Chapter One

Akela sat down on the dusty floorboards, pulling her dress under her. She peered over her large, rounded glasses at her best friend Noel. He was poking around beneath his bed in search of the special "surprise" that he just had to show off. He slid out a lacquered box about the size of a jewelry chest. As he set it between the two of them his eyes fluttered in the unconscious way that told her he was exceptionally excited about the contents of the dark box.

"Where'd you get this anyway?" Akela said, eyeing the miniscule silver key he gingerly removed form his pocket.

He leaned over the box and whispered conspiratorially, "I stole it from the junk shop on Main. The one with the mice painted on the display window."

After a moment of thought he added, "Day before yesterday, wanted you to come with me, but you were sick remember?"

Akela couldn't help but smile. Noel always sounded apologetic regardless of whether he should be.

"Yeah, I could barely lift the phone when you called," she shrugged, the nonverbal sign that it was fine with her, "What's in there?"

Now his eyes shone bright as he shoved the key in and, looking about to burst with feverish excitement, he motioned her to sit next to him then moved the chest so that it rested before Akela. Grinning, he turned the small key. They heard the lock click and held their breath as the lid sprang open. Akela gasped, pushed her glasses higher on her nose, and bent down closer.

"God, Noel it's just so-" she faltered, "I'm not sure what it is actually."

And this was not surprising. There were few people who would recognize the delicate looking object. It possessed a splendid beauty, resembling a pocket watch but made of a peculiar luminescent material. It must have been four inched in diameter with lines etched around the circumference rather than inside it and the hands, if there were any, seemed to be of the same transparent substance. Maybe it's a sundial, Akela thought. Not that it even looked like one, but the apparent lack of hands and the glittering element-stone, quartz, crystal?-just pushed an image of this as the coruscating center of a large dome of light, like the key to an otherworldly watch. She could picture it so clearly: a sorcerer manipulating time, reigning over every event as a-

"Akela?"

"Huh? Oh," She blinked.

She could tell she had zoned out, started fantasizing and day-dreaming. Akela tended to do that.

Noel smiled knowingly, "Get lost imagining the possibilities?" he asked, beginning to close the box.

"Uh, right, seeing the-" she paused, "Possibilities."

- - -

Sand wrapped around her legs, tendrils of it, moving quickly and smoothly like tentacles. It wouldn't surprise her if there were giant squids hiding somewhere in this underground lake, waiting out in the deeper water for her to be dragged to them by their same puppets. Bubbles rose to the surface only a few feet away from and she tensed. Slowly she tried to inch back, but the sand constricted, looking down she saw that the sand was gone, replaced by real snakes. Despite herself, she tasted the bile rising in her throat.

"I'm dreaming," she said, "I can wake up whenever I like."

The snakes tightened and she found herself falling back into the shallow water. It was freezing cold, really freezing like she wasn't asleep but-

"You aren't Akela,"

"Who-" she began, stopping as she saw the grotesque collection of bones. Living, speaking, blinking-so many eyes, overlapping and deformed, oozing-she screamed and thrashed around, but her arms were bound now. Something descended on her like a blanket and became steadily heavier and more muffling. So thick, the air so thick her breath caught before her eyes. She had to be dead, or dying. Akela was immersed in unimaginably deep water now. For some reason she wasn't scared anymore. Just a blink and all her fear faded.

It was actually kind of beautiful, the patterns of the light above her-it felt like being shrouded in delicate, gentle silk that caressed lovingly. Was this truly death? Such a light, airy, bright thing, so bright like oblivion turned inside out. Her heart began to beat again, though Akela hadn't noticed it cease, but it had to have if her lungs had given up. I can feel it, the thumping, so fast, she thought, the way a runner's does except I'm not a runner, not like Noel anyway. This has to be how he feels when he runs, when his chest pounds unbearably and he only feels more alive because the blood's flowing and pushing, rushing in a hurry to be everywhere-

And then she woke.

- - -

Akela and Noel quickened their pace; holding each other's hands, ready to break into a run if they heard the school bus roaring up the street. It was the second Monday of their freshman year of high school, their second Monday as mature, extremely self-conscious teens, and if they didn't hurry, their second Monday spent shouting after the bus. Technically, they were only five minutes late, but the last time the bus had come five minutes early and not waited a minute later.

The two came to a relieved halt in front of the mailbox that marked the corner where that were fetched. Akela fidgeted, her heart pounding as much from their pace as from her nervousness. High school, she thought, is going to make my nerves fray so much, and my heart just go like-she paused-in the dream, or nightmare more like it.

"Noel, I had the weirdest dream," she said, wanting to tell it, make it feel less ominous by sharing it.

"Eh", he mumbled, sleepy-eyed and still trying to watch for the bus.

When Akela had finished telling him, they were already on the bus ride to school, settled in the back of the bus, alone. Their bus was always empty when they got on and they never picked up anyone lese either. She turned to stare out the window at the old Victorian style houses, each one blurring into the next, growing larger and better kept as well.

"It was such a nightmare, I swear, it was real. I was panicking," she murmured.

"And then you died? Just like that?"

"Well, no, I told you something pulled me under and my heart stopped, but I could think and see and-"

"Maybe it's a premonition, Akkie"

"Perhaps," she turned to Noel, "You know when you have one of those nightmares where you wake up twice and both times you think it's real, but it's not and then you do wake up twice and both times you think it's real, but it's not and then you do wake up and you have to sink your nails into your arm to make sure you're not still being jerked around by the sandman, well, IU did that, set my nails into my arm and it hurt."

"Don't tell me you think," He paused, frowning, "Suppose anything is possible."

They sat in thoughtful silence until the bus stopped in front of the school then they shuffled off, both nodding at the driver. Sun filtered through the clouds in brief, muffled steaks. Looks like rain, Akela thought as she and Noel entered the building before directing her mind to English, geometry, and conjugating verbs.

- - -

She stood in a pitch black room, bathed by an intense halo of light that rippled as she blinked. The rest of the room was so dark like the circle of light in which she stood was the only thing staving off the shadows. Then she saw a door, a tall, slender portal etched with symbols resembling eyes, a bit off in the distance, and it illumined its own area of light. The light, where'd it come from? She thought. It seemed to radiate from the shimmering, golden door. She heard a soft click and observed the light to be flowing outward now, lighting a path to her. She had a destination now, a rather interesting one, and she lifted one foot and then the other, and leaned forward and dashed for the door. And she couldn't stop until she thudded into the door, landing on her behind, groaning.

"Stand," whispered a voice into her ear. Looking around for the source, she got to her feet.

"Why are you here?" said familiar voice.

Akela spun around, throwing herself into him before she even looked at his face. She tightened her arms on him, breathing lighter.

"Noel, I know you're only a dream during biology but, god, I'm delighted to see you."

"Uh, right, but I'm-"

"Look at the door," whispered a voice into her ear again and, naturally, she complied, slipping her arms from Noel's waist.

Akela could see the etchings in detail now. There were flowers and vines, twisting and curling around the eyes, blossoms opened in tiny bursts of silver, and the entire door seemed to be feeling her.

"That's a really shiny door," Noel said, coming to her side.

Rolling her eyes, Akela pushed him gently, "Yeah, a super shiny-"

"Open it," shrieked a razor of a voice, "Up, up, up-"

And up into consciousness she flew, blinking confusedly at the scowling, rather wrinkled face looking down on her. Oh, she thought, damn you. Akela smiled and said, "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Donovan, I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night."

"Neither has you friend, it seems," she said.

Akela turned and was surprised to find Noel dozing, arms tucked under his chin, head lolling to the side. She tapped him lightly on the head.

"Wake up," she said, blushing as she realized that she and Noel were now being watched by the entire class.

"Ah," he mumbled, looking up at Mrs. Donovan.

"You two will be joining me after school, of course," she said, furrowing her brow further and raising her voice for the class to hear.

Noel blushed, covered his head, and groaned. As Mrs. Donovan returned to the front of the room, Akela passed a small note to her best friend. Noel read it and nodded. His place tonight, definitely.

- - -

The boy with the gold-streaked raven hair knelt on the dirt road, gently broke a flower from a scraggly bush, and thoughtfully twisted the stem in his hand.

"Beautiful?" he said, standing, "You're quite a beauty too."

This was the first time he had spoken to Noel, or even looked in his direction. Now Noel could see the boy's aquamarine eyes, augmented with what appeared to be eye-liner.

"I've noticed you watching me," the boy said, reaching out, "I'm Autumn, you?"

"I'm N-Noel," he stuttered, taking the offered hand.

The boy smiled, leaned forward, and pulled Noel closer. Noel tried to step away and was pulled even closer. Autumn clasped his arms around Noel's midsection, bringing them chest to chest.

"I don't mean to be so insistent, but isn't this a dream?" Autumn asked, decreasing the between his lips and Noel's face, "If it weren't, I would feel ever so awkward; I don't normally do this."

Noel struggled with no success. Autumn's arms felt like a length of boa constrictor, crushing the air from his lungs. A small gasp escaped his mouth; his head rang like chimes twinkling wildly in the fury of ocean waves crashing harshly in his brain. It passed as if hesitant to leave, but separated from his mind again, but slowly, by his distance from the sea.

"I won't hurt you," Autumn laughed, seeing the pained and frightened expression on Noel's face.

Noel was relieved when the arms loosened, then removed themselves from him entirely, if reluctantly. He looked up into the dream boy's face, the luminescent gemstone eyes, and the equally brilliant, pearly skin. This dream ought to end, he thought, I can't stand this.

"Oh, you'll wake up tonight, Noel, but you will see me again quite soon, "Autumn paused, "your mother is opening your door right now, open your eyes and see."

Again the ocean roar filled his ears, thundered within his head, and chimed ceaselessly. Time seemed to stretch on for hours, letting him dream in a dream. Then a something, or a someone, chuckled and Noel bolted upright, into consciousness, into darkness. He shivered, shook even, and looked to the door. Sure enough the door swung open, bathing him in a shadow of yellow light.

"Noel," his mother said, "It's time to get up."

- - -

"I thought I'd die, woke feeling more fatigued than when I went to sleep in the first place, and my mom actually opened the door right then."

"Creepy, but you could have heard her walking in the hallway," Akela said, trying to make sense of the dream.

She looked into Noel's concerned face. H looked terrible, bags under his eyes, puffy face, and red eyes. He might have been crying, she thought, frowning. Akela glanced toward their geometry teacher who was busy typing on his white Emac. He didn't appear to be paying the class much attention, probably hadn't noticed that no one was doing their work. She brushed a strand of blonde hair out of her face. Noel thought the color suited her; he was the one who had picked it out the other night. He had also chosen to pair it with black highlights, which she had vetoed in favor of lime green. This was done after they'd spent hours searching for any mention of the crystal pocket watch and its price on auction sites and online antique boutiques. Anything that beautiful must have been some trouble to create.

"Have you seen Jon?" she said, changing the subject-Noel didn't need to stress over that nightmare.

"Yeah," he nodded, "He's gone completely emo, black hair, black clothes, straight from Hot Topic, I might add, and he has even pierced his other ear and his lip."

'Makes me jealous, I wish my parents were so busy the let me get away with anything, the fact that he lives on Boon Street doesn't hurt either." she said with obvious endearment.

"He's miserable though, Noel shrugged, "he wants them to get angry. Jon told me as much yesterday."

The bell rang signaling the start of lunch and they continued their discussion in the hall. Swarms of people, 'horrible children' as Akela liked to call them, marched toward the cafeteria. Caught up in the mob, they flowed along to the cafeteria, being poked and shoved all the while. While near the door, they looked for a table, scanned the room, and spotted Jon sitting alone at a table in the back. They pounced on him.

"I'm shocked, darling," Akela said, hugging Jon, "You resemble a ghoul, a cute one. Where have you been for the first two weeks of school?"

Jon flipped his chin length hair back, "My family vacationed in Switzerland and we had to stay for my Great-Great Grandmother's birthday. She turned one hundred and one."

"That's old," Noel and Akela said simultaneously.

"She's in good health too," Jon beamed, "What have you guys been up to?"

Akela and Noel paused, staring at Jon, "The strangest things," they said in unison, permitting the dreams and enchanting pocket watch to be shared with another, their kind, sweet friend dressed like a shade. How can tangles be avoided when not a soul knows what they are?

- - -

The three best friends snuggled together on the large queen-sized bed in Jon's room, overlapping warm, slow breathing bodies, and thinking silently. The large fireplace in the corner spitted and crackled, becoming a dull, almost unheard background noise. The flame cast ghastly shadows on the walls, twisting the shapes of their blanketed bodies into semblances of night creatures. The radio played a light-hearted pop song that was set over by static, but lifted the gloom nonetheless. A strong wind shook the window, followed by a crack of thunder. The light of the moon was hidden away. The bare floor of the room was a walkway for the shadows, undulating with the discontent of the fire.

Noel had just begun to drift to sleep, eyes lidded, but not quite because the night was old, but the boy was young and still wanted to stay up, hoping for something unexpected. His chest lifted slowly and fell again in regular, rhythmical breaths. A hand sought him, enclosing his thin hand in warmth that rushed up his arm, tinting his face pink. He opened his eyes and looked to the face that matched the hand. It was Jon's, of course. Noel gave the fingers a little squeeze then closed his eyes again only to snap them open a minute later. Jon had laid his body on Noel's, looking down at his face, head cocked to the right. Noel could feel their separate hearts, each beating faster for reason neither would broach, not now anyway.

"I didn't know you were a thief," Jon murmured, catching a strand of Noel's hair and curling it around his fingers.

"I'm not," he said, then, "You're wearing silver eye-liner?"

Jon blinked his kohled eyes lazily, "Of course, darling," he drawled, imitating Akela.

"Very funny," she said, rolling over to her side to glare at him, "Aren't you two getting rather friendly."

"Well, we are friends," Jon said, before lightly kissing Noel.

"I shouldn't be saying anything," Akela said, smiling, "There's nothing hotter than two guys kissing."

Jon rolled off Noel and onto Akela, wrapping his legs around hers. She laughed and entwined her arms around his waist. They were so close that she felt his mascara lengthened lashes brush her cheek and could see every shard of color in his striking green eyes. For a moment she thought he'd kiss her or, knowing him, nibble on her nose and smile innocently. Instead he continued to stare into her eyes, oblivious to what might be expected of him. Akela took the initiative, raising her lips to his and floating upward into a delicate kiss. They came apart all at once, arms, legs, and lips.

Noel looked at them, brow arched, "Don't tell me Akela likes guys now."

Before Noel had the chance to poke more fun at their kiss a loud snap echoed down from the hallway. The three froze, realizing how alone they were in the big, empty house. And a small gate, maybe five feet was the only barrier outside. She didn't think there had been any crime on this street ever, but now that belief seemed in need of revision. She slowed her mind. They didn't even know if it was a burglar, after all, the wind was blowing quite strongly and perhaps an open window had let in a draft. That noise must have ruined some vase or potted plant. She briefly noted that she hadn't noticed any vases of plants in the hall anyway.

"We need to check on that," Jon muttered, not meaning to move.

"We do," Akela said, and jumped away from him, tidying her dress as she went to the door.

The two boys grumbled and slinked after her as if whatever intruder has broken in and crept upstairs had failed to notice the light spreading from their room. But it was possible, considering that they were unscathed and sneaking down the gloomy corridor because surely no competent criminal would have left them alone. Well, that's how Akela saw it as she boldly strode down the hall towards the dim light at the end. Her feet tapped loudly on the hardwood floor and she continued along nonetheless, not in the least worried.

"Guys," she whispered, "we would have noticed someone walk past the doorway."

The stairs leading to the attic were pulled down. Akela peered up into the attic, which remained more or less dark despite the 'single 10-watt crap bulb,' as Jon described it, that offered illumination. A slow creak spread throughout the mansion, deceiving the windows so they shuddered before the wind gusted and so that a calm, bold pallor inched over Akela's face as she took a desperate breath like her last, looked over her shoulder at Noel and Jon for comfort, and went up, one, two, into a fog of dust.