I've never had such a dream before. I could see the world through "my own" eyes, but it was as if I were but a distant spectator admiring a show. The person whose eyes I was seeing through had her own mind, for she was making her own analyses. It has never occurred to me before that maybe other people see the world totally differently than I do. Using someone else's eyes... It is a whole new perspective upon life.

Glancing in the girl's mind I spot an image of herself. Young, about 6-7 years old, with delicate, angelic features framed by a flowing mass of long, auburn hair. Her eyes gleam a light shade of green and a smile is embedded on her lips. I focus on looking at the exterior world. She is running in a large courtyard decorated by beautiful flower gardens and trees.

The girl stops behind a tree and takes cover. She occasionally glances over the thick trunk to a place some meters forward, where she must have started her sprint. True enough, from behind a corner a boy her age shows up. That's when I get it that the two are playing hide-and-seek.

The boy's clothing strikes me first. His cotton blouse with embroidered stitches, his lose trousers tucked in the nearly knee-length leather boots and the tricorn on his head which is visibly to large for him... This is definitely not the present!

Watch now, think later, I tell myself. I concentrate on what is happening. The boy seems to be searching for the girl, but instead of looking around, his eyes are fixed on the ground, as if he were following a trail of some sort. Sure enough though, he finds the girl quickly. She starts running, and he chases her. She hits a tree for with her foot, stumbles and falls on the ground. The boy stops and looks at her worriedly.

'Are you hurt?' he asks gently, bending down to examine her. That moment the girl tosses a handful of dirt at him, laughing. He pulls back, spitting and wiping the dirty of his face. He falls on his knees and laughs, then grabs a stick and playfully pokes the girl.

'"Is this the behavior of a lady, miss?! "' he says, imitating the voice of an adult. '" How many times have I told you not to play with that dirty, uneducated Kenway boy?! "'

The girl fakes a pout, but she can't help herself from smiling. 'Many times, Mr Smithens.'

'" Then go to your room and learn your algebra, miss!"' the boy continues.

'Yes, Mr Smithens.'

Both start laughing. The boy gets up and helps the girl up. She looks straight at him for a moment and I am dazzled by the impossible resemblance between the boy and Jason... This is getting weirder and weirder. The same sandy blonde hair, the same impossible blue-green-grey eyes, similar facial features...

The girl shakes the dirt off her dress and smoothens it. Then she gives a friendly hug to the boy, who grins. Then she pulls back and turns to leave.

'See you, Eddy!' she wants at him than runs off. From behind her I hear the boy's shout.

'Bye, Anna!'

He pauses a moment, then adds 'And my name is Edward! Not Eddy!'

The image flickers, and then everything turns black. I can't see anything, but I can hear. A man's voice is scolding Anna.

'How many times must I tell you not to meet with that boy? The Kenways are a modest family, with modest pretences and modest education. What good can you learn from their child?'

The girl mutters something I cannot discern. However I noticed that get voice has changed, which means she has grown up.

'I beg your pardon?' the man replied irritated.

'Nothing.'

I hear the sound of footsteps on a hard wooden floor.

'Tomorrow there is a ball here in Bristol. You are going. I want you to show exemplary manners. You know the rules to well. After the ball you will have enough time to pack your things. '

'Pack my things?!' she squeals. 'Where am I going?'

'To a private school in London dedicated to forming young ladies.' He pauses. 'Do you have anything to object with that?'

His tone invites contradiction. Anna just grits her teeth and responds with a halfhearted 'No, father.'

'Good. You are dismissed. You may go back to your room.'

The dream shudders again, but this time I wake up.

...

You know I love holding the tension in stories. What else would keep you here, reading my fanfic? Anyway. There: you met Edward Kenway. There are so many more characters to come, don't you worry. For now, however, we're stuck with our favorite pirate.

I feel like I should explain Loreen's flashbacks. I imagined that one could experience the bleeding effect without actually having to spend sessions in the Animus. This would be caused by people or events that remind one of their ancestor so strongly that they fall back in their memories. Does it make any sense?