Voyage Of The Villainess

'Did I really go back to Earth?' Malaya's thoughts were a mess right now. 'But I clearly remembered that I died in that explosion, in that ship. My life as Carolle is already over. I became Mala...'

"Carolle?" Malaya stopped all her thoughts when she heard another familiar voice that she thought she would never hear again.

A woman, wearing a casual blue shirt and jeans. She was wearing her usual glasses. "Ms. Gina?" 

Then another woman ran past Ms. Gina, locked Malaya in an embrace. "Carolle! It's been five years! Four years that you have been in a coma!" Riza cried out loud.

***

Two weeks later...

The wind breeze was cold yet refreshing. 

"Carolle, I'm really glad that you have finally awakened after four years," Riza said as she tightened the grip on the handle of Carolle's wheelchair.

"I can't remember anything, after the explosion. I thought I already died." Carolle replied as she tucked her hair. 

"After you pushed me in the water, Ms. Gina managed to do the same to you. However, you fell unconscious and ended up being in a coma when we brought you to the hospital."

"Ms. Gina, save me? But that's strange, Ms. Gina is never in the passenger..."

Carolle's thought was interrupted when she found herself in Riza's embrace. "I'm really glad, you're alive Carolle." She was now crying. "Though you save me, I can't forgive myself if you die because of me."

"Riza," Carolle let out a smile. "I'm all alive and well now. And soon if I got healed completely, I will be able to go back to work again." She hugged Riza back.

However, as Carolle mentioned, her heart started to throb. Memories as Malaya resurfaced inside her mind. For some reason, she couldn't help but feel more confused. She didn't know whether all of that was a dream when she was in a coma or real. When she looked at her hand, the silver bracelet, the ornaments, and the blue bracelet that Dorris gave her were not there. It's been an entire two weeks now since Carolle woke up. However, everything around her still felt surreal for some reason.

She knew this was her real world, and that one must be just a long dream. Riza felt that Carolle's hug tightened to her.

"Is there something wrong, Carolle?" Riza said as she gently retracted herself from Carolle.

Carolle leaned her head in Riza's abdomen. "I have a very long dream. A dream about a world, another world filled with magic. And I met a lot of different people and create my own crew and friends there. Together, we go on different crazy adventures."

Carolle continued to tell her dream, while Riza just listened to her quietly.

"First I have two loyal servants, my butler Rein, he is good at illusion magic, and very capable in handling all matters. Then there is Dorris, a girl near my age. She is also very capable and a bit childish most of the time. But her every action is always sincere. Because of them, I am able to adjust in that world easily."

"Then there is Iris, who has a pet white monkey. She pranks on her every word and loves wine. Like me, she also comes to Earth. We are enemies at first, but she becomes one of the closest friends I can rely on. Though we bicker most of the time. But without her, our adventures will become less dull."

"Then there is Hyun Jae, a very kind girl. She also came from Earth and she loves helping people most of the time. She doesn't want anyone to get hurt and suffer injustice. And do her best at everything, except cooking," Carolle chuckled. "She is our healer and also one of my closest friends."

"And Rhyme, clumsy yet when it comes to navigation and maintenance of the ship, he is very reliable. When Iris and I bicker, he often scolds us along with Hyun Jae and Dorris."

"Then there is Lila, another girl, who has a complex due to her appearance. But she is also brave and strong. She always helps me, without asking for anything."

"Then there is Oliver, a sly man, and all of the people, he is the one who knows about my past due to some circumstance. But despite that attitude of his, he is also very reliable and powerful. Though you still need to be careful not to fall with his deceit."

"And there is this guy, Kayden. He is scary but handsome. And very reliable and powerful and yet he can't swim. He said to me that he likes me and yet I ran away." Carolle didn't know that tears were streaming down her eyes. "I told them in that dream that I will disappear from them again. It is just a dream."

"But why Riza?" Carolle continued to bawl. "Why do I feel a strong longing for them? Why am I hurting like this? What is this heavy feeling inside me?"

"It must be your trauma back when you were in the orphanage." Both of the ladies turned to see Ms. Gina walking towards them. She was holding a bottle of water which she handed to Carolle. "Have this," Carolle accepted the bottle of water with quivering hands.

"Trauma?"

"Yes," Ms. Gina nodded her head as Carolle looked at her, her eyes now plump due to the crying. "The children that become your friends and have been taken away to be sold out. When you are in a coma, your unconsciousness must have created a dream you deeply desire. A dream that you wished you had done in order to save those children, your friends back at the orphanage." 

"In the dream, you speak of most of the friends, you mentioned, did you save all of them when they have been in trouble?"

"Yes, I save and help them. And they also did the same thing to me, multiple times. We always help each other out." Carolle replied to Ms. Gina.

"Then that must be it, you must have deeply wished to save your friends back at the orphanage, that is why in your dream, you kept saving people in that different world. And that is the reason, in your four years in a coma, that dream was created."

"But I felt that everything was real." Carolle glanced down. "Why am I hurting like this, if that is all just a dream?"

"Because it is equivalent to the hurt and pain you experience back at the orphanage." This time Ms. Gina was the one who hugged Carolle.

"It's alright, as time passes all the pain inside your heart will heal. Riza and I will be here for you." Ms. Gina said with comforting words. "You can take it easy from here now."

"Ms. Gina," Carolle said in a meek voice. "The world I dream about is the story that your friend wrote, The Fate of the Stars." 

Carolle felt that Ms. Gina became tense. "Your friend's name is Anna Jills right?"

"Yes, she is." Ms. Gina said as she retracted herself from Carolle's embrace. She didn't deny anything. And Carolle narrowed her eyes when Ms. Gina was calm about this at the mention of her friend. "If it is just a dream, how would I know your friends' name when you didn't mention it to me?"

There was a heavy silence in the air. But that silence was interrupted by Riza.

"That is the wonder of dreams, there are things we can't explain even how much we think about it," Riza said. "We have stayed too much outside now, let's head back to your room now Carolle. It won't be good if something were to happen to you when you will be discharged tomorrow."

"Yes, you're right," Carolle said with a smile. "Thank you, Riza and Ms. Gina for being here with me."

Though Carolle had still doubts about her situation, she just went on to what Riza told her to do.

The next day, Carolle felt more nostalgia as she stepped back to her home. A two-storey-house that she was able to buy due to her part-time job as a call center when she was in college.

When she opened the door of her house.

*Pop!*

"Surprise!" Riza, Ms. Gina, and some of her friends in college, all shouted. 

"Welcome home! Carolle!" Everyone said with delight. Seeing this, made Carolle feel warmer inside. 

"I-I don't know what to say," Carolle said with a huge smile on her face. "Thank you, everyone."

"Let's eat now, everyone, and gets wasted all day!" One of her college friends, Bert, raised the beers. 

Within the whole day, everyone talks about these past five years of their lives. Being in a come, Carolle missed so many things. But she was happy that her friends still didn't change and they were the same people she remembered them to be.

They played many different games and even sang some songs. This strongly made Carolle remembered everything in her dream.. And she couldn't help but only enjoy things half-heartedly.