Heart's Sight

by Serenity Angel14

Imagine being able to see anything you want to see, past, present and future, everything that has been and everything that is to come. But there is a price for this gift, loneliness. But there is one thing that Darien didn't see coming -Continued Within-.

2. Chapter 1 - Awakenings

I can't believe it! Chapter 1 is done!

Thankyou to everyone who has been so patient with me with this Fanfic! Thankyou!

Here it is, Chapter 1 of Heart's Sight.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 1 - Awakenings

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Serena bolted upright in bed, her hand flying to her heart as she struggled to calm her frantic breathing and the wild pounding of her heart. She was covered in a layer of sweat so thick that she could've just been pulled from the icy storming waters of the ocean in her dream. The cool night breeze blowing into the room through her open bedroom window made the sweat that covered her heated flushed skin feel just as icy as the ocean waters had felt in her dream.

Serena swallowed with great effort, trying to slow her breathing.

It had only been a dream. A bad, very very very vivid dream.

She was safe and sound in her bed, in her bedroom, in her parent's house. She wasn't drowning in the middle of a turbulent ocean.

So why had it felt so real, seemed so vivid? Why did it still feel so real? Why did it feel more like a memory than a dream? It had been so vivid and so intense. Serena could remember every detail clearly.

Serena could still feel the icy water that had enveloped her, swirling around her and flowing over her like she'd been trapped in a giant washing machine. She could still feel the burning agony in her chest as her lungs desperately screamed for air. She could still taste the salty ocean water on her tongue and feel the sting of the salty icy water in her eyes.

But what was worse than all, what outweighed all other pains was that Serena could still feel the pain of her despaired and shattered heart in the centre of her chest, crushing her far worse than the waters of the icy ocean had.

It wasn't normal. It couldn't be. It couldn't be normal to still keep feeling pain from a dream after waking. Was it?

She'd never had a dream that intense before, not even one that had come close.

Inhaling another deep breath, Serena sat in silence where she was safe in her bed as the minutes slowly passed. There she stayed until eventually her heartbeat slowed and her breathing calmed and gradually her body's natural rhythms returned to normal.

The house lay around her silent in the predawn hours of the morning, except for the occasional common sound of the night coming in through her open window. In the distance a dog was barking, outside the soft faint sound of a car engine told her that a car was slowly making its way down the street. The wind was rustling through the leaves of the tree outside her window and every now and then the next door neighbour's cat would meow at their back door to be let in as the owners had forgotten to unlock the cat door. Again.

The night was warm as summer was fast approaching – everyone kept saying that summer was going to be early this year, just as spring had been – and Serena preferred to sleep with the window open as opposed to waking to the chilliness left behind by the air-conditioner. The air was cool now, almost icy as dawn was still over an hour away.

Serena wasn't really sure why, she'd never questioned it before, but she didn't fear the night. She never had. She was lucky; she had always felt safe.

Always. Not even the blackness of the night had ever scared her unlike most people, especially as children.

It was something Serena couldn't explain. It was as though she knew she had no reason to fear the night, the only thing was that she didn't know why she felt as though she had no reason to fear what the black of night might conceal.

So why had she been so terrified, a terror beyond any she had ever known in her dream?

Her dream.

It had been a dream. Right? Even though she'd never had a dream like that before, a dream that had affected her so dramatically that it was still scaring her even now that she was awake.

Serena could still remember it all so clearly, could still feel every sensation and emotion she'd endured in the dream.

Moving carefully so not to wake her parents or her brother who were still sound asleep, Serena rose from her bed and walked to the window. There she looked out into the moonlit night, over the still peaceful neighbourhood of the medium-sized country town she called home. Everything looked normal under the silvery blue light of the full moon that was still high in the night sky, a night sky filled with tranquil majestically twinkling stars.

Serena looked up to the moon as if the silver sun of the night held all the answers she needed.

The moon was so beautiful, it was full and bright. It was the moon she'd always known but somehow something was different, she just couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was that was different.

Serena scanned the same neighbourhood she'd lived in longer than she could remember. She'd been raised in this house since the day she'd been brought home from the hospital where she'd been born and she knew it better than anyone else. She'd spent the days and nights of her childhood playing and exploring every corner she could find in her search for the unexplored. She'd always been like an abnormally curious kitten, so much so that many of her family had affectionately nicknamed her "Kitten" during her early childhood years because she'd been that curious.

But Serena wasn't a kid anymore and only her grandparents and occasionally her parents used the affectionate nickname, for which Serena was thankful; being called Kitten in front of her friends was embarrassing.

Nothing ever changed in her neighbourhood, or in the town for that matter, and nothing ever changed in her life. Everything was always the same, it always had been, and that had always given her a strong sense of security and safety. There was safety in the known; there was a sense of security in routine.

But lately Serena had been thinking of it as less secure and more as boring.

But now as Serena looked out over the only home she'd ever known, something WAS different. Something HAD changed, she just couldn't see it.

The town looked like it had always looked but it felt different, as if she were now a stranger amongst all that was familiar to her, a stranger in her own home.

What was even stranger was that Serena had all the memories of her life but even they suddenly felt feign to her, as if they'd been lived by some else but played before her eyes like a home movie.

Serena shook her head in denial against the thought.

What the heck?! How could one strangely intense dream change that? How could a dream change the feel of her home? Of herself? Was she still dreaming or was it just the intensity of the dream that had disorientated her? This is where she'd been all her life. She'd never known any other life, any other place, but here. This was her home and this was where she belonged.

So why did she find that so hard to believe now? Where else could she ever possibly belong? She dreamed of seeing the world one day, but she knew that she'd never leave her home for too long. She'd always dreamed of meeting some nice charming normal guy and raising a nice normal family. She dreamed of being as happy in her adult life as she was in her childhood.

Just like her parents.

Serena, unlike so many others, had never dreamed of wealth and fame. She dreamed of a normal life right here in the place her parents – and herself – had been born.

Needing fresh air, Serena walked silently across her bedroom, missing all the floor boards she knew would creak, and opened the white French glass doors that led her out onto her little balcony that overlooked the backyard.

Her bedroom was fairly large and roomy, even filled with all her furniture and belongings. Her soft double bed sat against the wall opposite the French doors, draped in her fluffy deep cream bedspread. A large chest of draws sat next to the window and a dresser sat against the opposite wall in the corner, opposite it next to the walk-in wardrobe. The sliding doors of which were mirrored, providing a full length mirror that reflected the light and made the room appear even larger. There was a Twilight poster on the light blue wall above her bed. The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer were her favourite books, and were her favourite movies.

As proven by the complete set of books and DVDs proudly displayed on the top shelf of the column of rows of shelves embedded in the wall on the other side of her bed.

And beneath it all, fluffy warm light creamy brown carpet covered the floor. She loved to walk across it barefoot and feel the smooth softness beneath her toes.

There had been small changes made to her bedroom over the years – such as switching from baby pink sheets and bedcovers with pictures of white bunnies of them to more grown up colours – such as yellows and whites and blues. And of course the toys of her childhood were now boxed up and stored in the attic – but overall very little had changed in her room over her childhood and teenhood.

Serena stepped out onto her balcony. It was only small, large enough for a comfortable lawn chair she used for reading and a small table which sat beside it that she used to sit her drinks and such on. Her balcony was the only one on the back side of the house. Her parents had the much bigger balcony off the master bedroom at the front of the house. Her younger brother by two years, Sammy, had the smallest bedroom of the house which didn't have a balcony.

A fact that Sammy still occasionally complained to their parents about in that irritating childish way that little brothers did.

The small balcony at the back of the house was the perfect place for her to find a few precious peaceful moments to herself without having to be cooped up in her bedroom.

Her family was a normal family, they occasionally got on each other's nerves and as a teenager Serena reserved the right to be irritated with or feel crowded by her family.

The wind danced around her, pushing her light pink nightgown against her, the silk feeling like cool water against her skin as the delicate lace hem brushed lightly against her lower thighs where it ended. Although she still did have some of her more "less adult-like" pyjamas suitable to early teens, Serena found herself liking more adult-suitable sleepwear more and more.

Honestly, Serena loved the feel of silk and satin against her skin as she slept. It wasn't as comfortable as cotton but there was something about it that she loved. It made her feel so grown-up when the world insisted on still treating her like anything but.

Serena sighed, for a moment thinking about nothing but how good the cool silk felt against her body as the wind caressed her bare skin.

Above, the moon was so bright that Serena could see almost as well as she could in the daylight and it was beautiful. The bright orb coated every surface in its radiant silvery blue glow, concealing all other colour while the stars twinkled in the night sky above.

Everything looked just like it always had. The row after row of middle class neatly kept houses, the rows of trees lining the straight tidy well-kept streets and a few blocks away the town centre was identifiable by the distinctive steeple of the town hall clock tower towering over the rest.

This was Hadenwell. It was and always had been her home.

The only one Serena had ever known. She couldn't image what it was like to live anywhere else. Oh, Serena dreamed of going places and seeing the world but when she dreamed of home she dreamed of Hadenwell. Of having a husband and children, and either working at her parent's Accountant business or finding her own place in town, having her own job and career.

This was a place where everyone knew everyone else. It was a quiet town, peaceful and safe. Crime was almost non-existent other than the occasional high school prank or adolescent – and often obscene – act of vandalism.

So why did it now seem so strange and unfamiliar to her? Why was it so different? It didn't feel like the town she'd known her entire life.

And why, why had HE been in her dream?

Serena knew the young man who'd been in her dream. Well, she knew of him. He was Darien Shields, a guy in her year level at the local High School, who'd transferred here two years ago from where she had no idea.

One thing Serena did know for sure about him was the he was actually a year older than her because he'd missed a year of school at some stage. There were the usual rumours as to why, such as that he'd been in prison for manslaughter and ridiculous things like that, but no one actually knew the real reason why Darien had missed a full year of school.

Heaven knew it wasn't because he'd been held back. Darien Shields had to be the smartest male student at the school. Serena would've named him the smarted student in school but that honour went to Amy, one of her best friends.

Although Darien could have been smarter than Amy but the two had never really been in the position to find out which of the two were smarter.

Serena would always put her money on Amy. That girl was SMART!

And the sad truth was that no one knew much of anything about Darien Shields. Darien didn't let anyone get close enough to learn anything about him.

That was the one thing that Serena did know for certain about Darien Shields; he was a loner.

When Serena looked at him she thought of sadness and loneliness. She thought of great heart-wrenching tragedy and the loss of a childhood. She didn't know why she felt that way but it was clear simply by looking at him that Darien had had a hard, a sad life. He carried an air around him that warned everyone else to stay away, that he held no interest in any human interaction of any kind.

He wanted to be alone, so everyone left him alone.

So why had Darien been in her dreams? He'd been in her daydreams a few times before over the last two years, mostly because he was the most gorgeous guy at school. He looked like a model. He was tall, had to be close to six feet tall, and he had a semi-muscular lean runner's body, long lean arms and legs. Even his hands were beautiful in a way. He had strong hands with long fingers – her grandmother would call them "piano fingers".

Serena had seen him in various classes often enough to know this. His creations in art class was breathtaking and flawless, his creations in woodworking were masterpieces – honestly they could be sold in a high-end artsy furniture shop – and when he'd painted one of the backdrops for the school play last year it had been so detailed, so rich and vibrant in colour that Serena had found herself staring at it rather than watching the performance happening in front of it.

Even his hair was perfect. Darien's hair was raven black but he looked like he'd just stepped out of a men's shampoo advertisement. When his thick short locks caught the sunlight in the right way sometimes made it seem like he had these dark king of highlights, but Serena knew that that wasn't the case.

Darien just wasn't the kind of guy who did the primping thing.

Not that there was anything wrong with that, it was just that Darien wanted to be left alone, so why would he work to make himself more attractive?

He wouldn't because Darien wouldn't want the attention doing so would attract.

But despite everything else, in the end it was Darien's eyes that Serena found to be the most remarkable attention-drawing thing about him.

Which was probably why Darien wore his hair so that when he lowered his head just a little, his hair did well to hide his eyes. It was only when he lifted his gaze that one could see his breath-taking bewitching eyes.

Dark blue in colour, the darkest shade of blue Serena had ever seen someone's eyes while still remaining unmistakably blue. They were eyes that could look right through you as if he could see you for everything you were, everything you truly were. His eyes held a keen intelligence betraying a clever mind and a sort of wisdom that seemed to go beyond that that should've been in the eyes of a young man who hadn't even turned eighteen yet. In his eyes, one could see his sadness and his loneliness.

She could see his pain. Pain so heartbreaking that it made Serena want to know his story so she could soothe that anguish away.

Darien's eyes were the eyes of a young man who'd seen too much, been through too much, for how young he really was. And they were the eyes of a much older man who'd felt, and still endured, so much pain and suffering that it made Serena wonder as to whether or not some part of him had died from the tragedies in his past.

In a nutshell, Darien was dark and mysterious, and there was something about him that inspired secret fantasies. Every girl Serena knew fantasised about him, about becoming his girlfriend and doing all those naughty things most horny sexed-up teenage girls fantasized about doing but hardly ever had the nerve to actually do until they were out of high school.

A dream like that Serena would've been able to explain away on her teenage hormones and wild imagination, but why had she dreamed of dying with him? Of dying because she couldn't live without him? Why did her heart ache at the thought of his death? Of him being gone from her life forever? She didn't even know him!

Darien was a year older than her and although they'd had several classes together he'd always sat silently at the back of the classroom, remaining for the most part unnoticed. They had nothing else in common other than that they went to the same school and shared some of the same classes.

Serena didn't even think she'd ever even spoken directly to him before.

Serena knew he was very smart. He aced all his exams and always had the correct answer when asked by a teacher.

In fact now that she thought of it, Serena didn't think she could ever remember him getting a single answer wrong when called upon.

Outside of class, Serena occasionally saw him was between classes, before and after school and in the cafeteria. And he was always alone. He had no friends that she knew of and he never sat with anybody at lunch. Even in a packed cafeteria Darien always sat alone at his empty table in the furthest corner of the room, almost in the shadows. No one ever dared to sit with him, no matter how packed the cafeteria was.

Serena didn't understand him. With his looks, his smarts and mysterious demeanour, Darien could easily be popular, be liked and have dozens of friends. So why did he chose to remain alone? Why did he want to be separate from everyone else?

And not once could Serena remember seeing Darien outside of school. She was sure that she must have passed him in the street at least a time or two but she couldn't actually recall a memory of doing so.

Almost at once, memories of randomly looking over her shoulder when she'd been walking down the street or hanging out with her friends rose up in her mind. She couldn't count the number of times she'd glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see someone there but never finding anyone there. She'd dismissed these occurrences for various reasons at the time so why did these memories come to her now? What did they have to do with her dream, with Darien?

Was her subconscious trying to tell her something that her conscious mind wasn't getting?

Serena dismissed the thoughts, and returned her thoughts back to the dream and Darien, picking up where she'd left off before she'd became side-tracked. She was confused and conflicted enough, she didn't need to add to it unnecessarily.

Despite Darien's solitude and determination to remain separate from everyone else, there was something about him that made her feel drawn to him somehow. She'd always dismissed it as her attraction to him – what teenage girl on the planet wouldn't be attracted to him? The gods themselves must envy his male beauty – but now Serena wasn't so sure. It had never occurred to her, but the way he always attracted her eye the moment he was in view was a little strange. It went beyond the normal admiring a cute guy thing.

It almost felt as if she could sense when Darien was near her. So many times she'd felt his eyes on her when she'd been sitting in class or the cafeteria or walking down the halls, but when she'd turned to check, his eyes had always been elsewhere.

Come to think of it, Serena had felt the same sensation when she looked over her shoulder without conscious reason.

But not once had she looked over her shoulder and found him there, so what reason did she have to connect her habit of spontaneously glancing over her shoulder with Darien?

Darien.

Serena had never really considered him like this before. She'd never dreamed of him like this before. Why now? What had sparked the dream that now made it impossible for her to stop thinking of him?

And why did Darien want to be alone? No one wanted to be alone, especially not someone who could so easily be the most popular guy in school. He was the star of the track team – the one school activity Darien did that he didn't have to do – in which he rarely ever placed anything but first place. He was intelligent; he aced every exam and surprise quiz according to the talk at school. And on top of that he was the perfect specimen of maleness. He wasn't shy. That she knew. He was too intense, too confident to be that shy.

At the same time, when Serena looked at him, sometimes she got the impression that Darien was hiding something. That he had a secret that kept him apart from everyone else. What secret could be so heavy to carry that it kept him distant from everyone else, kept him alone?

When it came to Darien Shields, there were always plenty of questions but so very few answers.

Darien Shields was a mystery, an enigma. He kept himself apart from the rest of the world and Serena didn't see that changing anytime soon regardless of her newborn need to solve the puzzle that was Darien Shields.

And all because of a dream. It was silly. It had just been a dream, an intense dream, but a dream none-the-less.

Dislodging and dismissing the thoughts from her mind with a gentle shake of her head, Serena sighed deeply and looked up at the moon. If she kept this up she was going to drive herself mad.

It. Was. Just. A. Dream.

"Darien Shields, why were you in my dreams?" Serena whispered to the moon as if it held the answers she was seeking. "Why did I dream of loving you so deeply that I couldn't live without you?"

Silence. Not that she'd expected answers from the moon, but still it would have been nice if the moon had held all the answers.

Sighing deeply once more, Serena closed her eyes and for a long peaceful moment she basked in the silvery blue glow of the moon. It almost felt . . . cleansing.

When she opened her eyes, Serena looked up at the moon once again. It was so beautiful, so calming. Her dream was finally fading away into memory, as if her deciding to let it go had snapped the hold it had held over her.

"Why in my dreams," Serena whispered softly, "did you lead me to my death?"

And why had she been so content to go?

Again there was nothing but silence.

Serena knew she wouldn't find any answers tonight. Maybe in the morning she'd feel better and be able to accept that it had only been a dream.

With one last glance over the shimmering landscape bathed in silver moonlight, Serena turned and stepped back into the shadows of her bedroom to return to bed, where she'd hopefully sink into a dreamless sleep for the remainder of the night.

But the uneasy suspicion that it wouldn't be that easy nagged at her.

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As the golden haired beauty that was Serena Stevens stepped back into the safety of her bedroom, the dark figure stepped out of the shadows of the large tree in the corner of the yard. His eyes still glued to the now empty landing of her balcony.

He knew with certainty that she wouldn't step back out onto her balcony tonight and he knew he wouldn't be seen. He never was and never would be seen. He came here almost every night, watching her window until she fell asleep in the safety of her bed, assuring that she was safe and sound for the night so he could leave her with temporary peace of mind until he could return to watch over her again.

Only one other person knew of how he shadowed her everywhere she went. He followed her everywhere, always from a distance and always unseen. He followed her to school in the mornings and home in the afternoons. He followed her wherever she wanted to spend her free time. Most of her spare time she spent at one of her four best friend's homes, the local video arcade to meet her friends for a chocolate milkshake or window shopping in the main street of the small town.

Serena never saw him and if she ever did, it was always under the guise of being in the same place at the same time or merely walking past each other in the street. She always looked back at him but he never allowed her to see him looking at her.

No one knew his secret but his one and only living relative, his aunt and as much as he wanted to tell Serena his secret, he never could.

For so many reasons. One of which was she'd think he was nuts and a second of which was that he was destined to watch over her, to protect her but never to be with her. He'd known that truth for most of his life. He could watch and protect her, but he could never hold her or tell her how much he loved her.

That was the cruelty of fate. His fate. That was his curse. To always be there to protect her but to never have what it was that he really truly wanted.

Satisfied that Serena was safe for the night, she would return to bed where she'd sleep peacefully for the rest of the night, Darien Shields turned, jumped over the fence with practised ease and disappeared into the friendly and safe embrace of the shadows.

Shadows that were his world, as daylight was her world. Two worlds that could touch briefly at twilight but could never truly be one.

---

His Aunt was up waiting for him, just as Darien had known she would be. He hadn't needed his sight to know that she never went to bed unless he was safely home beneath her roof. It had been that way since he'd moved in years ago.

Because of his sight, his Aunt trusted in him to make sure that he kept himself safe and as such she gave him a little more freedom than she actually liked, but still his Aunt worried over him and loved him as though he were her son.

Darien walked quietly through the door, closing it behind him. He turned knowing what was waiting for him and what would follow.

Darien came face to face – well, as close to face to face with a woman who was two thirds his size – with the short plump woman who was his only living relative. His Aunt, his mother's sister, whom loved him every bit as much as his own mother had.

And his Aunt wasn't happy.

"You could've told me you'd be home late tonight!" His aunt scolded crossly, but the kind of scolding that came from worry rather than genuine anger. "Honestly boy, sometimes I think I give you far too much freedom for your age."

"Her dreams are the one thing I cannot predict. The one thing that I can't see." Darien reminded her, giving his Aunt an affectionate smile because he knew her anger came from her love and worry for him.

With that smile still on his lips, Darien walked passed his exasperated Aunt who stood at the bottom of the old wooden stairs and entered the kitchen at the back of the house.

The kitchen was old but clean and homely. The yellow wallpaper had years ago faded from age and the tile floor beneath his feet was well worn from countless feet passing over it. The yellow and silver appliances around the kitchen – most of which had been purchased in the last two years, one at a time – matched the handmade yellow curtains that hung above and to the side of the white peeling window.

There was money for his Aunt to spend on her house or even herself if she wished it as Darien's parents had named his Aunt in their will. In exchange for caring for their son in the event of their death before he became an adult, she received one third of their life insurance money. Which had turned out to be a surprisingly sizeable amount.

But his Aunt hadn't touched a penny for herself. Only when something was needed for Darien did she touch the money – such as when he'd needed a means of getting himself into town and back as the old house was pretty isolated.

Said means was currently cooling its engine in the old two car garage.

No, his Aunt didn't touch the money because regardless of Darien's objections, she firmly believed that the money that had been willed to her belonged to Darien to be used for his future and as a result refused to touch it. Every time Darien broached the subject his Aunt would end it with a firm insistence that she was only caring for the fund until he turned eighteen when she would sign it over to him. The money would be enough for him to go to any University he wanted and live in reasonable comfort until he inherited the bulk of his inheritance – which included his share of his parents insurance money and the total sum of their assets that had been liquidated into cash and deposited into one account that was under the care of a large law firm until Darien turned twenty-one.

What no one but the law firm and Darien himself knew – although Darien was the only one who knew that he knew - was that the actual lawyer – who'd been a good friend of his father – had taken half the amount – well over ten million dollars – and invested it into the stock market.

As a result by the time Darien was twenty-one – and thanks to a small boom in certain stocks in the market due to happen late next year – the total amount that he would inherit would be close to double the original amount.

Darien's parents had well and truly made certain that in the event of their tragic death their son would be very well taken care of.

Whether this was because his mother had seen her death coming or had just been very good at planning for every event, Darien wasn't sure.

Darien would love his lost family always, just as he would carry the pain of their loss for the rest of his life, and from time to time he would delve into their past to see them, but in the end doing so was just too painful so he tended to avoid using his ability to look back on what had been happier times.

The smile gone from his face, Darien pushed the thoughts away. The truth was that he didn't care about any of the money. He would trade it in a heartbeat for just one more day with his lost family, but not even he could have that.

So that was why other than his means of transportation and the occasional bit of money needed for his Aunt and the maintenance of her old house that had become the closest thing to a home Darien had the money sat untouched.

Ironically growing as it mounted more and more interest.

The last time the money had been touched for anything other than himself was the new water heater he'd had installed four months ago while his Aunt had been out on her monthly grocery and shopping trip with her "grandmother's club". He'd foreseen that the original water heater was in its last month of life so he'd arranged for the replacement to coincide with his Aunt's absence.

Of course his Aunt knew that the water heater had been replaced and Darien knew that she knew but they both pretended that she didn't know.

For good measure every once in a while his Aunt would complain about that "darned old water heater" in a tone that said that she knew exactly what he'd done and even though she wasn't happy about it – spending his money on the house – there wasn't anything she could do about it. She was too much of a caring woman to kick up a stink other than to make her displeasure at him going behind her back known.

Darien didn't mind it. He loved his Aunt and he had been sneaky, and he'd known that this would happen, so he accepted her occasional disgruntlement with his sneakiness with well manner grace.

After all, there was nothing his Aunt could really do about it. Unlike every other teenager on the planet, Darien held all the cards thanks to his second sight.

Darien just had the good sense not to verbalise that thought because sight of not, his Aunt WOULD make him pay for it.

Darien wasn't exactly certain when the change had happened but at some point in his mid-teens things had changed in that they'd switched from his Aunt taking care of him – an orphaned boy who didn't fit in because of his extraordinary – and more often than not pain in the ass – gift – to him taking care of his Aunt – discretely of course because if his Aunt thought for a moment that he actually believed that he was taking care of her, she'd kill him.

And that thought brought the small fond smile back to his lips. It was a mercy that he wasn't able to see his own fate, his own time line, that way he was still able to have those moments in life that left you grinning. Those moments were few in his life but he did have them and he was grateful for each one.

It was it his curse that he lived mostly through the lives of others, but he still did have his own life to live, as half lived as it was.

Behind him his Aunt had followed him gruffly into the kitchen, old age making her movements slow and difficult.

"She had a nightmare." Darien answered before his Aunt could ask. "At lunch today I saw her on her balcony tonight but I couldn't see why."

"And you just had to find out." His Aunt took a seat at the old kitchen table, shaking her head and laying her hands flat on the clean but faded with age cracked vinyl surface. "So tell me, Darien. Did you watch her tonight because of the rare hole in your vision or did you watch her because it's her?"

Darien knew that his Aunt disapproved of the way he watched over Serena. His Aunt believed that he should let himself be part of her life instead of watching her from the shadows in secret. Darien didn't know why he saw Serena clearer with his second sight than he did anyone else, even his Aunt whom he loved dearly, or why he felt a strong undeniable pull towards her.

A pull that made it impossible for him to stay away from her, for a single day to pass without seeing her, checking on her to assure that she was safe even though his second sight assured him that she was.

Deep down Darien feared that the pull towards her was caused by something terrible that was lurking in her future even though he had searched her future, both recent and distant, time and time again and found nothing. But still the feeling was there, along with the need, the compulsion, to do whatever it took to stop this terrible event from happening.

Darien had ignored this same feeling once before and it had cost him dearly. He wouldn't let anyone else die because he wasn't vigilant enough or didn't trust in his gift. He owed Serena his life and she didn't even know it. The reason he'd been able to survive his parents death was because of his visions of her.

Visions of her light, of her goodness, had been the only spark of light in his dark empty world of pain. It was because of Serena that he'd had hope, hope that had given him the strength to endure.

He had fallen in love with that little girl. First as a sister and a saviour, a friend, but as he had matured and grown, and in his visions as had Serena, and as had his love for her. He had loved her before he'd even known that she was real and not some figment of a lonely despairing boy's imagination.

Darien didn't answer his Aunt, even though her question still hung in the air of the kitchen. Instead he busied himself with reheating the plate of food his Aunt had set aside for him when he'd missed dinner in the yellow microwave.

"For someone who can see all that ever was and a lot of what will be, you are remarkably blind to the mistakes in your own life and it breaks my heart."

If Darien hadn't seen this conversation coming he would've fallen for her guilt trip. He always saw these conversations coming even though he really did try not to pry too much into his Aunt's future other than to assure that she continued to have one. He'd already prevented two heart attacks and a stroke with his gift, saving his Aunt's life without her ever even knowing it.

Although his Aunt was one sharp cookie and she was nobody's fool. No doubt she suspected that he'd acted in her best interests more than once. It was why when Darien asked her to do something or asked something of her, she never hesitated, her trust in him was absolute.

Sadly though his Aunt's time was coming to an end. Death was one of the few things that not even he could stop. He would lose his aunt in September four years hence and there would be nothing he could do to stop it; his only solace would be that she'd die happy in her sleep after spending the day with him.

His own death however was one of the few things he couldn't see. In fact his entire future was blocked from him. He could see his own future though the futures of others – such as his Aunt's. He could know where he was going to be by seeing into the futures of those around him, those he was closest too. He didn't know why but his Aunt had told him that his mother had believed it was because they weren't meant to know their own futures, their own fates because they were meant to live their own lives in the real world and not through their second sight.

But if that was true, what was the point of all this? What was the point of his sight? To do good in the world? What good could he really do if he couldn't even keep those he loved safe?

"Are you listening to me boy?!"

Darien shook his head, pulling himself from his thoughts. He turned to see his Aunt glaring hotly at him, her stern expression and narrowed eyes as familiar to him as his own.

His Aunt was the one person he let his guard down around, whom he stopped "watching" around. This was his home, his sanctuary. Once he was certain that Serena was safe for the night and would turn up at school safe and sound the next morning, he tried his best to turn his sight and his mind off.

Which was another thing he couldn't do. He could try to ignore it but his sight was always there, always playing in his mind without end.

Darien had been born with the gift of what his Aunt called "second sight". He could see into the past as he pleased, he could watch the present as it happened and he could see the future, the closer in the time the event was to him, the clearer he could see it.

Although looking into the future was a tricky thing, because the future was always changing. The closer the event in the future was the clearer it became.

Unless Darien chose to do something about it, to intervene and change it.

Then there were certain important events that Darien saw with crystal-clear clarity and with the impression of absolute certainty that they WOULD happen.

Only twice in his life had Darien seen such events and had known with every fibre of his being that he wouldn't be able to stop or prevent the event no matter how hard he tried too, no matter what he did.

Darien had learned the hard way that Fate was Fate and what was meant to be would happen one way or the other.

The death of those he loved most when he was a little boy had been one of the two events.

"What good does loving that girl do you if you do nothing about it? If you never let her know?" His Aunt argued, and not for the first time. She thought he was wasting his life and she was determined to make him see the error of his ways.

Darien sighed heavily. She would never give up. She still lived in hope that what he saw in Serena's future would change to favour him.

The microwave dinged signalling that its task of reheating his food was done. Taking a fork from the cutlery draw beside the sink, Darien decided to eat his meal upstairs in his bedroom tonight. Not because he wanted to avoid his Aunt, but because it was late and his Aunt wouldn't retire for the night until he was safely in his room for the night.

He often ate his meal at the desk in his room for this very same reason. When he was home on time the two of them ate together in the kitchen.

Something that seemed to be happening less and less as of late.

"Goodnight." Darien told her affectionately. He then kissed her on the top of the head and headed for the stairs.

He would dream of Serena tonight. He always did. His dreams were his one time of true peace because when he dreamed it was a true dream. It was the one time when his sight truly turned itself off. His mind might replay things he'd already seen during the day but he never saw anything new in his dreams, never saw anything but what was already in his own mind.

When he dreamed peacefully it was the closest he came to feeling any semblance of happiness or peace.

---

"Serena, honey! It's time to get up! You'll be late for school again!"

Serena groaned sleepily into her pillow before she rolled over in her bed and reluctantly opened her eyes to be hit by the golden rays of the morning sun. It was Monday morning. Time to get ready for another week of school.

This was both a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing because it meant that she could spend time with her friends but it was a bad thing because it meant classes and an endless pile of homework that took up way too much of her time. Time she'd rather spend with her friends or shopping or sleeping.

Serena could never seem to get enough sleep. In fact, on the weekends she usually spelt til noon, unless she had a real important reason to get up. A reason like a shopping trip or the smell of her mother's mouth-watering chocolate chip pancakes wafting up from the kitchen.

Serena didn't consider school a good enough reason to get out of bed so early, but the frightening spitfire that her mother could be when angered was more than a good enough reason.

Most mornings.

How a woman so warm and gentle, loving and kind could turn into the she-monster from hell when provoked was well and truly beyond her – Serena just hoped that when she was a mother she could do exactly the same thing.

Maybe when Serena had kids of her own her own mother might just let her in on the secret.

That was if Serena survived high school first.

As usual, Serena felt refreshed and ready for a new day – even though it had to start so early! – but what wasn't usual was the sense that something was different. The odd feeling hit her just before the memory of the dream did.

'Why in my dreams did you lead me to my death?'

Her words from last night rang in her eyes like a whisper from a dream. Serena had expected the effects of the dream to pass after returning to sleep where thankfully for the rest of the night she'd enjoyed a dreamless sleep. However, even though the feeling wasn't as strong, it were still there. As was the sense that something was different, it almost felt as if everything had changed. Forever.

But that was impossible. It was just a dream.

Despite that there was a lingering sense of dread that almost felt like a forewarning. As if somehow somewhere inside of her mind she knew that something bad was going to happen.

But how could it? Serena didn't see herself getting onto a boat and going out into the middle of the open ocean anytime soon. Even if by some miracle she did, what were the chances of there being a storm and the boat sinking with Darien Shields, who was technically a stranger to her, still on board?

Come to think of that, what were the chances of her being on a boat with Darien Shields?

None. Nil. Zip. Nada.

Darien. Why did his name suddenly have this strange sort of effect on her? Exactly what this effect was she didn't have a clue, she couldn't describe it. All she could define of it was that it wasn't particularly unpleasant.

If she hadn't known any better Serena would've said that she couldn't wait to see him.

She'd see him at school today. She saw him nearly every week day at school. One thing about Darien Shields was that she couldn't recall him ever missing a day of school. She was constantly passing him in the halls or seeing him in the lunchroom, but she couldn't remember ever saying a single word to him.

Serena blinked, confused and feeling more than a little out of it. Since when did she know so much about a guy that before last night she'd barely noticed except for the very occasional appreciative female glance that she couldn't help?

Darien Shields was easily the most handsome guy in school and even though he wasn't popular, he still received a lot of appreciative female attention even though Serena couldn't recall hearing about him dating anyone.

Ever.

What was with that? What kind of teenage boy, especially one as hot as Darien whom no one would all a boy, didn't date at all?!

It was so strange. She felt so strange. What was wrong with her? And what was with this dream? Whatever the dream had been, it had been a doozy, one that had left her reeling.

Maybe her subconscious was trying to warn her to keep her distance from Darien?

But why?

Firstly, Serena had always kept her distance from him, everyone had. And still did. The guy was a loner, he made no effort to make friends and he sort of had this air around him that warned away anyone who tried to befriend him.

It wasn't that Darien was dangerous or seemed psychotic or anything like that, it was this sense that he preferred to be left alone.

Secondly, Darien had never so much as gotten into a fight – that Serena knew of anyway – so why would her subconscious be warning her away from him as if he were a danger to her?

If ever made angry, Serena had the suspicion that Darien could be dangerous but judging from what little she knew about his character, Darien seemed like the type of person who was difficult to anger to the point of violence.

In fact Serena had the impression that Darien was a very controlled person. There was something about him that was different, that made him different.

Unique. That was the word. There was no one like Darien in town. Or that Serena had ever met.

Darien was intense, there was no disputing that. There was something about him that when one really looked closely gave the impression that he was more than what he seemed.

And then, on top of the fact that Darien seemed to be a very controlled person, Serena knew without a doubt that Darien would never hit a girl. That was something she knew about him for sure.

Darien had been, and still was, being raised by his Aunt. Serena knew the woman – by reputation only – and it was well known that she wouldn't tolerate anything but a gentleman under her roof, not for a second. She was old fashioned, and according to rumour, just as strange and as much of an outcast as her nephew.

Such was the curse of small towns, everyone knew everything about everyone.

Darien was the only exception to that rule. Except for the basic observations, gossip and the very basic knowledge – name, age, etc. – there wasn't very much known about Darien Shields.

Serena shook her head at herself, trying to dislodge her current train of thought.

Why was she suddenly so curious about him? Why did she suddenly want to know everything there was to know about him?

And why did Serena want to become closer to him?

Was it really all because of one dream?

Serena could remember the first time she'd seen him. She'd been sitting in home room, talking to one of her best friends, Mina, when she'd heard the door behind her open. The entire class had gone silent as all attention had turned to the newcomer who'd entered after the class had already begun.

Curious, Serena had turned to see who it was that had captured the class's attention half expecting to see the Vice Principal – known to the student body as the Detention King, among other more colourful and inventive things – but instead Serena had seen the most handsome guy she'd ever laid eyes on. Tall, reasonably well built for a high school student and looking way too old to be a junior.

Hell, Darien had looked too old to be in high school – well, not so much as he looked older. It wasn't that, it was more like he seemed much older than he was. He gave off this vibe that screamed maturity and intelligence, and something else. Something much more experienced, like he had done everything there was to be done and had learned everything there was to learn.

And then Darien had turned and looked straight at her, straight into her eyes as if he'd known exactly what she'd been thinking and was entranced by her. Serena had been breathless under his probing very INTENSE gaze.

Serena could still remember what it had felt like trapped beneath the weight of that gaze. A shiver had run through her, but not the bad kind, and everything else had faded away until there was nothing but the two of them and his eyes, his deep soulful penetrating all-seeing eyes. Eyes that to Serena carried a great deal of sadness, loneliness and something else, something that seemed out of place.

Something that gave Serena the impression that he saw a lot more than most people usually did.

There had been more in his eyes, closer to the surface. If she hadn't known better, Serena would've sworn that she'd seen shocked recognition and stunned disbelief in those deep dark blue depths.

Within a couple of minutes, the teacher had introduced the newcomer as Darien Shields, and it had only been a matter of hours before the news that he was a year older than the rest of his classmates had spread through the school.

He should have been a senior but later it had been learned that at one point Darien had missed an entire year of school.

Although why Darien hadn't been put with his age group was a mystery. The guy was so smart that he could have easily kept up with his age group.

That day had been two years ago, and until now Serena had forgotten all about the look he'd given her that day. She'd never understood it or gotten some kind of explanation so in the end she'd just shrugged it off and put it out of her mind.

Until now. Until the dream.

Serena sighed and shook her head again, more vigorously this time, trying again to dislodge the confusing thoughts causing unsettling chaos within her, and then she threw aside her covers.

She had to forget the dream – and Darien Shields – and get out of bed. It was Monday and that meant not only getting ready for the day but setting the tone for the entire week.

The weather in Hadenwell was more often than not warm and sunny and today was no exception. Reaching into her closet Serena pulled out a white skirt, a white blouse and a baby pink vest.

With her long golden hair and baby blue eyes, Serena preferred to wear light colours. She'd often been described by her friends as a warm, friendly and bright person, so Serena assumed it was safe to say that light and bright colours better suited both her physical form and her personality.

Serena suddenly felt determined to put the dream completely out of her mind and embrace the new day.

Starting with a homemade breakfast. In fact if she wasn't mistaken, Serena swore that she could smell pancakes coming from downstairs where as usual her mother was preparing breakfast for the whole family.

Maybe if she distracted herself well enough by tonight the dream – and everything it had made her feel – would be forgotten.

---

Hadenwell was a small town. So it was only a six block walk to the high school from her house and Serena loved to walk through the lovely town she called home – on those mornings when she wasn't running late and running to school as fast as her legs would carry her.

On those mornings that she did have the opportunity to walk to school Serena took the time to appreciate the experience. Everything was so peaceful, so relaxing, especially in the spring as it was so beautiful with everything in bloom.

Or it usually was. Today Serena just couldn't appreciate the peaceful walk to school because she wasn't walking so much as powerwalking and she wasn't peaceful on account of the closer she got to the high school the more anxious she became.

She would see Darien today. Serena didn't doubt it.

Darien didn't miss a day of school and also they had several classes together as it was a reasonably smallish school, with a student body of only four to five hundred students. And being a country town meant that most of the student body had known each other all their lives, or at least their school lives.

Ninety percent of her junior class Serena could remember attending first grade with. Her four best friends included.

There was Mina – who looked so much like her that they could've easily been sisters. In fact, Serena was somewhat certain that they were technically related in some way, she couldn't remember exactly how.

Then there was Lita, a tall tomb boy who was extremely protective of her friends and was more than willing to get into a fight on their behalf. Although, those who knew Lita knew that she was normally a gentle giant, although when focused on something Lita could be extraordinarily determined.

There was also Amy, who was easily the smartest girl in school. She was kind, gentle, loving and there was nothing she wouldn't do for a friend. Include bug the hell out of them to study for their exams and get their assignments done on time, if not early.

And then there was Rei, who was said to be – for good reason – a bit of a spitfire because of her terrifying temper when provoked. Rei had a will as strong as iron and was as wilful and stubborn as Mother Nature could ever hope to be. But above all else, Rei was loyal and true. She loved in a guarded way, but when Rei loved she loved unwaveringly. And although the two of them argued often over everything and anything, they were the closest of friends.

All four of them were practically sisters. There was nothing one wouldn't do for the others or vice versa.

Serena knew that she could tell them everything about her dream and what she was feeling because of it and although there would be a little teasing, they would listen and they would try to reassure her that it had only been a dream. They would do everything to make her feel better, to help her work through whatever this was.

But for the first time in her memory, Serena was hesitant to share something with her friends. There had never before been anything that Serena hadn't been able to talk to them about, but for some reason her dream and what she was feeling felt personal, it felt private. Like her dream and its effects were for her alone and her alone.

But that was ridiculous! IT HAD JUST BEEN A DREAM! She had to stop thinking that it had been anything more! She was going to drive herself insane if she kept this up.

She was exactly the same person she had been yesterday.

Wasn't she?

Serena shook her head and forced her thoughts away. She had to get to school. Once she was there there would be plenty to distract her from her thoughts and keep her too occupied to keep obsessing over what had been nothing more than a dream.

A harmless meaningly dream.

Serena abruptly stopped.

There was another feeling that she was feeling that was new. It was a feeling that she was being watched.

Serena whirled around as fast as she could, so fast that she almost knocked herself off balance enough to make her fall, but at the last moment Serena steadied herself and managed to stay on her feet.

Serena looked around, carefully scanning the surrounding area. She could see nothing out of the ordinary. People of the small quiet town were going about their everyday lives, collecting their morning newspapers and checking their mail, moving lawns, leaving for work and a block up there was a group of young children no doubt heading for Hadenwell's only grade school.

But there was nothing out of the ordinary. There was no one – that she could see – that was staring, or even looking her way.

Serena shook her head yet again. That dream and the turbulent emotions that the dream had left in its wake were making her paranoid and borderline delusional; she needed to get over it and forget it.

Serena had lived in this town her entire life. Nothing ever changed in the small, very safe, community of Hadenwell; this was a town that residences could walk through at night and leave their back doors unlocked. It was a boring little town in which nothing truly exciting ever happened and nothing ever changed.

So why had a dream been able to shake her up so much?

Dismissing the lingering feeling that she was still being watched, Serena turned and continued on her way to school, shaking her head once again in attempt to dislodge her thoughts and emotions that just refused to settle.

What had she eaten last night that had given her such a strange dream that refused to fade from her mind?

Nothing ever happened in this town and nothing exciting was ever going to happen to her, at least not while she was in Hadenwell.

---

Knowing it was safe to step out from behind the tree, knowing with absolute certainty that Serena wouldn't turn around again, Darien watched her continue on on her usual path to the High School.

Something was different about her, Darien could sense it. Serena was so naively secure in her own world that she generally didn't look over her shoulder for no reason what-so-ever; she'd never had a reason to be wary or fearful beyond the healthy or instinctive norm. Even though she didn't know it, Darien knew Serena Stevens better than anyone else even though she'd never really spoken a single word to him.

Darien knew that her favourite foods were chocolate, ice cream and pepperoni pizza with extra cheese, and even though Serena loved her chocolate milkshakes, at least once a week she'd have a vanilla malt milkshake, just because she liked the smooth creamy flavour of vanilla.

He knew that her favourite colour was every shade of blue and purple, but her room was mainly a creamy white, sunshine yellow and baby pink because she liked the way the lighter colours brightened up her room.

He knew that she loved her friends and family more than anything else in this world and would do anything for them because that was the kind of selfless loving person that Serena was, right down to her core. She loved with all her heart, without doubt, without hesitation or restraint.

When it came to her heart, Serena was the only person Darien knew who didn't second guess herself.

Serena Stevens was the kindest, more caring person on the planet. She was selfless and generous, kind and caring. She was a free spirit, a force all of her own underneath her tiny delicate feminine – and extraordinary beautiful – innocent exterior.

Serena was special. One of a kind. Unique like a single flawless white rose in a field of pink petunias, it was impossible not to notice her and admire her for her pure and innocent beauty.

But then again Serena herself was more like the sun, she shined with life and everyone around her was helpless to do anything but love her for what she was.

Darien had loved her for as long as he could remember. Serena had always been there in his life, she was his only light in his empty dreary world. He'd do anything to keep her safe, he'd willingly die for her.

Too bad Serena didn't even know that he existed.

But maybe that was for the best. The best for her.

While Serena was bright, loving and loved to laugh and be surrounded by her loving friends and family, Darien had no illusions as to what he was. He was a loner, an outsider. An outcast. An outcast who'd been alone for so long that he didn't know how to live his life any other way. He had nothing to offer a goddess like Serena and even with his gift of second sight to help him, he wouldn't even know where to start if he chose to become part of her life.

Even though no one saw her for what she was the way he did. Those who didn't know her rarely looked beyond her outer beauty to see the even more glorious beauty beneath that had Darien so in-awed.

But that wasn't to say that he didn't see her outer beauty. At first glance Serena's most striking feature was her hair. Her long long blonde hair that when wasn't up damn near almost brushed her calf muscles. And her hair wasn't just blonde, it was golden. Honestly, it reminded Darien like nothing else of sunlight. When Serena moved her hair would flow down and around her, and honest to God it looked like she wrapped in pure sunlight.

It was truly a breathtaking sight.

And then there was her flawless milky skin . . . Darien had never touched her, not even in the smallest way like accidentally bumping into her in the crowded hallway, but he longed too. Oh, how he longed too! He wanted to know if her skin was as smooth and as warm and as soft as it looked.

He dreamed about touching her skin.

Not that anyone could blame him. Serena didn't know it, didn't think of herself that way, but she was gorgeous. She couldn't see her beauty as others did but she truly was. She was petite, and her adolescent body was only just beginning to show true signs of the full curves she'd possess when she reached full maturity, and the glimpse alone was enough to make him sweat.

Not that Darien needed to notice those signs. He'd already seen Serena in her maturity when he'd glimpsed into her future and no amount of cold showers had been able to cool him down afterwards.

Right now Serena was an awkward teenager, but in a few years she would turn heads when she walked down the street.

But despite the beauty Darien knew Serena would one day have, what Darien found the most captivating about her physical appearance was her eyes. Her deep sky blue eyes that were as depthless as an ocean. A man could so very easily get lost in those depths that held her kind heart and pure soul.

Her eyes expressed so much.

There was that expression that some people wore their hearts on their sleeves, well Serena wore her heart in her eyes in such a way that it made her dangerously vulnerable.

Serena was so kind and so trusting, too trusting. The risk that someone would use that against her and end up hurting her would've been all too real if Darien hadn't been her guardian angel, watching over her and protecting her in secret.

And Serena didn't even know that he was alive.

Dismissing the thoughts and the longing that was always there, Darien watched as she walked further and further away from him, heading for the High school.

For the first time Serena had almost seen him. That hadn't happened before. Not like this. And that left Darien feeling uneasy.

Somehow Serena had sensed something amiss this morning. Never before had she sensed that she was being followed, but this morning without apparent reason or cause she'd whirled around as if she'd expected to find someone there.

If Darien hadn't seen her turn around at the last moment in his mind's eye, before she'd even decided to do so, Serena would've seen him and she would've known that he was following her as he had no reason to be there; his Aunt's house was on the opposite side of town.

Darien's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Never had Serena looked behind her without reason before so why had she now?

Darien knew her well enough to know that something was up, something connected to the dream that had woken her last night. Whatever she'd dreamed it was still having an effect on her and that was strange.

Darien had to find out about her dream and why it was affecting her so much. And he would find out, one way or another. Most likely by "listening in" on Serena when she was with her friends. Serena confided in her friends with about almost everything. It would be highly unlikely that she wouldn't talk to them about whatever it was that had her looking over her shoulder.

---

Serena had always found the cafeteria a great place to be. Not because of the food – which mostly bordered around average and that was being generous – or because of the room itself – it was a large grey white room filled with six long tables that pretty much went from one end of the room to the other – but because of the atmosphere.

In Serena's opinion there was nothing like the feel of a room full of young people, the atmosphere just felt so . . . so . . . alive. The room was filled with laughter and excitement, every day was exactly the same as the one before but so different at the same time. Every day, students sat in their usual chairs at their usual tables, eating the same cafeteria food – that no one wanted to look at too closely for fear of what they'd find – but everyday there was something new to talk about, a new conversation to have, new things to discover with old friends.

To Serena the cafeteria was welcoming and energetic; a place for friends to come together despite their various interests that took them to different classes and take a break from the dull boredom that mostly was those classes.

But today the cafeteria was different for a completely different reason. Today Serena's eyes were constantly flicking over Amy's shoulder at the end of the far table that was situated in the far corner of the room. It was the darkest and the dreariest place to sit as it was furthest from the wall of windows on the opposite side of the room and as such it was usually left vacant in favour of the more well-lit tables, except for one student who seemed to prefer either the dim light or the solitude.

Most likely the latter.

Serena couldn't explain it but she needed to see Darien, needed to see if what she felt when she saw him was the same as what she'd felt last night in the dream.

It hadn't taken her long to realise that Darien was absent from all of her morning classes. Why was he suddenly absent? Why today of all days hadn't he come to school? Could it possibly have anything to do with her dream? Had she been wrong in that the dream was not a warning for her but for him?

Was that even possible?

Or was she just completely losing her mind?

It had just been a dream damn it!

Besides, in her dream they'd been drowning in the ocean and the closest ocean was over a hundred miles away! So her dream coming true was highly unlikely if not impossible! She had to stop obsessing over a dream!

The thing was though that it hadn't felt like a dream. Even now in the middle of the day, it still felt real.

She truly was losing her mind.

Serena sighed, resisting the urge to shake her head at herself – again!

With her lunch tray in her hands – she couldn't even remember filling it with the egg salad sandwich and orange juice that was on it – Serena followed Amy over to their usual table and sat down where she immediately pushed the tray away.

Serena didn't feel like eating, to be honest she didn't even know what she was feeling.

Closing her eyes, Serena laid her head on her folded arms on the table. She felt so confused, almost disorientated with the real world.

Detached. That was the word.

Why had this one strange dream changed everything overnight? All around her the world she'd known her entire life was still the same but now she felt somehow separated from it. As if it wasn't the world she called home anymore. There was something missing in her life all of a sudden and she felt a hollowness within her. It almost felt as if there was something she just HAD to find, that she HAD to make part of her life, her world.

What the hell was going on?!

Yesterday, before the dream, everything had been as it had always been. She'd never considered her life perfect, but it was pretty close. She had a loving family – most days her little brother Sammy was included in that description – close friends who never failed to make her laugh and smile and were always there when she needed them, and a safe and happy life in which she optimistically dreamed of her future.

Now all of sudden after one dream, she felt this strange detachment to the only world she'd ever known.

Had she truly lost her mind or had something changed and she hadn't noticed it until now? Serena felt like a stranger in her own home and she didn't understand why. Why did the fear that she'd drown as she had in her dream remain with her still?

And why did she all of a sudden fear losing Darien far more than she feared losing her own life?

Serena had no intention what-so-ever of being on a burning boat in the middle of the ocean in the middle of a fierce storm. None. Nil. Zip.

On top of that Darien was a stranger to her, so why would Darien suddenly become her life, her soul, her reason to live?

Yes, she'd dreamed and fantasized about that kind of love but Serena knew that it only existed in stories and books, in fairy tales. Such selfless conquering-all-obstacles love wasn't real. That kind of 'would do anything for, even die' love didn't exist, no matter how much she wanted it too.

And even if it did, what were the chances that she of all people would be one of the lucky few that experienced it?

Serena sighed heavily in frustration. She was going to drive herself insane if she didn't get a handle on herself and these baffling chaotic emotions.

Optimistic hope zinged through her and opening her eyes Serena straightened her spine, lifting her head. She could almost see the lightbulb clicking on over her head.

Could that be it? Could she dare to hope that this was just some puberty thing that everyone went through? Maybe what had changed had been her! Maybe she was just going through some hormonal thing that was just a part of growing up.

Yes! That had to be it! There was no other logical explanation!

Feeling better – downright relived – Serena looked around the cafeteria once again.

The cafeteria was crowded, and the buzzing noise was happy and light-spirited, as it had always been, ever since her first day of high school.

It was then that Serena noticed that the end of the table in the far corner was no longer empty.

Serena froze, her eyes glued to the lone figure sitting alone in the corner.

Her heartbeat picked up its pace and she could feel body's temperature rising as a blush crept into her cheeks. He was there and suddenly it felt as if she could breathe again, as if she were whole. At last.

And just like that Serena knew that whatever she was feeling wasn't a puberty thing, nor was it a normal thing.

What in the hell was going on?! How the hell had he become everything to her through a dream?! What the hell had that dream been?! What had it meant?

Darien was even more handsome than Serena had allowed herself to recall. His skin was flawless and it was somehow pale and tan all at the same time. His midnight black hair brushed the tops of his broad shoulders, the front of which was long enough that it concealed his eyes when bowed his head even in the slightest. Eyes that were a very startling deep blue but it was the breath-taking intensity in those eyes that made them appear . . . haunting. Like they could look straight into you and see you for all that you were, see everything you'd ever done.

If there were such a thing as angels, then no doubt their eyes looked just like Darien's. Deep. Intense. Powerful. All-knowing.

Wise. That was the word. Darien had wise eyes, almost as though he had an old soul, like he'd lived countless lifetimes and remembered them all.

Of the entire gorgeous package, it was his eyes that Serena found the most brilliant, and the most startling. But it was more than just his eyes, there was something else about him that called to her, something that radiated from him like heat from fire.

On the outside Darien was breathtaking. How he ever believed that he could be invisible was beyond her. He was a model's envy, almost as if he'd been born to stand out instead of sitting in the shadows.

But inside . . . Serena strongly suspected that inside lurked something much more beautiful, if only he'd let people close enough to find out.

There was an air of loneliness and tragedy that hung around him like a smokers cloud hung around a chain smoker. It was that air that held the reasons as to why he kept himself on the outside always looking in. He'd been hurt somehow, that much was as clear as daylight in those dark intense eyes and most likely it was because of that pain that Darien kept himself apart from everyone else.

So what was it about Darien that drew her to him? Yes, Darien had always caught her eye whenever he drew her notice – mainly answering the teacher's question when called up or passing her in the halls – but now it was almost of if he were a magnet and her eyes were made of metal.

It was sad that she'd known of him for years but she'd never known him.

Was that was this was? Was it guilt at having just been one of the crowd who'd stayed away from him just because he was different? Had guilt fuelled her dream in order to force her to notice him and maybe show him some kindness by helping him step out of the shadows?

If so, if she befriended him, if she helped him, would what she was feeling because of her dream go away?

And if she did, would it be a selfless act or a selfish one?

Oh great, now she felt guilty all over again.

Suddenly, Darien's head shot up and he looked straight at her. His staring gaze bore into her as if he somehow knew that she'd been staring at him.

Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart was pounding in her ears and everything else faded around her. There was nothing else but Darien and his dominating bewitching intense eyes; eyes that had instantly captured her so completely that she had no way of being free of their hold until he chose to release her.

The way he was staring at her . . . it was so intense, so all-consuming that Serena felt herself drawn to him in a way she'd never known before, a way that was undeniable.

No smile touched his lips, but he didn't sneer or smirk at her either. He gave no reaction to realising that she was staring so blatantly at him. He just continued to hold her gaze, to stare at her with those penetrating strangely knowing eyes, as if he could see right through her, read every secret she'd ever had in her eyes.

How had Darien known that she'd been staring at him? It was almost as if he'd known exactly what she'd been thinking.

Without warning, something flashed in his eyes, Serena could see it even from where she sat two tables away, and a shadow of a grin curved the corner of his mouth ever so slightly as if he'd heard something funny but didn't want to give away that he'd heard.

But there was no one around him, no one he could've overheard.

Had Darien been reliving a memory that had brought that breathtaking barely-there smile to his lips that would've made her knees go weak had she been standing?

"Who are you staring at Serena?" Asked a familiar voice, a voice that was curious and very feminine.

Serena blinked, breaking the spell Darien's intense eyes had been holding her trapped within and she snapped back to reality.

In one blink of her eye, the sight that had so completely enthralled her had changed. One instant Darien had been staring at her with that hint of a grin on his lips that had lighted up his face, and the next he was staring down into the table at his lunch as he always did as if he'd never looked up at her at all.

What was wrong with her? Had he moved without her actually noticing it – which would mean that she'd momentarily blacked out for an unknown amount of time – or he'd moved that quick that her eyes hadn't caught it, almost as if he'd known that she'd been momentarily distracted.

Serena lowered her gaze to her own lunch. She really was losing it. Maybe she should go for a cat scan or something. Brain tumours could cause hallucinations, right?

Darien had caught her staring at him and was, no doubt, right now thinking of how much of a foolish idiot she was.

Sure, mirrors didn't break when she walked by but she was nowhere near Darien's league of datable girls – if he ever dated that was, which Serena had never heard of him actually doing.

"Serena?"

Serena looked up at hearing the concern in the warm familiar voice to find her four best friends staring at her with matching expressions concern on their faces.

Mina, who looked enough like her to be her sister, was waving her hand in front of her face. She'd been the one to snap her out of it, asking who it was she was staring at.

Mina had long blonde hair just like her, although Serena's was a good foot and a half longer than Mina's and a shade or two darker and they both had blue eyes, although Mina had really light blue eyes while Serena's were a medium blue. They both had fair skin and long slim legs, but Mina was a few inches taller than Serena and just that little bit more noticeably gifted in the "curves" department.

Serena knew from their expressions that she must've been out of it for longer than she'd thought and they'd noticed.

Just great, the last thing Serena needed was for four of her five best friends to find out that she was lusting after Darien Shields, Hadenwell High's dark and mysterious real life model.

Serena froze. Hang on. Lusting?! When had she started lusting?! She really HAD lost it. She'd never lusted after anyone in her life – at least not anyone actually part of her life. Famous hotties in movies and magazines didn't count.

Mina followed Serena's gaze over Amy's shoulder and her eyes widened as the realisation of what Serena had been staring at hit her. Mina spun her head back around to her best friend, her expression was scandalous.

"She's staring at Darien Shields!"

"Sssshhhhh!" Serena hissed at her, feeling her face glow hot with extreme embarrassment.

Serena hastily scanned the immediate vicinity for sign of anyone who might've overheard Mina's thrilled accusation; the last thing Serena wanted were rumours going around the school that she had a thing for Darien Shields.

For a long moment Serena considered denying it, but there really wasn't much point. They'd caught her and they'd know that she was lying if she denied it anyway.

Serena really was a horrible liar which she guessed made her a bad at being a teenager. Teenagers were supposed to be at least reasonable at lying, in the teenage years wasn't lying considered a survival skill, a necessity?

Serena sighed, sinking low in her seat as more embarrassing heat flooded her face. Her face was so hot that if felt like she was sitting too close to an open fire. No doubt she was blushing like a radioactive tomato.

"I had a dream about him last night." Serena confessed reluctantly.

Lita perked up with keen interest as she leaned in closer, the Amazon leaning almost half way across the table. "Ooh. So tell me, was it kinky? What did he do to you?"

That was Lita. Of the four of them Lita was the only one who wasn't a virgin and she wasn't ashamed about that either. Lita loved to fall in love, and she genially cared for the guys she dated, she just couldn't seem to find the right guy for her.

It was just that not too many guys could help being intimidated by Lita. Lita was the tallest of them but a full foot. Her build truly reminded most who met her of a legendary Amazonian Warrior. She was tall and was muscled enough that it was clear she could beat up or just plain beat the majority of the student body – and a good chunk of the staff – but not so muscled that she wasn't feminine – or at least as feminine as a tomboy who occasionally wore skirts could be. Lita was a great athlete and even studied a couple of martial arts, or more to the point she excelled at a couple of martial arts. With long brown hair that was often tied back in a ponytail, leaving tendrils that framed her striking face. She had deep green eyes that perfectly matched her colouring and of all of them she had the largest bra size.

But underneath that Amazon tough tomboy exterior was a gentle caring kind and highly protective young woman who dreamed of finding true love.

Lita was very loyal and highly protective of those she cared about and she wouldn't hesitate to kick the butt of anyone who threatened those she cared about – and may God have mercy on them if Lita did get her hands on them.

Serena felt her face light up like a radioactive tomato in reaction to Lita's probing – and very suggestive – questions. "It's not like that-!"

"Alright." Lita interrupted as she made a dismissive impatient gesture with her hand. "So what did you do to him?"

Serena couldn't stand it anymore; she looked down at the table feeling her face burn with even more heat than should've been physically possible without giving herself third degree burns.

Why didn't the floor ever open up and swallow her whole when she needed it too?

"Nothing." Serena mumbled embarrassedly, and then with a yielding sigh she decided that she might as well tell them everything. They'd end up finding out anyway.

And with that, Serena felt solemn sadness overtake her, the echoes of the intense emotions she'd endured last night washed over her, sobering her. "I dreamed that I let myself die because Darien had died. I couldn't live without him. In the dream I loved him so much that living without him wasn't an option. The pain felt so real, so intense, that it actually woke me."

Amy's face softened with compassion, and she reached out and covered Serena's hand with her own, offering her comfort where most other people would've just dismissed it as a nothing more than a dream. But that was Amy. She was what people called a bookworm but there was no smarter woman in Hadenwell. She was a pure genius, straight A+ student and she was going to go far in life, although just how far no one knew. The sky was the limit with Amy. She was that kind of person, she could do anything she set her mind too, overcome any problem.

Amy was quiet and serene, but she was a true friend. She was loyal and kind and caring, but underneath all that there was so much more. In truth Amy was Lita's opposite in a way. Where Lita was fierce on the surface but gentle beneath, Amy was gentle on the surface but a fierceness dwelled underneath. If someone Amy loved was threatened there was no doubt in Serena's mind that Amy would be right there beside Lita, every bit as prepared to fight that threat even though she was just as tiny compared to Lita as Serena was.

Amy was the same height as Serena was but she was slimmer, more petite in that delicate sheltered way. With short dark hair that in a certain light took on a strange blue tinge.

Maybe it was her medium rich blues eyes that gave her hair that effect.

"It's just the English essay." Amy assured her in her gentle voice. "Did you fall asleep reading Romeo and Juliet? It's due next month."

Serena bit the inside of her cheek. There was no way she was going to admit that she hadn't even started reading it yet. There wasn't a doubt in Serena's mind that Amy had already finished her essay, and there was no doubt that it was perfect.

If Amy found out that Serena hadn't even given her English essay a thought, then Amy wouldn't stop until all of them agreed to a study session in which Amy would personally see to it that they all finished their essays.

Amy considered it her duty to assure that none of her friends failed at any of their studies which Amy considered to be vitally important to their futures.

It was kind of Amy's way of taking care of her friends the same way Lita protected them from bad people.

"No." Serena sighed, giving in. She loved her friends and trusted them completely, whatever she told them wouldn't leave this table. They'd made a pact years ago never to gossip about each other, so whatever was said between them stayed between them. A perfect circle of trust where they were safe to share and express themselves.

Of course there were no adults – and no boys – allowed.

"It's wasn't like that." Serena told them. "I drowned. In the ocean. There was a raging storm and the boat we were on was on fire and it was sinking with Darien still on board. I was being tossed around like I was in a washing machine, and more than anything I didn't want Darien to die. I didn't want to die either but I knew that if he died then I couldn't live. I couldn't live without him."

Serena looked around at her four best friends, sisters really, as they absorbed and considered what she'd told them.

Mina was the first to speak, a comforting smile on her perfectly painted red lips. "Maybe your subconscious is trying to tell you to go after him before it's too late and he finds himself a girlfriend."

Serena slumped in her seat, still feeling so disjointed and confused. "I don't know. Maybe." She didn't point out to any of them that to her knowledge Darien hadn't dated since coming to town. At least not anyone local. "The dream just felt so real. I couldn't live without him. He was like air to me. It was like I loved him more than anything else. But it gets weirder. The dream was so intense, so vivid. I can still remember every detail so clearly. I can still feel the pain of heartbreak. The icy water crushing down on me, my lungs burning even as they filled with the icy cold salt water. I've never had a dream like that before. Even now it still feels real to me, it's more like a memory than a dream."

Silence stretched between them of a long moment before anyone spoke.

"It may have felt real, Serena," Rei told her gently, "But it was still only just a dream. It wasn't real. In time you'll forget all about it. Just try focusing on what is real."

In truth Rei was strong like Lita in that fierce will and steadfast stubbornness kind of way but she wasn't built like an Amazon. With long black hair, fiery eyes and fair skin she looked older than she was and she was a spitfire to boot. With a temper that could rival that of Mother Nature's Rei was stubborn and headstrong and she wouldn't be moved on anything unless she wanted to be. In games of strategy and completion everyone had better look out because Rei didn't like to lose and she had talent at getting her way that was downright terrifying.

But like the rest of them Rei was extremely loyal, highly protective and a great friend. Although of the group Rei was the one that Serena found herself fighting with the most, there was nothing mean spirited there. They fought like sisters fought. They might not always see eye to eye but there was real love between them. The kind that when it mattered would have Rei standing right there beside Amy and Lita at her defence.

Rei was strong. In a way that none of the other girls were. Mostly because Rei had had to be. Tragically Rei's parents had died before she'd been born. Her father had died in an accident just after Rei had been conceived and then her mother had died in childbirth.

Some said that Rei's mother had died of a broken heart and had only lived long enough that her child could be born.

But that was only what people said, who knew if there was any truth to it.

So Rei had been raised by her grandfather, her mother's father. A spiritual man and a good one. He was kind and had raised Rei with love, but over the years as her grandfather had grown older Rei had had to take on responsibilities that most young girls her age didn't have too.

But Rei was strong. She handled it just fine and was able to be still be a teenager as well.

And of course, the four of them helped her wherever they could. All four of them would stand shoulder to shoulder to protect any one of them. In that way the five of them were exactly the same and that's what made them such good friends despite their differences.

Rei was also the wisest of them, the most religious, not that she preached or anything like that. She just believed and that belief guided her.

So when Rei offered advice, no matter how much Serena argued or disagreed with the spitfire, she always considered what Rei had to say on the matter.

But not even Rei's words could ease what she was feeling inside.

If only Serena could believe that it wasn't real, that it had just been a dream. She wanted too, she really really did want to believe that but she just couldn't. She'd told herself so many times since waking that it had just been a dream that it was like a bad song she couldn't get out of her head no matter how hard she tried.

The four girls said nothing as they exchanged meaningful glances with each other. It seemed that there was nothing else they could say that would comfort her. But they trusted that she'd eventually get over it and forget all about it or she would bring the subject up again.

Dreams were just dreams, harmless and didn't tend to linger.

---

She was so beautiful.

More than was fair for the rest of the mere mortals who surrounded her. But no one saw her, no one knew her, as he did. Not her friends, not even her family. No one knew just how beautiful Serena was, beautiful in ways that went beyond physical beauty, beyond description itself. Life and laughter seemed to radiate from her. She was like the sun, bringing light and hope to everyone around her, that was one of the reasons why people gravitated towards her.

Her laughter was the music of the angels, her eyes like the shimmering beacons of heaven. She was gravity itself, everything good and pure in this world surrounded her. It was her.

And how Darien secretly craved to be a part of the world that surrounded her, to be a part of her world and not just as a spectator watching unseen from the shadows.

He loved her.

Darien had loved her ever since he could remember but she didn't even know that he existed. Oh, she thought he was good looking just like all the other girls did, but when Serena looked at him he knew that she didn't just see his handsome face or mysterious demeanour.

No, when Serena looked at him, she felt sorry for him. It wasn't pity she felt when she looked at him but rather sadness, sadness for him. She knew he was alone, she knew he had no friends. It didn't sit right with her that he was always alone, that was the kind of caring kind person Serena was. He knew that she didn't understand why he preferred to be alone as she herself had always been surrounded by people who loved her.

Just as he loved her. Darien had loved her for so long, and the love was well earned. He knew her better than anyone else did or ever could as he'd shared her life with her for as long as he could remember – not that Serena knew it. Only one person, his Aunt, knew his secret. A secret that should've been impossible but was real despite what normal people considered possible.

Since before his family – his parents and his brother – had been killed in a car accident when he'd been five, Darien had had the ability to see things. Things that shouldn't be possible to be seen. He could see through time and space as he pleased; anything he wished to see played before his eyes like an actual event happening before him. The past, the present and the future all lay open to him to view at his wished. He could look into anyone's past as easily as others could open their eyes. He could – and did – know what the immediate future held for others.

The distant future was far more difficult to see as it was forever changing, but it was possible for him to reach years, even decades into someone else's future.

And then there was Serena. He'd only come to Hadenwell a few years ago but he'd been seeing Serena's life – her timeline – ever since the accident which had happened many years before he'd even met her – or seen her in the flesh anyway. He'd never technically 'met' her.

Serena's time line, including her immediate and near future, were clearer to him than anyone else's. And her past was an open book to him, he could call upon the memories of her past as easily as he could summon his own.

Ever since Darien could remember he'd shared her life with her. He'd always been there with her, watching and feeling, through her happy times and her sad times. When her best friend had died of chicken pox at the age of six, he'd felt her grief and her loss as his own. When her baby brother had been born, he'd shared her joy and her pure selfless love. He'd been there to witness so much of her life. He knew her favourite colour was purple but she preferred blue because it was her mother's favourite colour. Although when it came to her clothing, Serena did prefer lighter and brighter colours, such as pinks and yellows.

Darien knew that Serena was really only ticklish across her rib cage and he knew that she had a birth mark high up on her hip that was in the shape of a crescent moon. Very few people outside of her immediate family knew about that birth mark.

Darien also knew that she had no idea just how beautiful and perfect she was. She was self-conscious and at times shy, so much so that when given a compliment, her face would always turn an adorable bright red.

And Serena didn't even know that he existed but she was his whole world. He watched over her from a distance. He spent most of his nights watching her window until she was safely tucked into bed. He was there when she woke at night – which was rarely – and he was there whenever she was outside the safety of her parent's house or the school campus.

No matter what he was doing, a part of his mind was always aware of her and the dangers that surrounded her. He was always watching, always vigilantly protecting her.

Serena didn't know it but she was accident prone and a would-be frequent victim of nasty pranks from the cheerleaders who were envious of the male attention she unknowing drew to herself.

How many times had he had to intercept or interfere in one of those pranks even Darien didn't know? Although he always acted long before Serena could be involved, the result being that Serena was completely oblivious of the efforts he went too to protect her. He was a dark figure hiding unseen in the shadows, always watching over her and protecting her. He loved her and he'd die before he ever let any harm come to her.

So often Darien dreamed of going up to her and introducing himself, of allowing her to get to know him as he knew her, but always he chickened out. He was safer watching from a distance. He loved her and to have her reject him – even though he knew she'd do it in the gentlest kindest way – would be more than he could bare. Other than his Aunt, Serena was all he had, all he loved. To lose her, even before he had her, would be worse than any torment hell could devise.

So Darien watched from a distance, where he couldn't be rejected. Serena would never know his efforts and she would never see him.

Even though Darien was beginning to believe that he was slipping. This morning for example when Serena had suddenly stopped and looked behind her as if she could sense that he was watching her. Serena had never seen him unless he'd allowed it, that he knew, but somehow Serena had sensed him there behind her.

Darien was going to have to be more careful and keep a closer eye on her immediate future to assure that she never did see him.

It was a quirk in his gift that the one future he could never see was his own. Sometimes Darien would have flashes of his future, they were blurry and nothing more than confusing rapid flashes, but they warned of immediate danger to himself.

It was like his gift didn't want him to know his own fate but it wanted him to stay alive and relatively unharmed.

Like the time he'd been too preoccupied watching Serena and hadn't been paying attention to his present and he had walked out into the middle of the road. Only the flash of his own present at the very last moment had saved his life.

Although it was possible to keep an eye on his own future through those around him, particularly his Aunt. Through his Aunt Darien could know whether he was going to live to talk with his Aunt the following day. If he saw himself talking with his Aunt at breakfast or dinner he knew that nothing major would happen to him.

His gift was complex and difficult at times, but it was what it was. It was a part of him and he had learned to live in several places at once.

Like right now. Right now Darien was sitting alone at the end of one of the long tables but he was watching and listening in on the table where Serena sat in present time.

Even though they were more than enough distance away from him in real time, Darien could hear their conversation clearly in his ears and they were actually, to his eyes, sitting at the table around him, or more to the point, he was sitting at their table, listening in unseen.

When Darien observed the present or the future, it was like his spirit had left his body and was where he was seeing. It had freaked him out the first time being only a young boy at the time, but it was second nature to him now. He was well aware of his body, and his subconscious was keeping an eye on what was happening around him, but his main focus was on what he was seeing.

When he saw the future it was more like a vision, a television screen broadcasting before his eyes. He could go forward or back through the future but he wasn't a part of it.

Time, Darien had long ago learned, was a very tricky and fragile thing. One tiny thing out of place or different could change the future entirely for everyone. As a result Darien had long ago learned to be wary and extremely careful when it came to the future, even seeing a few minutes ahead could alter the course of time.

It could really screw with your head if you thought about it long and hard enough.

Darien turned his full attention back to the girls.

Right now the girls were in the middle of a conversation about the dream Serena had had during the night – which Darien wasn't able to see, dreams were beyond his sight. Darien didn't know why – which just happened to include him.

Of course Darien had already known that. After arriving at school this morning, Darien had found himself a hiding place in which he'd known he wouldn't be disturbed – which had been the vice principal's office who was currently away for six weeks on long service leave – and had focused on nothing but Serena's timeline.

Normally Darien wouldn't have needed so much time or required so much effort to do what he had but it seemed that in the last day or so something had happened that was affecting his sight where Serena was concerned.

It worried Darien a little, but not enough that he lingered too long on it. He'd never had a weakness or lapse in his sight before, at least not without a crucial event looming – fate or whatever it was that decreed that an event simple HAD to happen. But first he hadn't been able to foresee up until the last moment that Serena would stop and look behind her this morning and then he'd had to really focus to call Serena's future timeline to his mind's eye.

Darien had spent two hours sitting still, almost in a meditative state, looking through Serena's future, specifically the next week or so.

And again unlike ever before, Darien hadn't been able to see everything he had wanted to see. He had seen flashes and bits and pieces from here and there but not one thing as clear as he was usually able to see.

He had seen this conversation though, clear enough that he'd been able to catch the entire conversation, but he had had difficulty seeing Serena actually leave the table and go to her next class.

There were a few holes in his sight surrounding Serena that hadn't been there before and again that worried him, but not too much. He knew that Serena would go to bed safely tonight, maybe not as peacefully as she usually did, but she would sleep and not wake until her alarm went off tomorrow morning.

Darien turned his focus back to the conversation the girls were having, this time playing in his mind in real time.

Serena had dreamed about him.

And she had dreamed about dying. About drowning at sea with him-.

Now that worried him.

When Darien had first learned that earlier this morning his heart had damn near stopped beating and he'd bolted upright in the vice principal's office chair.

Serena had dreamed that she'd been so in love with him that she hadn't been able to live without him.

The very thought still made his blood run cold and his heart race all at the same time. The thought that she could love him was his wildest dream come true but the idea of Serena dying nearly stopped his heart cold.

And the dream had been enough that it had diminished even Serena's energetic vibrancy.

Serena was uneasy after that dream so Darien was helpless to be anything but uneasy as well.

Something was on Serena's horizon. Something Darien couldn't see, something that made his worried and feel uneasy.

Something was coming and Darien would fight fate itself to keep it from causing Serena any harm.

---

School was finally over. She was free! It was Friday afternoon and the final bell had just sounded, releasing all at Hadenwell high to the freedom of the weekend.

Serena was going to dump her unneeded books in her locker – damn those teachers who gave so much homework on the weekends, which was always more than half of her teachers – and meet up with the girls.

As usual they were going to go straight to the arcade and shake off the school week by drinking milkshakes and eating hamburgers while they laughed and complained and did what teenagers did when they were free of school and parents for a short while.

Serena couldn't wait to get there. The thick milkshakes and fat tasty greasy burgers, the company of her friends and talking with Andrew, whose father owned the arcade and who worked there after school and on weekend, it was her idea of heaven.

It had been five days since "the dream" and although the memory of the dream hadn't faded much, the emotions and sense of unease left in its wake had faded enough that Serena could force herself to focus on other things and not think about any of it.

For the most part. Not one day had passed that Serena hadn't found herself remembering a part of the dream or feeling that unease or sense of detachment from all that was familiar to her, but she was able to get on with her life, so to speak.

And at night, to Serena's complete and utter relief, she was able to sleep soundly, and dream normal dreams.

Serena stopped dead in her tracks, her hand frozen in the act of putting her math textbook into her locker.

There was that feeling again.

Without thinking about it, Serena whirled on the spot and scanned the crowded halls around her.

Apparently she wasn't the only one who wanted to get out of there and start enjoying the weekend. Students hurried mainly in one direction – towards the school's main entrance – dumping books in their lockers, chatting and making plans with their friends, a couple of the jocks on the football team were throwing a football back and forth over the heads of the students hurrying down the halls.

It was complete chaos, but regardless of it all Serena was still able to see him, even though she was on the short side.

There he was. Part of her hadn't expected him to be there – he never was - but there he was. Standing there two classrooms down, leaning against the wall safely out of the way of the main flow of moving bodies.

Was he waiting for the crowds to thin or something? Why wasn't he hurrying out like the rest of the student body eager to start enjoying their two days of freedom otherwise known as the weekend?

And he was looking straight at her with his hauntingly sad but intense eyes.

Darien was watching her.

Serena wanted to go over to him and ask why he was watching her, demand to know if he had ever watched her like that before, but she didn't. She didn't have the nerve.

What if he laughed at her and coldly – and loudly - demanded to know what made her think that he would ever stare at her?

Serena knew well that teenage boys could be very mean.

And Serena knew she wouldn't survive the humiliation. So like a coward, Serena dropped her books in her locker, slammed it closed and then whirled and went with the crowd out the front doors of the school.

Serena didn't look back, she didn't dare, but she felt his eyes on her following her until she was out of sight.

In her mind, a quiet voice whispered the words she'd spoken to the moon that night.

'Why did I dream of loving you so deeply that I couldn't live without you?'

---

Darien had no idea what had possessed him to allow Serena to see him.

He'd known that she'd turn and he'd seen himself hours before swiftly stepping back behind the tower of lockers and out of her sight a split moment before she'd been able to catch sight of him. He'd seen it by looking into her future.

But when the moment had come Darien hadn't done what he'd seen himself do, what he normally would've done.

For some unknown reason, Darien had wanted her to see him, if only just this one time. A part of him really was fed up with being invisible, of never being seen.

Maybe it was because of her dream and hearing her talk about him on Monday that had suddenly made him so bold.

Something had changed five days ago, only Darien didn't know exactly what. Serena had dreamed of him that night – he hadn't seen the dream as other people's dreams were beyond his sight – but he'd watched and listened in his mind's eye as Serena had described it to her friends. The dream had been vivid enough to freak her out or at least make her uneasy, but it had also made her notice him with more than female appreciation and pity at his obvious sadness and loneliness.

The way Serena saw him had also changed this week, but something much more had changed as well. Exactly what Darien couldn't yet see, but he would sooner or later. The tricky thing about his gift was that he could see through time as he pleased but the problem was knowing when to look. There was a lot of time in the past and the future; searching someone's past or future without knowing the date or age of the person was time consuming.

His Aunt truly was never wrong about him and the observations she made regarding his life. Something Darien didn't find it irritating at all. No, it only made Darien love his only living relative all the more.

His Aunt was right when she'd said that he couldn't keep living in the shadows, watching her without ever being seen.

The truth was that Darien wanted to be seen by her, wanted it so badly that it was like an ache deep inside of him that nothing could ease. Nothing but Serena herself.

'The one cure I can never have', Darien thought sadly to himself. He could watch her, he could protect her, he could watch her live her life, but he could never be a part of her life, never be with her the way he wanted to be.

No matter who much he might yearn for things to be otherwise.

It was for her own good. Not his own good but hers. He had seen her future and it was a happy one, so he would leave her to it, even at the cost of his own chance at a happy life.

Fate was indeed cruel.

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Don't worry, you all won't have to wait as long for Chapter 2! I've already started it.