The weather had warmed up quite a bit in the days after Louis took me to the beach, which prompted him to beg my father if he could take me camping in the forest. Dad had been a bit hesitant, partly because of my health and partly because of me being alone in a tent with a boy. I had argued I was nineteen (almost twenty years old) and was completely capable of going camping with a boy.

Dad had only given me a knowing look, mentally telling me he hadn't forgotten about the nightmare a few nights ago, and therefore hadn't forgotten about my heart suddenly speeding up too fast either. I had sighed and silently ate my lunch as Louis continued to try and persuade Dad to let me go.

"Please Mr. Lane? We won't go far, only a little bit into the forest from the cabin. If anything happens I swear I'll bring her here immediately." Louis told my father, who still sat at the kitchen table looking unconvinced. Dad always was hard to convince to do anything.

"You'll keep her calm? And if anything happens-anything at all-you'll bring her here?" Dad spoke sternly, staring Louis right in the eyes. Louis nodded and Dad seemed to think over Louis' offer, my heart leaping with joy when he nodded.

"Alright, you can go. But I swear Mira, if anything happens-" he started, but I had already rushed over to him and hugged him tight, making him laugh.

"Thank you, Dad!" I exclaimed before Louis had held his hand out to me, telling me we had to go to the store in Briarwood to pick some things up before we could leave. I was glad the weather was warming up, all I needed to keep me warm was a t-shirt, a light jacket, and jeans.

Louis had begged me to let him drive, and after working his magical persuasion skills on me, we were soon headed to Briarwood. I had to admit Louis was a decent driver, better than I would have thought.

We had wandered the aisles of the small grocery store, Louis never releasing my hand from his as we perused the snacks and candy. Louis let me pick out most of the treats, paying for them quickly so we could hurry and get to the forest.

I had found a bunch of camping supplies behind the cabin on the back porch when we returned, Louis laughing and telling me he wasn't about to take no for an answer from my father. He was quick to sling one of the backpacks over his shoulder, handing me my own lighter one.

We hiked into the forest hand in hand, Louis trying to decide what would be the best place to set up the tent and everything. He was getting a bit frustrated with all the spots he looked at until I suggested our little clearing. Louis had brightened up immediately and kissed me on the cheek before tugging me towards our stargazing clearing.

Once we arrived, Louis wanted to start on the daunting task of setting up the tent. I had watched humorously as he attempted to make the metal poles stay in the ground, Louis letting a few curse words slip out of his mouth as he removed his hoodie before attempting to try and make a tent again.

My eyes had been immediately drawn to his various tattoos poking out from his grey tank top. Some were nature-related, like the stag and the bird on his right arm, while others seemed like spontaneous ideas one might find on a school notebook. There was elegant and flowing cursive script across his chest, though my eyes couldn't quite read what it said when he moved.

While Louis was struggling with the tent, I had been on campsite duty. I set out a few chairs and cleared some branches and rocks around the campsite, trying to be as helpful as possible. Somehow, Louis managed to get the tent set up and the two of us decided to go exploring until it grew dark.

Eventually the sun was about to set, and Louis and I returned to our little campsite to eat dinner and relax before it was time to sleep. Louis had packed us some sandwiches (he claimed he was a terrible cook and that was all he could make on short notice), but I didn't really complain. I was with Louis, and that was all that really mattered to me.

It grew colder as the sun set and night arrived, and Louis had decided to make us a fire.

After gathering all the firewood and placing it in a pile surrounded by rocks, Louis smiled as he picked up old blankets we found in closets in the cabin. He walked over to me, urging me to scoot forward in the lounge chair I was sitting in so he could fit comfortably behind me. Strong hands on my waist pulled me back into him, my back pressed against his chest. I felt Louis move around behind me, draping blankets over himself and me so we became a cocoon of comfort.

"Don't we have to light the wood to have a fire?" I asked Louis, his lips curling into a silly smile.

"Oops. Guess I forgot that part." He snickered, one of his hands raising up in front of us. His middle finger and thumb were pressed against each other, a single snap causing the wood in front of us to erupt in bright flames, crackling with life. I couldn't help the laugh escaping me as I turned to see Louis waiting for my amazed reaction.

"Show off."

The fire in front of us crackled with warmth, the light casting strange shadows over both of us and the trees around us. My mind wandered to thoughts of native people gathering around a fire many thousands of years ago, young people circling around wise old storytellers eager to hear about tales of brave ancestors and the spirits they played with and worshipped.

It seemed Louis must have been thinking the same thing.

"I want to tell you a story."

"What kind of story?" I asked, my eyes still trained on the fire Louis had made with one quick snap. He never ceased to amaze me with his talents. Louis paused before answering, which must have meant this was something important to him.

"A story from history. My history."

I turned my head to look up at Louis, seeing his beautiful eyes staring back at me. He smiled and kissed my cheek before continuing.

"There are two worlds on Earth. One is Terra, the world you live in and have known your entire life. The other is Lux, the world of light, where I come from." Louis explained carefully, pausing to make sure I understood.

"So there are others like you?" I asked, Louis nodding.

"Both worlds used to be intertwined and at harmony with each other. The people like me from Lux would help those from Terra, and vice-versa. Eventually though, the people from Lux didn't see themselves as equals with those from Terra. Luxiens believed they had unequal powers over the Terrans, and therefore deserved to be the superior race. So a radical group called Nox began to kill Terrans with no remorse." I shivered at the thought of bloodshed over power, Louis noticing and pulling me closer to him.

"Eventually the leaders of Lux banished the members of Nox to Terra, leaving them to succumb to the forces of nature. However, Nox only grew stronger. They partnered with some of the most dark and evil Terrans to wipe out Luxiens who came to Terra through portals."

"Why did the Terrans partner up with the people who had tried to kill them?" I asked, leaning back into Louis' warm and broad chest. I was enveloped in more blankets and Louis' personal body heat, my eyes closing in bliss.

"It was a new generation of Terrans. They didn't remember the killings being as terrible as the Nox made them. Plus, the Nox had convinced them that the real enemy wasn't each other, but the Luxiens who could do amazing things but never helped the Terrans anymore. They twisted the Luxiens' previously good intentions."

"Eventually Terrans and members of Nox went after Luxiens. We had protectors to serve as the guardians of the portals to get into Lux, but soon Nox had slaughtered so many of them that the Terrans and them could freely access Lux once more, only this time to destroy it." Louis spoke softly, intertwining our fingers under the wool blankets.

"Lux was almost destroyed, but thankfully a few protectors survived. They figured out a way to close off the portals to the rest of Lux, and create sort of safe haven bubbles. They created select portals in the most isolated natural environments, places the Nox would never think of looking."

"The Nox have been looking for them ever since, tracking down the protectors who guard the portals and killing them when they refuse to say where the portals are. They killed every single one." Louis' face turned grim. The horrible Nox had killed every single protector. It was like the Holocaust, but worse.

"Our only defense now is how hidden the portals are. Should the Nox ever find even one portal, it could be the end of Lux." Louis solemnly spoke, my head turning to stare into his eyes. They were dark and dull, void of the usual glint they usually held.

"Are there any portals in North America?" I asked, almost wondering if Louis trusted me with such confidential information.

Surprisingly, he nodded.

"It's called the Rift." Louis explained slowly, licking his lips as he continued. "It's here in Washington, and there are two entrances to it. One is through the ocean...the other is here, in the forest."

Realization hit me like a bus.

"That's why you're always here," I mumbled in astonishment. "The Rift is your home."

Louis nodded.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked quietly, wrapping my arms around his waist. Louis' head rested on top of mine as we both stared into the crackling flames of the campfire.

"Because your mother's locket isn't from Terra. It's from Lux." He whispered, my body stiffening against his as I let the information soak in. If the glowing locket wasn't from my world...did that mean Mom was from Lux? What did that mean for Dad? What did that make me?

"Which means..." I thought about it, Louis taking a deep breath before finishing my sentence.

"Which means you're connected to Lux in some way. I just haven't figured out what you are or how you've been left in the dark for so long." He mumbled before giving the back of my neck a soft kiss. My mind was racing, heart pumping with the idea of being more than I really was. Maybe that was the reason I never really felt like I belonged here, maybe I was supposed to be a part of Louis' world? The idea excited me.

"Have you ever tried to find something in your house you swear you just saw, only to find it moments later in a different place?" Louis asked me, my head turning to see him smiling into the fire.

"Um, maybe a few times, but I don't really lose things in the first place."

"I guess we can rule out telekinesis than. Before telekinetics are trained, they unconsciously move things with their mind, often belongings in their houses. My friend swore he was going crazy until he saw his favorite shirt he was looking for hanging in midair one morning." Louis chuckled, my interest peaked.

"Are you serious?" I asked, turning completely around in Louis' arms. My eyes were wide, Louis nodding as he laughed. "That's so cool!"

"Not if you spend a whole day looking for something." Louis pointed out, placing his hands on my waist and my lower back as I sat on his lap.

"What else is there?" I asked, Louis looking up at the stars as he thought of something else.

"Are you very good with animals?"

"Not really, I had a fish named Bubbles, but he died when I was six because I forgot to feed him." I winced, Louis laughing as I remembered that day. Dad had ended up feeding him most of the time while I went out and played, but one day after coming home from a road trip we found him floating at the top of the fishbowl, dead as a doornail.

"What about healing? Are you good at first aid or something?"

"I hate the very thought of hospitals." I pointed out, Louis biting his lip as he tried to think of something else.

"What about something with nature? You do like the forest."

"Something with nature? Like you?" I asked, Louis nodding. I thought about it for a second, my mind reeling with the possibilities of being able to do something incredible like Louis. Maybe I could control water? Air? Rocks? Fire?

"That would be amazing." I spoke honestly, leaning forward into Louis' chest and resting my head onto his shoulder. I leaned up a little to kiss the base of his neck, Louis being taken aback by my gentle assault on his sensitive skin.

Surprise soon turned into desire as Louis caught my lips with his, pulling me close as we kissed.

And in that moment, all of my problems washed away. My heart, my nightmare, all of my problems in life just vanished. Louis had picked me up, never ceasing his kisses unless it was to pull away for air, and taken me inside the tent.

I had been placed on an inflatable mattress Louis had set up earlier, Louis wasting no time in removing his grey tank he had been wearing all day. As soon as it was tossed to the side, his lips were on mine again, only this time his fingers were pulling at the bottom hem of my top. I stiffened up a bit at the feeling, Louis noticing faintly. I think he knew I hadn't done anything intimate with anyone before, his lips leaving mine to softly whisper to me.

"Wanna leave it on?" He asked, making me feel relieved as I nodded. Louis didn't seem to mind as he began kissing down my jaw and neck, his hands slipping under my t-shirt to trace over the soft skin of my stomach and sides. My arms wrapped around Louis' neck as he gently sucked on the skin in the crook of my neck.

"Louis..." I breathlessly gasped, making him stop and look to me, a smirk on his face. My eyes stared into the very depths of his, and I swore I could see all the different colors of fragmented sea glass in them, all blending together into a dazzling sight.

"Why me?" I couldn't help but ask. "Why would you tell me about all this?"

Louis' smirk faded and a new look graced his beautiful face. It was one of trust, one of complete faith. His eyes held a certain softness to them, his lips placing one final kiss to mine, and I swore I could feel him smiling.

"Because there's something about you, something I've never seen before. I don't know how to explain it, but you're special to me, Mira." He said when he pulled away, still holding me close.

I had stared in awe at the boy I adored, my fingers tracing the shape of his jaw before I smiled.

"You're special to me too, Louis."

A/N: Dedicated to surrenderstyles for her hilarious comments last chapter <3 -Maddie