✧*~☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ - .*☆

The soft sound of rain drumming on Steve's bedroom window slowly woke the sleeping boy. He inhaled deeply as he sat up and looked out the window of his bedroom. The rain wasn't nearly as brutal as it had been the night before. What was once a fierce winter thunderstorm was now a cool morning shower. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked over at the clock on his nightstand. It was only 7:30, there was still time for him to get ready for school if he chose to go today. But as the memories of the previous night came flooding into his mind he decided maybe it would be best to stay home to keep an eye on the girl from another world who was, hopefully, still sleeping safely on his couch in the livingroom. Steve got up from bed and decided to check on her and make something to eat at least for himself. He yawned, gave his arms a stretch, and opened his bedroom door. He stepped out into the hall but the sudden feeling of an arm swing around his neck caused panic to race to his brain. He struggled against someone he couldn't see who was apparently strong enough to keep a decent choke hold on him. But then again Steve didn't have the best reputation when it came to winning fights.

"I will give you one chance,"

A voice whispered in his ear,

"To explain how I got here."

This must be the girl from last night.

"I- you- you feel unconscious."

Steve choked out, the arm around his neck loosed only slightly.

"I brought you here so you could be out of the cold and the rain."

He added. Finally the arm that kept him in a decent chokehold released him. Steve instantly brought a hand up to his neck as he drew in deep gasps of air.

"You protected me?"

The person stepped out from behind him and moved so he could see them. The girl from last night looked up at him, arms crossed over her chest and a serious expression on her face as she studied him.

"Well yeah I guess."

Steve said with a shrug.

"It was cold, you were wet from the rain, If you had stayed out there all night you probably would have gotten sick and scared the shit out of Dustin's mom."

Steve said in a matter of fact tone as he walked past her. The girl turned to follow him, walking at his heels like a dog.

"Who are you?"

She asked.

"And where am I?"

She added.

"I'm Steve, you're in Indiana, and are you hungry?"

"What?"

"Are you hungry?"

Steve asked again.

"What is an Indiana? Steven, explain."

"It's Steve."

He said before he gave sigh.

"Look I'm sure you have many questions-"

He paused, not knowing her name or even a nickname to call her-

"Asling."

The girl quickly told him, picking up on his confusion.

"Asling,"

Steve said,

"I have a lot of questions for you myself. But first, breakfast."

✧*~☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ - .*☆

"You guys aren't going to believe what me and Steve saw last night after he took me home."

Dustin said as he caught up with his friends at school.

"There was a portal and this girl-"

"Portal?"

Lucas said with a raised brow.

"Are you sure this isn't a fever dream you had?"

Lucas added.

"No it wasn't."

Dustin insisted.

"You can ask Steve,"

He added.

"But there was this demo-dog."

"Wait,"

Will said, suddenly very interested in what Dustin had to say to the group.

"I thought they were all dead."

He added.

"I guess we missed one? I'm not really sure how but there was one."

Dustin said.

"It was about to attack us right after Steve had dropped me off at my house. We didn't have any weapons so we were freaked out. But then this portal opened up and this girl jumped out. She had this wicked awesome sword and in a single move she sliced the demo-dog in half like a sandwich."

"Seriously?"

Lucas said.

"I don't believe that."

"Well it's true."

"Then where's this girl now?"

Mike asked.

"With Steve."

✧*~☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ - .*☆

"Coffee?"

Steve asked as he poured himself a mug. Asling nodded from her spot at the table.

"Cream and sugar?"

"Please."

Asling replied. Steve set two mugs down on the table along with the two plates of scrambled eggs and bacon that he had already made for them.

"Sure just let me know when."

He said and poured cream and sugar into her cup.

"When."

She said, signaling for him to stop.

"Wow you like your coffee sweet, huh?"

He asked and the blonde nodded. Steve put the sugar and cream up and sat down across from Asling. He was about to put a spoonful of eggs into his mouth when Asling spoke up.

"Where are my clothes?"

She asked. Steve put his spoon down.

"They're drying."

he said flatly.

"You were soaking wet from the rain last night so I-"

"Are these your clothes?"

Asling asked and steve nodded. Steve finally got a bite of the breakfast he made. He took a few more bites and so did Asling before he began to ask her some questions.

"So where exactly are you from?"

✧*~☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ - .*☆

"Scantha-who?"

Steve asked, both plates now clean right after Asling explained where she came from.

"Scanthia."

She said, correcting him on the pronunciation of her home. Her voice, to steve at least, sounded foreign. She had an accent that sounded like what Steve vaguely remembered Irish accents sounded like.

"And your home was attacked by-"

"Monsters."

Asling told him.

"Like leathery wolves with flowering faces."

"Demo-dogs."

Steve muttered.

"Or at least that's what dustin calls them."

"Who?"

"Dustin. Curly haired kid about yea high."

Steve said as he held his hand up in measurement of the height of his small friend Dustin.

"Uh-huh."

Asling said distantly.

"So you know these creatures?"

She asked.

"Yeah. Dustin caught one back in the fall."

"So you know how to stop them? Do you also know of the land between lands? And what about the magick? Do you know of the magick as well? Are you a mage?"

"I don't understand anything that you're asking me."

Steve said flatly and Asling groaned. She waved her hand and a leather bound book appeared between them on the table.

"WOAH!"

Steve shouted.

"How did you do that?"

He asked with wide and wondrous eyes.

"Magick, Steven"

"Steve"

"Try to keep up."

she said as she opened the book and flipped through several pages.

"This book is the entire history of Scanthia. Kierran, my master, made me practically memorize it for one of my first tests as his apprentice."

she said as she stopped on a page. Steve couldn't read the writing on the pages, it was definitely written in another language.

"Here, it talks about Scanthia drawing it's magick from the land between lands."

she said as she pointed to a line of what looked like chicken scratch to Steve.

"But the land between lands is a barren place that is full of monsters."

she said.

"But there's more."

She continued as she flipped a few pages.

"There's a prophecy."

"Of course there is."

Steve said with a sigh.

"The prophecy says that one day the land between lands will grow tired of lending it's power to scanthia to be used as Magick and it will fight back and when it does there will only be a chosen few who can save the Magick or destroy it for good."