Slowly Emerald wakes up forgetting for a moment about her experiment.  As she opens her eyes she remembers and jumps out of bed.  Moving quickly to get dressed and ready.  She dashes down the stairs and into the kitchen taking the first tray and putting a pot of coffee and a mug on it she quickly as she can without spilling it goes back to her room.  Stepping into her black room, she sets the tray on the bed.   She runs and gets the second tray this one with a glass of cold milk on it. Carefully not to spill the milk she glides back up the stairs and into her black room.

 Carefully balancing both trays she makes her way down to the hub of the Server.  Looking up she see MAISP smiling she heads down that spoke to the side tunnel with the right IP to Zephyr’s portal, getting a feel for the tunnel system she finds his portal easily.

 Stepping through she enters the portal room and looks through the portal. There she sees Michael still sleeping in his bed. Setting Tholins tray down she carefully and silently steps into the room. Smiling warmly as she briefly watches the teenager sleep, she sets the tray down next to the computer table.   As silently as she had entered, she leaves leaving the only trace of her being there is the breakfast tray and the faint scent of honeysuckle.

 Looking over her shoulder back through the portal she smiles then picks up the other tray and heads to the portal with Aerik’s name on it. Knowing she has to hurry if she was to get there before he woke.  As she gets to his portals, she checks his tray making sure she hadn’t spilled the coffee in her rush.  Pleased she hadn’t she enters his portal room looking in she can see him sleeping on his back. Quietly she steps into the room not wanting to wake him.  She sets the tray on the computer table.  Just as she is about to step back through the portal, she hears Rinhonan say, “hello fairy.”

Startled and shocked Emerald looks at the little girl and puts her finger to her lips, “shhh,” Rinhonan smiles brightly at the little fairy and nods putting her finger to her lips.  Emerald darts back into the shimmering light and turns just in time to see Rinhonan jump on the bed and wake her dad up.

 Watching intently, Emerald sees Rinhonan point towards the computer.  By the animation of the child she knows Rinhonan is telling her dad about the visit.  Rubbing his eyes he looks at the computer table and sees the tray there, smiling at Rinhonan and giving her a hug.  He seems to think his daughter brought the tray in, but the child pushes back from her dad and with a big smile is animated again moving her arms like wings.  Again Aerik looks towards the computer then at his daughter.  Saying something to his daughter, the little girl gets up happily and scampers out of the room.  Throwing the covers back he reaches for his robe and starts to get up.

 Feeling she had seen enough and he little experiment has been successful Emerald makes her way through the tunnels and portals back to her dream.  Stepping into her bedroom she smiles to herself and sits on the edge of the bed, happy about her test being a success. Standing up she starts to move out of her room opening her bedroom door their stand Tholin.  Not angry more confused he grabs her arms roughly and sits her down on the bed.

Looking at the beautiful creature shaking his head he asks, “were you in my room this morning?”

Looking down at his hands still gripping her arms tight, almost afraid to answer.  Gazing at him like a naughty child she nods slowly, “yes, I had to see if  . . . I’m sorry . . . I won’t do it again.”

 Suddenly realizing he as holding her arms to tight, he releases them and sits back on the bed. Staring at her confused, not knowing whether to hug her and thank her for breakfast or be angry with her for invading his privacy.

“How, no don’t answer that.” He stumbles over his words waving his hand in a chopping motion as he looks down.

 “Rinhonan saw you didn’t she” he asked.

 Emerald nods, “I told her not to wake you but . . . ”

Not wanting to hear the rest he puts his finger to her lips.  Tholin stands up and starts to pace looking at the little elf sitting on the bed, “oh geeze . . . ”

Tholin summons the @Gate and gives her one last look before stepping through.

 She didn’t expect such a reaction and she falls onto the bed and cries.  Afraid to face Zephyr she goes to the vanity and locks her Dream. Wondering what to do.

 It isn’t long after Tholin left that she gets a whisper from Zephyr, “Emerald let me in the dream.”

 Burying her head in the pillow not wanting to be confronted by her other friend, but it doesn’t stop the whispers, “Emerald, Please I know you are there, I have to talk to you.”

Sobbing she answers, “All right.”  She rises wiping her eyes and unlocks the dream.

 It doesn’t take long for Zephyr to find her in her bedroom laying on the bed sobbing.  Sitting on the edge of the bed he sets her up to look into her eyes. “Were you in my room last night?” Zephyr asks seriously.

Nodding expecting him to get upset with her like Tholin did, she was surprised when he grabs her and hugs her tightly, “it worked didn’t it?”

Staring at her with a big smile, Emerald again nods.

Kisses her full on the lips, “WOW!” he exclaims.

Baffled by his reaction she stares back at him.

Grinning ear to ear the young elf blushes then says, “oh sorry, how did you do it?”

 She looks at the black mirror.  Sighing she tells him about finding herself in the black room and the tubes to the server.  To Zephyr the mirror didn’t look any different from any other mirror.

 He gets up from the bed and moves over to it carefully touching his hand to it nothing happens.  Puzzled he turns back to Emerald.  Emerald gets up and moves to the mirror.

 Zephyr steps aside to give her access to the mirror. She passes through it. She can see Zephyr on the other side but by his reaction he can’t see her.

 Emerald walks to the portal that will take her to the Server Hub.  Then down the corridor marked MAISP to Zephyrs portal.  There she sees Michael sitting at this computer desk looking intently at something.

 Deciding to enter his room again.  She steps through the portal.

 A shimmering lightly appears in Michael’s room.  Emerald steps out of the bright light.  Her gown moving as if a light breezes was blowing the soft fabric.

 Stepping back into the bedroom Zephyr looks dumbfounded at her.  “How come you can get in and I can’t”, Zephyr asks.

 She wishes she had the answers but she doesn’t, she just tells Zephyr what she knows about how she found herself as inside the Server.  The tall elf continues to grin as he says, “that explains a lot of thing. Why you can’t use the F commands, what you are a real NPC in a sense your part of the program and NPC can’t use the F commands.  That also explains why you seem too real to be a NPC because you are a player too.  This is so amazing.”

 Sadly she says, “I wish Tholin felt that way.  He was very upset with me.”

Zephyr gives Emerald a hug and sighs, “I’ll talk to him for you.  I’m sure once he knows what this is about he will change is mind about things.”

Feeling so small in the soft spoke elf arms she starts to cry softly, “I hope so, I really hope so . . .”

 Zephyr sits her back so he can look into her brilliant green eyes and smiles, “Tholin loves you he wouldn’t have gone through all he had if he didn’t.”

Sighing Emerald replies, “Tholin may, but Aerik may not and if Aerik does not then Tholin will not love me anymore.”

 Studying Zephyr she asks, “why aren’t you upset with me?”

Zephyr laughs, “your every teenage boys Dream come true.  A beautiful angle comes into here room, serving them.”

Still laughing he adds, “well most dream more of servicing the serving, but still . . . “

Smiling softly Emerald blushes, “I guess you’re right.”  Emerald gives the big elf and tight hug.

Chuckling he whispers in her ear, “your welcome in my room any night.”  Smiling she sits back and pushes him gentle, “I bet I will be.”

 “Oh by the way, the muffins are really great and the milk was ice cold.”

Zephyr reports with a smile.  Smiling softly Emerald gives Zephyr a hug, “I’m glad.”

 “Damn, got to go, have to go to my grandparents today, I’ll see you later ok,” Zephyr tells Emerald.

Nodding slowly Emerald responds with a smile, “have fun.”

Grinning as he summons the multicolored lights he says, “hey, hang in there, everything will work out.”  Then steps into the lights back into reality.