The Dream Deceiver

by Chantae Oliver

  Screw it, she thought, taking back control over my life starts now.

  Rhiannon straightened her clothes and walked through the doors. The secretary at the front desk looked up from her computer and immediately stood up with apparent surprise on her face upon seeing Rhiannon walking through the front doors of her own volition.

  “P-p-p-princess – “she stuttered.

  “Don’t worry about finishing that,” Rhiannon replied, “is Lady Villagomez in?”

  The secretary nodded blankly and pointed towards the meeting hall that Rhiannon was familiar with.

  Not hesitating at all, Rhiannon stalked towards the meeting hall, and the secretary, seemingly coming to her senses, quickly picked up her phone line and punched in some numbers. Rhiannon didn’t bother to stop, she just kept going towards her goal – Lady Villagomez.

  As if spurred on by an unseen force, Rhiannon strutted through the opening towards the meeting hall as if she were floating. The first thing she saw upon entering was Lady Villagomez answering her phone. Rhiannon waited and leaned against the doorway, anticipating the shock she was about to give.

  “Who’s here?” Lady Villagomez asked the unheard voice on the other end.

  As she listened to the reply, her eyes widened, and her fist clenched the phone as if she would shatter it with her bare hands. Seeing how tightly her jaw was set and the fire that now burned in her eyes, Rhiannon’s bravado was quickly extinguished as she straightened up and cleared her throat.

  At the sound of Rhiannon’s quiet ‘ahem,’ Lady Villagomez shot her eyes upwards directly in Rhiannon’s direction. Their eyes met, and Rhiannon felt a chill go down her spine, as she saw the fieriness make way for icy blades as Lady Villagomez’s cold blue eyes looked her over disparagingly. Her eyes darted behind Rhiannon, and after determining that she was indeed alone, changed the look on her face so quickly that Rhiannon felt like she was going to get whiplash.

  “Oh, Rhiannon, you’re safe!” Lady Villagomez gushed as she made her way to Rhiannon and put her hands on her shoulders and looked her up and down with a bright Cheshire-like smile. Rhiannon did her best to return the smile but felt on her guard as she watched the performance before her.

  “Come sit, ay pobrecita, you look exhausted,” Lady Villagomez said.

  “Okay, I actually have a lot that I need to talk to you about,” Rhiannon replied.

  “Of course, darling, I can imagine! But first, are you hungry? Have you eaten?” She asked, oozing with a concern that made Rhiannon feel uncomfortable.

  “I’m good,” Rhiannon said as she took the seat across from where Lady Villagomez sat down.

  “So, what happened? I’ve – we all have been – worried sick!” Lady Villagomez asked. “As Princess, I may not have a lot of power here – yet – but I do implore you to find out who is behind this and why. And in the meantime, any future plans against Kalen need to be shut down. He is innocent and should be free to come and go without worrying about some assassination plot coming against him.” Rhiannon said, pulling as much authority in her voice as she could muster.

  “Absolutely, I will look into this as soon as possible. And you have my word if what you say is true, Kalen is no longer our target. I’m so sorry to have put you through this,” Lady Villagomez said as she reached her hand across the table and placed in onto Rhiannon’s.

  “I know how hard it was for you to agree to this in the first place, and for it to turn out to be a false lead – I can only imagine that your trust in me must have been broken. I will do everything I can to gain it back so that you and Oberon can move forward with your lives together without having to worry about me.”

  Lady Villagomez gave a soft but pained smile towards Rhiannon as she patted her hand, which made what Rhiannon had to say next all the more awkward for her.

  “About Oberon…with everything that’s happened, I’ve had a chance to do some self-reflection, and I’m no longer content with all the decisions in my life being made for me. I deeply care for Oberon, and I want to give our relationship a fair chance at developing – naturally. Which means I don’t want to rush into marriage. I’ve never been in love because it never mattered, I just knew I’d marry Oberon. But I think I owe it to myself and to him to make sure it’s what we both truly want and that we are getting married because we want to – not because we have to.”

  Rhiannon’s words came out with a determination that she hadn’t before been able to establish and she couldn’t help but feel a bit proud of herself – and looking into Lady Villagomez’s eyes she could see, surprisingly, that same impressive reflected back at her.

  “Fascinating. You haven’t been gone that long, but I can see a clear change in your eyes, a new maturity, a new power. I think that’s a sage decision, Rhiannon, and I can’t imagine Oberon would disagree. You two will naturally fall in love with one another, in fact, you may already be and just haven’t been allowed to discover that. I support you in this endeavor totally, and look forward to watching the love between you two begin to blossom.” Lady Villagomez said.

  “Thank you for your understanding, I wasn’t sure how this conversation was going to go but so far so good,” Rhiannon said, speaking her mind.

  “So far, so good? I assume that means you have more you wish to discuss?” Lady Villagomez inquired.

  “Yes, I’m sorry for the heavy subject after heavy subject, but I’d rather just get this all out into the open at once so everyone can move forward,” Rhiannon said slightly nervously.

  “Do go on,” Lady Villagomez advised as she readied herself for whatever the next set of news would be.

  “With Oberon and I taking time to figure things out between us before moving forward with marriage, I think it’s best that we don’t live together right away either. Which means I’ll need to find a place of my own to stay. I don’t want to stay on campus, but I also don’t have any income coming in. This is really uncomfortable for me to bring up myself but did my parents possibly leave anything to me? I’m not expecting anything huge, just may be something to get me started,” Rhiannon said as her voice trembled at the mention of her parents.

  “I’d actually wondered when the day would come that this would be brought up. I’d always meant to talk with you about it, but you always seemed so fragile anytime your parents were brought up, so I hesitated. I should have been the one to tell you about all of this. Wait one moment.” Lady Villagomez said as she stood up and walked out of the meeting room.

  Rhiannon felt a lump grow in her throat and butterflies in her stomach as she waited for her to return.

  Ugh, I feel so disgusted with myself asking for money, but I don’t really have a choice, Rhiannon thought as she dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands.

  Just as the thoughts of guilt were about to make Rhiannon run right out of the room, Lady Villagomez returned with a large box. She returned to her seat at the table and placed the box between them.

  “Firstly, I hope you know that you have every right to ask about this. There is no reason to feel any sense of guilt. Your parents loved you very much. So of course, they would want you to be taken care of in everywhere.”

  Rhiannon felt her eyes sting as she was taken aback by Lady Villagomez’s words, it’s like she read my mind.

  Lady Villagomez then opened the box and revealed the many files that were waiting inside.

  “I think you’ll be happy to know that finding a place to live will not be a problem for you. Your parents left a sizeable inheritance in your name that included a house.” Lady Villagomez said as she pulled out one of the files.

  “A house?” Rhiannon asked, stunned.

  “Yes, in fact, you may recognize it,” she replied as she pulled a photograph out of the file revealing a grand Victorian-style house with a wraparound porch, painted in a lovely shade of color.

  Rhiannon quickly snatched the photo and looked over every inch as she began to cry.

  “This…this is my home. Before I started school and live
d on campus, this is where I lived with my mom and dad,” she said between tears.

  “It is indeed that very house, and it’s still there, waiting for you to come home,” Lady Villagomez said gently.

  “Are you serious? I could have gone there this whole time? Why didn’t you tell me?” Rhiannon asked pointedly.

  “Do you think you would’ve been emotionally ready for that?” Lady Villagomez answered.

  Rhiannon looked over the picture some more and as she did memories of Christmases, birthdays, breakfasts, hide and seek, and more danced around in her head reminding her of all that she had lost when her parents were taken from her.

  “No, I don’t think so,” Rhiannon managed to choke out.

  I don’t even know if I’m ready now to go back there, she thought.

  “And there is no shame in admitting that, but I think you’re finally ready. Perhaps facing your past will help you to become more excited for your future,” Lady Villagomez replied.

  “I hope so,” Rhiannon stated.

  “I’ll have cleaners go and make sure everything is set up for you, and you can probably start moving in next week,” Lady Villagomez said.

  “No, I think I’d like to do it myself. If I’m going to become more independent, this is a good place for me to start,” Rhiannon added hastily.

  “Okay, well if you need help, you have my number. In addition to the house, there is more property that is yours, including 2 cars and some finances that you can access now that you are of age,” Lady Villagomez continued.

  “Cars? I have cars?” Rhiannon asked, feeling the excitement building inside of herself.

  “Indeed, you do, and they’ve been kept in excellent shape, they’ll be in the garage when you get to your house,” Lady Villagomez concluded.

  “Thank you for everything. Despite anything else, you’ve helped me a lot over the years, and I’ll always remember that,” Rhiannon said as she accepted the files handed to her and began a mental checklist of the additional things she now insisted on handling on her own.

  “Claro que si, they would have done the same thing for me if our positions were reversed. Now, make sure you go to the bank with the paperwork I’ve given you and bring your ID and birth certificate so you can gain access to your funds. And remember, if you need anything at all, I’m here for you.” Lady Villagomez said.

  “Thank you,” Rhiannon said as she turned to leave.

  Walking out the door, Rhiannon nodded and gave an easy to the secretary, her shoulders lighter and heartrate normalized after the entire interaction was done. She started to think that perhaps the only evil one in that family was indeed Arion, and maybe by exposing him she’d be helping Lady Villagomez, Oberon, Kalen, and Aoki in one swoop.

  One step at a time, don’t get ahead of yourself – next stop, the bank, Rhiannon thought as she attempted to keep herself from getting overwhelmed by all that was left to do.

  You’ve already cleared a massive hurdle, you got this! She told herself as she skipped down the steps at the front of the building.

  As she made her way to the bus stop so she could head out of campus and go to the bank, Rhiannon couldn’t help but feel excited about the freedom that having her own car and house would bring her.

  “Rhiannon!”

  Rhiannon froze in place as she heard a voice screaming out to her. She turned around to see Oberon running full speed in her direction. Her mind flashed back to the last time she’d seem him like this, and she’d been running away from him with Kalen. Feeling awful as she remembered that, she decided to run towards him this time.

  “Oberon!” she called back as she ran towards him, holding tightly to her file in one hand and opening her arms to him.

  Oberon widened his eyes in an effort to take in the full sight of her bouncing figure as she ran towards him, with her arms opened in invitation.

  She’s back – finally! I’ll never let her go again, he thought as he reached her and pulled her in tight against him.

  Rhiannon grinned to her ears when she saw him. The force of their collision, however, was unexpected as his muscles contracted and held her in place. The pressure almost caused her to drop her files as she tried to find wiggle room and push him a small bit away, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

  “Okay, okay, I can’t breathe,” she said between coughs, “loosen up a bit.”

  Oberon looked down and pulled away a couple of inches, “Sorry, I just didn’t know when I’d see you again! Last night was insane, I thought you’d come through my dream, but when I woke up, and you weren’t there, all the worst-case scenarios went through my head like maybe you’d chosen him instead of me. But seeing that you’re here, something else must have happened! Tell me!” Oberon said with an unnerving intensity.

  Rhiannon struggled inwardly at his question, wondering how to explain it to him without him thinking she’d picked Kalen over him.

  “Actually, I need to go to the bank. Why don’t you give me a ride there and I’ll explain everything on the way?” She answered, thinking over every word with care.

  “The bank, what for?” Oberon asked.

  “I’ll tell you on the way, you in?” she replied.

  “Of course, come with me, my car is parked in the lot over there,” he said as he pointed away from the bus stop.

  “Perfect, let’s go,” Rhiannon said as she tried to think of the best way to tell him everything without hurting him.

  Chapter 4

  Oberon clicked open the locks on his car as they approached it, then dangled his keys from the edge of his index finger. Seeing her chance, Rhiannon smiled a crooked smile and squinted her eyes as she made a quick grab for the keys. Upon succeeding, she dodged him and ran to the car, laughing the whole way.

  Oberon stood frozen for a moment, then joined in her laughter when he realized what she had done. Not making much of an effort to stop her, Oberon jogged towards her. When he caught up, he reached around her trying to get the keys away, but she avoided his every move. Rhiannon then backed up against the car, got on her tiptoes, and held the keys as high over her head as possible.

  “What are you doing,” Oberon asked as he stood in front of her, not bothering to reach for the keys knowing that with his height he could get them at any moment.

  “Let me drive!” Rhiannon pleaded as she held her ground.

  Coming closer to her and placing his hands on the car on either side of her Oberon responded,

  “Now why on earth would I make my Princess drive the carriage? I’m at your service.”

  As he finished speaking, he reached up with his left hand and plucked the keys from her and with his right hand wrapped his arm around her waist and twirled her around and away from the car door, so their positions were switched.

  Everything happened in a blin, and Rhiannon had no chance to react.

  “Hey! Come on! I need the practice! Ever since I got my license, I’ve barely had any opportunities to actually drive.” Rhiannon complained.

  “Why does that matter? I’ll take you anywhere you need to go,” Oberon insisted.

  “It matters because I want to be more independent, and part of that is driving myself where I need to go,” Rhiannon retorted as she tried her best to grab the keys back.

  “You don’t even have a car, and soon you’ll be my wife, and we will have drivers that can take you wherever you need and you’ll have me,” Oberon stated as he puffed out his chest.

  Rhiannon stopped reaching for the keys and bit her lip hard before saying,

  “You know what, you drive…and you can just listen to me as you do. We have a lot we need to discuss…”

  Oberon’s face twisted in confusion as Rhiannon walked away from him and towards the other side of the car and opened the passenger side door without another word. As he came to grips with the quick change in the atmosphere, Oberon opened his door and got in as he braced himself for whatever she was about to say.

  “Why don’t you just spit it out now before I sta
rt driving, you’re making me nervous,” Oberon said.

  Taking a deep breath and fidgeting with a strand of hair, Rhiannon stole a sideways glance at Oberon and began.

  “Have you ever been in love?”

  Oberon’s eyes widened, and then he chuckled as he said, “Why? Looking for a confession before we get married?”

  “Not exactly…I just…listen…a lot has happened in this past week, and I feel like I’m starting to see things a bit differently – clearer too.” Rhiannon said as she turned to Oberon and took his hands into hers and looked into his eyes, mustering up all the bravery she could.

  “I care for you a lot, Oberon. And I love you…but…I just don’t know if it’s the type of love that I need to be married to you. You’ve been in my life forever, and you’re my family. But don’t you think we owe it to ourselves to be sure? When I get married, I want it to be because I chose it – because we fell in love and want to spend the rest of our lives together. I just turned 18, and I’ve barely experienced anything in life, yet I’m expected to just immediately be someone’s wife? Then what? A mom? I’m just…I’m not ready for any of that yet.”

  Rhiannon’s words came out clear but hesitant, as she tried her best to get every word out properly.

  Oberon pulled his hands away from Rhiannon and started the car.

  “Put your seatbelt on,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “Oberon…” Rhiannon started.

  “Don’t. I need to think,” He stated as his hands gripped the steering wheel and his face became flushed. His eyes were shaky as he seemed to be running through what she said in his mind.

  Rhiannon almost didn’t have a chance to get her seatbelt on before he sped out of the parking lot and down the road.

  Should I say something? But what would I even say? Rhiannon thought as she looked back and forth between him and the window.

  As his speed increased, she gripped her thigh with one hand and the safety bar above her window with the other to keep calm. Just as she was about to say something, Oberon noticed her nervousness and slowed down to the speed limit.