Authors Note: Enjoy!

Chapter 36

"Nightmares"

Anders and Starfire walked back home together in an akward silence. As they approached the hut Anders thought back to his meeting with Renee. She had said it wasn't it his time yet, but it hadn't felt that way. Somehow he knew he was supposed to be there with her. They we supposed to be together. He loved her so much, it just didn't seem right. He didn't know how he would return to her, but he knew he must.

"What are you thinking about brother?" Starfire asked.

"Nothing Star, nothing."

They had arrived at the front lawn. Fiera was sewing outside. When she saw them she dropped what she was doing and ran up to him and hugged him like if she let go of him he would disappear.

"Anders, why do you keep doing these things? Don't you know we love you?"

"I know, I'm sorry."

He felt terrible saying this to his mother. He was about to put an even heavier burden on her, Starfire too.

"But I've got to do what I have to do."

Fiera suddenly pulled out of the hug and gripped Anders's arms.

"Anders no. What are you going to do? Please Anders, don't."

She fell at his knees and started to cry. Anders knelt by her. She hugged him, but he did not hug her back for a few minutes. Starfire knelt too. She joined the hug and started to sob too.

"I'm sorry. I love you both."

And with that he got up and went into the house. Starfire's legs slid from under her to beside her. Fiera wore a look of deep sadness, as if their was a wound in her that was too deep to ever be healed. She rose with that same empty look and sat back down in her chair and resumed her sewing. Starfire went inside to her room and cried herself to sleep.

When she woke she found Anders lying on her floor, dead. He had stabbed himself in the heart and bled to death right here, on her floor. She was horrified. Pure terror surged through her veins. He's dead, gone.

When she spoke, her voice came out in a cracked whisper. "Why?"

She knelt by his corpse and hugged him. She did not cry. She couldn't, she wouldn't. As she was hugging him, she swore she could feel him move. When she looked at his face she saw his eyes open staring at her moving with her as she moved. She couldn't scream. She couldn't believe it. He sat up and pulled the knife from his chest he stood up as she did. He pointed it at her forcing her to back up.

"Anders, it's me, Starfire."

He didn't stop or so much as blink. He advanced on her, forcing her against the wall. His face, it would forever be etched in her mind. It was emotionless, as if he niether knew or loved anyone.

"Please, don't do this. I love you Anders."

She could of sworn he smiled at her, maybe it was the Anders she loved showing himself in this beasts eyes.

He gripped her arm and held her arm to the wall as he raised the knife above his head. He was stronger than her, but she could move somewhat out of the way. She away from the knife just as it came down. She screamed as it pierced her arm. It pinned her to the wall. She screamed as Anders stared at her. He tilted his head to the side in wonder.

Because of my fears, I had failed to notice that the knife penetrating my arm brought me no pain.

I'm dreaming, I must be. Anders would never do this to me. I have to wake up. And prevent his from actually doing this.

Anders's curiosity had caused him to loosen his grip on her arm giving her the opportunity to break free from his grip. She ripped the knife out and threw it across the room. It slammed against the window cracking it a little. Anders immediately ran after it. Starfire took this opportunity to bolt out of the room and into the rest of the house, trying to find her mother. As long as she kept away from Anders, after time she would be woken up by her mother or Anders. The other possibility is letting her self die, people always wake up after dying in a dream. Usually. But she would not let herself die by the hands of her brother. Even though he is not her real brother, it would still be too much to take.

She tore open the front door and found herself in what looked to be the forest. She sprinted through it, almost crazily. Even though she knew she could outrun Anders, and she had a head start, this was the dream world. He could be faster, hell, he could even be able to teleport to wherever she was.

She stumbled through the forest with only one thing on her mind, waking up. She could hear Anders coming up behind her surprisingly fast. She went faster if it was even possible. While she was running she felt almost weightless, as if she was floating. Or flying. She looked down at the ground and she was indeed flying. She thought maybe she could keep flying up and out of Tameran, out of this galaxy, out of this universe. But she soon found out she could only fly for a few seconds. Not of much use.

She landed, tripped and was off and running again. She could hear Anders getting closer each second. She saw light breaking through the trees ahead. The lake.

Anders was a foot away from her now. She sprinted, but she was getting slower. Even though she couldn't feel tired in this screwed up dream world of hers, she was slowing down and she knew that was why. She knew he would catch her soon. Then all of a sudden Anders dived for her legs. She sped up, using the last boost of energy she had, and narrowly escaped her doom.

She was by the lake now, jogging breathlessly away from Anders. But then, no, how could it be? Anders was standing right in front of her. She skidded to a stop and turned, ready to run, but he was again standing in front of her, blocking her way, holding the knife. She saw no other option, she dove into the lake. Anders followed her, knife at the ready. She was suffocating, she was too scared to take a breath when she dived in. She slowly faded into the darkness. The last thing she saw was Anders plunging the knife into her chest.

Starfire jumped up in bed. She sat there breathing heavily for a few moments when her mother burst into the room.

"Starfire", she panted, "He's gone, Anders is gone."

Authors Note: Oooooh suspenseful. Read and Review!