dreamer

Around seven in the morning everyone in the Sanderson family had made their way out of the house and began their day. None of them worried about the girl at the end of the hall as it was still early and she wouldn't be up for a while. However Brooke was starting to get annoyed as she wanted to start her day with Amelia. After everyone had gone to work the girl walks into her sisters room as worry had taken over. As soon as she opens the door a disgusting smell hits her nostrils causing her to scrunch her nose to rid of it. She walks over to the blinds and opens them allowing the light from the sun into the room, Amelia doesn't move an inch

"it stinks in here Lia" she comments, the girl walks around to the other side of the bed and frowns as her sister had the covers pulled over her head blocking her view.

"how long are you gonna sleep? you should get your lazy ass up so we can do something fun"

"Ok Amelia stop fucking around I wanna take advantage of the good weather" she says leaning her weight against the bed frame looking at her apple watch, it was supposed to be in the 80s today. After getting no reaction out of her sister she turns to walk out of the room when her foot brushes against something, she bends down to see two pill bottles that had been dropped by her desk drawer. One empty bottle of sleeping pills and her normal antidepressant medication. Horror rushes through her body as the girl realizes what was going on, she runs over to her sister and shakes her but cries as she sees no movement.

"Amelia wake up!" she screams before ripping the comforter off of her body, Brooke screams when she takes in the sight of her older sister laying on her back with a pile of vomit surrounding her head. She instantly turns her sister onto her side and fumbles around looking for her phone, she calls 911 trying to calm down as tears flow down her cheeks.

-

The sound of a child giggling causes Amelia to open her eyes, she sits up and looks around the room for the source but see's her bed is empty. Her eyes frantically search for the man she loved but his beautiful face is nowhere to be found. She had no idea how much time had passed, but it seemed to be quite a lot as she woke up in a nice house with a child crying rather than her apartment. The memories of her taking too many pills suddenly strikes her and she falls to the ground, she knew that this was it. One of two things would happen, she would either die and never be able to see this world again, or she would somehow survive and never be allowed near medication ever again. Both outcomes meant that she would be losing the love of her life. The truth starts to weigh down on her as she sits on the ground, this place had made her sick, she was drunk in love with the idea of a man loving her. But he wasn't real, and neither was this place, in that moment all of the happy memories she had with her friends and family flashed in front of her eyes. Tears fall down her face as she realizes that she could be happy on her own, she didn't need this dreamland to help her survive. Amelia had built herself a new life, it was messy sure, but it was hers. She didn't want to die, there was so much more to life that she hadn't even experienced yet, she was so stuck on Ashton that the thought of her real life meant nothing. Deep inside of her heart she knew that now was the time she needed to let this place go, it was for her own good. She wondered if somewhere there was a person watching over her, maybe that person sent her to this place to save her life.

"hey don't worry I just feed him and he's playing with toys in his room" Ashton says walking into their room

"Ash I need to talk to you"

"is everything ok?" he asks knelling in front of his wife looking at her full of concern

"yes for the first time in my life everything is ok"

"I'm glad baby" he says grabbing her hand

"and thats why I'm not gonna come back here anymore" she says standing up and looking at the pictures they had placed along the wall of their family sadly

"what are you talking about? you're leaving me?"

"its not what you think, Ashton this place isn't real and I've finally figured it out" she says walking over to him and grabbing his arms

"Amelia you're scaring me"

"I now know that life is precious, and its something you can't waste and thats what I've been doing my whole life. I haven't lived because I was too afraid to be seen, and you helped me realize that I can be happy and I can be loved" she says with tears filling her eyes

"baby please don't go" he begs pulling her into his arms and hugging her tightly

"I know this is hard to understand but I think that someone above was watching me and they saw me struggling so they gave me this gift, they allowed me to escape from my reality into this beautiful perfect life every time I went to sleep and for a while it was my lifeline. I became addicted to this life and I hated waking up everyday, all I wanted to do was fall asleep so I could come see you. I started taking pills"

"what the fuck Amelia? what are you even saying right now? can you even hear yourself"

"Ashton what I'm trying to say is that this place isn't my only source of happiness anymore, I don't need to escape my reality. I have real friends who love me, and I'm getting along with my family, even school is going well. Listen I know this is extremely confusing and you think I'm crazy but I had to tell you, I had to say goodbye because you're the reason why I'm still alive and I will never be able to thank you enough for that. I never would have made it without you, but now I'm ok and I can do this on my own" she says

Amelia holds him tightly as they fall to the floor, he was now full on crying and it broke her heart seeing him this way. But this is how it had to be, she couldn't rely on this place forever as it was too addicting. She had gone to extreme lengths to be here, and she had no idea if she was going to die because of it or not. "so this is what you want?"

"yes"

"then I wish you the best of luck" he says backing out of her arms and leaning against the wall next to her

"Ashton I love you so much" she says as more tears fall down her face

"I love you too, always" he says before his body disappears from next to her, she sighs and leans her head back again the wall letting out a loud sob