"Yeah, hurry up and wreak some havoc in that pretty little head of hers!"
"Icy? Stormy? Could you please shut the hell up! I'm trying to concentrate." Kaiser snapped.
"But surely it can't be that difficult to find her. You did place that marker on her properly when you... kissed her?" Icy shuddered as she said that dreaded 'K' word.
"Yeah, yeah... but it's a lot more difficult to invade somebody's dreams when they're not in the same realm as you."
"What do you mean?"
"Layla's not in Alfea, nor is she anywhere in Majix. Let's see now... where are you, my lovely?" He closed his eyes and breathed deeply as he put all his efforts into locating Layla. "Ah, there she is... she's on Earth with all her friends... and she's not asleep yet. Damn it, I'll have to wait for a few hours."
Back in the forest, everyone was gathered around a large camp fire, exchanging stories and chatting happily - all except Tegryn and Musa, who were sat arm in arm on a rock just a few yards away, taking all the large valley that sat below them, all bathed in moonlight. Mei sighed as she saw the two of them kissing, silhouetted against the large, bright moon.
"It's so good to see Brother so happy. They make such a nice couple - so romantic!"
"Here." Tecna said as she handed her a camera. "Why don't you take a picture?"
Mei looked the tiny camera, puzzled, before taking the photo.
"What's wrong?"
"Are you sure the photo will show up in this light?"
"Of course" Tecna smiled. "That's the cutting edge in Binary Galaxy technology!"
"Binary Galaxy? I've never heard of that company before - are they Japanese?"
"Company? No, it's where I... oh." Tecna stopped short of finishing that sentence.
"Tecna? What's wrong?" asked Bloom.
Tecna whispered in her ear. "I'm just wondering... should we tell her about where we come from?"
"I can't see why not." Bloom whispered back. "After all, she already knows we're fairies."
"That's true." Tecna turned back to Mei. "Sorry about that. What I was saying is, the Binary Galaxy is where I come from - it's my homeworld."
"Homeworld? Home...WORLD? Do you mean... you're an alien?"
"Well, I'm not from Earth if that's what you mean. None of us are, except for Bloom."
Mei's eyebrows rose so far up her head when she heard this, it seemed as though they were ready to jump right off. "What, even Musa? Musa's from another planet? Does Brother know?"
"Oh yes, he's totally cool with it. I think he was a little shocked at first, but he's been to so many places and seen so many things, he had no trouble accepting it." Tecna chuckled. "I get the feeling your grandmother has already figured this out."
Mei giggled. "Probably... she's a very perceptive woman - nothing gets past her! Anyway... please, tell me more about your home."
And so the time was whiled away with the fairies telling Mei all about them - their homes, their school, their powers, their run-ins with the witches - they even took the time out to show her their wings. And in all this time, Mei couldn't help thinking - this day had started so ordinarily, but now? Not only had her brother returned, but his new friends had transported her to what she could only describe as a total fairytale, a complete fantasy that she would never have believed if the proof hadn't been sitting there right in front of her.
A few hours passed by, and the whole group had settled down to sleep under the stars, warmed by the dying embers of their fire.
All except one... Layla was nowhere near the fire, or indeed the forest or the mountain. Instead, she was walking in a field full of waist-high grass, beautiful cornflowers and bright red poppies. She looked around her as a warm summer breeze played around her, carrying the cheerful song of a distant songthrush into her senses.
"Ah, Layla! I'm glad you could join me!"
Her face immediately brightened as she heard those soothing tones. She turned around to see the object of her love standing behind her. She ran over and embraced him, but as he went to kiss her she pulled away.
"Oh? What's the matter?"
"I still don't know your name."
"Is my name really important?"
"It is to me."
"Very well... I am Kaiser. Do I get my kiss now?"
Layla giggled - she was only too happy to oblige. She gently pressed her lips against his, savouring every giddying moment of it.
"So where are we, Kaiser?" she asked.
"This place? It's anywhere you want it to be!"
"That's just like you." she sighed. "A complete mystery. I know absolutely nothing about you."
"Oh, don't you worry." Kaiser said smiling. "You'll find out about me soon enough, I promise you that."
He softly ran his fingers through her hair. Layla closed her eyes and quivered slightly - just the mere touch of him made her tingle. She briefly wondered whether this feeling was right - does Musa feel this way when Tegryn touches her? What about Bloom, or Stella, or Tecna, Flora or Charlotte?
She opened her eyes to see his own dark, mystifying eyes staring intently into hers. As she gazed into them, she noticed something odd - they seemed to change colour, from a dark brown into an intense red, swirling, glowing. A slight feeling of fear began to creep into her... what's going on here? She started to try and pull away from him, but his grip was too strong. She was getting so scared now, butjust as her fear began to peak, a numbness quickly took over as she fell further and further into Kaiser's spell.
"Do you love me?" he said softly.
"Yes... I love you." she replied, deep in her trance.
"How much do you love me?"
"My love is endless... I will do anything for you."
"Anything?" he said with an evil chuckle. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear!"
"What would you like me to do for you?" Layla asked.
"You'll know when it's time. Just wait for my instructions." With that, he took her in his arms and kissed her passionately...
...then she woke up.
Layla sat up in her sleeping bag with a start, panting heavily, her body drenched in sweat. Trembling, she put her hand on her chest - her heart was beating so hard, it felt as though it was straining to burst free.
Next to her, Flora stirred. "Layla honey, are you alright?" she asked sleepily.
Layla gulped. "Yeah, I'm fine... I've just had the weirdest dream."
"Oh. What was it about?"
Layla looked confused as she strained to recollect what had just happened. "I... I don't know." she said, rubbing her face. "I can't remember..."