Disclaimer: same as last time...
CHAPTER 1, PART 3 – SHADOWS AND DREAMS
Linden didn't seem to notice the annoyance on Max's face as he poured the last few drops from the glass onto her forehead. 'Wakey, wakey, sleeping beauty.' He looked down at a grumpy Max for a moment, then back up at the empty cup in his hand. 'Oh, come on. I tried everything else to wake you up!'
Max wasn't really convinced, but as she couldn't help but smile. Linden did that. He always made her feel better.
Linden grinned back. 'Breakfast is on the table. I'll see you in the kitchen.' Then he left, letting the door slowly swing shut behind him.
Max slowly got off her creaking bed. Avoiding the puddle of water that had been formed on the floor, she grabbed her towel and a change of clothes. But as she reached for the doorknob on the bathroom door, something rushed through her mind. What was with that dream?
The oddest thing was Blue. He's dead! I saw him fall to his death in the portal room! ( See Part 6: Blue's Revenge) It just didn't make sense. Maybe it was some kind of clue?
Max shook her head. Something else was bugging her. What about Linden? He's my partner! We are always side-by-side. Why not then?
'Max, you need to relax. You're just overreacting,' she scolded herself. 'It was just a dream anyway. Dreams never come true.' Max spun the knob in her hand and pushed the door open. 'At least not for me,' she added quietly.
It was a quite a hot day in Mindawarra, but Max felt a sudden chill as she shut the door behind her. If she had poked her head out just a few seconds later, she may have seen the figure on the veranda peep out from the shadows, jump off the railing, and land with a small and quiet "thud" on the wooden flooring. A shadowy figure that had been watching and listening to everything.
'Oh really, Maxine?' the figure answered quietly in reply. Her voice was low and chilling, but it had a soft and kind tone at the same time. She took a piece of her long black hair and curled it around her index finger, which held a golden ring with a large ruby gemstone. The piece of hair was let go, and it swayed momentarily in front of a pair of dark brown eyes. 'Dreams come true all the time,' she softly told the closed bathroom door. 'Especially mine.'
She let out a laugh, one that some people may have classed as sinister. Then she gave the room one last glance, before she silently disappeared in a small flash of purple light.
