Awakenings (Elemental Series - Book 1) (15 page)

“You’re not far off, Jacey. You just need to—” Before she could finish, flashes of colors started to fill the room.

My reflection covered her eyes and seemed to shrivel away from the mirror.

“NO. Wait! Tell me who you are. Tell me what I need to do, don’t go.” As I finished the sentence, the mirror only reflected the Jacey I’d always known, brown hair, brown eyes. My hand stopped burning and I put it up to the mirror again. This time I was able to touch the mirror and it felt like a mirror.

No magic tricks here. No other person in the mirror, just me. I stood there, dazed and confused. I turned and looked around the room again. Mom came into the room.

“Do you remember?” she asked.

“Remember what? I don’t know what I’m supposed to know and what I’m supposed to do. What is all of this? Where am I?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“Know all that has been done was not only to save Nemele, it was also to save you. Everything has been so complicated, so unspeakable. You are now where you are supposed to be. We have to run to keep you safe. Everyone else will just have deal with whatever else comes,” Mom finished.

I stared at Mom, expecting to see her smile at me or wink or something, but she didn’t even look in my direction. I then realized she wasn’t speaking to me. She was talking to someone in the crib. She stared down into it like she’d done in my previous dream and began to weep. I tried to touch her, but my hand passed right through her.

I noticed the baby in the crib, a child about two years of age. She was dressed in a frilly pink jumpsuit and had brown hair. I took a closer look at the baby and then she looked up at me and smiled. As I was about to reach into the crib, all of my dream colors raced towards me in a flurry, filling my vision. I covered my eyes, trying to shield them from the brilliance.

I turned my head in reaction to the sudden onset of light and color and suddenly felt as though the air in the room had been taken away. I tried yelling out, but no noise came out. I started to feel light-headed and my vision filled with dots of light. At the second I was about to lose consciousness, I began to feel as though I was floating again. It was like my body had gone into sensory overload, and decided to shut down. I then felt a hardness on my back and finally found my voice. I yelled out.

It was Jen’s voice I opened my eyes to. “Thank Nemele. Are you okay?” she asked as she ran up to me.

It took me a second or two to answer. I felt disoriented and tried to figure out where I was. I looked up, and saw Ria and Hearte. I saw all of them, Rife, Taerw, Nidw, and Kawaneing. I was lying on my back. I sat up quickly and looked around the room. I was back in Mom’s old room. I felt a little dizzy and found that I was breathing quickly. I looked over at the alarm clock on the nightstand, it was three a.m.

“I - I think so,” I said, as a sense of déjà vu came over me.

“You were screaming, Jacey. I don’t think you’re okay. What were you dreaming?” Jen asked as she sat down on the bed beside me.

When she sat, I got up and walked over to the window facing out into the front yard. I steadied myself with both arms extended out onto its frame. As I looked out into the night, I knew I’d been here before—doing the exact same thing I was doing now
.
I looked up into the sky and then turned back to my now very confused best friend. As I stood there, Aunt Grace and Hudson came rushing into my room. My Mom, no exception, was right behind them.

“What’s going on, are you two all right in here?” Aunt Grace asked, with Hudson right behind her.

“She just started to scream. It scared me awake and I ran in here to find her on the bed,” Jen answered.

“I don’t get it. We’ve already done all this. We’ve already talked about the dream, about him, then you and Aunt Grace went out and Jen and I followed—then they were here…” I said, looking back out the window and up to the tree tops.

“What are you talking about, Jacey?” Hudson asked as he came to stand beside me and stare up into the nothingness with me.

“We’ve has this conversation before. You and Aunt Grace came into my room with Jen saying I woke her up by screaming. We talked about the cloud form, the Seekers, and then you and Aunt Grace went outside to make sure they were all gone, and Jen and I followed, and then… and then…” before I could finish, Aunt Grace came over and put her arm around my shoulder.

“It’s been a really long day. There’ve been a number of things that happened, which pretty much would make anyone’s imagination go into overdrive right now,” she said. Hudson and Jen nodded in agreement.

“Maybe you should start from the beginning and tell us about the dream. It might make you feel better.” Hudson offered.

While the conversation was going on, I paced back and forth in front of the window. Mom was circling me like she had earlier, in a protective swirl like she was embracing me one second and checking me over the next. I was lost in thought when Hudson’s voice broke through.

“So, Jace…do you want to tell us about your dream?” He had the same look on his face that he’d had when I’d confronted him about Jen. He looked uncomfortable, even a little hesitant when he asked. This wasn’t like him at all. He’d always been very direct and most times impatient to hear what my dreams were about. I was going to call him on it but decided I’d just tell them everything…
again
. Even if for me it was the second telling of the same story. I’d have to figure out later why they were all lying to me… again.

I began with the walk in the forest and the cloud form racing me back here before the black abyss. I didn’t miss a detail. I ended this version back in Aunt Grace’s old room and my reflection talking to me and the child I saw in the crib.

“I, for one, can vouch that there’s definitely no one in or outside of the house that isn’t supposed to be,” Aunt Grace said.

“How can you be so sure?” I asked.

“When I spoke to Eve earlier, I told her I’d come by after everyone went to bed. I just got back from her place maybe a half an hour ago. We had a lot to catch up on.”

“But everything seemed so real. This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. I could’ve sworn…”

“Your Mom was the same, you know,” Aunt Grace interrupted.

“What do you mean, Mom was the same?” When I mentioned ‘Mom,’ she stopped swirling around the room and came over to float beside me by the window.

“She’d have dreams, just like you. She’d dream and the next day she would swear they were true. She completely believed the things she witnessed and experienced weren’t dreams at all. She believed they were events that had really happened. I think with all the emotions over the last couple of days and being here in Nevaeh, it may have something to do with your dreams seeming so life-like. Sometimes our dreams are our reality—especially here.”

“Why don’t you believe me?” I yelled at everyone in the room.

Mom swirled around a little and her thoughts radiated to me, the words Aunt Grace had spoken were filled with truth. I wanted to tell everyone in the room I knew they were lying to me, but, with Mom validating Aunt Grace’s explanation, I felt as though I was left with nothing to say.
Definitely
an awkward moment for me at any time, considering I’m never usually one at a loss for words
.

Jen approached the window and suggested we get back to bed.

“How about I stay in here with you tonight?” she offered.

I didn’t say a word, I didn’t need to. I believe it was pretty obvious to everyone there that I didn’t want to be alone.

“Sleep well, Jacey. I’m praying in time you’ll be just like Ria. For her, after a while, the dreams would be less frequent and less real,” Aunt Grace said as she came over to the window, hugged me, and kissed my forehead like Mom used to do.

“Is she here with us now?” Aunt Grace asked.

“Yeah, she hasn’t stopped flying around me since I woke up,” I stated, watching her swirl around me in her reds and blues.

“Then you’re safe for tonight. Can you tell Ria I miss her?” Aunt Grace asked as she looked around the room.

“I don’t have to. You just did. She misses you, too,” I replied as Aunt Grace walked out of my room.

“Can you tell Mom I miss her, too, and tell her if there was any time I needed her, now would be it,” Hudson said, then he went over to Jen. For the first time since I’d found out they were a couple, they hugged and kissed each other gently on the lips.

“Uggh, hello—remember
no
kissy-feely things while I’m around,” I announced, and they parted, reluctantly, I might add, but they parted.

In the moment I’d interrupted them, they’d reminded me of Mom and Dad. When you were in a room with them, you didn’t only feel the connection the two of them had; you could actually see the love between the both of them.

“I’ll see you two in the morning,” Hudson said, walking past me, ruffling up my hair, and leaving my room.

There was obviously something amiss with all of the ‘explanations’ about the supposed non-events everyone was offering about tonight. I knew solely from the look in Hudson’s eyes he was holding something back. I also knew right now I wasn’t going to be asking him or Aunt Grace about it. I knew down to the center of my core I hadn’t dreamt
everything
tonight. I knew something mystical or even magical had happened here. I only needed to get a little more in tune with Nevaeh. Then and only then would I start to ask more questions.

So, explanations about tonight I could forgo, but something I couldn’t—those blue eyes and why they were stuck in my mind.

“Jen?” I said softly, hoping she was awake.

“Yeah.”

“Are you awake?”

“I am now. What’s up?” Jen asked as she propped herself up onto her elbows.

“When you’re with Hudson, how does your heart feel?”

“Well, that wasn’t the question I thought you were going to ask, but…when I’m with him, my heart feels excited. When we’re together, it feels like I don’t need anyone or anything else in the world with me—I have him. When we’re not together, I miss him—a lot. I feel like there’s a piece of me missing.”

“The dream I had tonight, the cloud form—it was the same guy. The one I’ve been dreaming about. Have you ever thought of something or someone so much you felt a slight bit stalkerish?” I asked.

“I haven’t heard the word stalker used that way before, but I guess in the way you’re using it I’ve kinda felt that way, too—obviously about Hudson. But how do you know it’s the same guy in your dreams? You said you couldn’t make out a face,” Jen asked.

“I couldn’t make out a face, but the feelings I have every time he shows up are the same. Whenever he shows up my whole body from head to toe tingles. I get a whooshing feeling in my belly. My cheeks flush and my ears feel like they’re on fire.” I rolled over onto my back and looked up to the ceiling. Mom was hovering in pink and yellow colors.

“When did you first start dreaming about this guy?” Jen asked.

“It’s like he’s always been in my dreams. There’s something about him which makes me think he’s so real. Not just some guy I made up in my head.” I continued to stare up at my ceiling, a little too embarrassed to turn over and look at Jen.
How can I stalk a dream– now that’s pretty ridiculous.

“I think you’re coming to a point in your life where everything changes, Jacey. I think any guy, imaginary or real, would be lucky to have a girl like you interested in him. By the way, I don’t think it’s ridiculous…” When Jen finished I turned and looked at her. I could have sworn I hadn’t said I thought it was ridiculous out loud. While I was facing her, Jen looked as though she were glowing the same purple color she’d been in my dream… or not. I lay back onto my bed.

“Your friendship means a lot, Jen. I’ve never had anyone I really trusted in my life other than my family.”

“Soon you’ll figure out I’m the lucky one to have found a friend like you. You’re more special than you realize,” Jen said, leaning over to turn off the bedside lamp.

I stared up at the symbols on the ceiling until I felt myself going cross-eyed. Somewhere within the realm of these symbols lay my past, present, and future. How long was it going to take before I unlocked the many secrets which made up the labyrinth of my family and all of the truths’ each member seemed to be holding onto?

Tonight was the first time I didn’t remember falling asleep. I remembered feeling safe and thinking about
him
.

I awoke with the sun shining on my face through the bedroom window. I rolled over onto my side and came face to face with Jen. She was fast asleep. I wasn’t going to wake her. My alarm clock showed six-twenty-five a.m. I tried to fall back asleep, but it wasn’t going to happen, so I got out of bed and tip-toed to my trunk of clothes in the corner of my room. I grabbed a pair of gray joggers and a white hoodie. While I was rooting around for them, I found the pictures which were hidden in Mom’s dresser drawer back home and sat down on the floor cross-legged to look at them. Hudson was in a few of them, but I was in most of them. From picture to picture, it was apparent I was in the same outfit but in different colors.

I was in every picture. Aunt Grace’s explanation of the duplications could only justify a few pictures—maybe—but for as many as I had, that bordered on more than a little weird.

I could have sat for the next hour gazing at the baby pictures of Hudson and me, but something kept nagging at me. I put them all back into my trunk, showered, dressed, and went to check on Jen. She was still asleep.

I went down to the kitchen and hoped Hudson hadn’t eaten all of the muffins Aunt Grace had made the night before. Small joys, in a container on the counter were four muffins. I took one and headed out through the kitchen into the sunroom and out into the backyard.

It was around seven a.m., the sun was cresting over the treetops, and I stood in wonder watching the world wake up. I was grateful to be Nevaeh.

I walked further into the yard, and found the tree swing in the furthest corner of it. I sat on it, and started going over everything that had been happening in my life lately. I started to swing, feeling the early morning breeze against my skin refreshing. I was grateful for this moment and for the small break in the drama of my new life. As I was admiring the view before me, I noticed Mom had followed me. She floated over and was covered in soothing pale colors. She spun around me on the tree swing and we went into our own time again.

“Mom, am I losing my mind?” I asked.

“No, Jacey, you’re finally at home and you’re coming into your own,” she whispered.

“What does ‘coming into my own’ mean, Mom? I’ve been hearing it over the last couple of days and I still don’t get it. What does last night have to do with ‘coming into my own?’ I know you were around last night, I know everything that happened last night wasn’t just a dream, and I know you saw everything. Why is everyone lying to me?”

“They’re trying to protect you the only way they know how.”