~*~fourth entry~*~ dream recording

[itsgunnabe_mei]

Sender: Meilin Lee
To: Everyone
Subject: Passive Dream Recording
Warning: N/A, will change if needed.

A flash of light! It's a harsh spotlight, like someone is being interrogated! There stands our young heroine, trying to block the light with her eyes, confused and frightened. "W-what's going on?"

Five shadowy figures stand behind her. Each one is holding a flashlight, making the light even more intense. The walls are steel blue, there's no escape.

One of the voice speaks... it's a young man. 

(Anyone who has been subjected to Mei thrusting a certain boyband at them may note it's a familiar voice.)

"Baby, you're under arrest."

Mei whips around, startled, and clutches a hand to her heart. "W-what?! But... But I didn't do anything!"

The other figures begin to speak up - all of them young men.

"Oh, you're a criminal, all right."
"It can only be you."
"Cause baby... it's a crime to look that good!"

The harsh lights now turn into theatrical spotlights! Why, it's Mei's favorite singers, the boyband 4*town! (Yes, there are five members in a band called 4town, roll with it.) They're all dressed as policemen, and begin to break into song and dance - Mei squeals with glee, and giddily joins in. After all, she knows this song by heart! It's all fun and fabulous for a few minutes... but then, a siren breaks out, and a red alarm flashes.

"Oh no!" Says one of the hot young men. "It's the warden!"

Mei isn't worried - sure, there isn't another member of the band, but she's guessing that the surprise guest is another sexy piece of eye-candy. "Oooh, who is it?" She giggles, wiggling back and forth in anticipation. "Are they gunna lock me up and throw away the key~?"

The men begin to back away warily as the newest shadowy figure approaches... and they too are dressed in police attire... but it's not another young cute boy. It's a middle-aged Asian woman.

Mei's eyes almost pop out of her skull in sheer shock. "MOM?! What are you doing here?!"

4*town abruptly vanishes as Ming Lee looks down at her daughter, her voice quiet but saddened. "Meimei... how could you? After all we discussed, after all you went through... how could you tell everyone about the Red Panda?"

Mei swallows, at a loss for words. She looks around, but she's all alone, save for her mother. "I-I'm sorry! I just... I thought... things are different here!"

"And look at the people you're surrounding yourself with!" Ming continues as she approaches Mei, who almost seems to shrink under her gaze. "Demons? Hellhounds? People who claim to be swords? You're hanging out with men more than twice your age! Whatever happened to Stranger Danger? There isn't anyone there to protect you! What am I supposed to think?"

Mei holds herself, unable to come up with any form of defense. Her eyes start to get blurry with tears. "... Please don't be mad, mommy... I just... I just wanted some friends, and they understand me, and... they..."

"Oh, my little Meimei." Ming comes to her daughter and pulls her into a tight, loving embrace. She tenderly strokes Mei's hair as Mei clings to her. "I'm not mad at you... I'm just worried. But it'll be all right. Things will be different from now on. I won't let any of these awful people get near you. In fact... I think it's best we never let anyone near you at all."

Hold up. Mei freezes in place. "Um. What?"

Ming's voice becomes wayyy too cheerful. "Like you said, I'll lock you up and throw away the key. That way, you'll never be in danger again! And you can always stay my little Meimei!"

Before Mei has a chance to object, she's suddenly thrown into a jail cell and the door slams shut on her! She grabs the bars, shaking them hard, letting out a horrified - 

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Which is when Mei falls out of her bed, the dream ending right then and there. 

Comments

-

[itsgunnabe_mei]

1) it's not your fault
2)it's my fault
3) DID EVERYONE SERIOUSLY SEE ALL OF THAT????

[redbeauty]

1 & 2) I don't understand how it's your fault?

[ He thinks about how to answer number 3 for a moment. ]

3) No, of course not.

I did hear the song, though. You could tell me about that.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

YOU SAW IT ALL, DON'T LIE TO ME

the band is called 4*town by the way

[redbeauty]

I don't think I saw all of it, but I did see the song and your mom at the end.

[ He tried!! ]

I don't know much about music or bands, but is it a requirement for music groups to have a number in their name? Like some unspoken rule?

[itsgunnabe_mei]

okay so the important thing is i'm never leaving my room again

[redbeauty]

What? Why? Hiding away in your room isn't going to solve anything. It was just a dream.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

A DREAM THAT EVERYONE SAW

[redbeauty]

Is that so bad? Isn't that just how this place works? I'm sure everyone understand.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

That doesn't make it any better! Not even a little bit!

[redbeauty]

I haven't had my dreams shared yet, at least I don't think I have, so I guess I'm not really in the best position to argue

but

I do think that most people would rather make sure you're okay after a dream gets shared more than anything else. Everyone knows we don't have any control over what we dream, and most of us know that dreams are just an exaggerated, distorted version of reality.

If you lock yourself in your room, you're going to end up with a line of people checking in on you. Just as an FYI.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

well they can line up all they want, i'm not letting them in

[redbeauty]

It's not like you can make the people who saw your dream forget what they saw.

You'll have to face it eventually. I guess you do have a right to your privacy, but it'll probably get pretty annoying having everyone pounding on your door to check on you.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

they'll get bored of it eventually. i can do endless homework in here!

[redbeauty]

People who care about you aren't going to get bored. They'll keep coming to your room every day, trying to check in on you.

Trust me, it's a lot easier to just take a little bit of time to hide away and then come out of hiding the next day.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

define "little bit of time"

[redbeauty]

Maybe a couple hours to a day at most?

[ The last time he holed himself up in his room, he only got about 15 minutes of privacy before someone came to check on him, so he figures that's a generous amount of time. ]

I'd say "as long as you need" but I don't think you're going to get that.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

what I need is like days and says and days MAYBE INFINITE DAYS

[redbeauty]

I know in the moment it feels like that, but it'll get easier to deal with everything later. And there's the very real threat of someone just breaking your door because they're worried about you and you won't let them in.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

nobody here would actually do that

right?

[ even as she's writing that, she has... a few people in mind... ]

[redbeauty]

There definitely are. I promise you that much.

But I get wanting some time to hide away. I just think it's important to not hide away forever.

[itsgunnabe_mei]

it won't be forever. just until i feel better.

[ granted, she has no idea when that'll ever be. ]