Page 70 of Barbie: Dreamscape

“That doesn’t mean anything! All it takes is one mistake, and—”

“You don’t believe in me,” I say softly, realizing it all at once. My eyes prickle.

She frowns. “That’s not what I’m saying, Barbie, I—”

“That’s exactly what you’re saying,” I say, trying to wrench my hand away. But she tightens her hold. “You don’t think I can do this. Even after I’ve already almost made it.”

“That’s not true. I know how capable you are. You’re strong, Barbie, but—”

“How do you know how strong I can be if you’ve never let me try?”

She frowns. “I—”

“No.” I cut her off. “How will I ever know my own strength if it’s never been tested? How was I ever supposed to grow behind thick stone walls and pink mists?”

Robin bristles. Shock and hurt are clear on her face. I don’t want to disappoint her. I don’t want to make her upset. But my entire life, I’ve always done everything for her. For her love. For her approval. I’ve been everything I thought she wanted me to be.

“Barbie,” she says, her voice breaking, “all I’ve ever done is try to protect you.”

The stars are racing again, so fast they’re smears of color now. The shadows beyond are now melting into a fully formed land. I’m almost there. “And you’ve done a great job,” I tell her. “But now… it’s time to see how far I can go on my own.”

At last, I free myself from her grasp—and then I’m streaking across the velvet onyx, like just another shooting star.

Dreamland

I land in a cushion of rose petals.

The necklaces are still warm against my neck; their pink glow softens until it fades away completely. I stumble out of the pile of crushed roses, only to watch it disappear.

Strange.

I look around, blinking, my vision settling.

This land is pink, down to its soil.

Pink dirt. Pink grass growing out of it. I turn, only to see a giant—pink, of course—arch. Like a rainbow made of a single color.

Dreamland, it says. Enter here. The words appear in a puff of cloud, before disappearing, one by one, in a speck of stars.

Could the answers I’ve been looking for really be on the other side of that arch?

Nerves flurry through my chest, but I take deep breaths until they calm. This is what I’ve been working toward the entire time. The destination I’ve been so desperate to reach. I’m here. There’s no need to be nervous anymore.

I follow the sign… and enter.

Right beyond it sits a single pink square, floating several inches above the ground. There’s no soil below it. Only gray nothingness. Strange.

Here goes nothing.

I step onto the square, my arms jutting out for balance, and feel like I’m walking upon a living board game as another step appears in front of me. And another.

As I step from square to square, the ones behind me begin to vanish. I turn around. Everything is gone. The arch. The pink soil. There’s nowhere to go but forward.

Good. That’s where I’m headed, anyway. No turning back now.

The path swirls around, up and down, as if positioned on an invisible mountain range. It really does feel like I’m in the middle of a living game.

With my next step, my outfit transforms into one of my favorites from my mother’s wardrobe, a bright pink top and pants set, and heeled boots that click on every square until the path—