Disclaimer: We do not own anything you recognise as Bioware property we only own our OC's

Rating: T but may change later on (if it does we will warn you)

Warnings: Swearing

As I open my eyes I feel like I'm awake yet from looking around me it also feels like a dream. The view in the distance is hazy like I expect in a dream but the ground beneath me almost feels solid. I put it down to my imagination playing a key part in my dream. Once I stand I take in my surroundings a bit more, it's almost as if I'm on an island floating in mid air. In the distance I can make out an edge to the land I'm standing on. Further than that I can see other islands in what I presume are in a similar state to the one I am on.

The ground I'm standing on is pale, like sand yet it feels more like standing on pavement, the air around me is thick with mist. I feel a cold sensation come over me as it brushes against me and raises goose bumps. I honestly have no idea why I can feel the cold from the mist or how I can smell what smells like morning dew but I can. This alarms me a bit and feels quite odd. I don't really remember a time when a dream has ever been so vivid.

It isn't something normal to be in my dreams but then again we're not supposed to remember most of our dreams. I could have dreamt this place up before and just never remembered it. Even though it feels quite odd it also feels exhilarating. I am in a dream in which I can feel the mist around me and smell morning dew. I think some people will love to have such a vivid dream as this.

As I turn around I come face to face with something I can only describe as an abomination, something so horrid I imagine I never would forget what it looks like. Its one striking eye stares at me as I tried not to flinch or panic thinking this is only a dream... or from how it looks... possibly a nightmare. Bloody hell, I don't want to know where I imagined this from.

Yet as I continue to face it ready to run at any sign of it wanting to harm me be it a dream or not, it begins to talk. Its voice sent shivers down my spine as its voice rasps as it says a simple, "hello."

I don't know how but I manage to squeak out a reply. "Hello."

It appears as a dream but I can't help but feel a sense of danger crawling in the back of my mind, like those dreams where you're supposed to wake up before the bad thing happens. Except I have a feeling I'm not going to wake up anytime soon. Now will seriously be a brilliant time to wake up… anytime now.

I look away from the thing hoping that I will wake up but as I notice more and more time go by I can feel the burning gaze of its eye looking at me so I look towards it again. I stare back feeling determined not to look away again, even as I feel my heart hammering from fear in my chest. I straighten before I break the silence, "Do you want something?"

As I can't help but feel that it does want something but as I stand there I can't think of what it wants from me. Feeling that makes me feel like this is a dream less and less. Dreams have to move somewhere right? Or am I Hell I'm talking to myself in my head I must be going mad on some level.going mad right now even thinking that.

"I believe it is you that wants something." The rasp of its voice yet again sends shivers down my spine making me want a jacket or something to appear next to me as the cold washes over me once more. I can't tell what its feeling as I look at it and try to discern its tone of voice. I feel frustrated and helpless not knowing what it was feeling. I feel like if I knew what it was feeling then I will know what it wants.

Gina, calm down it will do us no good if we panic now. Getting frustrated over the thing having the emotions of a pine cone isn't going to do us any good.I tap my thumb against each finger, one after the other while counting in my head to help calm me down. Confusion hits me when I think on why it thinks I want something. I can't think of what I want in that moment if there is anything I want that is. Then again we all want something so it must have been referring to a subconscious desire.

If it was a subconscious desire though, I feel as if I should say that I won't know what he means. As a subconscious desire is obviously something I am not yet aware of or not going to be aware of until its dangled in front of my face. I doubt that is going to happen anytime soon. I feel it watching me again and know its waiting for my response yet I don't know how to respond. So with my heart still hammering in my chest and respond. "I don't know what I want."

"Don't you?"

The question is so immediate after my response that it puts me off. Frustration pulses through me for a whole other reason now, my hands clench into fists as I wonder why it was basically repeating the question I had just answered moments ago. I don't know what I want and yet here it was asking 'don't you?'

"I'd have told you if I did." I flinch at my biting retort as I feel that getting angry wasn't the best of ideas. "Sorry." I don't why I had felt the need to say sorry yet I feel as if I needed to say it. It's not going to do me any good if I anger it…. him. Oh whatever the thing is, it certainly sounds male.

"I believe most have a hidden desire to escape from their lives." I register somewhere in my mind how its voice changed on the words desire and escape. However that is all I do when it came to the way he said them. I blink as I try to think about what it just said, sure it was probably true but was this my desire too? I slowly look past the thing at one of the other floating islands similar to the one I am stood on. I look at each rise of land and each pillar as I think if that is my hidden desire.

Do I want to escape my life? I suppose in some ways I do, just escape to somewhere else even if it is just a hour. It is why I love reading, as I escape into the world of the book I am reading. It's the same reason why I love playing RPG games or any game really.

I look at the thing in front of me once more. "Maybe we do." I tell him as I realise that what he said is probably very true.

"Is it your desire?"

I frown as I wonder if I should answer him, I know the answer but I don't like the idea of giving the answer. If I answer him will I wake up? Or will it just go on asking me more questions. "Yes, it is my desire deep down inside… I guess."

I glance at either side of him waiting to see if I would wake up now that I had answered his question. I don't feel a sensation of waking up nor one of falling asleep which I feel may be a way to get out of this mess of a dream.

I take a deep breath trying to relax as I begin to feel like there wasn't a way to get out which is making me quite claustrophobic. Silly I know since there aren't any walls around me but just the idea of being trapped can make me feel quite panicky.

"Do you want to escape now?"

I catch a hint of what I could only describe as a smile as I answer him in annoyance. "I said yes already!"

"Even if I die, you would remain in your paradise."

I close my eyes then open them staring directly at his face. I had to say something as I feel like this was going to go on forever if I didn't so I spoke steadily even if it isn't what I was feeling like inside. "Then let me escape."

"Then the deal shall be sealed." A slow smile creeps on his face, a glint in his eye shines and sends an eerie cold shooting down my spine. "Enjoy your paradise."

My heart begins to race when the mist around me begins to thicken becoming colder by each second. Coming closer and closer towards me even as I try to move away from it. I look at him in alarm, "Wait!" The dream is suddenly becoming far too real for my liking but I swear as I shout to him I hear an echo of my voice around me. But it's different, like I can faintly hear someone else shouting in the background and not me.

I can't think about the echo for long as the mist had reached me, crawling up my body. Like a cold vice it begins to choke me as it climbs higher and higher. I try to call out again but the mist reaches my throat. The sound stops and tears begin to well up in my eyes as I panic more and more. I begin to see black spots in my vision as it gets harder to breathe.

My eyes seem to close by their own accord when I feel as if I can't breath no longer. As I fall towards the ground I can dimly hear laughter. Bloody hell. Then I feel or see nothing as the darkness of unconsciousness embraces me.

As I begin to come to I hear the sounds of leaves swaying in the wind, the feel of the wind touching my face. The feel of the damp grass beneath me. I can smell morning dew once more and as I realise where I last smelt that I jolt up in a panic. My eyes flash open, I don't register the girl in front of me at first as I take in the trees to my right and left. The path that was just to side the of me, or that the trees in the distance seem darker than the rest.

I hear a sound close to me and as I look at where it came from I notice a girl that I guess from her looks wasn't much younger than I. I subconsciously begin to tap my thumb against my fingers once more though she looks friendly from what I can tell which calms me a little. However considering what had just happened which I now feel had actually happened I don't really want to take any chances. "Hi." I wince as I hear my voice crack a little.

"Well, I guess you aren't a threatening serial killer." She says with a slight crooked smile. "But on the likely chance that my people reading skills aren't as perspective as I thought, I'm going to stay a safe distance as I say hi back at you." She takes a step back, crosses her arms and nods. "Hey."

I nod at girl feeling pretty much the same way, She had to mention serial killer now my mind can't stop creating images of me dying at the hands of one. I shake my head to try and rid myself of the images. "I don't blame you." I stand slowly since I feel a little bit dizzy after the whole choking scenario. Once stood I look at the girl again taking in her appearance.

From how she talks and how she is dressed I only assume that we come from the same place. That and I take note of her English accent. The long, knitted cardigan, jeans and converse boots only confirm my suspicions in some ways as to the girl being from home. I look around again just to see if I see anything familiar but I don't. We could be anywhere I realise.

"Judging by the confused look on your face, I doubt it you know where we are either?"

I look around once more hoping that I can answer that I do know where we are but I find nothing, I shake my head in dismay. "No I don't." I sigh trying to think where we could have ended up, as I have a sneaky suspicion that we both had met the abomination and agreed to the same thing. "You didn't meet some abomination on a floating island by any chance did you?"

"By abomination, I don't suppose you mean a very interesting looking gentleman with an… intriguing, cheery, slightly eerie, deep voice that sounds like he hasn't had a drink in a decade?"

I nod finding her description quite accurate. "You didn't by any chance agree to anything without meaning to? Like to escape maybe?"

"An escape? I asked for a few weeks off in a paradise where I didn't have to worry about the choices of university and work. If you call an escape a nice holiday with tropical beaches, swimming pools, hot weather and handsome butlers then sure. It's what I asked for. But as far as I can see, there are no beautiful topless men waiting to serve me so if you ask me? This is a rip off."

I laugh a little at her description thinking I'd much rather have that than where ever we are now. Especially the bit about beautiful topless men serving us. I begin to feel less panicky which I put down to liking the current conversation even if we weren't exactly talking on the most normal of circumstances. "I think we both got ripped off in that case. I just wanted to escape from life for a little bit… I suppose I got what I asked for."

"Well, maybe our gorgeous Italian men are waiting somewhere and we need to find them?" she raises an eyebrow. "I don't know, but it's obviously doing no good just standing here like pitiful a bunch of damsels in distress. I say we walk on the path and hope that it sends us somewhere with the said beautiful, topless men."

I look down the path and then behind us, though ahead looks ominous I agree we need to move. "Let's go find our Italian men." I then start to walk in the direction the path goes ahead of us and begin humming quietly 'We're off to see the wizard.' Changing the lyrics in my head to we're off to find our topless men though I find it hard to fit the words to the tune it still makes me smile. Then I realise the word we're off to find our men, the wonderful topless men fitted much better which made me smile a little more.

"I at least want to have a strawberry milkshake and rest by the beach." She comments.

"Chocolate milkshake for me." I tell her.

"Always strawberry for my tastebuds." She sends me a grin, dimples denting her cheeks.

I give her a grin back and can practically feel where my own dimples are denting my cheeks. As I think about them though the grins slips from my face thinking to how my brother always teases me about them. I shake my head trying to convince myself I'd see him and my parents again. To distract myself I begin trying to plait my mess of hair while walking. "Mcdonalds messed strawberry milkshakes up for me… it ended up being a mix of all flavours." I cringe at the memory as the taste wasn't pleasant at all.

"Ah, the Wimpy is my mistress." She jokes, shrugging. "I love it there."

I frown at the word Wimpy never having heard about it before. "Wimpy?"

"It's like a posh McDonalds." She provides. "The milkshakes are the bomb."

"Hmm if we get back home I may have to find one." If they were better than Mcdonalds milkshakes then I believe I'd like them. Then again anything is better than Mcdonalds these days… like Costco. Oh man what I'd give for a Costco vanilla ice cream right now.

As I continue to walk I swear that I hear something off in the distance but I shake my head deciding I was becoming paranoid. I mutter a, "lions, tigers and bears… oh my." Trying to joke away the feeling of paranoia I was currently feeling. I can say one thing I disliked both my imagination and my hearing. If I hear something my imagination jumps to conclusions. Unless its actual speech then I just generally make out what is being said. But distant sounds often made me conjure up images of something lurking nearby waiting for an opportune moment to strike.

Just as I shake away my feeling of paranoia I hear something again but this time closer than the last. "Did you hear that?" I was hoping she'd say yes as I didn't want it to just be my sensitive hearing. I could be hearing a squirrel playing with its nuts for all I knew.

"I hear the beautiful, deceiving sound of birds singing, a running river, rustling leaves in the wind." She tells me, putting her hands in her pockets. Her eyes gleam mischievously as she sends me a small smirk. She's teasing me. "I mean, in this paradise. What could go wrong? Maybe it's a secret island with cannibals roaming around?"

I laugh though albeit a little strained. "I hope not." Then I hear it again but closer again. Like a rustle in some bushes yet at the same time as if whatever it is, is trying to be discreet.

She then looks around a little. "I'm sure we're fine. What are the chances of being torn apart limb from limb by a ferocious bear with sharp teeth and claws.. in a forest..."

A nervous chuckle works it way past my lips, "I suppose it depends on where we are?" I don't want to stop yet the sound of rustling seems to be getting closer and closer. I try not to start panicking so I undo the plait I had already done and begin to plait it again hoping the distraction will help me.

Moments later a shiver runs down my spine as I hear a sound much closer than I like, in fact if didn't know better I would say something had heard us and had been coming towards us. I just hope I'm wrong and it is a squirrel playing with its nuts. Maybe even a fox or a deer… Wouldn't they go away from sound rather than towards it? I rather dislike when logic decides to rear its ugly head.

"I'm-"

A shadow lunges out, slamming it's weight into the girl. She cries out, falling into me and knocking me over, rolling over me with the heavy object. I hear a pained screech come from her.

I wince as I feel something cut into me I make myself forget about it as my main concern is what the hell just knocked into the girl and if she's hurt. I realise I don't know the name of her. I sit up quickly and see the thing that is on top of her. I look around for anything that I could use as a weapon seeing the big mass of fur still on top of the girl making me move faster. I see a flash of its teeth as I spot a rock near me, I quickly grab the rock and practically leap at the thing to get it off her while raising the rock in my hand. I just hope that I can scare it off, but I feel as if I was about to do something that I'd remember for a long time.

I ram into the animal's side with all the force I can muster though it very nearly knocks the wind out of me. I also realise something as I knock into it, I do not think it will be running off anytime soon. So though it pains me I act as I'd hope anyone would if they were in my place.

I use the rock I had picked up as a weapon smashing it against the animal. Trying not to be sick as I do so. Don't be sick. Don't be sick. Is the mantra going through my mind as I continue to hit at what I can only describe as a wolf.

I can feel it struggle against me as it tries to knock me away and then I feel no movement. I shake and pant as I stay there for a moment making sure it doesn't move again. I stand shakily and nearly fall down when I notice the blood on my hands. I let the rock slide out of my hand not wanting to see it ever again. I don't even look at the mess of the wolf, I just look towards the girl with wide eyes.

"Well," she coughs, watery and pained eyes now looking at the nasty wound furiously torn open in her forearm. It's bleeding rapidly and looks very unpleasant to have. She groans in her intense pain. "Shit."