The Hidden Three (Book 1 of the Hidden Trilogy)

Chapter Eight: Visions

Eliana

(SLB)

My dreams had disturbed me. Why disturbed me more was that the dream was only the first to many others. The images never changed, it was the same story over and over. The same words flowed through my mouth when I gave instructions to my troops. The same light orbs that danced around my feet. The same arrows that whizzed past my face, the same darkness that killed my friends, and attempted to kill me. The only thing that ever changed was the quality of my dreams. The sounds were louder, cold more prominent, the images clearer than it had been the night before. However, I still woke up the same way every night, clammy hands and cold sweat coating my forehead and back.

School seemed to be my only means of escape when I am with Shannon, she distracts me from the terror that haunts me when I am alone.

"Eliana!" With a slight shake of my head, I am brought back to the present, " you haven't even touched your sand which, is something the matter?" I am about to answer when the same pain that attacked me only once before in my life returns.

All I see is red and black and pain. Then I hear screaming and I realize that it's me who is making all the noise, my throat is raw but I can't stop. I'm standing, or am I on the ground, or am I falling, I don't even know. I'm plunged into an icy cold temperature, it's numbing to the bones, I can't move, I don't hear anything but my own scream, I can see anything but blinding darkness.

Then it all stops, I slowly open my eyes and take in my surroundings, a dark tavern casts shadows against the stone walls, a torch is not too far off to my left, and much more continues a row down a stone tunnel. In front of me stands a man, war armor hides his face, sword in his hand, a tray in his other.

"Excuse me!" I say to the man but he doesn't respond, I move to tap him on the shoulder but he becomes mist as I do. When I retreat my hand his shape reforms. " What the.."

"Here's your food for the night," the guard cuts me off. Only then do I realize that he is talking to someone, that someone else is in our presence. I look the way he is and see only shadows of darkness past the metal cage.

" I got you a little something," the guard continues to say " a candy cane!" For a moment I wonder if I heard him correctly. That is until he pulled the red and white twisted candy out of his belt pocket. " The earthlings, they eat these at a certain time of year, what was it called again... cist... crast...oh what was it!" He rambles on to himself.

As he tries to figure it out I look back at the shadows in the prison, trying to see exactly who it is that they are holding. The darkness past the cage almost seems to stir as I get closer. Was it me, or did the shadows seem alive?

Eliana...

A cold sort of whisper sounds through the cave, the noise hits me hard, like a chill settling in my bones, how did he....how could he.....did the guard hear that as well? As I look to the guard for an answer he shouts.

"Christmas! Finally, I got it, anyway here's your candy cane. Tell me how it tastes, I've never had one, it took a lot of begging even to get the one. I was going to have it myself, but it seems that you need more of that Christmas cheer than I do!" I laugh to myself, the man was quite excitable.

He tosses the candy through the bars. The room seems to get colder, I didn't think that was possible. Then the guard takes a step towards the prison. He seemed to do so unwillingly. That's when it happened. It was too fast, one moment the soldier is standing, the next he is lying on the ground, a sharpened candy cane embedded in his chest, dead. My breathing picks up, panic settles in, I don't even notice that I have backed up against the wall, putting as much distance between me and darkness. Somehow the darkness passes through the metal, slow and then it turns to me.

Black starts to dot my vision, my head hurts again and I feel as though I am sinking. The darkness then races towards me, just as it's about to touch me with its only blackness, and I stand up. Cold sweat clinging on to me and my glowing cut, hurting as though a knife was being twisted In it.

The pain subsides and I look to see twenty eyes on me. I was standing in the middle of my math class, the teacher obviously annoyed.

" Excuse me," I choke out, rushing out of the classroom and into the hall. I hear footsteps behind me and see Shannon coming towards me. She hugs me and I push her away. I feel bad but I don't need to be hugged right now. The dream had me feeling shaken and weak enough. I needed to feel strong. Shannon just nodded grimly and led me to the cafeteria, saying that a drink of water would make me feel better.