Visions - The Cursed Angels Part 1

I’d always wondered what my grandma saw when her eyes glazed over and she went into one of her trance-like stares. That was when she had her “visions”, as she called them. A window into the future…and usually a warning of something evil. My grandma, Esme Rose Tyler, was a powerful, seventh-generation witch. Probably the last of her kind, too.  The magic gene skipped my mother. I'd hoped it would pass to me, but as luck would have it, it went to my sister, Sarah. She died as a baby. No one talked about it. I often wondered what it would’ve been like to have a sister, someone to share things with. I didn’t mention it, though. I didn’t mention much of anything. Grandma wasn’t herself lately, and Mom worried her time was drawing to a close.  Death always seemed strange to me. Here one minute, gone the next – unless you suffered a slow, agonizing demise. But that was probably still the same. You were here, then you weren’t. However, the aftereffects lingered for years. The dead didn’t feel anything. It was the living who suffered. For as long as I could remember, I’d seen Mom clutching Sarah’s blanket and sobbing. I’d also seen what she kept hidden in the little shoebox in the back of her wardrobe. A shrine to my dead sister. I often wondered if she kept a box for me. If she had my hospital ID bracelet and a lock of my hair. Not that it mattered. I was alive. She saw me every day. A loud sigh escaped as I lifted my head and pummeled my fists into the pillow. Sleep… I needed sleep. My mind rambled all over the place.  “Maybe I’m just worried about Grandma. That’s probably it,” I mumbled as I flopped back down and closed my eyes. I didn’t dare look at the clock. It was 1 am the last time I checked, and I was sure I’d been lying here, waiting for sleep to arrive, for at least another hour.  It was strange how the mind wandered when there was nothing but silence. Was I turning into one of those insomniacs? I hoped not because I’d never be able to cope in school.  School… Oh god. I have school in a few hours. Go to sleep. Please, Clara.   ***   When a sharp pain imploded in my head, I shot up, clutching it. “What the…” The words died on my lips as different colors began to swirl around me. I shook my head to try and clear it, but it didn’t do any good. They continued to move, but I knew they weren’t really there. I was in my bedroom.  Without warning, the colors faded and darkness surrounded me once more. The throbbing in my head subsided somewhat as I continued to massage my temples, hearing… Whispers? I swore I heard voices all around me, words I couldn’t quite hear. A cold sweat broke out on my skin as I gripped my head and willed them to stop.  The voices grew louder. “They’re coming. They’re coming. All is not lost. One must survive. One must betray. One must kill.” The words repeated on a loop as my vision blurred.  When it cleared, I found myself standing beside my locker at school. I gasped, spinning my head in all directions. The main doors opened slowly. Two people stood there, but I couldn’t make them out. One was surrounded by light, the other covered with a dark shadow. They started moving toward me. My heart thumped. I felt something pulling me, drawing me to them. Then I heard a voice as clear as day.  “It’s her.” When I tried to speak or move, nothing happened. As quickly as it arrived, the vision faded and I was back in my room, sitting upright in my bed. My hands still gripped my head, but I felt no pain. “Oh, my god. I’ve had a vision,” I gasped, jumping out of bed and running down the hall to Grandma’s room. “Grandma. Grandma,” I whispered, shaking her shoulder. “Grandma, wake up.” “What is it, Clara?” she asked, opening her eyes slowly. “I…I saw something. Colors swirled, then I was in school. There were two people, and—” “Slow down. Take a deep breath, child.” Grandma reached over and flipped on her bedside lamp. Her face was grim. “Take a deep breath and start again.”  I did as she asked, then blurted, “I think I had a vision.” I swear I saw her eyes bulge. “Are you sure?” “Well… No, but that’s why I came to you. I was having trouble sleeping again, then I got this sharp pain in my head. There were swirling colors. Next thing I knew, I was standing by my locker at school and these two people came in the door. I couldn’t see them, though. Just a dark shadow for one, the other really bright.” Grandma inhaled sharply. “Was it a vision?” “Yes, Clara. It was.” She didn’t sound very pleased. I thought she’d be delighted, considering they all thought her gifts had gone to Sarah. I’d never figure out old people. “Clara, go put the kettle on. There’s much to talk about.” Grandma pushed herself up into a seated position and threw her legs over the side of the bed. “I’ll be down in a minute.” The whole thing puzzled me, but I smiled anyway. I had a vision. I was a witch after all. How cool was that? Did I have any other powers? I imagined casting spells, shooting fire out of my hands, levitating, making myself invisible. All the things I’d seen in movies and read about in books. I could be the next Clary Fairchild, or become a queen like Feyre.  I practically danced around the kitchen when Grandma cleared her throat from the doorway. “It’s not like getting a new toy, Clara. This is serious.”