The Familiar Stranger

Prologue

As we stood there, staring at each other and she began to disappear, I felt a deep sadness spread within me. I didn't know her, but she seemed to know me. Her crystalized tears continue to stream down her soft rose tinted cheeks and a smile remained spread across her face. Why did it hurt so badly, to see this stranger disappear before me? I didn't truly know her, yet I felt as though she was the last remaining thing I had.

She began to slowly shuffle towards me, and as she brought her hands to cup my cheeks, her long black hair flowing behind her, she began to speak. And only as I heard her beautifully soothing voice speak, had I finally realized that I was crying as well. Why was I crying? I didn't know her, so why was I crying? Why did her voice sound so perfect to me?

"Karkat..." Her voice sounded pure and sweet, it was angelic and soothing, like the song of a Mocking-jay, it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard. "You don't know me yet, but I know you. I don't have much time but... But please know that I never meant to hurt you... I don't want to live without you or cause you anymore pain... You don't understand these things now but you will soon... I'm sorry Karkat... Please know that, you, will always be my little sunshine." She smiles, the tears furiously falling now, she began to lean in, our lips finally touched and my heart leapt. It should have felt wrong, but instead it felt sinfully right.

I attempt to wrap my arms around the strange girl out of instinct but instead received nothing but cold air, she was gone now. Where she stood was now nothing but a painfully blank emptiness, and I couldn't help but begin to sob. That stranger, she was familiar, it was as if we had known each other for our whole lives but... But I knew for a fact that we had never actually met before this. Falling to my knees sobbing, I began to call out an unfamiliar name, a name that in itself felt right but sounded wrong, just like her.

Sage... Sage... Sage...