Cosmical Beings

Chapter Eight

Riley Thornton's Point of View
The University of Oregon was the last place I thought I would find myself; however, I had to think that this was the last place Cassandra thought she was going to be either. The more time I spent here, the more time I grew more resentment towards the girl. She continued to live her life like a regular person while my whole world is at a stand still protecting the girl from her unknown demise. The only connections of home I had were the wax sealed letters and the buds my mother snuck into the envelope. The more home sick I was becoming, the more anger and bitterness I had with the people around me.
Cassandra registered for full time classes and majored in English and literature. She roamed class to class with her groupies that were similarly quiet and really just enjoyed each other's company. A laugh there, a laugh here, and silence between them - their foot steps being the only audible sound between the group. In the afternoons after their classes they would sit in the library, flipping through their textbook pages and scribbling in their notebooks. At the end of the day Cassandra would bid her goodbyes and walk the short distance to her father's house - if he did not pick her up. Her schedule never changed during the week and not a beat was missed in her schedule.
At night I would follow her at a distance until she unlocked her house door and when inside. Her father would soon come out with a plate of freshly prepared, hot food for me - releasing me from my duties. There was silent understanding between me and the man. At times he would gift me with a novel - that was read and noted by the girl multiple times by the way the pages were crumpled at the corners. Other times it would be sweet drinks, a new rain or winter jacket when the weather changed, or spell books that were stolen from my home land. His gestures of kindness and appreciation were at times annoying but mostly enjoyed in the peace of home I created not too far from his property.
I would always be at a distance, like a stalker : watching and sitting at a distance. The girl would never notice me : I sat, stared, watched her every move while trying to be discreet that I was not doing so. I soon began knowing her likes and dislikes - the way her nose scrunches up at something she heard that was unruly or the way her she puts her hand to mouth to cover up her smile while laughing. I have never known someone so much without ever communicating with them.
Months went by : classes, lunch ins, and reading in the library until her behavior became more erratic. She began getting picked up less by her father after school and disappearing to more places that I could not find her. I would follow her at a distance to the woods line and then she would disappear for hours on end. When night was about to fall - she would come out of the woods - going on about her business. Everyday I would test my luck by following her more deeply into the woods but every time she would disappear into thin air.
Her father even began noticing her changing behavior and soon was commenting about it when he gave me his daily gifts. "She was out later than normal" or a "she went straight to her room and locked the door." His voice was heavy with some unknown grief and his eye brows would knit together - marking his age lines in his face. I soon found myself staying longer outside the residence or sneaking through the back yard - sitting in a darkened corner to look through her window.
At night she would go into her room and jump underneath the covers off her bed - falling into a deep slumber. Other times she would take out her deck of tarot cards - light her room with candles of all sizes. Rarely, did she ever go out anymore - it was almost like she was not herself anymore. Her independent leisures were becoming more bizarre and arbitrary. At times you would be able to see her rocking back and forth on the floor in her criss-cross pose - her mouth moving - obviously talking to herself. The environment around her would conform to her and her behaviors - the flames of the candle smoldering brighter with her words.
As her behavior became more strange, the more time she would skip school - making her friends visit the front door of her residence wondering where she was or what was happening. Cassandra's father gave them an understanding nod and comforting smile before closing the door. Her friends would turn back to their car with disappointment and worry glued to their face. The more they were turned away the more they would drop off folders of homework, notes, and books at the door step without knocking. Some time went by before nobody came to see if Cassandra was okay - as obviously she was okay and did not want the company of her friends. When the semester ended Cassandra never left the house and Alfred would leave texts telling me to not worry coming around as she was still in her room.
* * *
The cell phone ringer blared through the silent air startling me awake from my slumber. I groaned and turned in the bed reaching for the side table next to the bed to grab the vibrating cell phone. I grabbed the phone and looked at the bright screen, breaking the darkness around me. I squinted at the screen trying to save my eyes from burning from the change of light. Alfred's name come across the screen and I slid the green button to answer the phone call. I cleared my throat before answering, "Alfred is everything okay" My voice was laced with sleepiness. There was a silence, heavy breathing, and soon I heard screaming in the background - goosebumps layered my arms. "Alfred?" I asked a bit more loudly while jumping out of bed, pulling yesterday's pants over my boxers.
"I need you to come here, right now." Alfred's voice was shaky and breaking between words. The phone was crackling as Alfred was moving it around. The screaming soon turned into a gargle before Alfred dropped his phone to the ground causing it to end the call. I rubbed my face, tucking the phone in my back pocket, and rushing to tie my shoes to my feet. My heart was thudding and the blood could be heard rushing to my ears.
The drive to Cassandra's house was long even though I was speeding almost double the limit to get there. It was not long before I pulled into the drive way, my head lights reflecting off the garage door. Not a second went by before Alfred pulled open the front door, running back into the house. I opened the car door and instantly my ears were deafened by the screaming come from the inside. I slammed the driver's door closed, sprinting inside the house which made the screen door close with a hard thud behind me. I looked to the ground seeing the drops of ruby going straight towards the kitchen - what the hell was going on?
"Help me please!" Alfred's voice was thickened with grief and his face was growing with spots of dried blood and tears. I reached the kitchen, passing the counter that was blocking my full view of what was happening. The ground was covered in a layer of blood that was smudged by Alfred and her body. She stood in his arms, screaming at the top of her lungs, a smile crossing her face - her eyes were replaced with black marbles. A gurgle escaped her lips again before a laugh came from the back of her throat.
"She's mine. The hero will not save her," Her voice was deep as if she was not in her own body. She continued laughing and a smile took over her face. Alfred still held her small framed body brushing her hair out of her face with his hand. "I am coming to take what's mine!" The cackle made the goosebumps stand on my skin, I did not know what to do - I have never seen anything like this. I stepped closer to Alfred and her crumpled body, slipping on the red substance on the floor.
"Take her, take her." Alfred whimpered as tears streamed down his face. He lifted her body an inch from the floor putting her into my lap. Her teeth showed from her smiling lips, my reflection in her black eyes. Deep inside I knew this was not the girl I have been following. Alfred left the room for a moment before returning with a leather bound book. He slammed the thick book on the counter, opening it up and flipping through the pages.
"Oh my god," Alfred's hands were shaking. He looked at me, his eyes wide with fear. "They are tracking her by using her as a vessel." Alfred's fingers continued to follow the words of the yellowed pages. I leaned against the cabinet doors with the girl's body limp in my arms - her black eyes still staring at my face. Sweat was dripping from her forehead causing her hair to stick to her face - just like the night I picked her up from the dreadful scene that precipitated all these events. A dreadful laugh escaped the girl's lips once more before it was cut off with gurgle. Her black marbled eyes rolled to the back of her head before returning to her purple ones.
"The woods," The girl gasped before her body aggressively started shaking in my arms. Her eyes rolled back again, the black marbles returning back to their places. "Shut up." Cassandra's voice yelled before returning to the laughing. My eyes squinted with curiosity of what she meant before remembering all those times the girl disappeared into the woods for hours on end. I picked up the girl into my arms, my shoes squeaking against the wet floor as I adjusted her more into my arms.
"Where are you going?" Alfred's voice was frantic and tears continued to drip down the man's cheeks. I cleared my throat and before any words could escape the screen door slammed and foot steps could be heard coming to the kitchen. Cassandra's mother appeared through the door way, her hands reaching towards Alfred to calm him before he could think of his next move.
"What the hell are you doing here," Alfred's voice angrily questioned Anne. He stepped towards her, his hands grabbing the sides of her arms and shaking her. "What are you doing here!" He continued yelling and shaking her. Anne's eyes were filled with fear and tears welled in her eyes before a sob escaped her lips.
"I came here to warn you." Anne sobbed looking at Alfred with eyes filled with worry and sorrow. The girl's body was getting heavier and heavier in my arms as it became more limp. Anne looked over at Cassandra, her cries becoming harder as she spoke trying to find the words to explain herself. I nodded my head, stepping past them to leave the house, who knows how much time we had before the scenario escalated. Anne and Alfred's steps were close behind mine as I walked past the car down the drive way.
My steps against the concrete were heavy, my boots making a thudding sound as I moved. The wood's entrance was within view and the closer I was getting the heavier the girl was becoming in my arms. I stopped for a moment adjusting the girl once more. Alfred and Anne continued bickering as they followed closely behind me. The sounds of the crickets and bugs were becoming more audible as the wood's became closer.
"Where are you going?" Anne questioned, she tried keeping her sobs from escaping; however, it just made them worse the more she kept them back. I staying silent, not knowing to trust her or not. A few more strides passed and soon I was wading through the shrubbery into the forest. The forest was pitch dark, the only thing being able to be seen was the lightening bugs fluttering around. Alfred's steps were becoming more swift as he got in front of me reaching his arms for Cassandra.
I slid the girl's body into his arm's and he grunted with the weight transferred to him. I stood still watching him walk with her - her arms and legs swinging. I watched his arm go up slightly, his hand extending opening - some sort of tongues could be heard from his lips. The air around us seemed to become thick and the sound of the increasing wind whistled past out ears. The wind swirled more and more before causing a horizontal tornado to form in front of us. Gold, silver, and a variety of different colors spun into the swirling wind - stringing an enormous portal to form in front of us.
"Come," Alfred's head nodded towards the circling colors - causing me to lose my breath the more I looked at it. I stepped towards it, preparing myself to walk into the unknown. "You stay." Alfred bitterly spat at Anne before stepping forward into the spinning colors. Alfred and the girl disappeared into the swirling winds, I followed behind - leaving the darkened woods and Anne behind me.
* * *
The swirling colors was like stepping into a rainbow that was sucked into a tornado. I thought twice before stepping into the lustrous colors due to how intimidating and frightening it was for something of such power to occur in front of me with a blink of an eye. As soon as stepping into the portal, it was like stepping into a whole other world.
The dark woods was left behind and before I could even think about leaving that world behind another one appeared all around me. Ginormous trees encapsulated us and sunlight invaded the thick canopy of pine and leaves above us. The smell of rain surrounded us leaving a moist fog to stick to our skin. Tall grass covered the ground which swayed with the breeze coming towards us. Alfred continued to walk into the forest towards an outlet that was up ahead.
A few more steps, the sound of grass scraping against my jeans was the only audible thing between me and Alfred. The trees opened up and soon the sunlight poured onto my skin, the breeze stronger as it was not blocked by the trees. The light was blinding for a moment before I blocked it with my hand. Before I could take in the sight in front of me, the smell hitting my nostrils caused tears to prick my eyes.
Fields of lavender expanded the land in front of us, the smell of it moving with the breezes. In the distance falling water could be heard causing the scene in front of me to be serene. I looked up to the sky , my breath being taken away from cosmics peaking through the purple crimsoned clouds. This place overwhelmingly reminded me of home, but tinges of truth told my heart it was not. "What is this place?" My voice rang towards Alfred.
Alfred laid the girl in the grass, the breeze blowing her disheveled hairs into her face. "This is a protection blanket I made for her in the forest," Alfred rubbed his hand against the girl's head, sniffing his nose as tears dripped down it. "This is the same plane but is protected from any spell or harm. She is able to welcome anyone onto it or do anything with it as it is meant for her and only her." He side smirked as he explained.
"This is where she was disappearing to?" I question remembering all the times she disappeared into the woods and was not able to be found for hours on end. Alfred looked at me, slightly nodding to me. I looked at the girl laying in the grass, some of her hidden by the height of the shrubbery. Her chest moved up and down in a steady pattern, her breathing normalizing.
The girl had a sharp intake of breath before her eyes fluttered open. "Dad, I can feel her in me," Her voice tightening and raspy from the events that happened prior. "When is it going to stop," Cassandra began to sob to weak to sit up or move from the ground. "It is only getting worse." She groaned between each word, tears freely falling from her eyes. Alfred looked at her, listening to her and nodding before he gave me a quick glance of dismissal.
He lifted his arm, waving his extended hand, directing me to do the same. I walked away from the two, back into the inlet of the woods. Looking back towards the entrance before raising my hand causing the tornado of light to open back up. I stepped through it, finding myself into the darkened woods. Anne sitting on the ground, crying - I lifted my hand to open the portal back up once more and looked down at her. "Go." I gruffly said, walking into the darkness back towards the cement of the road.