Book 2 of the Eternal series

Chapter 2

As the weeks went by, Ashta’s memories and visions faded more and more, but the feeling she had about things not being right grew stronger. Against her gut feeling, she decided to take Lashanna up on her job offer for the coffee house. Yinlin believed that if Ashta did something to occupy her time, she would feel more settled.

However, Ashta started to feel even more uncomfortable. Nothing made sense to her, and the people that would come into the coffee house seemed to act strangely. Day in and day out, they would come to the shop simultaneously, order the same thing, sit in the same spot, and wear the same clothes.

She would overhear the same conversations, and the people reacted with the same repetitive motions. It was almost as if the world was in a constant twenty-four-hour loop, which weirded Ashta out. Annoyed, she started bringing her headphones to work, and even then, she noticed that the radio would play the same songs, and even the morning talk shows were the same as the day before.

****

“Are you alright?” Lashanna asked one afternoon as she and Ashta were about to finish their shift, and Ashta looked at her.

“Do you ever feel like something is missing, but you don’t know what it is?”

Lashanna laughed as she nodded.

“Sounds to me like you need a boyfriend,” she teased, and Ashta shook her head as she laughed.

“There really aren’t any options in this town,” Ashta laughed.

“Sure there is. There are other people out there other than the ones you see coming in to get their cup of coffee,” said Lashanna, as she wiped one of the tables, and Ashta looked at her thoughtfully.

“Yeah? And where do these people hang out?”

“You will see. The town festival is in about a month. Everyone from the town goes. It’s required,” said Lashanna, and Ashta only nodded.

What an odd thing to say? Is it required? By who? She wondered as she finished wiping the table in front of her.

Ashta thought it was best to keep all of the strange things she had seen to herself. She had to figure out what was going on and what was wrong with these people. There was no life to them, and they were all stuck in this repetitive state except for her.

Their shift ended, and the two girls went their separate ways. Happily, Ashta walked through the neighborhood, and like every afternoon, she saw the little red-haired girl at the end of her driveway. Today seemed a little different because the little girl smiled at her, then waved her over.

Curiously, Ashta pointed to herself, and she mouthed the words ‘me’ to her. The little girl nodded as she laughed and waved her over again. Slowly, Ashta walked up to the girl, and the girl smiled up at her.

“You’re very pretty. Are you a princess?” she asked, and Ashta looked at her oddly as she crouched down to the little girl’s level.

“Maybe in another lifetime, but not this one,” Ashta said softly, and the little girl smiled shyly.

“My name is Destiny, and I think you are a princess, and you just don’t know it yet,” said the little girl as she looked away.

“Well, my name is Ashta, and if you want to call me a princess, well then, I guess I am a princess.”

Destiny laughed, and then she heard someone call her name. She looked back at the house, then looked back at Ashta.

“I have to go, but don’t forget who you are,” said Destiny, and then Ashta watched the little girl run up her driveway.

Suddenly, an image of a woman with brown hair flashed in her mind, and she saw her face. They were in front of a large dragon-like monster, and she held her hand out to Ashta. She wished she knew who the girl was, but she didn’t recognize her. Ashta couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity and peace from the girl, and she smiled. Ashta straightened as she shook the visions from her mind, and then she continued to make her way home.

****

That evening, Ashta walked out into the backyard, and she sat down in the middle of the flat, large boulder. At that moment, a sense of peace and security washed over her, and slowly, she blew out a breath as she closed her eyes. A few moments later, she began to see visions of a war against an evil queen, and she and the woman from the image earlier were battling side by side.

“Don’t forget where you came from, princess,” whispered a voice.

“What?” she whispered.

“Find the others, and find your way back home before it’s too late,” whispered the voice, and suddenly, the visions stopped.

At that moment, a new vision appeared in her mind. She and a faceless man held each other as they kissed. Surprisingly, she could feel the love in her heart, and for that moment, she felt complete.

“You must find him. You must find the three you connect with,” whispered the voice, as the voice and the visions faded away.

Painfully, she felt an ache in her heart, and then she opened her eyes. She pulled her knees to her chest, and she began to sob. A few moments later, she felt raindrops on her skin, and she looked up at the sky as it began to rain harder. Happily, she smiled as she laughed and closed her eyes again.

The rain felt cool and refreshing on her skin. Ashta rested her chin on her knees, and she wondered what had just happened and wondered what the voice meant. Where did the voice come from, and who was the woman she had seen? Who were the others that she had to find?

Lost in her thoughts, she sat in the rain, and she didn’t move from that spot. She felt comfort and safety, and she didn’t want to move for fear she would never feel that feeling again.

“Ashta?”

She looked up, and she saw the older man standing next to the boulder under his umbrella as he looked at her with his dead-eye stare.

“What are you doing? You are going to catch a cold, sitting on that old thing,” he said, and she looked at him oddly for a moment.

She had never been sick in her whole life, and he knew that.

“None of this is right. Find the others,” whispered the voice in the back of her mind.

“Why don’t you get off of that thing and come into the house? Get yourself dried off,” said Yinlin, and Ashta only nodded.

Ashta decided to play along with everything until she could figure everything out. If something strange were going on, she didn’t want anyone to know that she was figuring it out. She knew that she would get to the bottom of things, eventually. Obediently, she climbed off the boulder, letting Yinlin lead her into the house.

****

The following day, while Ashta was taking a shower, she noticed that the water rose in tiny bubbles, and more bubbles attached themselves to her skin. Happily, she laughed as they tickled her, and she spun in a slow circle. A moment later, the bubbles disappeared, and she shut off the water.

She wondered what that was all about as she dried herself off. Water doesn’t do that. Heavily, she sighed as she shook the thoughts from her head and got dressed. Suddenly, she felt a light breeze, and she heard the sound of tiny voices laughing. Quickly, she looked at the window and the door, and they were both shut.

That was weird, she thought.

Ashta shook her head as she picked up her dirty clothes and carried them to the hamper. Annoyed, she shook her head again, and then she walked downstairs. Like every day since she had come home, Yinlin was standing at the stove and cooking bacon and eggs for breakfast.

“Yinlin, is that the only thing you know how to cook?” she teased, and the old man turned towards her with wide eyes.

“How do you know that name?”

He was dressed in the same clothing and black sneakers he wore every day. Oddly, she looked at him as he pulled the frying pan off the stove.

“We have had this conversation before,” she said, and he only nodded, and then he smiled.

“Please, sit down and eat,” he chirped, and cautiously, Ashta sat at the table.

Curiously, she watched as he put the same amount of bacon and eggs on each plate, then brought them over to the table. He set the plates down, and then he took the seat next to her.

“So, where are you going to explore today?” Yinlin asked, and Ashta looked at him oddly.

“What do you mean? I have to work today,” she said as she took a bite of her eggs.

“Oh, you have a job now. How nice,” he mumbled, and she looked at him in disbelief.

Suddenly, the eggs seemed to have a funny taste, and she set her fork down. Yinlin looked at her as he picked up a piece of bacon, and then he took a bite of it.

“Are you not hungry?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“No. I am going to be late,” she said, and then she got up from the table and walked to the door.

Swiftly, she grabbed her backpack, and then once she was out of the front door, she ran down the driveway. Quickly, she stopped and spat the eggs out of her mouth. She looked at them oddly as she noticed that they had glowing green specks, and she reared her head back.

What was going on? She wondered as she walked through the neighborhood.

“Was Yinlin trying to poison her?

Aimlessly, she staggered towards the coffee shop, and she saw Destiny at the end of her driveway. Quickly, Destiny looked at her, and then she ran back up the driveway. Ashta thought that was odd as she continued to make her way to the shop. There was a patch of grass right next to the building, and once Ashta made it there, she plopped down on it.

What was going on around here? She wondered as she put her head in her hands.

A slight breeze swirled around her with the same tiny laughter, and she looked up. She could see pink and yellow colors out of the corner of her eye, and she looked down. Surprisingly, flowers were growing next to her. She reached her hand out and touched the soft petals of the yellow flower. Suddenly, she felt a jolt of energy rush through her body, and she jerked her hand back.

“Please, you have to find our guardian. You will know when you find him,” said the tiny voices from the breeze.

“Only you can help us.”

Shocked, Ashta swallowed hard, and then she felt a tingling sensation on her back. Quickly, she rose to her feet and grabbed her backpack. She shivered, and then she went inside the coffee shop.

“Ashta. You’re here early,” said one of the girls from behind the counter, and Ashta waved as she ran into the bathroom.

Quickly, she locked the door and walked in front of the mirror. She stared at her reflection for a moment, and then she pulled her t-shirt off. Ashta twisted her body in the mirror to look at her back, and she stared with wide eyes. There were strange-looking tattoos across her shoulders, and three of them were glowing. Surprised, she stared for a moment, and then the glow faded out.

What is happening to me? She wondered.