DOROTHEA

FIFTEEN

"...So casually cruel
In the name of being honest..."

———

"Ivy!"

"Ivy, come back!"

Dorothea was running through a moss-covered forest, where the tree branches were illuminated in an ethereal golden sparkle. There was a child's laughter bouncing throughout the air, pixie-like and gurgling with delight. She couldn't tell where it was coming from and yet she was convinced she was running towards it. But she wasn't getting any closer. It seemed like every glimpse of the child—the yellow ribbon in her hair, the glowing fabric of her dress, her tiny bare feet leaping over a stray branch—only widened the gap between them.

"Ivy!"

She found herself shouting this name over and over again. It had to be the little girl's, but what made her think that?

"Ivy, wait!" Dorothea screamed, yet the sound couldn't have been any louder than a whisper. Suddenly, the forest around her seemed to be growing darker. The wide path she'd started on was quickly narrowing with encroaching trees whose sparkle was replaced by black vines. She found herself leaping and dodging this dense foliage as it spilled near her feet and the child-like laughter grew louder.

All of a sudden, Dorothea tripped over a thick, curling vine that didn't appear to have an end, but in a flash she found herself in a clearing in the woods. When her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she caught full sight of the little girl—four years old?—running and skipping over a carpet of colorful flowers.

Dorothea hesitated to reveal herself, for fear that it would cause the child to vaporize from her sight once again. "Ivy" had on a white dress that looked as though it was literally made of clouds. In addition to the yellow ribbon in her braid, there appeared to be a woven crown—true to her name—resting on top of her head. She had wavy, espresso-colored hair and sun-kissed skin like that of a peach picked in July. The little girl began spinning in bouncy circles and the only part of her face Dorothea could make out was her wide-open smile that was spilling with laughter.

Was that her daughter?

"Mommy!—" As though she spoke the thought, the girl suddenly stopped and was looking right at her. Dorothea rose carefully from the brush. She couldn't help but smile at the little child's own grin, bright as the stars. She opened her arms when the girl suddenly started running towards her at maximum speed.

"Ivy!—" Right as Dorothea braced herself to receive the girl, the little brunette pivoted to her left. Dorothea's eyes jumped towards the new, unexpected direction. She then watched the girl she thought was her own wrap her skinny arms around Taylor's waist.

The pop singer, framed by a white-gold silhouette, was wearing a dress made entirely of ivory-colored pearls. Every second, it seemed as though more were appearing on her figure. When Taylor bent to pick up the little girl, the mixture of their laughter caused the sky to flash into colors like that of a pastel dream. Dorothea watched the pair as Taylor spun around and pointed a pearl-covered finger directly at her.

"I told you, silly! Mommy's over there!"

In a gasp, Dorothea's eyes snapped open. She exhaled a rush of air and blinked rapidly in the early dawn light, confused by her surroundings; the sheets against her sweat-traced legs; the silver-framed mirror leaning against the wall and the ceramic vase spilling with flowers.

She recognized her heels laying next to a wine-colored chair, but then jumped when her eyes met a pair of green ones glowing back at her from the seat. For a moment, she thought she was still asleep, having simply been tossed into another dream that was out of her control. But the teeny—almost imperceptible—meow that suddenly came from the direction convinced her otherwise.