Dreamlines... Realities Within, 2000.

04 January 2000: Remembering - Traveling through time and space, I brave a meteorological Event to enter a building filled with memories of the past.
25 January 2000: Extrasensory Wishes - A series of dreams about me having telepathy or telekinesis.
31 January 2000: Psychic Investigators - Howard and I are a team of psychic investigators on our way to a college to investigate some sort of weirdness.
01 February 2000: Running... - Stuck on a colony world, I am in enemy territory with no way home.
28 February 2000: Lions & Cheetahs - The lions are encroaching, intent on taking the cheetahs' territory from them. I am fighting on the side of the cheetahs. In turn, I learn that there is one little cheetah who will always guard my back.
08 March 2000: Shaelinador - Having just boarded an unknown Alien space vessel, it seems that I am the only one who really cares about what's happening.
10 March 2000: Otherworldly Lovers - I discover that I am not who I thought I was and someone is trying to keep me and my love apart. On top of that, there is a little girl who wants my soul.
30 March 2000: Initiation Party - After moving to a new town, I discover that there is a strange initiation practice that should horrify me. Instead, I find myself unaccountably excited.
15 April 2000: The One - While investigating the murder of one social lite and the kidnapping of another, I discover that things aren't as they seem and no one can be trusted.
19 April 2000: Cyber Café - While at a cyber café, I receive a very strange but intriguing phone call.
06 May 2000: Death Becomes Me - On the run from an ax weilding neighbor intent on killing me, I discover something rather incredible and reveal something very personal.
28 May 2000: Turn About - I meet a young guy at a party who kidnaps me then try to save his life after he poisons himself.
27 June 2000: Legacy Closet - Working with the Legacy Foundation, we must use a cursed closet to recover lost artifacts. Meanwhile, a demon works to destroy my history.
29 June 2000: SkinCarver - I gain the unwanted attention of a madman who skins people alive to make intricate wall hangings and spent much of my time fleeing from him.
16 July 2000: Potential - After a horrifying introduction to the spirit world, I discover that I am part of a group of Potentials who fights the growing Darkness. This leads to some confusion in living two lives and the relation that I have done this all before.
14 August 2000: Drawing Reality - In a struggle between two people - one of the dark, one of gray - one offers nothing while the other offers incredible power to change reality.
03 September 2000: Invasion Force - After our world has been invaded, some humans possessed by aliens, as part of the Rebellion, I have to try to rescue a savior child who is half human and half alien. Unfortunately, my competition is the head of intelligence who has taken over Avery Brooks' body.
07 October 2000: Running of the Deer - After graduating from a magic military school, I find out that I am targeted for elimination. However, my friend Dave just isn't having any of that. Things get more than a bit hairy.
05 November 2000: Tom - At a party hosted at my house, I discover that my anonymous BDSM partner from a few weeks ago is not all that anonymous... much to my pleasure.

4 January 2000
Remembering

"And lo, it came to pass in the year 17058, a meteorological Event occurred. For one month, the skies opened up to let Space Beyond Time in. Over a four square mile area, the day was turned to night and fire rained from the heavens." I looked to my companion, an older gentleman with short white hair. He was speaking in the soft voice of one retelling an ancient tale. It was important that to keep in mind that, while things would seem very real, I was only remembering.

As we approached the Earth, I saw that it was now more green than blue. As we got closer, I could see the dark area of the meteorological Event. It was a frightening sight. What was that dark starry looking cloud that covered the small area of the Earth? No one had been able to answer that in many thousands of years.

I gasped in fear as we dove down and directly into the Event. It was awe inspiring and terrifying. I looked up into the sky. It truly did look as if space had descended upon the Earth. Through the dark cloud, I could see purple nebulas and meteors of fire came crashing through to the ground. The ground beneath the dark cloud was a wasteland, unforgiving and foreboding. I could not believe the place we were going resided in this desolate area.

Yet, it did. A small, non-descript building. Suddenly, I was inside it with no sense of transition. It was a tavern with long tables and a cheerful fire. It was a library with endless rows of books. It was a museum. A place of memories and other things lost. Immediately, I set out to explore this marvelous building.

First, I found a place of film negatives. It had a number of old Star Trek episode pictures. I looked through them. The curator was surprised that one such as I would be interested them. I confessed to having once had an obsession with Star Trek. He laughed and pulled out a large model of the Excelsior. I pretended to fly it around, playing. It was fun but too heavy to play with for long.

As I put it back, Johanna came up to me. In her hand was the glossy flyer of her in her Star Trek uniform holding the Excelsior model. It was an advertisement for the model from long ago. She showed it to me. "I had forgotten all about this." She confessed, looking at it again. I grinned at her and we continued our way through the haphazardly placed memories to find more buried treasures.

I found an long book envelope, unopened. Since I was allowed, I immediately opened it. To my surprise, I found a long thin ledger book. Johanna and I leaned over it and opened the book. I found it to have once belonged to Michael Hardy. It was his memory book of all of the articles he had ever written. I recognized his picture on the first page. I hugged the book in delight. Johanna then left me to go find her own treasures. I poured over the book. Each article had been glued to the pages of the ledger book. Some sloppy. Some neat. I knew there was someone I just had to show it to.

I skipped back over to the tavern side of this building, book behind my back. Michael was there just as I had somehow known he would be, drinking with his friends. I didn't say a word as I skipped up to him. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me. I then showed Michael the book. He blinked in surprise and grinned self-consciously. "That's mine... and that's a bad thing." He said, embarrassed. Not because it was here but because I had found it. He knew that I would keep it as I continued to grin at him. That's what it was here for. I skipped away laughing, holding the book behind my back for him to get one last look.

FADE.

26 January 2000
Extrasensory Wishes

For the past couple of nights, I have dreamed that I had either telepathy or telekinesis. One night of telepathy and three nights of telekinesis. The night I dreamed of telepathy, it was a disjointed dream, mostly of fear. Of having to keep it a secret. That if I told anyone, I would be exploited and/or hated. Most likely both.

The nights I dreamed of telekinesis were fun, odd dreams:

The first one, I was in a huge hotel with Alex who was wearing gray footed PJs. An amusing sight in my mind for sure. We were in a hotel trying to get somewhere but kept having to dodge Admiral Zaraiath (who was in a wheel chair) and Captain Andris. I had telekinesis but that wasn't a big thing in the dream. No one seemed to notice anything weird about me levitating a glass to my hand.

The second Telekinesis dream was something about me discovering that I had the ability and deciding to go public with it. I allowed myself to be studied as long as I was on salary. (Came out to be a little more than what I'm currently making now.) I became a celebrity, known as "The TK Girl", doing shows like the Tonight Show. It was all actually a lot of fun. I even changed my journal from "Abstract Thoughts" to "Abstract Thoughts of the TK Girl".

The last Telekinesis dream seemed to be a continuation of the second where there was a hidden colony of Psi people who were undecided as to what to do about me and my publicity of my extrasensory power. One of them tried to kill me while I was on the air with Jay Leno, but the leader of the group stopped him. I was terribly upset about the situation. Then, the leader then came to talk to me, explaining their fear and their decision that perhaps my publicity was the ice breaker that they needed. He promised to protect me, too.

The one thing that is really sticking with me right now is how easy and natural these abilities were in my dreams. Half the time now, when I look at my pen, I simply expect myself to be able to levitate it to me. Unfortunately, the pen stubbornly sits there. But, I swear I can feel a rush of warmth through my hands....

Ah, well. It's probably just extrasensory wishing.

31 January 2000
Psychic Investigators

I was with Howard. We were psychic investigators on our way to a college where "something weird" was happening. We had to stop for the night, but there was only one hotel available and was supposedly haunted. It was almost booked up for the night, so we had to get the last room with only a single king sized bed.

Howard and I were sitting on the bed and talking, scoffing at the idea the hotel was actually haunted. "They sure are making a mint off of this haunted hotel bit" he said.

"Yeah. It's probably just a fraud. I, for one, would like to see proof that it is haunted." I nodded, relaxing from our travels. I really didn't expect a response, but suddenly, as I was leaning up against the wall, I felt the bed slightly lift up and then thrust away from the wall, dumping me to the floor. I felt all around me as if the room was saying, "You want proof? I'll give you proof!"

Howard, who had jumped up at the first sign of movement, came over to help me up. I bowed to the room in general. "I do apologize, Mr. Ghost. I have my proof and I promise I will make time to come back here and do a full investigation." At that, the bed moved back to its proper place.

I took that as an invitation to sleep as I was really tired. Howard told me to go ahead, he's stay up because he had a report to work on. I dreamed that I was speaking with the Ghost, whose name was Dan. I don't remember what we spoke about but the last thing I remember is that he left me a note on white paper saying, "I'm sorry I dumped you to the floor. It was the quickest way I could think of to get your attention. It won't happen again and I shall speak to you again next year." It was signed with three hearts and "-Dan." I mock pouted at him in my dream. "Just three hearts?" I asked. Then, I saw one half of a fourth heart appear on the paper. That's when I woke up.

Howard was sitting next to me on the bed with a leg thrown over my body as he did his report. "You kept floating." He explained. "I think our ghost has a crush on you."

"I don't know about that." I responded with a giggle. "Dan only gave me 3 1/2 hearts." Looking at the quizzical look on Howard's face, I explained my dream to him. He just nodded as if this were something normal. After all, I was the psychic one of the psychic investigator team. He was the scholar.

Once we got to the college, Howard was called away to some emergency in England, leaving me to myself to investigate the 'weirdness' at the college. I immediately joined the psychic study group as that was where the supposed disturbance was. There were three other women and the one professor in the group.

After this, the dream gets very disjointed. I remember that the girls were very nice, but all afraid of the professor in charge. He was the evil one and could somehow control the other girls. He needed a fourth person to do some sort of spell. I remember there was also an artifact involved and a chase scene through the campus, where they were chasing me, that ended at the school infirmary where I was shouting "He's evil! Don't give him the artifact!" Unfortunately, I seemed like the insane one and he got them to give him the artifact.

Then, I had to pick up Howard, who had now become Rupert Giles, from the airport. We rushed back to the school just in time to thwart the evil professor. There was a huge battle and Dan, the ghost from the hotel, actually manifested at one point to save me from something. I'm not sure what. I think, in the end, we vanquished the evil professor and freed the other psychic students from his control.

1 February 2000
Running...

I dreamed that I was part of a military force. I was in a (civil?) war over a planet filled with humans. An earth colony, I think - but I was not human. I looked human, as did the others of my unit. The only thing physically that marked us other than human was our high body temperature.

My unit - a mixture of human and my people - were in a house, planning the next mission when we got word that, somehow, the enemy had found us and had sent in a team of my people to attack. Their orders were to kill the humans and capture my kind.

We knew that we could not be captured. Our information was too valuable. My Captain, another one like me, came up with an esoteric plan that would save us, but would sacrifice the humans. The humans insisted that we follow that plan. The mission was too important.

So, we did. When they attacked, the Captain and I made it out the front door, but not before I heard the order shouted. "You get the Starkitten (me). I'm going after these two!" We were confronted by one of the enemy. I thought we were lost but then, I made the Out Of Character sign and asked... "Now, why are you guys so desperate to capture me? I don't remember." The enemy confused, turned away saying, "Hold on, I'll go find out."

The Captain and I looked at each other and then ran. Ran like we never have before. We had a marvelous stamina and ran both day and night. Some point along the way, we stripped out of our fatigues to blue running suits so we wouldn't stand out. We ran until we reached a small village. The cantina was our drop point. We had made it.

*****

At this point, I then switched to the other team and became the female that looked like Genevieve Bujold. That team wasn't doing so well. Her partner had gone down, protecting her at their drop point. Somehow, the enemy had discovered it and had been waiting in ambush for them.

Now, she was stuck without a way home on a hostile planet. A planet where the natives were friendly, but the enemy battalions that kept landing weren't. She was in a ravine, curled up to the wall when she heard the landing of the more ships.

It was two more units. She knew that they had not seen her, yet - but they were setting up camp less than a hundred yards away. If she did not escape soon it would too late. As she was digging herself into the wall of the ravine, she heard a scream. Already the units were making themselves at home. She knew the woman would be raped and enslaved or killed. As much as her heart went out to the woman, she knew they would do worse to her if she were captured.

Suddenly, a child appeared. It was as if she melded from the rock. She urgently waved me over to her. "You're in too much danger!" I hissed at her. She came over and tugged my hand. It was either go or make a scene and be captured. So, I followed.

She brought me to her home, to what seemed to be nothing more than a crevice in the ravine face. In fact, it was the opening to a large cavern. The girl's mother pulled me in and hurried me to their hiding place. I tried to warn them of the danger but, they already knew and were willing to take the risk.

FADE
(This was a very difficult dream to wake up from. I tried three times but kept being pulled back in. It was as if the dream wasn't done and was desperate to finish its story.)

28 February 2000
Lions & Cheetahs

I was kneeling between the couch and the coffee table, vaguely aware that my mom was sitting in a chair to my left. But, I was more concerned about the lions that were stalking ever closer to attack the cheetahs. I had no weapon, but I was there to help the cheetahs. I was protecting the couch... or something the couch was in front of. Or, perhaps, the couch was the symbol of dominance in this area. I don't know. All I knew was that it was important.

The lions circled closer, attacking the defending cheetahs. One lion was stalking towards me. He was afraid but I knew, somehow, he was nothing more than a distraction. There was another lion trying to circle behind me. Suddenly, I felt a bump on the couch and the pressure to my back. I knew it was one of the smaller cheetahs. Its' tail wrapped itself gently around my neck. It was reassuring touch. I glanced over my shoulder at the cheetah, who then looked at me. Its' look told me that it would always watch my back.

I looked back at the lion but found myself standing in an elevator with about 10 other people. I looked to my left at Greg and asked, "What do you think we'll find?"

He just shrugged. "Don't know."

Suddenly, as the elevator was descending, it began to rock back and forth in a dangerous manner with the gears above us making horrible grinding noises. I know I was frightened, but I kept myself calm. It wouldn't do to panic. Finally, the elevator stopped and we were able to get off - which all of us did, quickly.

Greg and I were standing in the lobby of a dorm/hotel. We looked at the channel and saw that it was dry and that was wrong. Very wrong. Following the channel back to the beginning, we discovered that someone had turned the water off. We didn't know why, but I decided to turn it back on. It began to fill again quickly, allowing the water to flow.

There was also something else wrong but I couldn't tell what. I thought it had something to do with the temperature. So, I turned up the heat. Greg shouted something back to me and I realized the temperature wasn't the problem. I turned it off and looked up again.

I found myself kneeling between the couch and the coffee table again, looking at my mom, who was holding 3-4 of the cutest tiny black kittens with deep blue eyes. As I reached out to pet one, I became aware that my sister was sitting across from me in a straight back chair. She spoke to me as she held a kitten, but I was distracted.

To my right came a lion. The lions were attacking again, but this time I had a weapon - a sword. I hit the ground twice with it in an aggressive gesture to let the lion know that I meant business and would use the sword if pushed. The lion, disbelieving, advanced upon me and I was forced to strike. I stabbed it twice, plunging my sword deep within his flank and then his chest. The wounds did not bleed and my sword was still clean, but the lion had definitely been hurt.

Suddenly, I felt a familiar pressure at my back and the cheetah's tail curl about my throat. I smiled to myself as I gently stroked the tail, my weapon still held at the ready as I watched the injured lion. I was confident that my cheetah would always guard my back.

FADE.

8 March 2000
Shaelinador

We are in a huge alien space exploration ship. About thirty of us from earth. We all seem to be explorers but none of us seems to be ready for what is about to happen. We are all still in our street clothes and the ship, Shaelinador, is about to take off. It is a marvelous ship. We are all crowded into a small room maybe 10" x 15". It is very small, this special launch room.

The launch is very rocky. I don't know what we are launching from. We are in space. I look out the one port window and see that we are about to skim the surface of the sun! I turn my face away, yelling for the others to do the same. Things get very hot and for an instant, I think we are going to die as we seem to crash into the sun. Then, suddenly, all is fine and quiet. We are in space.

Everyone really wants to get out of the cramped room. Wanting to just go explore this ship. I make them wait until all the lights are green. I have to, rather forcefully, explain to one female that this is space and it is dangerous. If you get a single pinprick hole in your suit, you will -die-. Once that is through their skulls, I open the door and let people go explore as they wish.

Shaelinador is four miles long. She is alien but ours. Everyone, including me, is in awe. I walk into the common galley area and discover that a feast has been laid out. It was for the Press but... She didn't want them here. So, no one ate the food. It just seems so wasteful to me. I am worried about this trip. No one else seems worried and I wonder why. Am I the only who realizes what's going on here?

I think about that as I start cleaning up the feast, putting the food into containers for storage. About 5 people have followed me. Stuck close to me because I seem to be the only responsible person around. Very quickly, they are helping me store the food. They sense my worry but they don't seem to understand it.

I notice the female Captain. I know she is the Captain of this wonderful ship but she doesn't seem like the 'take charge' type. She is much more like a teacher or a psychologist, just watching the other students and me.

That strikes me. We are students. I think to follow that thought but as I continue to clean up the feast, I turn and see Brad, a big hulking know it all, taking apart a small machine that looks a little like a vacuum cleaner. He has made a mess of it, the area and himself. This makes me incredibly furious. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I shout at him, but he doesn't care. He tells me to 'chill out.' That just makes me even more angry. I yell at him some more and send him away from the commons. Then, I turn to someone I somehow know is technically competent and ask him to fix that poor machine.

After we have finished cleaning up the food, the Captain asks me to come to the bridge with her. Akien and James follow. She and I both know they are there and accept it. The bridge is beautiful. It is my idealize thought of what a bridge should look like, come to life. Instinctively, I know how to run most of the controls. I look around gently stroking the panels.

As I explore my bridge... for I suddenly feel very possessive of it... I am vaguely aware of Akien telling the Captain that his wife died and that was why he was there. I turn to look at them, catching a secret, knowing smile on her face.

Then, someone hesitantly walks in and tells us that they found kittens on board. This delights me as a little black and white kitten comes sneaking in to look around. The Captain smiles and also groans a little. "And it's kitty season." Her own little black dog comes strolling in at that point, greeting her enthusiastically. I can see there is a second black dog - a shy one that I recognize. I go to coax him in, but I am distracted.

We are in the hall and I can see through port holes into the other rooms. The Captain tells me she is going to check on the others and that I have control of the bridge. I nod, watching two people in a room of trees. There are baskets hanging from the trees. The two people are too fascinated to see me gesturing to them.

As I move closer, I see they are looking into a basket and holding up an arrowhead, speaking about how it looks native American to them. They still don't see me as I move closer... close enough to finally see what is in the baskets. To my horror, the room appears to be a burial ground for native American infants. It sickens me.

I turn and flee back to the safety of my bridge. I coax the two dogs and kitten to come with me. I know as I enter my bridge, this is where I belong. The others have their own place. This is mine. As I finally sit in the Command chair, for the first time since I arrived, I feel my worries fade. I look out the viewport into the endless starry space and know this is how it is supposed to be.

FADE.

10 March 2000
Otherworldly Lovers

It begins with me and my Thursday gaming group all out to see a movie. We all have a really good time. We decide to go back to Greg's house but he warns us, his new roommate/landlord is a bit odd. Once we enter the house, we can see that the roommate, Jacob, is a total neat freak and is more than a bit odd. He cleans the toilet after every time someone uses it.

I notice a couple of things. Jacob stares at me for a long time as if he knows me. The kitchen is a mess. I am becoming strangely attracted to Greg and protective of him. It pisses me off when Jacob snaps at him for anything.

I go into the kitchen and start to clean it up. I don't know why it is such a mess but I know Greg will be blamed. In the kitchen is an old fashioned TV. It is on but the sound is off. There is a news bulletin of a strange light in the sky and I want to hear it. I turn up the sound a little to listen but the sound knob is on an automatic spring and it quickly turns it up to full blast. I try to turn it down or off but I can't. I know this is going to piss Jacob off and that is the last thing I want to do.

In the process of trying to turn it off, I accidentally hit the window shade and that begins to unravel on me. So, now, I have the TV blaring and the window shade unraveling. Jacob walks in and begins to yell at me. I yell back at him, telling him he is crazy. Greg walks in, too but he is now someone named Jonathon. This is not unusual to me.

Finally, Jacob snaps, "I am tired of this. It's time to make things right. Time for you to remember." He pulls a picture out of his pocket. It is a picture of me, Jacob and Jonathon. We are all hugging and smiling. At the bottom of this picture is hand written: Jacob Gerl, Sue Gerl, Jonathon Gerl.

My world comes crashing down at this... the implications. I suddenly know I love Jonathon. I have - forever. The picture seems to intimate we are brother and sister, but I know that is a lie. A lie to keep me and Jonathon apart. I don't know why. It upsets me a lot. I try to flee from Jacob, through this maze of a house.

I notice as I run through the living room, Rich has become his sluagh character, Eddie, and the rest have left. Eddie is just standing unobtrusively watching and listening. Jacob is running after me, yelling. "We can't go through this again! It always ends in the same way. You flee. You end up in room 11 and the little girl comes. She is the only one who ever leaves room 11!"

As I pass a door, Jonathon reaches out and grabs me. We kissed hurriedly but passionately before we flee the house. We run a long time. We are so tired when we finally stop at the broken down motel. There is only one room open. Room 112. Relieved, we gratefully accept the room and head to it.

When we get there, to my horror, the door is missing a number, making it room 11. We still go in because we don't know what else to do. I glance out the doorway and see, it the distance, the figure of a female child approaching. I look back into the room and am startled to see that Eddie is there with Jonathon. The two of them are speaking.

"Then one of you must return to tell me what happens." Eddie whispers. "That is my price."

Jonathon nods. "Alright, I will. But... she will see you."

"She may see me coming in but she will never leave to tell anyone about it." Eddie laughs in that horrifying manner of his.

I glance out the window as they talk and see that we are too high up to escape by the window. Then, it occurs to me... if the little girl is the only one who ever leaves room 11... then I must stop her from entering.

Quietly, with a last, longing, loving look to Jonathon, I slip out of the room and go to meet the child. Vaguely, I am aware that Eddie has stopped Jonathon from following me. The little girl is angelic. Maybe six or seven years old. So beautiful with big blue eyes. She seems so helpless, so innocent. But, I know different. She is evil. Pure and simple. It is an instinct I have.

We stop and look at each other. She lifts her hand to me. "I was hoping you'd care for me. Give me all those things I need so badly." We start walking together. Another woman silently joins us. "Things like food, shelter, love... a soul." I nod to the little girl as we stop at the lobby and sit. I crouch before her with the other woman standing next to us. The woman looks so sad.

I know the little girl wants my soul. That's what this is all about. It is my soul that allows me to do the things I need to do. She is asking for... telling me to give her... my very essence so she may have my unknown power. If I obey, I will die. Probably not immediately, but I will eventually cease to exist. It is an awful thought to someone who has lived for so long - even if I cannot remember my past.

I am then caught by the necklace the little girl is wearing. It is a beautiful moonstone. Large and clear. We speak about it a bit and I struggle to remember why it is so important. The girl comments hers is always the best. Better that the other lady's. I look between the two necklaces and then up to the woman. She smiles at me, trying to Will me to remember something.

Suddenly, I do. The necklace is our escape. I talk with the little girl some more then suddenly yank her necklace from her. She screams and curls up. It is as if I have torn apart of her from her. Then, I realize she was not attuned to this place yet. That is why she needed my soul.

The other woman immediately hands me her necklace and hugs me. "Love you, sis." She whispers in my ear. I cannot express my gratitude. I know she will be in trouble for this but just as I was willing to sacrifice myself for my love, she is willing to sacrifice herself for me. I can't stop to thank her but she knows. Silently, I promise to return to save her.

I run back to room 11 where Jonathon and Eddie are. They are relived to see me. I and Jonathon put the necklaces on and suddenly we remember all that we need too... We are from 'some where else' and travel through various 'places.' Eddie knew because we smelled different. He seems very happy and smug that he had figured it out and that he was right.

Then, Jonathon and I hold hands and begin to shimmer, escaping to elsewhere.

FADE

30 March 2000
Initiation Party

I was with a friend of mine. She was a beautiful leggy blond who was incredibly smart. I was new in town. She had brought me to a huge house for a party. It seemed like a lot of people where there. She walked through the house like she was very familiar with it. I gawked at all of the beautiful pieces of artwork. We stopped at a room with a computer. The room was very plain with tiled floor and ceiling. She sat down and cracked her knuckles, giving me a wicked grin. "I always do some sort of practical joke with his computer. If I didn't, he wouldn't know it was me."

Moving forward in time, we are at the mansion again, back in the computer room. It is another party. My friend smiled at me and told me that she thought it was 'her night' tonight, so she was going to go mingle. I could stay in the computer room if I wanted. I nodded to her. These big parties made me nervous. So many people I didn't know and didn't want to know.

So, I stayed in the computer room, and decided that I would play the practical joke on the host with his computer. Couldn't have my friend loosing her streak. I'm not sure what I did to the computer but it required a lot of typing. Halfway through the evening, as I said hello to those people who peeked into the room to see what I was doing, I stopped to make myself a luscious ice cream sundae from the refrigerator/freezer that had been put into the computer room. I remember marveling at the fresh strawberries, soaking in sugar and champagne, which I liberally poured over the ice cream. Then came the chocolate sauce and real whipped cream. It was truly decadent and I enjoy every bite.

I finished the sundae just as a 10 minute warning to the end of the party popped up. I decided I should probably go find my friend. As usual, there was a mass exodus towards the door. So, I waited a bit until most of the people passed. I stepped out, looking for my friend, when the double doors to the den burst open. It was my friend. She was struggling with two men, trying to escape but she didn't look afraid. She looked excited and happy - like it was all just a game.

Just after the two men dragged my friend back into the room, a tall older man with a regal bearing walked out. He looked like the Count, Sandor Szavost, from "Eyes Wide Shut." He stopped and smiled at me, pausing as if to commit my face to memory. Then, he smoothly closed the double doors, disappearing inside again.

I looked around in confusion, realizing that only the women where leaving. A couple of women who had seen this, smiled to themselves and nodded in approval. Someone else took me home. No one spoke a word about what I had seen.

Shifting forward in time again. I know months have passed between each scene. I am walking by myself through the coastal town. I realize now it is Port Townsend. This is where I have lived for the past half year. I know that it is Halloween day as I smile at the squeaking children who all excited about going out that evening. As I turn around, I find myself face to face with Sandor Szavost. It startles me.

"Hello my dear, I haven't received your RSVP for tonight's party. I'm sure it just got lost in the mail." He said to me as he took my hand. I felt myself blush as he stood very close to me. In truth, I had decided not to go to the party but now, in the force of his presence, I found I didn't have the words to tell him so. "Because, I would be most disappointed if you were not there this night." He continued.

"Oh, yes. I'll be there. Promise." I found myself saying.

The Count smiled again and nodded. "Don't forget, it's a costume party." Then, he walked away.

I stood there for a long moment, shaking. I had a very odd feeling about what had just happened. Finally, I told myself that I would just go in jeans. Period. Then, I saw that everyone else was really dressing up. Even the skanky guys - who had just walked by doing a good impression of the cast of the Godfather.

Sighing to myself, I hurried home to look for a costume. My friend was there, getting into a showgirl outfit. She seemed calm and happy. Finally, I asked. "You're going tonight?"

"Of course, aren't you?"

I nodded. "Yes... but... what about what happened to you... last time." We had never spoken of it.

"Oh, that." She said. "It's no big deal. In fact, it's a lot more fun than I thought it would be." She looked at the concern on my face. "Think of it as an Initiation into the town. You've noticed that I've been much more accepted and liked lately, right?" I nodded. "That's why. Every woman goes through it. You have to struggle at first, that's part of the ... um... ritual. But after that, just enjoy." She finished with her make up. "And, I think it's your night tonight." She grinned and turned away.

My night, huh? I immediately decided on my costume - the Catholic school girl look. But not slutty. Everything as proper as possible. I even decided on tights to go with my Blackwatch skirt. They would have one heck of a struggle getting those tights off of me. Suddenly, the whole idea wasn't as horrifying as I thought. Suddenly, I was really looking forward to "my night" as I headed out the door towards the Halloween ball.

FADE

15 April 2000
The One

I'm am an FBI detective assigned to investigate a murder of a high society social light and a kidnapping of another woman at a party. I have two local detectives assigned to me.

Two men have killed a woman named Kathleen, and kidnapped another, named Chantel, threatening two more - Vivienne and Joy. Those two are in protective custody. I and the two local detectives spend a long time chasing down the kidnappers and the hostage. As we get close, I have a brief fling with one of the detectives, Joe, who looks like the lead singer of Metallica. I find out later that this was meant to distract me.

We discover that the hostage isn't one. She has gone with them willingly. In a cheap hotel room, the two kidnappers chant something and hang themselves part of a ritual. I find the hotel room with Chantel curled up on the bed and the kidnappers in the other room hung to death. Chantel is crying. "I'm not the one."

I go to look at the two hung men, Joe kills Chantel, shooting her to death. I think we are under attack. Joe fools me and knocks me out. I don't know why he doesn't kill me, but he gets away.

Joy, who is still custody is freaks out when she hears of this. I have figured out that she is a part of this somehow. I have to arrest her. I have my FBI team there now. I'm working with the one local cop who looks like Robert. Joy soon dies in seizures. As she dies, she murmurs, "I am not the one."

The other woman in custody, Vivienne, has been 'taken' by Joe. We are hunting for them now. Discussing all the betrayals and such. One agent asks, "I wonder what really happened at that party."

Switch scene to four woman sitting around a table filled with ritual implements. It is Vivienne, Kathleen, Joy and Chantel.

Vivienne: I've learned all the magic I wanted in this lifetime. It's a good day to die.

Joy: I don't know if I want to die...

Kathleen: Do you doubt our Lord's words? Are you a disbeliever?

Joy: No... No... But...

Vivienne: But nothing. We have been chosen of our Lord for this task. You should be honored.

Chantel: It's ready.

The women stand and begin to chant in an unknown language as Chantel hands them each a goblet of clear liquid. They move to a ritual circle, each taking a quadrant. At the height of their chant, they drink the liquid as one. Then, the ritual is done. They look at each other expectantly. Nothing happens. They clean up the ritual room and return to the party.

Shortly, one of the party guests suddenly turns on Kathleen and says. "You are not the one!" A second man grabs her and holds her still just before the first one plunges a dagger into her heart. Then, the first one grabs Chantel, taking her hostage as he points to Vivienne and Joy. "I will come for you next!"

Switch scene to a beaten down hotel room. Joe utters a small ritual prayer and then hangs himself. In the next room over Vivienne is writhing on the bed. She is very obviously pregnant and in labor. She is saying "I'm the one. I'm the one." over and over as she cries. It is unclear if she is happy or terrified.

FADE

19 March 2000
Cyber Café

I was in a cyber café that was set up like a classroom. The place was packed with all sorts of people - young, old... I could hear the murmurings of all the people around me. If I tried, I could listen in on the conversations but I didn't want to do that.

I was looking at my computer when 'my' phone rang. Each computer had a phone. I picked it up. The voice on the other end of the line sounded a little bit like Keannu Reeves voice from The Matrix. Before I could say "Hello." the voice began to speak. "There is no need to answer me. I have been watching you ever since you came in." I looked around for him."You will not be able to see me. I am not here. I just wanted to let you know that ever since I first saw you, I have known there is a connection between us. This time, I'm not going to let you fade away. I will follow up on the connection this time." Then, he hung up.

I looked around the cyber café as I woke up. My last thought before waking fully was that this cyber café was my mind's representation of what telepathy was like.

6 May 2000
Death Becomes Me

I had a very strange dream this morning. I dreamed that one of my neighbors, a rather scary woman, was on a killing rampage. I didn't actually recognize the neighborhood but I knew it was my neighborhood. This psycho woman was actually rather normal looking - except for the fact that she was incredibly strong, was breaking through doors and hacking people with an ax when she wasn't using a chainsaw.

I remember running through my house, trying to escape. I kept finding dead people around. As soon as I made it outside, I ran next door, frantically beating on the door. My neighbor, whom I didn't know, let me in. I stammered something about our neighbor lady having gone on a psycho killing spree and begged to use the phone to call the police.

While I was on the phone, frantically trying to explain what was happening, the psycho lady broke into the house and started killing everyone in the house. I escaped out the back door and started running again. I tried to get help several more times but the psycho lady was hot on my trail. I'm not sure how she kept finding me after stopping to kill all the people who were trying to help me.

Finally, I ran out of the residential area to an industrial area. There was a very busy street to cross. It was very difficult. None of the cars would slow down. Finally, I made it across the street. Everyone ignored me except for one person - a beat cop. I quickly told him everything that had happened - even that the lady kept killing everyone who helped me.

He seemed a little disturbed but decided to help me. He took me through a shop and upstairs. It was a small studio apartment with privacy screens. I waited there a long time. Then, suddenly, other people started to arrive - all the people who had been killed by the psycho lady, including Alex and another friend! Then, the cop arrived and began talking to us.

He told us that we were all already dead but none of us realized it yet and that was because the psycho lady who had killed us was also dead but she didn't realize it either. That was a problem. All of our deaths were a mistake and he, a death cop, was going to deal with the situation. In the meantime, we all had to stay here.

Once the cop was gone, there was understandably a lot of confusion, sadness and anger at our unexpected and mistaken deaths. Alex got really upset because he did not want to leave his wife, Johanna, and he did not care if it was going to be a Sixth Sense deal. He tried to rally everyone into leaving but when someone tried to, we found out that we were trapped in the apartment.

I saw my one friend standing to the side, leaning against a wall. He looked mildly unhappy. I remember thinking that the whole time I had known him, I had never told him what I really felt and I regretted that. I walked over to him and talked with him about it. I admitted to him that I had been attracted to him since I met him and just wanted him to know. He took the compliment graciously and said something about being attracted to me, too. It was just too bad that we had to died to gain the courage to admit this to each other.

Just then, the death cop returned and told us all that he had dealt with the psycho lady. Also, since our deaths were unexpected and wrong, he had arranged for us all to be turned to life. I remember looked at my friend in surprise, then was suddenly mortified that I had admitted my feelings to him. I wondered what would happen between us once we met each other in life again.

FADE.

28 May 2000
Turn About

I was college, hanging out with my college friends at a party. I remember seeing a handsome, but young, guy there. I guessed him to be a senior in high school. He asked me to dance. I politely declined. Not because he was so young, but because I didn't want to dance. Later, he came over and offered me a drink. I accepted that.

The next thing I knew, I was in the college commons area, sitting on a barstool. He was binding my wrists together. I was confused. I tried to ask what was going on. He punched me in the face, a stunning blow. While I was dazed, he finished tying up my wrists and yanked me from the seat. He pulled me over to some long benches and forcing me to lay down in-between them.

As he was tying off the end of my bonds to the leg of one of the benches, he was telling me that now, there would be no more distractions to keep he and I apart. I was barely listening to him as I was looking at my wrists, figuring out how I could get free as soon as he left me alone long enough. This whole situation was starting to piss me off. I was never scared. Not even once.

Suddenly, my friend, Mike, walked through the door. He stopped when saw me lying on the ground, tied up to a bench. I made a quick hand motion towards the blond kid, indicating that he was the dangerous one. Mike rather calmly walked over, easily blocked the kid's punch and laid him out. In the meantime, I was busily getting myself free.

Mike made sure that I was OK, then headed out to get the police. While Mike was gone, I noticed the blond kid stuff something in his mouth. I was over there in an instant, demanding an explanation. The kid said something about having watched me for a long time, he was sorry he hurt me but he couldn't live without me... and it would all be over soon. He just hoped it didn't hurt too much.

I realized that he had poisoned himself. I was livid over this and frightened for him. With the police on their way, I knew I had to do something to either get the poison out of his system or slow down. Somewhere in there, I figured out if he had something else in his stomach, the poison wouldn't be absorbed as quickly. So, I ended up making him eat a lot of mashed potatoes.

I noticed after a short while that the kid did not seem to be suffering any ill effects of the poison. It dawned on me to check his pockets. All I found were some tabs of Drixoral. Just as I realized that he had not actually poisoned himself, Mike and the police arrived. The kid said to me, "See, you do care about me, don't you." I just turned and walked away.

FADE.

27 June 2000
The Legacy Closet

I dreamed that I was working with the Legacy foundation to recover a series of lost artifacts from the past. We had to use a cursed closet to do so. We would paste the news article about a past article on the inside of the closet, then, the relevant Legacy members would go into the closet and into the past. Artifacts would appear in the closet. There was always a danger of being trapped in the past. The rest of us had to be able to call them back

I was working with them because something like a demon was after me. It was tracking me through my past, changing my history. I remembered things that never happened because of this. I remember there was one time - that never happened - but it did because of the demon.

I was given ecstasy. It was the strangest sensation. Time jumped around for me. We were in Versailles, gathering something. When we went outside, I was just so overwhelmed by the beauty of Versailles (that was a cross between the actual Versailles and the Parthenon) that I had to gasp. The other team members indulgently smiled at me.

After we packed away the artifacts, I stood out on a balcony, feeling the effects of the drug. There were strange things happening to the city and a cluster of stars was dropping to meet me. I turned and found myself with my sister who wanted to know who I was marrying but I did not know I was suppose to marry. Derek had to pull me out of that past.

The last artifact recovery was particularly hard on Derek. That was one where he had to watch his love did. There were many artifacts to recover. They kept appearing in the closet. I was so afraid for Derek. He was in the past for so long. Finally, he reappeared but told us that Rachel was trapped. I didn't even know she had gone. We were going to have to go in one final time to get her. I had a feeling that was what the demon was waiting for.

29 June 2000
SkinCarver

The dream began with a little bit of a back story about a madman named Stan who was a serial killer. He had this thing about skinning people alive and making the most intricate skin carvings to hang on the wall. That was when he was being the artist. When he was just being crazy, he would carve the people's skin up while they were alive, then kill them.

It was a dentist's office. Stan had already killed and skinned the dentist. A little boy came in for his appointment. Stan pretended to be the dentist. I don't know why I came into the dentist office. I think I was looking for someone. Stan came out, his face covered with a mask and spoke with me. Something about that conversation really got his interest in me. After I left, Stan went back into the office. The little boy was in the chair, alive. Half of the skin on his face had been carved up in an intricate design. He did not seem to be in any pain - but the "Me" viewer was horrified.

After that, Stan worked to get close to me. I don't know how he knew who I was or where I would be, but he would follow me places. There was an amusement park where we walked up a lot of stairs into a whirly-gig. Once inside, I knew someone was following me. I did not recognize him. I made sure that he did not get too close, especially when the whirly-gig started up. Stan was not a patient man. I knew he was frustrated.

From the amusement park - or, perhaps in the amusement park, I went to a LOT 15 concert. I met up with all of my old high school friends; those that played in the band and those that came to watch. I told them that someone was following me and pointed him out. Stan had not seen me. Whenever he would come near, I would crouch down and my friends would crowd about me so I could not be seen.

Time passed, and I found myself in my office. My boss handed me a resume and told me to interview the candidate. When I walked into the room, I found myself face to face with Stan. I was shocked but I did my best to be professional. I interviewed him for the QA position but he was not qualified. As I walked him out of the building, he wanted me to meet his wife and daughter. He really wanted to make a good impression on me.

The wife was nice enough, though she seemed a little scared of Stan. The little blond girl was quiet and big eyed. I knew, instinctively, that the little girl was not their daughter but I didn't know what to do about it. They seemed like the happy family but I knew there was something terribly wrong with Stan.

I went back up to the interview room and found that Stan had left something, forcing me to go to his out to return it to him - as he planned, I suspected. I went to his house to drop off his wallet. The house is big and beautiful. Stan is so happy to see me. Somehow, I find his wife dead and flee the house. I get in my car and speed away as fast as I can - but my car morphs between a car and a bike - back and forth. When I'm on dirt, I'm on a bike, pumping away. When I finally reach the street, it becomes a car again. As I am I fleeing, I can hear Stan yelling my name. There is an explosion behind me. It is his house, I know. But I also know he is not dead.

I come across a street gang who have just grabbed another little girl. They are working with Stan. I don't know why but I know I have to save that little girl. I challenge them, confronting them. They are less than impressed with me. I know I have to pull out all the stops. Stan will be here quickly. I mutter something arcane and my hands burst into flame. Between that and Movement of the Mind, I am ready to do what is necessary to save that little girl.

I must hurry. I can hear Stan coming.

FADE.

16 July 2000
Potential

I had the most intriguing dream about living two lives. I was still in college and all of my current friends were in college with me. We were playing Casting the Runes, a LARP. The same night as the LARP, Johanna and I had a joint dream.

We were in our co-ed dorm and had to close and lock all the doors in the stair well. It was very important that we do this. Something was going to happen. What neither of us realize was that we had passed through the barrier into the spirit world where certain people had a place, a potential, a destiny. Our introduction into this world was rather horrifying.

As we got to the bottom of the dorms, where the gym, laundry rooms and showers were, we noticed some of our professors where following us. They looked different. Evil. They spoke to us. Something about 'fresh meat.' We ran into the laundry room and got separated, confused by the pillars and mirrors. I saw that two of the professors had caught Johanna and were carrying her off. I tried to get to her, but I could not figure out where they were. I knew what was going to happen to her. I was doing everything in my power to help her and I could not.

Once she disappeared from view, I realized the other professors where still after me. I ran and ran, suddenly finding the way out, bursting onto the campus. I ran into a student. I warned him that the professors were evil, were chasing me. He wanted to help. We ran together. He took me to the rooftop of one of the dorms but turned on me there. He meant to have me for himself. I tried to escape but he told me, if I ran, he would kill all of the kitten of the new litter that was up here. To prove it, he went over, picked up a kitten, showed it to me and threw it off of the building. It broke it's back when it land, spasming there. I was so horrified that all I could do was agree to go with him.

As he led me down again, I don't know where we were going, a large black and brown dog barred our way, barking at us. The guy was frightened, I was not. The guy backed away... but I stood my ground. The dog leaped at me, pushing me hard. I woke up to find myself in my bed.

I did not realize it then but the dog had pushed me out of the spirit world in order to protect me. Some time passed. I was living my life as a college student but I was also living my life a Potential in the spirit world when I slept. The spirit world was still a frightening place to me but I had found a couple of good mentors. The large dog that had saved me that first night belonged to one of my mentors.

We Potentials were there to fight the Darkness the tried to cover the land and corrupt the world. I learned how to manipulate things in the spirit world, but the real world and the spirit world affected each other. I was still pursued by the Darkness in various forms - spirit and real. On my birthday, I received many cards and well wishes in the spirit world. They were left on my bed.

On that day, I was to visit a very special mentor. He told me so much history of who we are and were. I discovered, this group of Potentials was only one of a chain of many. Most died in great sacrifices that killed all the Potentials but stopped the Dark.

The last great sacrifice, he told me that the Dark had amassed a great spiritual fleet that would devastate the spirit world and thus, devastate the real world in some equally horrible fashion. So, all of the Potentials gathered and set off a chain reaction beneath the fleet, exploding it, killing the fleet, the dark and the Potentials. Though, two very young Potentials escaped. I realized that this explosion coincided with the Trinity test of the first atom bomb.

The dream shifted, and it became clear, that I was on of the two Potentials, in a previous life, that escaped. I was the mentor to a small girl. I was so young myself. My orders were to get as far away from the site as possible. Everyone wished me well. I was frighten. I did not know then that I was going to be the new leader of the Potentials for that time. The Dark recognized me when I crossed over in this life. That was why they pursued me so doggedly.

Time grew strange. For a while there, I was living four lives. My lives from the 1940s and my current lives. I got the sense that another great sacrifice was impending... but I did not know what. I sensed that it was going to be a much more personal sacrifice this time around.

FADE.

14 August 2000
Drawing Reality

It was an odd dream, flashing between places and times. I was in an orphanage that was also a library and newspaper press. There were two people in charge. A strict looking woman in black and a neutral looking man with blue eyes and a black hat.

The dream started out in the newspaper. I was talking to one of my friends, Gabrielle. She was convincing me to start running with her. I agreed and she went back to work. I turned and noticed the woman standing there, looking disapprovingly at me.

Flash to the library. The man is there, teaching a boy to draw. The boy is pretty good, drawing in black and white. That is startling against the color around us. As the boy is drawing, his picture ripples, like it was water and I know something has changed in the world but I don't know what.

Flash to an early morning. I have started my jogging. I have no thoughts about the jog. I don't like it or not like it. As I round the corner, I see Gabrielle jogging behind a van. The van is hers and somehow she is pushing it in front of her. I ask her why and she tells me that it is for when she gets tired.

Suddenly, I am not next to her anymore. My vantage point is from the top of the van, looking down on her and she is falling behind. "Oh, no!" She cries out to me, though I'm no where to be seen. She chases her van as my vantage point now hovers over, watching her chase her van. The scene in front of the van ripples and the van disappears, leaving Gabrielle looking startled and confused.

I turn my head and we are back in the newspaper office. The strict woman is there, eyeing us. We both know that she did something to the van. Gabrielle glares at her and walks away. The woman and I look at each other for a long moment and I know that she is a bad, bad person.

I turn away from her and I am in the library with the man in the hat. He is teaching me to draw. I am there and I am watching myself with him. The me that I am watching is younger. The watcher me knows that the man is definitely not a good person but is also not a bad person either. Someone in between. Gray. I am curious about myself and my drawings. I am curious why he is teaching me. He looks up from the younger me to look at the watcher me and smiles.

I look up and find myself in the kitchen where the woman is sitting, eating eggs and bacon. There is no smell. I notice that. She looks at me and I get the impression she wants to say something but cannot figure out the right words. I think she wants to proclaim her innocence. I think. She gestures to the dirty pans for me to clean up. I dutifully pick up the skillet that she had cooked the bacon and eggs in. There is some left over. Suddenly, I am hungry and decide that I want to have something to eat.

I turn to look for a plate and find myself with the man. We are in the kitchen. He has a book of pictures. He wants me to pick a picture to draw. He stops at a picture of a baby bird fallen from it's nest. I recoil. "No! I don't want to draw that." He nods to me and turns the page. It is the kitchen. He points at the picture of the cake. I nod. Then, I notice that this is an exact picture of what is in the kitchen now and I am mystified.

I looked to him questioning. He smiled and puts his hand -into- the picture and touches the cake, messing up the icing some. I look up and see that the icing on the real cake is messed up too now. "Someday, you will not only be able to do that but also draw what the room will be like, too."

The younger me smiles in wonder. The watcher me is curious at how the younger me will use this power. I realize then that there is a struggle between the man and the woman. They both are using the orphans who grow into their talent in this silent war. Just as I realize that as both the younger me and the watcher me, the man turns and smiles kindly at the watcher me.

FADE.

03 September 2000
Invasion Force

I and all my friends were still in college. It looked like University of Portland but we were in California. There was some sort of alien invasion... well, actually, some sort of alien menacing going on. It was from these aliens in green and white ships. I never saw the aliens but I got the impression that they were energy beings of some sort.

In any case, we watched at the military blew up one of the ships with missiles. The other one took off, seemingly with its tail between its legs. There were parties every where in celebration. What no one realized until too late was that other ship went back home to report to their leaders - and lead the REAL invasion force back to earth.

This time, the alien ships were so big, we could see them in the atmosphere. This threw the world into a depressive panic. Me, Dru, Johanna and couple of others were sitting in the lobby of one of the dorm rooms. A couple cops decided that it would be a good thing to harass us. Dru ended up being arrested by one cop, while the second cop started throwing his authority around, hitting on Johanna. She didn't seem to notice it but I did. It really got my hackles up.

I looked at Johanna. "Well, it's not certain that the world is going to end and we have homework due tomorrow. We might as well go do it."

Johanna immediately picked up on the clue that something was wrong. "Oh, yeah. You mean the 100 questions?"

I nodded. "Yep."

She sighed. "OK. Let's go." She ignored everyone, including the cop, as got her stuff and left with me, walking to the elevator. Once we got there, she looked at me. "What was wrong?"

"That cop. He was trying to insinuate that you had to sleep with him just because he was a cop and we were in a state of martial law." I shrugged. "It just got my hackles up."

Johanna smiled. "Oh, yeah. Well, this is where the "Dora" personality comes in handy." She squeaked and gave me a vapid expression so devoid of intelligence that I had to laugh.

Fast Forward in Time.

It's been a couple of years and the aliens have all but taken control of the planet. They want us to act 'as normal' but adhering to their rules. By this time, the aliens have figured out how to use human bodies as hosts. I was part of a resistance force at the university. They were using my off campus house as meeting place.

The object of our mission was to find and save the prophesized savior child. She was half human, half alien. Born of a human woman and a man possessed by an alien. She was said to hold the key to our world. We were supposed to meet the mother and daughter in the facilities building of the university. But, we knew we were not the only ones who were looking for this savior child. Other more radical resistance groups were as were several factions of the aliens. The only one we were worried about was the one led by Avery Brooks. The alien head of intelligence had possessed Avery Brooks earlier that year.

There are lots of fast images of many parties converging on the facilities building where the mother, now possessed by a benevolent alien, and the savior daughter wait. There is a lot of fighting but that all stops as Avery Brooks walks on the scene with his troops. Everyone stands around waiting to see what he will do. He stops in front of the child and cups her face for a moment. She stares back at him, wide-eyed. He smiles. It is supposed to be reassuring. It isn't.

Avery then turns to the two closest women - the mother, now possessed and another woman who seemed to be the leader of one of the alien factors. He shakes his head, looking to the mother, he says, "I know why you have done what you have done. It is your belief and you stand by that. I can respect that. However, you have betrayed me." He turned to the other woman. "You, however, have no excuse except greed and ambition. You, my second, have betrayed ME!" With that, he grabs both women by the throats. They try to fight but cannot. "Betrayal is treason! Treason means... death!" Avery lifts both women off the ground by their throats and pushes them -into- the generator. It seems that he is melding their flesh with the metal.

The little girl is screaming. Although I am horrified, I grab the little girl (who looks like my niece) and run for our lives. Behind me, those watching can see that the women, melded with the generator, are still alive. Avery watches them for a moment then looks back to where I have run. Dramatically sighing, Avery grounds you. "Do I have to do all your thinking for you? The half-breed is getting away. Capture her!" As the troops start into motion, he yells out, "And bring me back that woman who has her... alive."

I hear the commotion behind me and run on, carrying the savior girl.

FADE.

07 October 2000
Running of the Deer

I was in a gym with several other students. While none of us wore any sort of uniform, I knew we were in a military school for mages. We had just graduated. As a sign of our graduation, we were each given an artifact. It look like glass bubble in the middle of popping. Or, perhaps more like a sort of round glass jelly fish. Mine was a deep cobalt blue. Very pretty. I remember holding it protectively to me.

Then, everyone was heading out to a graduation party. I got the feeling that I was being left behind - deliberately - as if I was not a popular student. When I arrived, the host told me the party was upstairs. After climbing the impossibly narrow stairway, I found myself looking at the misfits of the class. There was no party, no anything.

I looked back at the stairs and realized that there was no way I could get back down in my wheelchair. I was stuck up here with the rest of the misfits. I knew that something was very, very wrong. I could hear noise, music and chanting from downstairs.

Suddenly, Dave was there, telling me I had to leave immediately. That my classmates were going to try to kill me as a sacrifice because I wasn't perfect, like them. I tried to protest that the stairs were too steep but he just pushed my wheelchair down them. I fell when I got to the bottom. Dave grabbed my arm and helped me up. "Run!" He yelled at me. So, I did.

I was running fast down a tree lined street. I could see the quad of my school to the right. Suddenly, there was this huge explosion and I could see Dave running towards me. As he caught up, I asked, "What did you do?"

"They were jealous of you and your power." He replied. "They were going to kill you with a spell, so, I made their magic go boom!" He grin maniacally.

We both stopped running, slowing to a walk. "What was the spell?"

"Running of the Deer." He frowned.

I gasped in horror. "They were going to have me trampled to death? I can't believe it. And the Running of the Deer always calls the Wild Hunt."

The sound of thunder in the distance made us pause. Only, it wasn't thunder in the sky. It was the thunder of hooves.

"Or, maybe I over did it a little." Dave commented "RUN!" He yelled at me.

So, I did. As I was running, I noticed it suddenly turned from night into day, I was wearing black and we were no longer in the original city. I frantically looked for a place to hide. That was went I noticed the small carnival decorated in red and white. There was something very important about the color red as I noticed my shirt had become red, too.

I slipped into a tent that turned out to be a petting zoo. There were a lot of poor country folk around me, enjoying petting the animals. Dave appeared by my side and we started to go outside. That was when we saw him, the blond leader of the popular kids who were trying to kill me. He and his cohorts were obviously looking for someone.

I squeaked at Dave, "I can't go out there! They'll recognize me." He looked frustrated for a moment, then picked up an animal and handed it to me. That made me relax. The animal... a pig... would camouflage me. Only it wasn't a pig. I turned and looked at the window and saw, in the reflection, I was holding a pretty black poodle with red bows in his ears.

I looked back at Dave who was watching the leader as the red and white tent became a live stock truck with a red and white cover. "Are we safe?" I asked. He shook his head as we both heard the thundering of hooves and saw that the leader saw us and was chasing after the truck. Though, we soon lost him.

I held on to the poodle as the truck drove quickly, almost frantically. As I looked back I could see the thousands upon thousands of deer streaming behind us. It seemed that they did not care who they were after. In fact, it was more like they were in a panic, too. I cursed as we drove deeper into the City and more traffic. Again and Again, the driver took the first route.

I looked at Dave, "We're not going to make it. We're going too slow."

He looked around as the truck slowed and we could hear the deer pounding closer. He pointed at a concrete ledge. "There. We'll be safe there. Jump out and run for it."

I tucked the poodle into my red shirt and waited on the edge of the truck. I couldn't decide when to jump. Suddenly, Dave yelled, "If you're going to jump, it has to be NOW!" So, I jumped. I managed to land without hurting me or the dog. It was nothing to then run over to the concrete ledge and pull myself up. I turned and watched for Dave as the deer... now bulls... thundered closer.

Finally, just before the bulls over ran everything, Dave clambered onto the ledge. I waited for him to meet up with me. He looked beaten, bloody and was limping. In his hand, he carried a wicked looking knife. The bulls pounded by the ledge on either side as Dave met up with me.

"Are you going to be OK?" I asked.

He nodded and pointed at my shirt. "You have that and I have a limp. We'll make even time."

I nodded as the dog woke up and shifted to a more comfy position in my shirt. We started walking along the ledge... now, bridge... side by side. You could only see the profiles of our faces. It reminded me of ending of a major action flick where the stars walk off into the sunset. I glanced at the knife.

"Eddie gave me this to kill you." He commented.

"Oh?"

He nodded.

"And?" I asked, slightly nervous.

"And nobody... I mean NOBODY... fucks with my friends." He deadpanned.

FADE

05 November 2000
Tom

I dreamt that my family had bought a HUGE house with many rooms and my bedroom was special. I had two rooms. The second one I could get to by going through the closet. I had dubbed that room "Narnia." For some reason, we had many, many guests over. Many of whom were spending the night.

Downstairs, Smashing Pumpkins was giving a concert and I was there, enjoying it. Johanna was there, half drunk and laughing. There were so many people around. We ran into one of her friends who mentioned that Tom would be here tonight. The sort of wigged Johanna out a bit.

"Did you know he's a professional Dom now?" She drunkenly confided in me. Shocked, I left her with her friend and went walking.

Somehow, I was suddenly outside, walking the perimeter of my estate... the house had become all mine and everyone, including my family, was just visiting for this party. While I was walking back, noticing the lights in the almond trees, I had a flashback.

A few days? weeks? before, I had found my want of a BDSM scene so great... just to feel the pain and the endorphins kicking in... that I had gone to a professional BDSM house. I had worn a mask, just as the male Dom had. And we had had an anonymous, but incredibly sexy and satisfying, scene. On both parts. We had connected well...

I realized then that it was, in part, because he and I subconsciously recognized each other. I wondered how he would react if he saw me. I wondered how I would react. Did he know? All of these questions whirled in my head as I returned to my house, to the concert. Almost immediately, we saw each other.

I froze like a deer in headlights as he walked towards me in slow motion. His theme music floated over the song the Smashing Pumpkins were playing. He stopped in front of me, just looking at me for a long moment. I knew he knew. Finally, he gestured for us to leave the concert. To go someplace quieter. I nodded and he gently, but possessively, took hold of my arm.

We walked to a quiet part of the house. Our conversation was silent. We wanted to scene again. It was a driving need in both of us. The only words spoken aloud were from him. After I removed most of my clothing and he was binding my wrists to some heavy chain, he whispered in my ear, "This time, there is no need for masks or blindfolds." It was a very profound statement to me at the time.

We scened for some time. Much of it was slow motion or fast snapshot images. I do know we both were having fine time. It was incredibly erotic and sexy. When we were done, he had me only put on my long sweatshirt and shoes. We walked around the grounds and the house for a while, noticing that while the party was slowing down there seemed to just as many, if not more, people in my house.

Tom and I looked at each other and both decided that we wanted none of this. We just wanted more of each other. I took him up to my bedroom, only to discover that my sister had taken over my room and was asleep. We slipped into Narnia and to our dismay, some of my co-workers were already there.

Both of us were very frustrated. I remember looking longingly at him, remembering the scene from earlier and seeing a hint of determination blossom on his face. He gestured to me and... then I woke up.

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