*Annabell's POV

  This is my dream meadow... but it's different. There is always sun shining through the trees, now it's night. At least it looks like it to me. The only light, is in the palm of my hand. I am aloanding in the middle of the meadow. Wearing soft mini-dress, bck like the night around, I ot find the rose, nor mom. The light gives me a sense of safety like before. I hold it close to me and it feels like it's caressing my cheek. I have no idea how much time passed by, when the light flew out of my hand and slowly disappeared. The darkness mercilessly closed up on me and all of a sudden I felt really cold. That made me think of those stone-hard, ice-cold fingers and involuntarily I touched my throat. My body started to shake, from fear the monster could be near and I woke up to my arm clock, pying my most favorite song from Galneryus called Ultimate sacrifice.

  "Major?" I tried, even though I knew he's not around anymore. His soothing presence was gone. Maybe it's better he's not here right now. I thought on the way to bathroom. But I hope he's not gone food... My ankle hurt more thaerday. I wouldn't be able to cover it and for some reason I am sure, it would hurt him. Somehow, he brought me back to life again and I'd like to repay him, not to make him more worried.  After making it bay room, limping, it was clear to me that there's no way I go to school like this. I tried feeling the ah my fingers. As painful as it is under just lightly pressed fingers, I found something more troublesome. The hurting area has almost perfect shape of a 'human' hand. Meaning, it most likely looks like it too and I ot show it to anyone unless I tell them the truth and make myself sound crazy.  Thankfully I still have a special herbal oi, aunt Mary gave me not long ago. I hit my knee on the edge of my drawer I fot to close when I rushed to wele Catelyurday and as always the two made a huge deal out of it. I 't say, if it was thanks to the oi as I usually heal quite fast, but the knee was pletely fine by the end of the day.  Let's see if it helps here too. I thought, applying the oi. That bumped knee wasn't nearly this bad. That bastard! He's gonna pay for this! I finished bandaging my ankle. "Yea? And how?" Well... "Hm. Thought so. Better shu-" *growl* This time it was my stomach that decided, I postponed breakfast long enough. Additionally I realized I did not have di night either.

  After I stuffed myself with sandwid a gss e juice, it was time to call the srs. Anderson was more than uanding since I practically never missed a lesson I was supposed to attend. She even offered me to stay home for the rest of the week if necessary, which I hope will be not. Still I am grateful to her. She's such a nice dy. Why the hell it had to be today?! The day I'll miss at school the most! English, theory of biology and two music lessons. My favorite. Today we were supposed to learn about the influence of cssic musi different genres of music like rock or eveal... I groaned internally on my way back to bed with a cup of hot chocote. Mom used to make it for me whenever I got hurt. 'It's gonna warm you up and make the pain go away.' She always said. As a kid I believed it works. Now I know, it doesn't make the pain go away but it does warms me up and helps me feel a little bit better.

  * * *

  Around one, I heard someone knog on the front door. Who could it be? I wondered. Catelyn es on Saturday and Mary lets me know beforehand, when she's ing to visit. But the clot to the door, the better idea I had about who it might be. However, this is defihe first, he let me know about his arrival. Thankfully my ankle doesn't hurt as much as it did in the m. I walk almost normally, without much effort.

  Let's see. It is uncharacteristiajor to knobsp;"Who's there?"  "It's Jasper. Whitlock, from history css. Do you remember me?" So... Jasper, it is. For some reason he doesn't wao know, I 't be just overthinking it. For once Michae is staying quiet and somehow satisfied. Ok the's py along for now.  "Of course I remember." I said opening the door. "Please, e in." I said, gd I am not alone here even if just for a minute. "What brings you here, Jasper?" I asked on the way to kit where I had just prepared a fresh cup of coffee. I turo Jasper. "Would you like some coffee?"

  "Oh, no thank you Annabell. I brought you materials from today's lessons. Mrs. Anderson was uhe impression you'd like to have them and that it looked like we're getting along quite nicely, so she entrusted me with their delivery. She told me your address and that you are not feeling well. Are you alright?" His voice was worried. Obviously, he tried to cover it but was unsuccessful. It was warming me up inside like the chocote before and hearing him say my name did something to my heart. It beat twice as fast now.

  "Ah, yea. She knows how much I was looking forward today's music lesson." "That's why it's on a CD, right?" He asked, sounding as if he figured out some puzzle. It made me ugh. "Wrong. Hehe. That's because Mrs. Anderso know Braille. She puts everything in files and on a CD. I put it in the puter and it reads it for me." I expined. "Usually it is stuff professive out on papers and other additional material. However, this is a first, she had to seuff I missed out on." I said smiling. Somehow, it didn't bother me to talk about my blindness with him. Well, he knows already, though strangely enough it doesn't seem to ge his behaviour towards me. Nor it did with the other two, Rosalie at. I never felt so normal and fine around other people, like around them.

  "Annabell?" Brought me from my thoughts Jasper's void a light touch of his hand on my arm. "Are you ok? I'm sorry, I keep kinda fetting." He said as if guilty of a terrible crime. I ughed again. "No, I'm fine. I just got a little lost in my thoughts." I calmed him. "That's ok. I'm used to it. There are always two possibilities. You'll get used to it, maybe sometimes fet and we'll ugh about it or you'll end up calling me a freak like everybody else." I shrugged and suppressed the shiver that made me cold inside again when I imagihat word leaving his mouth.

  "Don't worry Ann, that's not gonna happen." He reassured me while softly rubbing small circles on my arm with his thumb. All of a sudden I was as calm as I could possibly be. Ann? I covered his hand with mine, happy again. Whatever reason you have f to keep secret who you really are even before me, it doesn't matter. As long as you stay close to me.

  "If you say so... umm could I-?" I stopped myself. As much as I want to know what he looks like, it's very long since I asked this of somebody. Most people are just a group of sounds to me. Voice, the way they walk and sometimes they have even specific breathing or st.

  "Could what?" Asked Jasper, really curious. Maybe, this time... "Could I feel your face?" I got out of myself. "I'd really like to know what you look like." I admitted, feeling my cheeks warming. Ugh, just great. I bit my lip. "Yes." His voiewhat husky, makie on the lip even harder. Not saying anything more, I took his permission. I know he stands right before me but I want to make sure I am not mistaken. That it is the same person, that saved me that day, as well as yesterday.

  I started with the right hand which I still had oop of his, on my left arm. Going up and moving it across his chest to his left shoulder, the left hand following up to his right shoulder I firmed the broadness I felt under my hand that day. Plus the touch of his hand before, same as yesterday. I have no more doubts it is the same man.

  Not letting show my firmation of his true identity, I tinued up his neck. I felt soft wavy hair, maybe even softer than my own, to tickle my fingers, before I got to ears. "Blond?" I mao ask, remembering how Rosalie said that she's blond and that they look alike. "Uh-huh." Was his only aelling me I'm right. I tinued along his strong and quite sharp jawline, his face was over all perfectly shaped, his skin smooth, only slightly colder than mi I khat already.  Under a higher forehead, but not too much, little deeper set eyes. "What color are your eyes?"  "Golden." He almost whispered. Though, my own voice didn't really work much better.

  I swear my heart skipped a beat when I got to his mouth. Lips even smoother than the skin, nicely shaped. The fact that the bottom one is a bit fuller thaher one making them strangely intriguing... With a shock I realized, that at some point while iing his face, I moved closer to him. Our bodies were nearly toug. I had hard time breathing. "I-I'm sorry." I somehow mao stutter, taking a step back. Great, now he must think I'm one of those eager girls from school. I thought bitterly, embarrassed. "Thank you fing the CD." I tried to smile at him again. Not really succeeding.

  "It's nothing." His voiewhat dazed. I bit my lip again, angry at myself. What's wrong with me?! "The CD is oable, right o you. I gotta go now, but I'm gd you're feelier." He tinued on the way out. Obviously in a hurry to get away from me. "It was nice seeing you." He said, leaving. Yeah, and you're probably never ing again... "Oh! See ya' at school." He called bad then he was just gone.

  "See ya'" I whispered into nothing, not sure when or if that's gonna be.