36. P̶ O̶ W̶ E̶ R̶ :̶ D̶r̶e̶a̶m̶s̶ | Blacksdale

CHAPTER VI

"Oohhh..."

Cameron winced as light streamed through her eyelids, forcing her out of her sleep. "Wh... whuh?" she mumbled, trying to get a better look at her surroundings.

She appeared to be in a house—one that was not her own. It was sparsely decorated, and appeared to be completely empty.

Cameron sat up slowly, rubbing her head in confusion. "Where am I?" she whispered, looking around through eyes weighed down by sleep.

"Blacksdale."

"AH!" Cameron jumped clear out of the recliner in which she'd been resting, staring with wide eyes at the person who'd spoken.

It was a woman—maybe around Cameron's age, but smaller. She wore a black pantsuit with a white dress shirt underneath, as well as a pair of round glasses that made her eyes seem much bigger than they actually were. Her hair was back in a professional-looking ponytail, and her expression appeared to be a strange mix of curiosity, fascination, and—in an undertone—jealousy.

Cameron blinked rapidly, continuing to stare at the woman. "...Blacksdale?" she repeated at last, her voice cracking slightly.

"Yes. Blacksdale," the woman confirmed. "You landed last night, but fainted after seeing Zechariah."

"...Zechariah," Cameron echoed, clearly not understanding.

"He brought you here," the woman went on. "This is your new house."

Cameron squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her face. "I—I'm sorry," she said, holding up her other hand, "but I'm not following you right now. I've got a splitting headache, and..." She trailed off, sighing and falling back into the recliner.

The woman calmly walked over to Cameron and sat down on a chair directly in front of her. "You've been asleep for several hours, Cameron," she said in a gentle voice. "Do you remember anything from last night?"

Cameron scrunched up her face. "I... I think I had a dream," she answered uncertainly. "There was... a fox. And... a giant... cheetah?" She shuddered, adding, "It was creepy. I have a really bad case of zoophobia, so I guess it was more of a nightmare."

Mallory smiled a little at that. "No," she replied.

Cameron stared at her blankly. "'No'? What do you mean, 'no'?" she asked with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I think you can figure that out on your own."

Cameron fell silent again.

Then she squeaked, "What?"

Hearing the absolute terror in her voice, Mallory laughed. "Okay, let me guess: no one told you," she remarked with an amused grin.

"Told me WHAT?!" Cameron cried, lunging forward and grabbing Mallory by the lapels. "Where the heck am I?!"

The grin remained on Mallory's face, and strangely, her eyes seemed to light up at Cameron's reaction. "You're in Blacksdale, Cameron," she responded in an odd, eager whisper. "A world full of talking animals and mythical creatures."

Cameron blanched.

"Don't faint again," Mallory advised her.

~*~

Zechariah stared at Cameron intensely.

The pale, shaking woman stood before the cheetah's desk, her knees wobbling and eyes wide as she looked up at him.