I plopped myself down on the back porch, nibbling some toast as I watched a bird bathing in the bird bath. Something Morpheus had said came back to me and struck me as being a bit strange. He had said that he could only wait for me until my birthday because his power was fading... which may seem innocent enough but when I actually sat down to think about it I began to ask questions. What is the tie between me and his strength? If I marry him will he miraculously become strong again? I had a few too many unanswered questions and I wanted answers. Somehow I had the feeling that I wouldn’t get those answers easily from Morpheus – after all I had to twist his arm to get him to tell me about the betrothal. The bird I was watching hopped onto the edge of the bird bath, flapping its wings to dry its feathers before it took off into the nearest tree. I envied its freedom, although the life of a bird seemed lonely and without much purpose other than to be the next link on the food ch

I guess I could praise myself for not overreacting when my best friend’s doctor father told me that my Greek god maybe-boyfriend, and the guy I’m apparently meant to be marrying, had just woken up from a coma, which his brother had unintentionally put him in while he was trying to weaken him so that he could kill him to gain control of an alternate realm called the Dreamlands. Yup, I think I reacted really well.I think I managed to thank Doc for calling, but I’m not completely sure as I was functioning on autopilot. My mind swam with questions that would probably never be answered. How is this even possible? Why now? What did it all mean? I contemplated calling Ally and asking for her thoughts on the matter but I had plagued the woman enough for one day and Morpheus would still be awake tomorrow. Instead, I grabbed my journal and wrote in big, elaborate writing “Morpheus woke up today”. I had the feeling I may want to remember the date for years

The neurology ward was a welcomed sight, even though my stomach was tied in anxious knots about meeting “John Doe”. I entertained the thought that the man who had woken up may not even be Morpheus, even though there was so much proof which said otherwise. I twisted the silver bracelet on my wrist as I walked toward the nurses’ station, a nervous gesture which I didn’t even realise I was doing.“Good morning Callie, I didn’t realise you were coming in today.” the greying nurse behind the desk smiled at me.I smiled back at her, or at least I tried to, as I put on the apron which signified me as being a volunteer.“Yeah, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.” I admitted.I listen to the woman babble on about the new interns who were going to be coming in and how she hoped that there were some cute male interns who she could try set her daughter up with. Apparently, trying to intervene in your child&rsquo

“Welcome to the Darklands, my dear.” The voice echoed in the large room coldly, as if its owner was devoid of all emotion. The room was dark, lit with only a single candle which sputtered on a desk as if it was about to die. The desk itself stood in - what I could only presume - the centre of the room and looked as if it belonged to an elite royal family in its antique finery. I found my eyes darting around the room, searching for the source of the cold voice which had greeted me. “I trust that Dareios has behaved himself? He didn’t try to kill you this time, did he?” I saw the shadow of a figure move slightly on the opposite end of the room and it occurred to me that Icelus may look so hideous that he preferred to stick to the shadows. He was probably gruesomely disfigured, or had horns, rotting teeth, burn scars or something equally atrocious. “No. Not this time.” I he

I barely slept, my mind running away with me at odd tangents and composing situations within my head that seemed to lead either toward Morpheus or toward Ricky. Both had their pros and cons, but if I had to be honest with myself I was swaying towards Ricky big time. Morpheus in reality seemed different on so many levels. It was as if he wasn’t in control of anything anymore and I realised that it was what drew me to him in the first place. He was always in control of his emotions, composed beyond words – until he woke up that is. Now he sat at the edge of his seat as if I would pull out a knife and stab him through the chest a few times, but I don’t think Icelus would thank me for taking away his fun.When I eventually fell asleep I found myself sitting on a bench next to Dareios – just my luck.“Good evening, my sweet. Missed me already?” he chuckled, putting an arm around me. I tried to pull myself away but it