I was falling,

                        falling,

                                      falling down.

The clouds cut past me in a wicked blur as I kept falling. My stomach lurched and my eyes watered, yet I never ceased falling. Finally, I hit the ground with such force that a miniature dust storm was conjured. I glanced around at my surroundings, but all I could see what the cloud of dust hovering over my clothes. I coughed and realized that instead of my eyes watering, they were now stinging and throbbing. I bent down to examine the ground on which I stood. I recognized it as sickle grass, a variety grown in the country of Boslian. Only one thing registered in my mind as I stared at that grass: I was lost. Gasping for breath, I spun around in a circle, surveying the surrounding land. Forest stretched on for miles on end and the air was hollow and silent. No animals stirred, and it seemed as if the woods were sucked of life. The trees were gnarled,  cracked wood that cast menacing shadows. They were shriveled and ancient beings which creaked and swayed in the nonexistent wind. Shuddering, I slowly cut through the cluster of trees and stopped in front of one particular tree that caught my eye. The tree was decrepit beyond a shadow of a doubt, probably the eldest among the dense wood, yet there was something serene about the way it waltzed in the nonexistent wind. After stalking closer to it, I realized that something was carved on the tree, reading: S+E. A crude drawing was embedded in the wood, and after leaning even closer, I could faintly make out a snake coiled around a pile of bones carved into the ancient wood. I walked right up to the tree and cautiously placed my fingers on the calloused wood. The rough surface peeled away to a soft and smooth center.

A voice interrupted my thoughts, "Hmm...it is most curious that you would stumble upon this particular tree. Most curious indeed."

At first, I thought that it was Ebony, but as I turned around to greet his face, a much more sullen expression greeted my eyes. This was not Ebony, and as I started to study his face, I realized that this man did not resemble Ebony's shadowy form.  His eyes were a deep blue and his face was tan. He would have probably been a handsome man if it weren't for the frown that marked his face. He wore gray shorts and a light blue jacket was wrapped around a maroon t-shirt. His tousled hair was a deep red cut just above his neck.

"You done staring?" the man said coldly. I gulped. This man was not a man to cross.

"Yeah, it's just...I thought you were someone else," I quickly blurted, eager to finish the conversation.

The man smiled wistfully and his eyes misted over. "Yeah, I get that a lot. I mean, just because Ebony was born before me doesn't mean--"

"Wait, Ebony?" I interrupted, clearly confused.

His eyes refocused and sought out my eyes. The way he was staring at me made me glance down at my shoes. "Ebony is my older brother. Have you met him?" he asked. Clearly, I was not the only one confused.

"Yeah, of course" I replied coolly, "he was assigned to me after he became a shade. We had just found a clue--" My voice faltered. What had happened to Ebony? The man snapped his fingers to regain my attention. "Oh, right. Umm...we found a clue and traveled to the Winston cemetery. Then, just as we arrived, some shades attacked us." My memory was becoming foggier, and my head was throbbing trying to remember the events that had occurred.  "Umm...basically, after that, my vision went black."

He just kept staring at me expectantly, and I was starting to feel really uncomfortable until he finally said, "So, now that you have explained your story, it is my turn" he sighed, "OK, so Ebony is my older brother. That's all you know. Ebony is two years older than me, and he died...about twelve years ago. Umm...that would have made Ebony eight years old and I was six years old. It was a car crash that killed Ebony. I am eighteen years old, and Ebony is now twenty," he started to glance at his watch and added darkly, "he was always the popular one" then he turned to stare at me, "That's it."

"Wait, you haven't told me your name yet!" I protested.

"And you have not told me your name yet either," he replied frostily.

"OK, my name's Harley. Harley Parker," I easily retorted.

He sighed and furrowed his eyebrows. He muttered darkly, "Name's Zerriki. Zerriki Euglas."

Smiling, I looked up at him, only to find him smiling right back at me. He was very handsome, and had a very cute set of dimples. He stuck out his hand and I shook it.

He turned towards the tree and gestured to it. "I think we better get going now." And he extended a long, winding arm around me.

I sighed happily and strolled away towards the sunset. A small voice in the back of my head quietly shrieked as the sun disappeared behind the majestic trees:

What about Ebony?