C.H.A.P.T.E.R.T.H.R.E.E.

The breeze up in the air hit my face with a fresh force, which swished all of my hair behind my face, and ruffled the tips of my feathers. I soared, twisting in and out of the currents that changed dependant on what angle I twisted my wings. The occasional bird that flew past didn't seem to care about where I was in the sky, since it considered the wings that were attached to my body and saw me like it's self. I smiled, winding my eyes shut as I felt the superlative thrill of flight, and the gliding sensation upon the air, feeling lighter than a feather, and almost feeling beautiful.

"Why the hell are we up here? It's so damn boring." My eyes snapped open, and narrowed, as I turned to the twat behind me and rolled my eyes.

"It's a little thing called 'enjoying life while I still have it' Ace. You should try it some time, maybe it'll make you less of a drone..." I grumbled at him, continuing to float across the top of the clouds and run my fingers through them. If you ever wondered what a cloud felt like, it's kinda watery, and cold, but otherwise, it feels like bubbly foam. The kind of stuff you might find upon a bubble bath. It actually feels lovely in my opinion, but that's probably because I've never had a bubble bath. Yup, just a lovely soak in a tub with brown water that's had about ten to fifthteen other people bathing in it at school.

"I can't enjoy life... Although I deserve to, I just can't..." he muttered to himself, swerving his way to my side and keeping his distance so that our wings were nowhere near each other.

"Hmm... an arrogant Emo..." I commented, smiling a little to myself and then flicking a glance to him, wanting the well-expected grimace that would make me feel better. Instead, I started taking a guilt trip when seeing the sincerity and the misery in his eyes. I sighed, and realised this was the point where I would have to be nice. Ugh, why me? Why is it always me? "Why can't you enjoy life?" I questioned rather drearily.

His shiny green eyes flickered my way, and then narrowed a little. "I'm not telling you." He said spitefully. I shrugged my shoulders and gazed ahead again. I didn't need to know everything in the world, and I was okay with- "That's a little inconsiderate isn't it?" He interrupted, his head unwillingly appearing in the corner of my eye. "Seeing that I'm in distress, and then not trying to comfort me. You're just cruel." I choked a little, and went wide-eyed with misunderstanding.

"You just said you wouldn't tell me!" I blurted at him, waving my arms about with built up trauma. I really didn't know what he wanted, his cocky attitude was drowning me, and so I just questioned, "Are you going to tell me about your little sob-story or what?"

"Well, since you're so pushy about it, I will." I rolled my eyes and grunted with irritation. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I Hate him. "Well, it wasn't just me at first, Blondie." I contorted at that name, and thwacked his shoulder before tilting my wings at an angle where I would glide away from him ASAP. "I actually broke out with little Iza, a kid that can conjure up ferocious rainstorms and clouds anywhere. Usually when she's particularly scared, which explained the many memorable displays of electrified erasers in the school when we were on the verge of breaking out." He chuckled, reminiscing in the memory and then lowering his eyes to the scenery below and continuing. "She was actually an extremely gentle, and unbelievably innocent six year old. And I don't know why they took her away instead of me..."

That's when my eyes opened properly, and filled with comprehension. I curved to him, and saw the mournful look in his eyes. That may well explain why he was so grouchy, but it doesn't exactly clarify why he suddenly became the kid by my side. Maybe he wanted someone to help him break out the little girl. Iza was it? "Ace, I'm sorry." I said, almost inaudibly as I dropped my eyes to the vista below.

Ace glanced over to me attentively, but then shook his head, regarding the sympathy I was giving him like manure. "Don't be so wet. It has nothing to do with you."

I recovered from my pitiful thoughts, and then groaned with irritation again, biting my lip and fighting off the snappy dispute I was about to shoot at him like a bullet. I really didn't like this kid one bit. One moment, he seemed like he was Mr. Innocent, and lord give-me-your-empathy-and-I'll-feel-better, but within a heartbeat, he changed to the most spiteful, deceivable, most maddening twat ever conceived. I swear he could get on the crazy frog's nerves and wouldn't even have to try.

I decided, although he was being an a-double-snake-hole, I should try to be the consoling Dream right now, and attempted a smile at him. "I bet Iza's fine." I said. I received a grunt as a reply, the tips of his hair skidding past his eyes as the wind shook it vibrantly. "If anything, they're probably trying to fix the stormy weather part of her."

"No." He replied directly, his eyes fixed below what we were flying above, and shutting his eyes, as if ashamed of something. "It's not that." I raised an eyebrow, and then put my hands on my hips. Mr. Smartie thinks he knows everything then?

"Well, how do you know?" I asked, trying not to sound snooty and mean as I said so. I'm sure it probably didn't work, but can you blame me? This jerk was acting that way towards me all day.

"Because..." He sighed for a moment, and then looked away, as if he couldn't bear to say it. "I know why they took her." My eyes livened up, as this would be the end of my little guessing game, and perhaps I wouldn't need to get out a random violin from nowhere to play a sad song, accompanying his endless yearning for Iza.

I turned my concerned baby blue eyes round to him, and asked, "So why did they take her then?" He waited a moment, and then peered back at me, heaving a scowling sigh.

"They... They wanted to make a deal..." he garbled, pulling his head away and twisting his body away from me. "Her... in exchange... in exchange..." He twisted back to me, his eyes full of caged up fury and angst that I could tell needed to be let out. I was prepared for a moment of sorrow. I was prepared for the mopes, and sympathy that I would need to give out. I was even prepared for if I got roared at in the face because of acting normal compared to his strange moodiness. But one thing I wasn't prepared for was a howling boy with infuriated narrow eyes, soaring my way and snatching my shoulders before impelling me to the far-bellow ground.

I squirmed under Ace's firm grip, and kicked him in the chest repeatedly, my boots seeming to aim more towards the nutty area the further down we got. He grunted each time my boot hit against his body, but our position still seemed unmoved. I was still being driven down (backwards, at that) to the ground at an alarming rate, whilst Ace still had that solemn and resentful look in his eye, which was pressuring his insensitive actions.

I grunted, finally kicking him hard enough for him to release my shoulders, which gave me a chance to flip him over, and force him towards the ground instead. I screamed in his ear whilst doing this, but he somehow threw me off balance and got onto my back, kneeling into my coccyx. Yes, ha ha, I said cock-six. Get over it... I could now feel even more fear of plummeting to the solid ground by now, being able to see where I was declining, it gave me more of an insight on what kind of pain I was going to be feeling when it finally hit me. The muddied ground was within meters by this point, and I wound my eyes shut, as I felt the ground hit me like a ten ton anvil. Yeah, ouch...

I squealed out deafeningly, my body now quaking with the impact that Ace had pressed against me. I now felt dizzy and weak as I was strained to sprawl out on the ground with a drained expression. Confusion, anger, and betrayal were all the emotions fixed on my face, and locking inside my head, as I heard creatures arising from nearby bushes, and dropping out of surrounding trees.

Then I heard their laughing. The maniacal laughing that I could never get out of my head, and haunted me for fourteen long years. "Ace... what's going on?..." I asked, the tiredness being overthrown by anger in my voice. I heard him grunt from above me, as he knelt into my back even more. I groaned out as he did so, and felt anger boiling up inside me.

After a well needed sigh, he finally answered me. "This is part of the deal, Dream." I winced, and cursed up to him. If I didn't hate him enough before, I sure do now. I had been deceived. Had meeting him been a trap after all?

"Ah! Hello again!" My senses perked up, as memories flashed back through my head again at a speeding rate. That voice. That devilish voice. It couldn't be... I crooked my eyes up and saw him. Every little bit of them, right before my eyes. All bathed, strong, and somehow looking bold. Well, courageous anyway, it's not like he was the prettiest pea in his pod. I grimaced, whilst he chuckled manically, leaning down to my right ear, and trying to hold back those snickers that kept me up every night. That lingering laugh that gave me shivers just thinking about its harshness. "Her, in exchange, for you." He said, almost chantingly as he snickered yet again and lowered down to my blue eyes. There was a demonic smile etched across his face, as he stroked my cheek softly, and tilted his head.

"Time to go back to school, Blondie."

A/N DUN DUN DUN!

Okay, so I know that went pretty quick, but I couldn't really think of anything else to happen (Don't kill me blankey for making Ace seem evil. It's gonna be explained in the next chapter) Anywayz, tell me what you guys think, and keep on reading!

Anyway, end of chapter, hope you liked it, will update soon! and remember, keep on reviewing, and I'll tell you the secret! :D

Lele

xoxo