Chapter 3 - Sam explains

Three days after the incident I was absolutely furious. I was just telling Anika, how John has managed to angered me again, as she suddenly said:

“Chris darling, you need to move out.” I rolled my eyes.

“How? I’m 21, I just finished college and gotten my degree, but there is no work for me. The money I have I’m saving up for rainy days and… I want to move out but I don’t see how!” I tried not to feel sorry for myself, but I just couldn’t help myself. Anika was something special. She was really pretty, but not in the way normal people are. There was something about her face that didn’t match, but you just couldn’t discover what. But she did have the most bluish eyes I have ever seen. And she colored her hair black, and it looked amazing! She was also from Russia, so she had that foreign look about her. But she was as odd as I was. She lived in a fantasy world, where books about vampires, werevoles and monsters rule. I mean I love reading, but paranormal fiction wasn’t really my thing. But that’s how have we met. In a bookstore. I was eleven and we both wanted the same book, but sadly there was only one copy. After that we became best friends and we endured everything together. She smiled at me, and she was amazing.

“I have a solution, but…” I raised an eyebrow.

“Do tell.” She looked around and came closer.

“I got a job in a hotel. And I rented an apartment.” That was a surprise!

“And you just tell me now?!” I was a little sad.

“Well, I have an offer to make you.” She took both of my hands in her and said quietly.

“If you would come to live with me, you would make me very happy!” I opened my mouth, trying to explain the lack of funds, but she beat me.

“I can also get you a job at the hotel as a receptionist, if you want.” That left me speechless. She looked at me, waiting, but I was in shock.

“So, what do you say?”

“I don’t really know…” She gave me puppy eyes.

“Please don’t make me live alone!” I just smiled.

“I would be honored, if I could live with you!” That night, when I told Sarah I’ll be moving out, I had a dream. I was on the beach, but didn’t intend to lie around. I was looking for a certain man. I was near the cottage, when I heard him talking to my dog, Violet. He was shirtless. Damn, he was most certainly not real. There is no way a human being could look so perfect. He noticed me, and his smile disappeared immediately. I went to him.

“Hey Sam.” He greeted me back.

“So,” I started immediately:

“What am I?” He motioned me to sit on the bench nearby. He was standing, but I did sit down.

“Christina, do you know that your world isn’t the only world there is?” I was thinking for a while, but I didn’t understand what he was talking about.

“Explain.” He turned away from me.

“There are different realms and human world is just one of them.” Anika tried to explain this to me somehow, but I didn’t really care.

“What does that have to do anything with me?” He inhaled very slowly.

“Well, for example, right now we are in one of those realms that collide with human realm.” I was confused.

“What?” He seemed impatient, so I said:

“This is just a dream.” He shook his head.

“Look, just trust me.” I had enough. I stand up, and went toward him.

“Why should I trust you? I know nothing about you, I don’t even know what are you. And all you’re telling me are a bunch of stories.” I was angry at him.

“Christina, you are what we call a Dreamer.” I raised an eyebrow.

“A what?”

“When you dream, or when you are really concentrated you can open a portal to our dimension, the Netherworld or as you may know it, the purgatory.” I was baffled.

“Isn’t purgatory a place where souls go if they don’t go to heaven or hell?” My mother was deeply religious so I knew a little about these things.

“Yes.” I stepped away from him.

“So what are you?” I looked ashamed.

“I belong to a race called Shadows, but we also have other names.”

“Like what?”

“Grim Reapers.”