A/N: Hi! Sorry this took so long but I've been working on some of my fanfiction instead of this. However, the keyboard is f*cked at the moment. But thinking about it, I said to myself, that's no excuse for working on the 4 stories your working on (1 original and 3 fanfiction. Not that you’re interested). This was mostly typed on another computer which doesn’t have internet access and when I put it on this computer it takes a while to get the format right.

Thank you Dragons Tempest for your lovely reviews. You made my day! No, you made my year! And here is the latest chapter of The Crystal Quest just for you.

Chapter 2

/*\ Third Person POV /*\

Meridian listened hard for any sign that her family was still around before getting up and searching for her bag in the dark. She didn't dare put the light on for fear her family would come to see what she was doing.

Meridian found her bag and shoved her hand under the mattress to retrieve her meagre savings. She pulled the small purse out and looked around in the dark for anything else she might need.

Clothes were pushed into the bag hurriedly and Meridian located her diary and put that in the bag as well. A hairbrush was put in after that and a few minutes later Meridian put on her old trainers. She crept out of her room, looking around for any sign her family was awake and had heard her.

Silence.

Breathing as quietly as possible, Meridian crept towards the stairs. There was no sign of her family at the bottom so she crept down, taking care not to step on the creaky stairs. A life time of going up and down these stairs meant she knew where to step to stop any creaking.

After what seemed like an eternity of creeping around in the dark silence, Meridian was standing in front of the front door. She would have left the back way in case she was seen from the front, as there wasn't much to hide her out the front way but the back door in the kitchen had rusty hinges that squeaked loudly every time the door opened.

Meridian disabled the alarm system and was out the door into the pitch blackness of night. Only a few stars were seen through the clouds and Ieucothea had set hours ago.

Meridian silently made her way through the streets of Scylla towards Michael’s shop, hoping he would be up and that this wouldn't be one of the few times he shut to get some sleep.

/*\ Michael’s POV /*\

It was a really slow night. No-one had come since Meridian so I thought it would be okay to just go home for a few minutes. The lack of sun was beginning to depress me again. It happens every so often so I go to my own world, Ameratsu, where there is plenty of sun. There is a portal between the worlds through a door at the back of the shop. I open it and step through, welcoming the natural light.

I won't stay long. I haven't locked the shop but since everyone is asleep back there, I don't think it matters.

/*\ Meridian's POV /*\

The lights are on so the shop is obviously open yet when I step in there is no sign of Michael.

"Michael?" I call out quietly.

There was no answer so I made my way to the back of the shop, looking for him. Perhaps he is in the back room. I find the door and open it, ignoring the 'Staff Only' sign. There's a desk and a chair against one of the walls and a wardrobe. The floor is bare and all in all, it’s a fairly depressing room. I notice a door at the back of the room and decide that Michael must be on the other side.

It's was a normal door, betraying nothing of what was on the other side, yet when I opened it, I was faced with a swirling blue vortex. With a courage that surprised even me, I stepped into it.

/*\ Third Person POV /*\

Meridian disappeared with a flash and the door slammed shut behind her.

She was aware of a rushing sound, like the wind but it didn't feel like she was moving. After a while, it stopped and Meridian was faced with another door. This one was more ornate than the other and was decorated with a carving of two suns orbiting a planet.

Meridian opened the door.

The sight on the other side was amazing. Bright light was everywhere; flooding through windows and illuminating the room she now stood in. With a shock, Meridian realised it was natural and it wasn't second hand, i.e., reflected from a moon!

With a gasp Meridian ran to a window and looked out at a garden filled with bright colourful flowers, waving in a slight breeze.

Meridian smiled and looked around the room she was in for a way out. She had to get out and see those flowers close up.

There was a door to her right and she walked through it. She found herself in a corridor. There was a door she could see at the other end and taking her time, Meridian wandered towards it, taking in the new sights. Paintings lined the walls showing animals, mythical and real (at least in her world) and gods and goddesses.

Through the door Meridian found herself at a stairwell, with stairs going up and down. Meridian chose to go up.

The stairs spiralled up and ended at yet another door. Meridian stepped through and was in a corridor that had a stone barrier instead of a wall so a person walking along it could feel the breeze.

The air was salty and Meridian realised that the building she was in overlooked the sea. The corridor turned sharply so she couldn't see all the way along and she walked to the corner and looked round. She could see the sea stretching as far as the eye could see passed the barrier but what caught her attention was a lot closer than that.

Standing at the barrier was Michael, with his eyes closed enjoying the sun's warmth on his face. His hair blew gently in the breeze.

Meridian gasped and ducked back behind the wall. She hadn't seen another living soul since she came and now she had found someone and it someone she knew. She wondered if she would be in trouble if she was found.

‘After all, I don't think I'm supposed to be here.'

/*\ Michael’s POV /*\

The sunlight was warm on my face and the waves beneath the cliff this open corridor overlooked were relaxing.

'This is heaven' I thought, feeling the breeze. Just then, I heard a gasp and knew I had an unexpected visitor.

'Damn...'I didn't want to scare whoever it was away so I made my way silently towards the corner. I could hear someone breathing quietly on the other side, quiet panicky breaths.

I stepped around and grabbed the person before seeing who it was. Some one I never expected to see in this world.

"Meridian! What are you doing here?" I tried to sound as gentle as possible because she seemed a little frightened. That was when I noticed the twin bruises on either side of her face. "What happened to your face?

To my horror, she began to cry. I've never been any good with crying people. I get nervous and have to leave but I couldn't do that to Meridian. Instead I pulled a handkerchief out my pocket and offered it to her.

"Thanks," she whispered, taking it. I put my hand on her arm and guided her to the spot I was standing in before.

"It's all right, Meridian. Your safe here," I murmured, waiting for her to tell me what happened.

Eventually she calmed down enough to tell me.

"He hit me...Said I was ungrateful because I did things for them but I never got anything back in return." Meridian wiped away a few tears. "I…I ran away…I can’t go back! Not ever! I came to your shop hoping you would help me and I found my way into this place." She bit her lip, looking nervous. Did she think I would kick her out or make her go back?

"You can stay here. Don’t go back to your world again. It won’t be safe for you there." I told her. She looked a lot happier at this. "Now, lets go find you a room." I smiled at her and she smiled softly back. I led her inside to find a room for her to stay.

A/N: That’s all for today. I just thought I should update now and then I can work on other stuff. Please review! The muse is starving!