I woke up to this weird sensation. I had the strangest dream…. a man, an angel… I didn't see his face. He was hold me in his arms, very close to him. I don't know why I would dream of something like that. And then, the moment I tried to picture it in my mind, poof! It was gone- I had no recollection of the male angel or what happened. That all drifted away as I became more awake in my bed. Maybe I've had dreams like that before but didn't remember once I woke up. Who knows?
"Hey, Daddy? Did I leave my passport at your office? I can't find it," I shuffled through my desk drawer. I don't know why; it was the oddest thing… I wasn't even looking for it initially; I wanted to get a pen to sign my fake relationship contract. That's when I noticed that my passport was missing. I tore my desk apart looking for it, but it was nowhere to be seen. It was not an immediate emergency still I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. But it was something I wanted to deal with before I forgot. The last time I went aboard, I was with Daddy; I probably just left it at the manor and didn't realize until now.
"You can't find it?" "No; I've looked everywhere." "Hmmmmmm, well don't worry, sweetheart. I'm sure it's bound to turn up somewhere." "Could I have left it at your place?" "I'll look. How are you doing otherwise?" "Good until just now," I kept shuffling through papers in my fruitless search. "It'll be ok, honey. Don't worry, ok?" "Ok, I'll try," I sighed, finally relenting; looks like I wasn't finding it before work today. "Have a good day at work, Ana." "I will; you too, Daddy. I love you." "I love you, sugar. Bye." Click.
Lowering my phone from ear, I did a quick scan around my room. Nothing. How does a passport just go missing like that? It couldn't be the informant; there's no signs of a break-in. Oh well, I'm sure Daddy's right and I just misplaced it; probably at the manor. Concluding that, I ran to get my bag and relationship contract; I honestly don't remember why I didn't put it in my backpack. As I was about to head out the front door, my phone vibrated. There was Paul's name on the screen overtop a text message.
[What are you doing tonight?] Tonight? [Nothing yet- why?] [Let me come over for a movie night. There's something I want to give you] He wants to give me something? Why? It's not my birthday. Still, I couldn't resist a movie night with my dear friend. [Sure! How does 8 sound?] The moment I pressed send, my stomach instantly dropped. Oh no…. What if Mr. Bodyguard shows up unannounced again? Paul's seen him before, that night Black accosted me. He would recognize him…. and I doubt Mr. Bodyguard would stay away if I asked. What should I do?
[8 sounds great. See you then] Too late now, I guess; I thought gazing down at my phone. Well, I suppose it wouldn't be that hard to explain. Mr. Bodyguard isn't technically a gang member and I bet he doesn't have a criminal record; top mercenaries for hire usually had to have clean records in case they were caught. Ok! I'm not going to overthink this; it'll be fine. There's no guarantee he'll even come. There's no problem with Paul coming over.
It doesn't say anything in the relationship contract about that either; I'm in the clear! With that, I went out the door, locked it, and started merrily to work.
Hours Earlier (Anastasia has no conscious memory of this dream; it only exists in her subconscious now):
My hand softly lifted up to my forehead as I began to regain consciousness; it felt like I had been asleep for many, long years. It was light… the warm sunlight touched my eyes when they first fluttered open. I saw light first…. then bright blue; lots and lots of blue. It took me a second to realize I was underneath an endless blue sky; it took me even longer to comprehend what I was laying under. Grass- soft, fresh, valley grass. And something comfortable underneath my head…. My head was resting on something. My eyes slowly peered up the figure above me, near me….
It was… it was an angel; a male angel. Despite having no features on his face, he was the most stunning, most perfect being I'd ever seen. His long, snow white wings rested motionless on his back. I knew I couldn't have dreamt him up; no mortal could create or imagine something so entirely flawless. Although he had no lips, he was smiling tenderly, passionately down at me. His eyes watched me unmoving- even thought I couldn't see them, I knew they were blue somehow… I knew their color. His slender, strong head was stroking the top of my head over and over; he had the air of pure bliss about him. He was happy… I could practically feel his joy radiating off his body. When I didn't say anything, his invisible lips parted a sliver.
"Go back to sleep," his voice… the sound of his voice. I don't even want to try describing it because I know I'll never do it justice. That too, was something beyond human creation. "How long have I been sleeping?" I asked him, still staring up at his featureless face. "Eight years; you fell asleep when you were twenty years old." Twenty? What happened when I was twenty? Why would I have let my mind fall asleep in my dreams at that age? While I gave him a confused expression, his smile merely grew.
"Sleep- I will still be here." "Have you been here the entire time?" He nodded gently. "Since the day we met." "We've met before?" I had no memory of that, did I? I don't think I did…. all I knew is how precious, how unbelievable dear this angel was to me. I….. I think I loved him from the moment I woke, and all without knowing how. And judging by the way he looked at me, I'd say the feeling was mutual. My lips slowly curled into a grin, mirroring his gentle expression.
"You were here with me…. all these years?" "Yes, sweet girl. I could not bear a moment without you in my arms." This man…. I'd only seen him for a few seconds and he already made me feel so loved, so safe. "I feel….. I feel like I know you from somewhere." He waited a second before answering. "You know me; you were created alongside me. We've always been together; there's not a world I've lived in without you." "O-other worlds?" This surprised me. I'd always had a soft spot for the multi-universe theory, but I wasn't sure if it was true. He rubbed my head again in the most affectionate way. "I decided that one lifetime with you wasn't enough, so I made thousands." T-Thousands?! I exist in thousands of dimensions?! I… Us?
This angelic personification of loveliness didn't seem at all surprised by my stunned reaction. He proceeded to gently lift my upper half up into his arms and man…. I didn't know something, anything could feel this good. It felt like a warm hug from your grandmother, putting on your favorite sweater, jumping in a pile of fall leaves, letting the sun shine down on your whole body, and so much more. It was the combination of all good feelings in the world. I wanted nothing more than to stay here with him like this forever. I would have given anything in that moment….
"Sleep, my wife. You need not worry; I will keep holding you like this," he cooed, holding me close in his warm arms. I must return, my eyes began to shut. I must return to him…. "It's alright," he put his hand my cheek, and a tear slipped down from my eye before it shut completely. I must return…. He's waiting for me. Another tear. "As you told me not too long ago: I'll be with you, when you dream. Do not worry, Anastasia." My mind started to slip from consciousness. He's been waiting for me- my most beloved. The last words I heard were his before everything went white.
"I will stay by your side."