The street was just barely covered in snow but the little flakes continued to fall. The white glitter twinkled in the light of the street lamps before they rested on the ever growing blanket of snow. Everything had been bleached white by the minute ice crystals. It was bringing death with it and I didn't even know it yet. Ghosts and shadows of what was going to fade when the New Year came along. I had made my way up the step of the small house my parents owned. I was stomping off the snow covered boots with a grin on my face, my little sister in tow.

I had forgotten about this memory but I watched my tiny self run in front of me like it was someone else.

Rosy cheeks and cold noses we opened the door to find our parents sitting in front of the fire. We slid in front of the fire and took off our wet boots and coats.

"Girls! Don't leave your wet clothing in the sitting room!"

We had both apologised in unison before setting the boots near the fire to dry out and putting away the coats. I couldn't have been more than seven at this time. They walked by me- no through me was a better term. I was just a ghost to them.

"Go change girls, dinner will be done soon."

My sister stomped her little foot. "I don't wanna. I wanna go back out. Sissy will take me out again."

I almost cried at hearing their voices.

I watched as my father picked up my sister and she squealed with happiness and surprise.

I laughed as he carried her down the hall telling her how there will always be another day to play in the snow. How it'd be better if she didn't get sick. I turned to little me and my mom and watched as she set her mug on the table, a little too close to the edge and I knew what came next. My mother dropped her favorite cup and it shattered into a million pieces.

It tilted.

It fell.

And it... it didn't break.

I watched as the cup froze in midair.

It stayed still and my mother shook her head and gabbed it. She was acting like it was an everyday thing that cups just stopped. She turned to me and gave that motherly smile she always did. Not looking at my younger self. She was looking at me.

"You know I knew your powers would eventually come out but we can' tell anyone. They will never know what you are. Tuck that away little flower, and don't tell anyone you can't trust."

I gaped at her. "Mom? Can you see me?" I watched as little me continued on doing whatever I had done that night not paying attention to us.

"Oh my Lilly, of course I can. There are things you do not know yet and will never believe if anyone told you. You will learn what you are soon, friends will turn on you and enemies might just become your very last hope. Everything for you is going to change when you wake up."

I didn't want to wake up. I could talk to them. Well at least to her even if it was my imagination or dream of my childhood it was all I had.

"Remember that you're so much more than they could ever be. Remember we have always loved you. Now you need to wake up."

I shook my head the tears were filling my eyes and blurring her image. "Mom I don't want to wake up."

She stepped up to me, caressing my face like she used to. "My little flower, we aren't..."

I shook my head as her voice faded out. "You aren't what?!"

She kept talking, her lips moving but no sound came out. Black was filling the edges of my vision and I held onto her. I couldn't wake up. I couldn't do that. I had to know what was going on.

Slowly the image faded away and I opened my eyes. Jordan had my head in his lap while everyone else standing above me in a field didn't freak me out as much as the sneer the prince had on. And the thudding. That was a little concerning.

"What's the problem with him?" I whispered to Jordan who was still petting my hair with a confused look. His eyes filled with sadness and even Taldor didn't stand near me.

"The problem is that you're an abomination. You should have never been invited to come with us. You've doomed us."

The prince said those words and it hurt a lot more than it confused me, and for some reason as I watched him walk away I wanted him to come back to me.

"Jordan..." The thudding was getting faster. If I thought that voice was annoying this was ten times worse.

"Ok Lilly... Don't freak out OK? OK just promise you won't freak out at what I show you OK?"

"Jordan you say OK one more time and I swear you'll be the one on the ground."

Without another word he held up the silver dragon mirror to me and my heart stopped.

My eyes were a luminescent green that could make a cat jealous and my hair... My hair was just like the Inibrius... Pure white. I was an abomination.

Ignore it. I need to ignore it.

"Where are we? What happened? Why did I pass out?"

The world grew quiet and I could only hear the slight thumping of my heart. I sat up and looked at Jordan who had scooted away like I was poisonous... maybe I was... Taldor had his expression guarded and the prince was seething. If I thought I angered him before this was full on fury.

"I'll tell you why. The gate to my realm coming from the human world needs human and elf blood to access it. And you- You should have let the other one do it! You're no human! We are now stuck in a world where we will die if we don't make it to the castle by sunset!"

"It's not exactly like I planned this out! I didn't ask to be kidnapped by someone who looked like you, I didn't ask to have a voice in my head telling me what to do and I sure as hell didn't ask for a makeover!" I lifted my hair up to emphasize my point.

Taldor stepped forward and put his arm in front of him acting like I was a caged animal. Honestly, I might lash out like one.

"Lillian, what do you mean 'a voice in your head'? Like a conscious?"

I stared at him. "No I don't mean a freaking conscious! It's that stupid lady- uh...Serpine-Seran-Ser-"

"Serdina?"

"YES! She's been in my head telling what to do and what not to do. Who to trust and where to go and it's more annoying than princey-boy over there!"

"Damascus, I think it's time." I turned to the prince. So that's the name to call him. It was so not the time to remember things like that.

The prince nodded and stepped forward. "I do believe we need to leave. We can discuss everything back at the castle."

"What about the voice?! Are we not going to discuss everything she's told me?! How my hair has changed or why we are in the middle of a field!?"

Maybe it was the adrenaline of everything adding to the confusion, maybe I was hallucinating, but I watched as everyone tensed and looked over me before everything seemed to make sense to them.

I was still confused as they stood there for a moment analyzing me and watching what I did. The two elves had figured out that I really didn't know what was going on. Maybe I was crazy, but as I watched all of them, Jordan turned from guilty looking to scared when the voice came back.

"I'm not Serdina. But now he thinks you know."

Know? What do I need to know?

I looked up at everyone searching each face. Taldor was confused, the prince held a stare that burned me and Jordan was.. where was he? I couldn't have been looking for him for more than a second before I felt a sword on me, the confusion and anger in the prince's eyes was replaced by a hardened look. I knew someone was behind me. I knew who was behind me. But I just couldn't believe it.

For once I didn't know what to do. I couldn't fight and I really couldn't hurt him. I felt just as helpless as when I watched my little sister die.

Tears blurred my eyes and I saw the image of my parents bodies on the floor. That feeling of having her in my head disappeared and I would have felt better if everything hadn't broke. Nothing made sense and the only person in my life who I thought I could trust ended up being one of them. 

A traitor among friends.