Charlie was well beyond confused when he opened his eyes, sat up, and peered around the room he currently resided in. His recent trip to the past refreshed his memory of his old, Victorian family manor, but not of the federal styled home he lived in when he was a young boy. He couldn’t understand why he was was back in this place. Charlie groaned out in pain as a massive headache took over him.
“Well, that’s a sensation I’m not familiar with.” Charlie grumbled to himself as he rubbed the skin on this forehead. Of course, Charlie had been on the other end of some nasty hits when it came to witches. But usually, the pain was quick to subside to the point where he could almost recall never feeling it at all. However, it was sticking with him this time, and he didn’t find it pleasant. He pulled himself up from the maroon patterned carpet on the floor beneath him and looked around the office of his old family home. He thought for a moment as he looked around.
“Now, surely I’m not back in this awful place. It’s well gone by now.” Charlie said to himself. He then approached his father’s desk and reached his hand out to take an hourglass sat atop it. He lifted it with ease, half expecting it to go through him. Memory’s don’t do that, Charlie thought.
“This must not be a memory of mine, but a dream. Those damn witches!” Charlie exclaimed, letting out a groan. He then exit the office and began walking down a long hall. Eventually, he reached the front of the house where the staircase resided. He was taken aback when he saw his eldest and youngest brother running out of the room. Not long after, his eldest sister stomped through the room, holding knives in her hand. Charlie immediately winced, knowing of the activity taking place.
“If you two idiots do not get back here with my skirt, I will not hesitate to put holes in you!” Jane shouted as she continued to angerly stomp out of the room. Molly giggled as she followed closely behind.
“Oh, dear sister. They’re boys! Surely, you don’t expect them to.” Molly spoke with an amused tone. Not long after, a young version of Charlie ran into the room, dressed in his best clothing from the late 1730′s. Charlie quickly noticed how the version of himself was around the ages of 9-12. Charlie tilted his head at the little boy version of himself as he tried to remember this. He figured, he had to have lived this at some point before. Everything seemed so realistic, especially his sister chasing after the younger ones with knives. He always remembered it as her favorite game, but when they were younger, it was more of a tactic to get what she wanted.
“Wait for me, wait for me!” Younger Charlie called out. Before he could make it out of the room, a hand gripped ahold of the back of his sweater vest. Younger Charlie turned to see his mother, dressed in her best royal blue gown.
“You’re wasting precious time, Charlie. I am disappointed with you.” Astrid said as she harshly dragged younger Charlie back.
“I’m not the only one wasting time. The boys have Jane’s skirt!” Younger Charlie exclaimed. Astrid came to a halt, peering down at her son. She knelt down to the floor and gripped tightly to younger Charlie. Unbeknownst to him, she used her beast like strength to hold him front of her, as if he was going to take off. Younger Charlie tried not to wince at how tightly she held onto his arms. He didn’t want to be scolded and called human by his mother.
“Talk back to your mother again, and I’ll lock you in the cellar after tonight’s soirée.” Astrid spoke sternly, making Charlie’s eyes widen. “Run along, now.” Astrid then spat before harshly shoving him behind her, making him stumble a bit. Charlie watched as the younger version of himself looked back at his mother with the saddest pair of eyes. She turned back only for a moment, staring at her son with unreadable eyes. For a moment, Charlie thought he could read them. He thought perhaps he saw the slightest bit of guilt. But quickly, the look disappeared and she shoved him once more.
“She’s never felt guilt for her mistreatment of me, though...” Charlie pondered to himself, unaware he was speaking out loud. Almost immediately, Astrid’s head spun in his direction. She stood up straight before striding over to him. Charlie frowned as she approached him, standing mere inches from his face.
“Did I not tell you to run along? You despicable, unpleasant child are a waste of my breath. When will you stop being such a disappointment to me?” Astrid spat with narrowed eyes at her son. Charlie swallowed harshly, not expecting to hear such words directed to him. He fought back tears as he parted his mouth to speak.
“I’m afraid never, mother.” Charlie said, trying his best to not let his emotions get the better of him. Astrid, not feeling satisfied with his answer, struck him across the face with her hand. As Charlie stood in shock of his mother’s actions, he brought his hand up to his cheek, feeling a burning sensation as he lightly grazed his fingers along his reddened skin. A slap in the face told him all he needed to know.
“This isn’t a memory of mine. My mother detested me, but not once did she lay a hand on me.” Charlie uttered in a quiet voice. Almost immediately, his mother, and the room surrounding him faded, leaving a red cloud of smoke as it went. Once it cleared out, he noticed the room around him was now pitch black. He spun around, looking for a way out. Not far from him sat a red door, creaking open slightly. When he determined it was the only way out, he approached it with caution. He stopped at the door, letting his hand rest on the knob. He wasn’t sure what he’d find next. Whether or not he’d be let out of this dream state. But what he did know, was that everything around him was a spell from the witches, and that none of it was real.
He turned the knob, pushed the door open, letting a blinding white light soak up the darkness, and then walked through it. He looked around the room he now stood in, finding he was in a hallway of Dean’s mansion. He noticed the door behind him had disappeared and he had nowhere else to go. His memory, that had been almost blank before he came here, was now returning in bits and pieces. He remembered fighting Vincent and some genetically modified supernatural entities. He remembered fighting alongside his King, Jackson, and the other beasts. He couldn’t remember the why, he couldn’t remember the where, and he couldn’t remember Davina. He hoped as he went along this strange dream, it’d all come back to him. Charlie walked down the long hallway of Dean’s mansion and eventually found the balcony inside the main room. He peered down, finding it well decorated, but couldn’t figure out what for. The room was filled with guests, all standing around and conversing with one another. Charlie wondered what they were all waiting for. He then walked down the stairs, gaining the attention of all. Once he made it down and began walking along the classic ballroom floor, the guests bowed before him. He immediately recognized the guests as beasts and found they were dressed in clothing from the 1940s. He turned to his left as he stood in the front of the room, finding an tall arch beside him. It had intricate designs and white ribbons wrapped along the sides of it. He frowned once more, wondering what special occasion was taking place.
Not a moment after, a hauntingly beautiful organ began to play. All of the beasts turned in the direction of the balcony, making Charlie turn as well. At the top of the balcony, he found Jackson dressed in his usual formal suit. He stared down at the beasts along the floor before turning to his left and holding his arm out. After a moment, a woman with a white gown and lace veil covering her face, joined him by his side, and linked her arm with his awaiting one. Charlie’s mind went completely blank as Jackson and his bride walked down the grand stairs. Charlie was confused as to what was happening. Everything around him felt so familiar and more realistic than the last dream. He realized he had seen these decorations before, and all of the beasts in this room were one’s he knew from around the world.
“This one’s a memory, isn’t it?” Charlie asked himself. A beast in the front row hushed him, holding their finger to their lips. Charlie scoffed at them as Jackson took his bride in front of the arch. Jackson glanced back at Charlie, giving him a pleased smile, before turning back to his bride. The then music stopped. Jackson leaned close to his bride and rested his forehead on hers before he pulled the veil over her head. Charlie’s breath immediately hitched at the sight of the woman standing just a few feet before him. Tears glossed over his hazel-ish, green eyes. His skin turned pale. He froze completely. The woman glanced over at him, giving him a warm and kind smile before fixating her eyes on Jackson.
“Genevieve, my enchanting, beloved bride to be-” Jackson started, but his voice faded away in the ears of Charlie. He shut his eyes, drowning out the voice of Jackson not far from him as he remembered the horrid day. The day he found his best friend, lying on the balcony floor of her and Jackson’s shared guest room with a bullet to her back. Blood seeped through the thick material of her wedding dress and she laid lifeless before him. He remembered trying his hardest to lift her from the ground and take her away before Jackson could see, but the emotions that hit him that night left him weak when he knelt beside her. His own emotions weakened his mind, wondering what he could’ve done to prevent her death, and mourning her. Her emotions from before she died, lying alone and in distress, weakened his body. What made it even worse was when Jackson heard Charlie’s anguished cry for the loss of his dear friend, and came running to their bedroom. Unlike Charlie, Jackson didn’t cry. He dropped to his knees, trying to assess the issue. Trying to save her though she was long gone. Charlie remembered Jackson trying to speak to her, getting frustrated when she wouldn’t answer. Charlie had to speak, despite all of his pain, and tell Jackson that she was gone. Charlie’s eyes immediately peeled open and he stepped forward, resting his hand on the shoulder of Jackson.
“It’s a dream, Jackson! Wake up!” Charlie shouted. Jackson turned back with a confused expression.
“I beg your pardon?” Jackson asked, turning to face Charlie.
“It’s not real! None of this is real! The witches are messing with your head. They’re showing you who you want to see, just like they did with me!” Charlie exclaimed, shaking Jackson by the shoulders.
“I don’t understand, Charlie-” Jackson started, but Charlie cut him off.
“Genevieve is dead!” Charlie shouted in the face of Jackson, making him go frozen. “She died the night of your wedding. The two of you never made it this far!” Charlie continued. Jackson blinked a few times, averting his eyes from Jackson.
“This isn’t real, Jackson. None of it.” Charlie said once more. Jackson turned back, looking into the eyes of Charlie, trying to find some truth in them. Almost immediately, the room around them faded away, leaving a dark blue cloud of smoke around them as it went, revealing the same pitch black room from before. Charlie removed his hands from Jackson’s shoulders while Jackson’s eyes trailed off, lost in thought.
“We were fighting Vincent and his genetically modified beasts in the courtyard of the compound.” Jackson said as his memory returned to him.
“Right, the courtyard!” Charlie said as he remembered it too.
“We were trying to keep them from something. Weren’t we?” Jackson asked.
“That’s what I haven’t quite figured out yet. I’m thinking that will tell us what we need to know.” Charlie said as he pointed to the right of him. Jackson turned, finding a dark blue door not far from them. Jackson nodded his head in agreement before the two strode over to the door. Jackson opened it, letting light fill the dark room, and entered alongside Charlie. They entered the living room of a small, Victorian home. They noticed plants filled up the living room, a muted plum colored wallpaper covered the walls, and cheap furniture sat on the floor.
“Any idea where the hell we might be?” Charlie asked, turning back to Jackson. Jackson only shook his head as he examined the room. He knew he hadn’t been in here before. Not long after, they heard a sigh from one of the rooms. A young woman with brown hair and purple highlights entered the room with a burgundy colored mug in her hands. Jackson and Charlie watched as she plopped down on her small, beige sofa and lifted her remote to turn on her TV. She watched the TV while sipping on her drink before a phone sat beside her started ringing. She set down her mug and muted the TV before picking up her phone. A displeased expression appeared on her face before she answered the call.
“What do you want?” The young woman asked. Jackson and Charlie frowned at one another when they realized they couldn’t hear a thing.
“You’ve already checked up on me once this month. I think that’s enough.” The young woman spoke with a bitter tone. The two beasts then noticed a plain, wooden door sat in the hallway that hadn’t been there before. They approached the door and opened it. This time, a white light didn’t peer into the room. On the other side of the door, they found Dean in his office, sitting in his chair, and holding a phone to his ear. He pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a heavy sigh.
“I just felt I should check up on you.” Dean responded. They heard the woman in the living room scoff to herself.
“Dean, it’s been almost four months. Vincent is gone and you’re handling the genetically modified beasts. There’s no need for you to check up on me.” The young woman said. Jackson and Charlie exchanged a glance, wondering who the woman in the living room was. Neither could remember her name, nor her being involved in the fight against Vincent.
“Okay, but I wanted to, Davina. I just wanted to.” Dean said in a defeated tone. Upon hearing the name Davina, bits and pieces of the past week started to appear in their minds.
“Don’t do that. Don’t act like you care about me. I wanted to stay with you. I wanted to stay and be there with you, Jackson, and Charlie, but you wouldn’t let me. You told me it was better for me to just leave like we both wanted in the beginning. If you didn’t truly want that, why’d you tell me to go?” Davina asked. Dean let out another heavy sigh. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to find the words to say. Jackson and Charlie had never seen such a lost expression on the face of their beloved King. They’d never seen him let tears drip down his face without any fight to hold them back.
“I did it for you... and I did it for Jackson.” Dean said. Jackson frowned, wondering what he meant. He was still putting it all togethers. He had yet to remember he was in love with the woman in the other room. It was now Davina’s turn to let out a sigh. She ran her fingers through her hair, letting a few hot tears drip down her face.
“I still don’t know what you mean by that.” Davina whispered, letting Jackson and Charlie know they had this conversation before. “Thank you for fixing my childhood home for me to live in, for helping me get my brother back, and saving me from becoming a beast. But please, for my sake, let this be the last time you ever contact me.” Davina said in a shaky breath before hanging up the phone. Dean let out a shaky breath of his own, pulling the phone away from his ear once he realized she hung up on him, and set it down on his desk.
“We were fighting Vincent and his genetically modified beasts, because he was after our friend Davina and was trying to turn her into one of them.” Charlie said, having finally remembered the purpose for the fight in the courtyard. Immediately Dean turned in their direction.
“Jackson? Charlie? I’d expect the eavesdropping from him, but you too Jackson?” Dean asked in an annoyed tone, making Jackson and Charlie turn towards him. Footsteps behind them made them turn back, finding Davina with a frightened expression on her face. She let out a sigh of relief once she spotted them. Her expression quickly turned from relief to anger, though.
“What the hell are you guys doing here?” Davina asked with an angry tone as she crossed her arms over her chest. Charlie’s eyes widened. He immediately pulled Jackson into Dean’s office, shutting the door behind the both of them.
“Davina can be terrifying when she’s angry!” Charlie exclaimed, shuddering afterward. Dean now stood from his chair, narrowing his eyes at the two, and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Oh.. right. Don’t be too pissed with us. Afterall, this is just a dream.” Charlie said. Dean frowned at him while Jackson stepped forward.
“Why did you send Davina away for me?” Jackson asked curiously. He put together all of the pieces at this point. He knew this dream was something Dean hoped for Davina. He wanted to give her everything because he had finally realized he’d fallen in love with her, as did she with him. Only, instead of keeping her around, he sent her away for her sake and for his own. He knew Dean was trying to keep her safe. But he wasn’t sure what reason Dean did it for him. Dean blinked a few times, unsure of how to answer.
“Because... I know you love her, too. I knew that if the two of us let ourselves become something, it’d only hurt you. You are easily one of my greatest friend’s and I didn’t want to mess up and hurt you like I did with Charlie.” Dean confessed, making Jackson’s breath hitch. Jackson then remembered how considerate his friend was. He realized Dean would rather put himself through pain, than hurt his friend. But, if he knew one thing about dreams, it’s that you don’t often remember them when you wake up.
“That’s sweet and all, but we need to get going.” Charlie said as he stepped forward. “Dean, this hasn’t happened. This isn’t real. The witches have done this to you. The war is not over, Davina is still with us, and we need to go before that changes.” Charlie said. Dean stared at him for only a moment before the room around them faded away as it did before with Jackson and Charlie, leaving an indigo cloud of smoke around them. Charlie let out a sigh of relief that it didn’t take much convincing with Dean. Dean looked around the pitch black room, feeling his memory return to him.
“We need to get going. If the witches knocked us out, who knows what happened to Davina.” Dean said in an urgent tone.
“My thoughts exactly.” Charlie replied.
“So then, what are we waiting for?” Jackson asked as he motioned towards Dean’s dark purple door. The three beasts all glanced at one another before approaching the door. Dean extended his arm out to clasp the knob, turned it, and opened it to reveal the same, bright light from before. The three then walked through, ready to enter back into the world.
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