1 The Beginning: Lauran pov Lauran

I had no idea what was going to happen that day as I was trying to avoid him. All I remember is I stepped up to the stone in the circle of trees not far from the house, hearing the whisper call from the stone, reading the graphics under my touch out loud, and stepping through the void from behind the stone.

I open my eyes and wake to laying in a meadow of wild flowers. An ocean of purple, white, and gold cascades around me. The fragrence from the pallet around me put everything Thom has done to ease. I felt content and relaxed laying here, but this wasn't Kansas. This was something else.

"James, James, where are you?" Sang the voice of an angel. "We are going to be late, and Her Royal Highness will have my head if you aren't ready this time. " came a voice from over the ocean. Fear washed over me and I laid back down there.

"James, this is no longer funny. You are seriously going to get me killed." I could hear the movement of wrestling plants coming closer. As I sat up, I peered through the lavender to see who was there.

A pale oval face with female cheech bones was there, scanning over the field. He had long straight, black hair that is pulled back and held with a plane wooden hair pin. Beautiful pink colored lips that reached his black almond shaped eyes as he talked, and he was wading his way toward me.

I was in awh struck. The beauty of this man showering down on me was almost too much. I watched as he made small movements through my ocean of flowers. All I could do was freeze and watch this wanderful specimen of a man as he searched for his James, and long wished it was me. Thom was never like this. It was as if this man was coaxing out a small animal from hiding.

I watched as he came closer to my hiding place, and I began to panic. 'Where could this James be? Oh no, no he can't find me.' Frantically, I started crawling between the plants to stay hidden, but kept his stunning face in my view. I didn't know why, but I knew I didn't want to be found. Thom would string me up for sure if he found out. I was lost in my thought, when I looked up and he was gone. Ultimate terror shuttered through my body. 'Oh he must have found him and left already,' I tried to convince myself and began to relax back into the bed of flowers.

Suddenly a hand grabbed my shoulder from behind and placed a flower be hind my ear. Jumping in fear, I turned around to be face to face with the beautiful man smiling at me. "There you are," he said in the sweetest voice. I looked at him dumbfounded. Warn shivers swam through me at the knowledge of his touch. Ahw I knew I wanted more knowing that this wasn't Thom. The sensation of his hand gently moving to attract my attention, was so invigorating. I couldn't move, I couldn't talk, knowing that once I did this would end. I wanted more. I yearned for that touch to travel to other parts. 'Could he be talking to me? He can't be. I am not James. Please don't stop.'

"Really, James, we have to be going. We can't be late," he stated pulling me up to my feet as I began to stand up and watched him dust the dirt off with such soft hands. I kept asking myself, 'Who are you? Why are you calling me, James?'

"Late? Late for what?" was all I could get out as I looked into his eyes. My heart fell. These gorgeous black eyes went all the way through me. I felt my heart quicken with every touch. I wanted to grab him, hold him, and never let go. Whoever this God is, was definently not Thom. It took everything for me not to grab, and take him right here. I watched as he started to rock back and forth on his heels as he spoke. It was evident he was very nervous, and wanted to get back, but where?

It wasn't until he reached down to grabbed my hand that I looked up and saw a tree line a few feet away with a set of horses waiting for us. I followed behind him blindly. It was my hand in his that assured me that we were heading to the horses.

He brought me right beside the dark black one with a curly mane. The horse is standing at least 20 hands tall. A true warhorse. As this man let go of my hand, the horse turned his head toward me, sniffed, and turned his body away, knocking me down. The man made his way to the other horse, a little brown poney with a white mane. The poney was prancing around as the man approached it.

I waited to see what the man was going to do. He grabbed the reigns to the pony, and looked back at me. "Really, we have to go. Duke is over there," and pointed to the warhorse in front of me. I looked at him and then back at the horse. I rode horses on the farm, but nothing this big. I could see it towering over me. I got back off the ground thinking, 'It's just a horse. There is nothing to worry about.' The more I said it, the less convincing it was. I walked over to the warhorse, I could hear a whisper.

"Your not James. " It said.

Thinking that I was hearing things, I looked around, no one was there but the horse. I stared into the large brown eye. Suddenly it twinkled back at me. 'It's just a horse.' I kept telling myself.

"Who are you?" called the whisper as I grabbed the reigns to the horse. Just as I was to put my foot in the stirrup, the horse turns away again as if on purpose. Stund as to what I was hearing, I stood there speechless, reigns in hand staring at it.

"WHO ARE YOU?" I heard much louder this time. I looked at the horse and shook my head. 'The horse can't be talking. You are just hearing things, Lauran. It's just a horse. You have done this many times. Relax. Breathe...'

"Yes, I am talking to you. It's only polite to know a new rider. How rude is it to just jump onto someone's back and expect to ride.Do you even know how to ride?" said the whisper as the horse nudges me with his very large head away from it's self.

Without a second thought, I whisper back," I know I am not James. I am Lauran, but people call me Ran for short. I do know how to ride. It just has been a while since then, if you must know." I tried to keep my voice low so the other man wouldn't hear. It would have to be silly seeing someone talking to a horse.

"It's very nice to meet you, Ran. I am Damascus, but James calls me Duke. Are you sure you can ride? Here I will help you get up." As Duke replies, he bows laying one leg on the ground.

"Awh, how cute, when did you teach him that," says the God like man, shaking his head in disbelief. "But we really need to go. You can chat with Duke later," then rolling his eyes in discuss.

"Phttf, pay Kim no mind. He is always like that," responded Duke as he rose up with me on his back. "Just blink. That's how James does it. You do know how to do that, right?"

"Blink?" I thought.

"Yes, just look straight ahead. Then think of home, and then blink."

"Well that seems easy enough." So I looked straight ahead at the trees. I thought of my home in Kansas. I saw the fields. The little farm my dad and mom worked hours to create. The big farm house with the wrap- around porch. The large tire swing in the front yard. The barn in the field beside the house. The circle of trees that hid the stone. Things started to get fuzzy on the outer edges of the picture. Then I blinked...