章 12: Reality Check

Elise's eyelids fluttered open, her mind still swirling with the remnants of her tantalizing fantasy. For a brief, blissful moment, she basked in the afterglow of her imagined triumph, relishing the feeling of power and control that had eluded her in reality.

But as consciousness fully returned, a cold wave of reality crashed over her, washing away the lingering tendrils of her dream. She sat up abruptly, her heart pounding with a mixture of frustration and disappointment.

"No, no, no! That wasn't real?" she muttered to herself, her voice tinged with desperation. "It can't just be an imagination. It felt so real!"

With a groan of frustration, Elise flopped back onto her bed, her limbs splayed out in defeat. She pinched herself, half-hoping that it would jolt her back into the dream world where she could reign supreme at Xander's side.