Eli Fletcher: The Golden Orb

Chapter Three: Grace Cheats at Kickball

Chapter Three

Grace Cheats at Kickball

Screaming blares in my ears; a girl's screaming. I can't see anything, though. I'm surrounded in darkness. Then, suddenly, my eyes open. Three demons stand over me, each with a foot pinning me down. Frantically, I look around. My eyes fall on Grace holding her little sister in her arms, screaming and crying. Her sister is silent and still; blood pools beneath them. At Grace's feet are her parents, also butchered by the demons.

I feel that familiar sensation of my powers overtaking me. I can't control it. They've come to hurt Grace and her family. One more look at Grace and I see the gashes; one on her leg, another on her arm, and one that's nearly split open her cheek. That's the final straw. I release more power than I ever have before. The demons don't have a chance to fly off. They disintegrate into nothingness and then everything goes black.

________________

"Eli! Wake up!" I hear Miss O shouting and then my eyes open quickly. I'm in my bed, there are no dead bodies around me, Grace isn't screaming. All I see is Miss O's concerned face staring down at me.

"Miss O?"

"You were dreaming," she kneels down at my side and brushes my hair back.

"It was a warning. I haven't had one of those in a while."

"What happened?" she asks sitting on the edge of my bed. She continues brushing my hair back, soothing my anxiousness. It doesn't last long.

"I need the phone," I say in a panic, sitting up in bed.

"Eli, it's three in the morning."

"I need to make sure she's okay."

"Who?"

"Grace!"

Miss O nods and leaves the room. I follow behind her into the kitchen and take the phone from her. I dial Grace's cell phone number, not wanting to wake her whole family.

"Hello?" Grace says groggily.

"Grace?"

"Eli?" she sounds more awake this time.

"Are you okay?"

"Other than some lunatic calling me at three in the morning," she teases with a giggle, "of course I am. What's wrong?" she asks, her tone suddenly becoming more serious.

"Can you check on your family?" I request, starting to pace in the kitchen.

"Eli, what's this about?" she asks, true concern in her voice this time.

"Please, just make sure they're all okay," I plead.

"Okay," she says. I hear her open her bedroom door as she goes to check on her family. I wait in silence as she makes her way throughout her house. I hear the faint click of a door unlatching. "Sarah's fine," she whispers a few seconds later.

"Good," I respond quietly.

Another minute or so of silence and I hear the click of her parent's door opening. A few long seconds pass and she reports that her parents are fine. Her older brother is still in California; school isn't quite out yet out there.

I sit down at the kitchen table and let my head fall into my hands. They're safe, thank God; which I do immediately.

"Eli, what's wrong? You're kinda freaking me out."

I take a deep breath and explain. "Being the Sicarius, I sometimes have these dreams that are warnings."

"What was the dream about?" she asks, trying to sound brave.