Page 23 of Barbie: Dreamscape

For her—and for myself—I will swallow down my fear. I will take a risk.

Even if it means going against Robin for the first time in my life.

It’s still dark out when I slip out of the school and past the gates. The rational part of my brain is telling me I should take more time to think this through. More time to prepare.

But that part lost its say when I became Fateless. This bubbling in my chest, of hope and confusion and curiosity… I don’t want to let it fade away.

I’m going to do this afraid—or not at all.

So I use my new boat to go to the town garage, now with two necklaces draped around my throat, the “B” and “R” charms clinking together every now and then, echoing through the quiet night. My brain is humming as the boat glides soundlessly through the canals.

I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone. I’m not sure what I’ll face. That thought is as terrifying as it is thrilling.

I’ve always had my life perfectly planned for me. I’ve played the role of student my entire life, always listening, always learning, always following a track.

Now, everything is going off the rails. Nothing is as I thought it would be.

Except for when I reach the Heartland Garage at last, and, as I hoped, Sunny’s still inside.

“Oh, hey, Barbie,” he says casually, peeking up from beneath the outboard motor of a boat he’s working on, as if it’s a normal occurrence to see me in his workshop in the middle of the night. “You doing okay?”

“Sunny,” I burst out, ignoring his question, looking over my shoulder, ready for Robin to find me any minute. “Did you ever end up modifying your boat?”

He frowns. “Who’s asking? My parents?” He looks around me, as if they could be nearby.

“I’m asking,” I say quietly.

“Oh.” His posture loosens. “Yeah, of course I did.”

At least Sunny can always be depended on to bend the rules. “Mind if I… borrow it?”

In perfectly Sunny fashion, he doesn’t ask any questions. I just watch a slow smile overtake his face. “I’ve been waiting for this day.”

“What day?”

He shrugs a shoulder. “The day you learned perfection is boring. Chaos is a lot more interesting.”

I swallow. I am the least likely person to pursue chaos. And yet…

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” I mutter, walking over to where Sunny’s boat is tied to a post, bobbing innocently in the water.

He joins me, helping me into the hull. “Probably,” he says brightly.

Right.

I draw in a breath. “Tell Callie goodbye for me, okay?”

I don’t know what I’m doing. Part of me just wants to go back to Swancrest with my tail between my legs and admit defeat.

But the other part, the one that is done crying, that is done waiting for the world to right things, knows that if I want my circumstances to change, I’m going to have to change a bit.

I can’t just keep doing the same thing I’ve done my entire life. Clearly, that hasn’t been working.

I’m going to take a risk.

I’m going… to fly.

I shriek as the boat lifts off the water. As Sunny gets farther and farther away, he just beams at me, arms crossed over his chest, looking impressed with his work.