AN: Say hi to some more familiar faces!... most of whom won't inpact the plot very much beyond this chapter. *le shrug* Hope you enjoy!
Sorry if it's a bit short...
Abby had second thoughts the moment before she stepped through the spinning shards of the anomaly, but she quelled them, determined to keep moving forwards, not backwards.
She emerged into a sort of garden, dozens of flowers and plants growing all around, though the only yellow flowers in the whole place were the ones marking her path. Abby raised an eyebrow, but after a cursory look around, she shrugged and continued walking. More whispering followed her, and Abby stopped, facing the row of tulips and roses with a suspicious expression on her face.
"I don't have time for this," well, technically she did, but that was irrelevant, "so whoever's there, come on out."
Not a single response, and Abby scowled and then turned away with an exasperated huff.
"Suit yourselves." She muttered, then stopped when she found a familiarly-shaped object lying in the middle of the path. "The artefact?!" What the hell was that doing in her dream? Looking around warily, Abby crouched down and picked up the artefact, gripping it firmly in her hand.
"Maybe you're supposed to bring it with you." Abby turned around quickly to see Jenny Lewis, smiling warmly at her.
"How did you get here, Jenny?"
"I'm not quite sure. One moment I was in a meeting, and the next…"
"Did you see Cutter too?" Abby couldn't help asking, though mostly the question was to cover the urge to hug Jenny. She'd barely resisted hugging Cutter before. Jenny's eyes widened.
"Abby, Nick's dead."
"Yeah, I know, but this… I'm pretty sure it's all a dream. Anything can happen!" Abby said, grinning a little. Jenny chuckled.
"Alright. Here, hold on a moment." Abby furrowed a brow in confusion when Jenny suddenly stepped off of the path and slipped between several of the tall plants. After a moment, a familiar face, and a not so familiar one, followed Jenny out onto Abby's buttercup-flower path.
One of them was Stephen Hart, and Abby gaped in shock, before she was able to force her gaze away from his face and take notice of the girl, who looked to be about 17 or so, standing beside him.
"Who's this?"
"I'm Jessica Parker. Who're you?"
"Abby Maitland." She muttered in response, feelign somewhat dazed, gaze flicking between the three of them. "Anyone care to explain? This has to be a dream, but what does the girl have to do with you two, or me?"
"Not right now, not really. But give her a year or two." Stephen said, smirking a little. "And this is a dream, it's just that you're not the only one having it."
"But you're dead." Jenny said cautiously, as if she hadn't been the one to vanish and then reappear with these two following her. Stephen nodded.
"And as I knew all three of you, I'm a part of the dream world."
"This is getting really confusing." Abby admitted, fingers tightening slightly on the artefact she held. Jessica nodded, then shrugged.
"I don't know why I'm here, except maybe to welcome you? So, welcome! Now please, Stephen, can we go look for the dafodils? I heard from the little ones that there's treasure hidden!" Jess said, pulling Stephen's hand.
Suddenly, lightning struck the path in front of them, out of no where. They all screamed, Jenny and Stephen pulling Abby and Jessica back. The space in front of them had fillwed with smoke, and electricity sparked within the cloud. Abby squinted as she moved Jessica behind her.
Out of the smoke strode none other than Helen Cutter, looking particularly murderous.
"Which one of you stole my Artefact?"
AN: hehe Helen's the wicked witch! And I guess the artefact is the equivalent of the ruby slippers, eh? ^_^'