Forever Young

Chapter One

I knew I was dreaming. The pond, the starry night, the faintest whisper of wind through the trees - I knew it wasn't real. It was all a figment of my subconscious, something my mind had cooked up off and on for the past couple of years. I knew it was a dream, but I also didn't want to wake up.

Small ripples formed on the pond as the breeze blew over it. The moon's reflection danced for several seconds before the water stilled. I sighed; I longed to stay in this dream, but I knew as soon as I heard the hoot of a nearby owl, I'd wake up in my own bed, in my own house in the suburbs, hundreds of miles away from anything that resembled this magical place. I stared at the water and let the worries of my life go, at least for the time being.

I must have been completely zoned out, because when the snap of a twig echoed through the woods, I spun around so fast strands of dark hair obscured my vision. Please, God, don't let it be a bear, I prayed,as I fought to see through my own curls. Being mauled by a bear - even in a dream- wasn't on my list of favorite ways to die.

It wasn't a bear. It was a boy. And a cute one at that.

Out of sheer habit, I glanced down at my clothes. Please let me be in anything but my Snoopy nightgown, I directed my thoughts Heavenward. Please. No such luck; my eyes met the same ratty gown I'd worn to bed. Great. Even in my dreams I can't look halfway decent when a guy's around. I looked up and sent the boy a tentative smile.

He smiled back, and walked toward me. My heartbeat picked up. Was he coming to me? I looked behind me. Other than the boy, I was alone. My heart raced again. What would I say? My best friend, Holly, usually coached me through the few times I'd had one-on-one conversations with the opposite sex, and even then, those chats had been through the saftey of my cell. C'mon, Elaine, I coached myself, you can do this. I gave my best alluring smile as the boy approached me and tried my hardest not to stare at the way the moonlight glinted off his auburn hair.

Before I could say a word, he took my hand. His was warm, and felt good in mine; a tingle began in my fingers and worked its way up my arm to settle in my spine. All my mental coaching was in vain; I couldn't get a word out now if my life depended on it.

The boy didn't speak, either. Instead, he pulled me to the edge of the water, being careful so I wouldn't trip on anything. Once the water lapped at our bare toes, he turned to look at me again. I expected him to say something, but he didn't. He just stared into my brown eyes, a lopsided grin playing on his lips. He grabbed my free hand and held both of them to his chest, then started walking backward, deeper into the water. I waited for the water to rise over his - my- head, but it never did. Okay, Elaine. You must have ate something really funky before bed to be dreaming this. But I hadn't; nothing that out of the ordinary, anyway.

The boy's grin widened, almost as if he could read my thoughts, and at the same moment, we began to sink. Don't panic, I willed myself. It's just a dream. And for once, I took my own advice. I let the boy pull me under the surface of the water. My eyes closed out of habit as the water roared in my ears. It was cold, colder than a pond in June should have been, but I could still feel the heat from the boy's hands. Even though - or maybe because- he couldn't see it, I smiled.

The boy squeezed my hands, and in my mind, above the sound of rushing water, I heard three distinct words.

Welcome home, Elaine.