1 Chapter One: Wedding Bells

"So he finally asked," Megan shrieked while grabbing Raven's hand, mouth wide open with a genuine smile.

Raven still felt her nerves making somersaults within her stomach. The enormous ring branding her finger was a promise to Andrew Park, of how she would soon be his wife. It sparkled in the light, reflecting it's own happiness and excitement.

But Raven felt dread.

"I can't believe how fast his proposal was Meg; everything has been way too..." Raven stared at the floor, feeling an overwhelming sense of confusion. Is Andrew really 'the one?' 

Megan stared at her friend and frowned. "Stop it, he loves you and you love him. No more worrying about it, okay?"

Raven nodded and turned back to the wedding magazine that she had been reading beforehand. None of her other friends knew yet, and she was sure that they'd be at her door soon. Megan did not have a talent for keeping secrets. It was only natural that their other friends would find out the truth through Megan.

After Megan left, the odd feeling returned. She had a sudden urge to phone Andrew and call off the wedding. He proposed in front of thousands of people at a Vancouver Giants hockey game; how could she reject him? She held the phone in her hand, staring at his name while a sigh left her plump lips.

The pleasant melody of her ringtone echoed against her palm. Pressing the answer button, she responded.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby, Meg called me saying you were having doubts about us. Is that true?"

Raven groaned inwardly. Megan and her big mouth. Mentally preparing herself she thought it over. No, he was the right guy for her, the one she'd always dreamt of as a child. He was a twenty-four year old Korean man, studying to become a doctor at UBC. Short black hair and dark, almost black eyes. He wasn't very tall, yet his build showed he could take on men twice his size.

"No, she misunderstood me. I love you and I want to be your wife. I am just feeling nervous." She heard him sigh in relief after saying this.

"That's good. I was beginning to think you didn't at all. I love you, kitten," he purred on the other line, making Raven roll her eyes.

"You know you're a dork," she teased.

"I know," he laughed. "But I'm your dork."

After they stopped talking, she continued to search through wedding dresses in the magazine, hoping any would catch her eye. None did, which made her feel like it was a sign from fate, saying Andrew wasn't the one for her. But who the hell was?

Huffing, she sat down on the couch and put her feet up onto the coffee table. It wasn't long until she fell into a deep sleep, thinking of wedding dresses, rings, and roses.

THE DAY OF THE WEDDING...

Raven stared at herself in the mirror as she saw the transformation of her appearance. The stylist combed back her hair, and then curled the tresses. She looked like a different person, not who she really was. Raven was a girl that liked to be covered in paint in her spare time, dress a like a hippy, and didn't care about makeup. It was as if she was watching from afar and letting fate do whatever he wanted.

Deep down, the doubt rose each second. It fluttered within her stomach like a swarm of butterflies exiting their cocoons.

Since Raven's parents died when she was only a high school student, she had her uncle to give her away. At the end of the day, she was going to be Raven Park. But deep down, she would always belong to the O'Connor family.

"Do you like it?" The stylist prompted, bringing Raven back to reality.

"Yes, I look like a totally different person. Thank you, Madison."

"You're very welcome," Madison smiled at her in the mirror.

Megan ran over once her hair and makeup was finished. She had tears in her eyes. "I am so envious, pretty lady. It's your big night!"

Raven sighed nervously, turning around with fake determination. "I'm ready, let's just leave. I'm dying to get my dress on," she lied.

They walked into the next room to see her dress, the tiny crystals flickering from all the lights around them. Raven remembered the moment she saw the dress, and was immediately impressed by its simplicity. The dress was short, flowing down to her kneecaps. It had a lace pattern for straps that covered her clavicles but ended where her breasts were--forming the top of a heart. It was covered in tiny, snowflake-like crystals.

"It's a little plain for my tastes, but on you, it looks amazing," her other friend, Nicole, touched the fabric with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you sure you want to get married? We can end this now and go to Vegas, hit up some clubs. I'll get you drunk and we can dance the night away!" 

"No thanks," Raven felt the spasms of her heart at the thought of doing that. It was a temptation, but she knew it would be a cruel thing to do. Andrew is a beautiful soul, and she knew he would make her happy.

After undressing, Raven put the dress beneath her legs and stepped into the gap. Sliding it up her body, she waited as Nicole zipped up the back.

"See, what did I tell you?" Nicole smiled as she patted down the kinks in the fabric.

"It's beautiful. When I tried it on the first time, I didnt realize it. I liked the dress then, but I love it now" Raven breathed out, her eyes starting to water from all the emotions flickering through her mind.

"No, no, no. Leave the tears until after you walk down the aisle, missy! Don't ruin that pretty makeup," Nicole patted Raven's shoulders, trying to calm her down.

...

Raven shoved on a light green cardigan, button-up sweater to keep warm. The Fall, Canadian weather has moods of its own.

Raven shivered as they walked down the steps outside of the salon and hopped into Megan's Jeep Liberty. The ignition buzzed, and then roared to life. Swerving to the side, they entered the daily traffic of Vancouver.

Driving for what seemed like hours, they stopped at a red light. Waiting for it to turn green, they chatted about Raven's 'big night' and honeymoon. About two months before, Andrew booked them both first class tickets to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. It was actually one of the only things she was excited about since the wedding, which was quite sad.

Raven felt like she was betraying Andrew already.

The song 'Dust in the Wind,' by Kansas started playing on the radio, making all three girls' pay attention and sing along.

The light turned green, so Megan stopped singing and paid attention to the road. She pressed on the accelerator, driving forward.

Raven thought she saw something black from her peripheral vision, but shrugged it off. She knew Megan was a good driver, and trusted her to notice anything odd.

But it was one of the biggest mistakes of her life.

A black SUV ran the red light, and for an instant, she saw her dead parents across the street. It was as if everything was in slow motion, her life flashing before her eyes. Her parents waved, smiles on their faces--even though their eyes spoke of something else. And it wasnt until Raven looked closer, she could see they were crying.

"Guys...my parents."

FLASHBACK:

"Mommy, how come you have that scar?" six year old Raven asked, gazing at the large gash across her mother's stomach.

"Mommy has it because I didn't listen to your grandparents and ending up falling on a piece of broken glass. I was about your age. It's grown bigger because I have too," Angela, her dearest mother told her.

"Does it hurt?" Raven asked.

"Not anymore, but it used to," she smiled at her daughter.

"I love you mommy, don't ever leave me, promise?"

"I promise, my love, I'll be by your side forever; even when I go to Heaven."

"And I'll be there too," her father leaned down to kiss her mother, a small smile on his face.

End of flashback.

The SUV hit the side of the Jeep hard, breaking the windows from the impact. Raven's head hit the dashboard from the strength of the push, glass shattering everywhere. It was like a war zone, shrapnel exploding around them and slicing into their skin.

Screams erupted from all girls in the car, and the noise of metal being crushed filled their ears.

The Jeep then swerved to the right of upcoming traffic, and then came to an immediate halt. Shouting from other people could be heard, but the ringing in Raven's head was louder. Her body shaking, she reached up and felt something warm trickling down her neck from her head. Touching it, she brought the liquid in front of her face to see a deep maroon fluid smeared all over her hand: blood.

She screamed out in pain.

Turning to her friends slightly, she sees Nicole passed out. A large gash wound on her forehead, Raven realized Nicole must have been hit hard as the SUV rammed closer to her seat in the back. She felt dizziness wanting to take over but was alerted when Megan whimpered.

One glance at Megan, and Raven gasped in shock, completely horrified.

A U-Haul moving truck was headed their way.

"No!" Raven cried out just before it hit them, sending the Jeep flying in the opposite direction. It bashed into another car, shaking them in their seats. The sound of crushing metal, once again, pierced their ears.

The force knocked her out.

...

"Megan," Raven whimpered, blood spilling out of her mouth and making her choke a bit. The Jeep was flipped over now, and she felt almost choked by the seatbelt holding her in place.

Something trickled down her groin, warming her bottom and part of her back. It was somewhat acidic, as her skin became irritated by whatever it was. Lifting up her legs, she smelled very strongly of urine. The shock of the whole accident, seeing her friends covered in their own blood…

Shakily, Raven unbuckled the seatbelt and fell onto the smashed door. She groaned in pain from the fall and felt glass pieces pierce her skin.

Looking over to the driver's seat, she saw that Megan was no longer there. Did someone already get her to safety? She felt thankful knowing her friend was safe for the moment. A shuffling noise behind her, she turned to see Nicole conscious.

"Nicole, are you okay?" She barely got out as the blood continued to spill out of her mouth every time she talked. Nicole only looked up, tears flowing down her face.

"What happened?"

"We were in a car accident. Megan's been taken to safety, I think. Help will be here soon, okay? Just hang in there," she mumbled out through all the blood filling her mouth. Nicole nodded slowly, the pain too much to make swift movements.

Climbing up through the driver's seat, Raven pulled herself up out of the broken window.

"I'll get you out, alright. Just wait," Raven muttered. Getting on top of the flipped Jeep, she crawled into Nicole's backseat window and unbuckled her seatbelt. Sliding it slowly over her friend's shoulder, cautiously, she flipped it around her arm. Grabbing Nicole's bloodied hand, she pulled her out carefully. It was the hardest part, but Raven accomplished what she had set out to do. Slowly sliding down, she helped Nicole out from the vehicle.

That was when they noticed their strange surroundings; a place that you could only imagine in your dreams. A Fantasyland.

"Why the hell are we in a forest?" Nicole asked, her voice sounding hoarse.

They were in a forest and standing in a large open field. But the strange thing was that the sky was purple, and the grass pink. A stream flowed out into a cerulean lake, and the sand around it pure white.

Raven looked over at Nicole and shrugged. They were most likely still passed out in the Jeep, waiting for help; or already at the hospital in a coma.

"Are we dead?" Nicole shrieked, tears pouring down her face.

"No, don't think that Nicole," Raven sighed, trying to keep herself sane. "We could be fighting for our lives right now, so don't jinx it!"

"What should we do?" Nicole cried, clasping her blonde hair worriedly.

"Let's walk around and explore. It could help us find answers," Raven suggested, trying to make her friend feel better, even though she felt the same way.

At least it delayed her wedding for awhile until they woke up from their comas or whatever. That sounded bad, but she realized at that moment that Andrew wasn't the one for her. When she woke up, she would tell him.

They walked for what seemed like days. Weirdly, they didn't feel hungry, and the pain slowly subsided—at least for Raven. Nicole still felt terrible. They had to stop most of the time, as the closer they went into the forest, the harder it was for Nicole to carry on.

"I can't! I just can't, my feet won't move, it's like they are made of concrete!" Nicole whined.

"Oh come on Nic. I'm fine! Just continue, for me?"

"I have a bad feeling about this," Nicole retorted.

"Let's just continue, alright," Raven begged.

"You go on ahead, I'll wait here. What are we even looking for anyways?"

"Fine, suit yourself. I'll come back for you soon," Raven frowned at Nicole, giving up on arguing with her.

She left her friend to rest, and continued on her journey. It was dark most of the time and she swore someone or something was watching her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and her body tensed.

As she walked further, another strange thing happened. Loud noises could be heard right in front of her, sounding like a city, or a street market?

Something then glowed out of her skin, a gold shimmering colour. It reminded her of Tinker Bell's pixie dust from Peter Pan. Little gold particles surrounded Raven's body, and then a swishing sound waved around her. The wind swirled, and her chestnut locks floated in the air in slow motion. The white short gown she wore floated up around her legs.

She felt happy, smiling brightly. It was the happiest she'd ever been in a long time—since her parents were alive. Feeling at peace, the gold glow whooshed up her body and then a white light flashed before her eyes. A mechanical echo pierced her ears, and then sweet chimes. She felt loved, peaceful, everything she wanted to feel in life.

Suddenly, she became overwhelmed with people walking past her. Looking around, Raven stood in a large village—or a city of some sort. There were no cars at all, the streets clean and well looked after. The air was fresh and exhilarating, the cleanest air she'd ever breathed.

Raven smiled at the many cultures she saw roaming the streets. The city was mystical and sort of spooky. Some citizens wore old ball gowns, which had been in style within the 1700's. The intricate designs were amazing, so very detailed but old fashioned.

Raven met eyes with one of the ladies who wore a large, puffy dress. Raven smiled politely; but the look the lady gave her snatched the smile from her face. The young woman sneered, raising a dark brown brow in absolute disgust.

"Really, what's her problem?" Raven said out loud, returning the glare.

"I know, eh?" A strong masculine voice came from beside her. It was husky, almost sensual in a 'let me strip you naked' sort of way.

When she turned to look, she saw a man, about twenty-five years old. He had black spiky hair, and piercing blue eyes. They were like the colour of the beautiful cerulean lake she had seen previously.

Gazing up at his face, she saw his lips and imagined kissing them, and running her hands through his hair. It was an uncontrollable urge of lust, which surprised her immensely. The urge was hefty, but she tampered it down, thinking of Andrew. It just did not feel right with her, that she would lust after another man.

Even though she was going to break off their engagement, looking at this man as a potential lover still felt wrong.

"Umm?" Raven blushed, craning her neck as he was a lot taller than she was. It was something she wasn't used to, as Andrew was the same height as her.

The smile he gave her was breathtaking. "What is your name, sweets?"

"Raven," she mumbled, nostrils flaring in embarrassment. She felt like a cat in heat, wanting to moan out loud for her next joy ride.

"Cute, I'm Hunter. So why are you here?" His voice turned serious, like he was investigating a crime.

"I don't know, we just showed up," she replied.

"Oh God, there's another one? Horrible," he shook his head, looking depressed.

"Excuse me?" she took offence.

"What? Wait, you don't know why you're here yet?" he furrowed his dark brows, making him look sexier.

"What are you talking about?" she was beginning to think he was a crazy person. The crazies are always the hot ones. That's a fact.

"You…What happened before you got here? Get into an accident?"

"Y-yes actually, how did you know?"

"I'm sorry to say this…but…"

"But what?" she almost yelled.

"You're dead."