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Chapter Three - Dreams

At first, I was just confused. Until it dawned on me, the seriousness of what she said. "What do you mean 'Transform'?" I asked. Silence. Perfect. Just perfect. I wanted to know what she meant, and now she was gone. She'll come back soon, right? She has to. My mum called me from downstairs. "Danae, time for dinner!" she called out. "And don't even think  about saying you're not hungry." I groaned. "I'll be right down, Mum!" I shouted. I sat up and steadied myself. I slid down the lacquered oak bannister and landed on the balls of my feet. I received applause from my audience, composed of my mother. I always wanted to be a gymnast and I might just make it. The smell of hot pizza wafted from the dining room.

Satisfied and possessing a full stomach, I climbed up the stairs after a quiet goodnight to my mum. I stripped off my clothes in the bathroom in front of the mirror when I heard SkyLar say teasingly "Nice bod you got there, Danae!" I covered the places I could with my hands and grimaced. "SkyLar~~~" I whined. Silence. She was gone again. I pulled on an old big blue T-shirt over some faded shorts. I yawned loudly. I was exhausted. I walked sleepily to my bed, snuggled up with my teddy Cabernet underneath my comforter and fell asleep as soon as I got comfortable.

My dreams were strange; even worse than my waking hours. I was in a lounge, my hair brushing the skin on my back, wearing a black blouse and a white high waisted pencil skirt. The lighting was unusual and hazy. There was a shadow, sitting on an armchair cross-legged in the corner, watching me. At least, I think it was watching me. It stood and yet I couldn't see their face. They walked towards me, their shoes clip-clopping on the glass floor. They walked into the light and I saw the most beautiful face.

It was a girl with hair as dark as twilight that fell to her waist. Her grey eyes glowed with supernatural abnormality and her skin was a pale caramel colour. She was curvy but not very much so, and her lips were as red as fresh blood. She smiled at me and I couldn't determine whether it was sinister or sincere. "Hello, Danae. Nice to meet you face to face." My jaw dropped ten inches. My whole body shook. This, this girl knew my name?

Her voice was familiar to me, but I couldn't put a pin on it. She walked towards me and I felt the urge to back away from this stranger. However, I stood still and she crossed her arms, her luminous eyes scanning my face. "What? You don't recognize me, Danae?" she asked. I rubbed my neck guilty. She sighed, obviously disappointed. "Oh Danae, do I have to spell it out for you?" She looked at me knowingly. I nodded my head. She rolled her eyes, and I snickered.

"You're looking at your 'voice of the hour', SkyLar James." I looked her up and down, shell-shocked. "Sk-Sk-SkyLar........?" I stammered. "H-H-How?" She smiled at me kindly. "You're a special one, you are.  This is what I look like. Like what you see?" I laughed. "Remember how I told you I would teach you how to transform?" I nodded my head. She grinned at me, her lips curving into a wide inhuman smile. She slowly walked around me, her hair swishing behind her with every step. She stood before me once one, her grey eyes glowing with excitement.

She was so beautiful and yet so strange. "You're around my height and just a bit smaller than my size. You were practically designed  to take on my form." Designed? Each word she said generated more and more questions with no apparent answers. "Yes 'designed', Danae," she said knowingly as if she read my mind. "Di-Di-Did you read my mind?" She nodded. "This is a Dream Space. All but nothing is possible." More mystery. Absolute perfection. "You are an abnormality," she started. I winced at being called abnormal. "But that's not a bad thing."

"Really?" She smiled warmly at me. "Yes Danae." She closed her eyes and her skin glowed violet. A low hum was emitted from her body somehow and I was mesmerized. She opened her eyes. Her hair started to turn white from the follicles down to the ends. Her eyes had gone their normal grey to a deep violet. Her voice had changed from soft, silky and feminine to neutral and cold. "Danae Mackenzie," it boomed. "You are one of the Special. You were given your Personas SkyLar, Dianne and Violette and take on their forms."

"SkyLar is your Dominant Persona. She shall teach you the ways of people like you." The voice grew ominous. "Beware, however, of the Rogue Unknown Personas. Beware of the one you trust the most for they shall lead to your destruction. Trust no one but yourself, for the one you trust the most shall steal the one you love away from you." There was a bright flash of light and I automatically shielded my eyes with my hands. When I peeped, the light was gone. SkyLar's hair returned to its dark colour and her eyes were once more their grey. She blinked a few times and breathed deeply. In and out.

She smiled at me while I stared astonished. I was about to ask a question when she stopped me quickly. "Nu-uh. Not a chance." I was deflated. She stroked my cheek and I shivered like she just poured ice water on me. "It's about time I taught you how to Transform."

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I woke up. 6:10 am as usual. My head was pounding and I felt dreadfully sick. I sat up and I almost fell backwards. I was so dizzy that I didn't dare stand. Oh God, I thought. "Rough night huh, Danae?" I looked around my room. No one there. Must be SkyLar. She's caused nothing but questions, headaches and more questions. I ignored her. I stood up and lurched. I felt God awful. I hobbled over to the bathroom and held myself up over the sink. I looked in the mirror and I saw a familiar face with dark hair, grey eyes and pale caramel skin staring back at me.

"Hello...." she said. I screamed and fell down on my butt. A jolt of pain went through me and I wailed. Ouch. I stood up and stared at the mirror intently. Just me. SkyLar was gone, it was me looking back at myself and I looked like a hot mess. My eyes were pretty red and burning hot, my hair was tangled and dull, my skin was pale and there were dark circles under my eyes. What happened to me, I asked myself.

I splashed cool water on my face and my eyes stung but they seemed to cool off. I hopped in the shower under the cold running water and squealed when it touched my skin. I sighed. My feverish skin almost sizzled at its touch. I dried myself off and ran a comb through my hair. I finally managed to make it lie flat and shine. Some of my sickness had subsided and I could stand up straight. I walked out of the bathroom, holding my bruised bottom. I pulled on some low cut denim jeans under a Je t'aime T-shirt. I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail and secured it with a sparkly band. I slide down the bannister and landed delicately on my toes.

"Morning Mum," I said with false cheer. "Hello sweetheart." She responded without looking up from her book. "There's some toast on the side waiting for you." I murmured a quiet thank you and munched on it. There was silence in the kitchen but my brain was buzzing. What happened to SkyLar? Where were we? Will we go there again? I checked my watch. 7:42. I  jumped up, planted a kiss on my mother's cheek, grabbed my bag and headed for the door in a hurry. "Bye Mum!" I shouted as I stormed out of the house.