Emily had spent yet another day in half-truths, hiding her truth, smoothing the edges of their reality to match what the world expected. It was frankly second nature by now—even though there were occasional mishaps, even though Lily and Lucy sometimes looked at her curiously, as though she had grown a second head.

  Yet - pretending had a cost that added up and some days blew the emotional dam.

  Today was that day.

  She y curled up in bed, she felt the weight of it all pressing against her, the heaviness sinking deep into her bones. She spiraled, her thoughts circur and relentless.

  Would she have to hide the rest of her life?

  Would she ever be able to reveal the secret?

  Would she ever be able to stop pretending?

  Sarah and Thomas sat on either side of her, their presence warm, kind, reassuring even if unsure. They weren’t asking questions, or pushing advice —they just sat there, surrounding her in a quiet kind of love and reassurance.

  Additionally, while they couldn’t admit it - they didn’t quite know how to help Emily in this instance either.

  Sarah ran gentle fingers through her hair, slow, soothing strokes - “Sweetie, we’re here. You’ve been so brave - keeping this secret, but you don’t have to carry this alone.”

  Thomas, ever steady, gave her hand a firm squeeze - “You don’t have to hide from us, Em. You never have to do that. Let us help you carry the load, talk to us, vent, open up...”

  Emily wanted to believe them.

  She wanted to melt into their arms, to let go of the tension coiled in her chest, but they were just two people - and she was still pretending at rge. As such, the words still stuck in her throat.

  "I’m so tired of pretending," she whispered, barely audible. “Will I ever be able to stop pretending..?”

  Sarah’s breath caught, Thomas’ grip on her hand tightened.

  Emily saw the worry in their faces, desperate to lift a burden they couldn’t see. However, before they could say more, something shifted.

  It was subtle—imperceptible to anyone who didn’t know what to look for.

  A stillness, a slight recalibration. The way Emily’s shoulders settled just slightly, how her breathing evened, how the tension in her fingers eased—not gone, but steadied.

  Sarah and Thomas knew that shift - they had learned to recognize it, the way Daniel’s presence reached in and steadied her from within. It wasn’t surprising - not anymore, that when Emily spoke again, the voice was the same but the tone, but just slightly different.

  "Woah, that’s a lot of emotions.” Daniel whispered, his voice low. “She isn’t able to keep it entirely isoted - this is heavy.”

  Sarah and Thomas exchanged a look, Thomas’s eyes widening even as Sarah’s brow furrowed.

  Sarah hesitated, just for a moment. “Danny…”

  "She’s okay," he murmured quickly. "I’m okay. You guys are doing good but - let me try something for a sec, please?"

  There was a pause. A moment passed, then, slowly, Sarah cupped Emily’s cheek.

  "Okay, do what you have to. We love you," she said softly.

  "Both of you,” she added with a small smile.

  Thomas nodded, his voice warm, even if a little less certain. “We’ll be right here.”

  They both stood up, and slowly exited the room, Thomas looking once over his shoulder, his eyes concerned, as the door clicked shut.

  "Alright, Shrimp," Daniel murmured within Emily and his shared headspace, voice quiet but steady. "I have an idea. Meet me in the dreamscape."

  Emily, now in control again, sniffed, nodded her head, closed her eyes, and in the briefest of seconds, the world began to change.

  —

  When Emily opened her eyes, she wasn’t standing in the meadow.

  A gasp escaped her as she took in her surroundings—winding staircases, massive chandeliers bathing the room in a golden glow, floor to ceiling windows draped in velvety looking fabric, the sky outside filled with shimmering stars. The marble floors gleamed, reflecting the soft shimmer of the chandeliers. Somewhere, unseen, invisible instruments pyed a melody—gentle, soft, elegant, their song weaving through the air like something alive.

  A grand ballroom.

  Emily exhaled, her hands trembling slightly..

  “Where are we?" she whispered to herself.

  “Oh, just a ballroom I spun up with some inspiration from reality, anime, and cartoons,” Daniel’s voice echoed from behind her.

  Emily turned, and the sight nearly stole her breath.

  Her brother stood before her, but not as she had ever seen him before. Gone were the casual shirts and sneakers, the hoodies and messy hair. Instead, he was dressed in a crisp suit, sharp yet timeless. The usual sharp, mischievous humor in his eyes was still there, but beneath it, there was something else—something tender, lighter.

  For a moment, Emily just stared.

  "You look…" she trailed off, unsure how to phrase it.

  "Ridiculously fancy?" Daniel supplied, raising a brow. "Yeah, figured I’d go all in for this one. Let’s take a sec, huh? Just you and me?"

  Emily huffed a small ugh, rubbing her arm. “It’s always just you and me here…”

  Daniel took a step closer, presenting her with an arguably exaggerated bow.

  “Not like this. Not when you need a reminder of who you really are.”

  His words hit deeper than she expected.

  "You don’t have to pretend here, Em," he said, looking up at her, his tone warm, unshakable. "You can be exactly who you are—nothing more, nothing less."

  And just like that, the st thread snapped.

  Emily tried to hold herself together, but her knees wobbled. Thankfully, before she could crumple, Daniel caught her. He wrapped his arms around her, letting her bury her face against his shoulder. She clung to him, fingers grabbing his jacket, tears soaking into the fabric.

  She sobbed—for the weight of the secret, for the exhaustion of always pretending.

  For the way the world had given her something extraordinary and, in the very same breath, required that she bury it.

  Daniel held her through it all as time passed without urgency, without expectation - for here, in this space they had made, the world outside didn’t matter. When her sobs finally subsided, when grief turned to exhaustion, he pulled back slightly

  "I have something for you," he said with a wink.

  With a quick gesture, the air shifted. A hum filled the space as minute golden orbs swirled around Emily, wrapping around her in delicate threads, making her form glow brightly. The fabric of her clothes reformed, reshaped by the essence of the dreamscape.

  When the glow faded, Emily looked down.

  A gown.

  Not just any gown—but one shimmering with every movement, the fabric catching the light, flowing in waves of softness and elegance. The embroidery was impossibly intricate, each detail designed with the kind of care that could only be imagined.

  Emily inhaled sharply, running her hands over the delicate seeming fabric.

  Daniel smirked, crossing his arms. “So, I may have borrowed slightly from a fairytale. Doesn’t exist in this universe, but you know which one it’s from.”

  Emily’s eyes flicked up. “Really? That dress? You jacked THAT dress?”

  Daniel shrugged. “And a bit of something Jenna wore once upon a time, I think, anyway.”

  Emily ignored his rambling, twirling in pce as the dress fluttered around her like a second skin.

  “It’s perfect,” she whispered.

  Then she gasped as she caught sight of the rest of her outfit.

  “Wait, gss slippers?” She lifted her foot, seeing the shimmering shoes sparkling beneath her gown. “Danny, did you actually dress me up like an anime protagonist?”

  Daniel grinned. “Well, sapphire actually, way harder than freaking gss. And yeah, I threw in some padding. You really think I’d let you run around in actual gss slippers? Even I know that’s beyond impractical. Downright stupid.”

  Emily squealed, kicking her feet lightly as she turned, letting herself revel in the moment. Gone were the worries, the pressure, the weight of everything outside this dream and for the first time in a long time - she just existed - not as someone hiding a secret, but someone finally free.

  Daniel watched her with quiet amusement, tapping his own foot. Then he reached out, pressing his palm lightly against her heart, stopping her in her tracks.

  She blinked up at him, confused, until she saw the way his gaze had softened.

  “The dress is beautiful. The ballroom, the lights, the moment—it’s all beautiful.”

  “But this—” he tapped her chest gently, just above her heart, “—is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. You are, inside and out.”

  Emily’s breath caught, her heart skipped a beat..

  She hadn’t realized how much she had needed to hear those words—not from Sarah, not from Thomas, but from him. From the one person who understood the weight of the secret better than anyone.

  From the brother who had lived in the shadows with her, hidden in pin sight, unseen and unknown.

  A small, shuddering breath escaped her - “Danny…”

  He smiled again—and winked - “You’re not gonna start crying again, are you?” he mock groaned. “I just got you all cleaned up. Still figuring out how to do this dreamscape drying without you noticing thing…”

  Emily ughed, wiping at her eyes. “You’re such a dork.”

  “Yeah, but takes one to know one” he quipped happily.

  Before she could fire a retort, the music shifted—rising, fuller now, swelling with something both comforting and nostalgic. It was soft, familiar, something achingly not from her world, but something she still knew.

  Emily tilted her head. “Wait… this is…”

  Daniel smirked, extending his hand. “Yeah, you know this one. I won’t name it, I don’t want to get sued by a certain media company or whoever…assuming they figure out how to cross timelines and prove it.”

  Emily blinked. “What?”

  Daniel leaned in slightly, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

  “The Mouse is all-powerful, Em. I’m not taking any chances. I swear if I hear a single squeak in this dreamscape, I’m bailing.”

  Emily burst out ughing. “You’re seriously such a dork!”

  Daniel grinned, seemingly pleased with himself. “Well, gotta keep you on your toes, Shrimp.”

  Then, he extended his hand again - “So… may I have this dance?”

  Emily rolled her eyes, but her smile was wide, bright, warm - "Yes. Yes you may" she said, accepting his hand.

  —

  She paused, brow furrowed. “Except, I don’t know how to dance,” she sighed, shaking her head.

  “Oh, but you do.” Daniel gently reminded her. “Like the Matrix, remember? You basically downloaded it from my memories.”

  He added an exaggerated sigh, “Granted, I wasn’t exactly a ballroom pro, so you get what you get, Shrimp.”

  Before Emily could protest, he took her hand and led her into the first steps. The world adjusted to them—movements flowing effortlessly, their feet gliding - sometimes literally over the polished marble floor.

  Emily could tell Daniel was using dreamscape tricks to smooth things out, subtly guiding them so that even when they stumbled, it felt seamless. Sometimes their feet even passed through each other slightly, flickering momentarily, before realigning perfectly. She knew it should have felt fake - too smooth, but somehow - it felt right.

  “Perhaps” she thought, closing her eyes momentarily - “I could use a little autopilot on days like this, a little break from everything.”

  As she gave in to the dance - to the unbelievable nature of it all, as she accepted that she too could be looked after, the tension that had coiled in her chest for days—weeks—began to inexplicably unravel.

  The pressure, the exhaustion, the weight of always hiding - no, for this moment, in this space and time, it did not exist.

  “You won’t have to hide forever, Em,” Daniel murmured as they danced, his voice quieter now, more thoughtful. “Not like this. Not forever.”

  His words caught her off guard and she looked up at him, trying to believe them.

  "How can you be so sure?" she asked, her voice unsure.

  Daniel twirled her once.

  “Because things change. People change. The world changes, and as much as I hate to admit - you won’t be ten forever, Shrimp.”

  He paused - the siblings continuing their dance, as the words sank in.

  “I can’t promise you’ll ever be able to tell everyone.” he continued thoughtfully. “The world might never be ready for something like us. But some people will be. The right people.”

  He met her gaze, steady and certain. “One day, you’ll know who you can trust. You’ll know when the time is right, and they may be closer to you than you expect.”

  She swallowed, unsure. "But my intelligence—won’t people always look at me like some kind of freak?"

  Daniel chuckled, shaking his head - “First of all, you’re not a freak, you’re a nerd.”

  She smacked his shoulder pyfully, feigning a small, annoyed sound.

  “Second of all—you’re thinking too small. Right now, yeah, you’re ten, and people expect kids to fit into neat little boxes. But as you get older, as you grow—they won’t see you as a prodigy kid anymore. They’ll just see you as a prodigy - the end. A brilliant person. And when that happens?”

  He ruffled her hair affectionately as if to punctuate “You’ll have all the room you need to shine.”

  Emily bit her lip, the thought still feeling too far away. She knew Daniel could sense her hesitation, her fear that she would always be stuck pretending.

  Almost as if reading her mind, Daniel continued - "Look, time passes quicker than you think. Trust me, I’ve lived it. Plus, if you wanna change the world, you’ll first need to stop spawning those horrendous pink bunnies all over the pce.”

  Emily blinked, momentarily thrown by the absurdity of the comment.

  "Hey! Leave Mr. Bun-Bun, the Defender of the Dreamscape, out of this!" she shrieked, ughing despite herself.

  Daniel’s eyes twinkled in pyful mischief. “Nah - Mr. Bun-Bun protects the dreamscape by simply being a horrendous sack of…hhe point is - if your first contribution to history is an army of terrifying neon rabbits, I’m going to be personally disappointed.”

  The dance resumed, lighter now, mirroring Emily’s mood, her now more cheerful spirits. She smiled, falling into step, letting the moment wrap around her like a warm, safe bnket.

  Because jokes and temporal wisdom aside—as they danced hand in hand, there was an unshakable truth beneath it all.

  And somehow, inexplicably—it gave her hope.

  Even if she didn’t know why. She just knew it did.

  The song came to a conclusion and as the final note lingered in the air, Daniel took a small step back, looking directly at her - “You don’t have to hide, Em,” he whispered. “Not here, and with some luck, one day—not anywhere.”

  Emily swallowed hard, her throat tight as something inside her.

  Then, just as she thought the moment was over, Daniel spoke again -“…And Em? Thank you. For letting me be your brother.”

  Emily’s breath caught again. He could have said so much more—about how she had let him exist, about how she had given him something no one else ever had - but he didn’t need to.

  She already knew.

  A lump formed in her throat, but she managed a smile. “Always, Dummy.”

  And for that moment—for that night—everything was okay.

  —

  Meanwhile in the ‘real world’, Emily’s room was quiet, the only sound was the fan spinning slowly overhead, and the occasional soft rustling of leaves outside. She y curled up on her side, beneath bnkets, a serene smile resting on her lips.

  Her parents opened the door cautiously and peeked in to check in. Just some time ago, Emily had been close to a breakdown, weighed down by something no child - or adult for that matter, should have to carry. Now, as they looked at her together - they saw that the tension had melted away, repced by something lighter.

  Thomas rested a hand on Sarah’s back. “She’s okay,” he murmured, perhaps more to himself.

  Sarah exhaled, a gentle smile breaking across her own face, nodding. “Yeah - she is.”

  For a moment, they just stood there, watching over her. Then, without a word, in sync, they closed the door, turned off the hall light and let her sleep.

  The following morning, light filtered into the kitchen, casting golden streaks almost as if symbolizing a new day, and a new step in the family’s joint journey.

  Thomas stood at the stove, experimenting with a new type of pancake, muttering to himself, while Sarah nursed her coffee solving a newspaper crossword.

  The peace was shattered by a familiar thud from Emily’s room - followed by an indignant “OW!” - evidently as Emily rolled out of bed and onto the floor (again). Both parents paused, turned to look at each other, their lips quivering.

  Not a word was exchanged - somehow they knew everything would be okay. She would be okay. They would be okay.

  A few minutes ter, Emily padded in, looking grumpier at her ignominious fall from bed - but nevertheless, lighter, happier.

  Sarah chirped - “Good morning! How’d you sleep?”

  Emily slid into her chair and yawned dramatically before replying with a smile - “Better than I have in a long time.”

  Thomas turned off the stove and turned around - “You look it. I’m gd.”

  His lips quivered as he added “Did you roll out of bed again? We really do need to get you a rger bed…or reinforce the floor”

  “Yeah, yeah I could swear one of you said that months ago” Emily grumbled, eyeing her mother’s coffee cup and then rolling her eyes as clearly reconsidered it.

  “Always smells and tastes better in his memories” she mumbled to herself staring apprehensively at the mug. “In reality it just tastes like sadness.”

  “Oh you’ll learn to like it as you get older” Sarah replied, taking a generous sip as if to prove her point. “Not enough time in the day otherwise.”

  —

  Time.

  That word made Emily drift back to the events of the night before again.

  Her heart fluttered, a sensation that felt akin to mild curiosity and bnkness at the same time enveloping her momentarily.

  She felt hesitant, debating whether to share what had happened with her and Daniel in the dreamscape. Then she thought back to Daniel’s words—”you won’t have to hide forever”—she realized that perhaps, she wanted to.

  “I was feeling really down st night, like…worse than I’ve felt in a while” she admitted.

  She exhaled deeply - “Everything just felt like too much, this secret, hiding, pying dumb. It felt like I’ll never get a break from this”.

  “But..” she continued slowly “Danny took me somewhere in the dreamscape. A ballroom he dreamt up, or designed or dreamforged or whatever the right word is.”

  A small smile spread across her face as she shook her head in part amusement, part - something more vulnerable.

  Sarah and Thomas exchanged another gnce, their expressions unreadable - curiosity? Relief?

  Thomas pulled a chair and sat down- “Sounds like he knew exactly what you needed?”

  Emily nodded, her smile turning into a grin - “Yeah. It was beautiful - I’d never seen a pce like that, it was huge, marble floors, music, chandeliers - everything. He let me be myself. He even gave me a beautiful dress—a one out of a fairy tale. Might have ripped it from an anime. And he—”

  She hesitated, suddenly a little embarrassed. “Well. He danced with me.”

  Sarah’s breath caught as she did a very visible double-takem putting her coffee cup down with a thud.

  “Did you say he danced with you?”

  Emily's grin grew wider as she waved a hand. “Well, kinda. He, hmm - cheated a bit. Dreamscape logic, it was a lot of autopilot”

  Thomas smirked, shaking his head. “Cheat codes? Sounds like him.”

  Emily twirled her fork she had procured between her fingers pyfully. “It was nice. I didn’t have to pretend for a little while.”

  Sarah pced a gentle hand over Emily’s. “You never have to pretend with us, sweetheart. You know that, right?”

  Emily swallowed. “I know. But sometimes it’s hard. I pretend so much with everyone else, it’s hard to stop.”

  Thomas rested a hand on her shoulder. “It’ll get easier, Em..”

  She exhaled again, nodding. “Yeah. he said something like that too. That one day, we will be able to let more people in on the secret.” She hurriedly added “People who can be trusted obviously…”

  She paused - looking down at her fork again before adding “That one day, I won’t just be a smart kid who has to hide, that I’ll be a smart adult - I won’t have to pretend to slow down, the world will just look at me as - smart.”

  Then she shook her head with a chuckle. “Honestly? He can be surprisingly wise sometimes. When he’s not being a boy.”

  Sarah ughed, standing up to refill her coffee. “And where is - wait, he’s still sleeping?”

  “Yeah,” Emily said, smirking. “I guess being a ballroom therapist took more than he expected.”

  Thomas snorted a ugh and then reined himself in, leading to a natural pause in the conversation. There was a moment where the conversation could have drifted into something heavier - a full expnation of everything that had been discussed st night, but Emily realized that the details could wait for another time.

  Instead, she looked at her dad and winked. “You know I could always teach you the dance moves I learned.”

  Thomas raised a curious yet wary eyebrow “Oh?”

  “Careful, Tom. You’re not as young as you used to be” Sarah added with a wink, before taking yet another sip of her coffee.

  He rolled his eyes but grinned, ruffling Emily’s hair. “Fine. Just promise not to make me look like a total fool.”

  “No guarantees,” Emily teased, hopping off her chair and offering a dramatic bow. “But I will be a gracious instructor.”

  She wiggled her fingers at him - “Come, fine sir. Grace me with the honor of a dance.”

  Thomas blinked. Then blinked again. He turned to Sarah. “Where does she get this?”

  Sarah meanwhile picked up her newspaper, clearly pretending to be more interested in the crossword. Emily knew exactly where her attention was at that moment…

  “You...” Sarah replied with faked nonchance.

  Thomas sighed. “I walked right into that, didn’t I?”

  Sarah looked up, her eyes twinkling. “You really did. Now go enjoy your first father daughter dance.”

  Emily nodded impatiently, grabbed his hand and virtually dragged him into the living room with an excited “Come on, Dad!”.

  As she turned to lead him into the first steps, she felt it—that familiar hum, that quiet buzz of awareness. A presence stirring, stretching, almost yawning.

  Daniel was waking up.

  She smiled to herself, warmth blooming in her chest.

  Because, for the first time in a long time, everything felt okay.

  Maybe even better than okay.

  And for now?

  That was enough.