smiled back at him.

"Well then, let's get started, shall we? When you were admitted here as a child, you came here with the delusion that you were, in fact, a princess from a far-off land and were convinced that there was this darkness coming for you. Do you still believe this to be true?"

"No, sir. I have much changed since then. What I used to believe when I was a child is what I now know to be an illusion that I had experienced. I was very sick and needed much help and thankfully I got that here." I answered.

"Excellent. Also, when you came here you would get terrible night terrors about said "darkness" and you were believed to be a danger to yourself during these. Do you still experience these night terrors?" he asked looking through his chart before looking back at me.

"I would be lying if I said no. I do get them from time-to-time however they aren't anything that I can't handle and they are rare thanks to the medications I was given. Like I said, I was very sick when I came here and I am thankful I got the help I so desperately needed." He nodded and put a pill bottle that I was all-to-familiar-with in front of me.

"Excellent. Take these once every day before you go to bed to prevent the nightmares from happening and never take them on an empty stomach. And as far as I know, you are in perfect health and are free to go." he said smiling. I nodded. My father and stepmother had already stood up and were at the door as I was beginning to stand as well. Before I could reach my parents, the psychiatrist grabbed my wrist causing me to turn around.

"Take these with caution, Ms. Quinn," he warned, worry filling his eyes. A sort of look that always made me feel uneasy.

"I will. I promise." I responded calmly. He nodded and let go of my wrist. I reached my parents and we left. The car ride itself was rather silent, as were we until my father had spoken up. "We left your room just as it was when you left and we made all your old favorites for dinner." my father said looking at me through the rearview mirror with a smile on his face. My stepmother stayed silent causing my father to let out a somewhat quiet sigh. "Everyone is excited to see you. Especially Bruno." Bruno was a dog my real mother had given me for my sixth birthday months before she died. My father was understandably devastated, as was I. Then a year later he met my now stepmother Theresa and my two stepsisters. I never minded having Theresa as a stepmother since she was giving me two new sisters, which was something I had always wanted, and she made my father happy, though not as happy as my mother had made him. That was before she took down every memory of my mom, tried to lose Bruno, made us move to a new house, and sent me to the nuthouse just for having a childhood fantasy. When we got to the house, everything was how it was when I got sent away.

"Nothing's changed," I said trying to break the already awkward moment. Before anyone could respond, I heard what sounded like something skidding across the floor. When I turned around, I saw Bruno running excitedly towards me. Before he reached me, I knelt to his height which led to him tackling me to the ground and lick my face repeatedly. I laughed the entire time. I heard someone sigh, and based off of how judgemental it sounded I could only guess it was my stepmother. Once I was able to get Bruno off of me, I sat up to see that Theresa putting her phone in her pocket and turn to face my father. "The girls are almost here. I better make this place look halfway presentable," she muttered before walking off. I got up and walked towards my father. "What crawled up her ass and died?" I asked as we watched my stepmothers retreating figure. "She's just getting used to you being back. We all are, sweetheart."