24 Dreams Of You And Me

9) The Very First

"I respectfully decline the invitation to join your hallucination."
- Scott Adams

***

Levi had not seen it coming. He should have. He should have known.

And he knew that. He was angry at himself.

But now he didn't know what to think, what to say, what to believe.

He had never experienced this.

It was strange.

What was stranger was that it didn't scare him till his core, it didn't send chills up his spine, it didn't make him want to run for cover.

It just felt familiar... and maybe, even if just a little, safe.

Somehow, he felt calm.

He shouldn't have. It should've been a warning. He knew he should feel alarmed, but... how could he?

He was back.

Back at the Old Lake in Minnesota where the then together tribe went for camp week in 1992, where he celebrated his 12th birthday.

But that wasn't it.

She was there.

Alyssa Lauder.

....

(Some time ago)

Levi's eyes opened and he was in a garden. Not the kind you'd like to be in. He was travelling.

The plants were dry, no sign of greenery. Every plant, bush and shrub was dry black. Except for a purple rose which sat right in the middle. It glowed and was bright amongst all the dried life.

Levi examined the area, trying to find something or someone which might help in the fight against Aradia.

He studied some of the herbs and immediately recognized one. He had seen it in one of the lore books about witches. It was used to cast a locking spell; bounding a soul to an object.

He grew anxious and jumped to the worst case scenario.

He sharply inhaled and looked around for a way out when his eyes fell on a young and pretty red head.

She wore a little black dress which hugged her curves and emphasised her small waist and hourglass figure. She smiled and took a sip of a light pink liquid from her glass.

"Levi Cahill? I suppose my spell didn't fail. It's good of you to stop by."

Levi wasn't breathing. He wanted to stay out.

When he didn't even blink, the woman chuckled. "Relax, not gonna harm your single hair. But you should know, I very easily can harm you. Badly. But I have some higher purpose with you. Let's make a deal, shall we?"

Levi stared into those shiny and mysterious gray eyes wordlessly.

I need to get the hell out, he thought.

"Oh," the woman exclaimed as she nearly spit her drink out, "Do you want some of this youth potion? I made it myself. Very delicious."

"You're-"

"Aradia, as you call me. Hi." She smiled and wiggled her fingers.

"How did you die?" Levi asked but his voice was strained.

"Levi, Levi, Levi." Aradia sighed and moved closer to him as she walked through the path amongst the dead plants. "The questions you ask don't matter. The offers I make you do."