Several feet away from him stood a young girl �Ehis age, really.  She was dressed in flowing, layered robes in shades of soft purple-grey, the color almost blending in with the surrounding fog, but not quite.  The sleeves were wide, the train seemingly endless.  She wore elaborate silver jewelry and hair ornamentation 

Interestingly enough, her ears were pointed.  Her eyes, wide and very dark, arrested his attention fully.

Without warning, the ground beneath them split and cracked, separating rapidly.  The girl fell, having lost her balance; Rokan fell to his knees.  After several moments, when the earth had stopped trembling, he looked up. 

The girl was sitting up and gazing at him, her expression painfully, indescribably sad.  The despair in her face tore Rokan to his heart.  She mouthed a single word; her voice, soft as a breath but imbued with a tenderness that assuaged the agony he suffered, was carried to him on a slight breeze.  “Rokan.�Elt;/span>

Kneeling at the edge of the newly-born crevice, Rokan fruitlessly stretched a hand out.  “Wait!�Elt;/span>

Without warning, she was whisked away from him, speeding over the ground and disappearing from sight.

*              *              *

Raven shook her ponytail back over her shoulder and put her head in her hands.  “Ja�Eno, I mean, Danica.�Elt;/span>

Danica, looking startled asked, “What?  What did you call me?�Elt;/span>

“Oh, gods, I almost called you by �Eby your other self’s name or whatever.  Danica, what do I do?�ERaven whispered.  “I swear I’m going to go mad.  I really am.  It feels like I’ve been having these crazy dreams forever and I’m getting so caught up in them.  What do I do?  I’m living in two worlds at the same time: this reality, at least I’m pretty sure it’s reality; and my dreams.  And the line between them is starting to blur.  I mean it.  Sometimes I wake up and think, ‘Where the hell am I?�Eamp;nbsp; Because for just a moment, I really think that I’m in that other world.�Elt;/span>

“I don’t know.  I really don’t know,�EDanica answered, shaking her head in distress; Kiren wrapped a comforting arm about her shoulders.  “I’m trying hard to figure out what these dreams are saying, but it’s really difficult.  They’re definitely not your conventional dreams.  I’ve consulted all the decent books I could find.  I found nothing, of course.  The searching dreams were obvious, but these dreams where terrible things are happening and you’re fighting, I don’t know.�Elt;/span>

“The searching dreams have started again,�ERaven informed them in a low voice.

Danica swore beneath her breath.  “I thought those were over and done with!�Elt;/span>

“Apparently, there are other people I need to find.�Elt;/span>

“Oh, what the hell,�EKiren said, disgusted.  “This is all insane.  And why haven’t we told the others anyway?  Rakesh and Skye and Jon?�Elt;/span>

“Because if we do, they’ll think we’re completely insane and need to be committed,�EDanica explained.  “Besides, I still haven’t figured out what the message the dreams are giving us, so there wouldn’t be much of a point in telling them.  What are we supposed to say, Raven’s having these dreams with people that look like you in them, but we’re not quite sure what they’re saying?�Elt;/span>

“What if they’re utterly random dreams?�EKiren asked.

Danica shook her head.  “Possible, but not likely.  The persistance of these dreams makes it more probable that they mean something, rather than a bunch of strange imaginings.�Eamp;nbsp; The three of them sat in silent contemplation for a moment.

“Yo.�Eamp;nbsp; Rakesh sat down beside Raven.  “What’s up?�Elt;/span>

Shock was clearly written across Danica and Kiren’s faces.  The only indication of Raven’s surprise was her jerking slightly as Rakesh greeted them.  Slowly, she raised her head.  “Hey.�Elt;/span>

“Hey, Rakesh,�EKiren replied, swiftly recovering.  “Just talking here.  What are you doing?�Elt;/span>

“Came by to see how you guys were.  You don’t sit with us anymore, you know.�Elt;/span>

Kiren winced slightly.  “Sorry.  We’ve had stuff to talk about.  Still do, actually.�Elt;/span>

“Ah.  That’s cool.�Eamp;nbsp; He looked at Raven.  “What did you have your head down for?  Thinking of your secret crush or something?�Elt;/span>

Raven gave a short, sarcastic laugh.  “A secret crush.  Now that’s a good one.�Eamp;nbsp; Like I can fucking worry about secret crushes.  I’m trying to keep a very shaky grip on my sanity, thank you very much.

“So you’re not interested in anyone.�Elt;/span>

“Hells no.�Elt;/span>

Rakesh left it at that and addressed the three of them altogether.  “So what’s this stuff you guys need to talk about?   Must be pretty important.  I’ve seen you sitting here away from everyone for a week or something, all huddled together and looking around like the CIA’s gonna grab you.�Elt;/span>

Completely unprepared for the question, Danica glanced at Raven and Kiren nervously.  “Stuff.�Elt;/span>

“Really,�ERakesh said.

“Just stuff we’re doing,�ERaven offered coolly.  The warning in her tone was obvious: stop right there.

Rakesh heard it and understood, but continued anyway.  “What kind of stuff?�Elt;/span>

Honestly, if he keeps asking, I’ll just tell him.  It might make him think we’re so crazy he’ll go away.

Raven’s eyes flickered to Danica’s for a moment, saying, Let me answer him.  Danica nodded.

“We’re just talking about some fucked-up dreams,�ERaven amended.  Screw it, she thought.  Why should I care if he thinks we’re psycho.

“Ah.  What sort of dreams?�Elt;/span>

Raven glanced at Danica and Kiren, wondering, How much do I tell him?  The other two shrugged helplessly at her, not knowing what to say.

“They must be some crazy-ass dreams,�ERakesh suddenly remarked.  “You look like the walking dead.  You’re pale, you’re shaking, and even though we’re in the cafeteria, which is like always 50°, you’re sweating �Ehell, I bet you have a fever too.�Eamp;nbsp; He placed one of his hands on his forehead and the other on hers, comparing.

Raven’s eyes widened.  She jerked away and closed her eyes hard, stars of agony sputtering in and out of sight everywhere, and grasped the table’s edge as she overbalanced.  There seemed to be an iron vise in her chest squeezing the breath from her lungs bit by bit; she struggled to pull in enough oxygen.  She gasped out a string of curses potent enough to kill a high priest with the mere shock of hearing it.

Kiren and Danica were watching mutely, helplessly.  This sort of thing had happened before, but Raven had vehemently overridden their protests that she seek medical help.  Now Kiren glared at Raven.  “That’s it, you’re going to the nurse,�Ehe stated firmly, bracing his hands on the table and rising.

Raven gripped his wrist with unexpected speed, then managed to force him down onto his seat again.  “No,�Eshe hissed violently.  “I have no idea what this is, you have no idea what it is, and we’ve never heard of anything remotely like this.  If I see the nurse like this, she’ll have me in the hospital before I can say ‘I’m sick�E�Elt;/span>

“And what’s wrong with that?�Elt;/span>

“I refuse to go into a hospital to be poked and prodded by doctors wondering ‘what the hell does this girl have?�Eamp;nbsp; Besides, my parents have enough to worry about.�Elt;/span>

“It’s the dreams,�EDanica said softly.

“What?�EKiren and Raven asked simultaneously.

“It’s the dreams,�EDanica repeated.  “It’s the dreams giving you headaches.�Elt;/span>

Silence reigned momentarily, thick and heavy.  Then Danica, Kiren, and Raven all turned to look rather apprehensively at Rakesh.  He was sitting with arms crossed and brows drawn down over his eyes in extreme  annoyance.  Deceptively calm, he asked, “What the hell is this all about?�Elt;/span>

Unable to think of a better reply, Danica snapped, “It’s none of your business!�Elt;/span>

Raven slumped forward in her seat, her weariness suddenly crashing down on her.  “Yes, it is,�Eshe countered very softly.  As Danica and Kiren stared at her, astonished and questioning, she explained, “He may as well know now.  Maybe he’ll see something we don’t, I don’t know.�Elt;/span>

“I don’t know,�EDanica said doubtfully.  “I still need to figure out what these dreams mean.  They’re very confusing.  If only I could see the dreams myself, somehow�E  She looked at Raven.  “In how much detail do you remember these dreams?  Usually people can only remember hazy bits and pieces of their dreams.  But you’ve been able to give details on how they look, what they’re like, where they are.�Elt;/span>

“It seems impossible to me to not remember the dreams,�ERaven answered.  “They’re so vivid, so clear.  They sear themselves into my memory.  When I wake up in the mornings and think of the dream from the night before, it’s like recalling what happened yesterday or even something from only a few hours before.�Elt;/span>

“Could you write them down for me?  Like a story?�Elt;/span>

“Sure.�Elt;/span>

“What are these dreams about?�E Rakesh asked impatiently.

“You can read about them when I write it all down.�Elt;/span>

Rakesh nodded in acceptance.  Not like I can complain about funny dreams, I got a strange one myself.  Wonder if I’ll have it tonight.

*              *              *

Frowning in uncertainty, Raven found Danica by the school cafeteria before homeroom.  “Something strange happened last night.�Elt;/span>

“What, you had an even stranger dream?�Elt;/span>

“Yeah, pretty much �Emostly because it was so simple.  After the searching dreams and the others, I had a short dream where nothing at all happened.  I just saw a bunch of strange symbols floating around in a fog.�Eamp;nbsp; She hesitated, then explained why it was so unsettling: “Some of the symbols were�Eery familiar, shall we say.�Elt;/span>

Danica cocked her head.  “How so?�Elt;/span>

“One of them looked like that burn mark Kiren has on his foot.  Another one looked like that birthmark you have.  And there was one that looked like the random mark on my skin.�Elt;/span>

Her friend stared at her.  “You’re kidding me.�Elt;/span>

“I am not and you know it.�Elt;/span>

“Hmm.  Maybe this is supposed to help us,�EDanica mused.

“How so?�Elt;/span>

“We can make sure of who we should find by seeing if these people have these marks.�Elt;/span>

A male voice entered the discussion.  “Well, what do you know.  I had a funny dream with symbols in it.�Elt;/span>

Raven spun.  “Rakesh!  What the fuck –”

“Maybe you’re rubbing off on me,�Ehe cut in coolly, laying a hand on her shoulder and squeezing his fingers lightly.  “No, not really.  I had some funny dreams before I knew you had funny dreams.  Whatever.  Anyway, last night I had a dream with these symbols floating around.  One of them looked like this spot I have on my skin.  The others, well –”  He withdrew from his pocket a folded piece of paper and handed it to Raven.

She and Danica bent their heads over the sheet.  As they scanned what was roughly scrawled on it with pencil, they both blanched.

Danica looked at Rakesh.  “Raven and Kiren are coming over to my house after school.  Want to join?�Elt;/span>

He looked surprised.  “Sure.�Elt;/span>

The blonde girl thought a moment, remembering what Raven had told her about the strange feelings she’d gotten from Rakesh’s friends.  “Would you mind asking your friends Yash and Enmed if they would come too?�Elt;/span>

He blinked.  “All right.�Elt;/span>

“Thanks.�Eamp;nbsp; Danica turned to Raven.  “I’m gonna ask Jon and Skye to come too.�Elt;/span>

She nodded.  “Right.�Elt;/span>

*              *              *

“It’s a miracle we got everyone here on such short notice,�EKiren remarked, “but it’s Friday, so that helps.�Elt;/span>

Danica nodded.  “Yeah.�Eamp;nbsp; She turned to look at everyone and gestured toward her living room table.  “I put out a bunch of snacks and sodas, so let’s all sit around and eat and talk.�Elt;/span>

Everyone chose various seats �E Jon, Skye, Danica, and Kiren all sat on the long leg of the velvety, L-shaped sofa.  Yash and Rakesh sat on the other leg.  Enmed sat beside the glass-top coffee table in front of Yash’s legs, and Raven was sprawled out next to the table on her stomach, head and arms resting on a cushion.  They all chewed and swallowed for several moments.

At last Danica cleared her throat.  “All right.  The reason we got you all here today is this.�Eamp;nbsp; She held up the paper Rakesh had given her.  “On this paper is a bunch of symbols that Rakesh and Raven each saw in a dream.  I think it’s a pretty safe bet that all of you recognize at least one of the symbols.�Eamp;nbsp;

She handed the paper to Jon.  He took it, skeptical.  Skye leaned over to look at the paper with him.  Their eyes widened, and Skye passed the sheet to Kiren.  Danica had not shown it to him before but his face took on a look of bewilderment as he recognized the three symbols that Danica and Raven had.  Danica gave the paper to Yash.  He pushed long blonde hair out of his eyes as he blinked at the markings in disbelief.  Enmed, accepting the paper from his friend, stared at it for several moments.

Danica held out her hand and took the paper back, then placed it on the table .  “So do we all agree?  We all know at least one of these symbols here?�Elt;/span>

Everyone else nodded mutely.  Danica looked around at them, then suggested, “Well, let’s all say which symbol we know and how.  I guess I’ll start.�Eamp;nbsp; She pointed to a symbol on the paper.  The sign looked like a plus sign in a circle with several lines.  “That’s a birthmark I have.  It’s on the inside of my right ankle.  It’s kind of a yellow-gold color.�Eamp;nbsp; She leaned on the table, grabbed a pen from its surface, then wrote “Danica �Ebirthmark�Eon the paper next to the symbol.  “Who’s next?�Elt;/span>

Each person in the group looked around at each other somewhat shyly, reluctant to speak.  Skye raised her hand diffidently.  “I guess I will.  See that little mark on the paper that looks like a swirl with a cross through it?  It’s a birthmark I have.�Eamp;nbsp; She held out her right hand, palm up.  The small symbol she’d described was centered on her wrist, measuring a little over an inch in size.  It was dark enough to be noticeable against her fair skin, if one looked.

“All right.�Eamp;nbsp; Danica wrote “Skye �Ebirthmark�Ebeside the corresponding symbol.  “Who’s next?�Elt;/span>

Jon spoke quietly.  “This is a birthmark on my back.  It’s tinted a funny bluish color.�Eamp;nbsp; He indicated a symbol that looked like a cross with curved lines forming a moon on its right.  Danica scribbled on the paper again.

Yash undid the first few buttons of his shirt, then pulled it open enough to reveal a reddish mark on the right side of his collarbone.  The mark resembled a cross inscribed in a diamond with jagged lines in the empty spaces.  It was about two inches in size.  “It’s a birthmark.�Elt;/span>

“Cover up now, you slut,�EEnmed mumbled.

Yash pulled on his hair gently.  “Show us yours.�Elt;/span>

“Why do I have to show it?�Elt;/span>

“I’ll undress you and find it myself.�Elt;/span>

“Bastard.�Eamp;nbsp; Knowing Yash would make good on that threat, Enmed stood and unbelted his coat, letting it fall to the carpet.  He was wearing a sleeveless black shirt and tight, worn, blue-black jeans.  Ignoring his blonde friend’s appreciative whistle, he pointed to his right shoulder.  The mark there looked was a stylized cross superimposed on several concentric rings “There.  It’s a tattoo.�Elt;/span>

“They have a tattoo like that?�E Kiren queried.

“Well, no.  I thought of it, drew it on a piece of paper, made it look a little different, and asked the guy to put it on my shoulder.�Elt;/span>

“Where did you get the idea?�Elt;/span>

Enmed shrugged.  “I just woke up one morning and it was in my head.  Maybe I saw it in a dream.�Eamp;nbsp;

He bent down to pick up his coat, but Yash had already snatched it and was holding it possessively.  “No, stay that way,�Ethe blonde boy purred.  “I like it very much.�Elt;/span>

Sighing, Enmed sat back down.  “Why me?�Elt;/span>

“Because you suffer the misfortune of Yash thinking you’re hot.�Eamp;nbsp; Kiren put his finger to the paper.  He was pointing at a plus sign overlying two small, wavy shapes.  “That’s a scar on my right foot from a burn I got.  Well, it was from scalding water, but the water burned me.�Elt;/span>

“A scar?�ESkye queried, tilting her head.

“Yeah, I guess.  I mean, when the skin healed, there was this mark left.�Elt;/span>

Yash murmured, “Rakesh�E

“Right, right.�Eamp;nbsp; Rakesh sighed.  He pointed to a cross overlaid by a small x, a smaller square and a diamond shape.  “This is on my stomach.  It’s a birthmark.�Elt;/span>

“My turn now.�Eamp;nbsp; Raven quickly sat up and pointed on the paper.  “This star-looking thing’s on my stomach.�Eamp;nbsp; The symbol resembled a star with eight points, with two smaller stars.

Skye asked, “Is it a birthmark?�E

“I don’t know what it is.  It just�Eppeared.�Elt;/span>

Danica raised an eyebrow.  “Funny, I just always assumed it was a birthmark.�Elt;/span>

Raven shrugged.  “I just noticed it was there one day, when I was a kid.  It was faint at first; you could barely see it.  But it got darker and darker.  I’m not sure if it’s stopped or not.  Anyway, that’s mine.�Elt;/span>

“Interesting,�EYash noted, with a suggestive glint in his eyes.  “Could I�Examine it up close?�Elt;/span>

“No.�Elt;/span>

“Right.�Eamp;nbsp; Danica knitted her brow in thought.  “Nobody recognizes this symbol?�Eamp;nbsp; She pointed to a cross on the paper inscribed in a circle with rays emanating it, like a diminutive sun.  Everyone shook their heads.  Danica shrugged, then circled it on the paper several times and wrote “find�Enext to the mark.

“What does all this mean?�Eamp;nbsp; Rakesh questioned.  “So we all have these marks.  What’s the point?�Elt;/span>

“Maybe Raven should tell you,�E Danica answered.

Everyone turned to their heads to look at her.  “Do I have to?�Eshe muttered.

“Yes, you have to.�Elt;/span>

“Damn it.�Eamp;nbsp; Raven sighed.  “Before I say this, I’m going to warn you that it all sounds completely insane and don’t interrupt me just to make fun of me, ’cause that’s stupid and a waste of time.�Elt;/span>

Kiren frowned.  “What’s time got to do with it?  Everyone probably has to get home by a certain time, but if you don’t finish we could get together tomorrow.�Elt;/span>

Raven hesitated, then said, “Nothing.  Anyway.  I’ve been having these strange, strange dreams�E

*              *              *

“Strange was a major understatement.�Elt;/span>

Yash nodded in agreement with Rakesh.  “Definitely.�Elt;/span>

“I did warn you that it all sounds insane,�ERaven said, shrugging.  She stood and lazily stretched her arms.

Skye bit her lip.  “Okay�Eo what do we do about it?�Elt;/span>

Danica frowned.  “I can’t figure it out.  It’s pissing me off like hell.�Elt;/span>

“It’s okay, you’ll get it,�E Kiren soothed.

There was a thudding sound as Raven fell to the floor bonelessly.  She gave a small cry as she landed hard on her left arm and then her back.  Her head bumped the ground hard and painfully and bounced.  After that, she was frighteningly still, except for the near-invisible rise and fall of her chest as she gasped for air, which she had been doing all too often lately.

Rakesh, sitting the closest, leapt forward from his seat.  Kneeling beside Raven, he lifted her head and torso onto his lap.  Kiren and Danica stooped beside him; all three of them called her name.  “Raven!  Raven!�Elt;/span>

“Saa�E  She stirred and her eyes focused, looking glazed.  “Javari?�Elt;/span>

“No, no, not Javari �EDanica!�Elt;/span>

Raven looked completely perplexed.  “What are you talking about?  Listen to her, Laki, she’s been driven completely mad.  Talk some sense into her.�Elt;/span>

“No, Raven, she’s Danica and I’m Kiren!  You’re confusing us with the others!�Elt;/span>

She blinked.  “I �EI don’t understand.�Eamp;nbsp; Slowly, she sat up, her puzzled gaze traveling over everything in  Danica’s living room �Ethe sofa, the coffee table, the TV set, the myriad decorations.  Everyone was silent as she took in her surroundings.  Then she looked back at Danica and Kiren with an expression that was almost like a child’s, an expression of being anxious and lost.  “Where am I?�Elt;/span>

Without waiting for a reply, Raven stood.  Swaying very slightly, she walked slowly around the room with wonder.  “I’ve never seen such things in my life.�Eamp;nbsp; She examined porcelain vases closely, rubbed her fingers against fabrics, and carefully rapped the glass surface of the coffee table.

“What’s with the odd accent she’s suddenly got?�EKiren wondered.

Danica shrugged.  “Does it matter?  Raven!�Elt;/span>

Raven turned her head and looked at them questioningly, tilting her head.  “Who is this Raven?  You keep calling me by that name.  Do I look like her?�Elt;/span>

“Yes.�Elt;/span>

As one, everyone in the room turned to look at Enmed, who was standing by the table.  Deliberately, he strode towards Raven and stopped just in front of her. 

“What the hell are you doing?�E Kiren hissed at him.

“Shh,�EDanica hushed her boyfriend.  “I think I get what he’s trying to do.�Elt;/span>

Enmed nodded at Raven.  “Yes, you look very much like her.  Forgive the mistake.  What’s your name?�Elt;/span>

“My name is Seshovi.  Would you tell me yours?�Eamp;nbsp; As Raven smiled shyly, Enmed’s breath caught.

He answered, “Enmed.�Elt;/span>

“That’s a nice name.�Eamp;nbsp; She hesitated, gazing at him for a moment.  “You remind me of my friend Merhau.�Elt;/span>

“Who’s that?�Elt;/span>

“He’s a high priest.�Elt;/span>

“What does he do?�Elt;/span>

“He heals the sick and wounded and he can use water magic.  He’s a priest of the goddess Variran.�Elt;/span>

Enmed nodded.  “That’s interesting.�Elt;/span>

Raven’s dark eyes softened in melancholy.  “I miss him.  I miss everyone.  I�E  She paused, then finished, “I want to go home.�Eamp;nbsp; She looked at Enmed, into his eyes.  Her eyes widened as she stared for several moments, and then she went limp.  Enmed caught her as she was falling and gently lowered her to the floor, laying her on his lap.

In moments her eyelids fluttered, and her eyes focused again, but this time they were clear.  “Saa?�Elt;/span>

“What the hell was that?�EKiren asked in wonder.

Danica said only, “It’s a psychology thing.�Elt;/span>

“What?�Elt;/span>

“That’s all you need to know.�Elt;/span>

Raven raised herself several inches, then fell back, blinking hard.  “Stop the ride, I want to get off.  I’m gonna throw up or something.�Elt;/span>

Confused, Skye countered, “You’re not on a ride.�Elt;/span>

“I mean, feels like it.  Everything’s spinning.�Elt;/span>

“Oh.�Elt;/span>

Raven shut her eyes and gripped her forehead.  “Danica, can I stay here tonight?  I really don’t think I’d be able to get home without being violently carsick, and I’ve never gotten motion sickness in my life.�Elt;/span>

“Sure.  Need the phone?�Eamp;nbsp; Danica handed the phone to Enmed, who gave it to Raven.

“Thanks.�Elt;/span>

“God, this is getting really bad,�EDanica said softly.

Kiren nodded.  “She’s slipped before, but it was only for a moment.  How long was she doing that just now �E five minutes?  Anyway, it was bad.�Elt;/span>

“Yeah, we’re losing her.  Why the hell can’t I figure out the dreams?  She’s going to fucking lose it because I can’t figure out what the fucking dreams are saying!�Eamp;nbsp; Danica sat on the sofa, put her head in her hands and started mumbling to herself.  “In the dreams Falshad is taken by Vicolph.  Some evil entity takes over the new ruler of Falshad.  Said evil entity then starts taking over surrounding countries, planning to take the world like most evil entities do.�Eamp;nbsp; Her muttering died away as Kiren nervously eyed her, wondering if she’d already gone crazy.

Suddenly Danica stood.  “That’s it!�Elt;/span>

Raven, who had just received her mother’s permission and hung up, dropped the phone in utter surprise.

Now I know she’s lost it, Kiren thought.

“Whoever’s giving you the dreams wants us to do it!�EDanica announced triumphantly.

Yash looked at her questioningly.  “Do what?�Elt;/span>

“Save the land from evil and such,�Eshe answered impatiently.

Kiren raised an eyebrow.  “Fine, but why do you sound so happy?�Elt;/span>

“Because I finally figured out what the dreams are saying, all right?�Elt;/span>

Skye tilted her head.  “But where’s Falshad?�Elt;/span>

“We have no idea.�Elt;/span>

“…�Elt;/span>

“All right, all right, so we don’t know where it is, but we can find out!�Elt;/span>

Raven commented dryly, “It’s not exactly close.�Eamp;nbsp; Slowly, taking great care with her movements, she managed to sit up.  “Sorry ’bout that,�Eshe apologized to Enmed. 

He shrugged.  “’Sfine.�Elt;/span>

“How would we get there anyway?�E Jon asked.  “It’s not on Earth.�Elt;/span>

“How do you know?�ESkye asked.

He queried gently, “Did you ever, ever hear it even mentioned in school?�Elt;/span>

“Oh.  Right.�Elt;/span>

“So�Eow do we find it in the first place?�EYash asked.  No one had an answer for him

*              *              *

                Jacklyn Vance hung up the phone.  “Raven’s staying at Danica’s house tonight.�Elt;/span>

                “All right,�E Nick answered absently as he continued to chop up the onions.

She closed her eyes and clasped her hands to her chest.  Please, let me go now, somehow!  Take me to Falshad and let me help them!

When next the lightning flashed, there was nobody on the bed.

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