Thread: Wold you like to go to anther world?

Michelle told everything she had learned in the conference room to the two Angels. They appeared even more impressed than ever.

"This is strangely fortunate..." Bonnie started. "The likelihood that we would have found this out if you had not been there is very slim. And your mastery over your Gift has made you invaluable to us. Someday you will be a powerful Warrior of the Night."

John saw the gloating expression on Michelle's face and didn't want to make her more proud than she already was. "Just don't do anything without one of us there with you in the future. Got it?"

"Sure. But, um...how am I supposed to bring the flowers back to you guys? I mean, it's not exactly easy for me to fall asleep...and what if they don't come at all?"

"There's only one way to find out, and that's by you waking up and going to sleep again," John said impatiently. "Now just close your eyes. I'll send you back."

"But what if--"

Michelle hardly blinked and suddenly she was in her own bedroom. "I really hate that man!"

But despite her frustration, she had a job to do. Sneaking as quietly as she could, Michelle headed down to the basement and flipped on the light. Piles of disorganized boxes greeted her, but she knew exactly where she left them. An ice chest hidden behind three boxes of photo albums was both small and airtight, and she pulled out the plastic baggie with the flowers inside.

Handing them gingerly, she carried her precious cargo upstairs and crept back into her bedroom. Once there, she laid down and closed her eyes.

She couldn't get to sleep! There was just too much on her mind to let her relax enough.

After nearly 40 minutes of this, she gave up and turned on the lamp on her nightstand. She reached for the book she'd checked out at the library and opened it to the bookmark. It was the Anthropology book Vivian helped her find just before she disappeared.

The section on dreamers was a large one, and the pages turned again and again without any words growing blurry. Maybe that was because it was an interesting book. Michelle simply couldn't get herself bored enough to fall asleep, and there was nothing else so applicable to her particular circumstances that was worth reading.

Well, she might as well learn what she could if she couldn't fall asleep. Where the author got all this information was incredible! He didn't simply talk about these things as if they were dubious. The way he described it was as if he believed every word. After a little while she curiously flipped to the title page to see who the author was, and immediately her jaw dropped.

"He wrote this book?!"

*** at the dojo ***

James was still weak from his exposure to the effects of Aurum Polis, but he insisted on helping around at the dojo. He had very little else to do, and Vivian had not been seen or heard from since their last meeting when...well, when they'd kissed.

He was in the middle of carrying a pile of sheathed swords to one of the display rooms when he heard voices and stopped. That sounded like John and Sensei...

"...and then I sent her home. I wish I understood what this was all about," his brother was saying.

"Hmm..." the dojo's master seemed to be considering the information John had brought. "Michelle's Gift manifested itself before she even became aware of its existence. It is possible it did so because she could not have survived otherwise. The golden flowers could have trapped her in Aurum Polis, unable to wake in either world, but she somehow managed to control them. Now she has discovered different facets of her Gift that will be quite useful in many circumstances."

"It certainly helped us escape, and she managed to trick everyone in the entire castle. She's either very powerful or she was scared enough that the Gift was very strong for a short while."

Sensei rubbed his chin and pondered this. "It will take more observation to be completely certain."

John gave a halfhearted shrug. "It makes no difference to me. Once we get the flowers, I could try keeping her from entering our world from now on, if that would be better. I'm sure with a little more practice I could learn to control her Sleep Walking abilities."

"Not yet. The girl may have a part to play that we cannot foresee as of yet. Only a fool wastes the resources he has right in front of him." Sensei's eyebrows furrowed for a moment. "John...did she happen to mention her whole name?"

"No. Every time we met it seemed to be in very desperate or awkward circumstances. We were never formally introduced."

"My granddaughter's name is Michelle, and I thought for a moment she might... No. It's a foolish thought. We must focus on what we can do now. Allysmi and Daysha will be staying here until the potion is complete and then we will have to find the Red Dragon."

John's voice suddenly grew so low that James strained in order to hear. "Sensei...what should we do about Vivian? She has been half-crazed since Bonnie found her and she won't make any sense."

The old man groaned, running a hand down his face. "I wish when she died she had gone to her eternal rest. Ghosts can so easily fall into a cycle of suffering that feeds itself until there is nothing but bitterness and hate left. She is already well along that path, and unless something can be done to stop it she will never recover. As far as I can tell, we must keep her confined. If all else fails...her eternal rest will not be far off."

James backed away slowly. Sensei had found Vivian! That meant she must be in the dojo somewhere! But where?

James stared at it. He had never seen one of these, but he'd heard of them: Binding Mirrors. He could see Vivian inside, crying and screaming and tearing out her hair. There was not even the smallest whisper, and yet if he leaned close he felt as though he could almost hear her voice.

He stepped closer and touched the frame, trying to see if there was a way to reverse the mirror and release her. A curled metal vine shifted underneath his fingers and he stopped.

"What did that do?" he wondered aloud.

"It's not my fault! I didn't understand!" Vivian's voice came across muted, as though she were talking from inside a box. James looked at her and could see that her eyes were wild with terror and anger. "Let me out and I'll pay it back!"

"Vivian, can you hear me? It's James."

"It killed me! It tricked me into dying! Give me a sword and I'll slice its rotten head off!"

"Who?" he asked softly, trying to calm her down with his voice although he wasn't sure she could even hear him.

"It's not me! That thing is the one who did this! Why am I the one being punished?!" Her eyes were now even more furious than they had been a moment earlier. "I'll kill it with my own hands! Let me out, NOW!!"

James tried for a few more minutes to talk to her, but although ghosts feel pain and tiredness, they do not sleep. Had she still been human it would have been a simple matter of letting her wear herself out, but in ghost-form she would rage on and on until Judgment Day.

She didn't appear to see him and she continued ranting as if she couldn't hear. He reached to touch the glass but suddenly a strong hand seized him from behind and jerked him back! John was there, a mournful expression on his face.

"If you touch the glass you'll end up in there with her. I wouldn't bother staying too long, though."

James looked back to see Vivian weeping and beating at the face of the mirror. "Why did Sensei imprison her?"

"She was roaming the Middle Grounds aimlessly. Bonnie barely found her in time to keep her from getting caught in a storm-trap, but by then she was already trapped in her mind. She doesn't acknowledge anyone and only continues talking about her death and being tricked. We tried to force her to look at us and she grew violent. That's when Sensei decided to keep her there."

His brother laid a hand on his shoulder briefly and then he left. James stared at the Binding Mirror for another three minutes before he walked over and pressed the wiry vine back into its place, thus silencing Vivian's endless screaming.

As he followed his brother, he murmured, "I can't save you now...not like this. But I will find the answer and you will be freed. I promise."

*** with Michelle ***

"Hello there!" the kind nurse dressed in scrubs said cheerfully as Michelle walked in the front door. "Can I help you?"

"Um, I'm here to visit my grandfather," she answered a little uncertainly as she looked around the lobby of the nursing home. "His name is Peter Reynolds."

"Oh yes, Mr. Reynolds is in the dining room. Usually visiting hours are after ten, though." The nurse saw Michelle's face fall. It was 7:45. "But...I suppose since it's a weekday we can make an exception. You probably have to be going to school soon, so a short visit wouldn't hurt."

"Yeah." The problem of school had completely escaped her thoughts, but now that she remembered it she was beginning to think there would be a call to her house any day now to comment on how often Michelle was absent from classes.

"Here's your Visitor badge. Would you mind coming this way?" The nurse led her down a hallway and continued to talk. "Your mother visits him every other Friday, I believe. I'm surprised she's not here with you now."

"She's busy at the store while I popped in. I just have a couple questions to ask him, really."

"It's so nice to see young people coming to nursing homes. Here we are! And there's Mr. Reynolds."

"Grandad!" Michelle waved to an elderly bald man in a wheelchair and rushed over to him.

She hadn't seen him since Christmas a few months ago, but he didn't seem to have changed any. Now as she came running toward him through the small cafeteria she could see his eyes grow wide. As she gave him a hug he placed his frail, shaking hands on her shoulders and pushed her back a little so that he could see her face. He had the warmest smile.

"What a surprise! What is my lovely granddaughter doing here today?"

Unsure of herself and feeling like a fool, she opened her bookbag and took out the item she had come to discuss. He gave it one look and his hands suddenly tightened on her shoulders.

"It is you. It is!" With that, he pulled her into the strongest hug she could ever remember. "You are the one John told me about after all!"

He explained in a few words that he was allied with Keith, Vivian, and the others. Once Michelle understood that she was less confused, and yet she still had too many questions to put into words. There was only one she was really concerned about, however.

"But, Grandad, what do I do now?" she asked with something like despair.

He let go of her and folded his hands in his lap. "I need you to get the flowers."

"But I know that already! I would have, but I couldn't go to sleep last night."

"Don't worry, I'll tell the others. They have plenty to do already."

"But what else can I do once I deliver them?"

"Dream ordinary dreams. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I can't."

"Yes you can. You just don't know how."

"Well, that's true but I mean I can't just leave everyone to take care of things without me. I'm a part of this now, aren't I? Don't separate me when I know I can help!"

"I will let you know. Now go to school."

She saw the futility of pressing him and so ended their conversation with another embrace and left. But as he watched her go, Peter Reynolds wished with all his heart that she had not inherited his gift...and his curse. It was just as easy to die there as here, and it was more likely the soul could be trapped in stasis like what happened to Vivian. If only there was a better way to keep her safe...

The dojo was bustling with activity. Keith and John were busy discussing plans as they cleaned the floor while Daysha inspected the ingredients Sensei had brought to him. Mi was outside talking with Bonnie, and that left James all by himself. He finally had a plan, but it required perfect timing and lots of luck.

John's head shot up and he gave the warning just before a blur appeared in the center of the room. The blur quickly took on color and shape, becoming Michelle. She was holding a plastic bag with the golden flowers inside, and she looked around the area partly with awe and partly curiosity. After all she hadn't been to the dojo before.

The Angel approached her. "Michelle, this is Sensei."

She didn't say anything but her eyes widened and she managed to bow politely. James wondered why she looked so surprised. Perhaps because a 'sensei' in her world tended to be a very old man, though in the present case Sensei was between 60 and 80 (his age was difficult to tell) but in excellent physical condition.

"Michelle," the old man said softly as he came forward. "I regret we have not met prior to this. It would have been much easier on us all. I would like to discuss many things with you in private, but for now we need your assistance."

She nodded, appearing to recover herself a little. "Whatever you guys need."

"The most dangerous part of the flowers is their scent because it can incapacitate anyone. Can you control it long enough for Daysha," he indicated the young man, "to use it in his concoction?"

"Should be really easy. I do it almost without thinking."

"Perfect. Daysha, is everything prepared?"

The other looked down at the contraption of tubes and burners on the floor. "It is, Sire. My equipment could be better, but it will suffice as long as the maiden can keep the magic at bay for five minutes. After that I will not require her service and she may do as she is wont to do."

Michelle's face screwed up into an expression of confusion. "What am I supposed to do afterwards? What's a 'wont'?"

Moving a bit closer John said, "He means do whatever you like. Alchemists always talk like that."

"Okay, whatever. He can open the bag anytime. I've got it under control."

James watched with interest as Daysha carefully took the flowers out of the bag and crushed them with a mortar and pestle. Being very studious, he scraped every bit into a bowl and then mixed it with a powder. He also filled the mortar with red sand. More things went into the bowl before he finally poured it all into a glass of bubbling green liquid.

When it turned amber the alchemist leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief. "We are not dead so I can safely assume my studies have proven superior. Were my teachers here, I would inevitably be made a master within days."

"You mean you're just a student?" Keith asked. "And that thing could have blown us all to little crumbly bits?"

"There is always a risk in alchemy, boy," came Daysha's answer. "The true question is whether it was worth it to risk our lives for the process. I believe it was. Thank you, maiden. I am most gratified by your gift, your talent, and your face."

Michelle blushed at the compliments. "How I look isn't really in my control..."

"On the contrary, Sleep Walkers craft their appearances by personal design. I suppose since you are a neophyte it is still beyond your control, though. Fret little over such things at the present. I am more than impressed as it is."

She bit her lip and ducked her head, causing the long strands of silver hair to block out her view of him. James walked over and touched her shoulder lightly.

"I would not mind taking her to the kitchen while we wait."

"Yes, that would be best," Sensei said. "I will join you as soon as Daysha explains the next step of the process for the potion."

The Angel led her out of the room and down the hallway, but he passed the kitchen and kept moving until they reached a stairwell. By then Michelle knew there was something going on.

"Um, I think we left the kitchen back there someplace. Should I go back?"

He stopped and faced her as soon as he was sure no one was around. "I know this may sound crazy, but do you think you can imitate the scent of the golden flowers the same way you did with the smoke, only with their effects too?"

Her eyebrows scrunched up as she considered it. "...I don't know. I'm sure I can make the scent, but I don't know about the actual magic part. Do you want me to test it on you?"

"NO!" James had backed up almost without realizing it. "I--I mean, that's not a good idea. I was addicted to it before, and you saw what happened to me in Aurum Polis."

"Are you saying all those weird shadows will show up here too?!"

"No, no! What I mean is...once I get a taste of that nothingness I want to keep it."

"Okay, so what d'you want me to do?"

James gestured for her to follow and they went down to a basement of sorts. There were tons of junk everywhere, all lit by dozens of torches along the walls. They meandered around until he stopped in front of a mirror with a rug over it. When he pulled it down Michelle gasped and stumbled back.

"Who's she? And why is she inside that thing?"

"That's Vivian, and Sensei put her inside the Binding Mirror to keep her from hurting herself or anyone else. She's trapped in an endless cycle of hate and despair."

"So this is what she looks like... But wait! Vivian was with me at the library when she all of a sudden got mad about something in a book. That's when she left." Michelle thought for a few seconds before she turned to the Angel and said, "You want me to make her sleep, don't you?"

"Yes."

"I have to be in that place to use my Gift on her. How do I get inside?"

"Just touch the mirror. But if she doesn't sleep, you'll be trapped in there with a crazed ghost. Usually they can't touch things but she's so upset that she's more solid than she should be. And I can't be sure that I can get you out again."

Michelle swallowed and then said in a strong voice, "I can handle it."

Without another word she stepped up to the Binding Mirror and touched it. Her body was pulled inward and suddenly she was standing beside Vivian. There was no sound and James went closer, trying to see if she was doing anything.

The silver-haired girl said a few words but Vivian screamed and clutched her head. Before another second passed, the ghost was suddenly at Michelle's throat! They tussled and pushed and scratched at each other in silence as James started to panic on his side of the mirror. He searched the side for a catch that would somehow release them, but nothing moved.

By now he had realized how stupid his plan had been. James had assumed he could easily find a way to let her out since it had been so simple to move the vine and listen to the one inside. Only now it seemed the entire mirror was stuck and he couldn't even hear what they were screaming.

But as he watched, Vivian's head sagged and her hands loosened their grip on Michelle. She sluggishly tried to stand up but instead fell flat on her face. The other girl sat up rubbing her neck and looking angrily around as though not sure where James was and wanting very much to give him a piece of her mind.

Still unable to find anything, he turned the mirror sideways. Instantly the two figures inside fell through the glass! They landed before him and Michelle was finally able to glare directly at him.

"You could have done that a tad bit sooner, jerk-off!"

Vivian regained consciousness slowly, not even sure for the first few minutes who she was. She found herself staring at a man who spoke, but his words meant nothing to her. Still, he seemed kind and she was not alarmed.

Someone else entered the room and the man who had been speaking so softly to her suddenly stood up stiffly. The new person was also a man, but much older...and much less kind-looking. He gestured angrily and his voice was loud, but the younger man moved between him and herself. The old man stopped yelling and looked at Vivian with a measuring gaze. After a minute he gave an impatient noise and said something that made her protector relax. Then he left.

Now they were alone again and he sat back down. He took a deep breath and held her hand while he smiled, though his face was sad. She closed her eyes once more and fell into a deeper rest...

*** elsewhere in the dojo ***

Sensei closed the door to his chamber and looked over at the girl sitting in the corner. He didn't say a word, preferring his granddaughter to be the first to speak...though he very much wanted to tell her what he thought about her escapade. That could wait.

"I...I was surprised to see you like this. You look young, Granddad."

"You heard Daysha mention that Sleep Walkers can control their appearance here. It is the same for me."

She bit her lip a little as though trying to decide how to say something. "I'm not stupid. The way Keith talked about you and the way everyone else acts around you...they don't know you're a Sleep Walker too, do they?"

He blinked. That was probably the last thing he expected her to realize. "It is my secret. I spend most of my time here as it is. There is so little for me to do in our world. But as long as no one knows the truth about my origins, I can find my way into places that would ordinarily be barred from me."

"I don't understand..."

"I am not asking you to, Michelle. But I do want you to keep this between us. My Gift is the ability to shield myself or others. There are many different types of shields I am able to call, and the one I use at all times prevents anyone from detecting the aura of a Sleep Walker around me."

The teenager looked earnest as she said, "Is there anything I can do as a Sleep Walker?"

He instantly grew stern. "I believe you've done more than enough already."

"But I discovered something new about my Gift. James asked me to imitate the magic of the flowers and I could do it!" She looked exultant and obviously expected her grandfather to be pleased. That wasn't the case.

"I would much rather have you risk your life less. We would have found a way to calm Vivian down eventually, and dealing with her right now is only an additional problem I wish I could put off until after this crisis with the dragon is over -- if we succeed, that is."

"I...I'm sorry, Granddad. I thought I was doing the right thing. It's what Sleep Walkers do, right? They help the people in this world."

"We try, but we can't walk openly. There are only a handful of us left, you know. That is why I must be cautious and never reveal my secret."

"But what about James and John? Aren't they Sleep Walkers too?"

For the first time he realized no one had sat down and explained things to Michelle. She didn't even know the basics of the world they were in, and was already trying to take guardianship of it.

"They are Angels -- not precisely the kind you are familiar with, though. When I use the word I mean they are men who died so favorably that they were granted new bodies and missions directly from God. They came back, but..." He stopped, suddenly not sure if he ought to continue with the details of their personal lives without permission.

"Granddad? Is something wrong?" she prompted.

He leaned forward. "I tell you this in the strictest confidence and only so that you understand them more fully. James made the mistake of falling in love with a woman when he came back. He was sent to protect her but because he got too close, he lost perspective. In the end it was because of that very closeness that brought down her death. I warned him, but he refused to listen until it was too late."

"How could being in love with her cause her death?"

"He pretended to be human again, which dulled his senses until he could not detect demonic enemies. He was sent to protect her against them and instead he grew distracted and stopped being vigilant. She suffered a terrible fate that I will not repeat to you, but she did go to Heaven."

"But James is an Angel. Couldn't he just go see her?"

"Not quite. You see, James was so devastated by her death that he cursed God and swore vengeance on not only the demons but the innocents who were unknowingly involved. He slaughtered them all and his attack on the demons was so fierce that they melted to one of the deepest corners of hell. If James had simply humbled himself and sought repentance there would have been no problem and he would have been permitted into Heaven -- or so I was led to believe when John told me the tale -- but James suffered from both pride and a desire for revenge, as well as blaming the Creator for 'taking her away'. From that moment on, James was a rogue Angel."

"What does that mean?"

"An Angel out of grace with God is withdrawn from His Light and unable to die (mainly because he is already dead, in a way). It's like living with no organs in your body. With no hope for Eternity, there is nothing but despair left."

"But he doesn't seem 'despairing'. Are you sure he's a rogue Angel?"

Sensei paused. He felt divided on the issue ever since James had started giving attention to Vivian. He certainly hadn't attempted suicide since they met, as far as he had been able to see. "Only another Angel can know for certain if God's favor rests on him or not, and I will not ask."

"Okay, but what about John? Is he a rogue Angel too?"

"He was sent to be James' companion to lead him back into grace, if possible. He rescued his brother from Aurum Polis years ago, and ever since then he has tried to guide James back to God."

They continued to talk, and Michelle began slowly to understand what sort of place this world was, and how dangerous it could be.