Rising Power (#1 of the Canton Chronicles Series)

Dreams Connected - Valentine

"So, you finally did speak. I am glad for you, Valentine. I really am. Because where you're going next, you must be strong. Your journey has no place for the weak."

Val felt every hair on her body rising. Even in her worst nightmares, in her worst days, she'd never felt so intimidated.

What kind of dream is this? It feels so real.

"Why are you here, kid? What do you want from me?"

The girl tilted her head like an obedient dog, like Val's question was the most outrageous thing in the world.

"It's simple. A stupid thing really. Wake up."

"Excuse me, what?"

Suddenly the field became blurry, the forest and the barley disappearing from Val's sight. Her eyelids felt heavy and she was forced to close her eyes. When she opened them up again, there was nothing left of the dream. Only an echo of the girl's words.

Wake up.

***

Somehow, she did find the strength to get up and ready for work. She had only two months on her current job and couldn't afford to be late or distressed, but the dream had deeply disturbed her. Not because of the little girl, an unknown presence who had entered her mind by force. Val was not a stranger to people forcing their way on her.

But, the fact that this girl, a ten-year-old with a mouth too big for her age felt so real, was chilling Val to the bone.

No child should be talking like that, she thought and the thought perplexed her. Is she even real?

She shook her head. Real or not, the fact remained, that the girl wanted her to be strong for some upcoming task. It was very fitting since she still had some anxiety when it came to her job. And not just any job, one that she liked and had hoped to find for a long time.

Having studied Social Services for two years, Val was now hired at a 24-hotline centre for people who needed mental help, like suicidal teenagers or depressive adults. Having a few rough moments in life herself, Val loved to helped people. It made her forget her own problems, most of the time. She shrugged, as a flow of painful memories tried to overtake her mind, unsuccessfully. The past belonged to the past.

No more tears.

Working almost two months in the helping centre, made her realise a lot of things about herself and the others. She went gladly to her work, even if it wasn't a fancy one like a high-ranking profession at the Canton Council. But then something like this dream happens. Something unsettling and disturbing.

Stop thinking about the stupid dream. It was just a warning from your brain.

There was no use thinking about it anyway. She was going to be late if she didn't take off soon, and the real world was more important to her now. She looked herself in the mirror one more time and felt pleased with her reflection. A plain T-shirt and jeans, exactly the right spirit for her job.

"Tall, curvy and with a pretty face" her closest friend Mandy, had once told her. "What more could you possibly ask for?"

What indeed, thought Val as she closed her little apartment door behind her.

She walked the few meters it took to reach the train railways or the Overground, like the majority of Canton called it. The Overground had four main lines, extending like a spider web all over Canton City and its Outskirts, connecting all the major hotspots with the majestic Tower on its centre.

Val lived in the south-eastern part of the City and rode the Overground for exactly 36 minutes, in order to get to the north-eastern Outskirt, where her company was. A long ride, but it was worth it. Because Val could see the Tower every day. She rode that same train for two months now, and even though she saw Canton's architectural wonder every single time, it never failed to impress her, as she found new hidden details on the complex structure.

Standing at almost 500 meters in height, with its glass tip touching the sky, the Tower was a work of art, but also a symbol of hope. Raised directly after the Great War, the one and only catastrophic event Canton Island had experienced during its 250 years, it stood as a reminder of the times humans were still at peace with the Deities.

The base of the Tower was made of three thick and impressively sturdy metal lines, directing away from its main circular body. Its main core, consisting of dark-grey, liquid-like metal and sturdy glass, became gradually thinner as it extended towards the sky until only a sharp, needle-like point remained. The "Deity's Finger" as it was called, was painted with the three colours of Canton's Goddesses.

As well as blue and red, black had also been included, despite most of the protests. Who could blame the protesters, though? It was no secret that Magenta, a Deity respected and loved by all, had been an active ally of the man responsible for the Great War. But even with her evil lover dead, and herself contained in a man-made prison for the past seventy years, Magenta was still a daughter of God. A being higher than the rest of men, that had to be included in Canton's monument.

Val had never been a God-loving person. Painful events like her parents' deaths and her stay in the Asylum for the Mentally Challenged, had made her depend more on her own powers and less on the holy, spiritual ones. But still, she couldn't help but have a warm feeling in her chest, every time she saw those colours shining under the sun. A long-awaited sense of freedom.

When she finally reached the company's steps, she went through the central double automatic doors and took out her card.

"Good morning, Val. Hell, you look better every single day."

The guard winked at her. She blushed and smiled back at him. She slammed her card on the machine.

"Confirmed. Welcome, Valentine Stone."

A new day has come.

A.N: The picture attached is one of the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa (Dubai.) It's my favourite building from the places I've visited, and my inspiration for the Canton Tower.