I have had vivid dreams before... sure they don't normally involve me being a princess that is in love with a guy who looks a lot like our assistant coach. Neither do they involve a supernatural war... but still I have had vivid dreams before.
Why was I freaking out?
This dreamed seemed to go on and on moving from picture to picture. It was like watching a movie in fast forward, only this movie seemed to be my life... well, another life. The 'movie' suddenly stops and I am standing in what appears to be a fancy office. The tall wide walls covered in an earthy themed wallpaper, with elegant vines drawing design all around. The chocolate brown carpet on the floor made you want to just roll in its softness and the mahogany furniture still held the sent of the trees they came from. Everything about the room gave you the mixed feelings of it being a room for business and home. I can remember when Cadens and I were young and would always lock ourselves in here when our parents were away. Poor guards... they would always get an earful from mother when she would come home. Oh, how I miss this room.
Wait, what? Snap out of it Willow! It is just a dream!
"Minani!" I turn to find Constance in a gorgeous gown, her hair up in an elegant bun encircled by a beautiful tiara and deep worry in her eyes.
"Cadence, how bad is it out there?" The werewolves were smart to attack when half our men were away helping another kingdom...
"It's not good... Arkadius had to caus a distraction just so I could come back in! My flames would have caught too much attention."
"It would be smart if we don't use our powers until we get mother and father out! Go and find Arkadius and I will get mother and father ready. We need to get them out now!"..
The rest is if faded but it wasn't needed I remembered. I just couldn't believe it.
I open my eyes, my body coated in sweat and a raging headache that worsened at the sound of voices around me. Thunk! "Ow! What was that for?"
"That was for listening to our parents! You had one job Jared!" Constance climbs over me to retrieve what she threw. "Explain what is going on Jared or so help me... the next thing I throw won't be a shoe!"
"Calm down Cadence! You know we can't refuse the demand of the king and queen!" That voice... why was he still here?
"Oh shut up Damien! You all should have tried to save them! They are the important ones!" Cadence. .. no.. This was not happening. It was not real! "They.. they were the important ones..." she was crying. "Why didn't you save them..?"
"Stop..." I didn't even know I had sat up, until I saw their eyes on me.
"Minani... we did our best to protect them." He is that boy in the tree.. no Willow. .
"I SAID STOP IT!" I jumped off the bed and did the only thing I could think of. I ran.
I ended up where I always did when things went wrong, my Willow tree. I know I can't stay long, Jonathan knows all to well that this is the place I go to when I don't know what to do anymore. Why was I the only one freaking out about this? This is insane!
"No, its not." I gasp and nearly fall from how fast I turn. There stood Constance in the gown from my dream... "You know it's the truth, there is something else that is keeping you from believing. "
"Constance do you really think this is the time to be playing dress up?" Could it be possible that I am still asleep?
"You know I am not Constance Willow... I am Cadence." I lift a brow at her. Wasn't Constance Cadence in this weird dream?
"It's not a dream! But you are technically correct, only I am not the real Cadence. The one you call Constance is still out looking for you." She crosses her arms and stares off to the distance as If she knew exactly where Constance was.
"Then what are you? My subconscious?" I officially believe I have gone crazy. I knew this day would come, but I hoped it would be when I was old and became the creepy old woman down the street.
"Something like that. You are not crazy Willow, you are just in denial." The person I am seeing, that is not really there, is telling me I am not crazy... does that not mean I really am not right in the head? I mean this person is telling me that werewolves, witches and shifters are real! "You are hopless! And you are trying to avoid the main point!" Cadence puffs out her dress before plopping to the ground.
I on the other hand would like to stay standing incase I needed to run again. "That I am not crazy?"
"Willow! You know in your heart that your memories are real! The question is, why are you fighting it?"
"I am not fighting it!" She just doesn't understand!
"Yes, you are! Why, Willow? Why?" Her eyes pierce into mine and I snap.
"Why didn't anyone tell me I'm a monster?!" I said it... I remembered the fear in the eyes of those who made me angry. I remember the town that went dark because of me and the lives that were lost.
"You are not a monster..."
"Why not? Because I'm a princess?"
She sighs as she brushes he dress. "Do you remember what mother told you the night she and father sent you and I away?"
I sigh and I let my self drop to the floor. "Of course I do. She said 'long live the twins' I thought she was just going insane in my opinion."
"What did she say after that?"
I take my eyes away from Cadence and focus on my hands that play with the dirt. "She said we were the solution. We were the gift from our world, the balance that could end the war. Two of the same, but different. One with the grace of darkness and death and one with the grace of light and life. Together they would change our world for the better... but apart only destruction will follow. Long live the twins..." Tears spill from my eyes, turning the dirt into mud.
"See, you are not a monster."
"But I am. Her words don't change the fact that people have died by my hand! That each time I get worked up or even slightly angry a darkness takes over! I am and always will be a monster! That's why people have always treated me harshly here! It wasn't because I was different, it was because the could sense the darkness inside of me! Especially the Humans!" There was that feeling again... the feeling of something wanting to escape from within me.
Cadences eyes go wide as she suddenly stands. "Minani calm down!"
I hadn't even noticed my hand was clenching the dirt it held, but I couldn't help but feel so angry towards myself. "Why do you always insist on defending me? You know what I am capable of! "Everything was going red, I could feel the darkness taking over and for once I didn't fight it. I let it's claws engulf me. Black shadow like people began to form around me shaking with eager to do my biding. Eager to make all who hurt me pay and I am terrified.
"Minani stop! This is not you and you know it! You can't keep living in the past! You made a mistake, but you didn't know better..." Cadence begins to fade into the darkness, her words no longer reaching me. This is the monster I am. I am no hero, I only know how to destroy things.
I hear a gasp in the distance and I can only hope it was the Cadence from my subconscious. But to my horror I hear a voice. "Constance, stay back! She can't control it, you might get hurt by accident!" No... I was suppose to be alone!
"Don't be an idiot Damien! Of course I won't stay back, she is my sister!" Idiot! She knows what can happen!
Calm down Willow... you can't hurt her! But I can't, I never could just calm down. The fact that I might hurt her was only making me even more angry! The shadows are changing, they beging to gain human characteristics and I panicked a bit more. No no no! Calm down! Once they brake free only bad things will come..
I jump as arms snake around my waist and i feel grateful for the strength they seem to be giving me. "Min calm down, you don't want to do this..." His voice... why did it always make me feel better?
"Don't you think I know that?" But better is not enough... " I can't control it!"
"Minani..." His lips brushing my ear sending a shiver throughout my body. "Do you remember the first day we met?" What? How was this relevant to the situation at hand?
"Damien, how..?" His grip slightly tightens making me trail off.
"Do you?" His voice seems desperate.
"Yes..." in fact I have been dreaming of that night before I remembered who I was... how could I forget that horribly wonderful day? Of course that part was for only me to know!
His hot breath and minty sent cover half my face as he sighs and tightens his grip a bit more. I honestly felt if he tightened his grip even more I would have a hard time breathing.
"Willow! Are you ok?" I snap out of the tense i had seemed to be in and look up to find the shadows slightly fading and Constance walking through them. No! That is not safe! The shadows begin to darken again and I begin to once again panic. This wasn't supose to happen!
I am suddenly turned and my eyes meet a pair of beautiful aqua eyes. "Breathe. There is nothing to be afraid of... let it all go."
Tears begin to slide down my face. "I can't...I'm trying but I just ca..." a pair of lips smash into mine and everything fades away. The need that was in that one kiss made me forget everything and it chased my fears away. It wasn't until we pulled away to breath that I realized it worked. I was no longer angry or afraid and the shadows were gone... Only in their place stood a guy standing over a collapsed Constance. He extends a hand towards her, which she takes slowly.
"I didn't think you would remember..." I turn my head back to those aqua eyes and notice he was still holding me. "I was so certain you would forget me..."
I look into his eyes before pulling away. "I remembered a lot, but there are things still missing."
He grabs my arm pulling me back towards him. "In time you will remember. For now let's go back and..."
I sigh pulling away once again. "Damien, you don't understand..."
"Is it really you?!" Constance voice makes me trail off and we both turn in her direction.
In that moment I knew everything was going to change...