58 HALLUCINATIONS

KAREN'S POV Laying in the twilight of my consciousness, the world around me a soft blur as sleep wrapped me in its gossamer veil. In the embrace of slumber, my mind drifted away from the tranquility of where I was, to a place both foreign and disturbingly familiar. I stood in an ancient forest, the trees towering above me like silent sentinels, their leaves whispering secrets of the ages. Mist curled around my feet as I wandered, aimless and yet drawn forward by an invisible force. My heart beat with an odd mixture of dread and anticipation. "Percy?" I called out, my voice was a ghost in the expanse, the name dissolving into the fog. There he was, suddenly before me, Percy with his eyes that held the warmth of a thousand suns, his smile that could chase away the shadows of any doubt. But Percy stood solemn, his lips a straight line, his usual light dimmed. He reached for me, hand outstretched, yet with each step I took towards him, he seemed to drift further away. "Percy