Sweet dreams are made of this
Marilyn Manson
1:49 ————•————————
𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔...
𝑺𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 11
𝑶𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓

☆

𝑱𝒐𝒗𝒊 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 through a dense forest, the trees towering above her like ancient sentinels. Snow blanketed the ground, crunching softly beneath her boots, while her long cloak swayed around her ankles. She felt the chill biting her skin, but the cold didn't bother her. It was the quiet that unsettled her — the kind of quiet that hinted at something waiting, watching.

She walked deeper into the woods, her breath visible in the icy air, until she noticed a flicker of light in the distance. A fire.

Drawn to it, Jovi followed the glow, her heart beating faster with each step. Soon, she reached a clearing where a fire blazed at the center, its warmth licking at the night. Around it stood a circle of women, their dark cloaks and shadowed faces illuminated by the flames. A coven.

At the head of the group stood a striking woman with long blonde hair, her features sharp and her presence commanding. Her voice, smooth and laced with a British accent, carried through the clearing as she addressed two young girls standing before her.

"My daughter, Jennifer," the woman said, her tone both proud and solemn. "Today, you take your first steps into the circle. Alongside you, Sofia, your chosen sister in spirit."

Jovi felt her stomach twist at the name Jennifer. She squinted at the two girls—one blonde like the leader, with striking blue eyes, and the other Latina, her dark hair braided back, her hands trembling slightly as she clasped them before her. Both girls radiated a mix of nervousness and determination.

The coven leader held up a small vial of shimmering liquid, uncorking it with a steady hand. She anointed her daughter's forehead with a single drop, then turned to Sofia, repeating the action.

"You are bound by blood and by power," the leader said, her voice rising with the firelight. "The circle welcomes you, Jennifer. The circle welcomes you, Sofia. You are one of us."

Jovi's breath caught in her throat. Jennifer. The name echoed in her mind, growing louder and louder until it consumed every other thought. This wasn't just any Jennifer—this was her mother.

Her mother, younger than Jovi had ever seen her, standing in the light of the fire, being welcomed into a coven.

"This can't be real," Jovi whispered, but the scene before her felt far too vivid, far too alive to be dismissed as a simple dream.

Then, as if sensing her presence, the leader paused. She lifted her head and scanned the edge of the clearing. Slowly, her gaze locked onto Jovi.

Her blue eyes were piercing, filled with a knowing that sent shivers down Jovi's spine. She didn't speak, but the silent connection between them screamed volumes. The leader knew Jovi was there. Knew her. And from the flicker of recognition in her eyes, it wasn't the first time she had seen her.

Jovi stumbled back, her pulse racing, her breath hitching as the dream began to dissolve. The last thing she saw was the leader's gaze, unyielding and powerful, burning into her as the snowy woods faded into darkness.

She woke with a gasp, her heart pounding in her chest. The chill of the dream still clung to her skin, but her mind raced with only one thought:

This wasn't just a dream.

☆

𝑱𝒐𝒗𝒊 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒌𝒆 the dream. It clung to her like the snow that had crunched beneath her feet in the woods, cold and unsettling. Every detail — the fire, the coven, her mother's face — was burned into her mind. When she woke up that morning, the feeling of being watched lingered, and it only grew worse as the day went on.

By the time she met up with Blake at their usual spot before first period, she was already on edge. He leaned casually against the lockers, his easy smile fading as she approached.

"Hey, babe," Blake said, stepping closer. He reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You okay? You look... out of it."

"I'm fine," Jovi replied automatically, her tone flat. She managed a weak smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Blake frowned, studying her. "You sure? You seem kind of... I don't know, off."

"I said I'm fine," she snapped, a little harsher than she intended. She immediately winced, guilt prickling at her chest. "Sorry. I didn't sleep well. I've got a lot on my mind."

Blake's brow furrowed, his concern morphing into frustration. "You know you can talk to me, right? I'm not just here for the good days, Jovi."

"I know," she mumbled, glancing away. But how was she supposed to explain this to him? "Look, I just need some time to think, okay? I'll see you later."

Blake opened his mouth to argue, but Jovi had already turned and walked away, leaving him standing there, his jaw tightening in disappointment.

Classes didn't go any better. Jovi sat at the back of the room, her notebook open but untouched. Her pen rested limply in her hand, hovering above the blank page. Her mind was miles away, replaying the dream over and over again. The leader's piercing blue eyes haunted her, and the name Jennifer echoed in her head like a warning she didn't fully understand.

"Miss Winchester," the teacher's sharp voice cut through her thoughts like a slap.

Jovi blinked, her gaze snapping to the front of the room. The entire class was staring at her.

"Care to repeat the last question?" the teacher asked, arms crossed and a slight smirk tugging at their lips.

"Uh..." Jovi stammered, heat rising to her cheeks. "Sorry. Could you repeat it?"

The teacher sighed dramatically. "Perhaps if you spent less time daydreaming and more time paying attention, you wouldn't need me to repeat myself."

A few snickers rippled through the classroom, and Jovi sank lower in her seat, her jaw clenching. She gripped her pen tightly, resisting the urge to snap it in half.

As the lesson droned on, she felt a nudge at her side. She glanced over to see Ares leaning toward her from the seat beside hers, a slight frown on his face. His usually teasing expression was replaced with something that almost looked like concern.

"You good?" he whispered, keeping his voice low enough to avoid the teacher's wrath. "You've been zoning out all day."

Jovi shook her head, waving him off. "I'm fine," she muttered.

Ares raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Yeah, sure you are," he said softly. "You've got that leave me alone but I actually need to talk about it vibe. Just saying, if you wanna unload some heavy shit, I'm right here."

Jovi's lips twitched in a faint attempt at a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Thanks, but I'm fine. Really."

Ares studied her for a moment, his dark eyes searching her face, before he nodded reluctantly. "Alright," he said, leaning back in his chair. "But if you change your mind, I'm not exactly hard to find."

Jovi gave him a small nod, appreciating the offer even if she wasn't ready to take him up on it.

The rest of the class dragged on, but Jovi couldn't focus. The scribbles in her notebook became a chaotic mess of disconnected words and phrases: snow, fire, Jennifer, witches. She barely noticed when the bell rang, signaling the end of the period.

As everyone else filed out, Ares lingered by the door, shooting her another glance. She waved him off again, and with a shrug, he left, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Jovi sighed, slamming her notebook shut. She couldn't shake the feeling that her dream wasn't just a dream. Something was wrong, and she was running out of ways to pretend otherwise.

The cafeteria buzzed with chatter and laughter, but Jovi's mind was a thousand miles away as she made her way toward Blake's usual table. Her dream had haunted her all day, replaying in her head on an endless loop. She had to tell someone, and Blake was the only one who might understand — or at least, he'd listen.

Blake was sitting in the middle of the table, surrounded by his football buddies, laughing as if nothing in the world could go wrong. He looked so carefree, so perfectly Blake, that Jovi almost turned back. Almost.

She hesitated for half a second, then steeled herself and walked up to him. "Blake," she said softly, standing just behind him.

He didn't hear her over the noise, so she tried again, a little louder this time. "Blake."

This time, he turned slightly, barely glancing at her. "Not now, Jovi," he said casually, like she wasn't even worth looking at, before turning back to his friends.

Her stomach dropped. She stood there for a moment, frozen. "Not now?" she repeated, her voice sharper than she intended.

He didn't even look at her, too busy laughing at something one of his teammates said.

Her chest tightened, the hurt giving way to anger. "Wow," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I love how you always make time for me, Blake. You're such a great boyfriend."

Blake's head snapped up at that, his smile fading. "Jovi—"

But she was already walking away, her heart pounding as she stormed out of the cafeteria. By the time she reached her locker, her hands were shaking as she fumbled with the lock.

"Jovi, wait!" Blake's voice called from behind her, softer now, almost pleading.

She slammed her locker shut, not even bothering to grab her books. "What, Blake?" she snapped, spinning around to face him. "What could you possibly have to say now?"

Blake sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I messed up, okay? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that back there."

"'Sorry,'" Jovi said with a bitter laugh. "That's it? That's all you've got?"

Blake's brow furrowed. "Jovi, I didn't mean it like that. You caught me off guard, that's all. You don't have to make this a big deal."

"A big deal?" Jovi said, her voice rising. "Do you even hear yourself right now? I came to talk to you—about something important—and you couldn't even give me the time of day."

"I was in the middle of something!" Blake shot back, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "I'm not saying it was right, but you don't have to act like I just committed some huge crime!"

"This isn't about the cafeteria!" Jovi yelled, her voice echoing in the hallway. "This is about you not taking me seriously. I needed you, Blake, and you couldn't even look at me. Do you know how that feels?"

Blake opened his mouth to respond, but Jovi wasn't done.

"You say you care about me, but the second it's inconvenient for you, I'm just... background noise. Do you even care about this relationship? About me?"

Blake's face fell. "Of course I care," he said, his voice softening. "But you're acting like I don't get to have a life outside of you."

Jovi's breath hitched, the sting of his words sinking in. "Maybe you shouldn't have a life with me in it, then," she said quietly, her voice cold but trembling.

Blake's eyes widened. "Jovi, I didn't mean—"

She shook her head, cutting him off. "I can't do this right now," she said, turning away.

"Jovi, wait—"

But she was already walking away, leaving him standing there, guilt etched across his face as he watched her go.

☆

𝑩𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 cheer practice rolled around, Jovi felt like a live wire — every nerve frayed and ready to snap. Normally, practice was her escape, a chance to lose herself in the routine and the music, but today it was just another place where she couldn't keep her thoughts together.

Her legs felt like lead as she stumbled through the warm-up, her arms out of sync with the squad's sharp, practiced movements. By the time they got to the routine, Jovi had already missed her mark twice, nearly colliding with the girl next to her.

"Seriously, Winchester?" Aria's voice rang out, cutting through the music. Jovi froze, heat rising to her face as the head cheerleader marched over, her perfect ponytail swishing behind her like some kind of mocking exclamation point. Aria crossed her arms, her gaze narrowing. "What's going on with you today? You can't just phone it in and expect the rest of us to pick up the slack."

Jovi felt every pair of eyes on her. Normally, she would've cracked a joke, shrugged it off with one of her usual sarcastic retorts. But today, the weight of Aria's words felt unbearable.

"I'm not phoning it in," Jovi muttered, her voice tight, barely containing her frustration.

"Could've fooled me," Aria quipped, smirking. "If you can't handle this, maybe you should sit out and let someone else take over. You know, someone who actually wants to be here."

The comment hit harder than it should have, piercing through Jovi's carefully constructed walls. She wasn't even sure why. Maybe it was because Aria had said it in front of everyone. Maybe it was because she already felt like she was spiraling. Or maybe it was because Aria had unknowingly said out loud the thing Jovi was afraid to admit to herself: she didn't want to be here, not today.

The pressure snapped, and Jovi's temper flared.

"Maybe if you spent less time running your mouth and more time being an actual leader, you wouldn't need to call people out just to feel good about yourself," Jovi snapped, her voice sharp and loud enough to cut through the shocked silence.

The squad froze. Even the music had stopped, leaving Jovi's words hanging in the air like an accusation.

Aria blinked, clearly not expecting Jovi to fire back. She tilted her head, her smirk faltering before she quickly recovered, raising an eyebrow. "Wow. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Yeah, well, maybe you should stop acting like the queen of everything," Jovi shot back, stepping closer. Her chest heaved with the effort of keeping her voice steady, but her anger was boiling over.

Aria didn't respond right away, her lips pressing into a thin line. She looked like she wanted to say something, but Jovi didn't wait. She turned and stormed off the field, ignoring the stunned whispers and exchanged glances from the rest of the squad.

By the time she reached the locker room, her hands were trembling. She leaned against a row of lockers, her breathing uneven. The rush of adrenaline from the argument was already fading, leaving her feeling hollow and small.

This wasn't like her. Jovi was usually the one who let comments roll off her back, the one who could laugh off tension with a snarky comeback. But today? Today, she felt like she was barely holding herself together.

Aria's words replayed in her head, not because they were harsh but because they touched a raw nerve. You can't handle this. Maybe you should sit out.

Jovi didn't even know what "this" was anymore. The dream? Her life? Everything felt like too much.

Her heart pounded in her ears, drowning out the whispers from the field and the nagging voice in her head that kept replaying Aria's comments. She leaned against the cool metal of the lockers, trying to steady her breath.

The door creaked open behind her, and Jovi stiffened. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"Jovi?" Kat's voice was soft, cautious, but tinged with concern. "What the hell was that about?"

Jovi kept her eyes fixed on the floor, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Not now, Kat."

"Uh, yeah, now," Kat countered, stepping further into the room. Her sneakers squeaked against the polished floor as she approached. "You just went nuclear on Aria in front of the whole squad. What's going on with you?"

"Nothing," Jovi snapped, her tone sharper than she intended. She pushed off the lockers, pacing toward the benches in the middle of the room.

"Don't give me that." Kat crossed her arms, planting herself firmly between Jovi and the exit. "You've been off all day. You barely said two words in class, and now you're biting Aria's head off like she stole your spot at Nationals. Talk to me."

Jovi clenched her fists, her jaw tightening. She loved Kat — she was her best friend, the one person who usually got her without her having to explain anything — but right now, Jovi didn't want to talk. She couldn't. The words felt too tangled, too raw to say out loud.

"Kat, please," Jovi said, her voice low and strained. "Just let it go, okay?"

Kat frowned, her brow furrowing as she studied her friend. "Jove, I'm not blind. Something's eating at you. Is it Blake? Did he do something? Because if he did, I swear to—"

"It's not Blake!" Jovi interrupted, her voice rising. She ran a hand through her hair, tugging at the roots in frustration. "It's not anything you can fix, alright? Just drop it."

Kat hesitated, clearly torn between pushing further and backing off. "I'm just trying to help. You don't have to deal with... whatever this is... by yourself."

Jovi turned away, her shoulders slumping. "I know. I just... I need space, Kat. Please."

The room fell silent except for the faint hum of the overhead lights. Kat stayed where she was for a moment, her arms still crossed, before finally sighing.

"Fine," she said, her tone softening. "But you know where to find me if you change your mind."

Jovi didn't respond, keeping her back to her friend. She heard Kat's footsteps retreating, the door opening and closing behind her, leaving Jovi alone once again.

She sank onto the bench, her head in her hands. She felt like the walls were closing in, the weight of everything pressing down on her chest. The dream, the name Jennifer, Aria's comments — it all swirled in her mind like a storm she couldn't escape.

For the first time in years, Jovi felt like she was completely untethered. And no matter how much Kat or anyone else wanted to help, she didn't even know where to start.

By the time she got home, she was emotionally drained. She dropped her bag by the door and flopped onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. Normally, she would've sent a sarcastic text to Blake or Ares, something to vent her frustration and make herself laugh. But not today.

Today, she didn't want to talk to anyone.

She squeezed her eyes shut, but the image of her mother's face — Jennifer, the coven leader, the woman who felt like a stranger and yet wasn't — burned behind her eyelids. Jovi couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't just a dream. That it was something bigger. Something she couldn't outrun.

She buried her face in her pillow, her fingers gripping the edges tightly. For the first time in a long time, Jovi felt like she was losing control of the person she thought she was.

☆

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈, Jovi was already regretting dragging herself out of bed when the sound of the doorbell echoed through Jody's house. Ares, still in his sweatpants and sporting a look of perpetual annoyance, trudged to the door.

When he swung it open, his expression immediately darkened. "Oh, great. It's you."

Blake Winslow stood on the porch, box of chocolates