The Chosen Path

Prologue

"No! Not again!" Jake tossed and turned in his sleep. His head felt heavy, he was unable to lift it. Jake was sinking into the dream, unable to crawl out of its strangled hold on his mind. He hated reliving the memory, it always so real. Jake tried to fight against it, trying to conjure up happier thoughts, but the images came anyway. With a cry, Jake gave in, knowing it was futile to do anything but allow the dream to happen. He'd lost countless times.

The dream was the same as it always was, there was no changing it. It was that day -- the day that she had left him. The seven year old girl sat on his old tire swing with tears streaming down her face. Her golden hair, pulled into two braids, made her green eyes shine out of her petite face like two emerald rings in a jewelry store display. Her chin quivered, "Jake, I can't come see you anymore."

In this dream world, Jake was of the same age as the girl, though nearly ten years had passed since that day. Jake stilled his own trembling jaw by clenching his teeth. "Why not?"

He wouldn't be caught crying in front of a girl, especially, if that girl was Aurora. She was his best friend, his only friend. And though he'd never admit it to her or to himself, Jake loved her. Not just as a friend, but that forever kind of love that grownups talk about.

Aurora wiped away the tears from her pretty green eyes. She sniffled. "I'm not allowed. It's too dangerous."

Jake didn't understand. Dangerous? Did she think he was dangerous? How could she think that after all this time? He was furious at his friend for saying she wasn't coming to see him anymore. He needed her!

"How come?" he muttered, though he was afraid that he already knew the answer.

He could never keep a friend. Aurora was the only one Jake thought would be different than everyone else. She never looked at him like he was some kind of freak. Aurora always said she liked coming to visit him, and she thought his having dreams that came true was really cool.

Aurora sighed and looked away from him. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked up to the sky. Jake stomped his foot. He was equally frustrated, but he wanted her attention. He wanted answers. "Aurora!"

Her head whirled around and she looked at him with hard eyes. Aurora never looked at him that way before. Her eyes were always filled with kindness. She looked older now. Like how his adoptive mother looked when she understood something that he didn't. It was usually something she considered to be for his own good. It was never what he wanted. Jake swallowed, waiting for the upcoming rejection.

She shook her head slightly. "You're not ready."

Aurora wiped at her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. She closed her eyes. After a moment of silence, she opened her eyes. Jake stared at the neutral expression on her face. It was almost like Aurora was gone but her body was there. She'd shut off her feelings for him and that scared Jake more than anything else. "Come find me when you are. Choose your path. I'll be waiting."

Jake's small face contorted in confusion. Come find me? She wasn't rejecting him? What was she saying then? Jake was baffled. He yelled, "What does that even mean?!"

His mind was racing a mile a minute trying to figure out what he might have said or what he might have done to make her want to leave him. If it wasn't his dreams coming true then what was it?

Aurora smiled sadly at him. And she did look sad, he was glad to note. "It's nothing you've done, Jake," she said as if reading his mind. She got off the swing and took a step towards him. "I just..." She paused and her head tilted as if she were listening to something in the distance. "I'm sorry, I have to go now." Aurora looked at him again and shook her head, "When you need me... just ask."