Candlelight flickered through the arched doorway. Disorientated, she stood in a dark, narrow passageway as a nagging sensation tugged at her gut. Distant music played, barely audible in the corridor, a lilting melody that seemed both familiar and unknown. Tentatively edging towards the doorway, the tugging sensation intensified. Eyes adjusting to the candlelit glow inside the chamber, she saw two people in the room. They stood on either side of a large object, covered by a dark cloth in the middle of the room. Her hand reached out almost involuntarily towards the object although she went unnoticed by the occupants of the room. The desire to touch the object overpowered any lingering uncertainty. Flickering torches in sconces adorned each corner of the room, richly decorated tapestries lined the walls and her eyes drank in the luxurious patterns woven into them.

The swish of fabric drew her attention to the people in the room. The woman had moved, her simple shift like robe swishing with the movement, a hand raised towards hair coiled on top of her head in an intricate design laced with flowers as she massaged her temples, worry apparent in her tightly drawn lips. A sense of familiarity washed through her although she was certain she did not know this woman. A flicker in the candlelight drew her eyes toward the other occupant of the room. His aged face, framed by a long, straggly beard the hood of his white robe was dropped revealing an age lined but confident face. Invisibility seemed to cloak her despite her proximity to these people.

Foreign words were exchanged between the two in hurried whispers and as she listened understanding of their meaning came to her. Tersely the woman whispered, "Tell me this will be over soon. They are sure to know we did this."

"Sister, I assure you that no one will know our part in this. He will awake in time and they will fulfil their fated destinies. It is as the prophecy decrees," came the calm and measured reply.

Fear flickering in her eyes, her voice wavered, "He did not accept this fate. We have done this against his will and against the will of the court, you cannot say they will not know the role we played when he is discovered missing."

The man sighed and turned away from her muttering, "No one can fight their fate, he has no more choice in this matter than we did. It is done, the prophecy has begun."

She turned to him, fear still visible on her face, "Brother, are you sure we act in the interests of our nation? The pain we cause now is worth it to save the future?"

The man moved around the chamber, passing straight through her and embraced the woman, "Sister, prophecies are not always clear but do not lie. The court in their arrogance refused to believe the temple and the sisterhood of seers. Their inaction forced our hands. I know you are afraid about what we do here this night, but I promise you we will be on the right side of history."

Hurrying from the chamber the woman passed straight through her rushing toward the corridor. Moving one of the tapestries on the wall aside, a door was revealed, small and barely visible cut from the rock which the man used to exit the room.

Reeling from the experience of being passed through, she considered her options. Her mind told her to follow the woman but the tugging in her gut told her to touch the object in the middle of the room, once again winning out over any semblance of rational thinking. Stepping towards the object she barley considered whether she would be able to touch it, so overpowering was her need to be nearer. Heart pounding, hand outstretched, her breath caught in her throat as her fingers connected with the cloth. Rich velvet like fabric fell to the ground in a puddle with a gentle pull revealing the object beneath.

Pale blue ornately carved crystal winked in the candlelight, intricately woven wood surrounding the edges it stood on a sculpted plinth of marble. Gasping in wonder, her eyes fell on what lay within the crystal. A halo of brown hair surrounded the youthful face of a man, a pale thin scar on his neck the only visible mar. Furs covering the body, on his chest rested an impressive sword with a spectacularly studded jewel encrusted hilt. Instinctively reaching towards a mechanism on one side of what she now realised was a coffin, the torches began to gutter as the room appeared to shift and swirl around her.

"Miss?" "Miss? Can you hear me?"

Groggily opening her eyes, pounding exploded in her head. "Are you alright miss? Help is on the way, you seem to have fainted." Cold penetrated her befuddled haze as she found herself horizontal on concrete. A cacophony of sounds assaulted her ears as her senses returned and she found herself in the train station. Gently she shook her head, clearing her thoughts of candlelit rooms and crystal coffins.

"Miss, can you hear me?" a man's voice asked her again. She opened her mouth to speak but could only manage a gentle nod. A memory of standing on the platform waiting for the train as she was jostled from behind played out in her head. Tripping, falling forward, her arm brushing someone else and then the passageway she'd been in. "You could have fallen onto the tracks. Do you know what happened? We've called for help, you were out for about a minute," concern laced the man's voice.

"Ummm, I think someone nudged me and I fell forward. I bumped into someone, are they ok?" Blinking she tried to clear her swimming vision, pinching her nose as the pounding in her head intensified.

" No, no one fell on the tracks. It was me you bumped into, I tried to stop your fall, but you did hit the concrete quite hard I'm afraid. Does your head hurt?" She breathed a sigh of relief that no one else was hurt.

The sound of wheels rolling along the platform signalled the arrival of the paramedics who swiftly checked her over. Pulse rate checked she was loaded onto the stretcher for further examination in the hospital. The station guard was talking to witnesses and she heard the voice of the man who had helped her. Vision clearing at last, she turned hoping to thank the man for his help. Shock silenced her when she saw long brown hair neatly tied back with a small scar on his neck although now dressed in a suit there was no mistaking him, this was certainly the man from her dream.

Lying in the ambulance, thoughts tumbling haphazardly through her mind she wondered whether she had seen the man as she fell. That would certainly explain the identical features of the dream man although the vivid features of the rest of her dream were still a mystery. Head still pounding fiercely, she considered the tricks a mind could play and put it all down to an odd coincidence. Dreams never usually stayed with her when she woke up, but the circumstances of this dream were unusual, and she supposed that probably played a part in why everything seemed so vivid.

Hours later and her diagnosis was a mild concussion. The doctor advised plenty of rest and that she have someone with her over the next forty-eight hours to check on her, she could be discharged if someone came to pick her up. Digging through her handbag she fished out her phone and called her flatmate. Luckily, Ben was home for the next couple of weeks before he went off to his next stage management job.

Ben's arrival was as always dramatic, sweeping into the waiting area he gathered into a tight hug exclaiming, "Lara, are you ok? Honestly, you could have died today!" Although a touch insensitive, the knowledge that he meant well helped to stop her from chiding for this remark.

"I don't really know what happened, but the guy at the station was so nice. I think he kind of saved me from a more serious accident. It's a shame I didn't get to thank him for his help." She wondered if she'd ever have that opportunity and decided in that moment that she wouldn't be telling Ben about the dream.

At home, Ben's caring went into overdrive as he helped her into bed. He offered to call her boss for her and although Becky was an understanding type Lara agreed knowing that making another phone call would not help her head at all.

"Becky says just call her tomorrow and let her know how you are. She says you're not to rush back before you're ready. Things are completely under control and she just rearranged with some of the clients." Lara was a photographer for an events company, she hoped that Becky would use a freelancer in the interim so that all their events were still covered.

" Thanks Ben, you're a lifesaver. It's kind of lucky this has happened when you're home you know." Ben smiled basking in her praise.

"Yeah, at least you had this accident today and not next week when I'd be packing up. I'm super glad you're OK but now you should rest. I'm going to go update my status to #lifesaver ha-ha." Playfully throwing one of the cushions from the bed, Lara smiled indulgently at Ben and settled herself into the bed to sleep.

Suddenly freezing, she stood on a clifftop in a howling gale churning, foaming waves crashed relentlessly against the cliffs. Hair whipping wildly in a torrent of strands around her head she tried desperately to look around. Turning away from the cliffs edge with significant effort she looked upon a towering structure lit with flickering lights in the distance, difficult in the dark to tell exactly what it was. Moving towards the structure at a slow pace, hampered by the strength of the galing wind a sudden shout attracted her attention. Two men fought nearby and suddenly the tugging sensation returned making her want to move towards them.

Drawing nearer with great difficultly her attention was drawn to the hooded figure whose hands appeared to be bound behind him as the other man tried to force him towards a waiting horse and cart. Still the sensation persisted, forcing her nearer and nearer the fighting pair. Anger filled the voice of the hooded man, "You cannot make me do this, they will hear of this and you will suffer a terrible fate."

Struggling to contain the hooded man, the other man appeared older retorting, "You have no choice, this is your destiny. Accept it. You will come with me one way or another. I do not wish to harm you, but if I must I will."

A gasp escaped her lips as he drew a dagger from a sheath at his waist. Her hands covered her mouth in horror, she was so near now that they were certain to have heard her. A tense moment passed, and she allowed her breath to exhale, clearly, they could not hear her.

"This is your last chance, cooperate with me or I will force you to. " As the old man attempted to force the hooded man to the ground he pushed back knocking the older man to the ground in an instant obviously much stronger than the older man. to push the hooded man to the ground.

Silver sparks began to form around the hooded man's hands. With a swift and sudden motion, the older man surged up from the ground powered by an unseen force one arm circling the neck of the hooded man the other arm swiftly drawing the dagger across his throat. Fountains of crimson spewed from the hooded man's throat as an involuntary scream escaped her lips. Impulsively, she tried to push the old man away, but her hands simply passed through him leaving behind that same strange feeling she'd experienced before. Rooted to the spot as she took in the macabre scene, the old man began to roll the other man onto his back. Purple streams of light flowed from his hands and in amazement she watched as the crimson blood retraced its flow and the gaping wound knit back together.

Flickering lights appeared on the horizon and a look of anger crossed the old man's face. "Blast!" The neck wound was almost healed, but the flowing purple light stopped as the old man bundled the still unconscious hooded man up, throwing him over his shoulder and rushing towards the waiting horse and cart. Throwing the unconscious man into the cart, he jumped on the front crying to the driver, "Go, quickly they are already searching for him. We must hurry."

Heart racing, drenched in sweat she woke up in her bed with pounding in her head.

Cool air chilling her skin, she wriggled further under the covers as she wondered just how hard she'd hit her head. Dreams were not something she'd ever really remembered before and suddenly here they were in glorious technicolour with a repeat performance from the same man. Head still pounding, it seemed like painkillers were having little effect. Gently massaging her temples, wondering if she was getting carried away over nothing more than coincidence she tried to think rationally. Exhaustion pulled at her brain, but sleep eluded her for now.

Deciding taking action was better than lying in bed unable to sleep she joined Ben in the living room.  Ben asked how she was and she told him, about her thumping headache but decided against discussing her dreams. Quietly watching TV, a sharp knock at the door roused them from their stupor. Police officers had come to take a statement about the incident at the station that morning after a report from the station guards. Question after question followed, leading her to ask why there were so many questions for a simple accident. Confusion ran through her when the officers told her that the CCTV footage appeared to show deliberate not accidental pushing. 

It turned out there had been a spate of similar incidents over recent weeks and the police were considering the possibility that the incidents were all connected. Dazed by this information she told them everything she could remember but she hadn't seen anything of the person who pushed her. After gathering the information, the police left. Clearly shocked by all that had happened, Ben wrapped Lara in a tight hug and tried to comfort her. Shock gave way to fear as she questioned whether she had been targeted or this was a random event. Exhaustion hit her hard and she sank down onto the sofa, a mixture of worry, fear and tiredness running through her already aching head her mind racing with unanswered questions.

Sitting down beside her, Ben put his arm around her shoulder and gently squeezed, "Tough day babe. Try to chill a bit, tell me if you need anything." A weak smile was all she could muster for him as she pulled a light blanket onto herself, her eyes felt heavier with every passing moment as she rested her head against Ben.

Phones ringing everywhere, people bustling around her was the next thing she knew. Searching for information to place her she looked around and saw a sea of blue dividing walls above wooden desks topped with all the usual paraphernalia of an office. Off to the side down one wall were numerous doors which seemed to lead to offices. Very few pictures graced the blandly coloured walls, but her eyes settled on a sign advertising this place as "Alliance Legal Ltd". No reaction to her presence from the numerous nearby people told her that somehow, she was once again invisible, here but not here.

The sharp trill of a nearby telephone was quickly answered by a red headed woman, Lara's ears seeming to automatically tune into what she was saying despite the noise all around her, "Mr Oliver is in a meeting right now but he will be available this afternoon, can I take a message?"

At the sound of that name, the impatient tugging sensation in her gut returned in earnest and she found herself moving towards a nearby office doorway as if on auto pilot. Glancing up at the glass plaque on the door told her she had arrived at the office of Mr Oliver who was apparently a senior associate. The sensation in her gut continued to pull at her and after a cursory check to ensure she was still unnoticed she quietly opened the door entering the room soundless and shutting it behind her. It was strange to her that in this state, whatever this state was, that she could still interact so easily with the physical world but be completely unseen by the people in it.

Scanning the office, it was almost as impersonal as the office outside with the exception of what appeared to be some certificates on the wall there was nothing to identify the kind of person Mr Oliver might be. The desk was the only possibility of finding out more, appearing to have some picture frames on it although they faced away from where she stood. As she took this all in, she realised she could hear the murmur of a male voice, the office chair was facing away from her towards the window.

Panic rose in her chest before she reminded herself that no one had seen her so far, so it was reasonable to assume that this man wouldn't notice her either. Calmer after thinking this through she tried to move closer to the desk and find out more about this man. decided that since no one seemed to notice her in this place she would get closer to the man. Nearing the desk, the quiet murmurs became audible to her, as she got nearer to the desk she began to hear what he was saying more clearly.

"I'm telling you, it was strange. No, I don't think it was a coincidence. She barely touched me, but I could have sworn there was a small spark. No, I didn't touch her skin after that, I grabbed her coat to stop her falling onto the tracks. Then she was unconscious."

That voice was one she recognised, Mr Oliver was the man who had saved her at the station that morning. Realisation washed over her, and she hesitated, unsure whether she should get any closer. Knowing who he was, she was eager to see his face more clearly as her impressions from the station were a little hazy. Despite her hesitation, the sensation in her gut nagged at her almost insisting silently that she should move closer.

Throwing caution to the wind, she began to step forward again. The phone conversation had continued but in the shock of her recognition, she had missed what was said although she tuned back in now.

"I don't know Rhian, this has been happening a lot. Maybe someone is onto me, why else would they try to make me touch women who could fit the description from the prophecy?"

Prophecies again, Lara thought bewildered at this connection with her other dreams. Not only that, but it sounded like Mr Oliver might know all about the spate of incidents the police had mentioned to her.

Piercing green eyes stared at her and despite the modern business suit he wore, she knew that this man was the man she had dreamed about before. Astonishment clear on his face, she knew without doubt that this man could see her.

"Rhian, I have to go" he almost shouted as he slammed down the receiver. Standing up from behind the desk he queried "How did you get in here?"

Frozen in place, she held her breath, heart hammering and lungs burning she had no response. The lights began to flicker, and the walls began to melt away leaving nothing behind but his piercing green eyes.

The sudden feeling of being shaken brought her back to her sofa where Ben was saying, "Babe, I think you were having a nightmare. You were shaking. Oh, your heart is racing hun. Are you OK?"

For the umpteenth time that day Lara asked herself what was going on.