Ouroboros - Prologue

"Love is not love1

Which alters when it alteration finds,2

Or bends with the remover to remove:3

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark4

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;"5

~ Shakespeare Sonnet 1166

Hazel sat bolt upright in bed, her eyes still wide with fright even as the shapes that had haunted her dream began to loose focus in the wakig world. Her throat was dry like sandpaper and her hands, that gripped the bedsheets so hard her knuckles turned white, were clammy. She looked around her, dim outlines of familiar objects taking shape illuminated every so often by the flickering, fading light from the neon sign across the street flashing through her window. Strange...she thought she'd drawn those curtains.7

She spared a glance at her bedsite clock frowning when the neon green lights told her it was 4:15, no chance of going back to sleep now. Beginning to feel sticky and desperate to rid herself of the remnance of the dream Holly swung her legs off her bed and got to her feet. She padded quietly to the door and crept along the hall to the bathroom.8

She stripped and got into the shower letting the feeling of the hot water rush over her and calm her nerves. It was shrot lived however, with a cranking sound and a lurch the water went from steaming hot to ice cold and Holly gave a screach of surprise.9

"Whose there?!" the door burst open and the light flicked on and there, standing in the doorway was a tall dark haired man with the brightest blue eyes you've ever seen.10

Holly, who had unceremoniously tripped in the shower, was spralled on the base of the bath grinning up at him.11

The man sighed and gave her a tired smile, "Holly, what are you doing?" he walked over and turned off the now trickling shower and helped Holly to her feet; wrapping a towel around her and pulling her close.12

"I'm sorry James," Holly replied wrapping her arms around his neck.13

"Are you going to tell me why you were taking a shower in the dark?" James asked with a playful grin.14

"Felt like it," was her reply.15

James shook his head, "Well...I don't suppose either of us will be getting back to sleep," he smirked. Then in the blink of an eye he'd scooped her up into his arms, Holly let out another cry of surprise and laughed as he carried her all the way back to their room, "But we do have a couple of hours before work."