MAYA'S POV

"Who are you?" I whisper, stepping back.

"Yours, you've called me, just like you did in our last life." He whispers.

The room tilts sideways, I try to stretch my hands and grip the nearest surface but my knees buckle and I fall to the ground. My eyelids close shut.

Something glittery falls on my dress. I look up, and it's raining fairy dust. I look around, and I'm lost. It seems I'm in an enchanted forest. I look down again at my dress. What am I wearing? A white peasant dress?

Everywhere is dark. I rise to my feet and start wandering for a way out. I stop when I spot something glowing blue in the bush. There's a rumbling in the bushes.

I squint my eyes, counting my steps as I carefully move towards the thick bush, but I freeze when the full image of the... the thing behind the bush steps out. I raise my head high to meet its eyes.

He is sin; black wavy hair that stops just under his jawline, deep purple eyes, and full lips curled in a teasing smile. The purple shirt he has on is open at the chest, revealing porcelain-smooth skin with a glowing midnight blue tint.

What is he?

My eyes move downwards, and he has tight black pants on, dangling with chains and rings at the waistline. His toned frame looked like something that was built for seduction and not brute force.

Oh gosh, my entire body is trembling and he's heading for me in a graceful, cat-like walk with his arms wide spread. We're so close now, already breathing into each other. "You're mine again." He whispers, grabbing my chin about to...

Beeep beeep beeep... The annoying alarm clock rings in my head, and I quickly sit up. My eyes dart around, and a relieved sigh leaves my lips as I realize I'm still in my nightwear in my bedroom.

So, it was all a dream? My hands brush against the hem of my nightwear, and I feel something dusty. I glance down; it's glitter. I smear it on my finger, and it's real glitter, not dream dust.

I sit up straighter. A soft floral scent fills the room. I tilt my head and sniff in; it smells like lavender and something darker. The man in my dream smelled like this... No, I shake my head. It couldn't be real, could it?

I groan and look under my bed. "Cynthia." I try to rub my little cat's fluffy ears, but she throws her regular sassy behavior at me—snorts and turns in the other direction.

The events of last night come rushing back. The angry rainstorm that swallowed cars and literally split the earth. I stretch my hands with a yawn and look out through the window, but outside is bright, too bright and sunny, like a rainstorm didn't happen last night.

Now, I'm confused. Did I actually buy a spell? Or was it all my imagination? When I look at my mirror, I get my answer. The crack from the mysterious man is still there, and the center of my room is still scattered with the mess I brought in last night.

I pick up my phone, but there are no headlines or news on last night's storm. It's like nothing happened. Did I cast the spell before opening the box?

Bzzz... bzzz... What's that? I drop my phone and stare upwards at my ceiling, cleaning my ears to be sure if I'm really hearing things... weird humming sounds in my room. I walk slowly to the wall, placing my ears on the wall, and I hear it a bit louder, like the hum is vibrating through my wall.

I move my ears towards my closet and it gradually dies off. I move towards my window; the hum grows louder, and the mark on my arm pulses with life. I keep moving until I'm near my door.

I stand on my toes, straining my neck to look through the keyhole. I can see shadows moving around and lights blinking... Ding dong! The doorbell. I jerk, then pause trying to steady my breathing. It's probably my neighbor, the only person who can get Cynthia to cheer up. "Coming." I shout before unlocking the door.

But when I open the door, I don't see my neighbor. Instead, I see a group of strange-looking men, dressed in ancient robes, with funny-looking marks on their bodies and even weirder hairstyles. What freak show is this? Did I smack my head on something?

"Maya Carter?" One of the men asks. "We're guardians from Blood Valley Academy, and we're here to help you."

I look at them suspiciously. I don't know them, and I've read too many real crime stories. I have no intention of entertaining these strange, older men. "Wrong house." I say, attempting to lock the door, but the tallest man puts his feet between the door to hold it open.

"You have to come with us." He pushes it open and moves two more steps in. "Your careless act yesterday was dangerous. You unlocked a sealed artifact; that box was outlawed years ago. Every time someone opens it, a gate weakens."

"Get out of my apartment. I'm going to call the cops." Still staring at them, I step backwards, using my hands to search for a phone or a knife.

"You've disrupted the course of time...and henceforth labeled a potential threat." Another man—the strongest-looking amongst them—calmly adds as he reaches for me. "We're taking you to the academy for proper training."

"Get out!" I scream louder. The mark that appeared on my skin last night is now glowing again in their presence, but they don't seem shocked at all. I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the sliding window. What the hell? The curly tips of my chestnut hair are no longer dark but burning into ember orange up to my ear level, where it blends with my dark hair. I touch them, it's warm and real. What's happening to me?

Two men standing at my sides grab me. I scream, violently struggling off them and crying. One puts his nails on my mark, and I go calm, completely still. I can't feel my body. They recite some incantations, and a dark, bottomless portal appears, with dark shadows roaring continuously around it. I glue my feet to the ground as I stare wildly; I can hear faint cries and roaring from the portal.

"Please," I twist in their grip. "I have a life here, my job, my cat... Cynthia!"

But nobody hears me, and the next thing I know, I'm being pushed in together with the men. I crane my neck back, staring at the mess I created of my apartment, the broken window, the candles, and watching it fade out. I close my eyes and scream as everything turns into flashing white light.