It was yet another terrible day. The detention room was empty all except for me and more silent than three in the morning. Mr. Drudger had abandoned me here, with no supervision for the rest of the afternoon. I didn't mind much, though. Mr. Drudger was cruel and crass and he smelt of rotten tuna. It wasn't like I had much to do other than sitting in a room until five waiting for the bell to sound and release my invisible shackles. But all I'd do after that was sit up until midnight watching cartoons and praying my mother wouldn't come home that day. She was the most negative person I knew, all because her boss hadn't given her a raise yet. Then she criticized me, someone with no friends, hobbies, smarts, or talents, for being a tiny bit depressed and cynical. My life had been astoundingly horrid lately, what with the girls who have taken it upon themselves to ruin any shred of joy I may have left and the lack of significance I represent for anyone. Mother may have thought I'd fit right in at my new school, but she was deceitfully mistaken. I was, in short, the new target for hatred and snotty remarks.

This entire detention was the result of me standing up for myself. Miss Sheli Charice, as she called herself, had said some very rude things that earned her more than the backhand slap which had been distributed. Yet despite the endless torture I received from her, and the standing ovations, high-fives, and hugs I'd received from most other children at the school, I was still the only one in detention. Miss Flippo, our vice principal who remained a Miss for a reason, insisted that Sheli hadn't done anything wrong and I was the one who'd violated school rules enough for three hours of boredom and silence. The so called 'Secondary Punishment' for Sheli was no more than a verbal slap on the wrist while I had to suffer through hours of parental lecturing and disapproving glares from all the teachers. Miss Flippo would undoubtedly be my worst enemy for the eighth grade year.

After a few more rage filled moments, I was calm enough to bow my head into my arms. Last night had been one continuous screaming match between me and my mother so I was naturally a bit tired. Plus, sleep was a rare thing for me seeing as I only nodded off for an hour or two a night. It wasn't healthy, but I didn't like the idea of taking sleeping pills. Sheli's main target of attack was the huge bags of darkened flesh under my eyes that made me look zombie like. I glanced at the clock, only one hour left before I could leave. That was a relief, or was it? I peeled a fleck of blue nail polish off my thumb in boredom. An hour would be long enough to at least get a little sleep. I might as well try, since I'd lost my sixty minutes last night contracting laryngitis. I deserved a nap anyways. So I slowly let my mind go blank and my limbs go limp.

It didn't take more than five minutes for me to pass out in exhaustion. I'd been far sleepier than I originally speculated. Everything drifted away easily, without fighting me like it normally did. Bright colors replaced the dank confines of room five and before I knew it, I was dreaming. I was gone, finally away from reality. It had been years since I dreamed, since I got to control my own little world. The hues began to materialize into four walls. Then a ceiling, and a floor, and finally an entire room. The barriers around me were bland at first, gray and black with no real flare, but soon became much more striking. They morphed into a fanciful design with stars above my head and a checkerboard floor beneath my feet. The once boring walls were now a royal purple, embroidered with roses and birds drawn by an unseen hand in black onyx. Flowerpots with hydrangeas and plumeria and topiaries sprung from the floor. A gorgeous marble fountain, seams of black and gray running through its ivory surface, built itself from thin air and spat a multicolored substance. Cherubs with water vases and fish with open mouths spewed the rainbow water into its base which layered upwards to the ceiling until a huge plume cascaded down.

An overstuffed doll, no larger than an up stretched Chihuahua, with a large pink bow tied loosely to hold back three pieces of blonde yarn sat in the middle of the checkered floors, leaning up against the grand fountain. Its eyes were shiny black buttons and its mouth had been sewn into a psychotic smile, complete with sharp teeth. There was a rip going up the right cheek which had been tied together with more string. Big gashes and tears covered its stomach and limbs and a big, red heart had been stitched onto the right side of its chest. Claws of pure white were attached to its hands, two on top and one like a thumb. Its button eyes glinted beneath the starry ceiling and struck fear into my heart. I'd never been scared in a dream before. I laughed it off nervously and stepped forwards. My hands reached out towards the tiny sewn creature, moving strangely sluggish. I plucked the cloth beast from its seat and ran my finger along one of its claws. My skin peeled off to make way for oozing scarlet blood, causing a pain that I didn't know could occur in dreams. I tossed it back at the foot of fountain quickly and poked the now bloodied forefinger into my mouth. The little doll moved its arms, slowly at first but with increasing speed. It gripped the brim of the fountain and tugged itself upwards. After balancing carefully upon its pudgy feet, the being stretched out its legs and neck.

"Hello, Miss Clara. I am Toto, your Door Master for today's venture. My sincere apologies for any confusion or misunderstanding as to the sharpness of my claws." it said, without moving its intricately stitched smile.

I was working on my other story, The Inns, and i suddenly got inspired to write this. It's just the very beginning, but I really want to finish it and publish it as a novelette. In short, it's about a girl who goes through some really terrible things and every time something bad happens, she gets to visit this amazing world. She, of course, falls in love with it and it's residents and starts making her life terrible so she can go more often. I'd love some criticism and reviews and such!