It was a beautiful night to be out.

That was the first thought that leaped into his mind as he stood at the edge of the cliff known as Crescent Hill, which was neither a gentle hill nor crescent-shaped. When one looked down over the edge, one would not be rewarded with a magnificent view or a snapshot of nature worthy of a postcard but by sharp rocks and unruly clumps of bushes. It was usually an uninspiring sight but in the light of tonight's full moon, it managed to look beautiful, even inviting...or maybe that was just him.

He glanced at his watch's glowing face. There was over an hour before midnight struck. He still had plenty of time. Blowing his dark hair out of his deep green eyes, he sat down on a fairly even area about three feet away from the cliff's edge and lit a cigarette. He was certain nobody would come across him here. Though the spot had been named long ago and had at one time been very popular, it was now more or less ignored, with several new cheap motels now established in the outskirts of town. The path leading to the area he sat in had been unused for over a decade and was so choked with weeds and bushes that nobody would even bother going there even if they had a legitimate reason.

That was a fact he was of two minds about. Part of him did not want to be bothered but another part of him wanted somebody to come along and...

"And help me," he finished, whispering it, a whisper that broke the silence as well as any shout could have. Then he sighed and shook his head, raising his cigarette to his lips once again.

A sudden sound behind him made his arm pause. He frowned as the wind blew cold on the back of his neck, bringing with it a strange fragrance that reminded him of something. Something he couldn't quite identify. He wanted to turn around and see where it was coming from but for some reason, he couldn't make himself move. What was that smell? It reminded him of sunshine and honey and fresh grass and cookies, warm earth and the ocean and chocolate and --

"Hello there."

He jumped and turned around in surprise. It was a girl, looking no more than sixteen years old, around two years less than his own age. She had dark eyes that looked almost black, and very pale straight blond hair.

She was wearing a plain, dark blue dress that seemed to have been made for a nun, very little make up, and a faint smile. She was also very pale, and her small body was so thin, making her look so fragile that it seemed a frown would make her break and a strong wind could take her away like mist.

"Excuse me," she said softly, with a voice as clear as bell-sound. "Am I bothering you? Do you want me to go?"

He blinked and hesitated.

"I was at the prom," she said. "My date and I were on the way home when his car broke down and he went to walk for help.

"He left you here by yourself?" he asked, surprised. What kind of date would leave a girl like her all by herself on a deserted road in the middle of the night?

She came to his defense. "David didn't want me to get tired. He made me promise to stay in the car...but it was boring."

He frowned at her still.

"So what's your story?" she asked him.

"What?"

"Why are you here? It is prom night...or am I mistaken and you don't go to Coleridge High? Are you even still in high school?"

"I don't see why it's any of your business," he said rudely. "But yes, I go to Coleridge High."

She sat down on the ground beside him. "So, why aren't you at the prom?"

"You ask a lot of questions." He studied her closely. "I've never seen you around school before...Not that that means anything as I hardly ever go there."

"Oh, I don't go to Coleridge High. David does. My family couldn't possibly afford it."

"I see."

She was silent for a moment and he hesitated once more. He couldn't possibly do what he was planning to do with the girl around. He considered leaving and coming back another night, but he couldn't abandon this small, fragile girl in a place like this. God knew what could happen to her.

"You look so sad," she said suddenly, with such a tone of sympathy that he was taken off-guard.

"What makes you think I'm sad?" he asked her coolly.

"Well, you're certainly not brimming with joy. It's prom night. Why aren't you having fun like everyone else? Where's your date?"

"Who in their right mind would want to go out with me?" he snorted.

She studied him for a moment. "You're not ugly. Why not?"

"Thanks," he said dryly, throwing the butt of his cigarette over the edge of the cliff in a long glowing arc.

"Actually, you're pretty cute," she said almost shyly.

"So? You don't even know me."

"You're right. You still haven't told me your name."

"Why should I go first?"

"Alright," she sighed. "My name's Christine. Christine Ross. What about you?"

He paused. "Kenneth."

She waited for more but he said nothing else. "I'm assuming you have a last name you don't want to tell me because you don't look like one of those weird, one-named rock stars and rappers."

"I'd rather not tell you."

"It's not like I'm going to stalk you or anything."

"Does it matter?" he asked in exasperation.

She blinked and looked out at the emptiness before them. "No. In this place...nothing really matters," she said softly. "It's like time stops here. And the world outside is just like a bad dream."

He looked curiously at her, wondering what had suddenly brought on the gloom. But he actually agreed with her.

"But when you go out there...it will seem like this place is the dream. Like this place has no real magic."

Now she was being weird. "You're not really making any sense," he said.

"Why are you here? Of all the places to sulk and think, why go here?" She stood up and walked to the edge and he eyed her nervously. If she fell off and her boyfriend found him here, he'd be in huge trouble. "What drew you here?"

"Have you been here before?" he asked curiously.

She turned around and smiled sadly at him. "Oh, yes. I'm here all the time..."

"I think you should step away from the edge."

"I won't fall," she assured him, but she did as he asked. Then she looked up at the moon. "It's almost full."

"It'll be full by tomorrow."

"The dreamer's moon," she murmured.

"What?"

"Oh, that's just what my sister and I call the full moon. When it's so big and round and beautiful, it just makes one's dreams seem so much more real."

She really wasn't making any sense. And something about her had changed. Earlier, she had seemed beautiful, fragile, and sweet. Now there was something sad that surrounded her, and something infinitely dark.

She made a small sound, like a very soft gasp, and she looked at the weed-choked path they had both followed. "I have to go...Will you be here tomorrow?"

"What? Why?" he asked, startled.

"Come back here tomorrow. At about the same time," she told him.

"Why would I want to do that?" he asked irritably.

"To see me again. I have something I want to say to you."

"Why should I go all the way back here just for you? Can't you tell me now?"

"I can't stay," she said, suddenly sounding very much afraid. "And I can't tell you now. You wouldn't understand...but come back here tomorrow. I have to tell you something you need to hear."

He jumped to his feet. "But I--"

It was too late. She'd already bolted into the trees and melted into the darkness. He could have caught up with her, since he was tall and athletic. But something held him back. He glanced back at the cliff's edge. What he had come here to do could wait a day more. He paused, lit another cigarette, and followed the dark and difficult path again.

( To be continued... )