***

- REIYEL - The angel of liberation.

***

A bad feeling washes over my entire body for almost a minute. It reacts differently each time I wake up, often intensely, but always in an inexplicable way. 

I haven't had such a difficult wake-up in a long time, I think to myself. 

When the minute passes, I try to catch my breath by sitting up slowly. This time, it's my back that's affected by a pain, easing as time goes by. A pain that feels like the one you get when you're cut with a knife. It stings. 

Feeling that I'm drenched in sweat, I head to the bathroom to take a cold shower and refresh myself. 

I'm so glad I have my own bathroom in my room, and don't have to share it with my brothers. 

After finishing, I slip into my black silk robe and head to my dressing room, located between the bathroom door and my bedroom, which is open to it. It's a small, fairly wide hallway with custom-made built-in wardrobes on either side of the walls. 

- BOO! they shout in unison, hidden behind the dressing room door. 

I jump with a small scream, clutching my chest. When I see the culprits responsible for my sudden adrenaline rush, my heart slows down. 

Aside from the bathroom that's just for me, I share the rest of the house with them. 

- You're crazy, I almost had a heart attack, I shout. 

They exchange a knowing look, then burst out laughing. 

- Ha-ha-ha, very funny, really amusing, I say sarcastically, crossing my arms. Jonn, Enry, get out now. 

They don't move. I step toward them and grab an arm each, pulling them toward the door with determined steps, wanting to eject them from my room. 

- Come on, get out now, I order, pushing them out the door. 

- Marie, don't be mad, we're just messing around, says Jonn. 

- Yeah, it's mom who asked us to tell you breakfast is ready, adds Enry. 

I slam the door in their faces without responding to their excuses. 

- I'm so fed up with their nonsense, they're always pulling pranks on me, I mutter as I walk. 

One day, they replaced my toothpaste with mayonnaise. The taste was so horrible that I was about to throw up. Another time, they completely covered my room with toilet paper, and it took me hours to clean up. Kids. They're both 22, but their brains are like those of 10-year-olds. 

They're both at university and only come back during their summer holidays. Yet, I feel like they haven't been gone long enough for me to tolerate their bad jokes. I'm not even surprised they don't have girlfriends, considering their childish behavior. 

I open the wardrobe and sit down on a small red suede stool in front of it. It's studded in the center with golden-colored studs that match the metal feet. 

- What to choose? 

It's pretty warm today. I should wear something simple and light. 

- Ah, here we go! 

I stand up and take a light white shirt off a hanger and grab a brown pleated skirt that goes down to my knees. 

- Something's missing, I think. With a belt, it'll look better. 

I open a drawer below the wardrobe and take a small leather belt. It's the same color as the skirt, very simple, with a small round golden buckle. I put on the outfit and stand in front of the large mirror at the back of the dressing room. 

- Oh my, what a terrible look! 

I'm immediately struck by the bluish circles under my eyes and my complexion, which is paler than usual. I apply some light sunscreen and concealer to hide the dark circles, which almost have a violet hue, then run a brush through my long, wavy black hair. 

Looks great like this. 

- I should wear this skirt more often, it's pretty. 

I quickly go down the wooden stairs, which squeak loudly with each step. Reaching the last step, I miss it and fall forward, landing on all fours. 

- Ow, that hurts, I complain as I turn onto my bottom. 

As I rub my knees with my palms, I hear laughter, identical to what I heard earlier in my room, echoing through the house. 

- She crashed. Look, Enry, they mock me from around a round table in the kitchen. 

He points at me to show his brother how pathetic I look, sprawled on the floor. 

Following the direction of his finger, Enry notices me on the ground and gets up, taking a few steps toward me. 

- Come on, get up, he smiles, offering me his hand. 

- Thanks, big brother. 

I grab his hand, and he pulls me up with a quick motion, making me jump a little. Then, I follow him into the kitchen, which is open to the hall right across from the stairs. 

- Stop making fun of me, it's not funny, Jonn. 

- If it's funny, why don't you see it? You're so clumsy you miss that step all the time, he replies, still sitting and stuffing his face. 

- Swallow before you speak, I don't understand a thing. 

Mom walks over to us, hanging up her phone and putting it into her small black handbag. 

- Twins, leave your sister alone, she says as she heads toward the front door, placing her handbag on a small white wall-mounted table. 

I sit at the round table in the kitchen and prepare some buttered toast with cocoa. 

- Marie, you have an appointment with Dr. Thomas this morning, hurry up and eat your breakfast. 

- Who's Dr. Thomas, mom? Isn't my appointment with Dr. James instead? 

- No, sweetheart, Dr. James is now retired. You'll be seeing Dr. Thomas from now on. He was recommended to me by a lovely lady who no longer has insomnia thanks to him. I hope he'll find a solution for you too. 

- Was Dr. James that old? You should have told me earlier, I would have said goodbye at our last appointment. 

- I only found out yesterday. Luckily, I ran into that kind lady and Dr. Thomas had availability for today. 

- Well, that's good. What time is it? 

- Soon, so hurry up and finish, I don't want to be late. 

While I finish my breakfast, sitting next to Jonn, everyone stays quiet. Enry has gone to his room, and mom has left. As for Jonn, he still hasn't finished his breakfast. 

I finish my toast and grab the orange juice bottle. When I shake it, I realize it's empty, and I sigh with frustration. 

A breakfast without orange juice isn't a good breakfast for me. 

That greedy joker Jonn finished the whole bottle. 

Looking at him from the corner of my eye, I notice his glass is still full. With a quick movement, I grab it and finish his drink in a few gulps before he can say a word. 

That hits the spot. 

- Oh no, Marie, you're annoying, that was the last glass of juice, he complains. 

- Oops, I say mockingly, sticking out my tongue. Serves you right, you shouldn't have made fun of me earlier. By the way, I'm leaving you with the dishes. 

- That's not fair. 

Always complaining. 

- That's the rule. The last one to eat does the dishes. 

I shrug with a small, satisfied smile. 

I quickly go put on my shoes and call up to mom to let her know I'm ready. 

Let's go meet this new dream doctor. 

*** 

Sitting in the passenger seat, I watch the landscapes pass by the window, completely lost in my thoughts. I ask myself several questions about this wake-up, but especially about the dream I can't remember. What did I dream about? 

I didn't tell mom, not wanting her to worry. She's just starting to be relieved that I've been sleeping well in recent years. My neurons are overheating from thinking too much, so I sigh. 

Pff 

- What's wrong, my little angel? 

- Nothing, mom, just a little... tired. 

- Are you sure? 

- Yes, mom. 

The rest of the drive is in silence, listening to the radio. 

My mom and I aren't that close, in the sense that we don't share our lives, our problems, or our future dreams. 

We've always kept a good relationship, but we haven't built a real friendship. Yet, even without that, she's still my mom, and she'll always be a priority in my life. 

*** 

The drive lasted 18 minutes, it's a fairly quick ride. 

We get out of the car and cautiously walk down an alley, lit only by a few rays of sunlight that manage to sneak through. At the end of this darkness, we see a solitary building serving as a medical office. 

After walking a few meters, I start to feel shivers. I turn my head, looking behind me while continuing to walk beside my mom to check if there's any danger around us. 

Once inside, my eyes widen. Everything is sumptuous, the walls adorned with a beautiful golden color, with old chandeliers on the ceiling that have kept their shine. At the end of the hallway, there's a large waiting room with individual red suede chairs in an antique style, and at the back of the room, a beautiful black piano sits proudly. 

- Good morning, ladies. 

I was so fascinated by the beauty of the place that I didn't notice a woman behind her small counter in the corner to the left, just after the entrance to the room. 

— Good morning, my mother replied. 

— Good morning, I said with a smile. 

The sound of a sliding door echoed just in front of us, near the reception desk. A man in a white coat came out and approached us. He was neither old nor young. 

— Nice to meet you. You must be Mrs. Gaby, correct? 

He extended his hand and shook my mother's. 

— Yes, good morning, doctor. And this is Marie. 

I greeted him with a timid smile, barely nodding my head. 

He then turned to his secretary, who handed him an overflowing file. 

— Doctor, here is the patient's file. 

— Has Dr. James already sent me her medical records? 

— Yes, he has. 

— Very well. Let's go, Marie. Mrs. Gaby, please wait here. 

— Of course, no problem, she agreed. 

I followed him into the room he had just left, and he immediately slid the door closed behind us, sealing us off from any sound. 

The room appeared soundproofed and seemed detached from the rest of the building. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all the same dull gray color, giving the space a cold, nearly empty atmosphere. It contained only two black leather armchairs. 

Beside one of them stood a small piece of furniture, the size of a bedside table, also in black wood. 

What intrigued me most was a drop-shaped object on top of it, about the size of a hand. It reflected the light from the bulb above us, making it look like it was made of glass. The strangest thing about this decoration was the small red patterns on it, which piqued my curiosity. 

He sat down first, choosing the chair near the small table, and started reading the file. 

— Let's begin. 

— Yes, I replied, sitting down as well, my eyes still fixed on the trinket. 

— How are you feeling for our first session together? 

— A bit nervous, but fine. 

He noticed I was captivated by the object near him but didn't comment, instead continuing his questions. 

— Tell me, how old are you? 

— I'm almost twenty. 

— Your mother explained that you came to see me because of your restless nights. Can you tell me a bit about that? 

I briefly summarized my childhood and explained how it all started when I was four years old. 

— I always wake up sweating, more or less the same way. Sometimes I wake up with a start; other times, I feel paralyzed, but it disappears after a few minutes. 

— I see. 

— My previous doctor told me that it's probably my body reacting to my dreams, thinking I'm still asleep. But as soon as I open my eyes, I have no memory of what I dreamed. 

— Every night since you were four? 

— No, at sixteen, it stopped—or at least I woke up without symptoms or any pain. 

— Until now? Are you saying it's starting again? I didn't see that in your file, he said, searching through the evaluations and tests in my medical records. 

— I... I had another dream last night. I woke up the same way, but this time, it felt more intense. I couldn't breathe properly, like... I was suffocating. 

— Did you have any other symptoms? Do you remember what you dreamed about? 

— No, as usual, I don't remember the dream... My back... But I do remember now that my back hurt. A bad sensation of hundreds of tiny pricks around my shoulder blades, burning me. 

— Burning, you say? 

At these last words, his tone changed, as if he were hiding a smile he didn't want me to notice. Then silence fell. I felt his eyes on me. 

When I raised my head to look in his direction, our eyes met for the first time since we had been introduced. 

At that moment, I was struck by the emptiness in his gaze, a complete absence of soul in his eyes, which sent a cold shiver down my spine. It started at my neck and traveled all the way to my feet. 

I couldn't tear my eyes away from his—not because I didn't want to, but because I physically couldn't. I tried to speak, but no sound came out of my mouth. 

Suddenly, an intense pain hit me, pounding in my skull like a nail being hammered endlessly. 

Panicking, I grabbed my head, holding it tightly. Only when he blinked was I able to break away from his gaze, lowering my eyes to the floor in search of an escape from this torment. 

As soon as my gaze focused on the dull gray under my shoes, the pain began to subside inexplicably, allowing me to exhale in relief. 

— Can you tell me about your dream in detail? he asked, unfazed by what had just happened. 

— I... I don't remember it, I murmured, still dizzy from the sudden pain. 

I kept my eyes on the floor, not daring to move, fearing the pain might return. 

— You can tell me. Go on, describe it to me. 

He resumed his tone of hidden amusement. Why was he insisting so much? 

I didn't answer, trying instead to collect myself. 

— Very well, we'll try another approach. 

He turned to the small table beside him, crouched to its level, and removed a golden pendant from around his neck. At the end of the chain was a key, which he inserted into the lock. 

A golden key for a golden lock. 

From where I was, I couldn't see very well, but I caught a glimpse of a small star etched onto the key's handle. 

From the small table, he pulled out a black candle and a long matchstick, about the size of a wooden skewer. It seemed to have been dipped in red ink that had stained its wooden surface. 

He stood up and handed both items to me without saying a word. 

Hesitating, I slowly reached out and took them, glancing at him with a questioning look that prompted him to explain. I avoided meeting his eyes the entire time, afraid of reliving the pain I had just experienced. 

— There are several techniques to reveal forgotten dreams, and every doctor has their own. I prefer this one. 

— My previous doctor never mentioned anything like this, I said, surprised. 

— Don't worry. It's harmless. Make yourself comfortable. Hold it between your hands, light it, and then close your eyes. 

I followed his instructions, casting him one last glance. When I saw him sit back down, I closed my eyes.