a sweet voice sounded behind me.
Of course, I knew immediately that it was my childhood best friend and dearest work colleague, Lilly.
I played dumb and started guessing "Um Meridith? Joy?"
"No you silly, you know exactly who is here!" She said and sat down in front of me grinning.
Lilly was the complete opposite of me on the outside.
She had long, caramel-colored hair, was about half a head shorter than me, and had bright green-blue eyes.
She only wore different colored contact lenses to costume balls, or on Halloween. I envied her a little for being so normal.
"Hello Earth to Jun!" with a wave over my eyes she snapped me out of my thoughts.
"What, yeah, what did you just say?"
Lilly rolled her eyes and gave me a shove in the side.
"Yeah. You, me to the Triangle tonight?"
I thought about it for a second.
The Triangle was the hottest club in town and you could only get in if you had already been there, even if only as an escort.
Because only then you got on the guest list.
Since my family counted to the absolute VIP`s of the city, no of the country, my name stood pretty much in the first place.
"Can't we just have a relaxed dinner? Or have a leisurely movie marathon at my place?" I asked, a bit annoyed.
I found the constant stares that were basically directed at me annoying.
"Oh please! For that, we'll do next weekend also quite gemach and relaxed, a movie night. Please, please!" she begged with a quivering lip and dachshund look.
To resist this sight was almost impossible. Finally, I buckled and agreed.
"Okay. Fine by me. But only if you bring your 'miracle makeup'against my craters of dark circles."
At first she was happy like a little kid at Christmas, but soon after she was thoroughly scrutinizing my face.
After a short while, she sighed and put her hands on my shoulders.
"The dream again?" she asked a little worried.
"Yes THE dream" I replied annoyed with myself.
Lilly was the only person I had told about the recurring nightmare.
If I discussed this with my parents, well, I would be in therapeutic treatment faster than I could look.
Suddenly, I saw a twinkle in her eyes.
"Were you that woman again? Were you able to figure out where it was this time? Were there any other people besides that vicious Raven? Were you able to recognize any plants or animals?"
"Lil, STOP! Just because you're co-teaching dream interpretation now doesn't mean I have to be your next study subject!"
She taught Ucultism and the teaching of witchcraft.
She sighed, but could understand my disapproval.
"Okay, then 7:00 pm at your place Juju" she said with a sneer.
"Let's make it 6:30pm and please stop calling me that at work.That nickname isn't really age appropriate." I replied to her, contorting my face and finishing my break, still hungry.
Chapter 2 The portal
At 6:30 p.m. sharp, Lilly stood in front of my door and grinned into the camera.
I lived outside the city in a huge and very ostentatious house in the hills of California.
Personally, I would have settled for a small apartment in the city, but my parents literally insisted that I move into this fortress.
I walked up to the door and pressed the security protocol, including the iris scanner.
Only when the person is fully identified does the door lock open.
This procedure, every time I visited, was already bugging me when I moved in.
Sometimes I felt like I was in a high-security wing that was better guarded than Fort Nox.
Finally the door opened and Lilly came marching into my living room, laden with several bags.
"So here I am. I brought a few outfits and my entire makeup arsenal." She said and lifted the bags onto the couch.
I knew full well that today we wouldn't be trying on any of her souvenirs, but something from my sister Malia's new fashion collection.
Malia was my 2 year older sister, who after studying fashion directly with our Aunt Lyla, designed several fashion collections of her own.
I basically had to act as a model. The advantage of this was that I could keep all the clothes I was photographed with.
After almost an hour and a half of changing outfits, we both had finally found one we liked.
Lilly wore a purple black mini dress with a v-neck and several cuts at her waist, so that you could see quite a lot of skin. In addition, she wore black highheals, which were tied together with two ribbons up to her knees, crossed.
I, on the other hand, wore a sapphire blue, knee-length dress, where the back was free, but with silver chains to set accents. In addition, black boot heels.
After doing her hair and makeup, Lilly suddenly took out a small, very old-looking book from her bag.
She leafed through it a bit until she stopped on a page and pointed to a picture with a squiggly mirror.
"You see, the book says that if you want to know what a recurring dream means, you should look into the mirror of destiny.
If you slowly lose yourself in it, the keeper of memories will answer all your questions."
She looked at me with a serious face. I couldn't help myself and laughed out loud.
I shook my head and sarcastically asked her if she was serious.
"I love you Lilly, but do you seriously think that an old mirror with an old man in it could tell me what is wrong with me, or what is wrong with me?
I don't believe in such hocus pocus! And even if that mirror does exist somewhere, who's to say it's not lying at the bottom of the ocean next to the Titanic?" I snorted, still laughing.
Lilly screwed up her face and gave me a dirty look.
"You'll see. When the time comes, the mirror will reveal itself to you."
I wiped aside the fairy tale of the magic mirror, took our handbags and was about to walk towards the door.
Someone honked the horn and a huge smile spread across Lilly's face.
This could not mean anything good for me.
My mouth was open and I looked incredulously back and forth between my best friend and the oversized stretch limousine in my driveway.
Lilly pulled me into the huge vehicle with her and we drove off.
"Are you serious!!! A stretch limo?! The only way it would be more eye-catching is if it was pink!" is all I brought out angrily.
Lilly just shrugged her shoulders and casually said "The pink one was out.
Also, relax a bit! We're only here once a month and then you might as well make a real appearance!"
I rolled my eyes and wanted most to ask the driver to park on a side street,
but there we already stopped at the end of the queue.
As we got out, all eyes were on me, as if I were an actor about to walk the red carpet at a movie premiere.
We walked past the crowds towards the entrance.
Not