Marked By Darkness

Chapter One

From the moment I opened my eyes, I knew I was dreaming. It felt like waking up, but I was still buried deep in sleep.

I looked around at my surroundings, trying to determine where I was, but I couldn't recognise any aspect of the landscape around me. I was standing in a large room, with white walls and wooden floors. There were tables scattered around, as if it were some sort of meeting room or cafeteria.

I twisted around quickly when I heard a female laugh behind me, but it wasn't the sound that surprised me. I recognised that laugh. It was my laugh.

I struggled to take in what I was seeing in front of me. It was as if I were having an out of body experience. I could see myself in front of me, but I was struggling to accept that I was looking at myself.

I was sat at one of the tables at the other side of the room, my vivid red hair pulled back in a ponytail, an amused smile on my face. There was a boy sitting next to me, smiling at me. I'd never seen the boy before, but I was hit by an intense sense of familiarity, which was completely crazy. How could he be familiar when I'd never seen him before?

I walked closer, wanting to get a better look at him. I realised that they couldn't see me as I reached the side of the table and they didn't look up. They didn't even acknowledge that I was there, instead just continuing with their conversation, which I hadn't really been paying attention to.

Now that I was close enough to see the boys face, I studied every one of his features, committing them to my memory.

I could tell that he was tall because he had his long legs stretched out beneath the table and he was slumping forwards slightly, as if he'd be too big for the seat if he sat up straight. I could see lines of well defined muscle through the black t-shirt that hugged his torso and when he reached up to brush his hair out of his face, the muscles in his back flexed and I had the craziest urge to reach out and touch those muscles. As I pushed the urge away, I lifted my gaze to study his face. The first thought that went through my head was that he was absolutely, breath-takingly gorgeous. I'd never seen anyone so perfect. His jaw was well defined, leading up to his glorious cheekbones. His lips were full and I had the vague thought that they'd be perfect for kissing. His nose was slightly crooked, as if he'd broken it before and it hadn't set entirely straight. His eyes were what held my attention; they were the deepest shade of emerald green I'd ever seen. As he reached his hand up to brush his hair out of his face again, I noticed that his hair was inky black and slightly curly. It looked thick and soft and I wanted to run my hands through it to see if it felt as soft as it looked. It fell midway down his neck, just brushing the tops of his broad shoulders and curling around his ears. I was completely and utterly captivated by this incredibly stunning man.

"What do you do for fun, Dorian?"

I was snapped out of my awestruck trance by the sound of my own voice, but it wasn't me speaking. It was the other me; the me that knew this beautiful man. His name resounded in my brain, captivating me even more. How could everything about him be so perfect?

Dorian shrugged, tapping his fingers on the table in a fast rhythm.

"Running. Sparring. Boxing." He listed three different activities, one side of his mouth twitching into a half-smile.

I frowned, shaking my head, as if I wasn't satisfied with that answer.

"That isn't fun. That's your job. What do you do when you're not working?" I asked, sounding incredibly curious.

I couldn't really blame me. I was more than a little curious about Dorian.

Dorian's eyebrows rose as he chuckled under his breath.