A/N: To anyone who decided to give this story a chance, thank you for that! To any old readers re-reading, thank you thank you thank you!
Editing in March, 2016, because this still sucked. XD
Prologue:
There has always been a figure that haunted my dreams ever since I was a little girl. A presence that lingered in the darkness at the edges of my consciousness- ever watchful, quiet, calculating and listening to everything. I had no inkling if they were real or not, but to be perfectly honest, it didn't matter. When my mother was murdered in front of me at age ten, I felt completely devoid of hope. My heart shattered into millions of unfix-able pieces; that is when they first came. My father started to drink with increasing frequency following my graceful, beautiful, loving mother's burial. He spent most nights passed out in the front room of our townhouse. The neighbors didn't care what went on behind closed doors as long as we were quiet, and we likewise.
Back to the friend: the one in my mind. That's right, I have a boy that comes to me in my dreams. He never shows his face or speaks much, but I know he is there. Every night as I drift in that odd state between waking and dreaming, he finds me. He listens as I talk. He never asks for anything or makes any objections, but instead is ever-present and comforting. I know what you're going to say. I know what you're thinking. I'm not insane, I promise. Just hear me out, and it'll all make sense, but if by the end you still don't believe, alert whomever you wish of my 'condition'. I doubt they could find me, regardless.
The night he finally gave me a single clue as to who he was was on the eve of my seventeenth birthday -or rather, before dawn on my seventeenth birthday. I had stayed up till the large grandfather clock declared it to be midnight, then finally retired to my solitary room on the third floor. Our shop lay on the first, and our lodgings began at the second. The cool air flowing from my open window gently stirred my long, heavy, wavy ebony locks. I closed my stormy blue eyes in bliss at the sense of peace that washed over me in the swath of moonlight emitting from the full orb in the navy, star sprinkled sky.
It felt good, like a gift from the earth to me on my birthday. It was warning me of being one year closer to having to grow up. Shuddering at the thought, I pushed away from the window and flopped on my bed. The ancient springs creaked under my muscular weight, but I just rolled my eyes, rubbing my hands on my cargoes tiredly. In a fatigued state, I lay back without taking my boots off. The fog covered my mind, and he appeared.
Shock filled me when I realized I could see his eyes. They were a frighteningly vivid emerald, like they were plucked from an artist's palate. "Will you come with me, Bree...?" He whispered quietly. I felt a smile on my face as I whispered my agreement. He disappeared, and I was left to wake moments later in my bed, wondering if my mind had finally collapsed.
A/N: Alright, so... Yep. This story has come a looong way since I originally posted this prologue. It's been almost a year and a half since, actually. I'll be going through and quality checking the earlier chapters so that they're on par with the later installments. Bluemoon, over and out~