Beyond Far Away
Visions of another world
- Chapter two -
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."(A. Einstein)
Earth
"-na, Adriana… You really need to get up right now. Everyone's leaving already."
Someone was quite stubborn to wake up the poor girl. As if it wasn't uncomfortable enough for Adriana to sleep on such a hard surface in a weird position, there was a hand shaking her, disturbing from something very interesting. Nevertheless, the red-head groaned and lifted her head. It took a second to register the fact that she was at the university, and one of her friends was standing not too far away, annoyed.
"Seriously, Adriana, new achievement unlocked: sleep through the whole lecture." Suzanne rolled her eyes and turned to walk away, knowing that the other girl would follow. "Who's Michael anyway?"
Adriana tensed, knowing that she spoke in her sleep, but unaware of what her friend had learned. Suzy was one of those average brunettes that gazed dreamily at the popular kids, but stayed inconspicuous. She was about 5'6 (168 cm) tall, shorter than her accomplice and medium build. Being quite funny, she had made a few friends, one of them being the red-head, but was never too committed to the relationships. Maybe that's why these two were friends. Neither one would request to hang out outside school and while they would sometimes discuss personal matters, it was more like a partnership. Deep blue eyes turned to Suzy.
"Don't really know, just sleep talk."
"Mhmm..." The girl smirked, but knew it was not her place to pry, so she changed the subject. Kind of. "What is it with you and sleep recently? I can't leave you for more than 10 minutes without you dozing off."
Adriana shrugged.
"I guess I'm just tired, Suzanne."
Truly the girl had been feeling exhausted for months now. No matter how long she slept, very rarely the dreams did not plague her mind. Remembering which, she was suddenly deep in thought. The girls took their seats and Adriana began thinking of the last one. Everything felt so real, as though she truly was shaking the man's hand, fighting the selkie, feeling the freezing water as the creature dragged her and the hunter... Michael Devin, he had introduced himself. A charming young man outwardly: black hair, pale purple eyes, tall, muscular build and defined features. However, when it came to character, he was Adriana's worst nightmare. He was arrogant, controlling, a liar and brainless. Sure, she had planned to go and take the siren out herself, just a bit later than he did, but how does a man wander into the selkie's den without reinforcements? The only reason she eventually decided to work together was to avoid any more ridiculous partnerships with...
'Am I seriously analysing characters from my dream?' The girl thought to herself and shook her head. 'Already on the verge of insanity at the age of 20, huh?'
Pushing the nightmare away Adriana concentrated on the lectures, deep within her heart waiting for the night. What was about to happen in her dream world intrigued the female, although it would be silly to admit it.
****
When Michael opened his eyes, the siren was nowhere in sight, but she had dragged him to a cave of some sorts. There were decomposing bodies, way more than the Hunters had anticipated, of humanoids and animals. The hunter had suspected that just like any serial killer, the siren started with smaller creatures and escalated to killing intelligent beings. When he tried moving, realization set in that damage done to his body was more severe than a few scratches. The siren gnawed at his hands and feet, clawed a hole in his back and bruised the chest. And... Yeah, she definitely dragged him. Wincing Michael pulled himself up, leaning on the rough surface of the stone for support. It was a challenge to not step on the mangled bodies, some - to his surprise - still moaning, but in about half an hour he was out of the morgue and stumbling towards a slightly shining corridor. He passed the first luminescent minerals when he heard the voice.
"My sweet, beautiful Artemis, you will stay with me. You will defend me. You will love me. You are already mine..." The siren was halfway submerged in subterranean lake, muttering at something underwater.
Michael could guess quite well that Artemis was no one but Miss Vervloet herself. And she was drowning. Cursing silently the hunter patted his body for weapons. Realizing that he was in no condition to do anything, Michael glanced at his 'partner' apologetically and wobbled away. He was weak, hungry and unarmed. Adriana had no chance anyway, she was most probably dead. It was not his fault. He tried pushing the guilt away. A smart hunter knew when it was time to retreat.
"I'm so sorry, Miss Vervloet."
****
Asheron
The hunter woke up unscathed at the infirmary. He looked up, to see the smaller sun going down, making the day a bit darker. Caitlyn was sitting beside his bed, her chin resting on her hands.
'O oh...' He knew that look.
"You really need to tell us what is going on, Michael." The girl used that concerned tone he hated so very much.
"I don't know what you want from me, I just had a nap. No big deal." He was a bit snappish, but Cat was a big girl. She could take it.
"You've been sleeping ridiculous amounts of time and the things you murmur... You spoke to someone, Miss Vervet?"
"Miss Vervloet," Was his immediate response and he cursed. The witch made the mistake on purpose.
"Who is she? You sounded very broken," Caitlyn was calm, but her red eyes twinkled with worry.
'Did I sound that upset?' Michael winced, just like any macho at the mention of a moment of weakness.
"I had this dream about her. Her name's Adriana and we were supposed to kill a selkie." Caitlyn leaned forward, paying full attention. "But I had to leave her to die, because I was of no use, so I said sorry."
"You dream of being a hunter?"
"Yeah, I guess that's not so far-fetched." Michael grinned.
The boy was an excellent fighter. It came to him naturally and was a gift from god. He was skilled at every form of fighting, except illusions and magic. Michael quickly picked up history and biology as well, making him the most knowledgeable student at creatures' behaviour, anatomy and relationships. The boy had long decided to work for the Supervision Department in the future. It was pretty much what hunters did a few centuries ago, but had a different name.
"This girl, Adriana... Do you know her from somewhere?" Just like all witches, Cat strongly believed in the importance of one's dreams.
"No, but she's not my soul-mate or something as well." Michael groaned, stretching and hopping off the bed. "Don't read too much into these dreams, Cat. Sometimes a guy just dreams of hot red heads and severed heads."
****
Adriana gasped for air, but water flooded her lungs instead. She was weak and confused as her limbs tried to get rid of the siren.
"Now, now, Artemis. I'm doing you a favour here." The selkies had an ability to speak underwater. "You're mine to kill but I wish for you to live. I just wish to make a few adjustments."
Yeah, she did not mean buying the girl a pair of new shoes or dying her hair. She was turning Adriana into her own personal pet. Comprehending the full danger the creature posed, the huntress began struggling even more furiously. Funny thing was, she had forgotten all about her weapons till she could barely keep her mind alert. Adriana fiddled with her belt, before slashing at the pale hand and surfacing. The selkie screeched, imitating the tone Adriana used upon realizing that the Devin had strolled to the water nymph. Her blood was thicker and similar to mercury.
"Artemis, do not disobey me or I will end you." The siren was actually trying to calm down.
The huntress did no such thing, however. She threw the miniature sword, calculating that she still had one more and dashed. Surprisingly, there were very few wounds on her body, so she could move rather fast. Sadly, that was not enough, since the selkie caught up to her in mere seconds. The creature spun Adriana around and hissed. Everything was moving a bit too fast for the girl, so, simply out of frustration, Adriana resorted to spell casting. She was not a witch but one of the Fae, and her powers in such environment were limited. Nevertheless, collecting all that she could, Adriana plunged the last dagger into the lovely silver creature and released the power. The selkie's eyes grew huge, pupils dilating in anger and face contorting into a sneer. It sent both females flying and the huntress collided with a wall, biting down on her tongue as her shoulder blades dug deep into the muscles.
It all went dark. Again.
Surprisingly, Adriana's last thought was a name and it was filled with great fury.
"Michael!"
****
Asheron
It was a peaceful evening and Michael was sitting on the grass, chewing a blue apple and watching the second sun going down instead of studying for tomorrow's test on winged humanoid skeletal structure. Everything flamed up during such sunsets, even the sky. The wind was blowing gently, rustling the trees. No one was around and the boy was thankful for that. He had too much to think about. Mainly, his mind wandered back to the dreams and the girl. As he began analysing whether or not leaving her in the clutches of the siren was the right thing, something shimmered. The hair at the back of Michael's neck stood up, making him jump. This had never happened before, but the young man did not feel any danger.
The air around Michael rippled and he turned around, feeling a presence.
"Michael!" It was an accusing voice.
The apple rolled downhill, towards a very weird sight. Before him stood the girl, wearing the same old-fashioned clothes he saw her with before going to kill the selkie, yet bloodied and torn. She looked frantic and confused. Mostly confused. It took her a few minutes to regain her breath, as though she had just woken up from a nightmare. Michael didn't dare to move. He took in the female, purple eyes big as saucers, his lips parted in awe.
'I'm hallucinating. ' He thought numbly , frozen to stare at the woman.
Her dark red hair, one would expect only on a nymph, fell to her waist in soft curls. She was a bit pale, but not nearly as Michael himself, and slightly shorter than him. He was about 6'1 (185) and she was clearly 5'11(180). Their expressions, however, were identical.
"You're Michael Devin?" The young woman asked, her hands smoothing the brown material of her pirate - like coat. Her voice was exactly the same as he remembered.
"Miss Vervloet." Michael acknowledged, still completely sure he was insane.
Then, for a few minutes they stood there, uncomfortable. Adriana had no idea what was going on. She thought she had awakened from the nightmare, but she was at the same strange world of her dreams. The man looked fairly the same. He wore a black jacket, matching pants and a grey shirt with strange designs. His eyes were brighter, though, shadows underneath them not so deeply etched as one would expect from a hunter. Noticing the calculating look Adriana was giving him and desperate to break the silence, Michael opened his mouth.
"It's our school's uniform." He motioned to his attire.
"Oh... Aren't you a hunter?" She questioned softly and glanced around.
The blue apples hung alluringly close for the red-head to reach out, but she didn't. Instead, the girl crossed her hands, hugging herself, weary.
This amused Michael. "No, not yet."
The whole situation, for both of them, was surreal. Thinking nothing of it, the young man stepped forward. He was sure that trying to touch the girl would scatter away the illusion and he would grasp his sanity. Therefore, inhumanly fast he was standing in front of the woman and reaching for her hair. Adriana nearly fell over when the boy just appeared before her, closing the distance of nearly ten feet in a heartbeat, but assuming that anything was possible in her head, curiously watched Michael take a strand of red locks.
"Holy shit!" He muttered when the girl just watched him twirl her hair.
The silky lock slipped away from his fingers, sending a strange sensation through both the girl and the boy. Michael could touch her, feel her warmth and smell her. Their eyes locked and Adriana was taken aback by how easy was it to see emotions swirling within the purple haze. It was incredible and horrifying at the same time. As they stood so close to each other, that they could count each other's eyelashes, Michael's hands trembled with emotions he couldn't describe.
Adriana was a bit shocked when the boy took her face in his hands, pulling her back from the lavender pools, and whispered:
"Who the hell are you?"
"My name is Adriana." Was the only thing she could mutter before gasping.
The sun was about to disappear behind the horizon as Michael watched Adriana stare at her tingling hands. She was slowly dissolving, leaving nothing but rippling and crackling air. Her blue eyes melted into the nothingness and the only proof of this ever happening was the lingering warmth. The young man didn't even pick the discarded apple as he spun around and ran to his friends, certain he required their help. If not the help of a professional.
"This is bad. This is very, very, very bad. It was nothing more than a dream, so why was she so real?" he muttered, trying to unlock the doors to his apartment. His hands were actually shaking, but he still caught himself pointing out something irrelevant. "Adriana... A beautiful name."
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."(A. Einstein)
Earth
"-na, Adriana… You really need to get up right now. Everyone's leaving already."
Someone was quite stubborn to wake up the poor girl. As if it wasn't uncomfortable enough for Adriana to sleep on such a hard surface in a weird position, there was a hand shaking her, disturbing from something very interesting. Nevertheless, the red-head groaned and lifted her head. It took a second to register the fact that she was at the university, and one of her friends was standing not too far away, annoyed.
"Seriously, Adriana, new achievement unlocked: sleep through the whole lecture." Suzanne rolled her eyes and turned to walk away, knowing that the other girl would follow. "Who's Michael anyway?"
Adriana tensed, knowing that she spoke in her sleep, but unaware of what her friend had learned. Suzy was one of those average brunettes that gazed dreamily at the popular kids, but stayed inconspicuous. She was about 5'6 (168 cm) tall, shorter than her accomplice and medium build. Being quite funny, she had made a few friends, one of them being the red-head, but was never too committed to the relationships. Maybe that's why these two were friends. Neither one would request to hang out outside school and while they would sometimes discuss personal matters, it was more like a partnership. Deep blue eyes turned to Suzy.
"Don't really know, just sleep talk."
"Mhmm..." The girl smirked, but knew it was not her place to pry, so she changed the subject. Kind of. "What is it with you and sleep recently? I can't leave you for more than 10 minutes without you dozing off."
Adriana shrugged.
"I guess I'm just tired, Suzanne."
Truly the girl had been feeling exhausted for months now. No matter how long she slept, very rarely the dreams did not plague her mind. Remembering which, she was suddenly deep in thought. The girls took their seats and Adriana began thinking of the last one. Everything felt so real, as though she truly was shaking the man's hand, fighting the selkie, feeling the freezing water as the creature dragged her and the hunter... Michael Devin, he had introduced himself. A charming young man outwardly: black hair, pale purple eyes, tall, muscular build and defined features. However, when it came to character, he was Adriana's worst nightmare. He was arrogant, controlling, a liar and brainless. Sure, she had planned to go and take the siren out herself, just a bit later than he did, but how does a man wander into the selkie's den without reinforcements? The only reason she eventually decided to work together was to avoid any more ridiculous partnerships with...
'Am I seriously analysing characters from my dream?' The girl thought to herself and shook her head. 'Already on the verge of insanity at the age of 20, huh?'
Pushing the nightmare away Adriana concentrated on the lectures, deep within her heart waiting for the night. What was about to happen in her dream world intrigued the female, although it would be silly to admit it.
****
When Michael opened his eyes, the siren was nowhere in sight, but she had dragged him to a cave of some sorts. There were decomposing bodies, way more than the Hunters had anticipated, of humanoids and animals. The hunter had suspected that just like any serial killer, the siren started with smaller creatures and escalated to killing intelligent beings. When he tried moving, realization set in that damage done to his body was more severe than a few scratches. The siren gnawed at his hands and feet, clawed a hole in his back and bruised the chest. And... Yeah, she definitely dragged him. Wincing Michael pulled himself up, leaning on the rough surface of the stone for support. It was a challenge to not step on the mangled bodies, some - to his surprise - still moaning, but in about half an hour he was out of the morgue and stumbling towards a slightly shining corridor. He passed the first luminescent minerals when he heard the voice.
"My sweet, beautiful Artemis, you will stay with me. You will defend me. You will love me. You are already mine..." The siren was halfway submerged in subterranean lake, muttering at something underwater.
Michael could guess quite well that Artemis was no one but Miss Vervloet herself. And she was drowning. Cursing silently the hunter patted his body for weapons. Realizing that he was in no condition to do anything, Michael glanced at his 'partner' apologetically and wobbled away. He was weak, hungry and unarmed. Adriana had no chance anyway, she was most probably dead. It was not his fault. He tried pushing the guilt away. A smart hunter knew when it was time to retreat.
"I'm so sorry, Miss Vervloet."
****
Asheron
The hunter woke up unscathed at the infirmary. He looked up, to see the smaller sun going down, making the day a bit darker. Caitlyn was sitting beside his bed, her chin resting on her hands.
'O oh...' He knew that look.
"You really need to tell us what is going on, Michael." The girl used that concerned tone he hated so very much.
"I don't know what you want from me, I just had a nap. No big deal." He was a bit snappish, but Cat was a big girl. She could take it.
"You've been sleeping ridiculous amounts of time and the things you murmur... You spoke to someone, Miss Vervet?"
"Miss Vervloet," Was his immediate response and he cursed. The witch made the mistake on purpose.
"Who is she? You sounded very broken," Caitlyn was calm, but her red eyes twinkled with worry.
'Did I sound that upset?' Michael winced, just like any macho at the mention of a moment of weakness.
"I had this dream about her. Her name's Adriana and we were supposed to kill a selkie." Caitlyn leaned forward, paying full attention. "But I had to leave her to die, because I was of no use, so I said sorry."
"You dream of being a hunter?"
"Yeah, I guess that's not so far-fetched." Michael grinned.
The boy was an excellent fighter. It came to him naturally and was a gift from god. He was skilled at every form of fighting, except illusions and magic. Michael quickly picked up history and biology as well, making him the most knowledgeable student at creatures' behaviour, anatomy and relationships. The boy had long decided to work for the Supervision Department in the future. It was pretty much what hunters did a few centuries ago, but had a different name.
"This girl, Adriana... Do you know her from somewhere?" Just like all witches, Cat strongly believed in the importance of one's dreams.
"No, but she's not my soul-mate or something as well." Michael groaned, stretching and hopping off the bed. "Don't read too much into these dreams, Cat. Sometimes a guy just dreams of hot red heads and severed heads."
****
Adriana gasped for air, but water flooded her lungs instead. She was weak and confused as her limbs tried to get rid of the siren.
"Now, now, Artemis. I'm doing you a favour here." The selkies had an ability to speak underwater. "You're mine to kill but I wish for you to live. I just wish to make a few adjustments."
Yeah, she did not mean buying the girl a pair of new shoes or dying her hair. She was turning Adriana into her own personal pet. Comprehending the full danger the creature posed, the huntress began struggling even more furiously. Funny thing was, she had forgotten all about her weapons till she could barely keep her mind alert. Adriana fiddled with her belt, before slashing at the pale hand and surfacing. The selkie screeched, imitating the tone Adriana used upon realizing that the Devin had strolled to the water nymph. Her blood was thicker and similar to mercury.
"Artemis, do not disobey me or I will end you." The siren was actually trying to calm down.
The huntress did no such thing, however. She threw the miniature sword, calculating that she still had one more and dashed. Surprisingly, there were very few wounds on her body, so she could move rather fast. Sadly, that was not enough, since the selkie caught up to her in mere seconds. The creature spun Adriana around and hissed. Everything was moving a bit too fast for the girl, so, simply out of frustration, Adriana resorted to spell casting. She was not a witch but one of the Fae, and her powers in such environment were limited. Nevertheless, collecting all that she could, Adriana plunged the last dagger into the lovely silver creature and released the power. The selkie's eyes grew huge, pupils dilating in anger and face contorting into a sneer. It sent both females flying and the huntress collided with a wall, biting down on her tongue as her shoulder blades dug deep into the muscles.
It all went dark. Again.
Surprisingly, Adriana's last thought was a name and it was filled with great fury.
"Michael!"
****
Asheron
It was a peaceful evening and Michael was sitting on the grass, chewing a blue apple and watching the second sun going down instead of studying for tomorrow's test on winged humanoid skeletal structure. Everything flamed up during such sunsets, even the sky. The wind was blowing gently, rustling the trees. No one was around and the boy was thankful for that. He had too much to think about. Mainly, his mind wandered back to the dreams and the girl. As he began analysing whether or not leaving her in the clutches of the siren was the right thing, something shimmered. The hair at the back of Michael's neck stood up, making him jump. This had never happened before, but the young man did not feel any danger.
The air around Michael rippled and he turned around, feeling a presence.
"Michael!" It was an accusing voice.
The apple rolled downhill, towards a very weird sight. Before him stood the girl, wearing the same old-fashioned clothes he saw her with before going to kill the selkie, yet bloodied and torn. She looked frantic and confused. Mostly confused. It took her a few minutes to regain her breath, as though she had just woken up from a nightmare. Michael didn't dare to move. He took in the female, purple eyes big as saucers, his lips parted in awe.
'I'm hallucinating. ' He thought numbly , frozen to stare at the woman.
Her dark red hair, one would expect only on a nymph, fell to her waist in soft curls. She was a bit pale, but not nearly as Michael himself, and slightly shorter than him. He was about 6'1 (185) and she was clearly 5'11(180). Their expressions, however, were identical.
"You're Michael Devin?" The young woman asked, her hands smoothing the brown material of her pirate - like coat. Her voice was exactly the same as he remembered.
"Miss Vervloet." Michael acknowledged, still completely sure he was insane.
Then, for a few minutes they stood there, uncomfortable. Adriana had no idea what was going on. She thought she had awakened from the nightmare, but she was at the same strange world of her dreams. The man looked fairly the same. He wore a black jacket, matching pants and a grey shirt with strange designs. His eyes were brighter, though, shadows underneath them not so deeply etched as one would expect from a hunter. Noticing the calculating look Adriana was giving him and desperate to break the silence, Michael opened his mouth.
"It's our school's uniform." He motioned to his attire.
"Oh... Aren't you a hunter?" She questioned softly and glanced around.
The blue apples hung alluringly close for the red-head to reach out, but she didn't. Instead, the girl crossed her hands, hugging herself, weary.
This amused Michael. "No, not yet."
The whole situation, for both of them, was surreal. Thinking nothing of it, the young man stepped forward. He was sure that trying to touch the girl would scatter away the illusion and he would grasp his sanity. Therefore, inhumanly fast he was standing in front of the woman and reaching for her hair. Adriana nearly fell over when the boy just appeared before her, closing the distance of nearly ten feet in a heartbeat, but assuming that anything was possible in her head, curiously watched Michael take a strand of red locks.
"Holy shit!" He muttered when the girl just watched him twirl her hair.
The silky lock slipped away from his fingers, sending a strange sensation through both the girl and the boy. Michael could touch her, feel her warmth and smell her. Their eyes locked and Adriana was taken aback by how easy was it to see emotions swirling within the purple haze. It was incredible and horrifying at the same time. As they stood so close to each other, that they could count each other's eyelashes, Michael's hands trembled with emotions he couldn't describe.
Adriana was a bit shocked when the boy took her face in his hands, pulling her back from the lavender pools, and whispered:
"Who the hell are you?"
"My name is Adriana." Was the only thing she could mutter before gasping.
The sun was about to disappear behind the horizon as Michael watched Adriana stare at her tingling hands. She was slowly dissolving, leaving nothing but rippling and crackling air. Her blue eyes melted into the nothingness and the only proof of this ever happening was the lingering warmth. The young man didn't even pick the discarded apple as he spun around and ran to his friends, certain he required their help. If not the help of a professional.
"This is bad. This is very, very, very bad. It was nothing more than a dream, so why was she so real?" he muttered, trying to unlock the doors to his apartment. His hands were actually shaking, but he still caught himself pointing out something irrelevant. "Adriana... A beautiful name."