Part 15 Louder.
Kayla's lilting voice had put Billy to sleep. And then she steered him right to the man in the shop.... the dreamkeeper. She'd convinced Billy he should be younger... and so he was! And she allowed her own age to be changed as well. She was now 13 years old.
Katie and Jennifer had noticed the happenings but were too late to stop it.
"Kayla??? Billy???? No!" Jennifer said after running to them "You weren't supposed to get younger, dad! And you weren't supposed to get older, Kayla!"
"Dad???" 11 year old Billy asked.
"Have you forgotten again?" Jennifer asked.
"You're confusing him!" Kayla argued in her slightly more mature voice.
"I told you.... everything is a trick! I thought you said you'd made some kind of a deal? It doesn't look to me like Billy here is any closer to being an adult!" Katie told her friend.
"I didn't exactly make a good deal, I don't guess" Jennifer replied reluctantly "But, like, Billy was about to fall for Peter! I couldn't let THAT happen!"
"So, did you not want your father falling in love as a girl to protect him... or were you just jealous!?" Katie asked.
"Wellllllll.... both.... I guess" Jennifer answered honestly "But if dad woulda just desired to be himself again everything woulda been, like, fine!"
"Yeah...well.... it is not 'fine' now is it? You've opened the door to the dreamweaver and we're no closer to getting anything straightened out" Katie declared.
Marci didn't mind any of this. She was happily playing along with her sandcastle. All her worries had been erased. She didn't care what the grownups were all worried about. That wasn't going to interfere with her innocent bliss. Not when she had a big sandcastle to build!
"I think we need to gather up every one and get back to your house. I want to get back on the computer anyway" Katie told Jennifer.
"I don't wanna go back home!" Kayla whined "I wanna stay!"
Jennifer sized things up "Katie's right. I'm the oldest and what I say goes. We're going back home!"
Kayla protesteed but in the end she reluctantly agreed. Marci didn't want to leave her sandcastle. Billy wanted to take a swim. None of this mattered to Jennifer. She'd made up her mind and was ready to leave. She hated being in charge but wasn't left with much choice. She was also starting to feel a little self-concious with all the eyes on her. Her beauty was making her a target of every male on the beach... and some of them gave her the creeps! Even women couldn't help by stare.
Once back home Jennifer booted up the computer for Katie. Kayla carried Marci to her room. It was easier to carry Marci now that Kayla was bigger. She was surpised how much stronger she felt even though she was only 2 years older. Billy wanted to try and find some neighborhood boys to play ball with but Jennifer ordered him to stay inside.
"Jenn, you're gonna have to be REALLY careful now. Don't let your emotions get the best of you! That's especially true while you are asleep and dreaming. That was a bad idea trying to make a deal with that man!" Katie warned her friend.
Jennifer listened intently although she was feeling a bit smug because she didn't have to worry about Peter and Billy anymore. Her 'deal' with the dreamkeeper had worked out in her favor she figured. She also was secure that with her newfound beauty Peter could be her's any time she wanted...althought she didn't so much want Peter as simply not want anyone else to have him. About the only downside to her beauty was the stares of so many people now that Jennifer's beauty had been enhanced. Jennifer didn't like all the attention. especially from some people who actually scared her just a bit. They made her feel very uncomfortable with the way they would look at her.
Katie jumped from one web page to another trying to build a plan or find a key piece of info that would allow this family to get back to normal. Minutes turned to hours. Marci was first to bed. Kayla soon followed. Billy wanted to stay up and watch TV but he soon faded as well.
Katie's vision blurred but she continued on. Jennifer yawned. She was tiring quickly now herself. She wasn't much help to Katie who was a whiz on a computer. "Katie, I gotta go to bed... this day has been too much!"
Katie yawned as well "I know... but I think I'm close here. You go to bed but remember what I told you about dreaming!". Katie said. She wasn't sure that she was all that close but at least she had more info to work from now. She had to fight sleep herself which didn't make concentration any easier.
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Billy was deep asleep. He began to dream. In his dream he was younger and then older. Scenes changed from one moment to the next! It didn't seem to make sense but his dreams rarely did. After a few moments of the changes a teenage girl appeared. He couldn't believe how pretty she was.
"Hi" he said nervously "What's your name?"
"My name is Billi but you should know that! I don't appreciate you trying to make me disappear!" the girl replied angrily.
"W-W-What???" he asked in confusion.
"I was there.... like... all those years locked away in your mind and you finally bring me out and then you try and make me go away! Like it is SOOOOOOO easy!? Like I'll crawl into a corner of your mind to be forgotten again? Is that what you think???? Is it??? I'm who you really are now..... Who you really want to be!"
The girl gave Billy a push and he fell through the door of a shop and landed on the floor. "Well, hellllloooooo Billy!" a voice said. Billy looked up to see the dreamweaver staring down at him.
"I see that you've awakened a dominant personality!" the man said.
"A what???" young Billy ask.
"Don't be so, like, stupid, little boy!" Billi told him and pulled him to his feet "I'm who you really wanna be. Don't fight it!"
She grabbed Billy's hand and pulled him toward the room "In here!" she ordered and Billy followed fighting back only minimally.
"We're gonna be one again and I'm the one who will be real!" Billi told the boy.
"But.... but.... you mean I'm gonna be a girl????"he wimpered "I don't wanna be a girl! I wanna play ball and stuff!"
"No you don't... You only think you do! I wouldn't exist if that was true!" Billi shot back "You want to be me and live MY life!"
Billy's mind was twisted. He knew this was all a dream and that only made it harder to concentrate. What was this girl telling him? She did look familiar. It would be neat to be older he thought. But a girl? Suddenly, Billy felt weak. He sat on the floor.
"I'm winning aren't I?" the girl asked "So, just quit fighting me!"
She moved closer and Billy admired the girl's smooth skin and tanned legs. He felt weaker.
"Stop fighting me..... give me your hand" she told him.
Billy felt even weaker. The girl really was pretty.... he took her hand... it was so soft...
"You do wanna be me, don't ya?" the girl asked.
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Kayla began to dream. She could see herself walking along the street and she had a plan. It was something she'd considered before but it was more in focus now. Especially after the way Jennifer had ordered her around earlier in the day. She soon found herself at the dreamweaver's shop.
"Kayla!" he said "Welcome back! What can I do for you?"
"I wanna be older" she said.
"Well, I can certainly see to that happening! Right this way!" the man said gleefully.
Kayla dutifully followed. Not only was she not the youngest any more but she was about to become the oldest! Now, Jennifer would listen to HER!
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Jennifer also began to dream. She was by the beach walking on the sidewalk. All eyes were on her. Everyone's eyes! Old men... young men.... women... everyone!
"Hey sweet stuff!" one man said. He looked like he hadn't showered or shaved in days. He was wearing a trench coat even though it was a hot day. Jennifer tried to walk faster but the man began to follow her and easily kept pace. "Where ya goin' sweet stuff?"
Jennifer began to worry! No one seemed to want to help her. They only watched. It was as if they didn't care... they simply wanted to watch this episode unfold. Her high-heels clicked on the concrete as she walked even faster.
"C'mon.... babe.... You know you want me!" the man said and picked up his pace as well.
Jennifer kicked off her heels and began to run as fast as she could. The man ran after her. He was gaining on her. She saw an open door and ran in slamming the door behind her. "HELP! HELP ME!" she yelled.
"Good Afternoon, Jennifer!" the shopkeeper said "What's wrong?"
"I'm here? ....How'd I get here?" Jennifer replied.
"Because you needed help and I only want to help you. What's wrong?"
"People are... giving me the creeps... they stare..... and that man... that man.....ewwwwwww.... I don't know what he was going to do. He was chasing me!" she sobbed.
"A girl as beautiful as you should expect that kind of attention. Staring is not unexpected. And some people might lose control of their senses when they see someone as lovely as you. After-all, you are exceptionally beautiful. You are perfect!" The man explained.
"Maybe being a beautiful was a bad idea!?" Jennifer said "I don't want people staring at me like that... or people like that man chasing me..... If you hadn't been here I don't know what would've happened! Thank you! Thank you!"
"You are quite welcome! Perhaps you'd like to do something about that situation?"
"Like, not be so beautiful? Wow, that seems weird for a girl to say doesn't it?"
"Not for a girl as smart as you that has other priorities. Why don't you discard that desire for beauty and replace it with a more acceptable desire? If you desire, you could toss away that superficial beauty and then maybe people would see you for who you really are?"
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Katie continiued to find more and more information about the dreamkeeper. She worried for her friend and family. Once the dreamkeeper had control of your concious mind, your dream state was where he could really wreak his havoc. Thoughts and desires that would otherwise stay dormant or be controlled by your waking thought processes were able to roam free. And in the dream state the man could mold and manipulate your desires. Normal boundaries or worries either didn't exist or were mere gates waiting to be opened by him. Dormant personalities could be awakened.
"Jennifer, what have you and your family gotten yourselves into?" Katie said to herself as she took in more of the info on the computer screen "I think it might be time I called Aunt Martha"
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To be continued