Wishes Upon Stars

Prologue

"No Matter how far you run. No matter how hard you try to hide. No matter where you are, it will find you." That is what Lauren's grandmother had always told her. At first, Lauren had no idea what her grandmother had meant by that when she was first told and she was only a child at the time. Myra, her grandmother, had mentioned a few more times over the years before she was overcome with madness and perished from this plane of existence.

Lydia, Lauren's mother, didn't respond to some of the questions Lauren had about her grandmother and some things that were happening to her when she became sixteen. Lydia just didn't want to talk about it. Until she no longer had a choice when something happened to Lauren one day and needed to be picked up from school. She no longer had a choice. Mr. Morgan, her math teacher, was not too pleased either. There was an allegation of cheating against Lauren. Lauren hadn't turned in any class work, yet she got all the test answers right. The reason Mr. Morgan waited until midterms to make his claim was a mystery.

After a pause, Lydia shook her head and said, "Lauren." After exhaling deeply, Lydia tightly blew her breath out. "I'm not sure where to begin and I know that you have many questions." She ran her hands along her face and growled softly. "I don't know what to do and I'm trying so hard not to get in the same boat as grandmother Myra." Lydia ran her fingers along her face. The truth is that no matter how hard we try, we can't hide from it. I didn't want it and I didn't want it for you.

"Grandma Myra used to say something like that when I was growing up," Lauren recalled.

Lydia nodded in agreement. "Yes, she did. What else did she tell to you?"

Lauren shrugged. She was only sixteen at the time and had no idea what was going on with her. All she knew what that every time it came time for the math test, she somehow saw the answers and wrote them down as she saw them. She hated math. And now, she's going to be known as a cheater. She had enrolled in a martial arts class to help with her anger and frustration at Mr. Morgan. And realized she was real good and began to enter tournaments and win championships.

"Lauren, what's going on with you? Please be honest with me. I can tell when you are lying to me."

There was no doubt in Lauren's mind about that. Lauren's mother always knew when something was wrong with her before she even knew it herself. She inhaled deeply, then let out a long breath. "I have no idea, momma. Math is something I am not good at, you know that. Despite not doing the work, I seem to know the answers to the tests."

Lydia nodded knowingly. "You can see the answers in your mind?"

Lauren's head bowed. "Is there anything else that you can see in your mind? Anything that you know will happen that you want to know about in advance? Do you see something happening elsewhere at the same time you are here?"

While Lauren's pulse rose and she breathed deeply, her heart began to beat a little faster. "Yes."

Lydia suddenly sprang to her feet. "This is something I fear. I hope that it will skip a generation." She placed her hands on her hips.

Lauren was baffled. "What are you saying?"

Quite harshly, Lydia began, "Second sight it's clairvoyance. Remote viewing. Whatever you call it, it is a claim that we can perceive objects, people, events, and locations through extrasensory perception. Such a person is said to be clairvoyant."

Even though she was still puzzled, Lauren nodded. In her young life, she had never heard of such a thing.

Her eyes widened as she turned to face her daughter. "Don't say a word to anyone about this ability." She stomped closer to where Lauren sat. "Try not to use it. Grandma Myra did and the military dragged her into this group that used her. They used her badly that damaged her. Grandma tried to live a normal life afterward. She married grandpa and had a few kids. Me and Auntie Ruth but grandma wasn't normal after what they had put her through. She made us promise not to use our gifts when we first started having visions because she didn't want the military to use us the same way they did her. She saw things she wanted to forget but couldn't that it drove her to madness." Lydia knelt in front of Lauren and looked up.

"Please, promise me not to use it," Lydia muttered.

The only thing Lauren could do was nod. She wanted to ask more questions, but she was afraid to do so. Her mother's look was something she had never seen before, and it terrified her.

Her mother died after a car accident three years later, when she was nineteen. Lauren wasn't sure what her future had in store for her. There were no scholarships for college because of the allegation of cheating on her tests. Her mother didn't save either. She had no idea who her father was since he was never in the picture and Lydia never mentioned his name.

So she did the only thing left for her to do at the time. She enlisted in the military. Lauren broke her promise and joined the Air Force.

After rolling over onto his back, Nikau Kaur blinked his eyes open. He had the dream again. It was the same song that kept appearing in his dream for the past several days. A song he didn't recognize but in his dream...it means something. He would try to play that song on his guitar but couldn't seem to get it right. His bandmates had no idea what to think either at first so Nik just kept it to himself afterward. While alone at home; he worked hard to try to get the song right. In the back of his mind, he knew this one song would make the band, The Empire.

His dream included a woman who came along with a song. But that was another issue. First time he saw her in a dream, he was completely astonished. Despite never having seen her or even knowing her name, there was something about her that meant something to him. There was something about her reddish blonde hair and her hazel eyes that made an impression on him.

The song. There was something about the song that meant something to him in his dreams. It also meant something to her. It was like the song belonged to him.

After grunting loudly, Nik sat up alone in his bed. No matter how long she tried to search for this woman around Auckland, he couldn't find her at all. He was beginning to wonder if she actually existed at all and she was just a figment of his imagination.

She, however, seemed like an actual person to him. The influence she had on him made him write the song that kept appearing in his dreams. It was as if she was his muse. Nik had already begun writing a third song for an upcoming album he was working on.

Nik stood up and stretched. A few steps later, he pushed the curtain aside at the window. His plans for the morning included visiting Phia Beach as the sun began to rise over the city. Additionally, he needed to finalize some preparations before he left for a concert in Christchurch in a few days. While he was in Christchurch, his sister, Sienna, was going to stay in his apartment. On bare feet, he crossed the room away from the window. As Nik walked into the bathroom, he scratched his bare chest.

He exited the shower a few minutes later, relieved and showering, only to find his sister sitting on the couch looking through a magazine.

"Sienna," Nik greeted her as he walked past her toward the kitchen.

"I brought a plate of pikelets," In response, she returned his greeting with a plate of pikelets. "I made you a cuppa."

Nik entered the kitchen. "Sounds good. TA"

Watching her older brother move about the kitchen, Sienna leaned against the door frame. "How long are you going to be gone?"

"A few days at the most."

Sienna nodded. "Mom wants to talk with you before you leave."

As he pulled down a couple of plates, Nik paused. "How is dad doing?"

"He's doing well. He is taking some new medications, and they seem to be helping."

Nik let out a breath, not realizing how long he'd held it. A smile spread across his face as he said, "that's good. How are the studies going?"

"It's going as well as it can be," she said with a smile. Her preference for traveling abroad over attending the academy was known to him. After she had attended the academy for two years, Nik had agreed that he would pay for her to travel abroad for a year, then come back and finish her studies. In six months, it will be two years and she's already planning where she wants to go.

"Do you know where you want to go?" Nik asked to change the subject.

"England. I would love to see England."

Nik laughed heartily.

"Why is going to England so funny? I recall you being there last year. You posted a lot of photos online, I saw them all."

As soon as he stopped laughing, he turned serious. In fact, it was true. Additionally, the country had a dark side that she shouldn't have seen. "That's fine by me. Are there any plans Aria has a say in?"

Sienna would not have to travel alone by taking Aria along with her.They had been best friends since they started school together.

"I haven't spoken to her about it yet. We're going to talk about it here while you're gone."

Nik handed her a plate of pastries while nodding. "Ok. You do promise that you're not going to throw a major party while I'm gone?" He had come home one night after a six-month tour in England last year to find his apartment full of people and they were having a party. Kicking the party-goers didn't go as planned when they recognized him from The Empire. Let's just say, it got to the point that Nik had to call security to get the people out of his apartment.

"You can count on me, Nik." Taking a bite out of the pastry, she remembered what happened last time.

"Are you going for a walk on the beach?" She asked him. It was a part of his ritual before a tour.

Before he took a sip of the black brew she made for him, Nik said, "Phia Beach."

In the living room, Sienna turned to the shiny red guitar leaning against the wall. "What are song are you working on?"

"Yep. I have two songs written already and need to put some music to the lyrics." Nik smiled at his sister. He wanted to tell her everything about the dreams and the woman in them. But he decided to keep quiet. He didn't think she would understand. He didn't understand it either. Hell, he didn't even know if she was real or not.

"Let me read them," she pleaded.

Nik knew she was a sucker when it came to her. She smiled as he pulled out the lyrics and read them to her.

~ * ~

Lauren turned to the Lieutenant standing before her. They stood there staring at each other before the smile on their faces turned to laughter. As she pointed a finger at Emily, Lauren said, "No."

The two women turned and walked away from the building on the base they stood in front of. Lauren knew it would be the last time a man would mug a woman in Hagley Park. With her best roundhouse kick, she kicked the man in the head then tossed him on his ass. When he landed on his back, he had a priceless look on his face. The man rose and jogged off. As he left, Lauren had no idea what he was saying. She had been in New Zealand for less than a month and she still had some trouble with the slang.

Emily laughed as she said, "He won't forgive you for that,"

Lauren tried to stop laughing as she said, "I don't give a damn if he does or not." Her dream from the night before popped into her head and she stopped laughing. Her dream involved a man who caused her to sigh. As they Leviced to their slow seductive song, she remembered the feel of his arms holding her tightly. As her lips touched his, she shivered in Christchurch, New Zealand, which was hotter than Hell. She would be sent to New Zealand, of all the places in the world.

"It's good to leave the base," Lauren said.

Emily nodded in agreement. "It is."

Lauren had arrived on base three weeks earlier and had become friends with the young Lieutenant immediately. She waved a hand in front of her face. "We should be getting back soon. We have that drill in the morning."

Rolling her eyes, Emily frowned. "I know that. My responsibility was to schedule it. Besides, it's for the enlisted group. Since you're the captain and I am only an LT we can be late and not get into trouble, right?"

Lauren smiled. "As true as that may be, we do have to lead by example. To be clear, I do outrank you." Lauren tapped Emily's shoulder with her own.

Emily moaned. "I know, so please don't remind me." Emily dug into her purse. "I managed to get some tickets to a concert for next week." She showed Lauren the tickets." She pulled out the tickets to show Lauren. "Wanna go with?"

Lauren didn't look at the tickets. "I'll think about it. Who is it anyway?" Lauren didn't know any of the local bands. She didn't have time to get to know the ins and outs of New Zealand. She knew she was coming here but didn't have the time to study the local culture. From what she could tell, this country was almost like the United States.

As Emily tucked the tickets back into her purse, she replied, 'the Empire."

'the Empire of what?" Lauren grinned at her friend as she asked.

Emily shrugged as they made their way to Emily's rented car in the parking lot. "I have no idea. Just The Empire."

"The day has been good. We have to get to the airport for the jump back to the base." Lauren glanced out the window as she spoke. Though the dream was still in her mind, her South Island weekend getaway had come to an end. She had been having dreams about the same man since she arrived in this country. Because of her ability, she wondered if it would come true. Would she do anything if the time came to meet her dream man? Furthermore, she had to consider whether she wanted to stay or leave the Air Force.

"Are you considering reenlisting?" Emily asked quietly as they drove past the crowded streets toward the airport.

Lauren replied, "I am." In real life, there weren't too many places to apply for her line of work. She was a paramedic. She'll admit it though, there are places but they're just not hiring at the moment. Not even for an ambulance driver.

"I can always become a forest ranger," Lauren told Emily as she smiled at her.

"Let's make the enlisted want to become officers first, and then we'll talk about becoming a park ranger." Emily laughed.

"Are you planning on making a career of being in the Air Force?" Lauren inquired.

Emily grew quiet. Lauren knew Emily's background. She was an orphan and had no family back in the States. It was one of the reasons they became such good friends. Each of them had no regrets about joining and reenlisting. Then, shortly after becoming an officer, Lauren had to reenlist and retrain hard for two years. No one knew of her little secret either, but everyone in the military knew she wanted two years. In response to questions about how she knew certain things, she said it was just instinct. Every time she stayed true to her story.

"There's nothing for me in the real world, no one for me either," Emily admitted.

There was no doubt in Lauren's mind. There was still an entire year to think about it. After a long pause, she finally said, "I have a year to think about it."

The car pulled into the airport parking lot. Emily turned in the keys to the car rental counter as Lauren went to get their bags. The only ride they took was a helicopter, so they did not have to go through security checks. A young enlisted member saluted them back as they flashed their military IDs. As they climbed into the copter, they put on the headphones to drown out the noise.

"I need you to wake me up," Emily said as she cuddled up in her seat and closed her eyes.

As she leaned back in her seat, Lauren nodded. It was still early in the evening and getting darker. Ohakea Base would take several hours to reach.

As the lights of the city came on, the helicopter rose into the air. Throughout the city, they glistened like diamonds. After turning north, the helicopter began to glide toward Ohakea Base. She thought about the man in her dream and the song they were dancing to. Her heart was touched by the song. She felt as if it was written just for her. Her heart melted whenever she thought about the slow music and the words. She felt her skin tingle as he sang the song. She wanted things she hadn't wanted in a long time because he made her want them.

~ * ~

When Nik and the rest of the bandmates entered the private airstrip they used for quick trips in New Zealand and neighboring countries, it was still very early in the morning. Two small planes were sitting on the strip. One was for the band equipment and the other was for them.

Nik stood between the planes at a distance of forty feet. "G'day. " Levi looked up and down at him as he replied, "You don't seem well."

"I am knackered and couldn't sleep last night. Throughout the night, I was tossing and turning. I hope to get some sleep on the plane." Levi scratched his chin.

"What's going on with Joey?" Ethan asked as he stepped up to them and clapped Nik on the shoulder.

Seeing Nik's expression, he shrugged.

"No idea," he replied. He's being dodgy with the cargo today." he observed as Joey struggled with the large load. One of the larger pieces of cargo fell off the plane and landed hard on the ground, making the three men cringe. From the sound that came from it apparently was the drum kit. The band members hoped the drum kit wasn't damaged from being dropped hard onto the ground.

"Would you like to place a bet on what that was?" Ethan asked with a slight chuckle.

"No," Levi and Nik answered at the same time.

"How are things going, mates? What fell?" Rhylie asked as he approached the other three men.

Without looking at the fourth man who approached them, Levi was the one who answered, "Where is the other guy who helped Joey load the plane?"

All three men shrugged. An approaching car caught Nik's attention. "He's here now."

"Late as usual," Ethan said as he watched the man exit his vehicle.

Levi made the suggestion, "We need to help or we'll be late."

Eventually, Joey and Ari began loading the cargo onto the plane with the help of Levi, Ethan, and Rhylie. Nik walked over to where the pilots stood and waited for them to take off. The two were talking about filing the flight plan to get to Christchurch in time for the concert when Nik heard them Nik glanced at the scenery around him before approaching his band mates, as they finished loading the equipment onto the plane.

"Done," Ethan shouted, and he ran his hands up and down his thighs.

Nik turned his attention to the pilots. "We're ready."

The small plane was heading toward the back when Nik took his seat and buckled his seatbelt. Likewise, the others followed suit. As the plane began to take off, Levi tilted his seat back and closed his eyes. Ethanr and Rhylie started talking as they sat together. His head had been ringing with the lyrics of one song that kept popping into his head at the moment, so he got a notebook out of his backpack. He kept seeing her in his dreams. "Wishes on Falling Stars," Keeping a notebook at hand, Nik tapping the top of the page when the words whispered in his mind. It sounded like a good title for the song so he wrote it down. He already knew the song was going to be slow and seductive. He continued to write down the lyrics that came to him. Words that he wanted to tell the woman in his dreams.

Within minutes of getting the title down, the words seemed to flow through him and he was finished. As he read the lyrics he just wrote, he tucked the pencil behind his ear. While reading his lyrics over and over again, he began tapping his thigh to get the right beat. Then he grabbed his guitar and began running through the lyrics and began to sing out loud which caught Ethan and Levi's attention as they turned to look at him.

"What do you have there?" Ethan stood and walked over to Nik, asking a question.

As he paused to respond to the question, Nik answered, "Just a new song I've been working on and you've been teasing me about for the past couple of weeks." Nik and Ethan took their instruments out as Rhylie took out his keyboard and started playing along with them.

It took Nik a few minutes and several failed attempts to put music to the lyrics before he found the right combination to the music he had in his dreams. Since the plane kept experiencing turbulence, it was difficult to get the music right for the new song and the guys kept cringing with every dip.

"What the fuck is going on?" Nik asked as the plane made a light descent. They were in the middle of the wops.

He looked at him with frightened eyes from inside his seat. It was eerily quiet on the plane as Nik and the others became scared. As Nik was about to unbuckle the straps and get into the cockpit to ask what was going on, the plane dropped another time and all of a sudden everything around him went black.

~ * ~

"What?" Lauren asked on the satellite phone. She shifted in her seat and covered one ear as she tried to listen to the called. They were on their way to D'Urville Island for some needed drills with the airmen. They needed some practice runs to keep up with the training they had during basic training.

"Where?" She wrote down the location, then tapped the pilot on the shoulder and handed him the paper. "Copy that." She said and disconnected the call. "A new location has been selected. It's not a drill, but the real world," she told him. She sat back in her seat.

"Listen up. This is real-world. I repeat, this is not a drill, but a real-world situation. A call came in and we're heading to Whanganui National Park. We're going by air because there was a plane crash on top of the mountains that could not be reached by land, so we're close and already in the air."

She could tell by the look on their faces that they were ready to tackle this. She hoped they were. 'there are six men on board the plane. At the moment, survivors are unknown." She looked at the four people in the helicopter." She looked at the four people in the helicopter. Emily wished she were with her, but the woman had another class she was teaching. As Lauren was the Captain and Emily was ranked below her, this was her class. This will be a challenging assignment for these airmen, she hoped they were ready for this.

"Almost there," Roger, the pilot informed her.

Her head nodded in agreement. "Make sure everything is packed and ready." She ordered them. As she watched the other airmen do the same, she was astonished. Everyone on board took the class that involved jumping from the plane. When the pack was snug, she turned to the airmen behind her. The three men on board, as well as another woman, all looked eager to begin the rescue effort.

'ten seconds," Roger informed her. Lauren pushed the door open and looked down. The plane wreckage made her cringe. Based on how the area looked, it was very hard to tell whether any survivors were there. Her eyes could not detect any movement in the wreckage. At the moment, all she could see were the bright steel colors against the mountain's lush foliage.

"Now," Roger called out, and Lauren stepped out of the helicopter.

The first person Lauren Drew saw in the wreckage was him; the man from her dreams. She should have known he was real. She swallowed deeply and pushed any emotions aside. She had a job to do. Her fingers shook as she pressed them against the side of his neck. He had a pulse. The rest of the crew landed behind the wreckage and the tugged off the chutes and rushed inside. They each took one of the other men as Lauren pushed her way toward the cockpit.

Neither pilot made it. She turned around and carefully made her way back to the cabin, muttering, "shit."

"The passengers were badly injured, but they are alive," said Airmen Acquino. After the Airmen had checked their pulses and began wiping blood from their brows and checking for internal injuries.

She nodded slowly as she made her way toward the one man she had been dreaming of. She pulled out the satellite phone. "The four souls are in very critical condition need immediate evac. She spoke rapidly as she glanced down at him. The dark-blue depths were filled with so much pain, even though his eyes weren't open completely; they were merely slits. For some unknown reason, Lauren brushed back a lock of dark-brown hair from his forehead.

"It's all going to be alright," she assured him.

He nodded as he continued to look at her with those eyes filled with pain.

She pulled back her hand and grabbed hold of the straps of her bag to begin pulling out the items she needed. A helicopter will be returning soon. Her first step was to get a large white pad and put peroxide on it. " I'm not going to lie but this will sting like a bitch." She wiped at his huge forehead wound. Lauren knew right away that the gash would require stitches. Coughing, he groaned and wrapped his arms around his waist.

Lauren carefully placed white tape along with gauze and then carefully examined his waist. Her hands were grabbed as he stopped her. He never took his eyes off of her.

Inhaling several deep breaths, he started, "Who.."

The woman whispered. "You should save your breath. You've been injured badly." She glanced at the airmen. 'tafuri!" She called out. The young man turned to her. 'take point on the helo." The man nodded then stepped out of the wreckage. "Morgan covered the other two," Lauren ordered the other airman. She pulled her hands free and rummaged the bag again. She stood and walked over to the other men. The airmen were taking good care of them. "We need to get them out of the harnesses and onto the boards to be carried out.

A member of the air force grabbed one of the boards brought by the other airmen. They carefully placed the passengers on the board. The two airmen began carrying them out. Lauren glanced at the man she had been dreaming of. While she wanted to hurry over to him to make sure he was okay, she had duties to attend to first. The helicopters are approaching, and Lauren can hear them. Priority should be given to those in the worst condition but which one. They all were severely injured from the crash.

~ * ~

Pain. He had never felt so much pain and he hurt everywhere. What he didn't expect was to open his eyes to find the one woman he had been dreaming about standing over him. Or maybe he was dreaming about her again. Instead of her wearing a pale-pink sundress she was wearing a military uniform. A United States uniform. He looked at the name and only saw L. Ryder. Nik grabbed her hands and held onto them. Not wanting to let go. Even through his pain-filled mind, he noted how soft her hands were and the sound of her voice was soothing.

Bugger it. As he tried to see her face, everything went dark around him, and she moved away from him.

When Nik woke up again, he had no idea how much time had passed. When he opened his eyes, he was still in a lot of pain, and he realized he was in a hospital. He placed his hand on his forehead and noticed that there was a large band-aid covering it. "Fuck," he muttered. His room door opened, causing him to turn to see who was there. Having hoped it would be the woman he had dreamt about, he was greatly disappointed. That wasn't the case. The person was his sister.

Sienna gasped, "I see you are wide awake." Leaning out of the door, she gripped the handle. "He's awake!" She called out.

Nik cringed as the sound of her voice bombarded his head. As Nik groaned and covered his eyes, he said, "Bugger, Sienna. Not so loud." He raised his hand to his head.

"How are you feeling?" Sienna asked as she approached the bed.

It felt like Nik was drained. "Drained," he finally replied. "I think I drank too much last night."

The young woman sat next to him. "You shouldn't be." Sienna said sympathetically. She saw him freeze when she said, "You've been in a coma for two weeks. The manager canceled the concert and all the others for the year. The concert tickets were refunded. Another thing, the news media wants interviews with all of you about the plane crash. He told them, "no."

"What about the rest of The Empire?"

"They're fine. Ethan and Rhylie are still in the hospital. Within a few days, they'll be out."

Her sad eyes caught Nik's attention. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"The pilots didn't make it," she whispered tightly.

Nik closed his eyes as a new wave of pain overtook him. Despite not knowing the pilots personally, he was still saddened by the loss.

Sienna leaned back in her chair. "Mom is staying with dad because of his illness. You know how that works."

She ought to be there with him. "I understand." Nik shifted on the bed as he replied. "Where am I?" The room he was in was unfamiliar to him.

Sienna crossed her legs as she replied, "You're on the base in Ohakea. Due to the injuries you all sustained, it was deemed best to keep you all on the base instead of moving you to another location. The fans had lined up at the gates wanting to get in, but the military would not allow them in." She looked up when the door opened and a nurse walked in.

As she looked over at him, she smiled. "How are we doing today?" She asked. The nurse walked over to the machines he was hooked up and began looking at the numbers. She wrote notes down in his chart.

The man told the nurse, "I'm in a lot of pain."

Nodding, she said, "how would you rate your pain, from one being a dull pain to ten being the worst?"

"Ten." If he could, he would say a twenty on that scale.

As the nurse checked his vitals and changed his bandages, she remained silent.

Sienna told him, "You were severely injured along with Ethan and Rhylie." She reached out to pat his hand. "Levi was able to recover quickly and return home."

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"The situation was touch and go for a while, and there was some internal bleeding If the Air Force hadn't been out on drills, as they called them, and was nearby..you wouldn't have made it." Sienna continued.

There was nothing Nik could do but nod. "I would like to thank them personally." There was only one person he wanted to thank personally, and it was the woman in his dreams he thought was real but not. He wanted to be sure that she was who he thought she was.

"I will inform the doctor. I think they're off somewhere doing whatever they do." Sienna glanced over her shoulder as the door opened and the doctor walked in.

~ * ~

As she lowered the newspaper she was reading, Emily said, "I still can't believe it was you and your team who saved them."

Lauren replied with a wave of her hand, "We were just doing our job and doing what we were trained to do." When Lauren heard about the men they rescued and Emily's tickets to see the band live, she looked them up and began listening to their music. She enjoyed the music. A lot. Those songs would keep her company all day long. Especially, Nik's voice.

"Several reporters are interested in interviewing us."

Lauren exhaled. Interviews were not on her agenda. This is why she stayed close to the base besides the military doesn't like it either but it didn't stop some of the team members from speaking up and she told them not to mention her name other than that she is a captain. She wanted her private life to remain private. "Taking pictures is intensely uncomfortable for me. Furthermore, there wasn't much to tell." Therefore, she did what any reasonable person would do-she researched them. Once she found out whom the men were on the plane and she wanted to know more about them. So she did what any normal person would do-she researched them. It puzzled her even more because she couldn't find out anything about them; it was as if they kept their private lives a secret.

Emily gasped, "Except for the fact that they are the most popular rock band in all of New Zealand and you and your team saved them all."

Lauren wasn't interested in talking about it. Two weeks have passed since the plane crashed and the man who invaded her dreams has finally shown up. The Empire's frontman, Nikau Kaur. She should have known from the dreams and the way he sang the one song to her. At least he's mending and is awake. The nurse, Bertha, she asked to keep her informed of his condition had texted her just before Emily walked into her room at the officer's barracks.

When Emily stared at her, her head was tilted to one side. "Is there something going on that you want to share?"

Lauren walked away from her friend a few paces, "There's nothing to share."

With a tone that suggested she didn't believe her, Emily replied, "Okay. Do you want to get away for a weekend from this base?"

She picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. "I don't know." Lauren replied with a sigh. She didn't know what she wanted to do and there wasn't much to do on the base even though there were a couple of bars and a recreational center and a movie theater.

"Go see him in person and make sure he's okay," Emily said after she took the remote from Lauren.

Her hesitation came from a sense of fear. Having a dream of him was one thing, but to know he was real was another. "Why?" Lauren finally said it out loud.

"Maybe he wants to thank the person who saved his life personally," Emily said with a slight grin.

She turned to face her friend. "What makes you think that would be possible?"

Lauren turned to Emily once more as Emily placed the remote on the table. "That's what he told his sister. He would like to thank you personally. Who knows what will happen."

"I'm not interested in a relationship right now, Emily. There are a lot of things on my mind. Besides, I am an American and he's...what are the locals calling themselves...Kiwi's. Lauren said, "It's not going to work." She wasn't sure who she was trying to convince, Emily or herself or both. There was no chance of it working. She was in the Air Force and who knows where she might go next. He's a rock star in New Zealand.

"Who said it had to be a long-term relationship," Emily said standing up. "Why not just a right here, right now, type of fling?" Emily walked up behind Lauren and placed her hands on her shoulders. "When was the last time you had a man in your life?"

Lauren silently responded, How about never. She was still a virgin at the age of twenty-six. It was a decision she made for herself and not for her mother. Lauren had no idea what others would think about the little gift that ran through her family tree.

Taking a step back, Emily shrugged her shoulders. "It was only a thought. "There are a lot of women out there who would jump on his back at any given moment, and I am one of them." Emily's cell phone began to ring. Emily's cell phone began to ring. "Just think about what I said." Before answering the call, she said, "Remember what I said."

Suddenly, Lauren's cell phone began to ring, as well. She was on call this weekend in case of any emergency, and it appeared there was one.

Help me, A voice called out from the world of clairvoyance. It was a small child.

Somewhere, she was lost. It was urgent that Lauren find her.

Lauren and Emily arrived in Kuripapango three hours later. Lauren's heart went out to the little girl who had gone missing earlier that day. She glanced at the girl's parents who were frantic about their missing child. What was supposed to be a simple camping trip turned into a disaster. It took only a minute for the parent to look away and the three-year-old took off.

"We must find her, Captain," Emily said.

Lauren nodded in agreement. "We'll do it, Lieutenant." Lauren pushed her pack aside. The situation was quickly brought under control by Lauren, who rallied everybody to her side. With her map in hand, she began giving orders to her crew.

~ * ~

Sienna entered her brother's room. "I am sorry but she's not coming right now."

Seeing his sister, Nik raised his gaze. "Who?" He asked, but he knew who she was talking about.

"The woman who saved your life, the Air Force captain. Currently, she's on a mission to find a missing sprog. Sienna changed the channel to the local news station." Sienna turned on the TV and changed the channel to the local news outlet. On the TV, he saw the woman who had been in his dreams. There was a missing child that she was searching for. His breath was taken away by her even on the news. It was a relief that his sister hadn't noticed.

"she's the one, isn't she?" Sienna asked as she watched her brother closely.

Nik's attention was drawn away from the TV and to his sister. "What are you talking about?"

"The woman who saved your ass that day on the mountain," Sienna said. "Who did you think I was talking about?" She pointed at the TV. "Take a squiz."

While the news report zoomed in on her face, Nik turned his attention back to the TV. The woman was exactly the way he remembered her on the mountain. He softly inhaled as he felt her smooth skin under his hands. That day, it made him feel alive. She didn't seem to realize that he had been in the cold before she brought him out of it.

When Sienna informed him as they watched the news program that she kept herself out of the news, he found out who she was difficult to figure out. "If you'd like to know her name, it's Captain Lauren Ryder; that is all that I could find out about her."

"That's a bit of a surprise. The vast majority of people would do anything to make headlines," Nik said. "And much more."

Sienna leaned close to her brother. "Her actions speak volumes about who she is. The job is part of her responsibilities as an American Air Force officer. She's staying professional, at least. It's not unusual for Sheila to spin a tale about the entire experience."

Nik knows that part to be true. He wondered how many women would take advantage of the situation. When they arrived, they would make it sound like an orgy had taken place instead of a plane crash.

Sienna patted his shoulder. "I have to go. Visiting hours are over. I have classes in the morning so I'll come by in the afternoon. And mom says to call her."

Changing positions on the bed, Nik nodded, he turned the TV off. "Lauren." He remembered reading her name tag and it said "L. Ryder." He was knackered and closed his eyes.

"How's it going, mate?" Ethan said from the doorway to Nik's room. Rattle your dags, he's awake!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Fully awake, Nik sat up. The clock on the wall showed that it was still early. "Damn, Ethan it's still fucking early."

Ethan wheeled his pram over to Nik and said, "Don't give a shit right now. I am ready to get out of this place." He stopped at the bed as Rhylie entered the room in his pram.

Nik rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands. "Damn." He lowered his hands.

"I've been here two weeks and nothing has changed," Rhylie said. "And they won't let Mona come see me. They won't let her on the base even though I told them it's okay."

Nik said, "It's understandable."

Rhylie replied, "Not for me."

"I told them it was fine for her to be here." Levi uttered again.

Ethan concluded, "They don't think so."

Rhylie frowned. "They know what they can do."

Ethan leaned closer to Nik, "He's still pissed off."

Nik knew right away. He would be pissed off he someone wouldn't let him see his fiancée. There was only one woman he wanted to see. "Can you turn on the news? I want to see if they found the missing sprog in Kuripapango."

"A sprog is missing?" Ethan and Rhylie said the same thing at the same time.

Nik nodded as Ethan turned the TV on to the all day news channel.

~ * ~

She kept moving. Lauren was walking along in the north section of Kuripapango. Nyree just wouldn't stop where she was. "How is it possible that a three-year-old can walk this far?" Lauren asked Emily.

"I'm not sure. We've been at this since last night." Emily waved her hand in front of her face when a bug flew by.

Lauren knew they were heading in the right direction. After seeing a picture of Nyree, Lauren honed on her location. By the time they got there, she was gone. The little girl moved.

"Nyree!" Emily shouted. Their call was answered by a voice on the other end of the line. There were none. "I hope.." Emily began but couldn't finish.

Lauren said, looking at Emily, "She's still alive."

Lauren knew the little girl was still alive. "We need to believe it," she said. Lauren would know if she wasn't. She wouldn't be able to pick up on her essence.

While she and Emily rested in the wild, Lauren kept Nyree on her mind. Nikau kept creeping into her mind now and then and she pushed him away. In searching for Nyree, she kept Nyree foremost in her mind and main focus. They were getting close. Lauren could sense it; she could feel it on the clairvoyance place.

Emily stopped and admitted that maybe she wasn't going that way. She was tired and hungry but they needed to ration their supplies.

"Just one more step," Lauren said as she stepped around Emily. "She's close. I can feel it."

"You've been saying that all day yesterday." Emily followed.

It took them ten minutes to find her, curled up next to a rock, sleeping. Emily let out a deep breath as Lauren smiled widely. "Nyree," Lauren softly said as she approached the sleeping child. Lauren smiled widely as Emily let out a deep breath.

Nyree returned to her parents less than an hour after she had been checked out by the doctor. Her parents were very happy to have their little girl back at home with them.

Seeing the news crew not too far from where she stood, Lauren looked around. As opposed to going to them and giving an interview, they were waiting for behind the barricade, she climbed into one of the helicopters instead. She was glad the girl was found safe; safe but hungry. However, it's a bit strange that the little girl walked so far from her parents and campsite. The little girl didn't even know herself when questioned. As the helicopter took off, it returned in direction of the base.