chapter 2

Rachel felt cold. Rachel never felt cold. something wasn't right! she slowly opened her eyes but what she saw was not the familiar sight of her room. there was darkness. pitch black. a disturbing feeling of nothingness. and then in an instant there was light, a bright and blinding light. not quite sure where she was, she stayed in her place until the light faded to a gentler one and she was faced with a forest. tall trees were surrounding her, with fireflies all around. Arecno was nowhere in sight but she could hear the sound of multiple crows from afar. a gentle breeze made the hair on the back of her neck stand on edge and send a chilling shiver down her spine.

in the distance she could see a figure. a girl. the outline of her body was oddly familiar. but as she turned to face Rachel , she felt her heart skip a beat.

Standing there, in all her awkward glory was her best friend. Lara.

'Lara?! i..is t..that you?'her voice sounded almost close to a whisper. finding enough strength to stand up, she started running towards her ,a new hope in her heart. but once she reached her, she stopped. just a foot away from her.'Lara...it's me...Rachel!' what made her stutter was the fact that Lara was looking at her as though she couldn't see her.it was as if she could see right through her.as if Rachel was invisible.

Her heart started beating rapidly, her hands clutching her arms hard. she reached up one shaking hand, about to touch Lara's face, but she stopped herself when she heard someone calling Lara. turning around her eyes focused on the old trembling woman, standing next to a tree.

'grand mama' Lara said with a hint of fear in her voice. Rachel stepped out of the way right before Lara started sprinting towards her "grand mama".by now it had occurred to her that Lara couldn't see her,that also meant she couldn't touch her.but she stepped out of her way nevertheless, cause she couldn't bare the feeling of her best friend walking right through her.

her eyes followed Lara's every move. she watched her taking her grandma's hand and supporting her so she wouldn't fall.

'don't worry about me my dear Lara, I can manage walking around by myself' said the old lady with a slight smile on her face.

'you can MANAGE? grandma you're shaking! you need to get home now! you're not well!' Lara said in her usual worried tone, almost sounding like a shout. Rachel still stood there dumbfounded, not knowing why she had to see something that almost looked like a memory of Lara's.

'you need help! you need the potion! 'Rachel heard Lara's distressed voice once more. a potion? What was she talking about? after a minute or two Lara's expression changed, as if she had realized something very important. her eyes left her grandma, rapidly blinking, she looked straight at Rachel. her eyes boring into her soul. Rachel was startled. This time, assuring herself that Lara could see her. her heart felt heavy, making it harder to breathe. Lara was staring right into her eyes. 

Rachel felt a sudden stabbing pain inside her heart, her hand clenching her chest. she gasped for air. her eyes as wide as plates. the picture of Lara and her grandmother faded into nothingness and all the light around her started to dim as it gave way to darkness.