Chapter 7: The Astral Misunderstanding
The dream took Mandy without warning.
One moment she was staring at the ceiling, listening to Jan's soft snoring and Calista's steady breathing, the familiar weight of her mother's arm draped across her stomach. The next, she was standing.
Not standing. Floating.
The room around her had dissolved into something else—something luminous and strange, a version of Shiv's Miami living room rendered in soft-focus watercolors. The walls breathed. The furniture shifted like tide pools. The air tasted like honey and ozone and something else, something electric that made her teeth ache.
She looked down at herself.
Naked.
Of course she was naked. Because why wouldn't she be?
"Fuck," she said out loud. Her voice echoed strangely, bouncing off surfaces that weren't quite there. "This is definitely a dream."
A rustle behind her.
She turned.
Beth stood ten feet away, equally naked, equally confused. Her short blonde hair was sleep-mussed, her eyes wide, her mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air.
"What the fuck," Beth said.
"What the fuck indeed."
"Mandy?"
"The one and only."
"Why are you naked?"
"Why are you naked?"
"I asked first."
"We're in a dream, Beth. Clothes are optional in dreams." Mandy looked around at the shimmering space. "Also, this is your living room. Or Shiv's living room. Or a weird dream version of Shiv's living room. Hard to tell."
Beth crossed her arms over her chest—a gesture that would have been more effective if she'd had anything to cross them with besides her own hands. "This is not my living room."
"It's got the same couch."
"The couch is purple."
"The couch is definitely not purple in real life, but dream logic." Mandy shrugged. "What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you were staying at Shiv's place to keep an eye on things."
"I am. I mean, I was. I mean—" Beth frowned. "I fell asleep on the couch. Marty was watching something on the holoscreen. I must have drifted off."
"And now you're here. In my dream."
"Or you're in my dream."
"I was here first."
"How do you know?"
"Because I was standing here looking at my own tits before you showed up."
Beth snorted despite herself. "Classy."
"I aim to please."
They stood there for a moment, two sisters in a dreamscape, naked and unbothered. The surrealism of it should have been alarming. Instead, Mandy felt a strange lightness—a giddiness that bubbled up from somewhere deep in her chest.
"So," Beth said. "You want to tell me why you're dreaming about being naked in Shiv's living room?"
"I have no idea. I didn't choose this."
"Dreams are supposed to reflect your subconscious."
"My subconscious is apparently deeply weird."
"Your subconscious is definitely deeply weird. Remember the one where you were being chased by a giant calculator?"
"That was a nightmare. This is different." Mandy paused. "Actually, this is kind of nice. Peaceful. Even with the nakedness."
"You're not cold?"
"I'm not anything. It's a dream. Temperature doesn't exist."
Beth considered this. Then she uncrossed her arms and let them hang at her sides.
"Okay," she said. "Fine. I'm naked in a dream. What do we do now?"
"We could explore."
"Explore what?"
"I don't know. The dreamscape. Maybe there's something interesting here." Mandy gestured at the shimmering walls. "This doesn't feel like a normal dream. It feels... intentional."
"Intentional how?"
"I don't know yet."
Mandy started walking—or floating, or whatever it was she was doing—toward the couch. It looked solid enough. She sat down, and it held her weight, though it felt more like sitting on a cloud than a piece of furniture.
Beth followed, settling beside her.
"So," Beth said. "You want to tell me what happened tonight?"
"What makes you think something happened?"
"Because I know you. You've got that look."
"What look?"
"The look you get when you've done something you're not sure you should have done but you're going to do it again anyway."
Mandy laughed. "That's a very specific look."
"I've seen it before."
"Fair." Mandy leaned back into the couch—cloud, whatever—and stretched her arms over her head. "Okay. Fine. I'll tell you."
"I'm listening."
"So after everyone got settled in and Jan made me go to bed—"
"Jan made you go to bed?"
"She was being all maternal and shit. Made me drink cocoa, tucked me in, the whole nine yards."
"You hate cocoa."
"I didn't drink it. God."
"Okay, continue."
"So I'm in bed, right? And Calista's there, because she's sleeping in my room. And then Jan strips down and gets in bed with us."
Beth's eyebrows rose. "Jan got naked?"
"She always sleeps naked."
"I know, but—"
"So Jan's in bed. And Calista's in bed. And I'm in bed. And then Mom walks in with cocoa."
"Mom was bringing you cocoa?"
"She was bringing everyone cocoa. She made enough for the whole house."
"And she just... walked in on you all in bed together?"
"I mean, we weren't doing anything yet. We were just lying there. But then—" Mandy paused, remembering. "Calista's Glamour was running hot. Like, really hot. And Jan had cast Green Moon serenity on me earlier, so I was already relaxed, and the combination was..."
"Was what?"
"Intense. It was intense."
"How intense?"
"Like, everyone in the room got horny. Instantly. Including Mom."
Beth stared at her. "You're telling me that your arousal magic combined with Jan's relaxation magic made everyone want to fuck."
"Basically, yeah."
"And that included Mom."
"Also Dad. He came in behind her and just—" Mandy made a gesture with her hand. "Immediately hard. Like, before he even knew what was happening."
"Dad was there too?"
"It's the Horny House, Beth. Everyone was there."
"Okay, fair point." Beth shook her head. "So what happened?"
"We all fucked."
"All of you?"
"All of us. Me, Calista, Jan, Mom, Dad. All together. In my childhood bed."
Beth's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
"You had sex with Mom and Dad."
"And Jan. And Calista."
"At the same time."
"It wasn't exactly at the same time. There was a sequence. But yes, we were all in the same bed, and everyone did everyone."
Beth was quiet for a long moment.
Then she started laughing.
It wasn't a shocked laugh. It wasn't a horrified laugh. It was the kind of laugh that came from somewhere deep in the belly, the kind of laugh that made her shoulders shake and her eyes water.
"Oh my god," she gasped. "Oh my god, Mandy."
"It's not funny."
"It's hilarious."
"It's not—" Mandy tried to keep a straight face. Failed. "Okay, it's a little funny."
"A little? You fucked Mom!"
"I know."
"And Dad!"
"I know!"
"And Jan and Calista!"
"Everyone knows at this point. They were all there."
Beth wiped her eyes. "I can't believe I missed it."
"You were in Miami."
"I know. I'm always in Miami when the fun stuff happens."
"It wasn't fun. It was..." Mandy searched for the right word. "Therapeutic?"
"Therapeutic?"
"I've been stressed out of my mind about Shiv. Everyone has. And for one night, I got to stop thinking. I got to just... feel. Be present. Be held." She shrugged. "It was what I needed."
Beth's laughter faded into a smile. "I'm glad you got that."
"Me too."
"So how was it? The sex, I mean. Like, specifically."
"You want details?"
"I'm a photographer. I appreciate fine details."
Mandy snorted. "Fine details. Okay. Let me think."
She thought back to the night—the way Casey's skin had felt against hers, the way Mike had looked when he'd first walked in, the way Calista's mouth had felt on her nipple.
"It was... a lot of things," she said finally. "It was weird. It was hot. It was weirdly hot. And it was—" She paused. "It was intimate in a way I wasn't expecting."
"Intimate how?"
"I've had sex before. Obviously. I've had good sex. But this was different. Everyone was focused on each other. Not just on getting off. On making sure everyone else was having a good time."
"That sounds nice."
"It was nice. It was really nice." Mandy smiled at the memory. "Jan fingered me while I sucked on Mom's tit."
Beth choked.
"What?"
"You said it so casually."
"It was casual. It was just part of the whole thing."
"You sucked Mom's tit?"
"I did. And then she sucked mine."
"Oh god."
"And then Dad came in my mouth while I was fingering Calista."
Beth made a strangled sound.
"You asked for details."
"I didn't ask for that many details!"
"You asked for specific details. I'm giving you specific details."
Beth buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe my sister is telling me she swallowed our father's come."
"Would you prefer I didn't?"
"I don't know. I'm processing."
Mandy waited patiently while Beth processed.
When Beth emerged from behind her hands, she looked slightly dazed but not horrified.
"So it was good," she said. "The sex."
"It was really good."
"And you don't regret it."
"I don't regret it. I mean, it's weird. It's definitely weird. But it's the good kind of weird. The kind of weird that makes you feel closer to people."
"Family bonding."
"Exactly."
Beth shook her head. "You're insane."
"I'm a Williamson. We're all insane."
"Fair point."
Mandy leaned back into the couch—the cloud—and stretched her legs out in front of her. Her toes brushed against Beth's thigh, warm and real despite the dream around them.
"You know what I remember most?" she said.
"What?"
"Jan's fingers."
"Jan's fingers?"
"She knows what she's doing. Like, really knows what she's doing. Her fingers inside me, her thumb on my clit—I came so hard I saw stars."
"That sounds nice."
"It was. It really was." Mandy closed her eyes, remembering the sensation. "And then she did the same thing to Calista. And Calista was just... shaking. She was so gone."
"Calista's always been the more sensitive one."
"The elf thing. Makes her more in tune with physical sensations, I guess."
"Does it?"
"That's what she says."
Beth was quiet for a moment.
Then, softly: "What about Dad?"
"What about him?"
"His dick. Was it... you know."
"Was it what?"
"I don't know. Good?"
Mandy opened her eyes and looked at her sister.
"You're asking if our father has a nice cock."
"I'm asking for scientific purposes."
"Scientific purposes."
"I'm a photographer. I study the human form."
"Uh-huh."
"Just tell me."
Mandy laughed. "He's got a nice dick. Like, proportionally. Not too big, not too small. Nice curve. He knows how to use it."
"He knows how to use it?"
"He's been married for twenty-some years. I'd hope he knows how to use it."
Beth nodded slowly. "Okay."
"Why are you so curious?"
"I'm not curious. I'm just... taking it in."
"The whole thing was a lot to take in."
"It was."
The dreamscape around them shifted—the walls flickering from purple to blue to gold—and Mandy felt a strange warmth spreading through her chest. It wasn't arousal, exactly. More like affection. Here, in this weird dream space, she could talk to her sister about things she'd never normally discuss, and it felt natural. Right.
"You know," she said, "I always thought you and I would have this kind of talk when we were teenagers."
"What kind of talk?"
"About sex. About what we like. About the weird stuff our family does."
"We were a bit busy in our teens. You were building your first computer. I was learning photography."
"We were both nerds."
"We were both nerds who didn't talk to each other about the important stuff."
"Because we didn't know how."
"And now we're naked in a dream version of Shiv's living room, and you're telling me about your night with our parents."
"Life is strange."
"Life is very strange."
Mandy reached out and put her hand on Beth's knee.
"I'm glad you're here," she said. "In Miami. In my life. I know it's been weird, with Shiv, with Ben, with everything."
"It's been weird for all of us."
"But I want you to know—I see you. I see what you're doing with Marty. How you're helping him. How you're building something real."
Beth's eyes were soft. "Thank you."
"I mean it. You're doing good, Beth."
"I'm trying."
"That's all anyone can do."
Beth reached out and put her hand on top of Mandy's.
"How are you doing?" she asked. "With Shiv, I mean. Really."
Mandy felt the question land somewhere deep in her chest.
"I'm scared," she said. "I'm scared we won't find her. I'm scared we'll find her and she'll be different. I'm scared I'll ruin everything by not being smart enough or fast enough or good enough."
"None of that is true."
"You don't know that."
"I know you. You're the smartest person I know. You're the most determined person I know. If anyone can find Shiv, it's you."
"Jan's been helping. Everyone's been helping."
"Because they believe in you. Because they love you."
"I know."
"And because you're worth believing in."
Mandy felt something crack open in her chest. A wall she hadn't known she'd built. A barrier she'd kept between herself and her sisters, her parents, everyone.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You don't have to thank me."
"I do. I really do."
Beth squeezed her hand.
They sat there for a moment, two sisters in a dream, connected by something deeper than blood.
Then Mandy grinned.
"Since we're being honest," she said, "I have to ask."
"Ask what?"
"What's it like with Marty?"
Beth pulled her hand back. "What?"
"What's it like? The sex. Is he good? Does he do the thing where he—"
"Mandy!"
"You asked me about Dad's cock. Turnabout is fair play."
"That's not the same thing!"
"It's exactly the same thing."
Beth's face was turning red.
"I'm not answering that."
"You're no fun."
"You're impossible."
"I'm a Williamson."
"Oh my god."
Mandy laughed and reached over to pull Beth into a hug. Their bodies pressed together—bare skin on bare skin, warm and soft and strange but comforting.
"I'm just giving you shit," she murmured. "You don't have to tell me anything."
"Good."
"Unless you want to."
"I don't want to."
"Okay."
"But—" Beth paused. "He does have nice hands."
"NICE HANDS?"
"Shut up."
"NICE HANDS? That's all you're giving me?"
"It's a compliment!"
"It's not a compliment. It's vague."
"He's good with his hands. What more do you want?"
"Details. I want details."
"We're not doing this."
"We're already doing this."
"We're not doing this."
"You're blushing, which means it's good."
"I'm not blushing."
"You're absolutely blushing."
"Shut up."
"Beth and Marty, sitting in a tree—"
"I'm going to kill you."
"In a dream. You can't kill me in a dream."
"I'll find a way."
Mandy laughed and released her sister.
"You know I'm happy for you," she said. "Right? I'm really happy for you."
Beth's expression softened.
"I know."
"You deserve someone good. Someone who sees you."
"I know."
"Someone who loves you."
"He does. I think."
"You think?"
"It's early. We're still figuring things out."
"Take your time. There's no rush."
"That's the thing." Beth's voice was quiet. "With everything going on—with Shiv, with the Consortium, with Marty's training—it feels like there is a rush. Like everything's happening at once and I don't have time to breathe."
Mandy nodded.
"I know the feeling."
"Does it ever get easier?"
"I don't know. I'll let you know when I figure it out."
They sat in silence for a moment.
Then a new voice spoke.
"That's quite a performance."
Mandy and Beth both turned.
Rick stood at the edge of the dreamscape, entirely naked, his arms crossed over his chest.
His expression was... complicated. Amused. Exasperated. Something else underneath that Mandy couldn't quite read.
"Rick?" Beth said.
"The one and only."
"What are you doing here?"
"Same thing you're doing here, apparently. Dreaming."
"In our dream?"
"It's not just your dream." Rick walked toward them, his bare feet making no sound on the surreal floor. "It's a shared space. A corner of the astral plane."
"The astral plane," Mandy repeated.
"Something like that. The psychic resonance of the apartment, plus Calista's Glamour, plus whatever Jan did earlier—it created a pocket. A place where people who are connected can meet."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I've seen it before. It's a thing that happens." Rick looked between his sisters—one sitting on the couch, one curled up beside her, both naked. "Also, you two are projecting. Literally. Your thoughts are bleeding into the space."
Beth's face went pale.
"What do you mean, bleeding?"
"You've been talking about your night together."
"Our night together?"
"Mandy's night with Mom and Dad. And the rest." Rick's expression didn't change. "And you, Beth, have very strong feelings about Marty."
"Oh god."
"And you, Mandy, have been thinking very loudly about Jan's fingers."
"Oh god."
Rick sighed.
"This isn't a dream," he said. "You're both awake. You're just not... here. Your bodies are asleep, but your conscious minds are connected through the astral plane."
Mandy looked at Beth.
Beth looked at Mandy.
They were both naked. They were both in each other's arms.
And now their brother was here, also naked, explaining things to them like this was a normal Tuesday.
"So," Mandy said slowly. "You heard everything I said about Mom and Dad."
"Every word."
"And you heard me ask about Dad's—"
"Yes."
Mandy felt her face burn.
"I'm going to die."
"Probably not."
"I'm going to spontaneously combust."
"You're not actually here. You can't spontaneously combust."
"I can die of shame."
"That's not a real thing either."
"It should be."
Beth, who had been silent through this exchange, finally spoke.
"Are we really naked?" she asked. "Like, is this happening?"
"Yes."
"In front of you."
"Yes."
"And you're naked too."
"Yes."
"So we're all just... naked together in the astral plane."
"Yes."
"Okay." Beth nodded slowly. "Okay. I'm going to accept that and move on."
"Wise choice," Rick said.
Mandy stood up—or did whatever the dream equivalent of standing was—and walked over to her brother. She looked at him. Really looked at him.
He was her brother. That was the thing she always forgot, the thing that time and biology had made complicated. He was her brother in every way that mattered, and his weird time-travel adventures that had somehow brought him and Stacy together while producing Calista, but he was still just... Rick. The older brother who'd taught her to ride a bike. The older brother who'd baked her birthday cakes. The older brother who'd always been there.
And he was naked.
And he had nice shoulders. And a nice chest. And his cock was—
She stopped looking.
"You know," she said, "this is weird, right? This is objectively weird."
"Extremely weird," Beth agreed.
"I'm aware," Rick said.
"So what do we do?"
"Mandy, if you say the word 'fuck,' I'm going to—"
"What? You'll fuck me?"
"That's not—"
"I'm joking."
"Are you?"
Mandy grinned.
"Mostly."
Beth appeared beside her—had she walked over, or was the dreamscape just shifting?—and put her arm around Mandy's waist.
"We should probably wake up," Beth said. "Before things get weirder."
"Weirder than naked family astral projection?"
"At this point, I don't know what 'weirder' would even mean."
Rick ran a hand through his hair.
"Look. This is—it's a thing. It happens. With magic, with strong emotions, with sleeping people who have a connection. It's not a big deal. We just... need to be careful."
"Careful how?" Mandy asked.
"Careful about what we do. What we think. The astral plane is reactive. If we start... projecting... intentionally, it can get complicated."
"Complicated how?"
"Just complicated."
Mandy looked at Beth.
Beth looked at Mandy.
And then, simultaneously, they burst out laughing.
It started as giggles—high and breathless—and quickly escalated into full belly laughs. Mandy doubled over, clutching her stomach. Beth grabbed onto Rick's shoulder to keep from falling.
"This is insane," Mandy gasped. "This is completely insane."
"I know," Beth wheezed.
"We're naked! In a dream! With our brother!"
"I know!"
"And we just had a whole conversation about—about Dad's—"
"Don't say it!"
"I'm not saying it!"
"You were thinking it!"
"I'm always thinking it! That's the problem!"
Rick stood there, his sisters clutching at him, laughing like lunatics, and despite everything—despite the awkwardness and the weirdness and the fact that he could feel their bare skin against his—he found himself smiling.
"Okay," he said. "Okay. This is definitely weird."
"Definitely," Mandy agreed.
"Absolutely," Beth added.
"We should probably wake up now."
"Probably."
"Before anything else happens."
"Probably."
They stood there for a moment longer, three naked siblings in a dreamscape, laughing at the absurdity of it all.
Then Mandy felt something tug at her consciousness—a gentle pull, like a rope attached to her spine.
"Someone's waking me up," she said. "Jan, probably. She was going to come back and check on me."
"Same," Beth said. "Marty's probably wondering where I am."
"Me too," Rick said. "Stacy's an early riser."
They looked at each other.
"See you on the other side," Mandy said.
"See you."
"Don't tell anyone about this."
"Tell them what? That we had a naked astral family meeting?"
"I hate you."
"Love you too."
Mandy closed her eyes.
The dreamscape dissolved around her, fading into warmth and dark and the soft weight of blankets.
When she opened her eyes again, she was back in her childhood bed, Calista curled against her side, Jan sitting on the edge of the mattress with her hand on Mandy's forehead.
"Welcome back," Jan said.
"How long was I out?"
"Maybe an hour. You were projecting."
"I know."
Jan's eyebrows rose.
"You know?"
"Long story." Mandy sat up, and her head felt clearer than it had in days. "I need to talk to Rick and Beth."
"Right now?"
"Soon. We have a plan."
"A plan?"
"To find Shiv. But first—" Mandy looked around the room. "I need breakfast."
Jan laughed.
"That's my girl."
Downstairs, the house was starting to stir. The smell of coffee, the sound of voices.
But Beth was still in Miami, and Rick was probably in bed with Stacy, and none of them were alone.
But they were connected.
And for the first time in days, Mandy felt like everything was going to work out.