Part Six:
 

Rating: PG
 

Arianna was dreaming. She was asleep, and she knew it, and this was no ordinary dream. Mark and Vicky and the rest of her friends were around. Arianna couldn't see them, but she knew they were there. She had to find them. They wanted to talk to her.

She looked around her. She was standing on a huge platform. Walking around it, she looked over each edge. The platform was just a large, flat square, suspended in space. Over one edge she could see rushing water far below her. Below another she spied a forest. Flames were licking the corners of another edge, and upon further investigation she found a blazing inferno below that side of the platform.

"Let me guess," Arianna said aloud. "Air is going to be on that side." Turning to the side opposite the water, Arianna was hit with a blast of wind. "Oh, yeah. That's air."

She could hear her friends now. They were shouting something. It sounded like, "Use your powers." Strange, she thought. But then again, this is a dream, so I can do whatever the hell I want. Arianna looked up. There was a platform higher above her. Her friends were peering over the edge and yelling. Typical of them. They never could stay quiet long.

"Come down here!" Arianna called. It made more sense to have them jump down and land on her platform than for her to try and get to where they were. But they just shook their heads and pointed to her, indicating that she go to them.

Arianna sighed. They were all so stubborn. Might as well fly up there, she thought, as she leaped into the air. She could feel the wind rushing through her hair as she soared upwards. In moments she had reached them, and she hovered in front of them.

"Step back," Arianna told them. "So I can stand there, too." They shook their heads.

"No," Vicky told her. "You can't come here. You can communicate with us, but you can't visit. Ever."

"Why not?" Arianna asked.

"You just can't," William told her. "It's against the rules. You're not allowed where we are."

"What?" Arianna raised an eyebrow. "Talk sense."

"You have to listen carefully to us," Vicky pressed. "Remember what I told you that time?  To shut up and listen to what they aren't saying?"

"Yes," Arianna said. "I'm listening."

"Good," Mark said, stepping forward. "Because what we have to say is vitally important, and it's the truth."

"First of all," Vicky raised a finger. "We are dead. There is nothing you can do about it, so don't bother. There's not much time, so don't waste it worrying about us."

"Second," Andrew joined in. "You have a lot to do. Get it done. You're a different person now, and you'll be changing even more in the years to come. You're important, and I don't mean to put pressure on you, but there's a lot relying on you, Arianna."

"Everything happens for a reason," Denise said meaningfully. "You know this; don't forget it."

"I won't," Arianna promised.

"There's so much to say!" Vicky yelled in frustration. "And so much we can't tell you. You have to figure it all out on your own. Use those analyzing skills, and when you go back try to figure out everything we've told you. Got that?"

"I get the feeling I should be writing this down."

"Arianna! This is no time to be joking around!"

"God, William, I never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth." Arianna smirked.

William looked a little surprised himself. "Neither did I. I guess dying changes people."

"In any case," Vicky said pointedly. "Let's move on. Arianna, you play a very large role in things. No matter what happens, you are being looked out for by the…Higher Powers, you could call them. So don't worry about that. You'll always be alright."

"What do you mean?" Arianna was thoroughly confused at this point.

"Exactly what it sounds like," Jenna said. "You will never be with us again. Well, not for a really long time, anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Arianna asked, annoyed with all the secrecy.

"Arianna." Mark stepped to the edge of the platform and reached out, clasping her hand in his. "Please, understand. This thing with Night World - it's very important. There is an underlying purpose in all of it, and in time, you will discover it. But for now, just have faith."

"Mark, have you been able to see all that's been going on?" Arianna needed to know if he'd seen what had happened between herself and Ash.

Mark looked down at his feet. "Um, yeah, but before you say anything about that, there's something you should know."

Arianna bit her lip. "What?"

"You were kind of, um, influenced, to do all that stuff with that guy." Mark scratched the nape of his neck.

"What do you mean 'influenced'?" Arianna poked his arm when he didn't answer. "Tell me. What do you mean?"

"Okay," Mark began. "We can influence things so that they happen the way we want. It's not really interfering so much as moving things along."

"Get to the point, Mark," Jenna told him.

"Well," he continued, "as I'm sure you can imagine, I was a bit upset when I found out that we'd been separated like this, and I wasn't getting you back. So, because I knew I wasn't ever gonna see you again in the flesh, I sort of influenced you and Ash to get together, and then…"

"And then… what?" Arianna pressed.

"And then I kind of… went into him and experienced what was going on."

"You possessed him."

"No… okay, yes. Kind of, anyway."

Arianna rolled her eyes. "Oh, Mark."

"I was desperate! Arianna, I'm never going to see you again. I - oh, come on, don't cry. Please, don't cry."

Arianna wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "It's just - it's just that it's all sinking in, and - and-"

"Come here." Mark reached for her hands and pulled her towards him so that he was standing on the very edge of the floating platform and Arianna was directly in front of him. He put his arms around her, and whispered in her ear.

"Shed no more tears for me, my love. Ever. Just know that on those days when the sun is shining brightly and it begins to drizzle and the raindrops fall like kisses upon your face, it is me crying for you."

Arianna sniffled. "Since when did you become so romantic?"

"Since I lost you." And then he kissed her, knowing it would be the last time.

When Mark finally let her go, his eyes were glistening. "Remember us," he told her. "Remember everything. And remember all that we've told you here. And above all, stay alive."

Vicky stepped forward. "Arianna, you have to go now. We've told you all that we could, but now you have to wake up. You're going to be thrown back into yourself so-"

"I can't believe I died a virgin," Denise complained.

Vicky broke off to respond. "I know. It really sucks."

"I didn't," Jenna said, laughing evilly.

"Shut up. Anyway," Vicky said, turning back to Arianna. "You're going to be thrown back so that you wake up on your own and don't forget anything. Make sure you get up and write it all down, because I know you and how you forget your dreams when you're woken up by outside interference."

Arianna nodded. "You know me better than I know myself, sometimes." She hesitated, then asked, "How's my family?"

"They're here, too," Andrew told her. "And they're okay. They know all about us now, and they don't really care. I mean, hey, they're dead. We're dead. Why should they care if we used to cast spells in our free time?"

"Can you guys come visit me in my dreams or something?" Arianna asked hopefully.

William shook his head. "That's not allowed either. You've got to figure this all out on your own. And you have to get stronger, too, in every way possible."

"Time to go," Jenna said quietly.

Arianna looked around frantically. "Wait! I can't go yet! You can't leave me-"

"We have to," Andrew told her. "This is how things are; this is how they're supposed to be, and we can't change them. You have a job to do, and you're the only one who can do it. This is only one of a series of events-"

"That's too much," Jenna interrupted. "We can't say any more than we already have."

"Good-bye," Vicky said. "And don't forget: Yours is the greatest power." With that, she hugged her best friend, and stepped back, fading into the shadows. Each of the others followed this example, until only Mark was left standing on the platform.

"I already miss you," he told Arianna. "But this is what you were born for. It was all supposed to happen this way." He ran his hand over his dark hair, frustrated. "It was all planned."

"Don't talk about it," Arianna said, wrapping her arms around him. "This is our last time together, and I want to enjoy it, not stand here thinking about how it was meant for us to fall in love and then be separated. Just hold me, Mark. Just hold me."

And he did. They stood there, holding onto each other, until Mark began to fade. "I love you," he whispered. Arianna echoed his words, and then he was gone, and she was thrown backwards into darkness.