White.

That was all Elizabeth could see upon opening her eyes after she swallowed the pill and fell unconscious. The overwhelming brightness caused her to force her eyes shut again. Beneath her, she could feel the blades of grass that decorated the soft earth poking at her back. It was the first time she rested on anything besides the hospital bed since the accident, and a pang of nostalgia came over her. Ellie took a deep breath of the air, relieved that it was actual air rather than the hospital's artificially clean oxygen. She opened her eyes to a slit, then a squint, and then gradually continued until they adjusted to the foreign illumination. Although the telltale signs should have told her, it wasn't until she was in full view of her surroundings did she realize she was no longer in the hospital.

She lied in the center of a bizarre monument of stringed instruments - or rather, instrument. The various bits of instruments she could recognize, such as cellos, violas, basses, and violins were mashed together in some sort of distorted super-instrument, the strings wildly twisting and turning across the wood. Bows, unaccompanied by hands, gently wove across the strings; their calming melodies echoed around Ellie. As she watched the symphony taking place, her hands drifted to her sides whereupon her left stroked a thick, leathery substance. Turning her attention to it, she realized it was a hardback book. The cover was a deep blue, adorned with the words "Once Upon a Time." She curiously lifted the cover and looked at the first page.

"Once upon a time, a girl dreamt she could walk."

The cryptic words made little since to Ellie. She was so entranced by the scene going on around her that she had temporarily forgot about her previous life of pain and monotony in the hospital. She continued to read the words over and over until the song had reached a sudden crescendo before ending abruptly. The grinding halt echoed a few times before fading, leaving Ellie with nothing to listen to but her own quickened breathing. After a moment, she pulled her waist up and sat straight, looking around.

"Hello? Is anybody out there?"

When Ivy opened her eyes again, she felt very disoriented. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't exactly tell what. Also, above her was a bright blue sky that reminded her of home, opposed to the dull hospital's ceiling. Ivy couldn't seem to place her limbs, and make them move, and wondered if they were gone like her leg. After a moment however, she realized why she was having difficulty. A limb had been added.

Forcing herself to finally sit up, Ivy stared uncomprehendingly at her leg, which shouldn't be there. It was gone. But, it wasn't gone, since it was right there. After realizing this, Ivy also came to the conclusion that she felt okay. No not okay, great. Healthy. Not like she was dying on some hospital bed. And that scared her.

Opening her mouth, Ivy let out a high pitched scream. She had taken so much time to come to terms with her problems, that they were almost natural and safe to her. This...this... healthiness was terrifying. Finally stopping her screaming fit, Ivy decided to reach out and poke her leg. "What's going on?" she muttered, taking some time to look around. What she found was odd. A little ways to her right was a darker version of her home, and even further a barn that looked similar to the one near her home. Except, this one wasn't red and white. It was gray and black, like and old photo. To Ivy's left, was a car, smoking, that looked like it had been smashed into a tree. Except, it wasn't near a tree. It reminded Ivy a bit of the car crash she'd been in, except instead of her mom's silver car, the car was a bright green, a color Ivy actually liked.

There were other odd things around, some colorful, some melancholy looking, but all of them seemed a little bit familiar to Ivy. The place seemed kind of magical. Only, she felt a bit disturbed after looking behind herself to see trees with hospital monitors and IVs hanging from the branches. Shaking off the odd feeling, Ivy looked past the car to see some other place in the distance. She also could hear someone, a girl, yelling. But she couldn't here what she said.

Landon can't recall when he first entered this strange existence, but it feels to him as if he has been here forever, always wild and free. The landscape around him is ever-changing, as if desperate to catch his attention and keep his focus. Trees rise up, reaching towards the sky like fingers of a hand clawing up through the earth. It doesn't scare Landon however, but reminds him of the gentle caresses his mother once gave him. He misses things like that. There's no ground, just water as far as the eye can see, so Landon sits in his little steam-powered boat, floating happily wherever the current decides to take him. A bubbly feeling floods his chest. He's never had anything like this, these little freedoms to play and dream and just be... well, healthy. A child, even. His entire life has been reduced to a hospital bed because of his disease, a disease he doesn't even really understand.

Landon feels as if he can do anything, as if the world is his playground, and, in a way, he supposes that is the truth. Peeking over the edge of the boat, he sees dark shadows and figures lurking in the depths: brightly colored sea dinosaurs like in some of his coloring books. A smile cracks his lips, and he can't remember the last time he enjoyed something so simple as a smile. The sea changes again, this time into a sea of grass and Landon's smile falls slightly. He likes water and the gentle tugging and pulling of the currents. His ship continues ever onward, unhindered by the change in landscape. A light breeze ruffles his hair and flits through the grass, making it look like a sea of green.

He sees a couple of figures off in the distance, merely dark silhouettes against the strange light emitted by the double sun. He hears something in the distance, probably one of the figures yelling, but he cannot make out the words. Feeling shy and reserved, Landon sinks into his boat, barely peering out over the edge as it continues onward. He wants to call out to them, in a strange way, but at the same time he feels as if they are intruders among his territory, among the perfect world he never wants to leave. He simply lets his ship continue onward towards the figures, as that just seems to be the natural course of things, and, for once, Landon is more than happy to let the natural course of things play out.

---

Peter awakes with a start, feeling as if he cannot breathe. His eyes open with some reluctance, but he needs to see. It's as if his body has finally betrayed him. He's sure that he's dying, maybe dead. But his eyes adjust to his new surroundings and the feeling of panic leaves him.

He's definitely not in the hospital anymore however.

Perhaps he did die...

He looks around him at the strange landscape. Everything looks as if it was taken out of an old, cheesy horror movie, but painted in bright, mostly primary colors. It's all almost like a strange sort of nursery or something. He can't quite place the look and feel of it all, but it makes him furrow his eyebrows in thought. He pushes his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose as he continues to look around. Words float around him, random snippets and phrases that drift with the wind like the seeds of a dandelion. Confusion fills him, but he does like this strange place.

He tries to stand, something he felt as if he hasn't done in quite some time, and is surprised to discover that he has no pain in his body. That's... odd. He can't remember a time when he was free of pain, not anymore. Peter lets out a sharp, quick, loud laugh of excitement. Without pain, the possibilities are endless. Running, jumping, playing. He can do it all again, and so much more. He looks off to the distance now, checking more of his surroundings with a large, goofy grin parting his lips. He's getting antsy just being there. He feels the need to explore now.

There's an ocean off to his left, at least there was an ocean, but when he turns away to check what's off to his right (a desert) and turns back to check the ocean, it's already disappeared, replaced instead by a sea of green he assumes is tall grass. He's only ever read about a sea of grass like this, never actually seen one, but it's every bit as beautiful as he imagined. The grass shimmers as the cool breeze blows through it, really making it look like the sea, which Peter saw once as a tyke.

There's a little boat moving along the sea of grass. Peter decides to follow it, eager to get his legs moving again. Life is, after all, an adventure.

A sigh slid out between Kayla's lips as she threw another terrible sketch into the blue water and watched as it turned into a neatly folded origami fish. Every time she would look away from the subject she was attempting to sketch it would morph and change into something completely different, making it almost impossible to have an artistic reference for anything. Frustrated once again, she stood up and began walking around the edge of the blue ocean,the smell of salt and fresh air filling her nose, and the sun shining it's warm rays, just like her trip to Hawaii. Kayla's eyes began wondering around the familiar area and she couldn't help but feel a little empty inside.She already had an idea of some of the things that went on in this dream land (as one would hope they would from being in a place for such a long time). She knows that she has the ability to make things appear, disappear, and to manipulate things that are already existing. Most importantly, she was almost certain that everything here was a fake.

When she first arrived here in the tunnel of light, she thought she was dead for she was surrounded by 10 beautiful angels, all cradling her as she flew through the clouds. She was at peace, wrapped up in a blanket of comfort, completely free from from the responsibilities of being a CEO's next in line and a famous actresses daughter. When her parents appeared before her she thought they were going to guide her the rest of the way to heaven where she would live a quiet life but when she reached her hand out to them and hand passed right through their bodies and she fell from the angels grasp and crashed onto the same art work that brought her here. She looked up the ceiling, the museum now empty and when she wondered outside she was surrounded by large meadows. That was her first recollection of the dream world, and she hasn't left since.

She realized that she was standing near the waters edge, the waves hushed and her reflection staring at her. She smiled to herself. Why should she be getting depressed about past events? She was here now and had everything she needed. As she tried to pick her mood up and was about to turn away the oceans tinge began to change, suddenly filling with a green hue. It was odd, for she had never seen a green ocean before in her life. Her head snapped upwards and she saw a small steam boat, with an even smaller person inside. Her heart began to race, for it had been a very long time since another person had entered the dream world. She divided into the water, imagining herself with a mermaids tail and swam quickly after the boat.

The little steam boat continues along with a soft "putt-putt-putt" sound. Landon remembers having one when he was younger, when they first started bringing him toys at the hospital and his parents used to visit him. It never got the chance to taste water and complete its purpose however, and they soon took it from his room and replaced it with some flowers that died and made him quite gloomy. The sound relaxes him though, and he likes that. He finds himself wondering what the sea smells like. He's never been there, but he's certain it must have some kind of smell.

He peers over the edge of the little boat again, this time behind him to see all that he's leaving behind. Not like it matters. If he really wanted anything that he left behind, he could just imagine it and it would be back once again. That was one of the beauties of the dream. It wasn't like the real world, burdened with pain and machines and medicine. No, this was free, and Landon decided that he liked freedom and never wanted to let it go.

A mermaid follows him now, one with red hair like the girl in the cartoons. Landon is so startled to see someone else that a high-pitched little yelp escapes him and he settles deeper into his boat, hiding from the unknown person. He's never actually seen someone else here in his dream world. But what did he think those figures off in the distance were anyway? That's the problem: he didn't think. Still at the bottom of his boat, Landon closes his eyes shut and begins hitting the sides of his head.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he chants with each bang against his head. He's never really had to interact with other people, besides the strange lady who first gave him the pill that brought him here. She had to mash it up for Landon to swallow, but he made sure to take every last bit. He stops hitting his head, suddenly aware that the other person may be able to hear him. His heart pounds in his chest, but he stays hidden safely at the bottom of his boat.

As Clara woke up, she didn't note anything different. She was as drowsy as she always was. But as time passed, things became a little clearer than normal, like how comfortable the bed was today, which made Clara wonder what they pumped into her blood this time. Her bed was never comfortable. The thing that bothered her though, was that her iPod wasn't playing.

Those nurses.. she thought irritatedly. Again, she could think far more clearly than normal. Expecting it to take a huge effort, she turned over and opened her eyes.

"What the hell...." Her shock was so large, she spoke aloud. For one, she wasn't in the hospital. She was in her woods, by the stream. The leaves were greener, and the water sparkled more, but it was unmistakable. And even more, she was full of energy. She pushed herself up in her bed and looked around in wonder. This was the first time in months that she could do that. And it didn't even tire her! She scrambled out of bed. She attempted jumping.

She didn't even get breathless after ten jumps.

She stopped, eyes gleaming. It couldn't be real. She wanted to sit down to contemplate it all, but the idea of resting for longer was terrible. Tears rose to her eyes. Was she finally free from the crippling weakness that had her broken for the last year? If so, why wasn't she at her house? Truth be told, the woods was her home, but it seemed ridiculous to believe that her parents would know that, besides bring her bed there. She turned to the bed and studied it. It wasn't even hers.. Wait, it was. It was hers when she was five, when her parents still seemed to love each other. There were photos stuck all over the pink frame, of the three of them, her grandparents, Maria, the girl who was her friend back when she lived was in kindergarten. She didn't remember anyone taking those photos, but she remembered the memories that accompanied each. The rumpled duvet was Pocahontas themed - Clara's favorite princess.

Clearly, something was wrong. Her parents threw that bed out when she was six.

She slowly turned around. What she first took for her woods, wasn't really. It was too warm, too perfect. The water was too clear. The sun too bright. And she noticed something that totally confused her. Her school track. All ready, just waiting for her to run over the tarmac, right in the middle of the woods, as if it grew there. Okay, clearly I'm not in Kansas anymore, she thought, smiling wryly at the cliché.

"HELLO?" She called out, enjoying the sensation of yelling. She turned back to her bed, which was completely remade, the sheets tucked in and pillows fluffed. Her iPod was on top of a pillow, when it definitely wasn't before. A eerie feeling enveloped her, and she snatched her iPod. She was getting of of here, and finding someone, now. She decided she'd take the track, as it was the straightest way she saw out. She began running, her hair flowing behind her, and it was as if she had never stopped practice.

His eyes opened abruptly, shifting quickly from tree branch to tree branch as his hands clenched the cold grass below him. Alex stayed still a while longer, his chest at a standstill as he held his breath and took in the new world before him. The sky was full of color- much like Aurora Borealis- without a single cloud to block its beauty; the trees were tall and curved, arching over him as if awaiting any slight movement- twig claws outstretched. Beyond them was just fog, changing with each guess that came across his mind: A forest quickly changed to a small town which quickly changed into a vast ocean; an ocean with a small steam boat…
He snapped his eyes back towards the sky, the fog quickly consuming the scenery beyond the trees, and continued to lay in silence.
Finally, he let out a deep breath, his chest falling in response, and made the decision to move. As he did, the trees stood straight, like soldiers standing at attention, and he quickly realized that they were his friends, not his enemies.
As he stood, more objects came into view: A small, round glass table with a tiny vial sitting upon it, a long dining table to the right of it filled with small teacups at each chair, a castle a few miles away- and then he stopped, looking down at the blades of grass between his gray Converse.
He was in Wonderland?
He shook his head, pressing the palms of his hands at his temples and shutting his eyes tightly. He had been doing so well, the visual hallucinations had almost vanished and his doctor had said it was only a matter of time… he had been doing so well.
“Get out, get out,” he told himself through gritted teeth, his now sweaty palms hitting the sides of his head.
His eyes flashed open as he felt a small draft and discovered himself back at the hospital. He let out a sigh, surprised at his relief, and eyed the room around him with its white, barren walls that matched the wretched ceiling. He felt a small twitch at the corner of his lips, a smile daring to break out at his own small victory against himself as he continued to look around the room. His eyes fell on the television at the top center of the room, the volume was low but the pictures flashing on it were of cartoons; he swore he had been watching CNN before he had fallen asleep.
He looked down at himself and, to his dismay, found himself still adorned in his blue jeans and jacket. He let out a frustrated growl as he clenched his jaw and proceed to hit his temples with the palms of his hands once more, “Come. On.”

And he was back at Wonderland- he knew it before he had opened his eyes- and he fell to his knees, cupping his head between his forearms, the fear of defeat overpowering him. He had been doing so well… Why had he agreed to taking that pill?

A rustle of leaves behind him caused him to snap at attention, the automatic feeling of someone watching him beginning to overcome him and before he knew it he was back on his heels, ready for escape.
He didn’t turn around, though the feeling grew with each passing second, but instead he began walking away, his pace growing faster until it became a small sprint and he was away from whoever it was. His destination? Unknown.

Kayla continued to swim towards the tiny boat, trying her best to avoid the strangely coloured water-dinosaur creatures. She had never seen anything like them before and was getting more and more excited to meet this new person. Something caught her eye above the water and when she turned her head upwards to see it, there was a young boy leaning over the side of the boat, no older then five. This surprised her, for she didn't expect someone so young to be in the dream land. He was quite adorable though, his bright blue eyes staring at her, with a gleam of curiosity. As she was deciding on how to introduce herself (for she never usually had to deal with young children) he disappeared. Confused, she swam up to the back of the boat, grabbed onto the side and pulled herself up as quietly as possible as to not startle anyone. When she didn't see anyone she stepped onto the deck and walked along the wall of bridge and peeked inside a small window to see if he was steering, only to discover the little room was empty. She continued her search by walking along the wall of the bridge and looked around the corner carefully to the bow, and there he was.

He was sitting down, his eyes shut and he seemed to be chanting something to himself. She quietly walked out to the middle of the bridge and listened carefully. He was calling himself stupid, and that seemed like a pretty silly thing to Kayla. She realized at that moment also that if she was going to introduce herself she might as well do it now, before he opened his eyes and found a strange girl on his ship. She giggled, imagining this small captain sending her to the plank and that calmed her nerves just a little. Tapping on his knee to get his attention she cleared her throat. "Hello, My name is Kayla, it's a pleasure to meet you" holding out her hand in front of her. She mentally gave herself a face-palm. She didn't plan on being so formal with him, but old habits die hard.

Ivy couldn't decide if she was to go toward the girl calling out or not, and couldn't really figure out how. Deciding to look around a bit more, Ivy noticed a ship. Ivy stared at it blankly for a moment before thinking that that could be a way to get there. Looking closer, she noticed there were other people on the boat, and that it was moving toward the girl who called out. But Ivy didn't much like ships. She thought they rocked too much and were unstable.

Standing up, Ivy began to move toward the water before realizing she was standing. Without crutches or anything. Sure, she had a leg again, but she figured it'd been so long since she walked that she'd forgotten by now. Slowly, a smile spread over her lips and began to run around, enjoying the feeling of moving again. And then she remembered what she was actually meant to be doing.

"Oh, yeah," she muttered to herself, going back over to the water and jumping in. She started to swim around, waiting for the boat to pass her so she could follow it. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to get on the sailing death trap. As she waited, she noticed a boy also following the ship, but he was walking. Grinning, Ivy went under water and swam over closer to him. She then popped up out of the water nearest to him. "Hey, you!" she said, rather loudly. He looked maybe a little younger than herself, but he was the only one Ivy had seen not on the boat, besides the yelling girl.

After calling out for a few minutes, Ellie noticed a few things in the distance. A small steamboat appeared to be sailing through the grass in her general direction. She could make out a few figures, small as ants, in the distance. Wherever she was at, she was not alone. She tried calling out again and again, but everybody seemed to head towards the boat rather than her. Desperate, she put her hands to the moist ground beneath her and pushed her body up.

Standing up felt strange, almost foreign to Ellie upon doing it for the first time in a year. Her legs felt like an added-on extra, like clothing. She gazed down at her dirty shoes and slowly lifted her right leg up, moving it forward and placing it back down. She attempted to do the same with her left, only to fall flat on her face. The dew from the moist grass dampened her cheeks as she stayed down for a few seconds before pushing herself back up. After a few more tries, Ellie slowly progressed from taking baby steps without falling over to slowly walking without tripping to taking full-on strides. It had been over a year since she was able to accomplish this feat.

The strings began to play themselves again, almost as if they were rewarding her with a triumphant fanfare. She started to walk, then jog, then run towards the steamboat, smiling giddily the whole way. That is, until, she hit a point where the grass turned into water and submerged her. She thrashed about, floundering until her head was just above the strange sea of vegetation. Ellie gasped for breath before falling back under, not yet fully adjusted to using her legs again. Her arms tore through the surface as she grabbed onto the side of the boat, yanking herself above the water, saying nothing as she caught her breath.

Hands in his pockets, Alex continued down the long path, the scene up ahead still a hazy fog as he tried to figure out where he wanted to go. He looked around at the trees, each turning to watch him as he passed by, as if guarding him from the dangers in this world. He felt uneasy, like he was still being watched, but figured it was just the eerie silence that was causing it. He hadn’t heard any birds since his arrival; that’s how he knew this place was different. Usually, he could not tell the difference between his hallucinations and reality but, since the moment he arrived, he knew he was somewhere else and it wasn’t his own imagination (well, not entirely.) There were birds in his hallucinations; there were birds and people and voices and trains and everything- but not here. So where was he?

Suddenly, the image of the steamboat flashed in his mind and he figured it was his subconscious telling him where he’d find an answer. Low and behold, the steamboat came into view and he made his way to the edge of the water.

Water. Ocean.

Automatically, his teeth grit down together and the moisture in his mouth seemed to have evaporated, his palms became clammy and he could hear the pounding of his heart in his ears. And suddenly, he wasn’t standing before the ocean- he was in it. He was drowning and he was in his moms car and his brother was unconscious beside him; his lungs were about to collapse and then he felt himself being pulled and then darkness.

Rolling over on the bank, he choked out the bit of water that had entered his lungs and gasped for air loudly, drops of water falling from his thick hair and onto the sand below him. He continued to heave for a while, taking in as much oxygen as his lungs could take without bursting altogether and looked up to where the steamboat was still in place. His brows furrowed slightly- he wasn’t sure how time worked here in this land of illusion but he must’ve been gone for at least fifteen minutes in real time and yet it seemed as if the steamboat hadn’t moved an inch from where he was standing. Then again, there was really nothing nearby to compare it to. He shook his head slightly, getting to his feet and looking around. He had to get to the steamboat- but not by water. How would he- oh, of course.

“Think happy thoughts?” He muttered to himself, half amused, as he felt his body being lifted off the sand and into the air, high above the calm waves of the ocean. A crack of a smile danced upon his lips as he flew off towards the boat, the thrill of flying feeling exactly as he had always dreamed it to be.

He let his gaze fall where it may: beyond the trees he saw mountains topped with blankets of snow, a waterfall a few miles to its right and a large amusement park buzzed about only a few miles away from where the boat was headed. Maybe he’d fly there after exploring the steamboat, he thought to himself with a nod, before dipping down towards the floorboards of the steamboat.

Kayla heard something thump behind her as she tried to comfort the small boy. She froze into place, wondering what in her imagination could have caused such a noise. Turning around carefully she saw a girl gripping onto the sides trying to catch her breath. She ran over to her quickly and pulled her aboard, afraid that the girl who pass out and slip back into the ocean. "Are you alright?" Kayla asked in a concerned tone, creating a blanket to wrap around the girl for comfort. Looking up she saw some ripples in the water from the now distant shore to the steam boat. "Did you swim all the way here from shore?" not noticing the girl had practically ran on water to get here. Although Kayla was secretly pleased with the fact new people were coming, she wondered where they were coming FROM exactly.

Before she could get too deeply rooted into her thoughts, she got a glimpse of something passing above the them. Looking up she saw the silhouette of yet another person coming onto the ship. When he finally landed she was able to get a better look at him. This young man seemed to be very close to her age with dark colored hair and deep hazel eyes. She felt a smile appear on her face, for he had already had a grasp on how things worked around here. She tucked a piece of loose hair from her face to behind her ear and stood up, creating a towel and passing it to him, for he appeared to still be wet from some incident before this (which she suspected was not noticing the water and falling in.) She wasn't sure how to start a conversation with either of them and just decided to introduce herself once again but this time in a much more relaxed matter. "My name's Kayla, it's a pleasure to meet you two." she formally stated, mentally face-palming herself again for her stiffness

Clara reached the end of the track, finally. She noticed it seemed to be 400m, just like at home. She stopped, breathing slightly heavier than normal. Now, she allowed herself to look around. The forest finished where the track did. She was clearly not at home, and the fact seemed only to sink in as she looked around now. She was on top of a cliff. A cliff that resembled some cliffs she once visited in the West of Ireland.. But less gloomy. The sun shined, and the water wasn't smashing against the cliff in foaming torrents. In fact it was bright blue, almost artificially so.

She stopped some meters away from the edge, looking out. She adored heights, and the sensation she felt when she was above everyone. As well as that, the ocean enchanted her. It seemed to be magical.. But what wasn't, in this dream? She had resolved earlier that this was some amazing, pill induced dream. That special lady gave it to her, didn't she? She was wonderful.. She spent time talking to Clara when everyone else gave up because Clara didn't have the energy to respond. After a while, Clara made a special effort to answer her questions, although it was hard and she rarely was able to answer more than a few. Maybe the lady felt bad for her, so she gave her some advanced medicine or something. Realizing it wasn't real had stung. It meant that she would eventually return to endless days of nothing - Of no energy to talk, walk, even to think. Only music, music she was beginning to hate because she couldn't update her year old music taste.

On the horizon, she saw movement. Squinting, she moved closer to the cliff. It was a.. Boat. Somewhat childlike. Primary colors. Clara wondered what part of her subconscious it came from. Would there be people from her life? Or no one? She waved her arms wildly. 'I'M OVER HERE!" She cried out. She looked down. It was simply too far to jump. She'd die... Except this was a dream. She looked over the edge again. The distance had halved, daunting enough to enjoy, but not too far as to terrify her. She took a deep breath and hurdled herself over.

Five seconds passed as minutes of exhilaration before she plunged into the water. She expected it to be freezing, but it was the perfect temperature. Abnormally warm, for oceans were never warm, no matter how they were compared. She swum to the surface and broke through, shaking the water from her eyes. The boat was making its way in her general direction. She was curious to see what was in it, and began to swim leisurely in its direction. Soon enough, she was close enough to see small figures. She tread the water, unsure of what to do.

"Hello, My name is Kayla, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The words as well as the soft tap of fingers against his knee startle Landon so that he sits straight up and stares at the red-headed girl in front of him. His lips contort into a deep frown while his eyebrows come together to express the worry in his eyes. No, no, no. Why is there someone on his boat? This is his boat. He's never really had to deal with people, and seeing someone in front of him, especially in this dreamland where he thought he could escape anything and everything that upset and bothered him, makes him extremely uneasy. He opens his mouth as if to say something, but before he can form the words in his head and get his lips to speak them, another person flops into his boat.

This only serves to make him more anxious about the entire situation. What are these people doing here? He'd been here for as long as he can remember, and there's never been anyone else. So why are they coming to him now? Another visitor arrives from the sky not long after that. Landon's frown deepens as he backs further into his corner of the boat. He's not ready for this, for this many people suddenly descending into his personal space. One might have been fine, maybe, if he had really prepared himself for this, but three is far too much for him to handle at this point.

The strangers seems distracted with one another however, so Landon takes the opportunity to focus on himself and try and quell his anxiety. He focuses on the landscape and the sky. Deep blue sea, bright blue sky. Blue. Blue. Everything is blue, just like his eyes. He hasn't seen a mirror in... Well, he can't remember the last time he saw himself, but he remembers his eyes are blue. This calms him for some reason, and his breathing deepens as he relaxes, enough so that he can speak.

"I-I'm Landon," he says in a small squeak.

---

"You're walking on water, Peter," his subconscious tells him.

"Like Jesus?" he asks.

"Yes, Peter, like Jesus."

"Does that mean Jesus was in a dream?"

He occupies himself before he lets his subconscious answer. He doesn't need that kind of stuff; not here, not now. He shakes his head, as if that will rattle his thoughts and set him back on track. It helps, but not as much as he would like. The water ripples beneath his feet, sending circles out over the otherwise perfect surface out with every step. Some of the ripples overlap and play with one another, eventually turning to tiny little water sprites that dance and play with one another around his feet, nipping at his toes.

Hadn't he been wearing shoes? He can't remember, and if he was, they're gone now. It doesn't matter, really. Cold, discomfort, nothing touches him here. He's learning that, even if at first he was quite unsure of what to do. Heck, it took him a good while to figure out he could walk on the water rather than swim all the way to the little steam boat. He's never been a very strong swimmer after all. It's just another thing that his mother didn't allow him to do once his illness progressed. But wasn't swimming supposed to be good for keeping the muscles strong in cancer patients? Or had he just misunderstood that?

Not that it matters. He can swim all that he wants here. He can do anything he wants here, even things that would be impossible in the real world if he was in the best of health. Like now. Walking on water means nothing to him. Here, he is god.

The boat seems rather far away, but just a thought allows him to close the distance in a couple of strides. He's not really sure how he did that, but he's glad he did. He can see multiple people on the little blue, red, white, and yellow boat. All primary colors, like something a child would think of. Not that Peter's far out of being a child himself, and most adults would still label him a kid anyway, thus his diagnosis of childhood bone cancer and his placement in a children's hospital. No big deal though. Peter knows he's not that little.

At the boat now, Peter climbs in over the side. It's much bigger inside than the outside lets on, but such is the magic of a dream world he supposes. There are two girls in the boat, a blonde and a red-head, another boy just a bit older than him with black hair, and a tiny little blonde kid. It must be his boat, because the kid is a tiny tyke, probably still wearing diapers.

"Heya, guys," Peter begins talking immediately, glad to see some other people in this place. It can only serve to make things more interesting. "My name's Peter. Nice to see you all here." Peter grins widely, placing his hands on his hips and beaming brightly at each of them.

Once the soles of his shoes landed on the floor softly, Alex stopped his concentration on flight and instead directed it to deducing the new environment that surrounded him. As his eyes gazed over the boat, they fell on a small blonde haired boy who looked not a bit over the age of five. Five… blonde hair… blue eyes… A quick flashback of his younger brother playing with toy fire trucks, giggling as Alex made ‘vroom vroom’ noises, entered his mind before he was back in Wonderland, gazing at the small boy who sat cross-legged on the floor.
Alex shook his head; it couldn't be… it was impossible- but, then again, so was flying. He took a deep, shaky breath, about to whisper out a familiar name, when he was interrupted by a small, sweet voice.

"My name's Kayla, it's a pleasure to meet you two."

His eyes snapped in its direction and he found himself gazing into the deep blue eyes of a red-headed girl about his age. That’s when he noticed the other girl that hung in his peripheral, blonde and brown-eyed and wet- just like himself, though the flight to the boat had nearly dried him off. Nonetheless, he took the towel from the red-headed girls’ outstretched hand and gave a sharp, thankful nod, padding the remaining droplets off his skin. His eyes shifted from the three before him before he spoke lowly, his eyes falling back to the ground as he did so, “Alex."

He was curious as to how these people had come into being. Obviously, this was some sort of dream but he remembered reading about dreams the other day- well, a year ago, really- at the library and how it stated that “the people in your dreams are people you’ve met before in everyday life,” but none of the faces before him looked familiar. Well, besides that little blonde boy, who seems to be in a different world altogether, which warms Alex’s heart and the small ghost of a smile twitches at the corners of his lips at the thought.

"I-I'm Landon.”

And the smile vanishes, just like a ghost it was, and his heart sinks back into the pit of his stomach and he feels disgusted and betrayed and like throwing up. He feels so sick. It’s not his brother; it’s not Nicky. It’s another illusion, another nightmare- one he can’t wake up from, one that medication won’t stop. The only thing stopping his whole world from falling apart is the fact that this isn't his world at all…

And then his thoughts are interrupted, yet again, by the sound of another voice- this time belonging to a thin, dark-hair and blue-eyed boy.

“My name's Peter. Nice to see you all here.”

The boy seemed to be grinning triumphantly, both hands placed at each hip, obviously ecstatic to be here but Alex can’t find himself to return the feelings. Or the smile; Alex’s lips remain hard and still, thin as can be, as he stares back at Peter.
Nice to see you all here? Alex’s eyes flicker as he cogitates the current situation. Why would he say that? Why would Peter be so happy to be here? Was he the last to show up for a reason? Was he waiting for all of them to congregate so that he could finish out his devilish deed? What was he going to do with them?
Alex nearly scoffs, but the boy looks no older than himself- what damage could he possibly do?
But, this is no ordinary place; here, you could do anything, be anything- you could even be God.

“What do you mean? Did you bring us here?” Alex heard himself bark, his fists clenched at his sides as he stared Peter down from where he stood.

The boy she'd seen began to make his way to the boat, and Ivy let out a sigh. The one person she saw who didn't look like they'd go on the boat did. What was up with that boat? It seemed to be drawing everyone in, even Ivy. But Ivy was trying to fight the urge to join them. She didn't know them. How could she? It was all probably a dream anyways. Still...

Ivy swam to the boat, climbing aboard even though she was avoiding it. It seemed everyone had come here, so maybe it was meant for her to too. After coming aboard, the first thing she saw was the other boy that was walking, Peter, introduce himself. Then, a boy older than most of them, started questioning Peter looking like he was going to punch the other boy. Frowning, Ivy shifted on her feet thinking. She was ready however, to step in if the older boy actually attacked Peter. She didn't know either of them, but she sure didn't want anyone hurt. Whether she knew them or not. They were the only other ones here.

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt but... I don't think it's his fault," Ivy piped but, looking worriedly at the older boy. Who did he think he was, accusing Peter of such a thing just because he was friendly. Ivy decided it was best not to introduce herself though. She didn't know anyone else's names, and she sure didn't want to be at the disadvantage of them having hers.

Still looking at the older upset boy, Ivy wiggled her toes in her shoes, vaguely acknowledging that it felt good to be able to move them all again. She'd missed her leg, she realized, and smiled briefly. The smile quickly disappeared though, realizing she was among people she didn't know.

"Alex"
Alex she repeated in her mind. His voice was the first one she had heard in a long time besides her own. She was filled with joy "Hello Alex!" she took his hand and shook it happily. He was the first of so many people on this boat that she was going to meet. People who were not from her imagination who had thoughts, dreams, and emotions all of their own that maybe even she couldn't imagine. Ecstatic she made the boat expand silently to allow more people to come aboard if needed. Her mind was flying through so many emotions that she almost missed the tiny squeak of an introduction coming behind her.

"I-I'm Landon"
Turning back to the little boy she saw he was a little nervous and put aside her own emotions in attempt to make him feel for comfortable, even if she wasn't sure how. She tried thinking back to her past experience for some advice. Make some tiny fireworks to amaze him and think about something else? No that would startle him she thought. Perhaps offer him a snack to munch on? This isn't some sort of party though.... Kayla sat on the side of the boat close to Landon pondering some ideas and it only lead to frustration. Letting out a sigh she thought back to her own child hood and what comforted her. Fairy tales, star gazing, and a little stuffed cat that kept her company wherever she went. She loved that toy, but hadn't been able to bring it with her to the dream world. She tried recreating it but it was never the same as the one she had when she was awake.That's it! she picked up some of the water and played with it in her hands, creating the shape of one on the sea creatures she saw earlier by the boat. Once the shape was formed she blew on it lightly, making the water turn into a soft red, blue, and yellow cotton stuffed toy with bright blue eyes. She leaned over carefully and handed it to Landon "Here Landon take this, he'll protect you." she smiled softly.

"My name's Peter. Nice to see you all here."
A bright smile couldn't help but respond to the young gentle men who introduced himself once he came onto the boat. Peter was the most energetic, outgoing person she had seen in the dream land. His hands on his hips and his head held high he seemed to have so much self confidence and that was a rare sight to Kayla. Most of the people she had met, although very proud and spoke well, lacked the key element of self confidence. "Hello Peter, welcome to the boat." she greeted him cheerfully.

Although Kayla was very pleased to meet Peter, Alex seemed to think quite the contrary. He was accusing Peter of bringing them here, and her bright smile shifted into a displeased line. She was about to say something when a girl spoke before her "Um, I don't mean to interrupt but... I don't think it's his fault." She turned to her and nodded. She didn't notice her come aboard, but waved toward her in greeting before walking over towards Alex putting a hand on his arm gently in hopes of calming him down (or at least preventing him from beating up anybody). "Relax Alex, you know she's right. It's not Peter's fault." she turned towards the rest of the new kids on the boat, as if to confirm her next point. "I don't think anyone knows who brought us here." Which made her wonder once again who did in fact bring them here, and why all these new people where coming here NOW. Her excited emotions finally calmed down as she went to think. Why wasn't there any new kids when she showed up? Why did she come alone? She returned to the front of the boat and and sat on the tip, staring into the water in deep thought.

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt but... I don't think it's his fault."

His head snapped in the direction of the other voice, his fists loosened and his fingers tingled as blood began to circulate once more; His heavy breathing subsided and his vision cleared from the angry haze that had blinded him. He brought a shaking palm up to the bridge of his nose and pressed against it hard, his eyes shut tightly in order to stare at the back of his eyelids-allowing himself a second of peace. He had done it again- let his mind rack itself with impossibilities and deceptions- and he felt so ashamed.

His face was hot- from embarrassment or from anger, he wasn't sure, but the heat was diminishing and he dismissed it. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked up, his eyelids weary and his eyes full of apologies. He truly was sorry for his behavior. The good thing about getting better was his ability to comprehend when he was right and when he was wrong- and actually admit it.

"Relax Alex, you know she's right. It's not Peter's fault."

He nodded at Kayla, the warmth of her hand spreading to his chest and reaching his heart. Usually, during sporadic episodes such as this, he'd be restrained: by his mother, by a nurse, anyone who was readily available at his mothers' beck and call. Never- besides an apathetic nurse or two- had he been physically contacted and /asked/ to calm down. And although he wasn't a fan of being touched, this didn't seem to bother him quite as much as it should have. He looked at the others- briefly meeting their eyes- before looking at Peter, "Sorry, bud."

"I don't think anyone knows who brought us here."

At this statement, the image of a lady with smooth auburn hair and shimmering blue eyes flashed across his mind. She smiled at him, her pearly whites radiating between pink, parted lips as she outstretched an upward fist, opening it to reveal a white pill. That was his last memory before he had ended up here but he bit his tongue- afraid that it was another one of his hallucinations. Besides, how could a pill cause all of this? And why him? What purpose did he have here? The idea seemed too absurd and uncommon for it to be true and he figured it must have just been his own deranged mind that had conjured up the lady. So, he remained silent and hoped that someone would say they had seen her too.