Disclaimer: Nope.

"Lost in Nevermore"
—Home—
ONE

"Richard?" I looked up at the mention of my name. It was Bruce. The man who had just taken me in. He had a tall and beautiful brunette with him that I had never seen before. However, before I could ask who she was or what Bruce wanted with me, a girl my age came up to me. She had the same brown hair and purple eyes as the tall woman. She must be her daughter, I realized.

The girl didn't ask me why I was crying all alone in a corner. Instead, she stood there and offered me the thing I wanted and needed most. Friendship. And I truly believed we'd be just that forever. . .

—

Ten years later. . .

Rachael walked slowly through her front door. It had been a long day. She was wearing her black mourning clothes but felt more sober than sad. Her mother, Angela, walked in after her. She was also in a black dress suitable for the occasion. Angela was worried about her daughter. She must still be in shock, she thought. She walked in front of her teenage daughter and lifted her chin so they made eye contact. "Can't you spare a tear for your best friend?" She asked.

Rachael didn't look startled by the question as Angela thought she would. Instead, she had a bittersweet smile on her face. "He's not dead. I know he's not." She said before looking down. "He couldn't die in such a stupid way. . ."

Angela was concerned now. Rachael was in denial. It was to be expected though. Rachael and Richard had been best friends for the past ten years. They were nearly inseparable. To be forced apart so suddenly must be hard to deal with.

Rachael perked up a bit as she kept talking. "They couldn't identify the body, right?" Her mother nodded her head in confirmation. "That means there is still a chance he is out there. . . all alone." She looked at Angela with determination. "He's still out there, Mom. I know it. And. . . and I'm going to be the one to find him."

Angela looked at her daughter's facial expression and sighed. "I guess I have no choice then." She said and Rachael quirked one of her eyebrows. "I'll just have to support your journey." She gave a small smile of assurance to her daughter. "But promise me you'll come back."

Rachael smiled back at her mother. "Thank you for understanding, Mom. I promise I'll come back with him."

Angela nodded in acceptance of her daughter's promise. She knew the part she had to play in this adventure. In fact, she probably knew more about this than Rachael did. "Get changed and meet me here immediately afterwards. I want to help you in any way I can." Rachael nodded dumbly. Her mother seemed more determined than she did. Why was she so serious?

"Okay."

—

When Rachael came down to the living room after getting changed, she found her mother wearing a white gown with long sleeves and a black sash around her waist. It seemed uncharacteristic for her because it was so unlike the fancy clothes she usually wore. She even wore the hood. Rachael was a little unnerved by the change in her mother. She then saw the object Angela had in her hands. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was an oval-shaped mirror with four horns and a red diamond-shaped ruby on the top. It seemed very Gothic and Rachael knew her mother was anything but a Goth.

Angela saw the question on her daughter's face and knew it was time to explain everything. She was a little unnerved that the prophecy she had heard so long ago was finally coming true. She didn't know why she found it so unexpected. She knew one day it would happen. She only hoped it wouldn't happen so soon.

Angela cleared her throat. "They used to call me 'Arella', you know." Rachael looked confused, so Angela kept speaking. "It means 'Angelic Messenger'."

Rachael looked puzzled. "What does this have to do with my journey?" She asked while wondering why would her mother start with such a strange introduction. It wasn't like her mother to beat around the bush.

"Everything." Her mother explained. "The people of Azarath — those who called me Arella — once told me that I would birth a daughter. They said one day I would have to deliver a message to her before she would start on a journey." Angela looked down and swallowed. Even though this reaction was miniscule, Rachael could see it plain as day and had never seen her mother so distressed, or perhaps even disturbed. What was going on?

Rachael tried to ignore Angela's strange behavior and stay on topic. She had to mentally shake herself before she could open her mouth. "A message? What kind of message?"

Angela breathed in and out deeply before speaking. "A prophecy, actually. It's a prophecy that will guide you on your journey through Nevermore."

Rachael found that every time her mother answered her inquisition, it led to even more questions. While normally she would find this more than utterly annoying, she could only ponder over what Angela was saying. "Nevermore? What's that?" Rachael couldn't help but ask. If it was anyone else, Rachael would be convinced they were making this all up on the top of their head. But her mother had never lied in her life. She might have held many a secret, but she never lied.

"Nevermore is a world that exists within our own." She tried to explain. "It is full of magic and mythical creatures. Only a few people have the ability to travel to Nevermore. You are one of them."

Rachael didn't really believe in magic or anything supernatural, but the way her mother was speaking made her start to question her own beliefs. What if she was wrong about it all? Still, she had more important things to do than wonder about that. "Why do I have to go to Nevermore? I need to find Richard!" She objected.

Angela sighed and tried to reason with her daughter. "But he's in Nevermore." She told her.

Rachael looked stupefied. "How do you know that?" She couldn't believe her mother. Did she know Richard wasn't dead this whole time? "Do you know where he is?" She pleaded with her mother. If she knew where he was. . .

"I do not know where he is." Angela said to her daughter's disappointment. "All I know is that the prophecy said you would search Nevermore for another soul knowing that if the other was not found, you both would die." Rachael's eyes widened for a second when the statement registered. However, her mother did not seem to want to waste time. Or, perhaps she needed to get this done and over with before she lost her nerve. "Here. You'll need this mirror." She put the Gothic-looking mirror in Rachael's hand. "It'll take you to Nevermore and will guide you back to this world only once you have obtained your objective," Angela swallowed, "or your end."

Rachael looked at herself in the mirror. Her reflection had purple hair, a red chakra on her forehead, and a black leotard on. She was taken aback by the image in her had, but soon regained her resolve. "I understand. Alright then. Nevermore, here I come!" Rachael gasped as she felt wind rush past her even though she was inside. She looked around her trying to find her mother, the furniture, walls, or anything familiar. But all she was greeted with was swirls of red and black. She was lifted up off the ground into the air. And then, she fell.

—Fin—

A/N: Okay, I started a little comic on my dA account, but could never get the characters to be drawn right. So, I decided to do what I do best. Write. Here's the story I came up with. I hope everyone likes it!

Signed,
Her Sappiness