Claire stood staring down at the rushing waters for several heartbeats. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before and the thought of getting in terrified her. What if she couldn't do it? What if she got swept away? What if she got-

Is this how you think ALL the time? This is exhausting!

Claire felt her cheeks grow warm and imagined herself punching Draz square in the nose. She felt him smirk.

Now that isn't very nice, Claire.

Keep it up and I'll show you just how not-nice I can be. Claire replied with a frown.

You just need to relax, if you go into the river with all those distractions you are going to get yourself into trouble.

Claire knew he was right, she had to be more confident in herself. As she leaned closer to the water, the star like lights seemed to hang suspended in place despite the rushing current. The closer she came to the water, the more the roaring sound diminished and was replaced by faint whispering.

Do you hear that, Draz?

Yes. They're memories, moments, your moments. You must not let them distract you.

Claire nodded and she reached out towards the water. Her fingers hovered just over the shimmering surface for a moment before she plunged her hand forward.

Claire expected the water to be cold, or at the very least wet, but neither of these were the case. As her hand slid beneath the surface she found it to be oddly warm and it felt more like flowing air than water.

Even stranger still, Claire could no longer see her hand where it was submerged despite the water appearing to be crystal clear all the way to its pebble strew riverbed.

Before she could contemplate this further, she felt a tug on her arm. It was gentle at first and gradually became harder, and more insistent.

Claire instinctively fought against it, uncertain as to what, or who, might be behind it. Try as she might to free herself, the pull only grew stronger and Claire found herself pitching forward head first into the river.

The miniscule balls of light seemed to leap away from her as she sank, springing back like rubber bands into their original place once she had passed through their space. Colors swirled around her like ink, blending with one another in vibrant patterns. Claire felt as though she had fallen into a Van Gogh painting.

What is a Van Gogh?

The intrusion startled her, angered her even, as she had forgotten Draz was with her. It wasn't anger towards him, but anger at herself for once again failing to maintain proper focus. The feeling was fleeting and if Draz noticed he didn't say.

He's an artist. This place reminds me of his paintings.

Perhaps he's been here? Magic is not prominent in your world, but it's not entirely absent either.

Maybe...

It was then that Claire noticed she was drifting, floating along through colors, whispers and lights, and moving further away from her destination -- further away from Alek. His face formed in her mind, his blue eyes full of life, his lips caught in that signature, all-knowing smirk. Claire felt an ache blossom in her chest, pushing through her body with vibrant hues of bold crimson and deep sienna.

Until this moment, her pain had never been so physical, so visceral, and tangible.

Claire knew she had to push past it, she had to focus on her task: getting to Alek.

Uncertain of how to do so, Claire began to pull at the air around her with her arms and legs. Her limbs moved, of course, obeying the commands given to them, but Claire kept drifting forward, carried along by the invisible current.

She flailed about again, a comical display that would have struck her as very funny had the situation not been so dire. If she couldn't figure out how to move back, how was she ever going to save Alek? Perhaps if she went back to the surface she could get her bearings back. Taking a deep breath, Claire tried to swim upwards, pulling at the star-strew air over her head. The lights danced away from her grasping fingers, the colors swirled outwards, but she might as well have been sitting still for all the progress she was making.

Panic began to set in and she felt herself sinking faster, the lights around her growing sparser, the colors muted and gray. Darkness began to well up around her in inky black clouds.

Stay calm, Claire! Don't give in to your fears.

Draz's voice swept over her like a warm breeze. She felt her pounding heart begin to slow, and the darkness that had begun to engulf her began to recede. The lights began to twinkle back into existence and vibrancy returned to the colors swarming around her.

Remember, despite what you perceive, you possess no physical form here.

Claire frowned. What did that even mean?

It means, stop flopping around like a fish out of water and think.

Claire's frown deepened.

As annoyed as she wanted to be with him, Claire knew Draz was right. She had to figure this out if she wanted to save Alek. Conventional movement methods weren't going to work here. She was not a physical being, but a mental projection of herself. When she thought about Alek, the colors seemed to grow more vivid. When her heart had grown heavy with despair, she had begun to sink. What if she simply thought about going back?

Worth a shot.

Claire scowled. Can't you at least pretend you aren't listening?

Despite his silence, Claire was certain that Draz was smirking.

Clearing her thoughts, she focused on the river. She imagined herself gliding backwards in a graceful backstroke. The star-lights shifted around her and the colors swirled. After a few moments, Claire felt herself drifting backwards in response to her thoughts. Her heart began to skip in excitement and she felt a rush of adrenaline flood through her. It was working! As her thoughts strayed, her movement slowed and Claire was forced to refocus.

As she moved through the stream she became more aware of the ebb and flow of lights and sounds around her. The further back she went, the more lights appeared, dancing through the swirling streams.

She realized that these lights were memories and soon there were so many that Claire could no longer send them scattering away. Each time she came into contact with one of the lights, she was overcome with smells, sounds and all the feelings of each moment.

The cold chill of a long forgotten nightmare, the warm scent of cinnamon and apples baking, the burning heat of a skinned knee after a tumble, Claire was drowning in each fleeting feeling, unable to find reprieve.

Always touching things you aren't supposed to touch.

It wasn't Draz's voice that reached out to her, but Alek's. She felt her heart seize in her chest and everything else seemed to fade away. Alek? Is that you? How are you here?

There was a long moment of silence and Claire was terrified it had only been a figment of her imagination.

Always asking the wrong questions. The real question is why are you here, Claire?

I'm coming to save you.

The silence lingered again, dragging on until Claire was certain she could stand it no longer. Just when she was about to give up hope, Alek's voice surfaced again. This time he sounded angry.

You, save me? You can't even save yourself. Look at you! This is pathetic. Things get a little hard and you just give up.

How can you say that? Alek!

Just go back, or better yet, get lost. You're a burden on all those around you. You bring nothing but grief. Let go, Claire, give it all up.

Claire felt a horrified sense of defeat welling up inside of her. Alek's harsh words cut her deeper than any knife Sevik could wield. If he didn't believe in her, what was the point? Maybe he was right. Maybe she should just give up...

CLAIRE.

The desperate shout jerked Claire from her dazed state and she found herself blinking rapidly. The tiny lights Claire hadn't even realized were gone began to swim back into view. They still clung to her skin, warm and comforting. Panic and fear surrounded her as well, pressing in at her from all sides, but it didn't belong to her -- it belonged to Draz.

Damn it, Claire! What the hell? I could feel you slipping away. I kept shouting and shouting but you wouldn't answer. You scared me to death!

I'm sorry, this place... I can't explain it. It gets in your head.

You have to be more careful.

I know, Draz, I know...

Claire took a steadying breath and resumed movement. This time, though the beads of light clung to her skin, she managed to ignore the sensory invasion. She had come too far to give up and she was determined not to let her own thoughts defeat her.

Remember, we're looking for a place to enter the ethereal plane, a moment in time where you can warn Alek.

Claire nodded, searching her thoughts for an adequate point in time. If she went too far back, he may not remember, but she had make sure she had a way of reaching him. That's when a thought struck her. When Arabella and Draz had been telling her about the Mares, they had said the Mares typically fed on fear and pain by invading the dreams of a sleeping victim.

If Mares could enter dreams, then perhaps she could too.

I know where we have to go.

I'm glad someone does.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Claire focused on moving through the swirling aether, scanning memories as she passed. A pulse of pain rippled through her finger tips when they met with the moment when Sevik first pierced her skin with his knife. She moved on, fingers sweeping over each bundle of lights as she searched for the perfect moment.

After what felt like an eternity, she found it. Nestled in a cluster of golden star-lights was the memory she needed. As she cupped the lights in her hands, she leaned in close. She could see herself as she walked down a dark hallway, the light seeping out from beneath the door above guiding her steps. She was approaching the door leading up to Alek's private space in the attic. Slowly she began to climb the steps and Claire knew without needing to see it that this was the moment, the catalyst that started them down this path of death, the one she would now use to save him.

How do I get inside?

I'm not sure.

Claire stared down long and hard, concentrating on being in the moment.

So far simply willing things to happen had worked, perhaps it would work here as well? The light began to grow brighter until she could see nothing but the scene playing out before her like a movie on a television screen. Without warning, Claire felt herself pitching forward, falling head first into the memory cupped tentatively in her hands.