Dream Journal Ultimate
Date: 11/30/2016
By Ecnelis_Lataf
Yet again I had a vivid as heck dream and this go around I was seeing it in kind of a movie format because I was playing identical twin girls, named Austyn and Ashlyn, this time. Man was that trippy. Well here we go. --------------------------------------------------------- Austyn had fallen into one of her dreams again. The same dreams she had been having since she was 12 years old. These dreams kept pulling her into this dark room with a fiery glow, yet there was no flames at all. That glow was always centered around a young man who never seemed to age, no matter how many years had passed. When she first started having the dreams she was terrified of them and of the person on the other side. After a couple years she told herself that the other person wasn’t to be feared. So she made it her goal to reach this person. To be able to make it to the other side of the room where he was. She was persistent and eventually made it to the other side. The young man was probably in his mid-twenties was her assumption based solely on his appearance. Yet that felt wrong because he never aged in appearance and she’d had this dream for years. “You finally made it.” the young man told her with a smile. “Who are you?” she asked him. “Valentyn.” the young man answered. “No last name?” she asked. “That is my last name. That’s what most call me by.” he told her. “Oh. I’m Austyn.” she answered him. “An unusual name for a young girl.” he mused. “Well Valentyn isn’t a normal name either.” she said with a light smile. He said something too quiet for her to hear and she heard someone calling for her. She looked to the young man and saw that she was back on her side of the room. Moments later she shot awake, her short brown hair matted to her face and neck. She felt like she was burning up. Her hazel eyes looking about the room, her room. She let out a frustrated sigh and let it go. Her twin sister, Ashlyn, staring at her on the edge of her bed. “Did I pull you away from him?” Ashlyn asked with a humored smile. “Oh hush up Lyn. I finally made it to the other side. I was this close to getting some answers.” Austyn told her twin as she pinched her fingers together to emphasize how close she had gotten. “I don’t get your obsession with an imaginary man. I say go get a real boyfriend.” Ashlyn said with a small laugh. She had thrown on some shorts, a tank top, and a sleeveless hooded jacket over her pale skin. Her brown hair was cut so short that if people didn’t know better they’d be able to mistake Ashlyn for a guy in a heartbeat. “Of course the single girl is giving me advice on this. It’s like the blind leading the blind here dear sister.” Austyn said and got up. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep. She had soccer practice in less than an hour and she was still wiped from her dance class she had earlier in the day. “At least I don’t obsess over someone who only lives in my dreams.” Ashlyn said with a roll of her eyes. She picked up her baseball bat and threw on her ballcap. “Valentyn’s real, Lyn. I don’t know how I know but he is.” Austyn told her with a sigh. She grabbed her soccer clothes and went to change real quick. Ashlyn stood outside the bathroom with a smirk on her face. “So his name is Valentyn eh? Did you find anything else out? Like an address or phone number?” Austyn came out of the bathroom changed for soccer. She stared her sister down, which was almost like staring down herself, and just sighed. “You can think me crazy if you want but I’m not going to do anymore of your silly matchmaker stuff and I am going to crack these dreams. Valentyn is real, I know he is.” Ashlyn sighed and then tapped the baseball bat to her foot. “I don’t doubt that you want him to be but sis you’ve dreamt of this for years. I think the only reason you have these dreams is because ---” Austyn stopped her quickly and said, “It isn’t because of that. Our older brother left us and yeah I was heartbroken but it has nothing to do with this.” Ashlyn just got quiet and the two headed off to the car in silence. Austyn dropped Ashlyn off at her baseball tryouts and then headed to her soccer practice. Her mind racing with questions unanswered that she had for Valentyn. --------------------------------------------- Time passed and Ashlyn had made it onto the baseball team. She’d been having dreams of her own for a few weeks now. Dreams of her dear cousin and that same kind of room that appeared in Austyn’s dreams. She and Austyn got home from one of her baseball games and she got a phone call from their aunt who lived a state over. “Hello Aunt Vi.” Ashlyn said as she headed to her room with an apple in hand for a snack. The twins had been living together and on their own thanks to their jobs. Luckily jobs and team sports didn’t clash schedule wise. “Lyn, I...have you seen Alyss lately?” Her aunt Vivian asked quietly. “Alyss? Nah she ain’t been around since Ma’s birthday.” Ashlyn said as she sat on her bed. She could hear faint crying on the end and put the apple on her bedside table. “Aunt Vi what’s going on? Is Alyss okay?” Her aunt took a steadying breath and said, “Lyn, Alyss has been missing for a couple weeks. She and I had one of our spats and I thought she might have ran away to see you two for a little while. I’m so sorry. I...I don’t know where your cousin is. I’m worried Lyn.” “Aunt Vi, have you talked to the police? Are they looking into this?” Ashlyn asked, she was doing her damnedest not to panic. “Yes, and they are, but they haven’t found any leads. They just think she ran away.” Her aunt explained which just annoyed Ashlyn. “Except she isn’t the running away type. She’d run off either to here or to her boyfriend’s house. Both places would have contacted you so this is definitely not good.” Ashlyn said and felt fear trickle more in her system. “Please let me know if you find out anything.” her aunt said. “I will. You do the same Aunt Vi.” Ashlyn told her. Her aunt agreed to do so and then hung up. As Ashlyn was finding out about their cousin’s disappearance Austyn was falling into another one of her dreams. She was back in that dark room and could see the warm glow around Valentyn again. Something seemed off though. His warm glow seemed smaller now. Before that glow seemed to engulf the whole corner of the room he was always in...but now...it seemed weaker. She didn’t understand why but she ran over to the other side of the room. “Valentyn!” she shouted to him as she ran. The room felt bigger than usual. Like no matter how fast she ran she wouldn’t make it to the other side. She wouldn’t make it to him. “Valentyn what’s going on?” She shouted as she kept running. He seemed to notice her this time. His short dark brown hair was a mess, which was different than how she’d seen him all the other times. She could just barely make out faint bags under his eyes as she began to get closer to him, though still being far away. “Valentyn what happened?” she shouted, still trying to get to the other side. 'Why is the room keeping me away from him?' Valentyn placed his hands in front of him and stared at them as if there was something on them. He seemed to be freaking out and that kind of scared Austyn. “Valentyn!” Austyn shouted even louder than before and he stared at her blankly. She leapt towards him and knocked them both to the ground. She stared in his eyes trying to figure out what was going on. He held that blank stare still. It was scaring her. “Snap out of it! I don’t know what’s going on but snap out of it!” she said and shook him. Valentyn’s golden eyes slowly gained their original life but they seemed a little haunted now. “Austyn?” he asked quietly, looking up at her as if not recognizing her. “Yes. It’s me Valentyn.” she said and got up, holding a hand out to him. “What happened?” Valentyn took her hand cautiously and flinched when he saw his own hand. Austyn almost helped him up but instead he just sat up in the corner, as if terrified by something. Austyn sighed and sat in front of him. She ran her thumb over the top of his hand as a way to try and calm him, just as her mother used to do when she had first had these dreams and thought them nightmares. “I was pulled into a bad memory that I had thought was long forgotten.” Valentyn whispered to her, a small tremble going through him. “Do you want to tell me about it?” Austyn asked him calmly. 'As terrified as he is right now...he looks younger. Almost like a scared teenage boy and not the twenty-something he usually appears to be.' “I could try but my story will make you think I’m crazy.” Valentyn said with a small laugh. “Why is that?” Austyn asked him. “I’ve been alive for many centuries Austyn. I’ve lived too long.” he told her as he looked up at the ceiling, as if not wanting to make eye contact with her...yet he didn’t let go of her hand. “So...you’re a vampire?” she asked trying to be serious. Valentyn smiled weakly. “No...not quite. I’m what you might refer to as the boogeyman.” “Ok now...you’re not being serious are you?” she asked him. “I am. I’m known as a Kayling. A creature that survives on the fear of other creatures. When we’re first born we tend to kill those we feed off of but in time we learn not to.” he said quietly, a sorrowful smile upon his face. “A Kayling...the original boogeyman.” she whispered and felt a hint of sorrow now. “So then when you went into that forgotten memory---” “I had remembered when I first began hunting to survive on my own. I had killed people I had grown close to without realizing it. It made it hard to hunt anymore after that. My rokai was unstable because of it.” he explained to her. “Rokai?” she asked him. “My magic. The thing that lets me appear human and keeps me alive as a backup when I can’t feed on fear.” he told her, “It helps protect me just as your voice protects you.” Austyn felt herself tremble slightly. “What do you mean by that?” “You have a calming voice. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could persuade others with it.” he told her with a kind smile. She could see the fear slowly fading from him and he began to look more like the twenty-something she was used to seeing appearance wise...though now she knew he was much older than that. She wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. “Since you say you’re centuries old...how old do you usually tell people you are?” she asked him calmly, trying to peg a more logical age on him. “I’d normally say about 27.” he told her with a smirk, “What about you?” “I’m 23.” she told him, looking away now. She didn’t really care for the sudden almost flirtatious vibe she was getting off him. “Ah, a lady then.” Valentyn said as his smirk turned into a subtle smile and he kissed the top of her hand, the same hand that had been holding onto his to calm him. Austyn took her hand from him at that and looked down. He seemed a little confused by this but let it be. She assumed that meant he at least understood when personal space was necessary. “Valentyn...is it a sad life being immortal?” she asked after a while. He was a little surprised by this and his golden eyes lit up a little, but Austyn couldn’t place what it was exactly. “Yes, it is a sad life because I watch so many leave me. In many forms. Death, separation, them running away.” he looked away a moment then looked back to her, “One day though, I hope to find my happiness again.” Austyn sighed a little and moved to sit against the wall by him. “I hope not to offend you with this...but you and I are quite similar.” “I don’t see how you could offend me by that but I’m curious as to how we’re similar.” he told her as kept his gaze on her. “My body isn’t as old as yours is...but my spirit...it has lived many centuries as well.” she told him calmly. “I never used to believe in reincarnation but as I started to dream more and more not only by being in here with you but actually dream...seeing these places and people that were familiar and yet not...I became a believer in it.” “How did you start believing in it?” he asked, feeling as if there was more to it than that. “I searched up the names and people from my dreams. I actually found articles and facts on some of them. It was surprising but I was happy to know I hadn’t gone crazy.” she told him calmly, “Having seen these lives though I had seen many people leave my life and had left many lives behind as well. I’m still searching for a happiness that I can hold onto that feels like it truly is mine and not a past self lingering.” “So you’re spirit is old while your body is new...mine only new by appearance...and we both seek happiness. Yes, similar indeed.” he agreed quietly. “Valentyn...if you truly wish for happiness, it will come for you.” Austyn told him after a moment, “So don’t give up hope, okay?” Valentyn smiled at that. “You don’t either.” Ashlyn shook her sister, who was passed out on the couch, and called to her over and over. She finally saw Austyn wake up and let out a sigh of relief yet she was still panicked. “What is it Lyn?” Austyn asked sleepily. She was in a daze after what had just happened inside her dream world. “I just got off the phone with Aunt Vi for the second time this night. Alyss is missing and they just found her jeep a few miles from the state border between us and Aunt Vi.” Ashlyn said and threw on her jacket and backpack. “We have to go, now!” Austyn slowly got up, not sure she was following what her sister was talking about. “We should call the guys.” she said sleepily. “Lucas and Markis?” Ashlyn asked to be certain who she meant. “Yeah. I think they’ll want to find Alyss too. That and backup would be nice if something really has happened and our usual tricks don’t work to get out of the stitch.” Austyn said, her words sounding about as tired as she was. “I’ll drive sis. You call the guys.” Ashlyn said as they headed out the door to the car. Austyn finally felt herself waking up and called up the guys to explain the situation. Ashlyn sped off towards where the guys lived. She hoped that her hunch was right. She felt like something big was happening and Alyss had fallen into the worst part of it somehow. ---------------------------------------------------------- “So where exactly are we going Austyn?” Lucas asked her quietly. Austyn had taken over the driving after they picked up the guys. Ashlyn had fallen asleep in the back seat next to Markis, Alyss’s boyfriend. “We’re headed to the industrial ghost town out on the state border.” Austyn answered him, trying to focus on the road without letting her fears take hold. “I don’t get how Lyn can sleep at a time like this.” Lucas said as he looked in the rear-view mirror at her. “We need her to Lucas. Otherwise we’ll never find Alyss.” Markis told him calmly. “What do you mean?” Lucas and Austyn both asked him. “Just as Austyn has had those strange dreams about that Valentyn guy...Ashlyn has had dreams similar to that about Alyss. The difference is she’s only had these for a couple weeks.” Markis explained to them. Austyn slammed on the brakes and swerved out of the way of a little girl who was on the street. She parked on the side of the road, just barely keeping them from going over, and ran to the girl. Lucas wasn’t far behind her. “Is she ok?” Lucas asked her as they got over to the girl’s side. “You didn’t hit her did you?” “No I didn’t hit her.” Austyn said and gently shook the girl who was lying on the ground. “C’mon please say something.” The girl looked at her and blinked a moment. Her eyes widened with terror and Austyn took her hands calmly, gently. “I won’t hurt you. I just need to know if you are ok.” Austyn whispered to her. The girl looked between her and Lucas. She was so scrawny that she could easily be mistaken for about 10 years old but Austyn had a feeling that the appearance was tricking her when it came to the girl’s age. “Austyn I think she’s mute.” Lucas told her after a moment. The girl’s eyes lit up at Austyn’s name and looked back to her. “Aus...tyn. You...came...to save...us.” she whispered, her voice was hoarse as if she was dehydrated. Austyn and Lucas exchanged glances before looking back to the girl. “Save us?” Austyn questioned. “Who is us?” “Where is us?” Lucas added on. “Big...tower. Fac...tories. Exper...iments.” The girl was straining to keep talking. “Let’s get her to the car.” Austyn said and led her over to the car where Ashlyn was now awake. “She ok?” Markis asked when they got back over. “Yeah. Terrified though and needs some water. Please tell me you guys haven’t finished off the water bottles yet.” Austyn answered him. Markis handed the girl a water bottle...which she took hesitantly before drinking down almost half the bottle. “She said something about a tower and factories.” Austyn said, confirming that they were headed the right way after all. “And experiments.” Lucas added in. “What’s your name darlin?” Ashlyn asked her calmly. “Marina Sanchez. I’m 14. I...I was the first to escape.” the girl said, her age surprising all of them. “Marina...” Ashlyn said and sighed. “That’s one of the name’s Alyss told me before I woke up.” “Alyss?” Marina asked and then her eyes widened. “You’re the one she’s been talking to. She said her cousins would come for us.” A smile spread on her face. Austyn looked to the others. “Everyone pile in, we have to go get the others. They’ll have likely caught that she’s escaped which means we don’t have long before they do something drastic. Whoever we’re dealing with might move them if we don’t go now.” Everybody got in the car and buckled in, Marina trembling in her seat between Markis and Ashlyn. They drove off, following Marina’s directions as best as they could. Soon enough they were parking near an old factory town that should have been abandoned years ago. “Markis, stay here with Marina and keep her safe.” Ashlyn said as the others got out. “Yeah cuz pretty boy will be of better help than me.” Markis said bitterly. “Well I think a Werewolf might do better at protecting a frightened child than a Gorgon would and he’ll be of great use inside.” Ashlyn told Markis with a hiss that made him cover his ears. “So we have a Banshee, Siren and Gorgon going off to save a bunch of people and hopefully Alyss will be one of them.” Markis stated with a hint of annoyance, “So what do I do while I wait here with our new friend?” “You keep her safe. If we aren’t out in fifteen, call the cops. Tell them we have reason to believe the place is holding inhumane experiments on living people. Explain that we have someone who was lucky enough to escape that is willing to give them any info needed.” Austyn explained. Marina trembled more at their words. 'Werewolf? Gorgon? Siren? Banshee? Those things are real? Those monsters are real?' “Don’t worry, just cuz the stories make us seem like bad guys doesn’t mean we are.” Markis told her as the other three ran off towards the big tower that Marina had earlier mentioned. ----------------------------------------------------- “Three thugs dead ahead!” Ashlyn shouted as they ran through the halls of the giant factory to get to the tower. Lucas smirked and his eyes changed color from their dark brown to a bright silver color. He cast his gaze on the thugs ahead of them and they all turned to stone, panicking as the stone swiftly took them over. He let his eyes turn back to the dark safe brown color. “You two sure you know where to go?” he asked as the twins ran past him. Ashlyn and Austyn were letting their spirits lead them, so to speak. They could hear the cries of those being experimented on. As if these people were slowly dying. A thought that terrified them both. “We know. Just don’t ask how.” Ashlyn said calmly. They kept running and soon found themselves trapped in a three-way intersection...as in three possibilities ahead of them...with thugs coming down each hall. “I can’t turn that many to stone at once.” Lucas told them. “Lucas, cover your ears and stop the front hall.” Austyn said quickly. “We got the other two halls.” Ashlyn said with a smirk. Lucas covered his ears and made his eyes turn back to their natural bright silver. The thugs in the front hall turned to stone in a panic. Ashlyn and Austyn stood back to back and stared down their halls before their appearances changed. Ashlyn’s skin gained a subtle glow and her short brown hair turned black, eyes becoming birdlike, as she took on the true form of a Siren. She let out a high-pitched whistling sound that was enough to blow up anyone’s eardrums but was truly making those down the hall she faced bleed from the inside out, rupturing many organs. Austyn’s image changed to a ghostly pale beauty as her brown hair turned white as snow, eyes looking frosted over as she took on the true form of a Banshee. At the point where Ashlyn had let out her Siren’s screech as they called it...Austyn let out a high-pitched shriek that almost nearly killed the thugs in the hall she faced. Knocking most out but definitely killed some of them. The twins stopped and returned to their more human appearances as Lucas kept his hands on his ears. “It’s safe Lucas.” Austyn said, tapping Lucas’s shoulder. Lucas returned his eyes to the safe dark brown color and smiled, uncovering his ears. “Not quite Austyn.” a male voice said as a young man, probably in his early thirties, came walking through the mess of stone thugs. Austyn and Ashlyn both stood frozen where they were. The most impossible thing had happened. Their older brother was standing before them. “You?” Austyn asked in surprise, “Why are you here Mavryk?” “To create a new future for our kind of course.” Mavryk, their older brother, answered calmly. “A better future.” Austyn felt hatred boil in her. She stepped in front of her sister and Lucas, staring down her brother. “So you take others like us and humans and drain them?” she questioned him. “Others like us?” Mavryk mused. “Alyss was brought here you traitorous bastard!” Ashlyn hissed at him. “And Marina was a defenseless human!” Austyn shouted. “Alyss isn’t like us though.” Mavryk said with a yawn, as if they were boring him. “And humans are our food aren’t they? What’s wrong with playing with one’s food?” “You two go on ahead.” Austyn said sternly, “I’ll deal with him. I have a personal score to settle with my dear brother.” Lucas began to protest but Ashlyn pulled him toward the hall she’d cleared for them moments before. Austyn stared Mavryk down who smirked at her. “So my baby sister thinks she’s tough enough to defeat me?” Mavryk said as he gained a subtle glow to his skin and his eyes turned almost birdlike. “Which do you think is more powerful sister, a Siren or a Banshee?” “The one with the stronger will to live.” Austyn said as she took on her natural Banshee form. --------------------------------------------------------- Ashlyn kept leading Lucas onward to the main tower that Marina told them about. The two of them heard Austyn’s high-pitched shriek a ways back and tensed a moment from it. “I can’t believe it.” Ashlyn whispered as they kept running ahead. “Can’t believe what?” Lucas asked her. “That our brother ran away and became a true monster.” Ashlyn said bitterly. “Yeah...that would be difficult.” Lucas said, not really sure what to say to that. They kept running though, soon hearing a clashing noise of a high-pitched whistle and a high-pitched shriek with the sound of a wall caving in. All of this in the background. “Austyn!” Lucas shouted, nearly running back for his best friend. “She’ll be fine. We have to keep going. They’re close.” Ashlyn told him, grabbing his arm to pull him along. He nodded and reluctantly followed her. He knew they had to get these people out. Human or otherwise they needed out of here. “Up ahead. That doorway is it.” Ashlyn said as she felt a small bit of relief wash over her. She wouldn’t allow herself to fully relax till she knew Alyss was okay. ------------------------------------------------------ Austyn got up from the rubble. She coughed a little and felt a harsh pain on the back of her head. She felt around and noticed it was just a small scratch and a bump from the fall. She wasn’t dead and she wasn’t nearing death either. She felt her way to her brother who was stuck under some of the rubble, laughing weakly as if he’d won a great victory. “You can’t stop it. If I don’t follow through then someone else will.” Mavryk laughed weakly, blood coming out his mouth as he laughed. “You’re wrong dear brother, we’ve already stopped it. It’s been fifteen minutes. Markis will call the police, the police of our realm, and they will know what happened. You’ve lost.” Austyn said and smiled, showing the true Banshee form again. “You won’t take me sister. I choose when to die and I won’t go down so easily.” Mavryk told her darkly, his eyes filled with terror. Austyn ran her hand over his face and whispered, “May you find peace in the after-life brother.” Mavryk’s skin turned pale and his eyes frosted over as if she had sucked the life right out of him. Austyn’s wounds began to heal and with that she ran off to catch up to the others. She had to make sure they were ok and that Alyss was alright as well. -------------------------------------------------- Ashlyn wandered in the giant room of the tower. There were so many beds with people, human and non, laying on them all hooked up to machines of some sort. “How the hell do we get them out of here when they’re all like this?” Lucas asked her in confusion. “We unhook them. There has to be a switch that will turn off the machines.” Ashlyn said and looked around at the giant machine in the center. It was starting to glow. “Ashlyn...” Lucas said with a hint of terror in his voice as he tugged on her arm. Ashlyn turned to see what you could call spiritual bodies of each individual floating above their physical ones. These spiritual bodies all had a faint glow just like the glow of the machine. “Ah hell!” Ashlyn said angrily as she went over to the machine to try and find a way to shut it down. “He’s literally taking their life force to fuel whatever this thing is!” “What!” Lucas shouted in surprise. He tried to help Ashlyn find the switch on the center machine but they both came up with nothing. “Maybe each of them have one on their machines.” Ashlyn suggested and headed over to the closest bed. A young boy who looked very malnourished was laying on the bed. By looking at his spiritual body she could tell he was a Serpentine, a being who had snake-like qualities and could communicate with them as well as manipulate them if they so wished it. She looked the smaller machine over and finally got frustrated enough to just pull out the plug to the machine. The Serpentine boy jolted awake in his bed, his spiritual body having fallen back into the physical body. Ashlyn got the cords off him so that he could get up. The boy stared at her terrified and she gave him a weak smile. “You’re safe now. We’re here to rescue you.” she told him calmly. The boy calmed and Ashlyn looked to Lucas. “Pull the plugs. It jolts them awake but it’s the only way I found to wake them.” The two of them went to some of the other beds and started waking up the others and getting them unhooked from the machines. ---------------------------------------------- Austyn had dawned her human form again as she ran towards the tower. She ran inside to see many people up and off the beds, all trying to walk a little, having been stuck on the machines for so long. “Ashlyn! Lucas!” she called as she moved through the crowd. Lucas found her and smiled. “Ashlyn’s calming Alyss down.” “You found her?” Austyn asked, almost unable to believe it. “Yeah but you’ll never believe who else we found.” Lucas said, just happy his friend was alright. Austyn was a little confused by what he meant but followed him as he led her to the other side of the tower. She could see a fiery glow up ahead and felt her heart race as they got closer. On one of the beds, still asleep and hooked up to wires, was Valentyn. The same young man she’d been seeing for years. “Valentyn!” she shouted and ran over to the bed, Lucas following behind her with a smile. Lucas unplugged the machine and the fiery glow, which was his spiritual body, fell back into his physical body and he jolted awake. Lucas quickly unhooked him from the machine completely. Austyn watched as Valentyn blinked a couple times and then his gaze landed on her. Valentyn stared at her as if he’d seen a ghost for a moment. He slowly sat up in the bed and Austyn did her best to help him. “Austyn?” he asked quietly. “Yeah. It’s me.” Austyn said quietly, silent tears falling. “You’re really here? You’re really...real?” he asked as he tried to get off the bed. “I’m here. I’m real.” she answered him, barely believing it herself. “Hate to interrupt this touching reunion but we gotta go.” Lucas told them, everyone else being freed from their forced comas. “Right. Let’s get outta here.” Austyn said with a weak smile as Valentyn wiped her tears away. --------------------------------------------------- The group stood outside the now collapsed tower, the police questioning each person as best they could. There really weren’t enough police for the thirty or so people that just got saved. Markis was holding Alyss close but gently, happy to have his girlfriend back. Marina was sticking close to them, quite terrified by the events that just happened. Lucas and Ashlyn were chattering away happily as Austyn smiled, quite certain she was watching a couple in the making with those two. She had her cousin back but not only that...the young man from her dreams was real...and she’d finally met him in person. She had found out that Valentyn was one of the first people that were taken and experimented on. That‘s why her dreams of him had been happening for so long whereas Alyss was one of the last ones they had taken, thus why Ashlyn‘s dreams had only been happening recently. “So this isn’t a dream right?” Valentyn asked as he walked over to join Austyn’s little group. “If it is then we’re both dreaming.” Austyn said with a weak smile. “You and your friends saved my life Austyn. For that I am grateful.” he told her with a weak smile of his own. “Just don’t say that you’re in our debt. I really don’t need the boogeyman indebted to me.” she teased him quietly. “That was just a joke. Kaylings really aren’t the boogeyman.” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Lighten up some will ya. I was just poking fun.” she told him, still getting used to the fact that he was in fact real. Valentyn smiled and wrapped her in a warm hug. He kissed the top of her head and whispered to her, “I think I found my happiness, but I’m almost afraid of it.” “And why is that?” Austyn asked him as a subtle blush crossed her face. She could tell he was being flirtatious again yet it didn’t bother her near as much as it did before. “I’m afraid I might lose it again.” he answered her. Austyn looked up at him with a smirk now, “I may be young for a Banshee but we tend to live quite a long time.” Valentyn raised a brow at that as an almost devilish smirk crossed his lips. Austyn could hear the chattering of Ashlyn and Lucas in the background, quite certain they were teasing her for falling for her dream guy or something to that extent. She felt Valentyn’s fingers run across her cheek before he rested his hand on the side of her face. “We’ll just have to see how long that might truly be.” he whispered and kissed her lips with a fiery passion to match the glow of his spiritual body. Austyn didn’t know what had happened at first but she felt herself pulled into the fire of his kiss and was certainly grateful she’d finally found him. I awoke after that.