The Dream

Ch. 2

I can’t believe I’ve only gone through one day of high school. I already wish it was over. I only slept for a few hours last night because I was so amazed by the radiance of the small glowing coin. All night I covered and uncovered the coin just to see the light it projected. In the morning I decided to skip the usual part of my morning routine where I eat breakfast and get chewed out by my uncle twice. I left quickly to school with the coin nestled in my pocket between my cell phone and my class schedule.

The guys were already sitting at a table by the science building. I walked up briskly to the table where they sat and laid my backpack on the ground and sat down across from the twins. They spoke erratically to each other and JJ and Frankie spoke to each other. I sat quietly, watched and listened. With my hand in my right pocket I stroked the coin with my thumb.

The bell rang, and with out saying a word to the guys, I stood and half ran to Geography. I didn’t look back. My mind was some where else. I leaned against the wall waiting outside the door of room 603. My thoughts were solely on the coin. I soon got the feeling that someone was watching me I glanced up to see Monica gently staring at me. I smiled at her. She smiled back, giggled a bit then turned to two of her friends. As class began, Mr. Phillips had us lined along the walls the called out roll while he assigned us seats. Monica stood across the room next to her two friends. She continued to smile at me. I couldn’t help but smile back.

Annett Adams, the tall fake blonde girl that stood with Monica, was the first person to be called and seated. The list of people to be seated continued then Phillips got to the second girl standing along side Monica. Jennifer Matthews was the most talkative of the three; she was slightly shorter than me with dirty blonde near brown hair. She sat two seats away from Annett.

“William Nash?” Mr. Phillips called.

“Here, Sir. And it’s just Billy, if you don’t mind.” I called back.

“Sure, Billy.” He replied in a friendly tone, “You’ll sit here.”

I tossed my bag under the seat and sat facing away from her. He continued the role. Then he got to the V’s.

“Vega? Monica Vega?” he called as my heart pounded.

“Here, Mr. Phillips.” She said with and angelic voice.

Oh I hope she sits next to me. Wait! No I don’t her brother will kill me. Please sit her next to Annett and Jennifer. Please.

“You’ll sit here, next to Billy.”

S**t! Please somebody kill now! She took her seat next to me and placed her belongings on the floor. I kept my head down starring at the drawling that past students have etched it to the top of the table. Mr. Phillips finished role and immediately gave us our first pop quiz. This was to “Prepare our minds for our geographic journey.” What a jerk. The thirty question quiz took me less than thirty minutes. It was simple but pointless. It was nothing but a cluster of information that I’ll likely never use.

After the last person finished the quiz Phillips gave the class the rest of the period the talk and get to know each other but we had to stay in our seats. The second permission to speak freely was given, Monica turned swiftly toward me.

“I’m so sorry about my brother, Billy.”

“W-what?”

“Robbie, my brother, I heard what happened between the two of you at lunch yesterday. I was going to talk to you about it after algebra but you left so fast I barley saw your shadow after the bell rang.”

“Oh. Yeah, that. It was just a big misunderstanding. I just had . . .” Just then, like a swarm of bees in my ears a voice rang in my head. A voice in a tongue I could not identify. As the voice continued in my mind, my head ached more and more. Then the coin in my pocket began to erratically shimmer and shake. I could see Monica mouthing the words “Are you okay?” but I could hear nothing over the ringing in my ears.

I jumped out of my seat and bolted to Mr. Phillips’s desk.

“May I step outside? I’m not feeling well.”

“Yeah. Go right ahead Billy.”

I sped out of the room and into the hall. I removed the coin from my pocket and the letters that once illuminated from it are now gone and the voice has stopped. Within the reflective surface of the coin an odd symbol appeared the two words echoed from it. “The Light.” And not a second later a vortex of light consumed me. I passed out awoke on the steps of a large temple-like building. I stood weakly. I checked my pockets, they were empty. The coin was gone along with my phone and wallet. Great I’ve been robbed too. I began to walk away from the temple breaking suddenly. The damn thing is built on the edge of a freaking cliff on a huge mountain. This architect must have been on acid or something because this is unnecessary. I turned back to the temple. It was enormous.  I unsurely stumbled up the stairs that seemed to be endless. The farther I ascended the clouds became thinner the light brightened, and the titanic building came into full view.

“Have I died?”

A strangely familiar voice answered, “No, young one, this is not the end of your life. This is Eccrillia and you stand in the doorway of the Temple of the Kevarol, the spirit guardians of the elements.”

“Who are you? Where are you? Show yourself!” I shouted receiving only an echo at first.

“I am here child.” the same familiar voice called back.

I 180’d quickly and meet eye-to-eye with the strange man from the day before.

“You?” I spat in shock.

“Were you expecting someone else?”

“I don’t know, maybe, God, or Saint Peter.” I replied in hard sarcasm. I paused for only a moment then spoke again, “You didn’t answer me, who are you?”

“I am Adestar Randir, keeper of the Ekmerstone and protector of the Kevarol Alters.” He explained lifting the brim of him large round hat revealing his gentle elderly face.

“Okay. Now why am I here?” I continued my questioning.

“Well, Master Nash; simply put you are to join the Kevarol.”

“Whoa, hold on there. For a second it sounded like you said that I was going the join your elemental spirit guys.”

“Well to clarify you are one of the Keverol. The Kevarol are chosen by the High Council of Eccrillia when the worlds are in peril. For nearly 1000 years the worlds have been at peace. But dark entities rears its ugly head and the guardians of Eccrillia are needed for the sake both our worlds.”

“Okay, 1000 years? Maybe you haven’t noticed but there hasn’t been much peace for the past thousand years. We’ve had two major world wars plus several others, and not to mention the . . . worlds? Did you say worlds?” my voice showing obvious concern.

Randir explained “Yes, worlds, the Earth and Eccrillia are in perfect coexistence. Nearly parallel, never touching, but so close you can be in one world one second and then the other the next. It’s really quite fascinating.”

“Are you saying that I’m on another planet?”

“No, of course not, it’s more of an alternate realm than separate planets. The physical mass is shared, but they are parallel in existence. Like two frequencies on a radio.”

“Like a dream? Like how you can go from one to another.”

“Yes and no. This is very much real. This is no dream.”

I felt faint and began to collapse but the old man caught me using only his walking stick.

He smiled, “Please, walk with me Master Nash. There isn’t any time to waste.”

We walk thought the forty foot doorway and in to the main hall of the temple. Torches lit the interior of the building. Tall ivory pillars lined the walls and structural supports. The floor flawless and reflecting a perfect mirror image of everything above it. The ceiling was covered with a giant painting. Randir told me that it told the story of how Eccrillia came to be, the first council of the Kevarol, the first journey the Earth, and the emergence of the Ekmerstone.