There is a little hand with long narrow fingers waving me forward. It belongs to a boy no older than five. His dark blue eyes linger on my face, begging me to understand. I am on a deserted street filled with the aroma of filth and trash. This boy is frightened, but not of me. His mouth opens at something behind me. Confused, I turn my body to see what the boy is afraid of and from instinct to shield him from harm. There before us is a bear.

The large brown bear with dark black eyes smiles and licks his lips at the child. “Your blood is mine,” he growls.

Before I can respond, the bear's claw pierces my back, leaving open wounds, and throws me out of the way. I hit the ground hard, causing a momentary blackout. When I open my eyes again, he snatches the child in his paw. The boy screams. I can feel the bear’s breath on my neck, and I know he will kill me.

The bear leans over and says, “I will not have to take you. You will come to me.” Then he is gone. I am alone on the street, chilled to the bone.

Thoughts of the bear and the boy clear my head as I wake up to the sound of my mother calling me with a screech in the highest octave of sound. “Laken, get up right now or you will be late!”

My head pounds against my temple. That was just a dream. My heart hammers in my chest as I try to calm down. The child seems so familiar to me. Why can’t I place him? This is the third dream I’ve had about that bear and it still makes little sense. I wipe the sweat off my brow as mother yells again. A sigh escapes my mouth. My mother is always dependable.

She yells at the same time every day with the same distinctive voice. A voice that sounds like a bird being squeezed to death is hard to ignore.

I force myself up to start the first day of my senior year. It’s hard to believe the day is finally here. I should be excited, but I can’t seem to shake the feeling that I am needed for a bigger purpose than going to school. There is something in the works for me. I know it deep down and I crave a life with some meaning behind it. Maybe I’ve read too many fantasy books. Perhaps I am just being dramatic, or it could be because I’ve already seen some evidence that not all is what it seems. Despite it all, I can’t shake the feeling that those dreams mean something.

 I shake my head, trying to rid the thoughts in my mind. I’ve got to focus on one task and that’s surviving my first day. Today, I must work toward a greater future in the obscenest high school in the state of West Virginia.

“Lets the get this over with and get dressed,” I say out loud. It’s laughable to think I care anything about being fashion forward. Clothes are for comfort. I find a simple purple shirt, black jeans, and some converse sneakers that were thrown in the corner of my closet weeks ago.

As I start for my door, a white mist infused with gold sparkles seeps into my room. It forms from a tree with purple leaves that sits on my nightstand. This has happened before. The dreams and the mist both started around the same time a few months ago. Soon, I will figure out the connection. It beckons me to come. To follow it. I pause, staring at it, and feel the pull to follow.

“I will not go,” I whisper. I break my stare before the spirits draw me in as my bedroom door slams shut.

After walking down, the stairs, my nerves prepare for breakfast. There at the table sits my mother, Lizzy, my father, Cliff, and my brother, Cole, all sitting blank eyed and scarfing down food as if it’s going to disappear at any moment.

“Morning dear,” my father says between a yawn.

“Morning dad. You look better today,” I say with a smile.

“I am better,” he says. His green eyes used to be so full of life. I knew him as the bright light in the room with his wide, friendly smile. Now, he is a stranger that hides behind his graying hair and blank expression. Life has taken its toll on him. He blames it on financial trouble. I blame it on the alcohol he refuses to give up. People say I look more like him with the same green eyes, full lips, and smile, although I am in no mood to claim it.

Cole sits, shoving about a dozen eggs into his mouth without even a glance. I swear he will explode one day lying in a pool of egg over easy. He got the unfortunate frizzy brown hair that belongs to our mom’s side of the family.

 I force away a smile as I am glad, I did not inherit her unruly mane.

“What are you snickering about?” Cole asks.

“Nothing egg drop. Nothing.”

“Whatever, Laken,” he says as his blue eyes roll into the back of his head.

“Leave your brother alone. You must be ready for today. Keep focused and…”

“Mom, this is the first day of school, not the freaking Marines. I’m leaving,” I say, as I grab an apple and head for the door.

   The front door swings shut, and a glare hits my eyes. The source of the glare is from a solid white piece of paper shining in the morning sun on a nearby street sign. It’s blinding. I walk over to look at it. It wasn’t here the night before.

A lump forms in my throat at the picture placed on the paper. It is of a boy that is missing. He has the same blue eyes as the boy in my dream. I stare at it, trying to remember. I force myself to swallow. This is the boy. He just increased the number of missing children in the nation. It’s been all over the news for weeks. For some reason that I can’t fathom, a tear comes to my eyes. I rip the paper down and place it in my pocket.

My transportation to school has seen better days. My parents used to argue with me about using it, but who wouldn’t want the old ford pickup their grandfather used to own? It has become one of my most cherished possessions. I’ll drive the truck until there comes a day the thing won’t crank right. Today seems to be that day as it sputters and complains the whole time the engine tries to start. After a few minutes, the engine catches, and purrs to life. I turn up the radio to what I can only describe as blasting before I go to pick up my friend Fae.

Fae, who has a look of perfection with brown eyes and long straight blonde hair, has been my friend since my family moved here from Boston. Her family is rich, but she doesn’t seem to care. She’s the only one I can tell all my secrets to. She knows about the mist that comes into my room because she is the reason it started.

It will be a year soon after this all began. I often think about the day that started the longest battle of my life. It wasn’t until then that I questioned my heritage, my past, and my reason for existence. The day was my birthday and to say it was life changing is an understatement.

***11 months earlier **

I wake up in a terrible mood because today is my birthday and while most kids relish in the attention, I would rather hide from it. If I could stay under my covers all day, that would make me happy, but I know there is no reason to try. It’s either get dressed my way and go down or get dragged out of bed in my pajamas down the stairs, so I opt to at least save myself that torture.

After preparing myself by dressing in simple jeans and a black t-shirt, I make my way downstairs. My parents do not disappoint as I see a full display of balloons, confetti, and cake. Fae is there, along with our classmates, peering over my Mother’s latest picture display. They all laugh at the one of me in my birthday suite blown up twice its normal size, perfectly placed in the center. My face gets hot as I pretend not to notice.

“Oh honey! Happy Birthday!” shouts my Mom. Dad follows right behind, with Cole bringing up the rear.

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“Yeah. Happy birthday, sis,” says Cole, clearly enjoying the scene before him.

“Thanks,” I say while grinding my teeth.

“Enjoying yourself?” Cole asks with a smirk on his face. “I really liked what you did this year, Mom. That picture is perfect to celebrate sis’s sweet sixteen.”

“Yes, it is splendid, Mother. Do this for Cole too when his birthday comes.”

“What a great idea, Laken!” says Dad.

Cole looks startled. “No, don’t.”

“My little man has to have the same treatment,” Mom responds, smiling.

I can’t help but smile at this. If I must suffer, Cole is going to, too.

The rest of the party runs smoothly. As perfect as you can get with a nude photo of yourself as a backdrop for pictures. My body releases a lot of tension when Fae is the only one left in the living room.

She smiles, sympathetic to my horror, and reaches behind my couch, revealing a horrid-looking plant wedged in a black ceramic pot.

 “Here I got you this. I didn’t want the entire class to see.”

I force a smile. “Gee… thanks.” I try to look happy and surprised, but I don’t know what to make of the thing.

To say this plant is horrid looking is an understatement. It has black branches with dark purple leaves that are dried out and on the verge of death.

“The plant will never die,” she says as she hands the pot over to me. I take it with the idea the plant will, in fact, die in a matter of days. My black thumb kills every plant within a 100-mile range.

“Thanks Fae,” I say while laughing. Bless her. I’m not sure she knew what to get me.

 “Well, I guess we shall see if the thing will live in my care.” If it does, it’s special. Very special. The poor thing doesn’t stand a chance.

  “I take it your mom told you it will never die, so you felt comfortable enough to give the plant to me?” I smirk with my eyebrows raised.

Fae’s parents get a kick out of seeing other people be uncomfortable. I love Fae, but she doesn’t seem to fit in with her family. They crave the spotlight and Fae flees from it.

“Laken. I researched this plant and cannot find another like it. It is remarkable. Like you. I thought it was fitting.” Fae bites her lip and plays with her hair.

She’s uncomfortable, so I let it go. She means well, and that is all that matters. What’s the worst thing that could happen?

Before Fae leaves, I humor her by sitting the pot on my nightstand. I will kill it and then I could show her I can kill any living plant, no matter how hard I tried to keep it alive.

Content, I go downstairs for dinner and to say goodbye to Fae. When I return, I see glowing light coming through the door frame. Confused, I open my bedroom door to find that my room is now a forest floor. The walls are no longer beige, but a brilliant green with vines and flowers growing up to the ceiling. My eyes follow the growth of vines to find orange birds with long pointed beaks flying above my head in tight woven circles.

My breath catches in my throat before I command myself to breathe. I am hallucinating. This isn’t possible. Not here. Not in my room.

Just as I’m about to run out and lock the door behind me, I feel them. I sense their presence coming from the plant. Mist that sparkles with gold, blue, and silver flakes, seep into my room and land on my face. Suddenly, there are hundreds of bright orbs coming out of the mist and the leaves of the plant. The orbs keep me frozen in place.

 This can’t be real. It’s some hideous prank Fae is playing on me. I look for her to jump out from hiding, but she doesn’t come.

Branches of the plant form into a tree and glow bright red. The branches twist, revealing an opening the size of a plum. The orbs circle me to invade my personal space. I open my mouth to speak, and the orbs fly into my mouth, my ears, my eyes, and nose until there were none left in the room. Death will come in a matter of seconds.

I feel the pull to walk toward the opening. The orbs are pulling me there and I cannot control it. My hand touches leaf closest to me and it sends a shock throughout my whole body. Panicking, I try to break free without results. The orbs made it to my bloodstream, numbing every nerve and organ in their path.

My body goes numb. Silence fills the room as I fall to the floor, unconscious.

***

A pool of my sweat surrounds me as I wake up with the sun beating down on me from above. The sunlight blinds me, and the heat is unbearable. I try to sit up, but find my hands and feet are bound.

My hands are tied to a plant that is a replica of mine, except it is bigger and glows brighter. Panic engulfs me as everything that has happened hits me all at once. That plant and the orbs going inside me, shutting down my ability to function, are too much to comprehend. Nausea overwhelms me, and I hurl until my stomach is empty. Sunlight continues to beam above with no remorse.

I’m surrounded by miles of hills covered with sand and sun. The heat is unbearable and unforgiving. My pores feel parched from it. The tree provides some relief from the sun, but it doesn’t make up for the fact I’m here because of it. I will destroy the plant as soon as I get home if I make it back. Roots hold my hands and feet together. I scratch, pull, and tear at them. Nothing seems to break their hold.

I sit for hours until I faint from the heat, and when I wake, I see him. His grey eyes are peering into mine and his face is close enough to touch. He does not speak because he is busy with loosening the roots that bind me. He works for a while to loosen them up, trying to keep his shoulder length black hair from getting in his face. After one last tug, I am free, and I have nothing to say. I wait for the blow that will end my life. It doesn’t come. Instead, he hands me a bottle full of clear liquid that bubbles from his satchel.

“Drink,” he says.

Not a good idea. “What is this stuff and who are you?” I say nervously. My throat feels on fire.

“My name is Moshiem, and you must drink in order to leave.”

I glance at Moshiem regarding him carefully. Why should I trust him? A sigh escapes me. He’s beautiful with a soft face and black shoulder length hair. Then there are his alarming grey eyes and firm chin. I ponder, wondering who he is.

  “Are you human?” I blurt out.

He looks at me curiously. “I was once. You must trust me. I have untied you, yes? Don’t you want to go home and be with your friend Fae and your brother? Don’t you want to be safe? You need to drink.”

Wait a minute. How does he know them? “You better not lay a hand on them,” I say as I stand up to meet his eyes.

“It’s not me you have to worry about,” Moshiem responds. “I am not a danger to you. There are others here and around your home that are. Be prepared; be alert. Talk to your Father. He will know what to do. And that tree needs to be destroyed when you get home. Do not go near it or you will be back, and I may not be here next time to save you.”

He is not making any sense. Annoyed, I say, “That tree will not die. I’ve been told it will not die. What are you going to save me from?”

Moshiem looks around the area. His eyes reveal the fear he is trying to hide from me. “You must fear Bane. He is the ruler of Cander, and he loves to bring sacrifices from your world to fuel his power here. You are here because the Veranics were told to get you. You are pure and your blood is powerful. Veranics are spirits that appear like bright lights to your eyes. They work for Bane to bring in the purest souls and they are most evil. The thing you call a tree is not a tree at all. It is a portal.”

“Why are you saving me, Moshiem? How do I destroy the portal?” I say as my questions all come out at once.

Moshiem smiles and says, “You do not realize the power you hold. You are too beautiful and your soul too precious to be taken. The less you learn about me, the better off you will be. You can destroy the tree by giving it life. Though, forget this place.”

Suddenly, we hear gunfire and horses coming our way. Moshiem shoves the bottle of liquid into my hand. “You must drink now,” he says in warning. He shoves the liquid down my throat. His eyes, full of vengeance and anger, are the last objects I see before I leave the world of Cander.

***

There’s a tapping at my window and I realize I have made it to Fae’s house. “What the hell, Laken?” She says while banging on my door. “I’ve been standing out here for over five minutes!”

I unlock the doors and she slips inside. Her eyes bore into mine. “In la-la land again, are we?”

“No, just thinking about class. That’s all.” I say, refusing to look at her. Last time I brought up what happened to me and being in Cander, she refused to listen to any of it at first. Now, she tolerates it. Barely.

“Whatever. So, I am ready to meet some new boys this year.” Her eyes light up at the opportunity to meet new prospects for a boyfriend.

“Oh, I’m sure you will find some winners,” I say, inserting sarcasm in every word. These girls have sucked the pool of acceptable boys dry these past few years. None interest me anyway. Well, until I met Moshiem.

“What like Moshiem? Laken, he is not obtainable, even if he was real,” Fae says in disbelief.

Her words sting at me. She can’t know I was thinking about my first and only day there a few minutes ago.

“He is real, and he saved me. But you are right. He is unobtainable. I will not be going back to Cander. Some things need to be figured out, though, like what Moshiem meant when he said to give the portal life to destroy it.”

“Just don’t go near it. Leave it outside and stay away from it,” says Fae in warning.

If only it were that easy. She did not look at his eyes when I left. I cannot leave it outside for anybody to get since I know what will happen to the next person who crosses the Veranics threshold. Somebody else’s life will not become in danger because of me.

“I guess I’ll see.” I say, pulling up to the school parking lot.

We scramble to get out of the truck to race to the front doors of our old school. It was built in 1865 and most of the original structure is still intact. Red bricks line the walls on the inside. The doors, made of thick oak, are difficult to open and even harder to escape from.

As I make it to the front door, a boy around my age catches my eye. He looks like he might be new at the school. Sandy colored hair frames his face, showing off a tight smile. He looks familiar to me. Do I know him from somewhere? Impossible.

My stomach gets queasy. The word prey forms in my mind, causing an uneasy suspicion. I don’t look in his direction again while walking through the front door.