The Castle Through the Mirror

First Encounter

~

Hunter sat straight up in bed, sweat dripping down his face. He ran his hand through his thick red hair and sucked in a deep breath. His eyes scanned the room; Hunter has lived in this house for almost thirteen years (ever since his parents adopted him) and all of a sudden it doesn't feel like home anymore. By the stillness of the house he could tell that his parents were already gone for the day. As he got up to get ready everything came rushing back to him; the forest, the waterfall, the castle and the girl. For as long as he can remember Hunter has been having this dream every night but, he could never actually remember what had happened. He didn't understand why this time it was different. Hunter sat for a second in the dark thinking;  he knew that girl, something about her; her eyes, her hair, her energy felt familiar. He shook the thought out of his head, he didn't have time to sit around and think.

 Today was a big day for Hunter, it was the championship wrestling match and Hunter was the captain of the wrestling team; winning this game today could shape the rest of his career. Getting excited Hunter threw the covers off of himself and started getting ready for school. He put on a black sweatshirt, jeans from a pile in the corner of his room (that he's not completely sure whether or not their dirty) and converses. Hunter must not have been paying attention to the time because before he knew it was time to get to school. It was a rainy, cold October morning and just like any other morning, at the same time as him, Hunters neighbor Raya walked out her front door and started walking to school and that's when everything fell into place.

  Hunters hand froze on the handle of the driver side door of the old, red, beater car that he bought himself for his sixteenth birthday. He couldn't believe his eyes, how had he not realized this before? Raya had moved across from Hunter over two years ago(which doesn't explain why he's been having this dream, well since he can remember). But that was her, the girl from the dream. Everybody knows about Raya and her family but not in a good way. When they first moved into the neighborhood they seemed like a happy family just trying to start over in a new town with their kids. After a few months things started changing; they sold their car, they stopped taking care of the house, everything just seemed to go gray. Hunter and Raya have never spoken to each other (well at least not outside of dreams) but that was about to change. Raya has a message for Hunter ,he can feel it in his soul and anyways she said to come find her; but little did Hunter know Raya was having  a very similar morning.

she wakes up every morning same dream, same dread, same everything, nothing ever changes. she can always remember that gross feeling of her pulling herself out of a dream. But today, today seems different. She quickly gets dressed, putting on her "the devil's a woman" crop top, a high wasted skirt, thigh high socks and her black vans. Walking through the living room with her foster parents passed out on the couch without waking them up is a fine art. As she tiptoed through the living room she concentrates intensely on trying not to step on any of the twenty or so needles scattered around the floor. Raya reached the door and turn the brass door handle to open the door; the door squeaked and she stopped. Every morning the door squeaks and every morning her heart drops. she holds her breath and looked over to the people on the couch, still asleep. Raya opened the door just enough for her and her backpack to slip out and shut the door slowly behind her. It isn't far to school so she doesn't mind walking, it gives her time to think. As she turned the corner of her block and got her headphones out to listen to her music a red car pulls up next to her, after a second the window rolls down.

"Hey, do you want a ride to school?"

she takes a step closer to the car to get a better look at who was asking but she should have known who it was because she heard the rusty old car screech out from the curb every morning. But when she looked through the window she didn't just see her neighbor staring back at her, she saw the face of the person that she had been pinning to remember for 16 years and for two of them he lived right across the street from her, but somehow she never made the connection. She stood in silence and shock, beads of rain stuck in her blue streaked hair.

"Hunter?"

"Um, yep that's me." He chuckled. "You good, you look like you've seen a ghost?"

"No, yeah, I'm good. Just a weird morning I guess." she shook her head and rain droplets flew from her hair.

"Right, yeah you and me both. So about that ride?" Hunter smiled.

 "Right, I usually prefer to walk, " Raya said. The rain started to pick up and a sharp, cold wind blew through the trees that made her shiver. "Uh, I guess it wouldn't hurt."

The passenger car door creaked loudly as she opened it. she put her backpack down on carpeted floors and sat down slowly, why did today happen to be the day he talks to me. she shut the door, buckled her seat belt, and slumped down into the seat. The car sputtered and clunked as Hunter pulled out from the curb; he reached over and turned on the radio to mask the inevitable awkward silence. They only live a few blocks from the school so it wasn't long before Hunter broke the ice.

  "So, do you think the wrestling team has a chance at winning in the state championship?" Hunter asked.
Raya didn't really feel like talking but it would have been way more awkward if she had just decided to ignore Hunter and not say anything.

Wrestling is very important in their small town of Berkeley, Missouri; it's actually the most important thing that happens to the town. It seems like here in Berkeley nothing interesting ever happens, no drug heists, no freak accidents. They don't even have their own news station. So when wrestling starts they have a whole week long celebration because it only happens once a year. 

"I think you guys have a good chance since you haven't lost this year," Raya said with a smile.

  "Well if you didn't know there is a party after the match." Hunter turned onto a new block and up onto the corner curb, she held on to the passenger door in fear that the car would split in two. She's known hunter for a whole 5 minutes and she already knows that he's not a good driver.

"Sorry," said Hunter.

"Are you inviting me to the party?" she looked over at Hunter, she wasn't sure if he was serious. 

"I mean, yeah. Only if ya want to."

"I've never been to a party or even been invited to one, but I guess it would be kinda fun." 

"So you're considering it?" Hunter questioned as he pulled them safely into the senior parking lot of the Berkeley Area Senior High School.  

"I mean, yeah. I guess it would be kind of interesting and I'm a senior so how many more high school parties will I be able to go to." Raya looked over at Hunter who had a goofy smirk spread across his face.

"Okay, I'll be outside your house at 7. See you then" And with that he swiftly got out of his car, shut the door, and left her alone and bewildered.   

!!!(Trigger warning in the next chapter)!!!