Shattered *ON HOLD*

Lake of the Dead

Stephanie's POV

[Stephanie's dream]

I was standing at the side of a lake. It was dark around me. The surface of the lake was calm and the water was crystal clear. A delicate breeze blew my hair. It was so icy I was numb.

My skin was silky and smooth, unnatural. I walked in to the shallow water until it was up to my ankles. I glanced at my reflection in the water, my eyes weren't their normal colour. They were fully black, no whites and a spark of red around the iris. I was wearing a snowy white tunic. My bare shoulders exposed.

Taking small steps forward I walked into deeper water. Around the lake there were bare trees, but not one sign of a human being. The silence around me was deep and uncomfortable. I heard voices in the distance, almost like a choir of elves. High pitch noise. It was disturbing. I turned around in the shallow water, causing circles to form on the surface. The sound seemed to be coming from every direction. A shiver went up my spine, I was numb and cold.

Then out of a sudden the voices became louder. They were piercing through my body, like a thousand needles. I was helpless against the invisible armies. I closed my eyes and slowly lowered myself into the water. Tears stained my face, when I cried for help. The voices stole my breath, suffocating I fell to my knees. I lay flat on the sandy ground. The sand was berry red and coarse. The water became calm again. I couldn't hear the voices and I couldn't breathe. The water consumed me.

***

I woke up with tears on my cheeks. I was drowning in cold sweat. The sun was glistening in the distance and the glass window was heated up and radiating heat. I had to slow down my breathing, my heart was pounding so loud in my chest.

The car had come to a stop a while ago and the driver was absent.

When I spotted Kyle on the beach walking along the shore, I felt relieved. I managed to slow down my heart rate. I exit the car and started walking toward the beach. I felt dizzy from the dream I just had. I closed my eyes to blank my mind and loosen up a bit. Kyle saw me coming and jogged up to my side. He looked much younger in the sun. His golden pale skin and dark eyes that literally melted my soul.

"Sorry, I decided to take a stroll down the beach," He said. "Since you were sleeping."

"Yeah, I dozed off." I said sheepishly.

"So, do you want to join me?" He asked, rising an eyebrow.

"Do I have a choice?" I said playfully.

"Not really." He chuckled.

We walked down the beach and although Kyle had taken his shoes off and walked bare foot, I kept on the far side and didn't even get near the cold water. Kyle had splashed water all over himself, laughing like a little child. Looking at him I wondered how come such a dark, mysterious and serious person can behave like that.

I walked slowly alongside the beach smiling to myself, but maybe I wasn't smiling since I still felt the weight of the dream I had just woken up from. The chilly air seemed to accompany me. When Kyle finally gave up in trying to catch a wave he ran up to me, took me by the waist and lifted. He brought me over and threw into the water. My legs were wet up to my thighs. I was so shocked that I forgot my tongue. I had dark wet patches on my waist where he touched me. We were so close now, the heat from his body radiating towards me. He held me tighter, the playful laugh gone from his face. He studied my every blink and move of facial muscle. Then out of the blue his eyes changed colour to deep dark and turned serious, every bit of fun drained out within seconds. He lifted his hand up and stroked my cheek, felling the dried tears in my cheeks. I follow his hand and put it on my waist where it was.

"What happened?" He whispered.

"Nothing, really." I answered back, although I could fell the weight of his glare.

He took me by the hand and led me out of the water. I felt rays of coldness from his hand. Why was his hand so cold?!

We sat in the rocks near the beach. First silence dominated. It was kind of awkward. I tried looking into the ocean and listening to the waves, but soon I gave up listening to the waves and sighed. Then I noticed that the whole time Kyle has been holding my hand tightly. He stared at me with those eyes of his, I could never resist. Finally after along pause he spoke.

"We need to trust each other, otherwise it's useless. You need to understand that you don't belong here on this earth, your not purely a mundane. No one can know for now. Just remember what I tell you. For now I am your guide, you can trust no one except me. I have sworn a blood oath to protect you from harm."

He took both of my hands and touched the one I was marked on, looking me straight in the eye.

"We can't afford to carry secrets" And he left without another word.