That night, Elizabeth tossed and turned in her bed as she once again suffered strange dreams of a far off fantasy world, something she hadn’t experienced in many years. Since Leon’s arrival at their school, the dreams had returned fairly frequently, and she often found herself reliving dreams of him from her childhood.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuuBVC41QpN
This night, however, was a new dream. She had never visited this location in her dreams before, and for once Leon didn’t feel familiar in her dream. Never-the-less, she became lost in the dream world and found herself not wanting to wake up.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADLLhubb9t
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When she opened her eyes Elizabeth did so to the sun. The feel of the cool dirt and soft grass was vastly different from the hard concrete she had imagined she’d fallen on. Despite that, her body still hurt and the best she could do was shield her eyes from the bright sun beams filtering through the leaves in the forest canopy above her.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0bmCHUkW0
With a groan she rolled on her side, surveying her surroundings. This wasn’t her home. The sky was different, and the air felt off. It felt like mist in a foggy morning, yet there wasn’t any moisture to be seen. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHxKzseDa8
Taking care not to get her outfit any dirtier than it was, she got up, taking a moment to straighten her clothes and pick any debris off. Walking forward, she fussed with her hair in an attempt to prevent knots from forming. She walked like she had a destination, though she hadn’t been here before. Yet it was odd. She felt like she had. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETIcYIph4d
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As she walked the chill in the air was getting stronger, and the forest was giving way to a clearing. In the clearing there was a series of blue and white crystal. They were huge, and jutted out in a circle around the ruins of some kind of platform. Another crystal had pierced its middle and within it was a small blade with runes etched into the metal. As she got closer, she could feel that the crystal was emanating the cold. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVQZ7T4p9k
Suddenly a headache made her stop. She grimaced as an episode gripped her, and images flashed in her mind. A woman, here at this location. A group of priests. Some kind of ritual, and then pain. Stumbling a little, she had to rest against the nearest crystal, and realized for the first time that it wasn’t crystal at all, it was ice. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKarOrL10s
The moment her hand touched this strange ice, the pain stopped and she lost the visions. But the message had been clear. Some kind of ritual had taken place here. Shaking her head a moment, she started to move closer to the ice when a voice called out to her. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDUJcMODx3
“What are you doing here?” the voice asked gruffly. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy52yhwLF5H
She couldn’t see its source and withdrew from the ice. She looked around frantically, when she noticed movement of branches at the perimeter, and then saw a silhouette drop to the ground. It stood up, and for a moment her headaches returned, with faded images, before retreating into her head.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexMEGwFOyg
“You aren’t allowed here.” A male voice said. It was a deep voice, but the tone was dark enough that he didn’t sound light. “This is a sacred place.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVykCFcQsJJ
“Sacred?” she asked. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYI8nD5MGU0
“Yes,” he said as he stepped into the light. For the first time she could see that he had impossibly blue eyes beneath his midnight bangs. “It’s a grave that shouldn’t be disturbed.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pDDG1gYYi
She withdrew a little. An icy grave? She didn’t understand. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfnEpgn1hT
“Of course, anyone from here would know this.” He stopped close to her. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUMGVtvrzW
He was a little taller than she was, with soft lines in his face, but a dark expression. His skin was also lighter, as though he didn’t get in the sun much. His hair was straight and framed his face well. Although he only looked in his early twenties, something seemed primeval about him. It frightened her a little.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaMwN80AAd
“I’m sorry,” she apologized, “I didn’t mean anything.” She absently played with one of her colored hair extensions out of nervousness. “I didn’t know.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0HBxJUqdJ
He looked at her with a questioning look. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuY6CUiDlKP
“How could you not know?” He frowned. “Who are you?”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsNzshGIVI
Elizabeth jerked up in bed, looking wildly around the room. Next to her was the same boy, his piercing blue eyes meeting her gaze. Elizabeth sighed heavily.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrd7LqUZVS1
“Why do I always dream of you?” she hissed to herself.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaoTK40HRDI
“So you remember?” Leon’s voice snapped her to attention and Elizabeth realized in that moment she was truly awake. She remembered suddenly about Holly’s end-of-term party, and noticed her surroundings were that of Holly’s family’s spare bedroom. Leon sat in a plush chair beside her bed, eerily watching her intently. She gasped as she realized: he knew about her dreams!797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnDwToE0YT
“Who the hell are you?” Elizabeth hissed, pulling the blankets tighter to her chest as though she could hide or protect herself.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNB0LbU2OHa
“Leon Pentagast,” he replied matter-of-factly.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkmWntFh2d
“You know what I mean,” Elizabeth accused. “How do you know about my dreams, what do you mean I remembered?” Her tone was hushed but aggressive, something she rarely experienced.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuDvTBtVQ9
“You remember me from your dreams?” he asked innocently enough. Elizabeth merely nodded and Leon’s expression turned to a smirk, his eyes reflecting his smile in them.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XJLe4KStt
“Tell me what’s going on?” Elizabeth demanded, raising her voice. Leon shushed her.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOetzhvFM3H
“Allow me to explain,” he offered. “What you dream of is called The Other Realm. Your dreams are memories trying to return to you.” His words only served to confuse her more.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gvEIlgvQG
“I don’t understand,” Elizabeth was becoming frustrated.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AjtRoOYzE
“You were born originally in The Other Realm. We once knew each other, in a past life,” he tried to explain, but his words sounded like insanity to her ears. “When you died,” his expression became choked and his voice hoarse, “you were reborn into this world, where you would be safe.” Elizabeth met his pained expression and felt something tugging at her heart strings — like a memory that was just out of her reach.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCzy24vfOk
“Prove it,” she dared. She had been told her entire life that she was crazy and her dreams meant nothing, yet now a newcomer had come into her fold and was trying to convince her that they had lied to her her entire life — that she wasn’t crazy, and that something impossible had happened. Leon gave her a prolonged and odd expression for a long time, as though he were trying to decide his next words or course of action. “You can’t prove it, can you?” Elizabeth accused. “You’re just as nuts as I am — even more so!” She began to get up and grab her clothes. She wanted to get out of there and away from the strangely familiar boy as soon as she could. As she rose to her feet, Leon mirrored her movements and stood between her and the doorway.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5SlbhMtjU
“You must believe me,” he practically begged, but Elizabeth just flashed him a dangerous look.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZm0HyIHta
“You’re insane. Get out of my way!” she was nearly screaming at him. In the moment, Leon made a snap decision in order to both convince and silence her. He closed the distance between them in a single, confident stride. Elizabeth tried to shy back, but he moved too quickly. In an instant, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her tight against his body. She could feel the strength in his arms, the muscles under his clothes working to hold her still, and she could smell the scent of lavender on him — beautiful and pleasant, natural as the wild himself.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yH55dSjQl
“What the hell—” Elizabeth’s protest was cut off as he suddenly pressed his lips firmly to hers. She inhaled sharply as she felt the soft curve of his lips against hers, soft and alluring, drawing her further in. Her protests weakened as she melted into the embrace. As her resistance ended, her mind suddenly exploded.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQk3gJw3Eh7
