Dream Seeker

In the beginning, the Crow stole the Light from the Eagle. The Crow knew that without the Light, the Eagle was powerless. So the Crow released the Light into a black void; however, the Light spread into tiny particles, stretching across the void. From the Light, stars, planets and galaxies were born. The Crow hated the result of its mischief. It sought to destroy the Light. The light knowing this, hid it's heart within living vessels, where it was safe from the Crow's claws. Yet, the Crow waited, for the moment, when the Light would fall into its claws again, and all of time would come to an end.

Upon waking, Gael felt exposed and ashamed. Dr.Curtis was sitting in an armchair across from where she laid.

"Do you remember anything, Miss Wilson?"

"Yes."

"What is the last thing you remember, Miss Wilson?"

"I remember you counting down, and I fell into a river. I was drowning."

"How would you describe the experience?" Dr.Curtis never made eye contact with her during the sessions.

"Terrifying at first, I was convinced I was dead or dying." She decided to sit upright to watch him closely, exhaling a breath not meant for his ears. She looked down at her fingers, feeling embarrassed.

Dr.Curtis raised his head revealing concealed eyes. "Did you find him, Miss Wilson?"

She frowned. "I felt him."

"Did you see him?" He worded the question impatiently.

"No I did not."

"Do you realize that you failed this phase, Miss Wilson?"

"Yes, I do."

"You must return to your room."

"Yes, sir." She stood up, hesitating for a moment before turning the door knob. "Do you think that I'll be able to make a connection next time?"

He leaned back, pulling out an electronic cigar from his lab coat pocket. "Perhaps," he said. "Time will tell. Don't give yourself too much pain over it. Dream seeking is an art that only a few have mastered." 

"Yes, I know," she said. "I just can't get past a black barrier in my memories, it won't let me see beyond it. I've been thinking, and maybe, I'm not supposed to find him. Maybe, this is all in vain."

Doctor Curtis took a long drag from his cigar, drooping his head to the side. "Do you believe that?"

Gael shook her head. "I think he wants me to find him. Although, sometimes I feel afraid."

"Why so?"

"What if whatever took the children took him, too?"

Doctor Curtis smiled. "You should rest. Try not to think too much about it," he said.

She left with a sense of oncoming doom. Every one around her had smiles on their faces. For them, the camp was a source of enlightenment. Most were there to connect with their inner psychic self. Actual dream seeking was preserve for those with elite training.

Dream seeking was a dangerous task . As an alumni of the Liberi Psychicum Institute, Jonathan had been chosen to lead the search for the five missing children. The organization was committed to recruiting psychic children and molding them into the role of future dream seekers.

Because it was illegal to physically cross the rift due to the high death toll, scientists designed a new method of astral projection in order to convey the minds of certain individuals through time without harming their bodies. Everyone was connected by consciousness and by using collective thought as a source of energy; those who had been lost could be led back.  

Five children had been reported lost in a small suburban town named River Valley. Eila Dawson, a nine-year-old girl, was the first to go missing. Two months later Joseph and Kathy Stevens, fraternal twins, went missing, too. Cassandra Moore, six at the time, went missing three weeks after the twin's disappearance in the same location. Last was Amber O'Connor, an eight year old with type one diabetes. The media had made a frenzy out of little blonde Amber, her image streamed through out the world. Her parents were especially worried. If the child went too long without an insulin shot, she would die.

After five months of false leads and fruitless investigations, scientists came to the conclusion that the children had accidentally crossed temporal rifts, scattered across the River Valley forest. Immediately, five powerful minds were assigned to find them.

Many hours and days were consumed in trying to find them without any significant results. The sessions had stopped after one of the chosen dream seekers began to show signs of psychological distress.

Jonathan had disagreed with the decision. The morning after he was released from the NSA medical unit, he drove to Pawtucket Canyon, where the largest temporal rift had been detected. He was as good as dead to everyone except Gael Wilson.

Of all the dream seeking specialist she contacted, one responded. He sent her an invitation to his meditation camp where every year dream seekers from all over the world would gather to celebrate Awakening week. Their purposes varied, but most did it for the thrill.

Without Jonathan, Gael fell into long bouts of depression. With him being gone, it was as if a part of her was missing. In his absence, her mind would roam to the black barrier, to the forgotten memories. The faded past that he had made anew for her, returned. The memories that she wanted to forget reoccurred. The truth sat in front of her, making its way up her spine, grasping her neck, crawling into her brain and torturing her mind. It was forcing her to remember what she couldn't. He had given her a reason to forget. But he was gone, and she was drowning.