She had an oval face, with fair skin and sad gray eyes. Long dark curls hung loose over her shoulders with a few tendrils out of place, blown about by the wind. She just stared at me with a blank expression. I wanted to ask her “What am I doing here?” But no sound came from my lips.
She raised her arm, pointed to the forest, and ordered me to enter. I studied it quizzically before turning back to face her. Why on earth did she want me to go in there? I refused. That was my first mistake, I thought, as she brought the forest to me. I was consumed by fear as I felt myself drowning in fifty feet of high, dense trees. I started to suffocate as if an invisible force was pressing the air out of my lungs. The woman vanished from sight as the trees pulled me deeper into the forest. My last glimpse of her before she disappeared revealed a smile playing at the corners of her lips. Just as I felt the last breath leave my lungs, I woke up. My breath was coming fast as I tried to adjust to my surrounding. Luckily,Becky and Sammy were deep sleepers; I didn’t feel like explaining myself to them at that moment. Why the hell did I just dream that, and who was the woman? I kept asking myself that as I tried to catch my breath.
* * *
Monday morning, I found a note pushed under the door.
It was folded delicately but did not bring welcoming news. I had to go see the Viden at ten, the note explained in willowy silver script.
“The sooner the better,” Sammy consoled during breakfast.
We sat outside at a table. I needed the fresh air to calm my nerves.
“Good morning ladies,”Lucian greeted us. He possessed the jovial tone of a real morning person. Well, I guess he couldn’t be perfect.
“Hi, Lucian,” we said in unison.
“When did you get in?’ Becky flashed him her super smile.
“My dad was stuck yesterday with meetings and proclamations so he asked Emanuel to drop me off last night around ten. So, how was Elm?”
“Amazing,” Becky said in a singsong voice. “You must check out the new Samurai Three Thousand.”
His face broke out in a playful smile.
Becky’s eyes narrowed. “You already got it!”
“My dad bought it for me last week. It's really a wicked vest. You don't even feel like you're wearing it.”
“It's so unfair,” she said, sulking.
“Oh, Becky, I'm sure you got something out of this deal.” Lucian chuckled.
“Yeah, Sammy and I each got a nice top,” she said, perking up a bit.
“So, Elena, did you get everything you needed?” he asked. My heart made a couple of flips as I nodded.
“She's seeing the Viden today,” Becky whispered.
"Good luck,” Lucian said, “I was there this morning. She's not in a good mood, but it's a good day for foretellings.”
“What do you mean by that?” My heart started to beat faster.
He leaned forward. “Blake was in there before me, and both of us came away with something to think about.”
“You heard what she told my brother?” Sammy asked suddenly interested.
“No. It was written all over his face when he came out.”
“She won't, you know, turn into a dragon or something?” I said timidly, and they all burst into laughter. Well, Sammy and Becky did. Lucian just gave this sexy chuckle, making my temperature rise slightly.
“No, Elena, the Viden doesn't like her dragon form. They lose their humanity the longer they're in their true form. She’s usually in a good mood. I've no idea what went wrong this morning.” He shrugged, at a loss for what to say to calm my obvious nerves.
When the first bell rang, we said goodbye and parted ways. “Lucian likes you, Elena,” Sammy whispered behind me.
My heart stopped. “What? No!” I stated, denying the possibility while butterflies danced around in my stomach.
“Want to bet,” Becky said, surprisingly and I just smiled. “Sammy's right Elena, he's never sat at our table so many times in a row.”
“Will the two of you knock it off?”I looked at Becky, lifting my eyebrows so she knew I meant it. I couldn’t see any trace of jealousy at the idea of Lucian and me. She really didn't like him like that?
Shaking off this new information, I walked quickly to my first period: Math. I had no idea where the class was, so Becky walked with me to the end of the hall. She told me what direction to take and ran off to her next class in the opposite direction. It was the first class we didn't have together, not to mention how much I hated Math. I was doomed.
“The name is Brian.” A younger version of George Clooney was suddenly walking beside me. His left hand awkwardly stretched out for a sideways shake. “Brian likes to go for long walks on the beach, watch movies, talk till the sun comes up, oh, and has Brian mentioned he’s loaded, so he can make Elena's heart’s desire come true?”