Hello all, I am back for another round. I'll most likely also be updating my other story, Dark Like My Soul, but my muse has to come back to me. Many of you are going to wonder how this story came about...let's just say I experienced the dream Alex has, first hand. Please read and review...and i'll love you all forever!

Disclaimer: Don't own any POTO characters; those belong to Leroux...however I do own Alex, Celia, and Ben! and Antis, California isn't a real place; just made up in my mind...ENJOY!

Chapter 1

Alex awoke in a cold sweat. Her heart was racing in her chest and her breathing was erratic.

"Good job Alexandria. We got a good reading that time." Dr. John Patal said, as he scribbled something on his clipboard. She nodded and looked at the nurse who held a glass of water. The nurse hurried over and handed her the plastic cup. Alex took it from her and held it between her cold, slippery hands. The water was cool, but not ice cold. She quickly downed the water and handed the cup back.

"Thanks." she croaked, her throat still dry. The nurse nodded and then hurried off to refill her cup. Alex shifted several times on the bed, trying to ignore the stiff mattress springs as they dug into her skin. She looked down at the covers and smoothed them across her lap. Slowly pieces of the dream she had crept back into her mind and she shivered involuntary.

She always had dreams, it seemed a part of her life. Ever since she could remember these dreams took hold of her mind while she slept. Dreams that seemed so real and life-like that she wondered if she had been there. The first few months when she started having them, they were easy to cope with. They were really basic, just things that would happen in a few weeks. They were almost like deja vu. Then, somehow they became less harmless and more dark. It really didn't start until she had seen the movie Saw. Her dreams turned from deja vu dreams to dreams where she was in constant pain, she was being tortured, and normally she experienced death. When she'd awake in her cold sweat pajamas, she would frantically check her body to make sure the phantom pains were just that; phantom. Occasionally she'd wake up with blood staining her sheets from a small cut on her wrist, ankle, or stomach. She'd also wake up with the taste of blood in her mouth, the smell permeating her nose, and the dark shroud of death in her mind. That's when her parents decided to take her to Dr. Patal, who studied people with sleep problems. Alex had insisted to her parents she didn't have a sleeping problems, just really strong life-like dreams. But her parents wouldn't hear of it, wouldn't even acknowledge the fact that their daughter was not as perfect as they imagined. They always thought that she was the perfect daughter, she was something that her parents would always brag about to their friends. But now they didn't notice her. She was a failure in their eyes now, a freak spot that marred their perfect little life. Now she welcomed the release of going every week to the test center. She welcomed the cool stickiness of the detectors that they placed on her temples and on her chest and the easiness that sleep came to her. Here, she could escape the shame of her parents and the mere fact that they now doted more upon her little brother and sister than they did her. Although it was the same boring routine, it severed into her dismaying life. There were, however, times when she would enter a dream and wonder if she would ever awake from the dream. That maybe something would go horribly wrong while she was asleep and she would be forever stuck in that dream, unable to awake. But one dream changed it all, one dream made her want to never wake up. A slight smile graced her lips as she thought about the dream, for it always played out the same: Alex stood on the doorstep to an amazing mansion. The outside was decorated with streamers of gold and silver. Men, dressed in soldier's outfits stood on the steps, their buckskin white pants seemed to be painted on to their legs. They wore deep navy blue jackets with brightly polished buttons that stood out on the jacket like twinkling stars. Red braids with gold woven in between adorned their shoulders, while upon their head sat a polished silver helmet with large white plumes flowing out from the top. She would smile at them, while ascending the stairs, and noticed that they seemed like statues, not moving but staring straight ahead. She entered the ballroom, where there were women in expensive dresses and men in the black formal kit. They all had demi-masks on, and some were on the dance floor being spun around to the time of the music. She silently made her way to a small table, and sat down with a small glass of champagne near her hand. Two sets of giggles came from her left and she saw her twin brother and sister laughing with an elder woman dressed in all black and another girl, about her age, that had blonde hair. She waved slightly at the four and turned back to watch the gaiety on the dance floor. That's when she would watch a man approach her, feeling her heart leap within her chest. He was dressed different from the men in their formal kit, he boldly defied the social dress norms. He wore red pants and a red jacket with a cape. Upon his face sat a skull demi-mask and he wore a charming smile that was meant only for her. He approached her table and she held out her hand to him. Bowing from the waist, he took her hand and brought it to his lips gracing it with a brush of his lips.

"Would you care to dance, Mademoiselle Knoll?" his rich voice washing over her like a warm summer breeze. She nodded and allowed him to sweep her to the dance floor. His grip upon her waist and left hand was comforting and welcomed. They would dance to every song, never stopping to grab a drink and would laugh and talk about everything. Finally the clock struck midnight, each chime ringing through out the air as if it was reminding people of the time. The man would take her hand and guide her up the marble stair case to a balcony. Here, they would stand and watch the people cavort and interact below them. He would then draw her into the shadows where he would raise a leather gloved hand and caress her cheek. She would close her eyes, enjoying his touch and wishing for more. Silently he would reach for a table beside them, plucking a blood red rose with a black ribbon tied around its stem from the table and hand it to her. She looked down then back up at the strange man, looking deep into his blue-green eyes. He smiled at her, leaned forward, and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"Sleep well mon ange." He whispered to her and then slowly he would meld into the darkness.

Then slowly, as if she didn't want to awake, Alex would become aware that she was in her own bed. She would gaze down at her covers, still feeling the dizzy effect from dancing and the phantom kiss that had been placed on her forehead. She always reacted the same, lifting a hand to press the still-warm spot on her head.

"We have gotten all the readings we need for today, Miss Knoll. We'll leave you alone so you can redress." the doctor swept out of the room with the nurse following on his heels.

Alex nodded and waited for the doctor to leave before easing the covers away from her. She swung her legs over the edge and touched her feet to the cold floor. She sighed and placed her head in her hands. "I wish life would return to normal." She really didn't mind the dreams, but ever since she started having them, she had barely any friends. For three years she had been out of college, a bright girl at the age of 22. She still lived at home, but only for the reason that she didn't want to leave home. She slowly peeled the detectors off of her temples, wincing as it caught a few strands of her bright red hair. Yanking the hair free, she set about pulling the detectors off her chest. "Nothing like ripping a layer of skin off to make you happy." She grumbled to no one in particular.

She drew off the comfortable yet extremely thin sleeping clothes they had lent her. She grabbed her favorite jeans, the one with a hole on her knee, and wiggled into them. She made a mental note to start dancing again, her legs were turning flabby. She reached for her shirt with a warning sign printed across it. Last but not least, she yanked on her black Vans shoes. Looking up at the clock as she slid her foot into her shoe, she gave a yelp of surprise. Damn. She had five minutes to pick up the twins, Ben and Celia, from elementary school. Grabbing her purse, she bolted out the door, hastily picking up her next appointment card, and ran to her car. Jumping in the driver's seat, she threw her purse down and started the little black convertible black Volkswagon Bug.

Ten minutes later found Alex stuck in a traffic jam about three blocks from the elementary school. "Damn it, why today of all days!" she swore to her radio. The radio merely returned music, not caring if she was late or not. Traffic began to move again and Alex squealed in delight. She was finally close enough to peal down the side-street that led to Antis Elementary School, and where two lone figures sitting were sitting on the curb.

"Ben! Celia! Come on, jump in!" Alex cried as she stopped suddenly. The two kids in question picked up their bags and hurried down the sidewalk to her car.

"Hi Alex! How was your sleepy-test today?" Celia's sing-song voice cried out as she clambered into the backseat.

"My sleepy-test was good. And how were your days?" Alex asked, watching the pair put on their seatbelts in the rear-view mirror.

"Oh, it was lots of fun! I made a drawing for mommy and daddy!" Celia said, looking proud at her accomplishments.

"Oh really? And how was your day Ben?" Alex asked, making sure she was clear to pull away from the curb.

"It was fine." Ben mumbled quietly. Alex smiled as she turned the car, heading towards the city. Her twin brother and sister were different from each other as night and day. Celia was bright and bubbly in her personality and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Ben, on the other hand, was quiet and shy. He didn't make friends as easily as his sister.

The three continued in silence as Alex drove them home. She stopped at a stop sign that crossed an extremely busy road. Looking left and right several times, she waited until she made sure both sides were clear. Seeing no traffic coming towards her from both ways, she drove forward and got side swiped by a tractor trailer.

Alex groaned loudly. Her head was throbbing like the Energizer Bunny was pounding on it. She lifted her hand and brought it to her face, water from the ground dropped on her face. 'Wait a minute.' she thought, 'Why am I on a wet ground? I was driving. Okay Alex, breathe in and out. Good, now think clearly. You had stopped at the stop sign and saw no traffic coming towards you. Then you pulled out and...oh my god! I got hit by a tractor trailer! Holy monkeys! I must be in the hospital or laying on the road. Did I get struck directly? Maybe I'm dead, but what about Ben and Celia?' Alex opened her eyes and only saw pitch blackness. She tried to push herself up, the hard ground beneath her was jagged and uneven. She could rule out the hospital bed, but she might be laying on the street. She strained her ears, to see if she could hear any cars. But the sound of zooming traffic never reached her ears, the sound of dripping water did. She closed her eyes and tried to think harder of what might have happened. After she got hit by the tractor trailer, she had seen a bright light and a voice. The voice had said something to her, but what? She tried to think harder about the voice, tried to focus on it's haunting prose. Then it came to her, hitting her like a bolt of lighting.

"Dreams of yours, come true.

Travel to the past and find

life anew. Keep your wits

about you and you will find

love and happiness of every kind."

Whatever that meant, she didn't know but she would have time later to figure it out. She reopened her eyes and stared off into the ever-pressing darkness. If she was here, did that mean Ben and Celia was here as well? And where exactly was here? She knew, somewhere in her heart, that she was no longer in California, nor was she in her own time. Call it intuition or call it a wild guess, but something in the air felt different to her. It seemed older, mustier, and definitely not of her time period. Not only that, but it felt like she had been here before, perhaps in her dreams. That's when she heard a whimper of pain come from her left causing her to turn to her left side. She winced as pain shot up her side and bit down it's bitter cry.

"Ben? Celia? Are you there?" maybe she wasn't the only one sent here, maybe the person who sent her, sent her little brother and sister as well.

"Alex? Where are you? It's so dark and I'm frightened." Ben's frightened voice washed over her, calming down her nerves to a degree.

"I'm over here Ben. Follow my voice and you should run into me." she said softly, trying to make her voice sound less frightened to the young boy. Within seconds, she felt Ben's little body crawl directly into her lap. She went to embrace the young boy, when another body latched onto her arm.

"Alex, is that you?" Celia's normally brave voice came out as a scared whimper.

"Yes Celia it is. Thank goodness you are both okay! Now, we got to figure...Celia, quit tugging on my arm. You're gonna pull me over." Alex told the small girl as she frantically pulled on her arm.

"But Alex, I hafta tell you something! We're not alone..." the little girl whispered loudly to her elder sister.

"What are you..." But at that precise moment, a voice boomed out from behind her.

"Who are you and what are you doing down here!"

Dum dum dum! Hope y'all liked the first chapter! I will try to update often, but being a college student it might be difficult...thank god summer is just around the corner. On a more serious note: Alex, Ben, and Celia aren't dead! Well...it's difficult to explain...i know i got horrible nagging from my one friend when i said they got struck by a tractor-trailer...don't worry; it'll play out in the end...other than that! Please review!