TITLE: Identity Crisis

AUTHOR: Lost Before the Dawn

RATING: PG 13

A/N: Welcome to my first posted fic, Identity Crisis. First things first, I know how many fics there are about girls who get transported to ME and all sorts of stuff like that, but I don't want to hear it. I don't care how over done or clichéd that topic is. Don't judge it by that fact, you may find this story enjoyable. After all, no matter how many clichéd fics are out there, they are all different an unique in individual ways. So I don't care if this idea is overdone, it is my fic and I like it and had fun writing it. I just hope you can enjoy it as well.

The next thing I want to say is about the whole Mary Sue issues I read about all over the place. I've even read fics where people describe each and every aspect of a Mary Sue. And according to those, a Mary Sue is any and every woman put into a fanfic, or any woman that happens to fall in love, or any woman who changes the world just a little bit. There are so many different descriptions of Mary Sues that to avoid them, one would have to not even put a female character into a story. So, all you so called 'Mary Sue hunters' out there, if this seems like a Mary Sue and you want to tell me, do me the favor of leaving and not even bothering me, because I don't care. Besides, as I have said before, there is no way of avoiding them. So just TRY to enjoy this fic and don't bother me about any Mary Sue issues. Thank you.

Everyone else will have to excuse my rudeness. I am just sick and tired of people dissing other authors of idiotic issues of Mary Sues and overdone ideas. I want everyone to enjoy this story and have a good time. Please review if you have something to say, I love hearing from you all. And CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is great! So enjoy!

Italics denote a thought or a dream.

Chapter 1 – A Tale Of Old

"Mysteries can be found around every corner, in every box. To find one, all you have to do is unwittingly look for it."

Me

"Mother! Mother!" Elenia turned around just as Silivren burst through the door to the library, interrupting her reading. She was being chased by her nurse. "Mother! Save me!" And she launched herself into her mother's arms.

"And what do I need to save you from?" Elenia asked, cradling her daughter who was clinging to her, shaking but not crying.

"Save me from Nurse, she wants me to go to bed, but I don't want to. There are scary things in the dark!"

"Shhh, Silivren, everything will be alright. There is nothing in the shadows of night, nothing at all."

"But I see them, every night! They won't leave me alone!"

"You are seeing nothing but shadows, young one." That is when an idea hit Elenia. "Would you like me to tell you a story? To help chase the shadows away?" Silivren nodded her head, her brown curls bouncing, as she cuddled up with her mother.

"Tell me my favorite, mother, the one about the Music Box." Elenia smiled as she began her tale.

"200 years ago, a journey began in a world called Earth, to continue in another. This journey came by happenstance to a young girl who had no hope for the future. This story is about a girl who was mistreated by many, abandoned by more, and loved by few. Her name was Rayne.

"She and her best friend where inside a large building, filled with many shops. This building was built of stone, as were most of the places in her world. The stone left her feeling trapped, but she ignored it. She was there to have fun, and to mend the holes her friendship, but things do not always go as planned."

Two girls and a boy walked into the mall. One shortest girl was in mostly pink; the other in all black, and the boy was covered in car grease. Quite an unusual trio. But that did not matter; the girl in pink and the boy were dating. The other felt like a third wheel.

"So, where to first Rayne?" The girl in pink, Bri, asked.

"Wherever." Rayne replied.

"Okay then." Bri said, grabbing Rayne's hand as well as her boyfriends, Jake. She led the way to Claire's, a store of pink fluff and feminine items. Rayne wrenched her hand free as Jake and Bri entered the store. Bri didn't look back as Rayne changed directions and headed towards another store, Spencer's. I wonder how long it will take her to notice. But before she could make it there, another store caught her eye.

It was designed to represent renaissance times, with shields and swords on the door. Those were things that interested her, so she entered the store. It looked very old, dust covered everything, and there was a deep, dank smell in the air, like rotting wood.

The place was dark, and looked deserted. Nevertheless, Rayne started looking around the vast amounts of armory. She slowly walked from table to table, looking at all of the old antiques. After nearly ten minutes of browsing, someone cleared their throat.

"May I help you?" Rayne jumped and spun around. It was the store clerk. He was a stately old figure, with a nicely trimmed beard, bushy eyebrows, and short white hair that matched his casual white attire.

"Um, no, I was just looking around." She replied, hiding her surprise.

"Ah, yes. Browsing." He replied. He was looking at her strangely, as if appraising her. "Have you," he paused, "found something of interest?"

"No, not really." Rayne couldn't hold his gaze for very long, so she started glancing around at the nearest objects. A small silence ensued.

"I think I have something that you might like." He stated abruptly and walked over to the counter. She followed, her curiosity getting the best of her. The clerk withdrew from a drawer a small old box, made out of some dark polished wood. It was carved with strange symbols and vines. In the center of the lid were five larger symbols. He handed it to Rayne who gently held it, running her fingers over the symbols. She held the box to close to her face, inspecting a small crack that ran all around the edges of the box, clearly showing that the top came off. She tried to lift it, but to no avail.

"The lid is stuck." She stated, pulling at the lid again.

"Yes, it has been that way for many years. Obviously, the previous owner didn't want anyone else to discover its secrets." He paused, his blue eyes twinkling, "Though, I think you might be the one to make such a discovery." Rayne looked up at him. That was an odd thing to say.

"How much?"

"I have never had a use for it and it has been sitting in my drawer for a very long time." He paused yet again, apparently thinking it over. "You, my dear, may have it." He smiled gently.

"Are you serious?" Rayne asked in astonishment. Not many people had ever given her a gift.

"Of course I'm serious. I do believe that box was made especially for you. It looks….right in your hands." He muttered quietly. "So, naturally, it is only right that you should have it."

Rayne was silent. She didn't really know what to say. "Thank you." She said and placed the box gently into her mini backpack. "Good Bye." She called as she left the store. Strange man.

"Farewell, young one. We shall meet again."

There were trees. Trees everywhere. She was surrounded by them, could not escape them. She ran, leaping gracefully over sticks and stones, hoping to find the way out. A sense of fear enveloped her as a strange pang of sadness pierced her heart. She missed someone, but whom?

Her flight was cut short as she bumped into something and fell backwards. But she did not hit the ground. Rough arms locked themselves around her, pinning her arms to her sides. She looked into the face of her captor, but could not make out anything but crooked, yellow teeth grinning down at her.

She panicked as she was shoved to the ground, his mouth clamped onto hers in a forced kiss.

The ringing of the phone woke Rayne up. She cursed under her breath and removed the book stuck to her cheek. She had stayed up late, against her better judgment, reading. Groggily, she reached for the phone, but instead of grabbing it she knocked if off the table and sent it skidding across the floor.

With more cursing in every language she knew, Rayne got out of bed and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" She said, her voice cracking from sleep.

"Hey, idjit. Did you drop the phone again?" It was Bri. Figures.

Rayne forced a laughed. It was always better to go along with the supposedly playful insults, or else more personal ones may start.

"Why are you calling this early in the morning?" Rayne asked, clearly annoyed but hiding it well.

"Because I knew that you would be asleep."

"So you just wanted to wake me up?"

"Yep." A slight silence ensued as Rayne tried her best to hold in her annoyance.

"Oh yeah," Bri said, suddenly going serious. That was something that did not happen very often. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Rayne asked, also gaining a serious air.

"Jake and I broke up." She said, but she did not sound at all sad. "Again." But she did not sound happy either.

Rayne wasn't sure what to say. She had never liked Jake, thinking him a user of sorts, but every time they broke up Bri was crushed. She always believed Bri got too attached to guys, but was always there for her when she needed a friend, no matter how 'needy' she became.

"I'm….sorry." Rayne said, when in reality she was relieved. She had a gut feeling Jake was just using Bri; after all, he had forced her into a physically intimate relationship.

"That's okay." Bri replied, "Because I've already got a new boyfriend."

"What?" Rayne asked. How could she have gotten a new boyfriend so quickly? "Who is it?"

"Well, you know that guy you've been eyeing lately?" Bri asked. Rayne nodded, which wasn't a very smart thing to do since Bri couldn't see her. After a short silence, Bri continued. "Well, I asked him out."

"WHAT?!" It sounded like Bri actually flinched on the other end. Rayne had actually yelled more out of surprise than hurt. She had been eyeing this guy, but didn't think she liked him enough to be his girlfriend. At least she wasn't heartbroken; she just felt a little betrayed by Bri. But she would get over it, she always did.

"Are you angry?" Bri asked

"No, not really."

"Really? Because I've known you've liked him and all…."

"No," Rayne interrupted her, "Its okay. Really. I'm not mad."

"Are you sure?" The relief in her voice put a small smile on Rayne's face. At least one of them could be happy.

"Yes. Just have fun, and this time, be careful."

"Oh, you're the best! I have another call, so I'm going to go. Talk to you later."

"Bye." Rayne said and hung up the phone. She sat on the floor, contemplating the conversation. She put away the angry feelings from the mall. Bri was happy, and probably in love. She was going to be happy for her. Rayne thought love would never find her, but at least love had found her friend. Glancing at the clock she realized that she had to be leaving soon.

Rayne quickly dressed into her cut up black jeans and black T-shirt with fishnet sleeves. She was pulling on her boots when she looked at the clock again. She still had some time to kill. So she went to her computer to find some information on the mysterious box that had haunted her dreams. Maybe it could help get her mind off of things. So it was that she spent thirty minutes researching, but came up with no results.

Rayne sat back in her chair, frustrated. What now? Then an idea came to her. She scanned the top and sides of the box and posted the pictures on various history and legend websites asking for any information on the origin of the box and a translation of the writing.

Shockingly enough, she received an email within minutes. She read it through, and then read it again. Surely this was a joke.

"Dear Miss Rayne,

I have information on that box of yours. It may come as some sort of a shock, but that is no ordinary box. It is an early version of a music box, dating back quite a long time ago. As a matter of fact, it is not even part of this world.

It is of elvish make, once belonging to an elf princess. There is not much I can say for her, most of her history is now lost to legend.

I have also taken the liberty and have translated the message for you. It says "By light of moon and ray of star, this is given to thee, by thy hopes and dreams thou shall reach eternity." But the largest symbols I cannot discern. A rather unusual message, but…."

It said much more about how he would like to study it, but she did not pay any attention to it, she was captivated by the message. It was a beautiful saying. She looked at the box and ran her fingers over the symbols. "By light of moon and ray of star, this is given to thee, by thy hopes and dreams thou shall reach eternity." She repeated. Something odd then happened. The box clicked, like that of a latch unlocking.

Rayne stared at the box sitting in front of her for a moment before she slowly reached out and picked it up. The lid felt loose, so she tried to open it again. This time the lid opened, swinging silently on silver hinges.

Some sort of beautifully enchanting music began to play, faintly at first, but soon it could be heard quite clearly. It was a strange song; never had Rayne heard such a tune, but she liked it. She closed her eyes and sighed in serenity. It drowned out all of her angry thoughts and lingering memories, leaving nothing but peace.

Finally, she decided to continue to explore the rest of the box. The inside of the it was lined with some sort of soft, dark blue velvet which cradled a silver necklace. The pendent was shaped into silver moon with a red rose nestled in the center with its green vines wrapping around the moon. And where the thorns sliced the moon, little ruby blood droplets could be seen. It was hanging from a sheer silver ribbon.

"Strange." Rayne said, captivated by the oddly beautiful pendent. "It seems…. familiar." She gently lifted the necklace from the box. It was surprisingly light for its size, and cool to the touch. She rubbed the dust off of the rose, freeing from it a surreal glow.

She tied the necklace around her neck and proceeded to admire it in the mirror. It looked strange against her casual clothes, almost unreal. She turned and slung her backpack over her shoulder and picked up the box. She felt a desire to repeat the saying on the box, so beautiful were those words. And she did so.

"By light of moon and ray of star, this is given to thee, by thy hopes and dreams thou shall reach eternity." Her words seemed to echo slightly. The wondrous song of the music box began to grow louder and louder, the ethereal light from the pendent began to glow brighter, all the while her words repeated themselves over and over, building up to something great.

Rayne screamed, the force of whatever power she had just unleashed was pressing upon her, forcing her to her knees and stealing the air from her lungs. The words of the box kept pounding through her head with unrelenting ferocity. It was so intense that she thought that her head was going to break, shatter into thousands of pieces.

The world began to spin around her; all the while she remained frozen in place, unable to do a thing. The tumult in her head was beyond any pain she had ever felt. Her body felt like it was freezing and burning at the same time. Then, as quickly as it began, it stopped.

Air surged back into Rayne's lungs with such force that it hurt to even try to breath. The relief in her head was too great. Her body felt exhausted from such an exertion. Unable to take it anymore, she collapsed, letting the quiet peace of the shadows envelop her.