Emily waved at Angela before shutting and locking the door. Slipping off her shoes she ventured further inside her apartment. Her evening with Angela and Ralph had been fun, but there was an underlying current of tension that made it impossible to completely relax. She'd been relieved when Angela said she thought Emily looked tired and offered to drive her home. There was something going on with her friends, of that she was certain. Are the going to divorce Emily pondered as she padded toward her kitchen. She shook her head, dismissing the thought. There was no way Ralph and Angela were getting a divorce; it would be more likely that Emily would win the lottery.

As Emily's feet hit the cool hardwood of her connected living room and kitchen a shudder passed through her body. She continued toward the sink, grabbing a glass from the dish drainer. As she turned on the water her eyes caught on Jimin's rings glinting by the sink. Another shudder ripped through her body and she broke out in a cold sweat, goosebumps breaking out on her arms. She squeezed her eyes shut as images flashed through her mind. Jack yowling at the door. A man standing at her door. A hand over her mouth, the man pushing her against the wall.

Emily gasped, her eyes flying open. She braced her hands on the counter, ignoring the water overflowing out of her cup as she gasped for breath. What was that? She thought.

"It must have been a dream," she murmured to herself. "I must be remembering a dream."

But why did it seem so real? So vivid? A small voice inside her whispered. Massaging her temples, Emily decided to brush it off as overactive imagination, or memories of a dream. There was no other logical explanation. Finally realizing her cup was overflowing, Emily turned off the faucet, before taking a long drink of water.

"Sleep," Emily muttered, setting her glass on the counter. "I need sleep and I'll feel better."

She ambled down the hallway to her room and crawled under her blankets, looking forward to the oblivion of sleep. She tossed and turned under blankets, trying to ignore the heavy sense of unease creeping in her mind. Her belly felt like it was weighed down with stones. Unable to take it anymore, Emily rolled over and turned on the lamp at her bedside table. Maybe it was childish, but being able to see in her bedroom made her feel minutely better and she eventually drifted off into a fitful sleep.

///

It had been a long week. Emily was plagued with dreams that she usually didn't remember, but she always woke up in a cold sweat, her heart racing a mile a minute. When she did remember anything about her dreams, they usually starred the scary man. Sometimes Jimin was in her dreams, or a very tall, very handsome man that always made her think of Jack for some inexplicable reason.

Emily was sitting at the circulation desk, trying not to fall asleep when a tap on her shoulder caused her to jolt up out of her seat, a screech ripping out of her throat as she whipped around. She covered her face, and dragged deep, long breaths into her lungs trying to calm the racing of her heart when she saw Angela looking at her with wide eyes.

"You okay, Em?" Angela asked hesitantly. Emily nodded, rubbing her hands on her cheeks. "Are you sure? You've been very jumpy this week."

"I'm not sleeping well," Emily answered, moving to sit in her seat again.

"Do you want to go home and try to get some sleep?" Angela asked.

"No!" Emily answered quickly, shaking her head back and forth rapidly. "I'll be fine! I just need coffee, or food, or. . . something." Angela's brow furrowed as she stared at her younger friend. "Em, I really think--"

"I'm fine. I promise. I'll go to bed really early tonight and take it easy this weekend. I'll be good as new by Monday." Emily insisted. She stared at Angela with wide, serious eyes, trying to convince her friend she was fine; something she wasn't honestly sure was true. Angela released a deep sigh and Emily knew she'd convinced her for now. "So, how are things with you and Ralph?"

"Fine." Angela answered stiffly. "He's busy with cooking school so we haven't talked much since you were over the other night." Emily's heart hurt for Angela. Is Ralph really busy with cooking school? Or is there something else?

"Is. . . is everything okay with you?" Emily asked softly. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the other night it seemed like maybe you and Ralph were fighting about something." Something that looked an awful lot like fear coupled with shock seemed to glimmer in Angela's eye for a moment. Angela started laughing, the most forced laugh Emily had ever heard, and shook her head.

"Oh that?" she said, still laughing. "Ralph and I are, uh, trying out for a play and we were rehearsing lines for the audition." Emily quirked an eyebrow at her. "Really!" Angela chirped. "It's true!" Emily just shook her head at her friend, deciding to just let it go for now. It looks like we both have secrets we don't want to share.

"Well," Emily drawled, "Wanna go get lunch with me in a little bit?"

Angela heaved a sigh, "I wish, Em. Ralph sent me some more experimental food and this time I think I need to choke it down and give him some sort of review." Emily's nose scrunched in disgust.

"Are you sure you don't want me to at least bring you something. . . less experimental?" Emily asked, sympathetically.

Angela pondered that for a moment before nodding eagerly. "A vanilla milkshake and french fries."

"I'm on it, boss," Emily said, saluting Angela as she grabbed her purse and left the library.

///

Emily meandered through town toward her favorite diner, eager for a burger. The fresh air and anticipation for a tasty cheese burger had Emily feeling happier and more at ease than she'd felt since she hung out with Jimin.

Jimin. She hadn't heard from him since they'd hung out. Part of her was disappointed, she'd had so much fun with him and was regularly plagued with insecure thoughts like, Maybe it wasn't fun for him like it was for me. The rest of the time she was able to remind herself that like her, Jimin had classes and a life and was probably busy. Too busy to even send you a text a nasty little voice whispered inside her.

Finally reaching the diner, she heaved a sigh and pushed the door open. She was walking to the counter, watching her feet as she walked, when a pair of stylish black boots came into view.

"Well, hey there," Jimin said happily. Emily looked up from his shoes and was met with his smiling face. An image flashed through her mind: Jimin engulfed in a golden glow as golden sparks whirled through the air, a look of concentration on his face. Emily shook her head at herself, I've got to get this imagination of mine under control. "You okay?" Jimin asked, starting to sound concerned.

"Yes, hi!" she answered, sounding more chipper than she felt. "How have you been?" He smiled at her, his eyes disappearing into crescents. She couldn't help but smile back at him, his sweet smile was infectious.

"I've been good," he replied. "Wanna grab a bite to eat with me?"

"I wish I could," she answered, shooting him a regretful smile. "I'm picking up some food for Angela, too. I need to get back pretty quickly and save her from her husband's interesting cooking."

Jimin nodded in understanding. "That's okay! Maybe next time!"

"For sure!" Emily exclaimed.

They visited as they made their way to the counter and waited to order. Jimin told Emily that some friends from back home had been in town so he'd been hanging out with them. Emily didn't mention her strange dreams, but she did tell him about her fall. He looked so concerned, but she assured him all was well and explained that Angela had looked out for her and taken her to get checked out. Soon enough, they reached the front of the line, and Emily placed her order. When she withdrew her wallet from her purse to pay the bill, it slipped from her hand, dropping on the floor between her and Jimin. They both reached for it, knocking heads in the process.

Jimin groaned, straightening first and rubbing his forehead. "You okay, Emily?"

Emily was still hunched over, rubbing her hand with her head. The pain was more intense than she expected. Clenching her jaw, she grabbed her wallet. Straightening, she looked at Jimin and a piercing pain shot through her head. She grunted and clutched her head again. Images flashing through her mind at an increasing pace.

A man forcing his way inside.

Jimin bursting through her door.

Jack leaping through the air, only to morph into a tall, handsome man.

The man stabbing Jack.

Jimin demanding her dearest wish.

A golden glow.

A glittering cyclone.

The man disappearing.

Magic.

"Emily!" Jimin exclaimed. His eyes widened, as he realized what was happening. He could physically feel the mind wipe unravelling from Emily's mind. The magic he'd poured into the wish was still intact, but the magic keeping Emily's memories at bay was gone. She remembered.

As the pain subsided, Emily's hands dropped to her sides. Fear and confusion ate up her insides. What is he? She thought frantically, wracking her mind for a logical explanation. Coming up with none, she looked up at him, arranging her face into what she hoped was fierce and serious.

"I remember." Emily ground out. "And you have a lot of explaining to do."

Sorry for the boring chapter everyone!  Today is the last day of school and I've been busy with work so I ran out of time to write.  Now that it's summer that shouldn't be a problem anymore. Thank you so much for 1k reads!  I know I've said it a few times already, but really thank you.  I appreciate it so much that you guys enjoy my story and give it the time of day. <3

Hey!  Can y'all give me some girl names for some other projects I hope to work on eventually?