FicWad

Ok, the next story I will be writing is "The Cold Side of my Heart". Thanks so much to all who voted. A really random fact I just learned about this week: If you put my story on the same Microsoft Word document, it's sixty-five pages! And that's only nineteen chapters! Imagine when I add the next ten or eleven! Also I read the first few chapters of my story over again... I pretty much cringed. Bad, bad, grammar! Hope you like this chapter, and hope this answers your questions.

"One wish. One wish to each of those receiving it. Two wishes." -Annabelle Windlow (Voice of the Stars)

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The current section of the dream world was even more frightening as the foursome continued their long walk. Theresa was eerily quite. She knew that she had to be. As is they were approaching something far more deadly then the dead environment around them. Strangely enough, Khalil as well was quite. His large coal black paws were the only noise they could hear for miles. Jay swore that if they were in an old western movie, tumbleweed would blow by any minute.

It was getting a lot colder. The wind that seemed to flow out of the pitch black sky was like shattered glass against his skin. He eventually stopped as the others moved on ahead, to get his sleeping bag... ok Theresa's sleeping bag, and wrap it around his shoulders.

But Jay seemed to be the only one affected by it. Maybe it was because he was not only a soul. But later as the long silent journey wore on, he noticed that the mysterious woman that he had so many questions for, Annabelle Windlow, was shivering also. From the cold or presence of the place, he didn't know.

But Annabelle's lips seemed bluer. But it was as if she had gotten so used to being cold... or never really felt it, or her body did. Jay barely even noticed they had stopped. In front of them was a couple of small tree. They seemed young also. But at the same time... not young. Almost ancient! And their leaves, their leaves were made of fine silver. It was astounding. Theresa let out a breath. He knew at once she was thinking the same thing.

Lying in front of the saplings were four satin pillows. One a light violet, one a bold red, one a mystical sapphire and the last was a little longer, it was emerald green. Annabelle immediately sat down on the blue pillow, motioning for them to join. They didn't have to be told which one. They just knew it. As soon as they sat down, the frightening sensation they had felt vanished. Finally someone began to speak.

"I apologize for the little side trip. Now I will answer your first question. Why did we come here? Four thousand years ago, I made this place. It was my first bit of magic. The first time I learned to manipulate the dream world. How you may ask? Well if I told you then you could never learn." Annabelle smiled sweetly at Jay's puzzled expression. But it was more of a sad smile.
"As I said, it was my first bit of magic. And I brought you here because I am four thousand and fifty six years old. And this is where my memory is the strongest. So I will be able to answer more of your questions this way. Plus I won't have anyone overhearing us."

"You said that you're over four thousand years old. How is that possible? Please explain." Theresa questioned. Jay never realized how much he missed Theresa's melodic voice; it touched his mind like a lyres song.
"Well," she looked at them quizzically, "I don't suppose you two have heard of the blessing of the blood streaked tears?" Theresa and Jay's brains took a while to process the information, and then their eyes burst open in shock.
"Blood streaked tears!" Both shouted. Khalil chuckled knowingly. Meeting Annabelle's pale blue eyes he spoke only to her. Shadow wolves were lucky that way. They could choose to whom they wanted to address and when.
"It's important. Trust me." His yellow and emerald eyes seemed to say.

Annabelle nodded, "The blood streaked tears. It happens to two people very close to each other, every thousand years." Her voice faded into a whisper of sadness.
"And what does it cause?" Theresa inquired gently.
"One wish. One wish to each of those receiving it. Two wishes."
"Meaning." Jay's chocolate eyes sparkled with happiness, "each person receiving it is granted one wish." His thoughts dance around in his head, 'I could wish to get Theresa out of here. I could wish to kill Cronos. I could...'
"Umm... how do you know who... I mean if you have it. The person you share it with?" Jay attempted to add that in casually. Khalil was having a fit trying to hold in the laughter.

"Oh that is quite simple." She said this with no joy in her voice, "It happens to two that truly love each other every thousand years. And of course only one couple is fortunate enough. So you share it with your lover."
"Lover... Lover? Lover!" Jay and Theresa both yelled. Jay's voice went off tune and he sounded like he was drunk.
"Lov-ver..."

"Now this is funny!" Khalil rolled on the floor laughing. Then he stopped. A single tear was rolling down Annabelle's pale porcelain cheeks. She let it drop to her long sleek finger.
"I-I haven't thought about him in so long."
"Who?" Theresa placed a comforting hand on her slender shoulder. Her own emerald green eyes sparkling with tears.
"Trevor..." She breathed. Then just like that she recomposed herself. Her emotional mask placed over once again.

"I'm going to tell you a story. Now you see. I bet you're wondering what I am? Well it's more of a who." Theresa and Jay shared a glance.
"Around four hundred years ago, I was just an ordinary young woman. Flaws and all. One day when I was helping my dad out at the bakery. Then I met him. Trevor Lacuna. I know this sounds crazy... but I felt it was love at first sight."

Theresa bit her lower rosy lip, "That's not crazy at all."
"Yeah. I mean it can happen." Jay barely turned his attention to Theresa, recalling the day they first met. They both blushed. Khalil held back his laughter.
"I began to see more of him. And then one day I found that I had blood-streaked tears. It was quite shocking. I talked to him and he said he had them to. Later we laughed about it. We said it was the fates telling us to be together... then he proposed. It was the happiest and the most heart-wrenching day of my life.
You see that's when the beast was born. We don't know how. Probably a recollection of all the bad thoughts and evil in the world. I suspect that the bit of magic left in the world made the blood-streaked tears, as a way to fight against the beast. But we didn't know it provided a wish. Until the beast came to our happy village..."

Jay unconsciously scooted closer to Theresa his 'lover'. And felt a faint grin spread across his face when he felt her finger brush against his. Annabelle smiled inwardly at the unknowing couple, and felt the courage to proceed.
"No one survived in my village. Not even me. How? Well here's how..."

Flashback

"Run! Trevor get up!" Annabelle raced back to her fallen fiancé. He clenched his teeth together in pain. And glanced at his bleeding ankle. Then he met her eyes with his coffee brown once more. He smiled sweetly as an inhuman cursing howl rang out across the hills and burning village.
"Annabelle. Get away from here. Be safe."
"NO!" tears leaked from her eyes, "no..." The beast roared over the hill. He looked like a shadow. A huge blacking shadow, formed by the distant village engulfed in flames. The beast approached them and Trevor screamed, "All I wish is that you never die!" Then the two collapsed and the foot of two blazing orange eyes. And there bodies burned away into ashes. Mixing together in the wind.

End of Flashback

Then I woke up with Trevor here. Exactly here. Not the starry realm. For before me this whole place was exactly like this. The dead ground. Black sky. Trevor and I thought we would be together forever. But then he began to fade..." Jay grabbed Theresa's hand and pulled back in utter despair when it passed through.
"He vanished and I was left alone. Not truly dead. But not alive. For you see he wished that I would never die. And being affected by the beast isn't truly dieing until you fade away completely. So I remain here for all eternity. Then I decided to try to help the others that were less fortunate then I. I made them tell their stories to the stars and created different versions of the dream world. The dust teleports you to the different models."

"That was very noble of you. And I admire your bravery... I could never be that brave." Theresa sighed. Annabelle seemed so tragically beautiful now.
"It takes more then an average lifetime Theresa."
"What I don't get is why not use your wish to get out of here? Or bring Trevor back? Or kill the beast?"
"Unfortunately the wish doesn't work in the dream world. Not as long as the 'Scio Havarti' is alive."

Jay and Theresa both sighed at this.
"Then why help us?" Khalil questioned.
"Because I don't want you to feel the same pain as I did when I lost my love. When I saw Theresa and Jay... I knew." Despite what she had said, Jay's face flushed and Theresa's went bright red.

Khalil laughed so hard that he rolled back into the dead barren wasteland. His black bristly fur rose up immediately. A large gray vulture screeched and flew at him rapidly. He quickly scrambled back into the safety of the few trees. The bird flew away in an annoyed huff.
"What are those anyway?" He jumped back onto his green pillow. It was silky and calming against his fur.
"They have just always been there."

"But what about the people." Jay somewhat hissed. He wouldn't loose Theresa like she lost Trevor, "You said there were over two thousand Theresa's in record! Where is everyone!"

She stepped out of the safety zone. They all immediately missed the warmth and security of the grove. Jay looked down at his feet at a faint line of dust.
"I'm sorry for what you are about to see."

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I've gotten much better with updating. I'll probably update again in two days. I want to finish before the end of summer. Also a quick note:

June 30th - August 5th: I'm away at camp.
August 15th - September 2nd: Away on vacation in Europe.

As such I will not be updating during those times. I'll post a reminder when the time comes. Thank you. -Nuuoa Eclaire