The Prophecy (3 page)

A break between buildings sent sunlight streaming straight into my eyes. When I felt like my pupils weren't going to shrivel up and cause permanent blindness, I caught sight of a brightly painted sign
,
The Nook
. What made the sign stand out amongst all the quaint brownstone wasn't the rendition of Pop Art sign, with brightly used colors proudly stating
The Nook
, but also the hordes of people meandering in and out of the store. I couldn't see much with the sunlight reflecting off of the stores windows. I swear the whole side of it was made of glass. I started to feel like a vampire caught in the sun. Maybe I should start hissing.

I looked forward again, figuring that staring at the vehicles we slowly passed would be a hell of a lot better than becoming blinded by trying to figure out what the store was. With my luck, it was probably a porn shop. It would figure that the only thing that attracted my attention would be a peep show. That's how awesome my life had become.

“Dad, why have I seen at least thirteen different states license plates?”

I could almost feel him rolling his eyes.
“The Blue Ridge Mountains are a big tourist attraction for nature lovers. There's hiking galore up here, along with nature trails, bird watching, and camping. People come from all over to spend their summers out here getting rusticated.”

I blinked slowly at him, trying to imagine people actually paying to get ‘rusticated’. I couldn't fathom it. Really, I couldn't. Sure I understood that some people loved to go hiking and enjoyed being in nature, but I never understood those types of people. Yes, nature was pretty, but I just wasn't the type that would enjoy becoming 'rusticated'. I shook my head and turned my gaze away.

“You could at least
try
to take an interest in what Shiloh has to offer.” He stated bitterly.

“
Like
that
will ever happen.” I whispered under her breath.

“
What?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“
What?” My innocent, deer in headlights look was totally lost on him. I needed to work on that if I was ever going to be as good as my mother.

“
You said something.”

“
When?”

“
Just a second ago.”

“
Oh, What?”

“
You said something— just a second ago, what was it.” Traces of anger starting to flush his neck.

“
What.”

“
God damn it, Star! What did you say a second ago!?” he slammed the steering wheel which caused the car to jerk again. I placed my palm against the window, not wanting a repeat of my head embracing the glass. I really wish he would quit doing that.

“
What!” I nearly shouted now, trying hard to hold back a grin. My mother, on the other hand, couldn't quite hold back her laughter.

“
What?
” he asked her harshly.

“
Exactly!” I threw my arms up in my excitement. Mom's laughter rang throughout the car, making me feel warm and fuzzy. She had that ability. With just one smile she could brighten my day. When she laughed, it's like being embraced by a giant, fluffy unicorn. Dad rolled his eyes at us and turned to concentrate broodily on driving. Mom turned in her seat and gave me a wink, her violet eyes alight with laughter. I smirked in return, then turned back to the view, feeling better than I had in ages.

I could feel a frown forming as I tried to remember the last time I was truly happy. Sure, I was amused often, and occasionally I got those warm happy feelings. But I couldn't remember the last time that happiness actually
stayed,
or wasn't underlined with fear
.
I know that as you get older happiness isn't as easy to come by, but I'm seventeen, not thirty-five. You'd think it would be a couple of years until my happiness started to dissipate. 

It seemed like everything started to fade after my sixteenth birthday. Like I woke up and found a darkness in me, a side I never knew existed. All of a sudden I was just getting pissed off for no reason. Sometimes I could control it, but more and more it seems like it’s beginning to control me, which scares the hell out of me. That's why I call it my darkness. It's all-consuming, bleak. It feels like it's spreading inside of me. Like an obsidian poison working through my system. Devouring who I am. Who I was. That's what scares me the most. I'm forgetting who I am and becoming something, but I don't know what that something is.

Dad's grumble snapped me out of my bleak thoughts. “We’re almost out of town.” 

“
Oh, man! Don’t tell me I blinked and I missed it!” I couldn’t help but bait him. I picked my iPod back up as dad started to argue with himself. He always argued with himself. I don't think he ever won the arguments either. It eased my mind to see that even through all this madness and self-doubt that Dad was still mainly the same. I would hate it if the darkness in me began to change my family. I couldn't help but fear that in time, everything would change.

I smirked as his arguing intensified.
“Let me know who wins.” I half yelled, turning up the volume of the music before he could respond.

Chapter Three

It took thirty minutes to get from town to the driveway. I knew for a
fact
it took thirty minutes because the timer on my phone was blinking at me with those horrifying numbers. However good I may have felt
thirty
minutes ago faded with each passing second it took us to travel to our new 'home'. My parents, of course, weren't horrified about that fact at all. No, they were too busy chatting about the merits of living in the country. A chill raced down my spine as I looked at the surrounding woods.

I couldn't help the sigh of relief as the car finally pulled to a stop. I was beyond sore at this point. We were on the road for days on end, with very few stops along the way. My muscles were stiff from being in such a cramped position for so long. Sure, our car was nice whenever we went to town or on small trips, but I doubted a cloud would feel good after a couple of days on the road. I was lucky I wasn't surrounded by our belongings during the trip. I would have started a rebellion if I had been.

I stretched, trying to work out as many muscle cramps as I could while watching the moving company we hired work their way through the trucks.

I braced myself. I didn't know what type of house we'd be moving into and was afraid that it would be some type of log home or ancient farm house. When my parents bought it they refused to show me a picture or to even describe it. They said they wanted me to be surprised. I hated surprises. I turned toward the house and felt my breath leave me in a giant whoosh.

It was beautiful. A cobblestone path led up to the large front door with decorative shrubs on either side. Large multi paned window reflected the late evening rays back at me, causing my eyes to water slightly. The two story house was made of a soft rose colored brick. The color should have made it look extremely feminine, but the sharp angles of the roof cast stateliness to its appeal. Almost masculine in its sharpness, balancing out the feminine details.

A glimmer at the corner of the house caught my attention. I leaned toward it and could just make out a large lake in the distance. I turned my gaze back to our new house and silently compared it to the house we had back in LA. While I loved our old house, this definitely upped the ante on awesome houses. I couldn't believe it. I looked back at my parents, almost expecting to see them holding in their laughter over the worst joke of all time. I swear I'd kill them if they had played me for a fool.

“Are you serious!?” My tone came out sharper than I intended. By their instant frowns, I knew they took it the wrong way. They looked slightly hurt, and I hated myself for that. That they would become so used to me being spiteful that they'd take everything the wrong way.

“
Pumpkin, we thought you would like it.”

“
Like it?” I didn't like it, I loved it.

“
Yes.” Mom jumped in, fluttering her hands as if unsure how to proceed. “We thought that with everything you've been going through that you'd want a space of your own. It's not two storied, you see. There's a fully finished walk out basement, and we thought—”

“
I have my own floor?”

“
Look, Star. We know this isn't LA, but we're trying to—” The rest of my Dad's sentence was lost as I threw myself at them. I could feel them stiffen before they relaxed into my exuberant hug. I knew they had become so used to minimal displays of affection from me, but it still hurt that they didn't automatically embrace me.

“
So—you like it?”

“
Like it!? Are you serious? I love it!” I thought my happy dance was about to throw them into shock. I tried to tap down on my excitement, but it refused to be pushed aside. “I get my own floor, for crying out loud! This is
awesome
!” I was tempted to hug them again, but they shared a 'look', one that spelled trouble for me. I knew this was too good to be true. “Wait, what's the catch?”

Warring emotions playing across their faces. I crossed my arms and stared them down, impatiently tapping my toe against the pavement. I was about to lay into them when mom cut in with one of her placating smiles.

“We'll talk about it later, okay? Why don't we all go inside and check out the house first. She ushered us quickly inside, side stepping around movers at the carried our furniture and boxes through the house.

I was about to dig in my heels and get them to hash everything out that instant, but instead I ended up staring wide-eyed at the interior of the home. I turned in a slow circle in the middle of the entryway, trying to take in as many details as I could.

The entryway was open and airy, with a staircase ahead leading to the upper floor, and doorways on either side leading to the living room and dining room. The kitchen lay straight ahead. The rubber soles of my shoes squeaked on the tile floor as I turned. To my left, an arched doorway led into a large living room with floor to ceiling windows. The cathedral ceiling went all the way up to the roof of the house, showing deep cherry wood rafters. Sunlight filtered through the wall of windows, letting soft rose light dance upon the pale cream walls. Bedroom doors were open on the second floor, where railing along the upper hallway created a loft like feel, showcasing the living room.

I turned to my right, and saw that the dining room had the same open, airy feel as the rest of the house. Walking farther, I stepped into the kitchen and stopped dead in my tracks. The granite counter tops gleamed from the mullioned windows flanking the back of the house. Stainless steel appliances stood like sentries. A granite isle stood in the middle of the tiled floor with a pot and pan rack hanging overhead. I moved toward the windows.

A large deck stretched out across the back of the house. Beyond it, my eyes rested on the lake, causing a breathless sigh to leave my body. It was beautiful. Dark green grass gently sloped to the gray water. The fading sunlight danced across it, creating a ballet of light and darkness with the mountains rising majestically in the distance.

I opened the sliding glass doors and stepped out onto the deck. Gazing around the yard I noticed that about a half an acre out on either side of the house started the wood line. The woods were sparse in the beginning, creating lovely shaded areas that quickly gave way to the forest. It would be a beautiful place to die if mutant mountain men roamed the area, that's for sure.

I turned at the sound of my parents calling to me. “Come check out your new room,” Mom said with a knowing grin. With one last look at the lake, I turned to follow after them.

“
You have
got
to be shitting me.” I just couldn't believe my eyes. The basement was fully finished with its own bathroom, large bedroom, living area and bar/kitchenette. The previous owners obviously never took the time to decorate it because it was completely barren of color. 

The bedroom could be shut off from the rest of the area by large French doors. The living room was carpeted and sunk down into the middle of the tiled floor, forming an almost secluded space. I'd never have to worry about my parents yelling at me for staying up late again. They'd never know. I almost felt evil with my all-night movie intentions.

“This is mine? ALL mine?” My eyes felt like they were going to bulge right out of my head as I stared at my parents. Smiling, they nodded their heads in assent. I quickly looked around again then ran to the door leading to the backyard. 

A cobblestone area was set right outside, perfect for a quiet evening to sit and take in the beauty of the surrounding area. A garden lay to the right of the porch, hidden from prying eyes by the first floor deck. Since the basement was built into the side of the sloping hills, the entire back side of the bottom level was nothing but glass to make up for the lack of light. For a moment, I couldn't breathe as I took it all in.

I looked at my parents with a huge smile on my face. They did this for me, to make me happy and try to replace the blackness that seemed to be surrounding my life. I still couldn't stop the edge of unease that seemed to constantly hover around me, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

My parents left me alone to start unpacking my items. Listening to my iPod, I started organizing my belongings and making a list for all the new furniture I would need to fill the rooms. This was the first time I had space to myself, enough room to breathe.

I screamed when I felt a hand grab my shoulder. Falling onto my butt, I quickly turned around. My dad stood above me, almost doubled over with laughter. Yanking out my earphones, I sent a glare his way. 

“
Sweet baby Jesus! What were you trying to do? Give me a heart attack?”

“
Hey, I tried calling your name. It's not my fault you were blaring music.”

“
What did you need?” I rested my arms on my raised knees, maintaining my glare. 

“
Time for you to come upstairs. We ordered some pizza and still have some things to talk about.”

“
Trying to butter me up with the thought of pizza, eh?”

“
Couldn't hurt.” With a wink he headed up the stairs.

I followed him to the living room where Mom was busy digging through boxes. She looked up and gave Dad a questioning look. Glancing back at me, he gave a short nod in silent reply. Tension seeped into the atmosphere. I crossed my arms and prepared for whatever was to come.

“Come sit with me, sweetie.” She said, sitting herself on the couch and patting the spot next to her. I thought about declining, but figured that would take focus away from whatever discussion they were anxious about. I walked calmly toward her and sat down without even a remark, causing my parents eyebrows to raise in surprise.

“
Spill it.” I said, looking straight into my mothers' eyes.

She looked at Dad first before she cast her wary eyes back to me.
“Well, I know you're not going to like this, but please just hear us out.” I didn't take my gaze off of her even when I felt the couch shift from the weight of my father sitting down beside me.

She cleared her throat and started wringing her hands in her lap. I gazed at them momentarily then shifted my defenses based on that tell-tale sign. She wouldn't be wringing her hands unless she was worried about what my reaction would be.

“We know you don't want to talk about it, but these little 'incidents' have begun to increase and your attitude has started to swing almost dramatically. We want you to know that we love you, and that we're doing what we think is best for you—” Mom looked pleadingly at me while she put a reassuring hand on my knee. Dad cleared his throat, earning my attention. They planned a speech together. This wasn't good.

“
You're going to start therapy on Monday,” Dad said in a rush.

“
Therapy?” I raised an eyebrow.

“
Yes, you know we'd never do anything to hurt you, we just want you to have someone to talk to.” Mom said in a placating voice.

I could feel my anger rising by the moment. The flecks darkness within me seemed to grow with my building temper. Feeding off it. Fueling it.
“You want me to go to some
quack
, charging hundreds of dollars an hour just to
talk
?”

“
Yes, we figured if you had the chance to talk about what's been happening—”

“
How am I supposed to talk about what's been happening when
I don't know the cause of it!”
I started to angrily pace in front of them, hoping to calm the darkness within me. 

“
All that's going to happen is I'm going to end up getting put on some stupid medicine that will keep me like a living zombie just like the last time! How can you guys even come to this conclusion when you know damn well I didn't have anything to do with what happened to Rebecca?”

“
Well, if you become a zombie we could always have you cast in the next apocalypse movie,” Dad stated, trying to alleviate my anger.

“
That's
not
funny! Why in the world would you think I'd willingly do this? Do you know what they do to people at mental hospitals? Haven't you seen
Gothica
?”