Forever Young

Chapter Ten

"I'm Leo." He held out his hand. I took it, and he pulled me to my feet.

"Do I know you?" The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"No. Not yet." He smiled. His teeth were straight and white. I smiled back.

"I'm Elaine." God, that sounded formal. Now I knew why my mother always introduced me as Laney. It was just less old-ladyish.

"I know. I've been waiting for a chance to talk to you." He wore jeans and a white tee that stretched across his muscles, and his hair was combed to one side, but something about him made me think of medieval times. He would have fit in this dream even if he'd been dressed in armor and riding a white horse and said he hailed from King Arthur's court.

I stared. My mouth hung open for a moment before I realized, and I shut it with a snap. Way to ruin it, I thought. You can't even talk to a guy in your dreams. Heat flooded my cheeks, and I turned my face to the pond.

Leo put his index finger under my chin and tilted my head. "What's wrong?"

I tried not to meet his gaze, but his eyes... They were just enchanting. "Nothing," I lied. "Where's my father? And Lady?"

"Michael has returned to his home, and Lady went with him."

"Home? What, he lives here?"

Leo nodded. "We all do."

"All?" This dream just got weirder and weirder. "How many of you are there?"

"At last count, I believe there were just over a thousand in our village. However, there are others who have chosen to live elsewhere. No one knows the exact number. Of course, some choose to leave this world altogether."

"And just where am I?" Suddenly, everything clicked into place. "I'm dead, aren't I? I'm dead, and this is Heaven." It made perfect sense. How else would I have gotten to see my Dad and Lady? And if I was dead...

"You're an angel?" I asked.

Leo snorted. "Far from it. You sweet, naive girl. You're not dead, nor are you in Heaven. Come with me." He grabbed my hand before I could protest and pulled me toward the woods.

I faltered at the treeline. "How are we going to see in there?" The woods were dense and black. There could be animals, or worse.

Leo cupped his hands, like I had when I drank from the pond. He closed them, and opened them slowly.

In the palm of his hands was a small but steady ball of light.

"But- How?"

He winked. "Magic."

The deeper we went in the trees, the brighter the light shone. Leo transferred this light to his right hand and held it out in front of us. He held my hand in his left one.

I'd never had a boyfriend. I'd never held hands with any guy, except Dad, and that didn't count. But somehow, this felt right.

The wood wasn't as big as I thought. We'd only walked for maybe five minutes before we climbed to the top of a small hill. "Cover your eyes," Leo said, "I want this to be a surprise."

I did as he said, and let him lead me.

"Now," he said. I let my hands fall to my sides and looked down.

A gasp escaped my mouth. Below us was a village. Its streets were cobbled, and the buildings along them were small. The streetlights were gas and straight out of a Sherlock Holmes book. The entire view put me in mind of the Christmas village my Mom put out every year.

"It's beautiful!"

"This is the Village Ambrosia," Leo said. Then, in a voice so low I almost didn't hear it, he added, "Welcome home."