Kristin's voice trailed off into the foggy recesses of my mind as I woke up. My mind was slow to clear though, and I couldn't understand the meaning of Kristin's words in my head…

And then I noticed that I wasn't in my own bed. Hell, I wasn't even in my own apartment anymore. My throat was still a little sore and that's when I remembered being choked the night before. Wait… Night? Or day? I couldn't tell exactly how long I'd been out but my body instinctively told me that a good amount of time had passed since I'd last been conscious… Probably midday or early afternoon. I mentally checked myself to see if I was okay otherwise and to my knowledge, I was… If only I wasn't restrained to the wall behind me.

"My life just keeps getting better and better," I whispered to myself, pulling on the wrist restraints that shackled me to the wall, knowing before I'd even tried that it'd get me nowhere. Sighing, I leaned my head back to wait. God knows that was all I could do right then. My stomach complained and I remembered that I hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day… And that had actually been just a bag of chips. Yeah, healthy, I know, but I'd planned on things being so different…

"Planning doesn't seem to get you very far these days though, does it Ryan?" A male voice asked sarcastically.

"Who's there?" I tried to place the voice somewhere in the darkness of the room and surprisingly found it a bit difficult. Not only could I not figure out where he was but also who it was. The voice was so familiar…

"The question is how are you planning on getting out?"

"Huh?"

"Have you not figured anything out in the minute you've been awake?"

Immediately, I got on the defensive, not liking nor trusting the voice that seemed to mock me.

"Apparently not," I heard him scoff. "In that case, I'll just leave you alone then."

"No, don't leave! Wait! Tell me why I'm here!" But I felt the presence leave anyway, as I knew it would have.

Again, I sighed to myself. "Okay Kristin. What just happened here? Why did he have to act like that to me?" I gave a bitter laugh. "It seems like the whole world is laughing at me these days…" I let my head hang down. "Oh, who am I kidding? I'll never be good at this. How can I ever live up to everyone's expectations? Everything's so hard… And Kristin would have known what to do. She was always like that, planning ahead for so many possibilities, knowing what to do with every situation… She's been gone for a while now and still, when I hear people speak her name, there's always the ring of wonder and pride in their voices. They all looked up to her. She was so great…" I didn't know what to think anymore. It was hard enough living in Kristin's shadows while trying to walk in her footsteps. I didn't want to hate her for what was happening, this comparing between the two of us. I always wanted to love her for the person she'd been to me, but lately?

It hadn't surprised me when I'd first learned of the name she'd built for herself; she'd always striven to be the best she could be. It was in her nature to push herself to the limit and beyond. Yet she always knew when to stop just before breaking. Well, maybe not always. Sometimes her friends would have to knock some sense into her. Sometimes, they'd have to do so literally. But then again, she also knew to trust her friends. She took care of them, they took care of her.

"But who's taking care of them now?" I whispered angrily into the dark confines of the room. I growled at myself. "Idiot. Here you are wallowing in self-pity and bitterness while her friends and your people are out there doing who knows what." An image of the same guy who'd mutilated Kris's body came into view… And he was after the rest of the Council. Although gut feelings told me that I was just imagining things, thinking of the worst-case scenario, I couldn't free myself from the idea. I knew I needed to get out somehow if only to reassure myself that that nightmare was untrue.

Before I even knew what was happening, I felt my body change. My form expanded and became surprisingly less cumbersome. I became lighter than air… A light mist with a mind of it's own.

Somehow, I found the door and passed through the cracks until I was outside. Already, I felt a difference. I could tell there were harsh lights above me, even without seeing them. I drifted close to the ground, hugging walls and turning corners, trying to make find a way out, letting my instincts tell me where I needed to go. It was eerily quiet, and I didn't feel the presence of any others around me… Until I finally found my exit.

He was there, I knew it. The one who'd mocked me earlier in the darkness. The vibes I was getting from him just oozed with the same sarcastic feeling I got from earlier. He'd been waiting for me and he knew I was there now. So I let myself transform back into human form and really "saw" him for the first time.

The man was tall; he had a few inches on me. But that's all I could tell. Black covered his body, from his feet and hands to his head; he wore something that resembled a fencing mask. He was the only thing that blocked me from the outside world. The life I knew and wanted was calling to me, urging me onward. Again, I felt my form change, and this time, it was to a being of sheer strength. Five-hundred pounds of solid muscle rippled as I padded silently closer to the man in front of me. I issued a threatening growl, letting the fur on the back of my neck stand up and whipping my tail back and forth in warning. The man didn't move. I bared my teeth, crouching low to the ground, slowly inching my way forward.

And then there was a flurry of movement as the man raced forward to meet me. In a flash, my tiger body was up and fighting, barely feeling anything as the man tried to slice into my semi-thick hide with a couple of daggers I only noticed now. However, all I saw was an obstacle preventing me from gaining my freedom. I attacked, being mindful to keep my claws sheathed. I didn't want to hurt the guy; after all, this was just a human. So I butted him around, swatting him with my powerful forefeet until he was behind me. Then I retreated, forcing myself to crash through the door and out into the sunshine.

Even as my eyes adjusted, I heard a loud crack come from one side of me and I twisted my large head around, seeing another cloaked figure some distance away, pointing a gun toward me. A sting in my shoulder let me know I was hit. I changed back into human form and before the being could fire another shot, I created a small dust storm in front of her to distract the person. As soon as I did that, I'd transported myself out of there, back to my apartment.

I opened my eyes and found myself standing next to my bed. One glance at the clock confirmed my suspicions. It was only 3:15 in the afternoon. I glanced over at the mirror and grimaced. My clothes were torn here and there to reveal wounds that I hadn't even known I'd gotten till then. Sighing, I set to the task of Healing myself, concentrating as I watched a faint, whitish glow move with my hands as I covered my wounds. Warmth flowed to the cuts and scrapes, telling me that blood flowed quickly, speeding up the healing process. Some fifteen minutes later, I saw that I was fine. I smirked. "Yeah, if only you could sleep and dream the world away for a few hours though. Oh well. As long as I'm physically well, I can get sleep some other time."

I forced myself to walk to the closet and draw out a new set of clothing. With one last look in the mirror to make sure I was perfectly fine, I stepped out into my living room and froze.

Two individuals sat on my couch and two more stood nearby. I nodded to Veronica and Daniel from where they sat on the couch, but kept my eyes on the two still standing. "Good job, Quinn."

One figure removed their mask and Isaac gave a slight bow. "You've proven that you have the telekinetic ability as well as the abilities to transform yourself, to teleport, and to heal."

I turned my attention to the last figure. I wondered where Holly was. This person couldn't have been her. This person was tall. I watched as the figure slowly removed the mask it wore. "But there's one more thing," this person said, still with mask slightly on. The voice was definitely male… The same voice that had mocked me in the room… The mask came off, revealing a blond head. It was Daniel.

My eyes narrowed. The other Daniel from the couch stood up and stood next to the… What? Clone? Twin? As far as I knew, Daniel didn't have any brothers or sisters, much less a twin. Two pairs of cool, blue eyes stared at me, waiting for me to do something. So I yelled out in frustration, "What the hell!?" I knew it was out of character for me but after all I'd been through in less than a day, I was just tired of it all.

The two Daniel's smirked. "What do you think?" Two voices said it in exactly the same tone, in exactly the same way…

"Come on Quinn. You're almost there. Just choose. Which one's the real Daniel?" Veronica's eyes looked to me, pleading me to choose the right one. Isaac stood back, his eyes hooded, betraying nothing. As if I really would find the answers in those two…

I took in a breath and looked at the two mirror images again, still slightly shaken by the striking resemblance. Asking them questions was no way to do it. If one could transform, the other was telekinetic. Hell, I'd shown that I could do that too, hadn't I? No, that wasn't the way to go. It was inside… I inwardly grimaced at the thought. What I was thinking took up a great deal of Energy. And besides, I'd been taught to never go inside a person's mind without their permission and here, there was no other option. Unless…

"Casta, I seek permission to enter your memory," I said turning to the man still standing to one side. I could tell he was surprised, but kept silent. He nodded and I gave him a small smile. What I wanted didn't take long for me to get, and once I'd left his mind, I thanked him again.

There it was. The memory of Juliet, a famed Casta, learning under Simon's watch. The eyes with which I'd looked through had been a Healer, one of Isaac's predecessors from a while ago…

"I don't have to go into them… Just see through them…" I hadn't even realized I'd spoken aloud until I registered the blank stares I got from my audience. I didn't bother trying to explain. "One is of Wind, the other of Earth." I looked to Veronica and I saw her as clear Water. In Isaac, I saw a white Fire, burning with the intensity of life… I turned to the two Daniel's… One made of rich, life-giving Earth. The other was clean Air that blew inside him, currents corresponding with emotions… Vaguely, I was aware of my arm pointing to the one made of Earth. "Holly," I heard my voice say somewhere in the distance. "Daniel," I pointed to the other.

A feeling of warmth encircled my wrists and my neck. Looking down into my hands, I saw Light… A pure, white light, contrasting to the dull, golden light being emitted from my wrists. Just as I was growing used to the comforting feeling of being filled with such peace, I felt a strong mind shatter that tranquility in me and sweep my own mind up in it's grasp.

"Ryan?"

Faintly, I heard four voices call to me, but I was too far-gone. I could tell they were worried about me but there was no way I could communicate with them.

Yes, that was absolutely brilliant Quinn. Absolutely breathtaking to watch. The little boy is actually learning, a voice spoke in my mind.

"Who the hell are you?"

The sinister voice laughed. You'll know in good time. I can't wait to meet you face to face. As the voice laughed and faded out, I was granted a vision. I saw a rocky terrain my mind's eye where people fought another battle. Looking around me, I saw that the Lhaam were losing. All around me, my companions were either dead or dying. At one point, I saw Veronica's young body being gutted by a heartless warrior of the other side. A few feet away, Holly and Isaac were already dead, their eyes staring blankly into the waning light of sunset. Further yet, Daniel and I fought on, together, side by side. That was, until Daniel stumbled on a loose rock. Even as I watched myself try to help him up, I saw a blade rise up and go through me from behind. The last thing I saw was Daniel crying out and then being cut down by the same blade.

"NO!!" It couldn't happen! It can't happen! I struggled to save him, the last of the Council but someone was shaking me…

"Ryan!"

"No. Get away from me! I must help him. I must-" I sputtered as someone splashed some water onto my face. "Ahh! What the hell??" I opened my eyes and looked into four pairs of worried eyes. I stopped struggling and sank back onto the couch from where I was laying. "What happened?"

"You blanked out on us Ryan. You were seeing something," Isaac said, worry still evident in his voice.

"A battle," I managed to say, still trying to calm down my racing heart. The four exchanged glances. "What happened?"

I looked at them and opened my mouth, but when I tried to tell them that I saw them die, I just couldn't do it. I think the look in my eyes told them anyway though because they stayed silent.

Next Chapter
Back to the Dream Page