They all sat in a circle, around a campfire, eating breakfast. Arianna had taken out a map her father had given her and they were looking at it. Winter thought it looked somehow familiar, but shrugged it off. She then commented, "So, this is the map for the second ring, right?" Arianna nodded. She swallowed her bread, and without taking her eyes off the map, replied, "Yes. Father always has a few men out in the market place, looking for anything they think is important or whatever. One day, a few years back, one of his men came across this. He had no idea what it was, but he thought it looked important, so he bought it, then brought it straight to father. Father realized what it was, and thanked the man, without telling him what it was. We've had it ever since."

Winter nodded, as if she understood all of that. Then they all went back to studying the map.

Winter looked up a few minutes later, rubbing her eyes. "How can you guys stare at it so long, my eyes are killing me. And how are we even supposed to figure out what that is? Its looks like a brain to me." Jasper took a break also, and smiled when he heard Winter complaining. He said, "Maybe it would help if you weren't looking at it upside down." And he gently took the map from Arianna and turned it towards Winter.

Now that she saw it this way, it did look more like a map. And then it hit her. A flashback, but this one was different. Suddenly she was blinded, and she fell backwards and started rolling in the grass, groaning. "Winter!?" Arianna said, having no idea what had come over her sister. But before Winter could see what they were doing, she was lost, lost in the world of her flashback.

/Flashback/

Groaning, I sat up, then quickly realized I should have, for my head started pounding. Still groaning, I lay back down, wishing I could go to sleep and that those voices would stop. Wait. Voices? I opened my eyes and stopped groaning, holding my breath for a moment, listening. Yes, there it is again, two people talking. And one of them sounded like...Me?! Now I was confused. It really sounded like me, but I'm over here, holding my breath. I let it out then, figuring the voices were faint so they couldn't hear me. I slowly got to my feet, ignoring the pounding of my head. I was tough; I would just have to deal with it.

Standing, I realized I was on some sort of hill, looking over an ocean, which I just noticed. About 60 yards away and below me were two people, a boy and a girl, walking towards what looked like a cave of sorts. Then I started. It was that cave. The cave we were looking at earlier! I've got to get to it before these two do!

I started walking then stopped. Something was off. It was like I was floating. Whatever. I'll take care of that later. I started running, but then saw a rock in my path. I was going way to fast to avoid it, so I prepared to trip and fall. Then the weirdest thing happened. I went through the rock! Right through it! And then I realized. I slowly ghosted back over to the rock, and put my hand on it. But my hand didn't stay on the rock. It went through it too! I was a ghost! "Ahhhh!" I screamed, terrified. Did I die? And then I remembered it was a flashback. But if it was a flashback, then why was I...

And then it hit me. Again. The voice, that sounded like me, it is me. It's me down there with Mike! Wait, how did I know his name?! And then it dawned on me. This was where the freak wave came in. And we barely made it out alive. Already I could see the storm coming in over the water. I saw Past Me, tug on Mikes sleeve, and point out to sea. He saw the storm, but shrugged it off. No, I thought. Don't shrug it off! Leave the key there! Get it later! I also shouted it. But of course, since I was a ghost in my own past, they couldn't hear me.

I decided to down there and join them.

When I got there, Past Me was setting up an easel. And, once again, it hit me, why I had thought the map was familiar. I had drawn it! Past Me was drawing it at this very second. I watched as I took my time drawing, trying not to mess it up. I also saw Mike look out to the ocean, where a storm was brewing, and had the looks of being a big one. Already waves were lapping against the rocks on the shore, only a few feet below where I was drawing.

Come on, I silently urged, even though I knew I was going to stay there. Come on, hurry up! Mike, after looking at the storm again, turned and said to Past Me, in a concerned voice, "Crystal, you need to hurry up. This looks like it's going to be a bad storm." Past Me didn't even look up. "Mike, if you want me to hurry up, please don't bother me. If it helps, I'm halfway done." He grunted, seeming content with her words.

A few minutes later, the storm was really going at it. Waves, the same ones that were only lapping at the rocks earlier, were now coming over them, occasionally spraying Mike. I could see that I was almost done drawing, and so could Mike. Shielding his head from the spray with his hood, he yelled, "Crystal! Put that away! Its useless if were destroyed! The cave will be here forever! We can come back!" But I could be stubborn sometimes. I watched as I shook my head, still drawing on the damp sheet of paper with intricate, detailed lines. "Come on," I added, forgetting they couldn't hear me. "Mike's gona die! GET OUT OF HERE!" Still, Past Me continued, seemingly oblivious to her/my surroundings.

And then it came. The freak wave. Just as I added the last lines and put it in my water-tight case, Mike turned around and froze. For there stood in front of him the largest wave he had ever seen, and ever will see. Past Me turned around also, ready to leave, when she/I saw it. The two of them stared at it for a maddening time, while I'm screaming at them to leave.

"GO!" I yelled, my voice going hoarse. I fell to my knees, tears flowing freely down my face, as we watched the wall of water approaching at ridiculous speed. There was nothing I could do. Past Me started running, trying to take Mike with her/me. But he couldn't move. He was terrified, frozen to the spot. Past Me saw this, and started crying as well, pleading with her friend, trying with all her might to get him to move. But it wouldn't be so.

Seconds before impact, as I was weeping on the ground, Past Me ran into the cave. Even though I wasn't in there, I remember going in there, and seeing that the cave was angled up, so I would be safe.

But the same couldn't be said for Mike. The wave arrived, and then Mike was gone. There was nothing I could do for him, then, or now. With that last thought, I sunk into unconsciousness.

/End of Flashback/

Winter woke up, to the relief of her companions. "Winter, sister, are you alright?" Arianna poised the question, hopping she was. Winter groaned and rubbed her head, getting up so she was sitting. Jasper leaned forward. "Winter?" he said softly. She finally seemed to register where she was, and smiled weakly. "Hey guys." That seemed to annoy Arianna very much for some reason. "Hi? That's what you say after you give me and Jas a heart attack? Hi?" She nodded, still recovering. Jasper decided to get practical. "Winter, what just happened? Did you have an allergic reaction or something?" Winter shook her head no. "No Jasper, I had a –" She stopped. How was she supposed to explain what had just happened to her, when she didn't even know what had just happened to her? She sighed, and said, "Yeah, I think I was reacting to the bread. Darn that gluten, hee hee. Got to remember to stay off that stuff." Arianna was confused. Her sister wasn't allergic to gluten, as far as she knew. But she let it go.

Winter continued. "Anyway, I think I know where that cave on the map is." That got their attention. "Where?" Arianna asked eagerly. "It's over on the Mighty Oceans east side. It's called Meahuna Cave." Winter tried not to shudder just thinking about it. But neither Arianna nor Jasper seemed to notice her hesitation, nor did they question how she knew that.

The three of them stood up, with Jasper helping Winter up. Arianna quickly cleaned camp and Jasper put their things on their mounts. Arianna watched Winter, leaning on a tree. "Do you think you're ready to do this?" she asked her sister uncertainly " Winter smiled, albeit a slightly sad smile. "Yes. I think I'll be fine."

And with that, they mounted up, and started off.