On her last note, she hit the ground with a grunt, her head spinning and her eyes blinded the brilliant light around her. She shook her head to clear out the dust that had settled in there and finally her eyes focused on her surroundings. She was in a forest full of gigantic trees and large blades of grass. *Hey! I know this place!* she thought. *But where do I know this from? It's...shit, it's right at the tip of my tongue but I can't remember!*

She looked down to where she landed and saw that she hadn't landed on the ground but a big red mushroom with white polka-dots. It wasn't so much the mushroom that confused her but her own nude body that rested upon the mushroom. Her skin was blue! *What's going on?* she wondered, her eyes darting left and right, waiting to be let in on the joke. She frowned as another realization came to her. *Why is everything so big? And how am I supposed to get down? I don't like it here!*

Absently, her hand reached around to her back to scratch the itch she was feeling. Her hand encountered something that she was positive wasn't supposed the be there and she drew it back quickly. *Wha...?* her head whipped around and she realized she had wings! I'm a pixie!

Once the initial shock wore off, she began to wonder if she could fly? The idea excited her. She had always wanted to fly. She stood up on her legs and looked around cautiously. *Okay, how should I do this?* She first held out her arms but then realized that her wings would have to do the job, not her arms, but she couldn't get her wings to work. Concentrating on the muscles in her back, she pushed with her mind but to no avail. "How the hell am I supposed to get these damn things to work?" she grumbled.

"You can't fly in a glass jar, stupid!" an incredibly loud voice neither male nor female said and Maria looked around in search of its owner.

She couldn't find its source and she put her hands on her hips. "Look, whoever you are, I'm in no mood for games. Show yourself!"

"Why should I?" the voice answered.

"Because...Because I said so!" she sputtered lamely.

"Ooooh, I'm terrified," the voice answered sarcastically.

"Fine! If you're not going to reveal yourself to me than leave me the hell alone. I need to learn to fly."

"But you can't fly dummy! That's what I'm trying to tell you! No one can fly in here."

Maria frowned, feeling a wave of both anger and frustration washing over her. "Why not?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

"Because of the glass jar! I already told you!"

Maria rolled her eyes, wanting to scream. "Would you stop being so cryptic, you're annoying the hell out of me." She took a deep breath, willing her anger away and then, more calmly she asked, "What glass jar?"

"The one I use to hold your dreams in. How stupid are you?"

Maria temper boiled again and she clenched her jaw. "Look, I'm getting real sick of the name calling. If you can't give me a straight answer than you can just leave me alone!"

The forest echoed with jovial laughter and her brain felt like it was going to explode. She clamped her hands over her ears, recoiling for only a minute when she felt the points at a top but the laughter was so painful that she didn't allow herself to think about it too much. When the laughter stopped, Maria slowly removed her hands.

"Peek-a-boo," a voice whispered in her ear and she practically jumped out of her skin. She whipped her body around and narrowed her eyes to small slits at the person.

"Kyle," she hissed in disgust, both fear and severe dislike rushing through her body. *Wait? Where did that come from? Why am I so mad at Kyle?* She wondered. There had to be a reason. She bit her lower lip and looked down at the ground, struggling to remember but it wouldn't come to her. She shrugged her shoulders and glared at him again. *There has to be a good reason so I'll just stay mad at him.*

"What do you want?" her cold voice demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Are you still mad?" he asked sheepishly, looking like a lost little boy.

Maria was confused. He looked so childish. Even his voice had that innocence.

She let her arms fall to her side. "Maybe," she answered cautiously. "But back to my original question. What do you want?"

Kyle looked around, in search of god knew what, and then he leaned in to her and whispered. "Maria, there's still hope for you but it's too late for me. I'm already trapped in the spider's web but you can still get away. He went away for a moment but he could be back any moment so listen. I can tell you what to do to use your wings but I can't tell you how."

"Who is he?" Maria whispered, completely confused. "And why can't you come with me."

"You don't remember?" he asked, looking at her sideways before shaking his head and saying, "Don't worry you will."

"Was he the voice?" she asked, unsure.

Kyle nodded. "But that's not all. Now, listen, we don't have much time. You have to fly Maria."

"But I don't know how."

Kyle shook his head. "It isn't about knowing Maria, it's about remembering. You have to remember how you got here and once you do, you can leave. It's that simple. He thinks he finally trapped you but you're strong and you can still get out."

Maria tried to remember how she got there but it wouldn't come to her. She stamped her feet in frustration and looked to Kyle for help. "Can't you just tell me?"

He shook his head again and frowned. "No, I can't tell you because I don't know. I've been in here too long."

"Where's here then?"

A hand squeezed around her heart at the sorrow in his voice. It tore her apart. "His glass jar. The place where you exist but don't live. The place where you give up your free will. I've been in here too long to remember and as much as I'd like your company, I'd never wish this on you. You have to remember Maria. You're our last hope."

"Last hope for what?" she cried throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. Another thought occurred to her. "And why am I a pixie and you're not?"

"The first question I can't answer. You have to remember that for yourself, Maria. But as for the next question, I've been in here too long. He plucked my wings and now I'm stuck in here until you come for me."

"But I'm here right now."

"That's not what I mean. You're not really here yet. Only the part he can control is here but the rest of you is somewhere else. Do you remember where that place is?"

She shook her head. "No," she whispered helplessly and tears rose in her eyes. She was so scared and confused.

Kyle closed his eyes and the defeat was evident on his face. "Then there is no help for us. We're his forever now. I have to go. If he finds out I talked to you, he'll be mad and I don't want to make him mad. He does terrible things to me when he's mad."

"Don't leave me, Kyle," Maria called desperately as he turned to go.

"I have to. I don't want him to hurt us. Good-bye, Maria." He began to walk away, his shoulders slumping. Maria looked down again and felt a single tear slide down her cheek. She felt so alone.

"Oh yeah, Maria?" Kyle spoke and Maria looked up sharply.

"Yes?"

"I never got to tell you that I'm sorry."

"For what?"

He shrugged. "That's what you have to remember. Oh, and one more thing. His weakness is your love. Not for him but for someone else. Someone very important. That's all I can tell you because that's all I can remember."

Maria pondered that for a moment and she was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even see Kyle fade into thin air.

"I have to figure this out!" she said firmly, feeling a burst of determination run through her. "Love. What is love?" She couldn't remember, had she ever experienced it? *Think, Maria. What does the word love mean?* Her memory of the slightest thing was growing weaker by the moment.

"Love, love, love, love...what is love?"

She suddenly heard a voice in her head and all the emotions behind it. "I love you, Maria." The voice was all around her but it wasn't the same voice as before. This one was so full of...love! *I know what love is!*

Her heart skipped a beat as several feelings rushed through her. Love was passion. It was fire. It gave you a reason to live. It was a sharing of hearts and souls with someone else. It was caring so much for someone that their mere smile could brighten you day. It was an emotion so strong that you would do anything to make them love you back. Love was beautiful and tender and absolutely magnificent!

Maria was in awe. Who had ever felt that strong about her?

"You have to let me in Maria," the voice said again. Whose voice? That was the question. Who had a voice so full of all those feelings for her?