Visions - The Cursed Angels Part 1

Chapter 6 - Clara

School passed in a blur. Nothing unusual happened. Wednesday and Thursday were the same. I began to think the vision was a mistake, a fluke. It wasn’t me after all. That was what I told myself as I curled up in bed Thursday night. Megan had convinced me that the disco on Friday was what I needed to relax, and if I were being honest, I looked forward to it. Scott Campbell, my crush for as long as I could remember, was single, and Megan swore she’d caught him staring at me during history. I pictured his deep blue eyes, the dimples that formed on either side of his lips when he smiled, the roughness of his voice as he would whisper my name before claiming my lips.

“Oh god. What am I doing?” I groaned, smashing my fist into my pillow. I had it bad.

Sleep finally consumed me, Scott’s face the last thing I remembered. 

When a sharp pain shot through my skull, I bolted upright, hands holding my head as I sucked in a deep breath. My brain felt like it was being electrocuted, and I tried to stifle my groans that wanted to escape. The burning sensation spread into my neck and down my spine. My pulse raced as terror eroded my senses. I closed my eyes and curled up into a ball on my bed, trying to breathe through the pain. I wanted to scream, to call out for Mom, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out. I had no voice. Then my body froze, as if paralyzed. My entire body burned, my skin tightened, and I passed out. 

When I opened my eyes, I was standing in the middle of a field, green grass and hills everywhere I looked. My feet were bare, my legs visible. The only thing that covered my body was a thin, white summer dress. I turned in a circle, looking for something, anything, to tell me where I was. 

A cool breeze swept my hair into my face. I shoved it back as a gust lifted the hem of the dress. My body shivered. Where am I? The aroma of lavender and fresh oranges wafted through the air. I spun on my heels to see if I could tell where it came from, seeing a dark cloud looming over the hills behind me. It wasn’t there a minute ago. Lightning flashed, followed by loud rumbling. The wind picked up, my hair whipping around. 

I’m going to be caught in a storm. 

I started to run. There had to be somewhere to hide, some place to escape the onslaught. The scent of lavender and oranges disappeared, replaced with a pungent odor that caused my stomach to turn. 

Oh god, what is that?

I pumped my arms, my feet thumping against the earth, flattening the grass below. Thunder rumbled louder, but still, I saw nothing. Just open fields in every direction. My legs burned, my breath rattled in my chest, but I forced myself forward. 

There has to be shelter somewhere.

A blinding flash in front of me knocked me off balance and I stumbled, falling to my knees. It hurt. I sucked in deep breaths. The air was stale and filled my nostrils with a putrid, rotting smell. Bile crept up my throat and filled my mouth. I spat to the side, then struggled to get up, but my legs refused to move.

 A minute. I can rest for a minute.

Another flash of lightning, closer this time. Smoke rose from the ground where it had struck. I forced myself to my feet. I had to turn back. My legs trembled, my feet ached, but I had no choice. 

“Do or die,” I mumbled, shoving my knotted hair away from my face. How do you outrun lightning?

Hands fisted, I spun, meaning to run in the opposite direction. But the second my foot hit the ground, it changed. The lush, green grass turned into dry, dusty road. 

“What the…” I paused, my eyes straining to make out my surroundings. I could see the dirt road and nothing else. A dense fog crawled through the air, cutting me off from everything. 

It’s not real. You’re dreaming. 

It felt real, though. The dust between my toes, the hard ground under my feet. The wind had stopped, but I could taste the dampness in the air, the fog wetting my bare arms. It was very real…and so was the panic churning in my stomach. 

I turned, but the fog was everywhere. Now what? My hands grasped the locket around my neck. It was warm to the touch. 

“Grandma!” I shouted through the fog, praying this was just a dream and that my voice would carry to the waking world. 

She didn’t reply. No one shook me awake. Instead, I heard laughter. It was close. Too close. The fog swirled. I squinted, seeing a shadow…no, two shadows moving toward me. I backed away slowly, my eyes focused on whatever was coming at me. 

Suddenly, strong hands gripped my arms and pulled. My feet lifted off the ground and I floated into the air. My body jerked and I screamed.

“Shush, Clara. It’s okay. You’re safe.”

Arms tightened around me. I struggled against them, lashing out.

“Get her a glass of water.”

I recognized that voice. I started to relax.

“Clara, can you hear me? It’s Grandma. You’re safe now.”

She sounded so real.

“Open your eyes, child.”

I obeyed, focusing on her face. Her arms were around me, holding me tightly. “You’re real,” I whispered, relaxing into her embrace. “You came for me.”

“It’s okay. You’re okay now,” she said and stroked my hair.

“Oh, Grandma,” I sobbed, the tears spilling down my cheeks.

“Take some deep breaths. It’s over now.”

I didn’t know how long I clung to her. The sobs wracked my body and I shook uncontrollably. Mom bought me a glass of water. She looked like she’d seen a ghost. I took a few sips.

Grandma released her hold and grasped my hand. Once I calmed down, I felt a little silly, but no one said a word. They waited, glancing at each other and back to me. The duvet they had wrapped around me didn’t seem big enough. I wanted it to cover me, hide me away from the world. 

“I’m sorry I frightened you,” I mumbled.

“That’s okay, Clara,” Mom said. She chewed on her bottom lip. Not a good sign.

Grandma inhaled deeply. I knew she wanted to ask questions, but held back. I must have been tossing and turning because the sheet had come off on one side of the bed. I avoided looking at them. My breathing had returned to normal, but that feeling of terror and dread still lingered.

“You heard me calling for you?” I asked forcing my gaze to meet Grandma’s.

She nodded. “I couldn’t wake you. You seemed trapped. What happened?”

I glanced at Mom. Her hands trembled as she waited.

“I…I don’t know. Before I fell asleep, I was thinking about the disco on Friday.” A soft blush crept up my neck and onto my face as I thought of Scott. I lowered my gaze.

“Go on,” Grandma said, squeezing my hand.

“I… I don’t know what happened. There was a shooting pain in my head and then I was in a field running for my life.”

I told them everything. Mom’s face drained of color, and even Grandma gasped a few times. 

“Was it another vision?” I whispered.

“Yes, but it was different. Your visions are getting stronger, Clara. They’re pulling you into them. They’re not just in your mind anymore. When I got to you, your body was rigid, the trance difficult to break through.”

“Do you think it was them? The ones who are after me? Could they have caused it?”

“I don’t know, but if you didn’t see them, they didn’t see you, either.”

I shivered at the thought.

“That’s a good thing, Clara,” Grandma said. “You’re safe, which means the necklace is working. You weren’t anywhere they could locate you. You gave nothing away.” She smiled. “You did good.”

I gulped. “I did good? Grandma, I was terrified. If you hadn’t come—”

“But I did, Clara. It’s all over now. You’re fine.”

I knew she was lying, trying to calm me down, but I wasn’t having it. This was my life we were talking about. “Don’t lie to me, Grandma. I’m not fine or safe. They can still get to me and you know it. I need to know how to protect myself. You have to teach me.” I looked at Mom for support. She lowered her gaze.

Grandma averted her gaze, too. They didn’t want me to know how to protect myself against whatever was after me. I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. 

Grandma sighed. “Fine. I’ll try to teach you, but it’s not going to be easy. You don’t have any magic, remember?”

“How could I forget?” I snapped. Sarah took the magic with her. I’d heard it a million times growing up, but I didn’t care at this point. Magic or not, she could at least teach me about the visions and how to control them.

“We’ll start tomorrow. For now, get some sleep.”

Mom and Grandma moved toward my bedroom door. Mom gave me a weak smile before leaving. Grandma paused and turned. “Don’t forget to write it all down. There might be something in there we’ve missed.”

“I will.” 

How typical. Glossing over what just happened. I bet if I were Sarah, this wouldn’t be her attitude. But no. I was poor Clara, the child magic didn’t want to touch. Well, we’ll see about that. 

I flung the duvet off and pulled open the drawer of my bedside table. The black journal felt heavier than before. Strange, I thought as I grabbed a pen and started writing.

The words spilled out onto the page. Every blade of grass, the feeling of dust between my toes, the smell of the lavender and oranges. Every tiny detail immortalized on paper. When I finished, I flopped back on the bed and took a deep breath.