Sleepwalker

Chapter 4

Isabella looked out of the window and wondered what her mother planned his time. The school just ended and her mother picked her up. Isabella had a weird feeling about this, and she didn't like it at all. She gazed over to her mother and tried to think of a plausible explanation for this. Isabella's mother saw her questioning look.
"I bet you're asking yourself where we are going. Am I right?" Her mother asked and smiled. Isabella nodded and searched for her phone inside her pocket.
"We are driving to a native healer." Isabella looked up from her phone and her expression darkened. She slowly saw over to her mother. The rage inside her boiled.
"Are you kidding me?" Her voice was dangerously quiet. Isabella knew that her mother knew that she hated it when she did things without her knowing. She put her phone away and she unbuckled herself.
"Stop the car and let me out." Her mother gave her an angry view.
"Do you really want to blackmail me?" Isabella's hand went to the door but her mother was faster. She locked the door and Isabella turned to her.
"What is wrong with you?" She asked her mother angry.
"Isabella stop it!" Her mothers rage was at its peak. "Why are you so ignorant? You can not even see a helping hand when it hits your face!"
"I do not think that the help you offer is a way to get me out of my dreams! Nobody can help me, because it'll never stop! Why can't you see that?" Isabella slammed her hand against the car door.
"I should have..." Her mother stopped and realized what she wanted to say. Immediately Isabella turned her head to her. Her heart missed a beat.
"... aborted you? Is that what you want to say?" In her rage tears formed in her eyes. Her mother gave her a terrified look.
"Isa no! That's not what I wanted to say! That's what you want hear."
"Then tell me, what do you wanted to say." A silence broke out and Isabella lowered herself even deeper into the seat. Her mother tried to touch her with one hand.
"Isa, I'm sorry. I didn't want to say that." Isabella knew that her mother hid something from her. Her mother seemed way to scared to tell her that. Somehow Isabella got the feeling that her mother did not mean an abortion. But what did she hid?
"I'll promise you that this will be the last time I'm trying to help you." Her mothers voice seemed hoarse with a undertone of sadness. Isabella looked at her. Whatever her mother hid seemed very important. Isabella took her hand and saw her facial expression brightened.
"Whatever happens I'll stay at your and dads side." A small tear ran down her mothers cheek.
"Thank you..." She whispered and smiled.
"This time I will cooperate." Isabella saw that they drove out of town because from one moment to another there were only trees. They drove past the town sign. When the first turning into the wood appeared, her mother braked and continued on the muddy path that leaded deeper in to the forest. Isabella wondered when she was a kid where you would come out. The uneven way leaded to a small wooden hut in the middle of nowhere. Isabella looked over to her mother.
"Are you sure that this is the right place?" Isabella got the feeling that she was going to enter a horror movie. Her mother got a small note out of her bag and gave it her daughter.
"First turning after the town sign on the road to Cals Peak. Well at least we did not get lost." Her mother nodded. The door of the wooden hut opened and a person stepped out. An old, chubby lady with braided black hair and dark eyes looked at the women in the car. Isabella gave her mother a short view, and she unlocked the door. Both got out and walked towards the native woman.
"Hello Isabella, Susan. I'm glad that you came. I'm Aponi Coleman." She greeted them and looked to Isabella's mother.
" I am sorry but you can't come with Isabella and me." Mrs Coleman told her. Isabella gave her mother a terrified view.
"It's fine sweetheart. I'll be here." Isabella looked to Mrs Coleman.
"Come with me. It won't take long." Mrs Coleman made her way back to her hut, but she stopped half the way. She turned around.                                                                                                                 "You should lock yourself in your car! The forest spirits are becoming increasingly naughty." Isabella and her mother turned pale. Mrs Coleman made her way back to her home and Isabella followed her witha strange feeling inside her stomach. The native lady opened the door and Isabella stepped inside her hut. It smelled like sage and other herbs. Native American signs were painted on the walls of the small hallway. Literally everything was made out of wood. Isabella went trough the right door and got into the open kitchen and the living room. On the shelves were jars full of dirt, shells, feathers, fur, flowers and much other things. In the middle of the living room was a big carpet with native American drawings. Around this round carpet were flowers, colorful crystals and burning sage sticks. Isabella looked across the room and saw through the windows into the wood. This strange feeling were gone.                                                         "Put your jacket and shoes on the little stool to your left." Mrs Coleman grabbed a bowl from the kitchen counter and watched Isabella got out of her jacket. She opened her shoes and put them under the stool. She looked at thewoman.                                                                                                   "Don't worry. I am not going to hurt you in any way. We will find out the reason for your nightmare and destroy it. I promise you, Isabella." Something made her trust this lady. With her freehand Mrs Coleman toke Isabella's hand and laid it into the bowl full of soil. To her surprise it was not cold and dry. It was warm and damp and it felt like it pulsed. Like it had its own heart beat. Mrs Coleman let her hand go and Isabella looked at her shocked. Mrs Coleman smiled.        "It spoke to you. That is a good sign." Isabella looked at her hand. It was clean.                             "Girl, this world isfull of mysteries and legends and some are true. Believe me when I say that something bigger than us, bigger than humanity is coming." Isabella didn't know how the lady meant it. Mrs Coleman seemed to understand her clueless view.
"But that is not the reason you're  here. You are here because you need help. Please lay down in the middle of the circle and relax." Isabella nodded. Somehow she couldn't speak. She walked over to the carpet and laid down. She realized that next to her were not only feathers and flowers. There were bones too! Mrs Coleman gave her a white crystal in one hand and a black one in the other. The scents dimmed her senses and the Lady started humming a song. She lighted a different incense and laid her hands on Isabella's temples. Something strange happened. Isabella began to twitch and her heard started to pound faster. The twitching turned into a painful cramping inside her whole body. She opened her mouth and gasped for air. Tears formed in her eyes and it felt like a heavy weight was on her chest. Her hands tensed up and the sharp edges of the crystals cut inside her palms. Her eyes started to rolled backwards and her body went limp. Everything faded into darkness.

Isabella opened her eyes. It was chilly and foggy. This day was gloomy and seemed to have no shimmer of hope or happiness. She heard not the smallest sound. Isabella looked around. She stood on the shore of a lake. The trees and bushes had no leaves. The grass was brown and wet. Isabella saw her breath and turned to the lake. She couldn't saw further than twenty feet, but she assumed that the lake must be the biggest she ever saw. In front of her were a small wooden landing stage. Deep inside her body she got such a weird feeling. Isabella took a step forward and her clothes dragged on the grass and mud. She wore a long brown green dress and her dark hair was pinned up to a hairstyle. With every step closer to the landing stage this one thought got louder and louder. Her steps got faster, and she got on the landing stage. Isabella's speed decreased, and she walked slowly to the end. She stopped again and her toes were millimeters from the edge away. She looked down into the dark water. Nothing broke the mirror-smooth surface. Isabella saw her own reflection. A voice inside her head appeared. Jump. It sounded so soft and calming. The glimmer of life disappeared from her eyes, and she closed them. She stretched her arms out to the side and breathed the cold air in. With her exhalation, she let herself fall forward. Everything seemed to be in a slow motion. Her hair was blowing aswell as the hem of her dress. Her body hit the surface and the water splashed. The water felt cold around her. It felt like it soaked into her bones. Suddenly she realized what she did and opened her eyes. In pure fear she tried to swim to the surface, but something grabbed her dress and pulled her down. She tried to scream but only bubbles would come out of her mouth. Another hand grabbed her and pulled her down. She kicked around but it didn't help. In her fear she breathed the cold water in. She coughed but the water filled her lungs and Isabella looked up at the glittering surface. She reached out a hand to the light and fainted while getting pulled down deeper and deeper.

Isabella opened her eyes and jumped up. Her heart was pounding so fast that it hurt. The crystals inside her hands were broken into a thousand pieces. Isabella dropped them. She looked at the woman with fearful eyes. Mrs Coleman raised up.                                                           "Something inside you isn't from this timeline." The lady sounded worried. She walked towards Isabella and gave her the bowl. She looked inside it, and she didn't believe her eyes. Inside her hand print were a paw print from an animal. Green seedlings sprouted inside the paw print. Isabella looked slowly up.                                                                                                                                         "The beginning of a new era is at our doorstep. Something is changing the laws of magic and reality. Something is coming." Isabella looked around, and she was startled by the sight in this room. All bones, crystals and shells were broken. The incense like the sage were glowing heaps of ashes. The walls had scratches and the carpet were destroyed. Panic formed inside her.
"You did not do that. A spirit did this. This spirit is attached to you." Isabella took a step back.
"Attached to me?" Her voice nearly fainted.
"Listen Isabella, whatever happens don't tell anyone what I told you or the lives of the persons you love are in danger."