Part 1 (1/2)

AMETHYST TEARS.

A LUMINESCENCE NOVEL.

by J.L. Weil.

Chapter 1.

THE DAY BEFORE YOUR LIFE changes forever feels like any other day.

My life just went from unbelievable, to completely messed up. How does this kind of stuff even happen to me? Wasn't it enough that I accepted that there was such thing as witches? Or that I accepted my fate as a witch? Now the universe had to go and throw me a curve ball like this.

Un-freaking-believable.

Lately, I was a magnet for disaster, which appeared to not have changed. My life was exhausting. Not to mention, I was still recovering from a psychotic dream with a very old and very dead witch.

Lucky me.

See, I said I was glue for trouble.

And to think I thought Gavin was the bad boy. He doesn't have s.h.i.+t on me. Which brought me to my current predicament, or maybe that was an understatement. My eyes still couldn't acknowledge what was right in front of me, smiling with those heart sinking dimples.

This had to be some kind of after effect or symptom from dreamscaping. I still wasn't certain what the heck that was. What other logical explanation could there be?

”Lukas?” I heard the incredibility in my own voice, just as perplexed as the rest of me. Who wouldn't be more than a little freaked out at seeing a figment of your imagination come to life? I mean this wasn't fiction, this was my real life.

Maybe leaving my house for some fresh air at the farmers market hadn't been the smartest move. I was known to have my ideas backfire on me. h.e.l.l who knows, maybe I was still sick. I could always black out again.

His breathtaking smile captured me from across the tomatoes, and he was not in the least bit shocked to see me. Whereas my jaw had literally dropped to the ground, and I had yet to pick it up. Sandy hair lazily flopped on his forehead.

Seriously. It couldn't possibly be. I pinched myself, squeezed my eyes shut, and demanded that I wake up. How had I fallen asleep? It was the only rationalization I could deduce, even though I swore if felt so real. The only time I ever saw Lukas was when I was dreaming... In conclusion, I must be dreaming.

He walked in front of me, and my eyes ate up his easy strides. It felt like a slow motion film. His carefree smile bloomed on his tan face when he reached me, deep dimples and all. He stroked a hand alongside my cheek, while I stood there frozen in place dumbfounded.

The feeling was exactly how I dreamed, soft and tender.

”You're real,” his honey silk voice caressed my ears as easily as his hand on my face.

I leaned into his palm. The spicy warmth of his scent rocked my senses. I'm real, I thought. He was the one in my dreams. ”Lukas...”

I couldn't seem to get past his name. Or past the fact that he stood in front of me for my eyes to feast upon. He was my best friend of another dimension, another realm the realm of dreams. I literally poured my heart out to him on numerous occasions. He was the closest I'd ever been to anyone because he wasn't real.

He laughed nodding, emerald eyes s.h.i.+ning in the sunlight. ”Yep. In the flesh. I always wondered if we'd meet somewhere other than your dreams. Not that I mind being in your dreams. It's the highlight of my night.”

My head was spinning so fast I was afraid it was going to fall off. I could imagine it rolling down the Riverfront market next to a runaway apple.

Okay, I was game. If we were going to pretend that this was in fact real and not a product of my dreams, then game on. ”How is this possible?” I asked, unable to tear my eyes away. Who knew, he might vanish. Poof. Gone. And I was back to wondering if I was losing my sanity.

His hand took mine in his, idly playing with our fingers. ”Well I am a freshman at University of North Carolina in Wilmington. I guess fate decided we should meet,” he said, completely dodging what I really wanted to know.

I wanted to know how he was even here, flesh and blood. How he was alive?

Fate wouldn't be so cruel as to have him practically under my nose all these years. I had even toured the campus last year. That was the University I had chosen to attend next year.

Should I be angry? Should I be overjoyed? Or just awestruck?

If we were still playing the he is real game, then I felt all of the above and a gazillion other emotions I couldn't identify. Well, until my brain started functioning again.

”Umm, that's not exactly what I meant. How are you even alive?”

He looked at me liked I'd grown a third eye. ”Don't you know?”

Duh. If I knew would I be asking? ”Know what?”

”I just a.s.sumed that you knew. You're a witch,” he whispered, moving in closer to me, avoiding anyone overhearing our conversation. His breath tickled my ear.

I rolled my eyes. ”I know I'm a witch. What does that have to do with this?” I asked, gesturing to the two of us standing in the middle of the farmers market.

The look he sent me was like I'd lost my mind. Maybe he wasn't that far off, because right now nothing in my world made sense. ”You dreamscape Brianna,” he said calmly.

”Dreamscape,” I repeated. ”Yeah I know. Am I dreamscaping now?”

His darker brows furrowed together. ”No. This is real.”

I shook my head. ”It can't be.” Thinking he was feeding me a line of BS, teasing me. But I knew Lukas and the expression on his face was stonily serious. This wasn't a game.

He looked around the farmer's market. ”I think right now isn't the best place to have this discussion. Maybe we should meet tomorrow and talk. It sounds like we have a lot of catching up.”

I was so aggravated by my ignorance that I wanted to scream. Why did everyone around me know what was going on but me? ”I can't tomorrow, I have school.”

He ran a hand through his highlighted hair. ”Right, I forgot. How about this weekend? Sat.u.r.day?” He smiled warmly.

I nodded my head. ”Yeah I can meet you Sat.u.r.day.”

”How about on campus? I could show you around and we could get something to eat.”

”Sure,” I agreed. ”That sounds fine.” At this point, I would have met him on the moon if he'd asked. My mind was so jumbled and lightheaded from it all.

Lukas put a hand on my shoulder. ”Hey, are you going to be okay?” he asked, having seen my face stripped of color.

I straightened my shoulders and met his concerned gaze. ”Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just been an overwhelming week. I I can't believe you're real,” I stuttered.

He grinned at me with the sun s.h.i.+ning at his back. ”I've waited a long time to see you.” His hand lifted my chin until I looked into his dark green eyes.