The enchanted star is drenched in a purple light as it approaches quickly. It's moving fast and it won't stop, it will never stop. That's okay. The star turns.

No.

The star turns. It is moving somewhere else. The star turns. It is moving somewhere else. Focus. The star turns. It blinks twice. Fades. Blinks twice. The star turns. It is moving somewhere else. It wobblesthumpthumpthumpthump. The star turns and arches over the horizon.

No.

The ground shakes. The star turns. The purple light shines onto the ground all around, but not on top. Never on top. Beneath, maybe, but on top? Never. Screech screech. What is this, anyways? The star turns and arches over the horizon.

No.

The ground shakes. Shakes. Shakes shakes. The light is gone. It will be back, but it will be somewhere else. Shakes. The giraffe peeks over the wall, then turns away.

"No."

Claudine hoped she was looking at the ceiling of her room. It was too dark to tell. She felt the hand still wrapped around her arm before she noticed her rapid heartbeat slowing down.

"Let go of me."

"You were having a nightmare."

"I don't know what I was having. Let go of me."

"Are you okay?"

"I will be okay when you let go of my arm."

The hand began to rub soothing circles into her bicep. "Tell me about it."

Claudine sighed. Her wide eyes began to adjust to the darkness but she refused to look to the right. She knew what was there, but she didn't want to. She wanted to pretend this wasn't happening again.

"I don't remember," Claudine sighed, speaking the truth. "Images, colours, feeling. Something I must not have liked."

"Me?"

"Shut up." She spared a side-eyed glance and caught the bright whites of her eyes. She looked away. The hand migrated over her arm, across her chest. It stopped on the bruise above her left breast.

"Does it hurt?"

Claudine shut her eyes. "You wouldn't apologize if it did."

A satisfied hum tickled her ears and Claudine shut her eyes tighter, hoping sleep would take her again. A body took its place on top of hers and firm lips replaced the hand on her bruise.

"You always struggle at night after an audition." Claudine moaned quietly as a soft tongue began lapping at the bruise.

"We both know I often struggle at night no matter what happened during the day."

"True." A hand spun lazy circles on Claudine's shoulder. She dared opening her eyes for a split second but shut them just as quickly when the hint of purple caught her gaze. "I'm always here for you though."

Claudine let the arm spin its circles all the way over her face until she felt it get lost in her loose blonde hair. The lips dipped below her bruise to nip at the neck of her pajama top. She sighed. "Can you really say that?"

"Have I ever been absent when you needed me?"

"I won't answer that."

"Why not?"

"You'll think less of me."

"Impossible."

Claudine frowned as she felt lips disappear and a weight press itself to her chest. Her heart beat faster and the hand in her hair massaged her scalp. She cracked her eyes and watched a sea ripple for a moment before closing them again.

"I might need you during the day."

She felt the vibrations of a laugh against her clothed breast. "The day is reserved for passion, not love."

"This isn't love."

"Why not?"

"This isn't real. I'm still asleep."

Claudine's hand was plucked from its place at her side. The dream kissed each of her fingers in turn before taking one in her mouth. She sucked hard on it before pulling it out with a loud pop.

"You worship me," Claudine whispered. She placed her wet finger on the lips of her dream, allowing it to be kissed once more.

"Always."

Claudine scoffed. "That's why this is a dream."

"What are dreams if not blueprints for reality?"

"Torture chambers."

She felt a giggle against her stomach. A hand slipped under the hem of her top. "May I remove this?"

"Not tonight," Claudine forced herself to say. "Never again."

All movement stopped. Claudine opened her eyes as little as she could and shut them again when she was greeted with confusion.

"If this isn't a dream, you're toying with me," Claudine reasoned. "This is just another way for you to win. You want to destroy me."

"No, I want to dominate you."

She screwed her eyes tight enough to stop the tear that she felt slipping out. The body on top of hers crawled up. Lips ghosted across her cheek.

"The day is our time for them. The performance. The night is our time for us. The heart. Kiss me."

"No," Claudine refused.

"Don't make me take it."

Claudine clicked her teeth. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Lips connected with her own. She kissed back.

"More."

Tongues crashed against each other. Teeth clacked and Claudine hissed.

"More."

She didn't know who said it. It didn't matter. Teeth grabbed her bottom lip and the light pressure that followed encouraged her hands to travel south, grasping cold cloth over firm flesh.

"Let me love you tonight."

"No."

"Then let me stay with you tonight."

"No," Claudine denied. "Not if you won't be there in the morning."

"I never am."

"That's why this is a dream."

"A dream come true." A hand penetrated the waistband of her sleep pants and tugged on short curls. "For both of us."

She struggled to pull the hand away, but it stayed firm. She considered screaming, but only for a moment. That might wake herself up, and she didn't want that. The dream giggled smugly.

"Don't worry, I won't make love to you tonight."

She blushed and continued her struggle.

"Look at me, Claudine."

"No."

The hand disappeared from beneath her pants and grabbed her jaw in a firm vice. She opened her eyes. She wished she didn't.

"This isn't a dream."

"It is," Claudine hissed. "It's a dream until you prove to me that it's real."

Teeth tore into her neck and she lost her breath. Strong arms held her down as she attempted to thrash away. She panted and squirmed and all she could think about was her skin being sucked hard between sharp teeth. She cried in pleasure and the teeth were gone.

"That will be there tomorrow."

Claudine finally broke out of the grip and slapped a hand to her wet neck. "That will be there for the rest of the week!"

"Good."

Claudine huffed and turned away from the honest eyes. She shut her own once again. "I'm finished with this dream."

"Not yet."

Claudine blushed again. She felt her stomach flip. "I won't say it."

"Yes you will."

"No."

"You always fight, and you always say it. You always mean it."

Claudine sighed. "I'm not sure if I do."

For the first time that night, the dream's touch hesitated. "What?"

"I love the girl that's there during the day, not the dream that only visits at night."

"We're one in the same."

"You don't exist."

The body rolled over and sunk into the bed next to her. "That hurts."

"Good."

There was silence. Claudine finally felt sleep coming back to her when her dream interrupted the nothingness.

"I love you. All hours of the day, dream or not. I love you."

Claudine curled tighter into herself and ignored the arm wrapping around her stomach. "I wish I could believe you."

She woke up alone.

Maya Tendou knew she was looking at the ceiling of her room. She wished it was her's. She wished she was her's. She wished for a lot of things.

That's what dreams were for.

5:37. It was early. She closed her eyes, hoping for another half hour of peace. One minute later, when it was clear that would never happen, she removed herself from bed. She opened the top drawer of her dresser and dug through the accolades she had won in the previous year. The tiara of the top star still shines like blood pouring out of an open wound. How funny it was that gold had little practical purpose outside of conduction, as the gold of her pride mediated the most important tragedy of her life. One day she would throw all of this away, but until then she would let it fuel her resolve.

If she set herself as a goal, there would have to be a chase. If there was a chase then one day, maybe, she would catch her. If she caught her, she would definitely be with her.

At least, that's what she dreamed.