The Key to the Oleander

Chapter One - Athena

"He said you were selfish?" My best friend since almost birth, Amber, exclaims in disbelief. I watch as her jaw drops through the screen of my phone.

"Yeah, I know right." I feel my lips pull together in a firm line.

"Sometimes I wish I could kidnap so you could finally be free from your father." She rests her face in the palm of her hand.

"Sometimes?" I gasp, raising my hand to my chest, faking taking offense to her words. She rolls her eyes, her lips twitching up into a smile.

"Well, is he hot?" She suddenly asks, making me freeze in shock and embarrassment.

"Amber!" I scold, feeling my cheeks redden.

"What? Is he? Come on, it's a legitimate question!" When I don't answer she raises her hands up, letting it go.

I sigh before finally answering, "His name is Ace, I've only met him once, but that was ten years ago. He could look totally different by now."

She snorts. "Like what? Let me guess, maybe he chose to go bald." She asks, sarcasm evident in her voice. I give her a pointed look. She rolls her eyes. "Do you know when you'll see him next?" She sighs dramatically. I shake my head before turning to face my alarm clock, seeing it's almost half past ten.

"I better get to bed. I'll call you tomorrow though?" I turn back over to my phone screen. She nods in agreement.

I hang up and set my phone down on my nightstand, plugging it in before laying down and instantly drift into sleep.

I open my eyes, expecting to see the familiar surroundings of my room but as I look around, I notice I'm in a cave. A glow worm cave.

As I'm almost about to panic, a deep feminine voice echoes, traveling through the cave's walls. "Don't worry, you're only dreaming." I turn to the source of the voice and am surprised to see a beautiful woman with long silky dirty blonde hair sitting on a throne built out of the same stone that surrounds me. Her face shows no emotion, and I can't help but wonder how she sits comfortably on it.

"Who are you?" Is the first thing that comes out of my mouth. I sound rude, I realize. But as I'm about to apologize, she smiles.

"My name is Felicity," Her voice is surprisingly comforting.

I'm about to greet her back but she beats me to it, "And you're Athena." I furrow my brows, confused on how she knows my name.

"You know me?" I ask. She nods her head silently.

"Athena, before you wake up, there is something I must tell you." She stands up and begins to take steps toward me. Once she is directly in front of me, she takes my hands in hers, and for some reason, I don't pull away. Her presence feels somewhat familiar.

"You are going to need to make a big decision soon. Choose wisely, because if you do, you'll be on the path of a great future, your destiny." I open my mouth to respond, but before I can let out a word she is gone. White flowers grow from the cave walls. I look in front of me at the throne which is barely visible as the flowers have covered almost everything. For a second I am afraid they may eventually suffocate me.

I jolt up, gasping, looking around frantically only to see the same thing I see every day, my room.

I close my eyes and sigh in relief. It was just a stupid dream. I rub my eyes before pulling my bed covers off of me and get up out of bed.

I get ready as per usual before calling Amber like I had promised the night before. On the second chime, she answers. I can't help but laugh at the sight of her. She looks like she's been asleep for years.