Chasing Shadows (2 page)

“So what’s wrong with me? Don’t you dare say that I’m special.” I jabbed my finger at them. “I can’t be. Not like this. I’m clumsy in the dark, I’m too weird, and . . . and I am not at all special. I’m just me. I am AubrieAnna Sailour Lukenson. That’s all I want to be.” Tears began to flow down my cheeks, and I let them. My head hurt, my heart was heavy, and I felt strange, as if I didn’t belong in my own body. I needed to escape. I got up and walked outside. The evening air was warm as I headed toward the water.

I sat down at the edge of the dock and stared thoughtlessly into the water. The footsteps were so quiet that I barely heard them. They eventually came to a stop next to me, and the dock shifted slightly under the weight of Alexandier. He sat down beside me and handed me a cup of tea. The cup was warm in the palms of my hands. Roses and herbs filled my nose with a heavenly smell, and I slowly began to relax. Even though I was starting to calm down, there was still a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach, and a brokenness had settled in my soul. I felt a warm arm wrap around my shoulders and looked up to see Alexandier watching me carefully. I decided to let him in on the thoughts that were plaguing my mind. “Zany, I want to go see this psychic that Mom and Dad saw. I feel like I need to hear everything for myself. And I need to get all of us out of here. If what I saw was in the future, you are all going to die in the cabin. I won’t let that happen . . . I can’t.” I looked back down at the water and the starry sky that was reflected there.

“All right, I’ll take you tomorrow afternoon. I told them you would want to go, so they gave me her information. We’ll leave around noon. We need to know if what you saw is actually a vision of the future, and if it is,
then we will get them out of here, I promise. Sound like a deal?”

I looked up, smiled, and said, “Deal.”

We stayed out on the dock for hours, sitting in silence. He knew I just needed to sit and think. My best friend and protector, Alexandier was my support. No matter what decision I made, my brother would be by my side.

***

The light that peeked through my curtains was golden, as on any typical August morning. I stretched as I thought back to last night. It still didn’t feel quite right that I might be powerful. Looking back on my childhood, I realized that I was different from the rest of my family. I never got sick, I healed from injuries faster, I could see farther and hear better, déjà vu was a common occurrence, and I had never felt alone, even when I was by myself. The knock at the door startled me, making my heart speed up. As I headed to the door, it burst open and I was tackled by Melly and Mickey. They laughed as I tickled them. When the tickle fight ended, I looked at them. I saw how much they looked alike. They both had curly hair—not the frizzy kind, but small, delicate spiral curls. Their eyes were the same pale blue as everyone else’s in the family, and even their facial structure screamed Lukenson, with strong cheekbones, slightly rounded jaws, and cute little button noses. Not even their skin was pale like mine, but a light golden brown that was purely radiant.

“Auwy! Mommy says yummies are done!” Mickey was only three and still learning to pronounce his words correctly. They both grabbed my hands and tugged me down the stairs and straight into the kitchen.

The aroma of bacon and ham, eggs, cheesy hash browns, and pancakes filled the air. I sat down on a bar stool and stole a piece of bacon. Melly and Mickey chased each other around the island and giggled. My mom clapped her hands and motioned for us all to be seated at the table where breakfast would be served. Once we were all settled in our seats, my mom smiled at my dad, and he grinned back at her. It was always nice to know my parents were still in love. They gave me hope that you really can spend the rest of your life with one person and never truly hate each other. My parents cleared their throats and we all looked at them, waiting patiently for whatever news they needed to tell us. “Your father and I are thinking about staying here for the rest of the summer.”

I felt my face drop. They knew what I saw, and they were still thinking about prolonging our stay at the exact place we needed to get away from, fast. Alexandier shook his head and looked down at his lap. He was shocked at what Mom had said, since she knew what he and I suspected. To make it even worse, we had no time frame for what I saw. A lump clogged my throat, and I gasped for air that was hard to find. I grasped the edge of the table and squeezed. “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” played in my mind, which slowed my breathing to normal. Air flowed into my lungs, and I released my grip on the table. Five pairs of eyes were staring at me, wide with worry. I tried to speak, but my voice eluded me.

“Aubz, it isn’t a for sure decision. Nothing is set in stone. It’s okay. We’re going to see that lady today, and we’ll get this figured out, okay?” Alexandier was trying to placate my nerves; it worked.

Nodding my response, I drank some of my orange juice. After swallowing, I smiled to show them I was all right. I stared down at my plate and started eating my breakfast. A few minutes had passed before everyone at the table forgot what had happened. We were telling stories and laughing about one story in particular: Mickey had caught a giant bullfrog and let it loose in the house. It took days to find the frog—after it destroyed some of our cupboards—and Mom still wouldn’t let Mickey go outside unless she was with him.

***

The drive to the psychic took longer than I had expected. I stared out the window and thought back to before Alexandier and I left. Even though my parents weren’t thrilled about Alexandier taking me to the psychic, they allowed it because I needed to understand what was happening to me. They pulled me aside as we said goodbye and told me to be careful, to watch what I said, be cautious, and to
always
keep the medallion in my pocket. Then they handed me a gold coin—at least I thought it was a coin until I looked closer. On one side was an intricate pattern of snakes, roses, branches, and a pentagram. The other side was simpler, just an engraved phrase in a foreign language. It was beautiful; I thought it looked like a tattoo that represented the deepest of meanings.

Alexandier turned the engine off, startling me out of my thoughts. I quickly took in our surroundings and thought we were in an odd place to be meeting a psychic. We were parked on a gravel lot, and there were no signs anywhere explaining where we were. Various trails wound off in different directions through a wooded area. It felt like we were at a state park, not at someone’s place of business or home. I scanned the tree line, looking for any hint of the psychic, and Alexandier did the same. His eyes shot to one of the trailheads in the forest, and I turned to see what he was staring at. A lady had stopped just at the beginning of the trail.

She was stunning. Long raven-black hair framed her face and figure beautifully, her skin was tan with red undertones, and her dress was long, billowy, and white. As she walked toward us, I noticed her ballerina-like grace. I was a little jealous of her elegance as I opened the door and stumbled awkwardly out of the jeep.

“AubrieAnna, I see you have finally come for answers. It has been a long time since I have seen you physically. Did you know that your spirit cries the loudest at night, begging to be set free and to learn the secrets of its past? I will tell you all of this, and whatever else you want to know. But first, let’s get to my home; I sense it will rain soon.” Her voice held a hint of an accent that I couldn’t quite place.

Together we walked down a winding path for five minutes until we reached a clearing in the woods; it was breathtaking. In the center was a large brick home surrounded by rosebushes and herbs, and various species of birds flew to and from birds’ nests in the trees. On the right side of the house there was a bubbling river that called to deer, birds, rabbits, and other wildlife. The sun shone through the canopy of the leaves, giving the area a holy look. The smell of all the herbs and flowers was heavenly and perfectly blended together. It made me feel at peace. Alexandier coughed to get my attention; he and the woman were waiting at the door. I walked quickly, not wanting to make them wait any longer.

Inside, the house was cool and smelled of honeysuckle and sweet oranges. The floor was a pale marble that shimmered in the light. When we entered a small sitting room, the psychic took a seat and gestured for us to do the same. We sat in the two remaining wicker chairs and tried to make ourselves comfortable. Alexandier was far from it. I could tell he was on edge. His eyes were dodging back and forth, always searching the corners for some secret monster to jump out. No one could blame him. Crystals hung from the ceiling, twinkling as they turned, casting eerie shadows and delicate rainbows. The walls were painted burgundy, and the room was lit by tall, slim white candles along with the remaining sun shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows. A sudden clap of thunder made me jump out of my skin, and the room became more mystical than before. Shadows danced fervently, telling a story as they swayed gracefully, moving from partner to partner, and they
laughed
as if it were a joyous occasion. I was going crazy, shadows couldn’t laugh; they don’t even talk. I shook my head to push the images out of my mind. I was here for a serious reason—to find out the truth.

“The fae make themselves small and dance in thunderstorms. They believe no one will notice, but people with power do. People like you and me. We see what others cannot; we sense danger, and even see the forbidden future.” As the psychic talked, her eyes glazed over as if she wasn’t fully with us anymore. While she paused and stared off, I finally scrutinized her face. It was stunning. She had deep laugh lines and crow’s-feet that showed off her thin lips and framed her beautiful almond-shaped eyes. Everything about her facial features screamed strength and untold stories of a rough life. Her head cocked to one side, and she blurted out, “Clamora.”

“Clamora? Is that supposed to explain everything?” Alexandier was a little frustrated. I understood why. She was being vague, and it was exhausting.

“It is my name. I apologize for being vague. Since I’m a psychic, I see all that I am attuned to. I hear nature cry when it is in pain, souls when they need help, even little things that you do not know of, yet. But in time I plan to teach you. If you let me, that is.”

I shrugged. “Maybe. It depends on everything that happens today. I don’t know if I really believe all of this, so start explaining.”

She took a deep breath and dove right in. “You were to be a twin, but she passed days after you were born. Her soul healed you and in doing so gave you gifts, a few more than you were originally supposed to have too. Souls are as old as time. No matter how old the body may be when it is released, the soul always knows who it is and where it came from in every life. You are AubrieAnna in this lifetime but were someone else in another. She, your twin, has always been your twin. It is always told in legends that twins born in one lifetime will always be twins in another. When her body died, her soul remembered everything and gave you what you needed to succeed in this life. If she hadn’t, you would have died long ago.

“You were sickly, and you always were. In past lives your sister always gave you what she could, but you always died. This time, she healed you. If you choose to let your body die, the next time you are born you will have the same strength and gifts as you do now. Never again will you be sickly.

“The first few gifts that you ever noticed were the physical ones, like strength, speed, quick healing, incredible eyesight, amazing hearing, and frequent dizziness that leads to déjà vu. After you noticed these, you began to have dreams that always came true. You also noticed that flowers, trees, and other vegetation around you flourished. And once you leave here, you will feel empty, lost, confused, dizzy, and have a headache. You may already be feeling some of those. These are the beginning stages of a change that will confuse you. The process will begin tomorrow, when your eyes will ache, as will your jaw and muscles. That will be the first of many scary days ahead of you. This is all I am allowed to tell you at the moment. I promise I can help you through the entire change, and I will also help train you.

“I can see by the look in your eyes that you are scared to believe me, and also scared not to trust me. Here is my number. You may call whenever you need me or my help.” Clamora wrote her number on a piece of paper and placed it in my palm. She scanned the room, pausing to look at various crystals, stood up, grabbed one the length of a dollar and the width of a pencil, and handed it to me. When I looked at her questioningly, she said, “It will protect you. Please take it?”

I took the crystal. It was warm against my palm. As I examined the crystal, it began to glow a vibrant green. I watched in amazement as the color started to pulse and fade from green to pink. The light show ended just as quickly as it had started. I looked at Clamora and opened my mouth to speak when she pushed us out of the room and to the door.

“You must go, quickly. If you do not, you put yourself and your brother in danger. Take the path that we came on; it will feel longer and will take you a different way. Do not fret; it is magicked to do so. It will take you back to your vehicle. When you leave, don’t turn your lights on until you are facing away from the woods. Now go!” She opened the door and shooed us out.