Chapter Five: The Dream

A dream. Jane was definitely in a dream. After all, real life didn't have purple wombats with six arms. But then if she factored in the craziness of the day she had just had it would not surprise her to see them hopping around when she woke up.

"This is not how I usually have a dream, I know they are usually vivid but this is a bit to vivid" Jane said, looking at her hand, she clenched it and then unclenched it, for some reason she was conscious of her actions and they worked just the same as when she was awake. She took a step and felt the ground beneath her foot; she took a breath and felt the air in her lungs. Everything was so real that it was starting to be a little bit creepy. While she was walking on the oddly multi-coloured floor that appeared like someone had had an acid trip in the countryside and crafted this place to reflect that she observed her surroundings. People of all shapes and sizes where popping in and out at regular intervals, they did not seem to be bothered by wombats hopping around and some people actually engaged in a conversation with them, further enforcing Jane's believe that she had gone absolutely bonkers.

A person popped into the strange place and looked at Jane with a big smile, she didn't recognize her but there was a feeling of knowledge about this person in front of her. The mystery was solved the moment she spoke.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here" The person said with a very jubilant tone, giving Jane a hug, Jane was to shocked to reply or even hug her back. After a few seconds the woman broke off the hug and looked at Jane. Jane recognized the tone; she knew exactly who this person was, regardless of their change in appearance. However, she was too stunned trying to work something out to say and as a result she didn't say anything.

"Are you alright Jane?" She asked, a tone of worry creeping into jubilant speech.

"Mum...you" Jane whispered, failing to finish her sentence, tears started to spill out of her eyes and roll down her cheeks. Jane's mum pulled a tissue out of her pocket and began to wipe the tears away.

"No tears Jane, this is a joyous time, not a time for tears" She said as she finished wiping the tears away from Jane's eyes.

"You left" Jane told her mother, still incapable of speaking anything more than a few words at a time.

"It was not a voluntary leaving dear, I came down with a slight case of death" She said with a slight giggle. Some small being that Jane had not noticed on her shoulder stood up and spoke with a voice that Jane would not have expected from someone so small.

"Elana, death is never slight, unless you don't actually die. But then it isn't dead, so death is never slight" The shoulder being said.

"Ohh shush Enkia, I’m trying explain to my daughter about stuff, and I have a feeling it is going to be very hard" She replied, the shoulder being Enkia didn't look pleased with the reply but he sat back down anyway, seeming to fade from view as he did so. "Sorry about that, you know how Enkia is" Elana told Jane, who was still staring in disbelieve.

"You died?" Jane asked still completely shocked.

"Only a little bit, man didn't know how to finish the job so I am here until I can get somewhere else to live" Elana told Jane before realizing it explained nothing. "Think of someone burning down your house, you no longer have your house but you still have yourself" She explained, or at least tried to explain.

"I...I think I understand that, you are you, but have lost your house.." Jane said finally, basically repeating what Elana had just said. Then Jane spoke more heatedly. "How are you here? And while we are at it, where is here?"

"Well, I’m here because this is where I live for now and here is the Astral Plane, where all thoughts go and all dreams come from. All people are attached to this place somehow, but only a few people out of the connected can come here properly. Somehow, I don't think you came here voluntarily, I don't think you can do that. Not Just yet anyway" Elana explained.

"No, I didn't do anything. Sean just told me I was sleepy and then I fell asleep. Which was really weird, but then he is really weird, all that playing with pulling knives out of his head and...grrr he just he just irritates me" Jane told her mother, who understood.

"Ahhhh. Well that I can explain. You see, Sean sent you to sleep and gave you the push you needed to get here, you have always been on the edge of this place which is why your dreams where always so vivid but Sean gave you that nudge you needed to get over here" She said, Elana saw that Jane didn't understand that part and sighed.

"Don't worry; it will all seem clearer later. But for now it looks like you are going" she said, nodding to Jane's slowly disappearing body.

"What...what is happening?" Jane asked frantically as she turned ghost-like.

"Your grip of this place was borrowed, so you can't control it. You're waking up now and leaving here slowly" Elana told Jane calmingly.

"I don't want to leave you" Jane replied, reaching out for Elana.

"Don't worry, you will return soon" She said as Jane's eyes snapped opened. She sat up and took a sharp breath before looking around; everyone else was still asleep apart from Beth, Satyr and Balance, who were milling around the room.

"Quite amazing, that you are up so soon. You shouldn't be up yet. “Beth said, helping Jane off the floor. She shook her head a few times and looked around the room.

"It, feels different. I feel different. I can feel things more" she spoke generally and as confusingly as Sean. Beth frowned but she understood it clearly, it was just early was all.

"That's fine, it's just a side-effect" Beth said quickly, swiftly making a lie and telling it flawlessly. Jane nodded and then looked at the door.

"What's out there?" She asked, causing Beth to smile widely.

"Out there, well dear, let's go have a look" Beth said, opening the door, sunlight poured through the ajar door into the room.