Redefining Expectations-Insomnia Sequel

Dream's POV

"Finally, the parade is over. Now we can be anonymous."

"Oh, who are you kidding? This was the easy part. Next is the harder part, even if it's going to be more private. More interactions will be tougher."

"What exactly happens now?"I ask

"Well, the routine is quite simple. That parade is the part I call the Look Good for Them part which is now completed. Now we are in the Make Them Feel Good part so we won't be outside our bedroom for a while."

Make them feel good...? In a bedroom...?

"What does that mean?"I ask as they take me off of the float into a building.

"We just relax on beds behind curtains and give them advice or words of support. Ya know, the comforting things they may need to hear and validate them. Anything they need to feel better at this festival and about themselves and their identities. We'll walk you through it again when inside since there have been a few adjustments since the past times you did it."

We enter a large spacious room with beds lined with curtains like veils. Beside the beds are cushiony stools and bean bags on the other side of the sheer bed curtains. These curtains could shut at the pull of a string. I glance out the window, seeing crowds watching the parade end and many shifting their focus to the building I was led in.

"Get into place on that bed. It's going to start soon. We sit behind the curtains to keep the atmosphere comfortable. It keeps us from getting too personal and keeps personal space as there's never any certainty of who they're talking to, making it seem confidential. We're just behind a silhouette behind the curtain lifting their spirits every festival. We can't really go anywhere since we're safe here from the out-of-control crowds. They can only stay for an hour tops and get locked out at 11 so we can get ready to sleep and repeat tomorrow."

I glance at them, feeling a bit unsettled and amazed. This is their weird tradition for the festival? It's nice to help people but this seems like a lot of work and a weird set-up. Stuck in a room for five days to talk to strangers through a curtain? Unable to leave? And repeating this routine every year? My other self did this? I guess I can't be too surprised given that I did some weird tasks or went to great lengths to fulfill my role...sacrificing a lot of boundaries not that long ago.

I don't really have anywhere to go...no way to get back and there is no way anyone I know will recognize me for anything other than my aura when I'm looking like this...I'm not even a skeleton anymore...

I climb onto a bed and the curtain shuts. I only got a moment to get comfy as the room went quiet before people started flooding in and picking seats randomly. They only look like silhouettes to me and when one sat in front of me, it's like something clicked. I could read them and their aura again. I can read all these strangers' auras. Some needed help or advice and were genuinely seeking comfort but some were here for my aura...as usual. Some were lying and making stories just so they can have some attention. Regardless, after years of helping people to please them, I knew what to say while keeping a distance between us and the hours tick past easily. There had to be dozens of people that came and went during that time, some getting the help they needed and seeming happier while others were disappointed they couldn't be near my aura forever. Nobody knew which bed had me hidden on it so it made things easier, preventing bias or people targeting me. Especially the ones only coming for my aura who always picked the wrong bed to sit next to if they were looking for me. Some would get hugged through the curtains or given comforting words of validation, yet nobody ever crossed the boundary the curtains set.

At one point there was a snack break and I decided to peek out the door while still wearing my veil to hide myself. I saw a loooong line of people on the other side waiting to come in with only a red rope connected to two poles blocking them as if the barrier from a VIP section. And honestly? The sight unsettles me even more as it not only tells me that I'm not getting out of here any time soon, but it reminds me of my past living conditions. Helping a ton of strangers endlessly with minimal security and breaks in between. Living for others and trapped in a role of serving strangers who only seek to take...The thin line of security keeping things from going too far and being able to sense all their desires or emotions, even the uncomfortable ones...All the bad experiences of being exposed and vulnerable as something for people to use to make themselves happy filled my mind. Yes, there are good people that I helped but this situation reminds me of when I couldn't choose or set boundaries...The entitlement from some is overwhelming just like it was in the past. My other self must be still in this situation that I used to be in...my other self hasn't pushed back yet. I can't push back and leave this version of me to face the consequences I caused though...I sigh, shaking my head. It will change as intended when it happens. I just hope I can return to my multiverse soon. I shut the door and frown.