Nightmares Vs Magic

The woman, Claire, came seeking help with an issue that wasn't valid enough to report to the official police with, so she opted for Macabre House's services, at first for content but also for an issue she was now taking seriously. The reason for the sudden change in attitude? Some of the photos looked eerily familiar to one of the humanoid figures she sees in her black and white dreams.

But before getting to that case, Dove had some choice words for Joon, hiding it under a stoic expression as he and Annabelle came to the third floor to snatch her up along with Vernon for lunch. 

She nearly forgot those words she was planning to say as they all talked about a cafe that they could all walk to instead, meaning they'd have to pass by the nightmares hiding in plain sight whilst acting normal to the other people. 

"That one looks like if a Russian nesting doll mingled with flytrap appearances." Annabelle whispered as the group followed the route on the map of Joon's phone. 

They decided to pass the time walking by playing a not-so-normal version of "I spy" by describing what they see using only comparisons, no descriptive words, talking quietly of course so no passerby may hear. At least, most, some who purposefully listen in only have themselves to blame.

Annabelle had suggested the idea, noticing how Dove's eyes seemed to brighten up a bit at the idea and they had been enjoying their slow walk to play it. 

I have never been around other people who could see nightmares like me, and the rare times where I think I did find someone, they never felt the same way as me. (I really wasn't sure whether some were honest about their visions or not, some people were just genuinely trying to be edgy or think they were special, acting like one of those I-see-dead-people-kid impersonators.) I hardly ever got to talk about the things I saw with decent people.

We either didn't get along, they were in denial and never wanted to talk about it, pushing me away, or they just thought about their visions differently from me. Some thought they had superpowers- I avoided those people. Others had already been driven a bit insane from their visions, I guess they couldn't handle what they saw, so they were a bit unsafe to talk to, as I remember one getting sent to a straight up asylum. A place I wanted to avoid for I know if I thought my life was miserable then, a mental hospital or asylum certainly would've escalated that misery based on how they would diagnose me, the claustrophobia, and depending on the staff.

"I see one that looks like if raggedy Ann was stitched into the shape of an adult instead of a child, and like a scarecrow too."

"That's too common, because apparently we've all had a moment of seeing a doll nightmare roaming near us at some point." Joon said quietly as he stared at his phone screen while walking. 

As upset as she was still, Dove still held onto the back of his black athletics shirt like a leash, shifting him to move with her every so often or catching him in case he nearly trips. 

"Have any of you seen the one who looks like it has a potato sack for skin, and just moves like a zombie?" Dove whispered. 

They all hummed in response and thinking, before rapid firing apologies to some passerby who needed to walk past them, as they had been walking fairly slow so that Vernon can take his time to look at the plants and weeds that they passed by.

Some daisies and other tough flowers were growing in between the crack in the sidewalk, he thought they were nice and wanted to take some photos of them each time we passed one. I hope I'll remember to ask him to show me later.

"Do you mean the plastic mesh bags that we usually see at the grocery stores? Or the traditional burlap sacks made from jute?" He asked from behind them, eyes trained on a vine climbing up the brick wall of a building, like he was proud of it. 

"Jute fabric is much stronger and durable than the plastic mesh bags because they were spun into thick yarn from the fibers of jute plants, and they have less environmental impact than cotton, which requires more water and pesticides."

"The burlap sack, and they look like their faces were cut and then stitched on, like a poorly done mask with bulky costume."

Wait, did I ignore parts of what he was saying back there? Oh, shit I should've responded to that too. And he was behind all of us.

"Wait, do they have that body shape of that cream-colored, bloated women from that one movie- Oh! What was it called?" Annabelle snapped her fingers. 

"The one where a bunch of kids find a book of scary stories that slowly start coming true? Yeah, now that you bring it up, they do usually look like a more boogeyman version of her."

"I think I saw one like what you're describing, once when I was visiting some relatives in Ireland, but that was years ago. I remember no one believing me, and that guy stared at us from a distance the entire week." Annabelle replied, smiling. 

"We're here!" Joon's voice raised just a bit as they all stopped at this hole-in-the-wall type cafe, the neat little sign hanging above a painted black door. 

The building it was a part of was very wide strip mall structure, meaning unlike the food court building they went to, there were no alleyways to see any figures peeking out of, and they could walk inside relaxed and with ease. 

"I feel like we ate too much last time, I almost fell into a food coma when I got back to the lab, so I found a place that serves muffins and stuff. Heh. Let's see what happens when we eat sugar this time."

"Depending on the levels, eating a high level of sugar can cause an increase in blood sugar levels that are said to give you momentary bursts of energy before then crashing out. In other instances, having sugary food for breakfast can cause an increase in hunger hormones, and difficulty controlling blood sugar if you have diabetes due to the extra insulin in the bloodstream." Vernon blurted out, to which Annabelle followed up with her own fun fact. 

"Good thing none of us have that condition then!" 

"How would you know?" Dove asked her, to which the girl looked her up and down. 

"Simple, I look at the way each of you drink how much and what type of coffee."

Was that sarcasm?

Dove couldn't bring herself to look Vernon in the eye due to her earlier actions, especially not after she could still remember his words from just a few days ago, telling her that he thought she was a good person. She stayed in line with Joon who was looking at the menu and searching up the names of each food on his phone, planning to order the ones with likely the most amount of sugar content, cackling to himself like a goblin as he did the math part of his experiment. 

I even had to wave an apology to the others in line who were peeking or looking over their shoulders when they heard his cackling. Funny how when you're minding your own business, that's when people decide to pay attention to you, but the few times you are in a situation and actually want people's attention, suddenly it's difficult!

"Do you guys still have those giant chocolate muffins that are the size of your hand?" Joon asked the cashier. 

His face fell as he then looked back to Dove suddenly. 

"No one's allergic to chocolate or caffeine, right? I forgot to ask."

Dove pursed her lips, realizing she doesn't know either, so she had to awkwardly step out of line, internally cringing to herself as she took a peek over her shoulder, at the amount of people waiting behind them, and speedwalked over to Annabelle and Vernon who had found a booth in the corner to sit at. 

Annabelle said she'll eat anything; meat, sugar, especially if it was in the form of nectar. Vernon can't stand any pastry with squishy stuff, like blueberries or raisins, it makes him gag apparently, especially if it's served cold. I think Joon said he was willing to experiment with anything for the chance of it tasting good. "Better than missing out, and if it's bad, then lesson learned." He told me.

The four muffins were served on neat, adorable plates, each with a small fork that had a long handle. Everyone was suggested to drink water to wash down the sugar just in case. Annabelle had to take them over to the table herself unfortunately, her unnaturally graceful self was able to easily balance two plates on both arms. 

Showing off thanks to the two who were having an at first calm-fight over who got to pay, before it became very obvious as Dove was trying to shove Joon's card out of the way to give the cashier lady hers, only to then have Joon hold his over hers, wrestling with her in the most civilized way one could in public. 

The poor cashier woman could only stand there awkwardly, not knowing which one to grab. 

"You paid last time, this is my turn."

"Don't care." 

To end it, when finding an opportunity, she pinned Joon's hand down to the counter and held up her card to the card machine, shoving the chip side in. 

"Nooo!" Joon groaned. 

She kept his hand pinned until the tiny screen on the card reader told her to remove her card and let go. Dove held a guilty expression when she saw Joon massaging his wrist as they walked over to the table with the others. 

"Sorry, did I pin you too hard?"

"Nah, don't worry about it. But I'll remember this for next time."

"Hey wait! You forgot your waters!" The cashier shouted out for them, causing the two to pause mid step and turn around, seeing the plastic cups of water and ice set on the counter, both rushing back to get them. 

No one has said anything about it, but these giant chocolate muffins are practically the same as the ones I used to eat for breakfast in middle school every Friday. I almost miss those days. Just eating breakfast before the day began, reading on my phone as I neatly cut up my muffin into pieces that could fit into my mouth without needing a napkin. But this moment is nicer. 

Just like in middle school, she easily cut up her muffin into a fork, and it was much easier on a plate than in the wrapper with the plastic wrapping having been carefully opened and spread out to act as a plate. Vernon asked her if she could cut his up the same way, and she happily did, feeling complimented. 

"Oh, shoot, I almost forgot, I'm supposed to be angry." Dove said just as she finished cutting Vernon's muffin into eighths and slid the plate back to him. 

Annabelle hummed and looked up from her muffin. 

"Why?"

Dove pointed her eyes towards Joon, and he looked back confused, leaning back and with a hand on his chest. 

"What did I do this time?"

"Did you tell Bence about what happened with Theo? Because if so, that was none of your business to tell." Dove said in a controlled, low and soft voice. 

"I didn't tell him anything, I only told Adan and Enzo about what happened. One of them must've let it slip to him."

"Why would you tell either of them? Bence literally put me through a test earlier today, wondering if I was easily bullied."

"What test?" Annabelle asked, beginning to finish her muffin more slowly.

Dove groaned and stayed silent, not wanting to say.

"Dove, what test did he put you through?"

"I sure wish my peers would test me."

"I yelled at and manhandled a client today, I just snapped at her and acted rude because I was left in charge of her for just a few minutes." She propped her elbows on the table, resting her forehead on her knuckles in regret and cringe. 

"And then Bence comes around and tell me he let the situation escalate because he wanted to see if I had any backbone, so thanks a lot Joon. You caused a butterfly effect, resulting in a new embarrassing memory for me."

"I don't even remember what I said, other than he was being rude to you. But hey good to know you can fight back. I was a little worried about that too. You still haven't sent me that photo by the way."

Dove nearly growled at him as soon as she lifted her head back up, before stopping herself and resting her head against the back of her hands again, groaning. 

"Sorry, sorry, then. For some reason I can't stop feeling like an asshole today."

"Because you yelled at a client? I've done that plenty of times, people are idiots." Joon shrugged, going back to finishing his muffin, looking over notes in his phone. 

Dove pulled out her phone and opened her gallery app, before then sharing the photo with him. There's not much in her gallery app.

Joon nearly choked as he giggled at the photo.

"Yelling at a client or customer in some work areas is an action most workers would want to avoid, due to some policies making it frowned upon to do so, and in some cases, may cause the employee to be fired on the spot." Vernon muttered, tilting his and enjoying the visible texture of the top muffin.

Annabelle cackled. 

"Does that mean you had to sift through multiple jobs?" she side-eyed Joon. 

The two laughed as Vernon looked at the two of them in confusion, wondering why they don't seem to be thinking about the repercussions of employee misbehavior.

Dove gave them a soft smile, comfortable with their presence but not her own, eating slowly even though she was genuinely enjoying the taste of the chocolate muffin. Annabelle noticed her mood change, as if just by the change in the air around her, and suddenly suggested a game. 

"Hey, who wants to know which of us has had the darkest experience?" She purred, resting her chin in her hands, elbows propped up on the table around her plate, showing just the crumbs of her finished muffin. 

"Did you eat the paper too?" Vernon asked quietly, which Annabelle only answered with a shushing sound, further confusing him. 

"Like, which of us met the creepiest nightmare?" 

"Well more than that! Because I just thought of a game we could play as we eat. Who wants to play creature or human?"

Some funny reactions were given to this proposal of a game, and also from some bystanders as the group were no longer speaking in hushed tones about their experiences. 

"Each person takes turns describing a terrifying experience they once had with a figure, but only vaguely, and the others have to guess whether that was a person, an animal, or a nightmare."

The boys were intrigued, Vernon will enjoy any situation to just talk about his interests or what he remembers, Dove, not so much, especially as she could feel the peeping eyes and eavesdropping ears of the customers sitting next to them. She began to finish her muffin quickly, a feat that she had learned from Juvie and middle school lunch, when waiting in line ate up a good amount of the lunch period, so a lot of students who in the back half of the line ended up learning to eat fast when they finally sat down with their trays. 

A lot of students would try to get out of this issue by just getting their lunch from the vending machines, but then those ended up getting long lines too, and no one could solve the problem. We had a lot of kids in middle school.

"But, what if the person who is telling the story is lying? My mother always told me that when I'm listening to someone tell a story, to be cautious in case they are just lying." Vernon spoke, piquing their interests. 

"Well, why would any of us lie?"

"So many reasons Annabelle." Joon gave her a side eye as she waved her hands up in a mock surrender.

Dove, staring down at the table, interlocked her fingers together as she began to think back on some memories, before looking up and noticing Annabelle's eyes on her. 

"... Why are you staring? I don't have an idea."

But the blonde girl shook her head, and instead said something more surprising. 

"No, actually I just realized something, and it's best we talk about it on our way back." She said, subtly pointing her finger for Dove to turn and look towards the pointed direction. 

Many more people were coming into the cafe. 

They all turned to look at Vernon, who was just now finishing his muffin. They didn't rush him, just kept silent and each played on their phones until he finished before they all got up. Annabelle walked behind to usher all of them out as she made sure there were no more people listening in or following them, Dove also walked a bit slower as she took note of Annabelle's actions. 

They walked out of the cafe, away from the entrance and to a more secluded corner of the strip mall where there weren't any people, even during the broad daylight. 

"I can't verbally lie." The girl with the rope-braided hair stated simply and plainly. 

The other three friends looked to each other in disbelief, but Dove decided to try and give her a chance as she questioned. 

"Elaborate? Why do you specifically say you can't verbally lie? Does your nervousness affect your tongue but not your body language?"

Joon raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms and changing his stance to put less pressure on his prosthetic leg, before then giving in and asking to lean on Vernon's shoulder so that he could stand on his full leg. The boy not only has type O negative blood, but also, his prosthetic is beginning to itch again. 

"I can hide a body, and I can do sleight of hand tricks, and I can get away with them so long as I have the luxury of staying silent or talking about a topic far from what I am doing."

They were all silent, teetering on the lines of disbelief and curiosity, though Vernon was more focused on helping Joon stay balanced. 

Dove hummed to herself, wanting to gently pry a bit more, allowing her curiosity a bit more indulgence than she normally would have allowed. Her time working for Macabre House has made her more comfortable than she realized. 

"Can you, try to prove it? Maybe give us some examples? No offense, but right now, you just sound like someone saying they have bad acting skills while also acting." 

Annabelle nodded, tapping a finger against her chin again as she thought of what types of ways to proof her inability. 

"How about I show you what happens when I try to lie?"

Dove looked quizzically to the others, before staring back at her and shrugging. 

"Go ahead." 

Annabelle nodded, clearing her throat as she stood still and kept good eye contact. 

"I don't like braiding-" Her voice cut out.

The others leaned in, frowning.

"I don't, like, braiding-" Annabelle seemed to visibly choke on her own words, holding her neck as the whites of her eyes, or more specifically the veins, began to redden. 

"I, don't, like, bra-" She suddenly gagged, stumbling for the first time since they've all met, head tilted down. 

Dove quickly moved in to help keep her standing, gently leading her to step back and lean against the wall.

"Are we sure this isn't just really good acting?" Joon asked gently, not with an accusatory tone, just a genuinely curious one as he observed Annabelle's expressions. 

Upon seeing her lift her head and noticing the reddening of the white of her eyes, and the rare moment where she isn't smiling, but honestly almost gagging and trying to breathe as she clutched her throat, he snapped his fingers, feeling awkward. 

"I've read about some people with vascular control, using a lot of concentration and breathing techniques to control their blood flow, causing blood vessels in the eyes to dilate. Considering the stories of you from the gym floor, I believe you may be capable of this. There could also be possibilities of you having an allergic reaction, but this is just a bare corner, no pollen or anything, and your nose would be turning red with your eyes if that was the case." Dove slightly rambled, thinking out loud as she helped to keep Annabelle standing as she stopped her attempts at verbal lies, regaining her breath. 

"Her struggle looks real to me, maybe the redness could be from experiencing a lot of stress from the attempt at lying, like I do, except my eyes don't burn red." Vernon interjected.

Dove hummed and shifted to look at him for a minute. He looked at her as he calmly admitted, "I can't lie very well, it's just too difficult for me. I could never find any reasons to lie, nor did I understand the concept, so I never lie."

After Joon finished using his shoulder for balance, Vernon stepped up to take a closer inspection of Annabelle's eyes, standing next to Dove. He then took a hold of her sleeve as he pointed out a small detail. 

"Her breathing is back to normal, and the redness in her eyes is fading away now. Annabelle, when your eyes were turning red, did they burn or hurt?"

She nodded, still keeping silent as her chest continued to visibly rise and fall as her usual smile climbed back onto her face, only smaller for now. "They burn or more so sting."

"Hmm, wait a second. I have an idea" Dove inquired. 

Annabelle tilted her head, intrigued and urging her to continue as she nodded. 

"Let's try speaking more honestly. I'm going to tell a very embarrassing and cringeworthy joke, it is not a lie, so I just want you to repeat after me, each line word for word. Is your throat good for talking now?" 

Annabelle's hand on her throat loosened, letting go and dropping to her side as she stood back up straight with her good posture. 

It was Dove's turn to clear her throat. 

"So, a guy walks into a bar."

"A guy walks into a bar..."

"And he greets the bartender." 

"And he greets the bartender." 

Dove stares deep into Annabelle's eyes as she continues, and the two boys do the same. 

"He says, 'Hi, my name is Michael.'"

"He says, 'Hi, my name is Mich-..." Annabelle's words get backed up in her throat again. 

Dove flinches upon seeing the change, but then Annabelle raises a hand up, asking for a moment, as she relaxes her shoulders and tries again. 

"The guy whoever he is says, 'Hi, my name is Michael.'" Annabelle manages to word out. 

Dove raises her eyebrows in curiosity and squints, raising her fist up to her chin as she continues. 

"I have a wife."

"I have a..." She gags again. "The guy! Says, 'I have a wife.'!" She pushes herself to say, the veins in her eyes becoming more visible again. 

All three could see her effort in trying to speak. Dove continued, now finishing her experiment. 

"My wife says I never listen to her, at least I think that's what she said." Dove finishes.

"My... the guy's wife." Annabelle coughs out. 

Dove frowns and motions with her hand that she can stop but Annabelle continues, smiling while coughing and slightly gagging as her sentence came out in pieces. 

"She says, 'I never'... The guy never listens to her. 'at least, I'... He, thinks, that's what she said."

She's almost panting, like attempting to lie can make her work up a sweat if she had kept going. A sudden thought popped into Dove's mind, and she nearly blurted out her question if she didn't start with manners first. 

"May I ask you something about yourself?"

Annabelle nodded. Dove leaned in closer to her and whispered,

"Are you a fae?"

Joon looked stunned, Vernon hummed in surprise and confusion, and Dove stood still, waiting for an answer while also internally hoping she did not say anything that would provoke her.

As she recovered her normal breathing pattern, Annabelle gave a sincere smile, leaning against the wall as she slowly turned her head to the side.

Another characteristic about the list of people I know that I should really take more notes of, (I should really restart my habit of invasively reading clues about people's identities, it would help me more socially, and as long as I don't say anything without being prompted, it won't be too invasive, or at least evil.) I have never seen Annabelle's ears. More specifically, I've seen the bottom of her ears, and her hair which was always pulled back, covered the top half of the ears.

She loosened the scrunchie at the base of her braided ponytail, and then reached for her ear, pushing the hair up, revealing slightly pointed earlobe, naturally matching the rest of her light skin tone, not red, showing how it was naturally formed that way.