Page 25 of Barbie: Dreamscape

And then I see a pair of monstrous hooves thundering toward me.

Move! the voice in my head says, and yeah, good idea, I think, before I roll away, barely missing them.

I’m still on my back, panting, when a gigantic head fills my vision. My eyes widen. It’s a beast, it’s a monster, it’s a—

I scramble to my feet, only to see it’s a… horse?

I’ve only ever seen one illustrated in books. And this creature is far bigger than it appeared in those pages. It towers over me, its fur a deep, rich brown, with a streak of white between its brows. Braids drip down its side.

It leans down to huff in my face. Panic grips my bones.

Reading something and living it are two completely different things. My mind races, trying to remember… do horses’ diets happen to include a girl who recently graduated without a Fate and disobeyed every single rule she’s been taught since she was a kid?

Apparently, no—since after a long, unblinking moment, the horse just chuffs and turns away.

And a guy who looks to be around my age slips off the horse’s side.

He has tan skin with a warm glow and a dusting of freckles, like he spends a lot of time outside. He’s wearing jeans, a red-checkered shirt, and a wide-brimmed hat. He tilts his head at me and says, “Did you just fall out of the sky?”

I look to my left and right and am met with wave after wave of flowers in every shade of the sunset: red, orange, yellow, some with all the colors pooled together, as if painted in a coat of warm flames.

I swallow. Yes, I’m definitely not in Heartland anymore.

“I guess?”

All at once, I remember the danger, the fact that my mother died because of what sat beyond our borders. My muscles clench. I should have brought something to defend myself with—even if I don’t know how to use anything sharper than a pen.

But the guy just nods. “Cool.” He outstretches his hand. “I’m Ken.”

I look at his hand. Then at him. I’m still on the ground.

He doesn’t falter. He just keeps smiling at me.

Slowly, I lift one hand, wincing at the lingering ache from my fall. “I’m Barbie.”

He takes my hand, then gently pulls to help me up. I’m on my feet in a moment.

I stumble back, still looking at him warily. “Where am I?” I finally ask. “Is this… Dreamland?”

Ken shakes his head. “No. This is Summerland.”

Summerland? Like… the season? The weather is balmy. The sky is clear, giving the sun plenty of room to stretch its rays across the fields of flowers. A light breeze rustles them all around us, in a soothing swell.

It’s beautiful… but this isn’t where I’m supposed to be. Panic rises in me like a tide, poisoning my thoughts.

I took Robin’s necklace. I got in a flying boat and went through the mists. I didn’t stop, even when Robin begged me to. She must be furious.

And now… I’m in another land.

But it’s the wrong one.

The flying boat is long gone. How am I even going to get to Dreamland from Summerland?

This was a mistake. And Robin’s not here to fix it. I’m alone, in a strange world, without my friends. Why would I question my guardian?

All I’ve ever been is a student, and this is proof of how little I know outside school. The fearlessness I felt back in Heartland is long gone, just like my way out of here. If I could erase the last few moments—

“She looks upset,” Ken says. He’s talking to his horse, about me, like I’m not even here.