"Don't dumbly ask for something. Specify," he said in a dry tone.
"I want to be able to travel into a book, to live in its world, to talk to its characters, to live in it. I want to be able to travel back here too," she said.
"What about if you died? Where would you go?" he asked her.
She thought for awhile and said, "I would come back here, to this world."
"Then you would never be able to go back to that book."
"I suppose. And," she said, "I want only that copy of the book to change. I want it to write down what I am doing, saying and such."
"I see… So if you died, you could read what you did, correct?"
"Yes. And I want to be able to create things in a book, such as my life past as if I lived there my whole life, and creatures and things."
"What things would you create?"
She looked at Eragon, "Like a dragon."
It seemed to her like he laughed and then said, "Okay. What about time?"
"Time would have to stop for the world I'm leaving and begin in the one I'm entering. Like if I went into a book, I would come back on the exact time I left."
"Good. Is that it?" he asked.
"I don't know. Let me think," and she thought. What about bringing items between the worlds? Like clothing. "What about bringing items between the worlds? For instance, clothes."
And it seemed like he laughed at little, "Your clothes would stay on you, but all other advanced technology from this world would not be able to work in certain bookworld, such as Eragon."
Of course, she thought. Was this it? All she had to do would give him some necklace and then have her dreams come true? Was it really that easy? Of course not, she thought.
"So all I have to give you is this necklace," she held it up, "and then my dreams would become true?"
"Yes," was all he said.
"Hmm…" she replied. What would her mom says if the necklace was gone? No doubt she would be mad. She would be furious. Heather played the scene out in her mind:
I walk in with no necklace around my neck. Then instant Mom-radar sets in and she sees that it's missing. She corners me and begins an interrogation sequence. Then pulls handcuffs out of her back pocket and says that if I don't say immediately what happened to it, I'll be grounded for the rest of eternity. I begin to mumble off some lame excuse, because I really don't want to tell her the truth- she wouldn't believe it. She grabs me by my hair and says I'm lying. Then she slaps the handcuffs on and drags me to my room.
Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic, but it certainly wouldn't be pretty. And, well, she kind of liked the necklace. It had become a part of her. But dreams are totally more worth it.
She unclasped the chain and took the necklace in her hand. She looked at the word in the back, still there but a little brighter. Probably because Death himself is here in the room, she thought.
She looked straight ahead, where she guess he was, "Okay so what's your part of the deal?"
"My part is to give you what you asked for and take the necklace in return."
"So you aren't going to double-cross me or anything?"
"No," he said with total certainty.
"What if I do die? Will I just appear here?"
"No. I will take you back here."
"Okay…" her voice was kind of shaky. She was definitely scared. A deal with Death. Probably something like this doesn't happen all that often. Was she making the right choice?
Something inside her said, "Heather, quit doubting yourself, just make the choice. On one side is your dreams and another… a necklace. Choose and don't doubt."
She held out her hand with the necklace in it, "Fine, my requests for your necklace."
"Done," he said as the necklace floated from her hand and vanished. She was never getting it back and she knew it.
"I will help you as you begin to get into the story, but you must do the rest yourself. You can't ask for me," he said.
(A/N: I hope you have enjoyed it so far. The next chapter may take me awhile but I'm really sorry. I would really appreciate some reviews! Thanks so much! -g4c1092)