Book I: Hidden in the Past

Unseen Threads

"Since I was a baby, from what the records say. Are you telling me I was kidn*pped? Why are you calling me a pup? I'm a human."

(My darling girl, what is your name?)

I glanced up at her amber eyes and debated not answering, but knew nothing would come from the silence. She was staring right at my eyes, and I felt her push against my mental walls. I knew she would know if I lied.

"Merissa Anne Seriphia."

My voice sounded quiet; I couldn't speak beyond a whisper with all the doubt that was flooding my mind. She leaned back on her back legs and lay down in front of me, putting her head on top of those huge paws. She huffed out a breath of air that moved my hair behind me.

(Your name, my dear, is Merissa Joan Anders. You must find your birth parents. I cannot tell you anymore. Even if I wanted to, just know when you are home. I will be there with you. You may not see me, but I will be there. You'll be able to hear me. I'm going to protect you until you're home. This is going to be complicated as it is, but please trust me. I am not to harm you. There is more to come. I'm going to try my hardest to make the process wait until you are in a more... suited place.

You may call me Alexia, or Lexi.)

"What's going to happen?" I reached up to finally touch her ears The next thing I knew, I was back in my apartment. The sudden change from the moonlit forest to my darkened apartment almost had me falling on my knees. I quickly grabbed the handrail to the side of me for my stairs and looked around. Nobody else was there. I reached to the left and turned on the light. My coffee pot showed me red numbers that said it was only midnight. Which wasn't possible. I came down here at midnight.

It felt like I was there for a few hours. I padded into my little kitchen and turned the coffee pot on. There wasn't any coffee, but I always used it to make hot water for my tea. I stared at the numbers until I could hear the rumble of the machine, which told me it was working. I ran my fingers over the top of it, loving the warm steam coming off. My apartment wasn't the fanciest; my kitchen was almost a part of my living room, it had a wall built between them, but there was a bar cut into it.

So, I could investigate the living room and watch TV while I cooked. The sink underneath the opening was finally clean of all the dishes I had neglected to do for a few days. It was deep enough to wash a small dog, but I always ended up leaving the dishes to do for later. The granite countertops would need to be wiped down again. They made a sort of U shape that went to the stove. Next to the stove was another small area of countertop that held my coffee pot, and next to that was my fridge. The floor had some fake wood paneling that looked like it was always waxed. My favorite part of my kitchen would have to be my stove. It was Gas, and no matter what, I could count on it.

The entire top part of the kitchen had lovely white oak cabinets that held my dishes and most of my groceries. The Dorm "Mom" wanted me to paint over them, but I always came up with some excuse why I haven't done it yet. Each door had a white knob, with a little gold piece in the middle of it. Or, it was made to look like gold. If I peered into the living room, I could see the hunter-green plush carpet that covered the area, my mocha-colored couch that could seat maybe three people. My parents brought me a white reclining chair that sat by the window. It had a little remote under the left arm that would lift the chair if you needed help. Or just felt like being lazy. I loved being by the window; if you looked out of it, you would see nothing but trees.

The best part of the private school was the surrounding forest. The trees went on for miles, and my living on the third floor ensured I could see it. There were a few hills past the trees, but I loved watching the sun rise and the pastel colors first thing in the morning. My favorite time was when the moon would come out, the clouds always seemed to coax the moon out, and when it hung high in the sky... I loved to sketch it.

I felt a hollow pain in my chest from what Alexia told me. I couldn't have been kidn*pped, could I? Wouldn't there have been a report? Or Something? Wouldn't somebody come looking for me? I shook my head, throwing my hair around me in a small circle. I reached up and opened one of my cabinets right above the coffee pot that held my cups and pulled out my favorite. It was one a friend of mine made in our pottery class, it held a wolf howling at a blue moon. I felt myself smirk and filled my cup halfway with hot water, and reached next to the coffee pot for the little tin box that held my teas. I figured that some lavender would help calm my nerves. Putting a teabag in my cup, I carefully walked over to my living room, turning on the light and enjoying the softness of the carpet. It reminded me briefly of the grass from when I met Alexia. I felt safer here, in my own home, but how did I go to a different world and come back with no time change? Did I dream it all up? Did I sleepwalk? Or was it one of those 'spirit quests' that I only read about?

I walked over to my chair and sat down. There was a small dark cherry-colored table next to it, and I laid my mug down on it. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I had to try and think about everything that was said and everything I already knew. I knew I was adopted from The Cirdian Adoption Agency, mom and dad had the adoption acceptance paper framed next to our family picture in their living room. Lochlan, my dad, worked for the Agency that helped out SMAU. He was a powerful mage, who seemed to help everybody when it came to artifacts or for protection items. My mother, Vanessa, was just a hums;, she stayed home to take care of me. I couldn't think of them k********g me from my true family, but what else could it mean. Could Alexia have lied to me?

I leaned my head back on the chair cushion and closed my eyes, trying to remember everything Alexia told me, and I ended up falling asleep.

My dream almost seemed like I was visiting Alexia, this time, though the grass was browning. It was hard to step on quietly; every step sounded like a sharp c***k. There was the sound of breaking branches everywhere I looked., I could also see the moon. Last time, it was full in the sky; this time, there was a crescent. The trees were bare, there weren't any leaves, no song birds, not even crickets. There was nothing that should be making some sort of surrounding noises. The shadows swallowed almost everything; there was a little bit of light from the stars above and the moon, but nothing much. In class, they explained it's always quiet before the storm hits. I rubbed my hands on my bare arms, ignoring the goosebumps that were rising and the part of my head that told me to run. Every step I took was audible, every turn I took looked like the same area. I found my heart pounding before I admitted I was scared. It wasn't supposed to frighten me, but it did. Everything about this place, the air held malice, and I felt like I was being watched.

It almost felt like my skin was trying to crawl, but I didn't know what was making me feel like this. There was nobody here, I kept walking, trying to keep my head up straight and my shoulders back, trying not to show that I was scared. That's what you're supposed to do, right?

My stomach kept doing flips until I finally found a green spot in the decaying forest. I quickly padded over to it, ignoring the sharp cuts from the dead grass and rocks on my feet. I sat down, trying to focus on my breathing and trying to calm down. As soon as I closed my eyes, it felt like whatever was watching me moved close. I couldn't hear anything, but I felt it. I kept my eyes squeezed shut and wrapped my arms around myself. Hopefully, whatever was watching me was like Alexia and wasn't evil. Although I didn't know if Alexia was evil or not. Maybe it was just wistful thinking.

I counted to ten, once, twice, three times, and decided to open my eyes. Everything was choked by shadows. I could still feel something watching me, but the air wasn't as heavy. The moon was still high in the sky, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. I strained my ears to hear something, anything. I started to feel my muscles relax when the wind brought the sound of a male's deep bass chuckle to my ear. I quickly turned towards the way the wind came from and stared into the darkness. This was my dream, and I can't be hurt in my dream. Can I?

(Only if it's a Dreamweaver.)