The next morning I got up and wondered helplessly through the house.
All night long, I dreamt of the scratching on the car and the howling. Then as if changing the channel my dream would switch to the woods where shadow guy was at, but this time he wasn’t there. All I could hear were his painful cries mixed with howling echoes. Jumping up with cold sweats, I gave up trying to sleep as I made my way downstairs to make a cup of coffee. Taking a deep breath I crossed my arms as I leaned against the counter across from the coffee pot.
“Morning.” Says my dad as he walks in the kitchen.
“Morning.” I say as I pull out another cup. “Coffee?” I ask.
“To go please.” He says as he thumbs through the paper.
“Running late?” I ask replacing the cup and grabbing a travel mug.
“Yeah your mother kept me up last night.”
Turning around I raised my eyebrow as I looked at him, “Should I be scared to ask why?”
A smile formed on my dad lips, “Sweetheart what am I going to do with you?”
“Love me unconditionally?”
Walking around the counter he hugs me as he kisses the top of my head, “Why of course I will.”
Hugging him back I grabbed the pot pouring his coffee and mine, “So what kept you up all night?”
Taking his travel mug he walks to the fridge as he hands me the cream, “Your mother is worried.”
“About what?”
“The attacks. They’re getting closer and closer.”
Absently sitting the cream of to the side I say, “How close?”
Running a hand over his face he says, “There was an attack on Rodeo Drive.”
My heart skipped a beat as I instantly grabbed my phone, “Someone was murdered?”
He nodded, “A couple was mauled last night.”
“By what?”
He shrugs, “M.E. took samples, last night. They’re running tests to see what kind of animal it was.”
“That’s why you left at 5am?”
He nods.
“But how did you know? Trees surround that road.”
“Dispatch got an anonymous tip.”
I shook my head, “That’s crazy.”
“I said the same thing.” Drinking his coffee black he says, “Plan’s today?”
I shook my head, “Nothing besides homework.”
“Where is Thing 1 and 2?”
“Hell week and at some fashion thing with her mother.”
“I thought hell week was in December.”
“It is. Coach Larson found out that a few swimmers where acting up so he decided to punish them.”
“Was Ashton apart of it?”
I shook my head, “Nope.”
“Then why does he have to be there?”
“Coach decided that he might as well scare the other kids while teaching the team a lesson.”
Dad shakes his head, “Coach might have some lose screws.”
“If he has loose screws then Coach Peters must be missing pieces.”
Dad laughs, “I agree with you there sweetheart.” Drinking his coffee his phone rings. “Aconite.” He answers as he sits his mug down.
I never could understand why cops answered saying their last name first.
“Yes, Jeff called me this morning. So it’s still unknown?” running his free hand down his face, he pinches the bridge of his nose, “No, no. Send someone back to the scene, send Marks. Okay then what about Parker?”
As my dad talked on the phone I unlocked mine as I sent a message to Harry.
Hey, I know this is random but I was just wondering did you make it home okay?
Something in my gut told me that he was safe in sound at home, but considering how he was out on Rodeo Drive last night by himself I just wanted to make sure that he was okay. Turning around, I refilled his coffee cup, screwed on the top as I slid his lunch and keys in front of him.
Looking at the stuff dad smiles as he mouths, “I love you.”
“Love you too. Good luck.” I mouthed back.
Grabbing his things he begins barking orders into his phone as he walks outside.
Picking up my coffee I headed upstairs and went into my room. Daniel left at about 7am to play some new game that came out with Marcus and Mom was doing OT at the hospital so I had the house to myself. Sitting my backpack on my bed, I sat next to it and looked at the clock.
9:32am.
“Let’s see how long it takes me to finish this.” I said to myself. Opening up my laptop, I put my earphones as I play music to start my homework, which started with Math.
---------------------------
20 workbook pages, 2 essays, a book report, a small math packet, 9 cd’s, 2 bags of chips, a bowl of fruit, 4 cups of coffee, 20 bottles of waters later, and more than a dozen trips to the bathroom, I finished all my homework for the week and a few assignments that lead into the following week. Sometimes being in AP classes suck, but it gave me something to do. Taking my earphones out I pushed my work aside as I went to stretch and to look at the clock.
4:20pm
Glancing at my phone Harry hadn’t replied so turning off my music I sat it aside, lying back on my bed as I closed my eyes. I could feel myself drifting off to sleep, but it wasn’t until I was half way asleep when I noticed something wasn’t right.
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My eyes snapped opened almost automatically at the sounds of the screams.
“Help me! Please help me!”
The smell of smoke almost froze me to where I stood. Screams filled the air and for a second I thought it was my own voice. Looking down and around I realized that I was dreaming, but it wasn’t my dream. The screaming continued and seemed to grow louder and before I could stop my feet were moving. I couldn’t stop. It was like my feet had a mind of its own, I couldn’t stop. Walking along a path, I didn’t know where I was, but I knew for sure, it was somewhere I shouldn’t be.
The screams grew louder and louder as I got closer to the end of the path. Forcing myself to stop I covered my mouth as a scream struggled to break out.
There in front of me stood a crowd mixed with women and men. They stood surrounding a girl tied to a wooden pole. She wore a dirty white dress that flowed past her feet as her hands were tied above her head. Moving her head back in forth her dark waves covered her face as she screams again, “Help me! Please someone help me!”
The crowd stood there not doing anything as a guy stepped forward, “Sorciére.”
The crowd yells in disgust as they stare at the girl.
“No, no, S'il vous plait. You have it wrong!” the girl yells.
“Mensonge! You are a child of the devil!” yells the guy.
The girl cries as she holds her head down, with her hair falling in her face.
“Mesdames et Messieurs! Today, today is the day you will witness your first ever execution!” yells the guy.
The crowd yells in a mixture of what sounded like excitement and fear.
“Execution.” I whispered to myself. What could she possibly have done?
As If reading my mind the guy says, “The criminal acts that this demon are treacherous! This abomination has been caught fraternizing with the devil.”
The crowd gasps as they all shake there hard in disbelief.
“This girl has broken the law. Not once and not twice but numerous of times. She has been asked to stay away from the towns village lines and she has disobeyed and has summoned the beast to our town! She has brought on the monster that has brought death to many innocent and loving people. People such as my wife.”
The girl head snaps up, “I didn’t summon the beast here nor did I disobey your rules! You did!”
“Mensonge!”
“The words I speak are not lies! Your men are the cause of the attacks! You were warned once before never to cross onto their land and you went anyways!”
“Silence! Nobody wants to hear your lies.”
“I speak only of the truth! You sent your man out in greed and the need to make your name known! You killed one of their and you place your blame upon me because of your unlawful acts.”
“And how do you know this?” he asks.
The girl turns her head, not saying anything.
“Are you confessing that you went across the lines?”
Looking around I noticed that everyone was dressed in clothes that was the style back in the 1700s. Looking down my eyes widen as I noticed that I was dressed in the same fashion.
What in the hell?
Figuring that I could blend in with the crowd I walked closer so I could hear well, but maintained my distant as I stared at the girl. She stirred with unease as she dug her nails into her palms.
“Have you?” the guy asked.
She said nothing as she bit her lip.
“Answer me!” the guy yells making her flinch.
“Yes!” she yells, “Does that make you happy! Yes I crossed the lines.”
“For a boy?”
“No! For the love of my life.”
The guy smirks, “And are you willing to keep whatever secrets that they have over the lines to yourself to protect them?”
“I will never betray him. You can ask all you want. I will never turn on him.”
“Tell me what I want to hear and you will have the option to rot in a cell.”
“You want me to admit to using witchcraft? And admit that across the lines and among our people are skin walkers?”
“I want you to tell the truth or you shall burn.”
Looking up and straight at the guy, he says with confidence, “Then I shall stand in the flames and burn with the truth.”
The guy smiles in satisfaction, “As you wish.”
There were talks among the crowd as a voice yells out, “Angelica!”
Looking in the direction that the yell came from, a guy runs up and straight to the girl.
The crowd all stared at the guy as he runs in front of her. Grabbing her face into his hands he begins to talk making me jump, as his words fill my ears as if he was standing next to me.
“Please don’t do this.” the guy pleads.
“I can’t let them come after you.”
“I can’t have you die. Not like this. Please let me speak.”
Stepping closer a hand grabs my wrist. A warm sensation traveled up my arm. I didn’t have to look because I knew who it was, but I looked anyways. Turning around I looked at the guy next to me. He stood tall next to me, he wore shades as his face was still shadowed and I didn’t know why. He kept his head facing forward looking at what was happening. Turning my head I looked at the girl as a tear fell down her cheek.
“I won’t ever let them find out about you. I’ll burn keeping both of our secrets.”
“Then let me burn with you.”
“Nonsense I won’t allow it.”
“We’re in this together.”
She shakes her head, “Not this.”
Running his thumb over her cheeks he kisses her. The kiss was hard, rough, filled with so much love, hope, pain, and fear. As he pulls away I touch my lips as if feeling the kiss first hand. My heart broke as a few guys from the crowd stepped out pulling him away from her.
The guy fights them off as he runs back to the girl. Pressing his body up to hers he holds her to him as he kisses her all over her face. Kissing her cheeks, chin, nose, and forehead. He lingers on her lips for a few moments before two different people grab him and whisper something into his ear. The guy relaxes a bit as he lets them court him off.
“Those are his friends.” The shadow face guy says low to my ear.
“Why is he accepting this?” I ask.
“Because there is nothing he can do. She has made up her mind and he has no choice but to obey and he knows he’ll find her in a different life.”
“What do you mean a different like?” I asked.
Ignoring me he continued to watch the scene at play. I watched the guy as he is pulled back, all the while never breaking his eye contact with her.
Guys dressed in old fashion police uniform walk up to the girl soaking her in liquid that I assume was gasoline. Once drenched from head to toe they step back as the guy who was speaking before steps forward.
“Take this as a warning. If you practice witchcraft or are seen participating in unlawful acts that put this village in danger this will be your punishment.”
The crowd all stare in shock as he says, “Light the fire.”
“No!” I went to scream as the shadow guy grabs me pulling me to him.
“They can’t hear or see you. You have to let this play out.” he whispers calmly.
The fire started at her feet. The girl bit her lip as she refused to scream against the flame.
I wanted to turn away but couldn’t as voices fill my head.
Revenir à moi I hear the guy say.
Je fais toujours I hear the girl say as he voice broke.
“Did you hear that?” I asked the shadow guy.
He shakes his head.
Keeping my eyes on the girl the flames slowly eat their way up her. Not being able to hold her scream back anymore she says, her head leans back as she screams.
I squeezed my eyes shut tight forcing myself to wake up.
-------------------
Jumping up in the bed my body felt like it was on fire as I was drenched in cold sweats. Standing I stripped out of my clothes as I headed to take a shower, not letting myself find my breath. Turning on the water I stepped inside and just stood there letting the water pour over me. After 10 minutes I got out, dried off, and put on a jumper and yoga pants. Looking at my clock it read 7pm. I paced back in forth not being able to stand still. It doesn’t get dark until about 7:30 which gave me about an half an hour to go for a run. I thought. Sliding on my shoes I grabbed my phone and my house keys as I walked to my backyard. With Harry still having not replied I assumed he was just busy.
As soon as my feet hit the dirt path my feet took off. I ran not being able to keep my dream out of my head. I tried to think about different movies, different songs, hot actors, funny memoires, but nothing could stop me from seeing the girl. It was like it was being projected in front of me. Every turn I took and every path I went down it kept replaying itself over and over. It was like I couldn’t out run it, like I was in a maze. I ran and ran until I was sweating and out of breath. Stopping near the river I leaned over to catch my breath. After standing there for a minute I stood back up straight and looked around to see that night now covered the sky. Turning around I headed back home.
The walk back to my house was long, longer than I expected. Nobody was home still as I walked inside. Taking another shower I made some tea and decided to try to go to sleep again. With how much I ached I was pretty sure I would sleep soundly but the dream from early replayed over making me jump up in bed. Taking slow deep breaths I pushed my hair back from my face as someone knocks at the door.
I tried to focus my eyes as someone knocks again. Forcing myself up and out of bed I walked out my room adjusting my sweats as I fixed my sports bra. Passing by my parents room, mom was asleep dad MIA. Probably at work. Walking past Daniel’s room his door stood open and bed untouched. Probably stayed at Marcus’s.
Walking downstairs I scratched my head as I looked through the peephole.
“You’ve got to be kidding me."
Opening the door. He stood wearing a tight long sleeve and a pair of jeans. Hair was drenched and he looked like he just got out of the shower.
“Harry what in the hell are you doing here?” I asked rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
Harry turns around and looks at me. His green eyes were glinting, hungry, and there was a hint of worry as he stared at me.
“We need to talk.”
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French Define...
Sorciére - witch
S'il vous plait - please
Mensonge - lies
Mesdames et Messieurs - ladies and gentlemen
Revenir à moi - come back to me
Je fais toujours - I always do
HAPPY MIDNIGHT MEMORIES RELEASE MONDAY !!!!!