Dreaming Companion

Chapter 1: Invader

"James..."

A celestial voice, chilling as the mist at dawn, echoed through the trees that surrounded the lake.

This lake, was no unfamiliar place for him, it was a place he visited often, in dreams or reality.

"James..." he heard the voice repeat.

A gust of wind blew right after, commanding the leaves to rustle in the trees, mimicking the sound of the pouring rain. Ripples started forming in the lake, gently clashing against the towering bare bodied figure of James Delaney. The rustle and the ripple was a lullaby that closed his eye-lids, but failed to put him to sleep when bubbles erupted, till finally a figure slowly appeared out of the water, standing before him.

It was a woman. But who was it?

Before he could even react, there he was, sitting on the floor with legs crossed and head bent low, in front of the fire at the attic as he did that night. But it was evident 'that night' has passed, for hues of pink and purple have merged with the dark blues in the sky. Dawn was breaking.

So it was a dream, he thought.

James closed his eyes, hoping he'd fall back into this dream. Unfortunately, he remained wide awake. With a deep breath, he attempted to recall what he had seen.

He remembered a voice. It was a voice so mysterious, so seductive, even someone as enigmatic as him found it quite difficult to comprehend.

Eyes, he remembered a pair of eyes. He did not know what color they were, but all he knew were the infinite number of stars he could bear to witness through them.

His eyebrows narrowed further, as if it helped to recall her appearance. The figure was in-distinctive. Yet he could distinctly recall feelings of desire, longing and curiosity.

It did not take him any effort to convince his mind to dwell on this strange dream, for it repeated the night after. And the night after that, and so on for a week. The more he dreamt, the more certain things came into clarity.

On the third night, it even progressed to dialogue.

"They call you the Devil, don't they?" She spoke. Her voice, alluring as he first remembered.

"Mmmm...It seems that they do, yes" James replied,gazing sharply into her eyes ,"Why? Are you afraid?" he inquired in an intimidating tone. She merely giggled, leaning closer afterwards, playfully questioning in return,

"Why would I be?"

She was dangerously close, he could hear her breath quickening. So dangerously close, her lips almost grazed his. Almost.

James' hands surfaced from the lake, droplets of water dripping from it as he pulled them out to touch her. She was just so close, surely impossible to miss. When his fingers could almost taste her skin, the sound of the crackling fire drowned his ears.

And he was awake once more.Another morning has dawned. He rubbed his head in frustration, silently hoping for answers from the remaining spirit that was his mother.

James Delaney was indeed a man of secrets. Incantations of foreign tongue constantly danced across his lips. He was feared by many, enemies he had many. He was a man with the contingency when needed. He was capable of what a normal man could not.

But for the first time in a long time, James felt as if the dreams that were invaded, were surprisingly his very own.