Arriana's Return

Arriana's Return - Chapter 9

"Who are you? What do you want? Will you quit following me? It's really creepy," Arianna whispered loudly to the mysterious man.

"It's awfully brave of you to confront a stranger in the early morning hours alone or really foolish."

"Save the speech. Who are you?" She demanded.

"It's almost time. You will need to come home soon." He replied to her.

"You do know that creep who attacked me at the school! Who was he? Who are you?" She asked taking a tentative step towards the cloaked stranger, "And what are you talking about? I am home! You see that house right there? That is my home. That is where I live. So, you have the wrong person."

"You'll know the truth soon enough Arianna." He stated simply.

"Whatever guy, I don't know how you know my name or what you're talking about but I'm really sick of the creepy stalker stuff. Now just go away and leave me alone." She shouted at him forgetting about the slumbering people in the surrounding houses.

She turned to run back inside but he reached out and grabbed her arm.

"It's almost time," he said firmly.

She wrenched her arm away, frightened now, and ran to the porch. When she turned to look at him, he was gone. Confused and terrified Arianna ran back into the house.
The golden eyes that stared down from the top of the stairs startled Addison. She gasped as the big grey and white body came into view. Once she realized who it a sigh of relief managed to escape her throat.

"Oh Beau! You scared me half to death."

Walking up the stairs slowly she could tell he his eyes were locked on her. She scratched his head and looked at him.

"It's fine boy. Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. I tried to be quiet, but we can't let mom and dad know about the creepy guy. Okay?" She said apologetically to her dog.

She thought it looked as though Beau was nodding his head in agreement but knew that was impossible. Shaking her head, she went back to bed with her furry friend. Lying on her bed, Arianna realized she was still wired from her encounter with the strange scarred stalker so she grabbed one of the books that was laying on her nightstand and began reading. She slowly drifted into a deep slumber after reading for only a short time. An odd dream started. Looking around Arianna saw that she was standing in the middle of a field with swaying hay. It reminded her of a golden-yellow ocean. The rolling stalks went on for what looked like miles. Beau stood beside her, eyes closed, smelling the sweet wind. She looked down at Beau as he began to speak. He sounded so distant.

What is he saying? How is he talking? This is definitely a dream. Right?

"You want me to start walking?"

He nodded his head and began to move across the field, Arianna trailing behind, until they ran into a small stream. Walking gingerly across the rocks that formed a crude pathway across the running water, the pair continued into the forest. They had been going on for what seemed an eternity when a modest cottage sitting in a small clearing beyond the trees came into sight. Beau walked through the open gate in front of it and headed toward the door, Arianna followed close behind. He stopped and sat in front the door. She heard his voice again. It was a very deep, rough voice. Kind of what she always thought he would sound like if he could speak. She knocked and waited for whoever was supposed to answer. She heard someone rustling around inside and saw the handle slowly turn. She held her breath not sure what to expect. A little girl was standing on the other side. She must have been eight or nine. She smiled looking from Arianna to Beau.

"We've been expecting you." Her smile widening. She stepped to the side and motioned for them to enter.

"I'll be right back. Okay?" She turned and skipped off towards the stairs.

Arianna heard muffled voices and shuffled footsteps above them. The first thing she saw of her adult host was a pair of big, brown boots. She could not believe whom the person was that belonged to those boots. Her mouth dropped and her eyes all but bugged out of her head.

"Are you serious? It's you? Okay, now I know I have to be dreaming. Of all the people in the world, why does it have to be you?" Arianna asked in disbelief as she stared at the scarred man.

Laughing heartily the man spoke. "Yes, it's me Arianna. I see you've already met my daughter, Victoria."

She nodded still looking at him skeptically, noting how different he looked when he was not doing the creepy stalker thing. Studying the smiling man, she realized he had a heavy British accent whenever he spoke and aside from the scar, he was not a terrible looking guy. His hair was a sandy blonde color that was starting to grey and his intense, laughing green eyes seemed to go well with his tanned skin.

"What do you want with me? Why have you been following me around?" She questioned the man tiredly. "And now you have somehow managed to stalk my dreams."

"You will find out in due time. Don't worry Arianna. I am not here to harm you. I'm here to help." He replied.

Confused she spoke again, "Help me? Help me with what?"

"I'm here to help with your destiny. Right now, is not the time to discuss such things. That time is quickly approaching. But for now how would you two like some tea?" The man asked her.

"Oh, please have some tea with us! We made cookies yesterday too!" Victoria squealed seeming very proud of the fact she had baked cookies.

Arianna nodded her head almost having forgotten about the little girl for a moment. "Tea and cookies would be great. Thank you."

She began questioning the man again once she sat down at the large kitchen table.

"What's your name? Can I at least know that?" She gave the mysterious man a hopeful look.

"Yes. I suppose if you must know." He laughed winking at her. "I'm Barwick."

"Barwick? That's an odd name."

"Perhaps to you it's odd and maybe I think your name is odd."

"Right. Well what is this place? Where are we?" Arianna asked Barwick.

"You'll find out in due time."

She was beginning to get irritated with all the run around. "I can't even know where we are? What am I going to find out? Why won't you tell me anything."

"Because it is not time yet, when you're ready you will know. Remember that the locket is the key."

She stood up knocking over her chair and spilling her tea, "Key? What locket?"

"The locket that yo..." His voice trailed off and everything around her began to turn into a thick fog.

"What key? Barwick? Hey, I can't see you anymore. Where did you go?" She was somehow running through the kitchen, but it didn't matter. Barwick and Victoria slowly faded away.