Shattering Crystals

“Is that really you?” he says.

I open my mouth to say something, but no sound comes out. I send a look to Lorraine, urging her to say something.

“Dean, her name is Dana,” she says easily, as if nothing has changed.

“I know that,” he says. “But…”

“But what?”

“It’s nothing. Just a dream I had. I was sent to call you to dinner,” he says, changing the subject. He runs a hand through his brown curls.

“You said… Diana,” I say, regaining the ability to speak.

“Yeah. Forget it. It’s nothing, like I said.”

“But it is something,” I say, feeling my pulse racing. Is this it? Is this him? Is this what we’re looking for? “I know you’re seeing this.”

“Yeah…”

“Don’t act like you don’t see it, Dean,” Lorraine says. “You’d have to be blind not to see her face change.”

“I see it, obviously.”

“You didn’t freak out, you didn’t mention it, and you said ‘Diana’,” she says, counting off on her fingers. “And we’d have to be stupid not to know that this obviously means something to you.”

“Uhm, I guess…” he says, shifting his weight uncomfortably. He knows that she’s got him there.

“So tell us.”

“You’ll think I’m crazy.”

“Try me.”

“It was just a dream I had,” he repeats. “Like I said, nothing important.”

“We can wait all day, you know.”

“Okay, fine. I had a dream, and there was a girl that looked like Dana does now. Her name was Diana.”

“And?” Lorraine says. I can feel the excitement pounding in my head while I try to keep it contained.

“In that world, everyone could do magic. Well, not everyone. Mostly everyone. Girls, really.”

“So… like this?” I say. I point at a hair clip on my dresser, and it levitates, floating slowly into my hands. Dean’s expression is slightly alarmed.

“Yes…” he says slowly. Then he looks at me, his expression unreadable. “So what does this all mean?”

“What do you think it means?

“You really are her, aren’t you?”

“I guess so. In a past life, anyways.”

“Yeah, past life,” he says, nodding. Then he turns to Lorraine. “And you are?”

“Crystalline Iris, best friend to Diana Crystal. You?”

“I… this is so weird. I didn’t think this would be true. Or if it’s even true now. I remember you though. Crys. And as for me, Charles Glitteria. Not pronounced “glitter” as many thought, but glit-tair-ee-ah. Fiancé of Diana Crystal.”

Lorraine arches a thin eyebrow at this. “Interesting.

“So we were…” I say. He nods, knowing exactly what I mean.

At a moment like this, I pictured myself leaping into the guy’s arms, finding lost love at last. But I barely know Dean, and that would just be awkward.

“Do you remember anything else?” Lorraine asks him.

“No. All I remember is Diana, and how I loved her more than life.”

And the awkward factor increases. Of course, things will only be awkward if I make them that way. So I decide to just ignore the fact that we were once lovers.

“So, do you know what we’re meant to do? Do you know about our mission, and what this all means?” I ask, and he shakes his head. I look over to Lorraine.

She sighs. “I guess since you explained to me, it’s my turn to tell him.”

Lorraine starts telling the story and I nod and look at Dean while he's processing the information. To think that he was my past love is... strange, to put it in a word. Definitely unexpected. But I hope that if I have to spend the rest of my life with him, I can learn to love him.

----

The three of us walk down the stairs and towards the smell of food, into the dining room. The adults are, thankfully, past the joking phase and now they are all stuff their faces.

They all sit at long rectangular tables. Apparently they are messy eaters and now I understand why I had to put those place mats down.

"What took so long?" my mother says, eyeing us suspiciously as we enter the room.

“Sorry, I was introduction Dean to Lorraine,” I reply, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

“Oh, hello, Lorraine. I didn’t see you come in.” I give her a knowing look and she just smiles at me.

“Bonjour, madame,” Lorraine replies cheerfully, as if there is nothing out of the ordinary.

"Well, now kids, come sit down,” a man on the other side of the table says. I don’t recognize him and I wonder how he is related to my mother in any way at all.

As we are seated, I take a glance at Lorraine, and then at Dean. We are all connected now.

Dana, do you know what this means? Marigold asks. You have everyone you need in this area. It’s time for you to move on.

This is all so real, but so unbelievable. I’m still waiting for someone to jump out and yell ‘surprise!’ and this all to be a joke. Yet I know that it won’t happen. This is my life now.

I watch my friends pick at their food. And while they cautiously inspect what is on the tips of their forks, I realize that I may never see another dinner party. That we really have to leave home.

There’s no turning back.