Suddenly a ginger thoroughbred sped past, sides heaving and eyes rolling with exertion.  She caught a fleeting glimpse of a young man - a boy, really - clothed in brown and blue, and a much smaller figure in front of him.  Moments after they had gone, the wind of their passing churning the autumn leaves in fireworks of color, she heard cries of triumph; they were immediately followed by a group of knights on horseback.  She noted that the knights, clad in gleaming grey armor, bore on their chests a symbol that registered as a flash of black and blue.  They had to be knights from Vicolph.

As soon as they had disappeared from her sight she crept onto the path.  She closed her eyes and cupped her hands in front of her chest, and reached out with her mind to the winds gliding fluidly around her.  "Terspa hiroge e ska hiped, Skasroge," she whispered.  Lend wings to my feet, Skasroge.

The small sphere of wind energy her fingers were now curved around hovered just above her palms, warming the skin.  The swirling ribbons of purple and cool blue undulated and floated down to her sandal-shod feet, fashioning themselves into miniature feathery wings that sprouted from her heels.  She began sprinting down the path, nearly bounding like a gazelle.

After running for some time, she stopped abruptly and slowed down, peering from around a wide tree at the scene unfolding in the clearing before her.  She now recognized, from descriptions she’d heard, the long chestnut hair and vivid blue eyes of the young lone knight as belonging to Rokan Skasikori, one of the Prince of Falshad’s most loyal and most skilled soldiers - no mean feat considering his tender age of 17.

Nobody seemed to be the leader of the knights he faced; the girl supposed they were simply a group sent after Rokan and his companion to capture them.  The knights were obviously veterans, for they handled their assorted weapons with the ease that comes with long experience, and they also didn’t make any stupid melodramatic promises about how Rokan would be methodically tortured and killed.

Behind Rokan, cowering beside the foundering horse, was a slight young girl.  She was Veyome Damsed, daughter of the Prince of Falshad.  She was a pretty child; the hood of her cloak thrown back over her shoulders displayed her thick auburn hair and wide blue eyes the color of a summer sky.  Only 12 years old, her gaze, fixed upon Rokan and his opponents, revealed her trepidation, and she was trembling.  The child was a fledgling mage; the girl could sense that, but Veyome was too young and too unskilled in magic and too frightened to be of much use to Rokan. I will have to help.

Cupping her hands closely against her chest, she murmured almost soundlessly, "Dumensan kashpe."   Blinding sun.

Keeping her hands closed around the vibrant and trembling energy, she rushed forward into the clearing, taking all present completely by surprise.  Positioning herself squarely in front of Rokan, she cautioned him, “Cover your eyes!" and opened her hands in front of her.  Beneath the yells of pain of the Vicolph knights, she urged Rokan, “Take the Falshad princess and run!  Now!" as the clearing was flooded in brilliant white.

*              *              *

Raven Vance blinked rapidly several times, then sat up slowly.  She shook her head from side to side.  Saa...that dream again.  What the hell is it?  Is it trying to tell me something?

It must be, she thought as she lazily slid her legs out from under the warm thick covers, wincing at the feeling of the comparatively cold air through her thin flannel pajamas.  There’s no other reason for me to have the same damned dream for two entire weeks.  As she stood, she fought slight dizziness and crossed the room to her dresser.  “Too damn early," she mumbled.

Who the hell is Rokan?  And who the hell is Veyome?  All I know is that he’s a knight from Falshad and she’s that land’s princess.  Does that place even exist?  I’m pretty sure it doesn’t. 

She bit her lip as she pulled on her socks, brows furrowed.  And yet, those two seem so real to me now, as if I really do know them.  I guess I can officially be declared insane.  Somebody take me away, lock me up, and tie me down, I’ve gone crazy.  She shook her head hard.  They just seem like they’re people I really do know, people that are real.  As real as Mom or Dad or Danica.

"Guess I should tell Danica," she said aloud as the small of frying pancakes summoned her to breakfast.

*              *              *

The blonde girl pursed her lips thoughtfully.  “That dream again?"

“Well, yeah."   Raven shrugged.

Danica Scalen raised an eyebrow.  “This makes it the third time?"

"Actually, more like ten."

"What?!"   Danica leaned forward over the table to stare at her friend in disbelief.

Raven shrugged again.  “After the first couple of times I figured I’d just ignore it and then it would go away eventually, but I’ve had it every fucking night for the past week and a half."

Danica sat down again and frowned.  “Well, that’s something.  Having the same dream every night for ten, eleven days.  Same people, same events every time, right?"

“Yeah.  Rokan, Veyome, and the knights.  And the girl that I think is me; I mean, because it’s a dream, it feels like I’m watching it and in it at the same time, so I’m pretty damned sure she’s me.  In a funny way she looks a very little bit like me, anyway."

“Right, right."   Danica then grinned at Raven.  “Just out of curiosity, is this Rokan guy hot?"

“And you with a boyfriend.  You shameless hussy," Raven said dryly.  “To answer your question, I don’t really pay attention.  I’m too busy getting caught up in the rush of what’s happening."

“They must be vivid dreams.  It’ll be a little more difficult for me to interpret; those other dreams you had were really sort of simple.  The one where you were with Veyome, and then suddenly you lost her and you had to find her.  And the other one that was just like it, except that you were with Rokan instead.  Obviously, you need to find these two people, though I don’t know how."

“I don’t know either," Raven agreed.  “For one thing, they look like something straight out of some fantasy novel.  I mean, there was the clothing they wore - Veyome’s wearing a hooded cloak over a long, flowing dress, and Rokan’s wearing armor.  Who the hell wears anything like that around here?"

“The clothing’s not a huge problem, but the where is.  Where are they?  Do you have the slightest clue?"

Raven shook her head vigorously.  “It looks like a completely different country, and I’m pretty sure it’s not here on Earth.  Did I tell you the name?  It’s Falshad.  Where the fuck is that?"

“I don’t know."  Danica leaned forward again, but more deliberately this time, fixing her green-eyed stare on Raven’s face.  “These are your dreams we’re talking about.  Before we go to the trouble of finding out what they’re trying to say, tell me: do you really want to?"

Her dark-haired friend nodded slowly.  “Yes, I do."  She looked down at her hands as she fidgeted with her long slim fingers.  “I want to discover their meanings.  I want to find out about these people, their land, their problems.  I want to help them fix everything.  I need to help them, somehow, some way."  She looked up at Danica, eyes dark.  “This will sound weird to you, but it’s only because you’re not having the dreams.  If you were, you’d understand perfectly."

Danica queried curiously, “What is it?"

“They seem so real to me," Raven answered softly.  “It sounds stupid, but they’re real people to me now."  She hesitated, then continued.  “At first, I just dismissed them - I mean, they were people in a dream, who the hell cares about them, you know?  But then I started having the more complex dreams, with Rokan and Veyome facing the group of knights, and I dreamt it so many times, that I couldn’t help but get caught up in it with them.  If I saw either one of them right now here as a student I’d probably wave at them, go over and say hi to them and all.  It almost gets me down that I don’t see them every so often in the day, like they’re good friends."

“I see how important this is to you," Danica observed thoughtfully.  “I’ll do it.  I just wanted to make sure you wanted to do it."  She saw Raven’s eyes flit upward.  “What is it?"

A pair of arms encircled Danica’s shoulders, and a brown-haired boy kissed her cheek.  “Hey there.  What’s the big secret Raven had to share with you that took you away from lunch with me?"

Smiling, Danica answered, “None of your business, you silly boy."

“Yes it is," Raven said suddenly.

“What?  What do you mean?"

“I didn’t tell you," Raven replied slowly, “but you remember the dreams I had where I lost Veyome and then Rokan?  Well, I had another dream like those, except that the boy in it looked like Shazo.  He had similar hair and eyes, but he wore armor on his shoulders and chest, and there was a quiver of arrows on his back.  And he carried a bow.  His name was Laki."

Kiren Shazo stared at the two of them as if brilliant red geraniums had suddenly sprouted from their heads.  “What are you talking about?  What dreams?"  Before either of the girls could answer him he sighed.  “Is Raven having weird precognitive dreams again?"

“Yes, ‘weird precognitive dreams.'  But this time they’re very different from things like ‘who the hell is going to stalk me?’”

“Very funny, you two," Raven muttered.  “I don’t care to remember the time that boy obsessed over me, thank you very much."

“So you’re going to fault the guy for liking a pretty girl, Rave?"

Raven rolled her eyes.  “Eat it, Shazo.  And don’t call me that."

Kiren grinned and winked at her, then sat down beside Danica.  “So what are these dreams?"

Danica explained Raven’s dreams to him: searching for Veyome, searching for Rokan, and assisting the two against a group of knights.

Kiren looked thoughtful.  “And you had a dream where you were looking for a guy who looks like me?"

Raven nodded.  “But I only had that dream once.  Maybe that’s because I found the person who looks like him, which is you.  I think I’m supposed to find people that look like the people I’m dreaming about.  Because I still have dreams about looking for Veyome and Rokan."  She paused, then added, “Sometimes in my dreams, there’s a girl who looks like you, Danica.  Her name’s Javari.  But I don’t have to look for her; actually, she helps me look for Veyome and Rokan.  Sometimes Laki helps look too."

Danica raised an eyebrow.  “Interesting.  Care to give a few more details on the appearance of these people?  Veyome, Rokan, Laki, and Javari?"

“All right.  I’ll start with Laki and Javari, they’re easier.  Laki’s face looks like Shazo’s, and his hair’s the same color but it’s a little shorter.  He has a dark green tunic, brown pants, and green and brown boots.  He has brown armor on one shoulder and his chest, brown arm guards, and funny green gloves; I guess they’re special archery gloves or something.  He has a wooden bow and a quiver of steel-tipped arrows on his back."

"So my other self in your dreams is an archer boy."

“Once, I saw him shoot an arrow," Raven went on, ignoring the interruption.  “But he didn’t just shoot it."

“What do you mean?  If you shoot an arrow, you shoot an arrow, that’s all there is to it."

“Quiet," Danica chided.

Raven closed her eyes a moment, remembering.  “He nocked it to his bow and stared at it for a moment, and then this flame exploded out of nowhere on the tip."

“Like mages in fantasy books," Danica commented reflectively.  “Except he’s an archer too, so I guess he’s a mage-archer."

“Yes," Raven concurred.  “He shot it at some kind of animal and the thing went up in flames."

Danica eyed Kiren, one eyebrow arched.  “What?" he asked.

"You have a pretty strange other-self," was all she said.  “What about Javari, then?"

“She looks like you too - long straight blonde hair, green eyes.  She has a purple shirt and purple leggings on, and this short skirt split at the sides over that.  She has on reddish-brown armor all trimmed in gold, over her shoulders and chest and arms and knees, and there’s a little gold symbol on her chest armor.  She carries a sword.  And around her forehead is a white band with a little purple stone in the center."

“Okay...what about Veyome?"

Raven smiled a little.  “She’s such a cute kid."

“Oh, she’s lost it," Kiren mumbled.  “She thinks the people in her dreams are real - oof!"

Danica primly removed her elbow from his ribs.  “Keep quiet."

Raven shot her friend’s boyfriend a death glare, then continued.  “She has wavy red hair, and big blue eyes.  She wears a long grey hooded cloak over a long plain blue dress.  She looks about middle-school age.  She’s learning magic."

Danica nodded.  “Rokan?"

“He has chestnut-colored hair in a ponytail and blue eyes.  He has a tan jacket, a deep blue shirt, dark brown pants, and brown boots.  He carries a sword too."

“Hmm.  What about your person?"

“She has long black hair and brown eyes and pointed ears..."

Kiren couldn’t help cutting in again.  “Pointed ears?  You mean, like fairies or something?"

"Yes, I said pointed ears."

The brown-haired boy smothered laughter as he tried to imagine Raven with pointed ears; Danica sensed this and elbowed him again.

“She’s wearing a grey shirt with wide sleeves and grey pants.  Over that she has a sort of white dress split at the sides, and a tan belt and tan boots.  She has silver hair ties and strange purple gloves.  She looks starved or something; she’s very thin.  She uses magic."

“Hmm."  Danica glanced at Raven.  “What’s her name?"

“Seshovi."

“Hmm."  The blonde girl folded her arms, a look of concentration settling on her face, then jumped as the bell rang.  “Damn it!  Hang at the mall after school?"

“Sure," Raven answered as she stood.  “Thank god it’s Friday."

*              *              *

This dream again, Raven thought.  What is it trying to tell me?  It must be something very important.  Who is trying to tell me something?  She pondered this startling new issue.  Was her consciousness trying to give her a message?  Her attention was suddenly captured as the familiar moment where she/Seshovi thrust herself in front of Rokan occurred.  As before, the clearing was deluged with light, but the dream didn’t end there as usual.

“Take the Falshad princess and run!  Now!" Seshovi called over her shoulder.

Rokan pulled Veyome close and lifted her easily in his arms as she gave a little squeak.  He turned away, but then turned to face Seshovi again.  He hesitated, then managed to stammer out the question, “Who are you?"  His heart was pounding so hard he could see its movement beneath his shirt, and it was more than a simple rush of adrenaline that caused it to do so.  He almost felt as if something was calling to him, something in the strange girl.  And something inside him was answering.

“Never mind that!  Go!" Seshovi snapped with as much force as she could muster.  “She’s in danger!"

“Wha - oh!"  Rokan glanced at the princess, then ducked his head in a swift nod to Seshovi.  “Thank you very much!" he called as he headed into the thick cover of wild and profuse trees and vines and shrubs.

The high and sweet voice of the young princess floated back to Seshovi’s ears on the soft slight breeze, as gentle as the delicate scent of nocturnal flowers that was wafted with it.  “Thank you!"

Seshovi kept her hands out in front of her, blazing sunlight pouring from her palms.  As she did so, she began to weave another bit of magic.  "Terspa kan to skasem e dermon ekse, tendek-en hu Skasroge."  Lend me a wind to ride upon, servants of Skasroge.

The air about Seshovi shimmered faintly with shades of purple and grey, specks of light sparkling and dancing.  A trio of small creatures soon materialized, hovering in front of her face.  They had large, round heads, blunt featureless snouts, and round oval-shaped bodies that tapered into small curved tails.  They had small blunt claws.  From their backs sprouted feathery wings; each wing was longer than the length of their bodies from head to tail, which was about three-and-a-half to four inches.  Their eyes, very large and set in the sides of their heads, were oscillating rainbows of amethyst and a touch of azure, in brilliant contrast to the soft muted grey of their bodies.

The three skasro gazed solemnly at Seshovi.  She opened her mind, and their gentle thought-voices sounded in her head.  /You have asked for us, and we have come.  You wish for a wind to ride upon?/

/Yes,/ she answered.  She looked steadily into those huge orbs as they assessed her mind briefly, skimming her thoughts, with expressions in their eyes at once penetrating and inscrutable.

After about five seconds they gave her a response.  /We will grant your request./

/Thank you,/ she answered gratefully as the skasro circled round her head, positioning themselves at three different points.  Closing their wide eyes, they spread their wings full-length, each feather glowing faintly.  A rush of breeze surrounded Seshovi, teasing and tousling her hair.

As she began to rise above the ground, she left the globe of light that she’d been holding suspended in the air where it was, several feet above the earth; it would last another minute or so, sufficient time for her to leave the clearing and escape the grasp of the Vicolph knights.

/We managed to procure a bit of a northeast wind,/ the skasro infromed Seshovi.  /In this particular breeze the northern component will give you power to go far distances, and the eastern pliability for effortless control./

/Thank you!/ Seshovi called again as the skasro disappeared, bobbing their heads to her.  Bending her will upon the wind that now bore her, she turned to leave the grounds of the Falshad palace.

As she approached its boundaries, she could see that the sprawling streets of Falshad’s capital Camelyn, surrounding the palace grounds, was in complete chaos.  Fires ravaged countless buildings and cast a peculiar radiance.  Soldiers - all bearing the emblem of Vicolph’s army - attacked indiscriminately and at will, torturing and raping and murdering, whether warrior or civilian, man or woman, adult or child.

Seshovi turned her face away, closing her eyes hard on the tears forming.  I can’t help them; I’m too weak.  Even now as the wind carried her effortlessly along, cradling her slender and rather lanky frame, she could feel exhaustion bit by bit overcoming her, creeping through her veins.

Glancing downward again, she observed a wide, worn, dusty path, the road that went into Camelyn.  She knew her traveling companions were camped out in wagons not far from the city’s walls.  She gently prodded the wind round her with a mental finger, directing it to descend.  Somewhere on the way down, however, she suddenly began slipping into unconsciousness.

As Seshovi lost her grasp on awareness, she lost control of the wind spell.  She fell a brief distance, felt a jolt of pain lance through her entire body from impact, and then her blurred surroundings blinked into blackness.

*              *              *

Raven sat up abruptly in bed.  Raking her thick, deep brown hair back with her hands, she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths.  That...that was intense.  Very, very intense.  Moving slowly and deliberately, she left the soft warmth of her bed.  My head is absolutely killing me.  Like I banged my head on something.  Hard.

She froze where she was.  Wait, the dream...I fell and hit my head on a rock or something, and then I blacked out.  What the fuck, it really feels like it happened, even though it was just a dream.  She snorted.  Just a dream.  Sure as hell doesn’t feel like it.  She rubbed her head, frowning in pain as she opened a dresser drawer.

Raven sighed.  Damn, this hurts.  Gritting her teeth as she fought minor dizziness, she pulled on worn dark jeans.  She’d promised Danica she’d attend her concert in the late afternoon, and she felt that if she didn’t wake up completely now, she’d go to bed for the rest of the day.  Reaching into her drawer, she pulled out a plain shirt.

Heh, she thought, smiling grimly.  Black.  How appropriate.  I feel like fucking shit.

She shuffled downstairs in fuzzy, well-wron slippers.  Neither of her parents were up yet, and her younger siblings certainly couldn’t be expected to cook.  “Guess I’m starting breakfast," she spoke aloud to the silent kitchen.  “But it’s okay.  I can do it."  Rummaging in the freezer, she pulled out a package of bagels and a package of bacon.  “Bagels, bacon, and eggs.  Nice and simple."  Taking a frying pan out of a cabinet, she set it on the stove’s front left burner and turned the dial.  She opened the window halfway, then stretched lazily, reveling in the cool breeze that drifted in.  “Too bad if they want anything fancier than that.  I’m not up to it this morning."

As she ripped open the plastic packaging of the bacon, she began to whistle, the pure bursts of song mingling with the calls of birds outside.

*              *              *

Biting her lip, Danica smoothed down her hair.  She self-consciously straightened her gleaming blue shirt, then began idly toying with the buttons.  “Why is it that no matter how many concerts I’ve already been in, I always get at least a little nervous?  Raven had better be coming," she muttered darkly to herself.

“Hi, Danica," said a bright voice.

Danica turned and smiled at the cheerful freshman.  “Hey, Skye.  Nervous?"

Skye Calmark tossed her head, shaking her bangs out of her wide eyes, and giggled a bit.  “Yes, of course I am!  It’s my first high school choir concert, you know.  I’m very, very nervous.  And that’s an understatement."

“Not only that, but there’s going to be a certain someone in the audience too.  After all, his sister’s in choir..."  Danica trailed off and winked.

Skye’s cheeks reddened rather considerably.  “It’s not like he’d notice me," she protested.  “He’s only coming to watch Jana, and besides, he’s a year older!"

“It’s true that he’s coming to see Jana sing, but he just may notice you and fall for you.  You’re a cute kid."  Danica laughed at Skye’s obvious discomfort.  “Even if he doesn’t notice you, you might meet him afterward - Jana could introduce you, since you’re her friend and he’s her brother.  Who knows, maybe Jana would like for you two to get together."

"Maybe, and maybe not, but - but he’s a sophomore!"

“And that means what?  You think that automatically means he wouldn’t go for a freshman no matter what?  Well, let me tell you something: there are a good number of sophomores who would go out with freshmen.  Not only that, but Kiren’s a year older than me, and we started going out two years ago, when I entered high school."  Danica smiled warmly and patted Skye on the shoulder in a reassuring gesture.  “But hey, worry later.  Right now we’ve got a concert to sing in."

Skye nodded.  “Fun, now I can be nervous over that."

*              *              *

Kiren sauntered into the auditorium.  He glanced at his watch.  I’m good, I’m good.  Twenty minutes to just chill.  He looked round and spotted a familiar dark brown head.  Walking forward, he tapped her on the back of th head.  “Hey, Raven."

Her head snapped upwards.  “Hey, Shazo."

“What are you sitting so far back for?"

She sighed, leaned forward, and put her elbow on the cushioned armrest, propping up her chin.  “Don’t want people to think I’m sleeping."

Kiren’s brow furrowed in concern.  “What do you mean?  Are you all right?"

Raven waved her hand dismissively.  “Saa...just got this damn headache.  Need to close my eyes.  ’S fine."

“Then who the hell cares if people think you’re sleeping?" Kiren argued.  “Come sit up front with me.  I know you’re awake, Danica knows you’re awake, that’s all that matters.  Besides, sleeping people don’t applaud."

“I guess so," Raven agreed, and carefully she stood.  “Let’s go."

Kiren grinned and clapped a hand to her shoulder.  “All right, cool."  Raven was thankful that he didn’t see her stumble ever so slightly.  As they made their way down the aisle past rows and rows of burgundy seats, Kiren hailed a friend.  “Yo!  Rakesh!"

The young man so named turned, then stood.  “Hey, Shazo!"  He grinned as he impatiently pushed russet hair out of laughing cerulean eyes.  “What’s up?  Come sit down in front of us."

“Glad to," Kiren said.  He turned to Raven.  “Come on, Raven.  Those are just a few friends of mine."

She shrugged, too tired and indifferent to even make a mildly cutting remark about the type of people he liked to hang out with.  “Whatever."  I need more sleep.

Rakesh Aivel slapped Kiren on the back as Kiren and Raven entered the row in front of his.  “Who’s the cutie with you?  Have you broken up with Danica?" he teased.  “Or are you being unfaithful to your devoted girlfriend?  Bad, bad, Kiren, very bad."

“But it’s understandable," Yash Ilanen remarked, eyes flitting over Raven with an approving look.

Kiren chuckled.  “Oh, shut up, you guys.  Who are you here for?"

“My kid cousin," Rakesh supplied.  “Know her?  Her name’s Skye."

As Raven sat down, she swiveled her head to catch a curious glimpse of Kiren's friends.  She had only seen their faces for a moment when a blinding pain detonated throughout her skull, echoes of agony reverberating, and she practically collapsed into her seat, gripping her head and face.  She managed to bite her lip; no more sound then hisses of air escaped her.  What the fuck is this oh damn oh damn what the fuck is it why’s my head hurting like this oh fuck -   She rocked forward and doubled over.

The thing that Kiren found most frightening, as he looked away from Rakesh to behold Raven in the grip of what looked like a spasm, was that she made no sound.  She was hunched over, hair a dark curtain concealing her face, with her knees drawn up, hands clutching at her head so tightly the bones in them stood forth.  “Raven!" he hissed.  “Raven, what’s wrong, damn it!"

“What’s wrong with the chick?" whispered Yash from his seat beside Rakesh.  Rakesh shrugged helplessly.

Raven felt an arm around her shoulders, steadying her.  She didn’t dare speak or even open her mouth for fear she’d start screaming or something like, the agony was so great.  Kiren tightened his hold, murmuring softly, trying to help her through her obvious pain.  “Raven, Raven, it’ll be all right."

She didn’t answer and it didn’t seem that she would.  Kiren forced her to sit up, then stifled a curse as he saw the trickle of scarlet down her chin.  Trembling, Raven sank back against the cushion, feeling as if everything in her, bone and muscle and all, had gone liquid.  She winced as she opened her mouth slightly, removing her teeth from her lower lip.

Well, I didn’t make a sound anyway, she thought wryly.  My head...

“What kind of headache is that? Kiren demanded, his voice low and sharp.  “You should be home!"

She gave him a shaky half-smile.  “Shazo, I’m fine, I’m fine, really I am."

“The hell you are!" he hissed.

Raven pushed him back into his seat hard.  “Quiet, it’s starting."

“You should go - "

As the choir director began talking, enthusing about how wonderful the chorus was and what a treat the audience was in for, Raven leveled a piercing glare at her friend and spoke in a tone quiet but so cold it should have coated everything in the auditorium with a layer of frost.  “Kiren."

Kiren glowered back at her, then muttered, “Fine.  Be that way.  But I’m holding your hand.  If you feel that convulsion or whatever coming again, squeeze my hand and we’ll leave the auditorium."

The corner of Raven’s mouth quivered in what might have been a growing smile, but she quickly suppressed it.  “All right," she whispered in reply.  She leaned back against her chair and closed her eyes, allowing herself to be lost in the harmony of the piano’s opening chords.

As she submerged herself in the music of youthful voices rising above instrumental lines, she didn’t realize that while the concert went on, Rakesh’s eyes were lingering over her longer and longer, their cobalt gaze dark with an inscrutable expression.

*              *              *

“Hey, Danica, great job!"  Kiren grabbed her wrist and pulled her close for an affectionate embrace.

She kissed his cheek.  “Thanks."  Her mouth opened in surprise as he put in her hand a bouquet.  “Kiren!  I always tell you don’t need to go the trouble of doing this."

“And as always, my answer is that it’s nothing."

Rakesh playfully mussed up Skye’s hair.  “Nice job, cousin.  Really heard you, loud and clear."  She stuck her tongue out at him in answer.

A girl with thick, shiny black hair in a braid and warm brown eyes ran to Skye’s side.  “Hey, Skye!  Do you want to meet him?"

“What - what - what?" Skye said quite cleverly, flustered by Jana’s abruptness.

Jana shot her a sly glance.  “Oh, you know."

“What - wait - wait, you can’t do this to me!" Skye protested as her friend pulled her by the arm.

“Danica!" Jana called.  “I’m introducing her to him."

“Oh?" the blonde junior said, turning.  “Here’s something I have to see.  You can come too, Raven.  This is Jana, and this is Skye."

“Hi, Raven," they chorused.&

As Skye’s eyes briefly locked with her own, Raven experienced a very strange sensation.  She had a rather disconcerting feeling that winds - no, that was too mild a word - that gales were dashing through her limbs and body, tearing through her bloodstream, and somehow lifting her out of herself, if that made sense.  As if they were lifting her, freeing her, from the constraints of her body, to limitless freedom...

She blinked, then nodded.  “Hey."

As Jana led them to her brother, Kiren and his friends trailing behind, Raven fell back just behind Danica, yet again clashing with vertigo.  Not again...

Quickly, she caught up.  Jana was laughing up at a tall boy.  His hair was black and spiked, and his eyes, rather than being warm and open like his sister’s, were unfathomable, a depth of mysteries.

“Oh, you looked so bored, Jon," Jana was saying.

He gave her a brief, gentle smile.  “On the contrary, Jana, I enjoyed it.  It was wonderful."

The smile disappeared as he turned and let his gaze sweep over the three girls his sister had brought with her.  When his eyes met Raven’s, she felt a current running through herself, something that felt at once like wildfire raging and like raw ocean waters rushing through her veins.  The oddly exhilarating sensation lasted only a moment; when she blinked and came to, Jana was making introductions.

“This is my brother, Jonathan, or just Jon.  Jon, this is Danica.  She’s a junior and she’s really cool."

Danica smiled, amused.  “Nice to meet you."

"This is her friend, ah, Raven.  A sophomore."

Raven nodded.  He looks like the boy that showed up in my dreams last night.  The latest newcomer to her dreams, a swordfighter named Denan, was serious and intense far beyond the usual for an 18-year-old.  It seemed that Jon was exactly the same, at least in personality - they didn’t look terribly alike, at least she thought.  She looked up from the speckled linoleum floor as Jana introduced her redheaded friend.

"And this is Skye, my best friend," Jana announced, a hint of a grin on her face.

Skye bobbed her head quickly, embarrassment coloring her cheeks nearly the same color as her hair.  “Uh, it’s very nice to meet you."

Jon’s eyes widened for just an instant.  “Hello," he said to her, his voice very low and soft.

As the two began a conversation, unknowingly to the extreme entertainment of their friends, Raven thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head.  Skye looked exactly like Veyome, the princess of Falshad.  I swear, she thought, anything more like this and I’ll freak.

“Raven!" Kiren called above the chatter of the crowd.

She whirled and made her way through the crush of people to stand in front of him.  “What?"

“Well, I didn’t exactly introduce you to my friends before.  This guy here is Yash Ilanen.  Senior."

Yash, long-haired and brown-eyed and strikingly handsome, winked.  “Hey, sweetheart."

Raven raised an eyebrow, but said simply and coolly, “Hello."  Her eyes widened momentarily as she felt white-hot bolts of something like what lightning might feel like if it were tangible, storming uncontrolled and feral through her limbs.  For a moment, she thought she could see Yash’s figure lit by a pale golden light.

Kiren not so subtly kicked his friend in the ankle and ignored the consequent cry of pain.  Gesturing to a slender, sullen-looking boy with metallic blue hair who had dark clothing on and several piercings in his ears, he said, “This is Enmed Thel.  Junior.  Goes to Brown Sugar."

Enmed nodded.  “Hey."

“Hi."  She relaxed slightly as she felt something like water, cool and flowing and soothing, spill through her veins as naturally as the blood that flowed there.  She then closed her eyes for just a moment, bowing her head as the pain slowly increased.  God, I need to get home, eat some dinner, and then pass out for about ten hours.

The third boy stepped forward, clearing his throat.  “I’m Rakesh Aivel.  A junior."

Raven brought her head up and looked him full in the face for a moment.  “He- "  She cut herself off as tormenting pain stabbed through her head again, then tried again.  “Nice to - "

The pain persisted and exploded in her head, over and over and over, as she fell, hands pressed to her temples.  She didn’t see Kiren and Danica’s expressions of alarm, didn’t hear them call her name in surprise.  As she dropped, seemingly in only a matter of seconds and yet also for hours, her last thought was, Oh fuck -

She never felt herself being caught in strong arms inches from hitting the floor.

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