Page 85 of Barbie: Dreamscape

I open my eyes and gasp at the reflection on the water. I see myself, face red, tears dripping down my cheeks… but I’m not alone.

My mother is sitting beside me. She’s smiling, one hand resting on my shoulder. Her eyes are full of understanding. She’s glowing pink, encased in the magic that she used so effortlessly in those memories Lune showed me.

And I understand. She loved magic. It made her life brighter.

She created an entire land with it… for me.

I slowly reach toward the water, not wanting to blink, wanting my mother’s visage to be real. But the moment my fingertips touch the surface, she vanishes.

I swallow down the hurt.

Magic, in some way, might have taken my mother from me. But I have to let go of that hatred for it. Because magic is the only thing still connecting me to her.

And deep inside… I know she would have wanted me to learn.

“There it is,” a voice says, and I whirl around to see Lune standing behind me, her blue eyes glistening. She puts a hand on my shoulder just as my mother did.

When I look down, I see it. A faint pink light glowing from my chest, in a tiny seed. Right in the center of my heart.

“You found it.”

What the Heart Needs

The next day, Lune accompanies me to the Treasure Trove.

One will spark to me. My magic will merge with the object’s, and it will become my first of many accessories that will help me channel the power I’ve finally unearthed.

I walk with confidence even as a dusting of nerves settles deep in my stomach. I can’t help but think about the similarities between this and Boxing Day…

A ceremony that I’ve worked to reach. An important stage of my journey.

But Boxing Day wasn’t ever real. And even when I thought it was, it was an offering that demanded acceptance—a presentation of something given, whether or not it was wanted or chosen.

The Treasure Trove is a claiming—from both sides.

I choose the object I am drawn to.

And the object… chooses whether it wants me back.

The building is deep within the expansive grounds of Dreamlake. The doors are nearly as tall as the structure itself.

“When you’re ready,” Lune says, stepping back.

I get the sense that if I turned around and decided I couldn’t do this, she would understand. We would leave and go back to training, no questions asked.

This isn’t a requirement… it’s a choice.

“I’m ready,” I say, my voice steady.

The moment I press my palm against the imposing mahogany, my magic is like a key.

The doors peel open.

I step inside.

And gasp.

This hall is full of every object imaginable, all waiting to be claimed. There are thousands of them here, covering one entire wall like an infinite gallery, like an accessory library.