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“Excuse me? I finally receive my dream invitation and your first thought is that it’s undeserved? I’m a first-class detective with impressive skills, so for you to suggest—”
I bit my lip to silence my private thoughts that Stardust’s “impressive“ skills were rather...unimpressive. “Your skills are undoubtedly...unique,” I hedged. “But if I’m wrong, why have they waited so long to invite you to join them?”
Crimson filled Stardust’s frothy rainbow body as her anger swelled. “They were obviously intimidated by my brilliance. I can’t believe you’d even doubt their reasoning for inviting me. My investigation skills are the sole reason for this invitation, so for you have the gall to even consider otherwise...it’s the most offensive thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Of course I believe you’re skilled,” I lied hastily. “But it still seems—”
Stardust silenced me with a fiery glare. “Why can’t you just be happy for me? Just because you’ve always been jealous doesn’t mean you have to ruin the greatest moment of my life.”
Jealous? What a ridiculous idea. “It’s not that I don’t doubt your talent—” I said, but once more she refused to let me finish.
“Yes, you do.” Her rainbow-colored tears escaped, causing remorse to pierce my heart; I’d never seen her cry before. I reached out a hesitant hand to stroke her, but she shrank away. “How dare you doubt my detective skills,” she stuttered. “How dare you.”
Despite her heartbreaking tears, I couldn’t quite quench my own rising temper. “What detective skills? If you were a real detective you’d have irrevocable proof that Darius either betrayed me or that he didn’t, or you’d have discovered who’s really responsible for the crimes charged against me, but we’ve been stuck here for months and you haven’t found anything. What’s more, when we lived in the Dream Realm you couldn’t figure out if I’m Half-Mortal, didn’t learn anything about who Mother really was or where she’d disappeared to, nor who was responsible for causing nightmare flowers to grow in the Cultivating Fields and who really caused the fiasco at the flying colors. In our time together, you’ve figured outnothing. What makes you think yourzerosolved cases has impressed the Investigations Team? They don’t want you for your nonexistent detective skills, they want you as a tool to use against me.”
One look in her crestfallen expression and I realized I’d gone too far. My heart wrenched as I stepped forward, hand outstretched in a futile gesture of peace.
“Oh Stardust, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“I was wrong about you!“ she shouted as her tears continued to fall and gathered in puddles around the room. “You’re becoming more like a Nightmare every day. You’re so full of anger and hatred that you’re determined to push everyone away. I take back all that I said about you being a Dreamer who doesn’t belong in this awful place. You’re exactly where you deserve to be—the Nightmare Realm, with other horrible Nightmares like yourself. You’re a Nightmare, you’re a Nightmare, you’re a Nightmare!“
Her accusing words were like knives, cutting open the wound created by my fear of who I really was and where I truly belonged, which had grown ever since my suspension, poisoning me with its pain.
I clutched my hands over my heart in a futile effort to protect myself, but the damage had already been done. I hadn’t realized until this moment how much I’d been clinging to Stardust’s faith in me and who she believed I truly was, especially for a moment like now when I couldn’t believe it myself.
Tears burned my eyes, blurring the hatred twisting her expression. Would I also lose my dearest friend and last connection to the Dream Realm?
“Please, Stardust,” I whimpered. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean...please.”
Her hatred sharpened. “It’s too late.”
Panic laced through me.Too late...?
She morphed into a travel satchel. “I’m finally leaving this horrible place. What’s the point of staying somewhere I hate with someone I hate even more? No matter what you say, this invitation is real, and I won’t let you use your nightmarish ways to hold me back from fulfilling my destiny. Once I officially join them, I’ll hand over every bit of incriminating information I have about you, your powers, and your crimes, especially your recent thefts. I owe you no loyalty, not when you’re nothing more than a dark and evil Nightmare.”
With that she morphed into a shape so small I couldn’t see her. Alarm swelled over me as some of the few tears I’d allowed myself to shed since coming to this horrible place escaped.
“Stardust?Stardust! Don’t leave me here alone.Please, Stardust!“
But Stardust didn’t reappear. She’d gone.
I careened into the corridor, frantically searching the air around me for anything that resembled a small, frothy, rainbow-colored flying object that could possibly be Stardust. But it was impossible to see anything through my tears, so it wasn’t a surprise when I stumbled into someone and fell backwards.
“Watch where you’re going; you nearly knocked me over.”
I scrambled to my feet and darted around Mother into the parlor, where I frantically wiped away my tears so I could desperately search for my friend before she left forever.
Mother followed me. “What’s gotten into you?”
I ignored her and fell to my hands and knees in order to crawl around the room, searching beneath seats and around the tea table. I straightened in front of Blaze and Trinity cuddling on the sofa, who gawked at me as if I’d lost my mind.
“Have you seen Stardust?” I stuttered. “She’s morphed into something small and I can’t find her.”
Blaze snorted. “You’re crying over losing yourpet? Typical. I’m not sure you’re really an ex-Dreamer after all.”
Trinity leaned her head against his shoulder and giggled.
I tightened my jaw. I didn’t have time for their lack of concern or their goading. I called Stardust’s name over and over as I investigated every corner, rummaged through every cupboard, and searched within the foliage of every potted plant crowding the room, but I didn’t find anything even remotely resembling Stardust. Dejected, I buried my face against my pulled-up knees and broke into sobs.
