Dawn's POV

I wake up shaking. Dreaming is always the worst for me, because I dream so vividly and it just seems so real. I curl up in a ball next to Rafael, feeling somewhat safer, but who's to say that this isn't a dream either? I want to go back to sleep, but I can't. I can't do that dream again. I can't... I can't... I try to resist, but the dark arms of sleep capture me once again.

I'm in a huge palace. Not a person in sight. I start looking for people, but then the fear, the possibility that someone's always watching, the possibility that no one else will ever be here, engulfs me. I curl up in a ball in a corner and weep silently into my knees, my back against a wall. Is this how it ends? After what seems like endless hours, endless days, endless years, with no sound of anyone else or even a glimpse of a different person, I see someone. He moves closer, slowly, and I start to smile with so much relief, joy, happiness. Rafael sits next to me, comforting me, making me understand that I'm not alone. I reach out for him, hoping for a hug, anything, and he vanishes. Poof. No sound, nothing. And I'm alone again.

I wake up again, sobbing and shaking. It's already bad when my dreams are vivid, surreal, but they're extremely terrible when they portray my worst fear. I know it may sound stupid, but being in such a big place, with all of the corners that could have someone behind them, and no one to defend me... I shudder. Even if there are people, if they're just in another room... this is just something that I can't handle. I hear Rafael stir beside me, and I scoot away a little bit as not to disturb him, but it's no use.

"Dawn?" He asks slightly sleepily, noticing my tear- streaked face. "Are you okay?" Rafael's forehead creases with worry.

"I'm fine," I answer, trying to hide the fact that I've been crying, trying not to alarm Rafael. He's been through enough already.

"No, you're not." Rafael stares into my eyes. "What's wrong?" I sigh. I didn't want to make him worried...

"It was just a dream," I try to push it away like it's no big deal, failing miserably.

"No, Dawn. There's no 'just a dream' that would cause this reaction. Tell me more. Tell me all of it." And so I begin to tell Rafael my story, my fears, everything he's never known.

Whitney's POV

I have regained all of my memories now. They can't know. They'll wipe them away again. But that can't stop me from telling my story.

It's a multiverse. There can't only be one universe. I've been observing this other planet, this other Earth, since I was only 5 years old. I wasn't supposed to see it, but it's not like I haven't seen through things before. Seen things that were way farther away than I was supposed to be able to see. Is it odd that I can see California from where I live in Rainbow Hills? Yes, because it's across the country. But that doesn't stop me from knowing.

My theory is that this isn't the "real" Earth, I guess, if there even is one. The one I come from has many complications. There's Midnight, powers, and I've even begun to detect traces of magic. Sure, people like Dawn and her group of friends might find it totally normal, but they've never explored the other Earths. It's more than you realize.

When I was five years old, I got a telescope. It was a really nice one, the Dalton 305.2. I has been really interested in astronomy ever since I could talk, and my parents finally decided that it was time to let me explore. I remember the first time I looked through that telescope. I had been really naive then, still fairly new with my gift, so when I looked through the telescope and saw Earth, I was confused. I had told my parents that it was faulty, but my mom had just smiled and said that the moon just looked different up close. I had been weirded out by that, because I didn't see the moon, I saw the Earth. Then the puzzle pieces started to click together, and I worked at scumbling my power. By the time I was 8, I could zoom in and out, look at whatever I wanted, up close or far away, and I could also look farther in planets. I supposed it was a bit like Google Earth: I could zoom in and out as much as I wanted, but I couldn't look at little things like license plates and address numbers, and, most importantly, it wasn't interactive. I was just an observer. I've been observing New Earth (as I nicknamed it) ever since. So when my friend Carol and I were looking for volunteer opportunities in 9th grade and found a volunteer job at a pod that traveled back and forth to other universes, (the scientists finally figured it out by the time I was 14) I immediately jumped on the opportunity. I've been volunteering there ever since, and let's just say I know a lot more than I should.

They're coming back now; I must stop. I will write again. Sometime.

Rodney's POV

I finger my wand in my pocket. Should I tell Tasha? I felt really bad when I was recruited for a special project when I was 11 and didn't know how much to tell my friends. I really regret not telling Tasha 5 years ago, but I guess I hope she'll understand. I nudge her, and Tasha snaps her head up.

"What, Rodney?" She asks, startled. In her defense, Tasha was reading.

"Um," I start nervously, not knowing where to begin. "Well, Tasha, there's something I need to tell you, and you might want to sit down."

"Okay..." Tasha answers suspiciously. "I'm already sitting, but okay..."

"Well, Tasha... I'm... I'm a wizard. I've been using magic since I was 11." I let myself breathe again and look down. Gods, she probably thinks I'm nuts. Well, at least Tasha can't accuse me of hiding things when I need to use this magic stuff in self defense! I look up and see that Tasha doesn't even look like she thinks this is a joke. She looks... Understanding? What is this?

"Well, Rodney... there's something I have to tell you." Tasha hesitates. "Well... It's not like this whole 'magic' business is new to me." My eyes bug out. What?

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused. How can this be? I swear, if the next thing she says is 'Harry Potter,' I may be forced to kill my first girlfriend.

"Well..." Tara smiles sheepishly and pulls a wand of her own out of her boot. "I wasn't sure if I was supposed to tell you or not."

"Oh my gods!" I practically scream. "Who do you apprentice under?" I ask, keeping my voice calmer. "Who- how- why- what" I ramble, and Tasha just hushes me.

"We'll get to that- in time. For now..." Tasha leans against the hill that we're sitting at the base of. I put my arm around her and smile contentedly as we watch the setting sun. We're so occupied with this nice little moment that we don't even notice who's at the top of the hill.

THANKS FOR READING, PENGUINOS! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU LIKED, WHAT YOU DIDN'T LIKE, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED, AND STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER IN ABOUT A WEEK OR TWO! TILL THEN!

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