Embers & Spells

6 - Vision

I woke up from the noise coming from the kitchen. Turning to the other side of my bed, I got a glimpse of the digital clock showing 5 am. The blanket was already down at the foot of my bed, the opened window sending me shivers. Huh. I couldn’t remember opening my window the night before.

My stomached churned from the smell of pancakes, the scent beckoning me down. Was Agatha trying to be thoughtful and decided to make pancakes? I went down the stairs, my heart beating faster. My steps trailed when I reached the kitchen, seeing it was Erin.

I stared at my godmother, watching her do her thing, how she smoothly moved in the kitchen, like the usual. Her shoulder-length hair seemed to be longer than I remembered, her red shirt complimenting her fair skin. She had the same smile whenever she prepared a meal, as if the mood would affect her cooking. But why was I seeing her here? Now?

“Erin?” I called out, utterly surprised.

She didn’t turn. “He’s near you.”

“Who?”

“The one you have to kill.”

My brows furrowed. “The alpha?” She didn’t answer. “Erin?”

She brought her hand to her chest, discarding the pan. She looked like she was in pain, her face started to distort in agony.

“Erin? Are you okay?” I asked, walking toward her.

She then looked over at me, her eyes had tears in them, her mouth twitching.

I swore I took a step forward, that I moved, but the distance between us stayed the same. My hand automatically tried to reach her out but I couldn’t. I felt a force pulling me away from her, the walls closing in on us, suffocating me.

“Run!” she yelled in between the torment, her face painted madness and chaos. “The omen! Look for it- “ She screamed, twitching her body for the pain I could only imagine.

“Erin!” I screamed, taking another step, wanting to close our gap, but I couldn’t. I looked around, my chest heaving, wanting the trick to stop, if ever it was. “Yaksha!” I flicked my hand, forcing the evil to present itself but nothing happened.

A loud ringing rang in my ears. I jolted up, the alarm blazing from the clock woke me up. Sweat dotted my face, shiver ran down my spine as I realized it was a nightmare.

A nightmare? No. It felt too real. Dreams were different.

A vision? But since when I had visions? Only Seers could do it and definitely, I wasn’t one. I tapped the alarm clock, welcoming the quiet surrounding of my room. Sitting up, I pulled up my legs to my chest, comforting myself. If what happened was, indeed, a vision, then what should I make of it? My brain was about to explode from all the overthinking and anxiety.

Shower. I needed a good shower to wash away all that.

****

I tucked in my pocket the note Agatha wrote, saying she had gone out early to visit her grandparents for the weekend. I hoped it was to ask help from them about the abuse she got from Denny.

My sneakers screeched as I jogged toward the COMMS office, trying to be on time. I wore a black shirt, tucking in the front side beneath the tight jeans. Ms. Dana was already talking with Arawn when I reached the tiny office of the student assistants.

“Just in time, Tana,” she said, handing me a paper. “As you know, the student council’s proposal to the welcome party for freshies have been approved by the admins. We’ll need banners and designs and such.” She then turned to Arawn. “Please orient her on what to do. You know best.”

He just nodded and she walked away.

“Where’s Claire?” I asked, noting her absence.

Arawn turned his back on me, already sitting on the workstation and turned the computers on. “Miss her already?”

I figured I wouldn’t get any normal conversation for the duration of my contract here. Instead of answering his nonsense, I took a seat on the workstation beside him, dropping my sling bag on the side.

“She called in sick.” I heard him say after a while. “Didn’t you foresee that or something?”

I nodded. “Is it so hard to answer the normal way? We could understand each other better then.”

“So, you’re more of a straight-forward kind of talker, huh.” His voice sounded indifferent. Like he was teasing. “Not a fan of humor, I see.”

I turned and stared at him. “I like humor. And it’s different from sarcasm.”

He returned my stare. “A little fiery, are we?”

His remarks grated on my nerves. All this time I thought that this outcast Math Wizard might be like me, pushed to the side when all we wanted was to be part of the group. But he was different. He seemed to choose to be on the outside, intentionally not wanting to be within the circle. Trying to converse with him was hopeless. And I was too damn exhausted to be friendly today.

I could curse him. Boy, I badly wanted to.

I focused my attention on the paper handed out to me, following the instruction on what to do. The only thing I needed for now was to edit out existing banners, add designs based on the event.

After finishing the first half of may task, I realized I needed to talk to him again.

I cleared out my throat. “Where should I get the materials for the event?”

He didn’t answer. Great.

“Arawn Rhys,” I called out, my voice flat out, patience thinning.

He glanced over at me, his sharp eyes twinkling. “We back to talking now, Tana Axle?”

My brows furrowed. “I think so, yes.”

He kept his eyes on me for a while before nodding his head. “Come on. Follow me.”

He led the way to another room, where there were lots of props and banners and stack of newspapers at the right side, sitting on top of the table.

“You’ll be working with Claire for the props and themes while I work for the promotion of the event on the school’s website.”

I nodded, my eyes scanning the storage room. “Great.”

“Do you have a vision?” Arawn asked, his low tone bounced inside my head.

His word struck me like lightning. Vision? The image of what happened earlier rushed to my mind, replaying it.

“I’m sorry?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

There was hint of smirk on his mouth. “I just thought you’d have the talent. You know, picture things out of what could happen. Planning the theme in your head.”

I swallowed. “I’ll discuss it with Claire.”

“Good luck with that.”

Yeah. Good luck with me, for sure.

****

When I exited the campus, I saw Inigo walking toward the parking area, his steps seemed in a hurry. I slowed down, watching him brushed the back of his neck. Then suddenly, his head turned toward my direction.

He waved a hand to me.

Just then, I remembered that we were supposed to meet yesterday night, which I completely forgotten the moment I saw Agatha outside my house. Dang.

Inigo changed his route, now heading toward me. He must be upset.

“I’m sorry,” I said as soon as he reached me. The sun rays shot directly to my eyes until he blocked them with his towering height- which I had just noticed. He made my 5’5” height seemed small. “I should have called but I don’t have your number. Something important came up and I couldn’t make it.”

He gazed down at me for a moment. “That’s good enough of an apology. My cousin enjoyed Tip Café, by the way. So, thank you.”

I smiled, relieved that he wasn’t mad. “I’m glad to know that. Why are you at school, anyway?”

Inigo looked around, pocketing his hands. “Amy insisted to return the book she borrowed yesterday at the library. I dropped her off and now on my way out.”

Right. They went to the cinema for some reaction paper. How could I forget? The girl made sure everyone in the library heard about their date.

“I’m actually starving, wanna grab some snacks?” he asked, motioning his hand to whatever direction.

After waking up from a painful vision of Erin and having a difficult conversation today with Arawn Rhys, I suddenly craved a companion I could easily talk to. A distraction. An escape.

“Sure,” I replied, not giving it much a thought. “But my treat.”

Inigo showed his smile. “Is this what I get from getting stood up?”

I gripped my sling bag, brushing some of my wayward hair back, away from my eyes. “I didn’t mean to ditch you, Inigo. And yes, it will make me feel better if I’d treat you a snack.”

He laughed. That made me smile, noticing the easy way he handled himself. “No need to feel bad, Tana. Come on now, let’s go.”

Hamburger Company. Inigo asked me to choose a place and this was the nearest in the campus. The diner was packed and noisy, boisterous laughter could be heard from every corner. It was a go-to place of the town for a quick snack and hangout for its good ambiance and arcade games. He had the usual, burger and potato fries while I settled with Tuna sandwich.

“Can I ask you something?” I watched as he averted his eyes, meeting mine. I swallowed the remaining food in my mouth when he nodded, leaning a bit closer to me. “Why here? Why South Lox?”

His stared lingered for a while, taking his time as he chewed on his meal. His tan skin and big built made him stood up from the diner. I now realized why he got so much attention on his very first day at Michaelson High. Not only was he pretty but he had a good personality.

“I just need to get away from the family for a while.” His voice dropped low as he looked through the glass window beside us, as if reminiscing. “Just wanna know myself more. What I want to do versus what I need to do are two different conflicting things. And moving far away from the family will make me clear things up, you know.”

I considered his response. I could sense there was something in him. “So you coming in here has nothing to do with your grandmother?”

Inigo turned to me, his dimple showing as he smiled, shaking his head. “Well, I’m living with gran. Me and Georjana, my cousin. And grandma’s friends with Mr. Mikel, the school’s founder.” He then chuckled. “I guess that’s the story going around my first day in school?”

I nodded. “Told you it’s nothing like the next talk in town.”

His eyes suddenly became serious, the soft dimpled smile melted away. “And you? Born and grew up here?”

I shook my head, picking on the bread of my sandwich. “No. Born in a different town. When my mother died, Erin took me and brought me here to live with her. It’s just her and me since then.”

“Is South Lox town a good place to be in?” he asked.

“Well, if you’re looking for a place to begin again, I think this is a good place then. It’s a small town with lots of good tourist spots like beaches and falls and mountains. We’re near the city as well.”

Inigo nodded, his lips turned up. “Not to mention I get to meet someone I can talk to easily.”

My heart kicked, as if it missed a beat. It had been a while since I felt light and at ease, my usual anxious mind calmed at his presence. It was nice to be treated nicely, I just hoped he wasn’t just tripping.

Because whether I admitted it or not, Inigo’s starting to get under my skin.