Yeah… it's hard writing these out because of College and all… hope you guys don't mind.

On with the story!

Rings of Fate

Chapter 6: Connecting the Dots…

Alice smiled at herself as she quietly shut the door to her cone. She had to leave the loving family behind, and welcome that horrid dream again. She had to write it down… while the memory was still fresh.

She dug out her Green journal that she still had on her from that morning and quickly dug around the place for a pen…

A single pen, and a single clean page… and all she had to do was remember that single dream.

Just like she normally starts out her entries she wrote on the top of the page the time period… "Present"

She paused, re-thinking that assumption she had just made. Was it really that close in the present?....

She found herself dragging her pen a crossed the freshly written word in frustration, as she replaced it with the unsure word…. "future".

That was a first, a glimpse of the future. She's always had dreams from the past, and every once in a while the present…. But….

Alice sat there…. re-reading the word "future"….. was that even possible? Foreseeing the future?

She felt her pen slip from her loose grip as it fell to the hard tiled floor with a loud clatter, causing her features to jump at the sound. She stood there for a few minutes, staring at the pen that now lied on the floor. What was she capable of? Was there a new level to this ring that she didn't even know about?

She found her tire instinctively reaching for the pen on the floor, and grasped it firmly this time. Her violet eyes glued to it in deep thought. "What if…?" she found herself talking aloud which that alone, startled herself a little. That's always a positive thing, getting caught talking to yourself. Nice rumor starter, 'Alice is losing it, she's talking to a pen'.

Her eyes rolled at that thought. The town wasn't like that. They wouldn't hear in on her conversations and make note of it like the press.

Her body started tensing up on her as she peered out the window. Paranoia started seeping into her subconscious. Someone... was out there… She knew it… she felt it… and her ring showed it.

The pen seemed to feel a little heavy in her grasp. She needed to keep track on these dreams… especially if now their coming from the future. Which lead back to the thought from before when she picked up the pen.

'What if…' she made sure she said this in her head this time. Just to be on the safe side for nearby onlookers. 'What if the ring acts like this pen. When you think you know how it's going to react to your touch…'

The pen slowly slipped from her grasp and it clattered on the floor for the second time. 'It slips in the most unpredictable of ways.'

She went to grab the pen again… but hesitated. Her eyes fixated on that white, liquid, blue pen. 'But… if I focus…' She slowly grabbed the pen again, holding it tightly. 'The pen never falls.'

She let her mind wonder. Like a pen, she has become so accustomed to her natural abilities that she doesn't try to broaden the possibilities. She looked at the white pen with pure awe as those thoughts slowly clicked in her mind… A pen can write so much, draw so many, and mark so few. At this point she thought she knew "how to write", but maybe…

She hovered the pen from the fresh page, the point centimeters from contact… Maybe she really needed to learn how to handle the "pen" properly instead of assuming she already knew.

She found herself understanding that nonsense, that horrible metaphor of an ring and a pen. Out of all the objects in the world that could of matched the gift she bared…. Why a pen?

She found herself shaking her head slowly from side to side. Now she was concerned that it was a pen she was talking about? She had to be losing it… just a touch.

She found herself mindlessly writing random facts about the dream than just writing out word for word. Everything in this journal made since to her, and that's all that mattered to her. It wasn't like she was going to publish it and make a book out of it.

She chuckled lightly to herself. The things that had happened to her... with Jack and all…. She could write a story about that… probably could make a book out of that… that is if anyone found her miserable life, from before, interesting enough to read.

'-I'm sick and… dying?

-I'm running awa Towards something

-There is something I know that's important.

-Doc's dying.

-Mom's not there'

She paused in her writing, making the pen bleed a dot on the page… Why wasn't here mother there anymore? Didn't she like it here? What would cause her to leave?

Then, the pen moved again. Writing one more line down….

'-that thing with red/brown eyes is out there… for Doc.'

That thing….. That thing was out there…. with death in its eyes….. after Doc…

"Why Doc?" She mindlessly spoke again, not caring too much about who was listening anymore… it was better than getting caught talking to a pen.

"Poor Doc, you've been through enough. Why can't anyone just leave you alone?"

"I don't know."

She spun around to the voice, finding herself staring at his humble eyes… which now sparkle with amusement from the reaction he just received.

"I've been askin' myself that for years. But, I guess that's what you get for showin' your face on TV." He half closed his eyes as he shook his head slightly at that thought. "What good that did me. Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya. I was just wonderin' what you were doin'?"

Alice found herself shrugging at the apology as she answered his question, "I was just writing down the dream I just had."

Doc's features weakened a little, "You had another dream? How bad was this one?"

Alice wasn't sure how to rate it on a scale… "enough to put down." Was the best she could come up with.

Doc's expression wasn't too thrilled to hear that statement, "Was it about that house with the figure err somethin'" he slowly shook his grill, "You have a interesting way of writing your dreams."

Alice gave a half shrug. "As long as I understand it. That's all that matters."

Doc nodded, "True." There was a bit of a pause in the sentence, "There's still some time left in the day, You want to go on a quick little drive?"

Alice blinked. "With you?"

The Hornet gave off a half shrug, "If you want."

Alice looked back at the rough blue squiggles that were her font. "I think I have enough her to work with." She closed the journal and placed it on the stand… "Where are we going?"

The hornet found himself growing a smile. " I want to show you something…."