CHAPTER TWO- THIS IS REAL
Avalon had the same dream again. She was standing at the base of a spiral staircase going up, fading into a pale gray haze as it extended ever so far into the distance. There was a cold wind rushing through the staircase, whipping Avalon's hair across her face and pressing her skirt into her knees. With the wind came a cold-hearted laugh, seeming to come from everywhere at once. "Avalon" it called loudly, as though far away. She turned and ran back the way she'd come, but a cold stone wall erupted out of the ground, blocking the way. She ran for the stairs, but the same thing happened.
She was trapped.
The wind blew harder and the cackling got louder, and then it all stopped. She whirled around. She was alone, in a silent stone box. She heard a sound from behind her— not unlike a twig snapping under someone's shoe. Avalon froze, paralyzed with fear. Summing up her courage, she slowly turned around. There was nobody there, only a small roll of brown parchment. Avalon picked it up, and unrolled it. All it said was "This is real". The moment she stuffed the parchment into her skirt pocket, the wind started up again. This time, there was no evil laughter. The cold air lifted her off her feet and battered her around, tossing and turning Avalon. She felt herself rising above the stone wall and spinning up and around the spiral staircase. The world turned to black as she felt the wind slowly place her in the soft confines of her bed..
Avalon awoke to the fierce early summer light piercing her eyelids. She groaned, turning over in bed. Something crackled in her pocket, and its pointy edge bore into her thigh.
'Huh', she thought. She didn't remember sleeping in her school skirt. Avalon reached into her pocket and drew out a fragile roll of brown parchment paper. She gasped, quickly rolling into a sitting position. Her fingers trembled as she unrolled the squashed spiral.
Inside were three short words, written in delicate black ink. "This is real".