Entering the kitchen, Cabby approached the coffee machine. She started to prepare her favorite blend, hoping to have it ready before anyone else came into the room.

Of course, someone did enter the room, much to her discontent. "Hey, mind if I use that after you're finished?" The familiar voice of the Hotel manager asked.

Cabby gave him a slight side glance, smiling. "You're the one that owns the coffee maker. I don't know why you asked." She attempted to joke.

"Heh, yeah you're right." He chuckled, leaning on the island behind the two, mug in hand. "Guess my memory's going blank after all these late shifts."

She frowned slightly, almost forgetting that OJ practically never sleeps. Recovery or not, it wasn't good for his health. Cabby poured the brew into her mug.

"All yours." She said to him, scooting aside. OJ quickly began his batch of coffee, in a rush to get back to his job. Cabby turned away, starting to leave.

"Wait." OJ suddenly called, making her freeze in place. Her hands clenched tightly around her mug as she waited for whatever OJ was going to tell her.

She was nervous. This would had been the second time the two ever spoke since leaving Indefinite Island. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him.

Surprisingly, he was smiling. "There's going to be a trivia night in the conference room tonight." He said, stirring his coffee.

"Last time it was II trivia, but I think this time it's general. A lot of the patrons will be there, and I was wondering if you were coming too?"

Cabby looked away, feeling a twinge of confusion. She quickly shook it off, regaining her composure. "Actually, no. Sorry OJ." She told him.

He frowned, but nodded. "No problem. You're busy?" He questioned. "Yes. Doing a lot of research on...dreams." She hesitantly said.

It wasn't a total lie.

She was curious about the concept of dreaming in general. And that door dream, as mundane as it was, did spark some interest into dream environments.

Plus, keeping a dream journal was a good excuse to go back to her room as early as possible.

The less everyone saw of her, the better.

Once OJ was done with his coffee, he left the kitchen, leaving Cabby alone once again. After a moment, she left, not wanting to run into anyone else.

[ ~ ꕥ ~ ]

There she was again, in the endless void with endless doors. Her anxiety swelled like a musical sting, as she frantically looked around.

And there it was.

That familiar periwinkle door with the rose pink handle.

Cabby's anxiety quickly faded, as she rushed towards it. She was determined to see what was on the other side, but she didn't know why.

It was almost as if something was drawing her towards the door, inviting her inside. It felt warm, comforting...like a hug from someone close.

The moment her hand touched the doorknob, Cabby felt that warmth tingle through her entire body. It actually made her pause, as she closed her eyes.

It felt so nice, Cabby wanted to enjoy the feeling for a second. Of course, when she opened her eyes, she was no longer facing the door, but the orange walls of the hotel.

She sat up, shocked. "What...?" She mumbled, before she realized her hand was clenched tight. Her eyes widened.

Why was she still able to feel the doorknob from the dream?

Nervously, Cabby turned her hand over. With a deep breath, she slowly unclenched her hand, revealing the bright pink stone that was attached to the periwinkle door.

It slipped through her fingers, landing on the sheets as she flinched in shock. Cabby quietly slapped the sides of her face, trying to see if she was still dreaming.

She was not.

Glancing back down at the stone, Cabby frowned, confused and frankly scared. This had never happened before, to her, at least.

                                  This wasn't a normal occurrence! Was it...? Her mind raced as she stared down at the stone. There was only one person that came to mind for questions like these.

Hopefully she wouldn't mind receiving a letter from Cabby...

[ ~ ꕥ ~ ]

It was past curfew, but Cabby needed to get this letter out. Even just discovering what this stone was would be enough to lead her on the right track, she hoped at least.

Pressing up against the wall, Cabby waited for a clearance. She listened for footsteps, then dashed to the front doors. Letter in hand, she opened them, only to find a surprise.

OJ and Candle where on the other side, caught off guard by Cabby's sudden appearance. "How thoughtful, thank you for getting the door for us, Cabby."

Candle smiled, as the two of them stepped inside. "How'd you know we were coming in...?" OJ asked. Cabby rolled out of their way, a slight frown on her face.

"I didn't."

So Candle had been eliminated... This was unexpected, but it made Cabby's questions a lot easier to ask. She wasted no time to ask them.

"Candle. There's two things I need to ask you." Smiling, Candle turned to face her. "I can try and help." She told Cabby. Cabby paused nervously.

Was this even a good idea? Sure, Candle was spiritual and "in tune the universe" but what if this was something ridiculous, even by her understanding?

Cabby hesitantly clenched the stone in her hand. But after a moment of thinking, she showed it to Candle. "Could you tell me what sort of gem this is?"

Candle's eyes twinkled, as her smile, and flame, grew warmer. "That would be a rose quartz crystal." She answered. "It has many meanings, for example: unconditional-"

Cabby was quick to interrupt. "Th-That's nice and all, but...what does it mean if I was able to bring this here from one of my dreams...?"

Candle was quiet, a confused look on her face. "...I'm...not quite sure what you mean..." Cabby could feel her stomach twist into knots.

"I mean..." Her face flushed red in embarrassment. "I know it sounds crazy, but I touched this gem in a dream, and when I woke up it was in my hand."

A few moments after Cabby said that, Candle's eyes widened. She seemed slightly panicked. "Is this the first time this has happened?" She questioned.

Cabby nodded, feeling a bit worried by Candle's expression. Without warning, Candle put a hand on her shoulder, making her flinch.

"Cabby, you need to listen too me. No matter what, do not trust any figures you encounter while you sleep." She told her. "They could be dangerous."

This scared Cabby slightly, especially since this was coming from Candle of all objects. Nodding, Cabby felt like she couldn't speak.

Candle seemed relieved with Cabby's answer, as she let go of her shoulder. "Good." She said, sighing slightly. "In the meantime, I will provide you with lavender."

There was a second of silence, before OJ broke it. "O...kay...well it's getting really late, so we should probably set Candle up with a room."

OJ started to walk away, Candle and Cabby in tow.

{ ꕥ end of Chapter 1 ꕥ }