Away From The Grey

Chapter 3: Is this an odd dream?

 After they left the house the walked in silence. A very awkward silence but Dallas noticed that it wasn't silent at all. She could hear the soft flap of bird's wings who flew by and the breeze blowing through the trees. Somewhere down the street she heard the screaming laughter or children playing. She felt so alive again and was terrified that it wouldn't last. She hadn't noticed that Hunter had stopped walking a few feet behind her and stood there watching her with a sad smile on his face. He rushed to catch up.

"Dallas I am so sorry that you had to find out this way...I wish I had found you before they did."

She was confused. Who was they? Why did she feel like she was in danger? Hunter spoke softly for fear of scaring her any further.

"Dallas you're not exactly human..." He paused, "I have known and attempted to keep you safe for many years and obviously within this last month I have failed." She had nothing to say, she wasn't sure how to respond so she kept walking and listened.

"Your family is part of something special, as are you. The only difference is that not everyone is able to control this part of them. Your mother has the recessive trait for this gift that you seem to possess very powerfully." He looked at her waiting for something, anything. "Your mother is the queen's sister. The reason she is in the human realm and won't remember me is because sadly she wasn't powerful enough to control the grey. It had almost consumed her entirely and to save her they had to wipe her memory and place her here. Away from danger." Dallas had stopped. She had to be dreaming. This was all too odd but she wasn't ready to wake up and smiled at Hunter and asked him to continue. Hunter was confused but glad that she wasn't running away.

"So why am I so important she asked?" Almost laughing, "Why were you asked to protect me? And who does that mean you are to me? My bodyguard?" Hunter scowled.
"No, I'm your cousin, my mother could sense there was a soul lost in the grey who didn't belong. You." She still didn't believe a word he said. He worried he may be too late and that some part of her soul was still stuck there. She continued walking. They had come near the lake close by her house and she found a bench that she had often enjoyed coming to when she had thinking to do. It all felt so real to her but so had the Grey, as he called it.
"What is the Grey?" She finally asked. Wanting to stop beating around the bush and understand what exactly what happening.
"Well Dallas, in the simplest terms you're a reaper."

"Like the grim reaper?" She asked with a smile, completely certain now that this was some odd dream.

"Well yes and no. You do not take souls but you escort them to where their final resting place will be. The Grey is a place when the soul gets lost or refuses to move on. Those people you saw? They were dead. That's why your parents and little brother weren't there. That's why Charlie wasn't there. Listen, I need you to come with me to see my mother. She is very ill and you are the next in line for the throne. Our people need you." His heart seemed to break thinking of his mother.

"Why me? Why can't you do it?"

"Well that's because women are the most powerful of our species. Your mother if she had been stronger would have taken her place. Obviously, that cannot happen and the next in line is you." She thought for a moment. Why not see where this dream went, she thought.

"Alright, I'll go." At this Hunter sighed.

"Wonderful, let's go." He shot up and started walking straight towards a tree. She stared in disbelief as he grabbed the bark of this random tree and pulled away from it a door just big enough to fit through. She shrugged; this cannot get any weirder. She stood and began to follow Hunter who had disappeared from her view. She wasn't scared in the slightest but the moment she had made it through the tree she realized that this was no longer her neighborhood, her town, her world that she had known. All around her were flowers and trees and animals that she had never seen before. She stood in awe. Speechless she went to turn around to look out the tree that she had just walked through. The door was gone. Hunter waited ahead of her.

"You may not know it yet, but this is your home. Where your mother is from and I cannot wait for you to meet the rest of the family." He seemed so much more at ease in this world. This put Dallas at ease as well. This didn't feel like a dream anymore though. This seemed more real than anything she had ever known. She felt like she had belonged here all her life. Nervousness filled her heart as she walked after Hunter who was already getting quite a big ahead. As she caught up, they crested over a hill and beyond this hill was the most exquisite castle she had ever seen. Not like she had ever seen a castle other than in movies. The grass was greener than any she had seen. A butterfly landed on her arm and tickled her with its incredibly large wings. It was the size of a bird but was so light and gentle. A memory came back to her. She remembered this place. She whispered to herself for the hundredth time today.

"What is going on?"