It was a dream yet it felt so real! Who was that man and why was the bear coming at her like that?
Maybe none of it mattered now but for the life of her, she couldn't place the mysterious man on her dream. She huddled her feet closer to her chest and she realised she had been kidding herself with 'it was just a dream' because from where she stood, a pool of blood kept oozing from her heel and she was sure that was the distinct line between dreams and reality . . . or was it called a vision? She was going to worry about that later because right now her foot needed tending.
She closed her eyes briefly to try and remake the picture of her saviour which seemed hazy for some reason, like it wasn't someone she is supposed to see. She limped to the opposite end of the room where the closet was situated and she reached for the upper drawers to pull out the first aid kit, she placed it on the bed before pulling out some warm clothes. Her short pajamas and a gown should make a great combination for comfortability.
She applied a disinfectant to her wound before applying an ointment cream to ensure a speedy recovery of the flesh before she covered it up with gauze and then she slipped on her sleepers to try and cover the appearance of the gauze and tried to walk like her feet wasn't throbbing. She made her way to the kitchen to grab a glass of water before heading to the dinner table.
"You sure know how to make yourself unavailable . . . like you just went underground"
She made a total turn around before screaming her lungs out!
"OMG Ash!" she still couldn't believe she was here. Ashley was here
"Oh come on Dana, you not a teen anymore. You can't always get stuck like that when you get excited. come give me a hug" she gushed making Dana skittish like a horse before the beginning of a race
They hugged each other and gushed about girly stuff and all the time they have spent apart.
"I can't believe my cousin is still single after all my prayers to God, oh why" she lamented as if she has been wronged.
"Now I'm seriously gonna break your jaw if you don't take that back" she gave her a threatening look and the other girl just chuckled, giving her big round eyes an evil glint . . .
They continued to reminisce about old days since they couldn't see each other as often as they would've liked and Dana was pleased to know that tonight's dinner was prepared by none other than her pot-frenzy cousin who spent most of her free time trying out new recipes. They were both ecstatic!
Everyone was already seated around the rectangular dining table when Dana and Ashley made their appearance which earned them an all eyes on them as if they were being discussed in detail with the only exception being the madam of the house with a wry expression as if he wished to be anywhere but here this moment. The cousins just shared a knowing look before exchanging smiles to themselves already having an idea of the kind of conversation that could've taken place in here. They took their seats which were opposite to each other and settled down since food was already being dished out by Dana's mother.
The food smelled mouthwateringly delicious and Dana and Mrs L were openly drooling which rewarded them a round of stares from everyone before Nick chuckled heartily.
At least the presence of the kids warranted some peace, Sally thought dryly.
They ate in comfortable silence which was a first from the day the family got together in the Meadow. Mrs Simons kept her head hung low throughout dinner and finally excused herself complaining about a persistent headache that won't leave her for days, and when she raised her head to be at eye level with everyone, her eyes met Dana's unwavering stare and time seemed to stand still at that exact moment.
Nagging little pest!
She heard the words as clear as if they were being uttered in her ears and she flinched before she took the serviette infront of her on the table and dabbing the sides of her mouth with it for any residues that may have escaped her subtle lick.
That's how good her cousin was!
She plastered a sweet smile on her face before she said "let me help you to your room grandma" which surprised everyone at the table but more so, the Snr Mrs Simons.
What was this little pest playing at.
She fumed silently but still made a nod to let her know she could proceed to extend her unneeded help. Dana pushed her chair back to stand up before pushing it back so to make way to her dear grandmother. She took the older woman's hand and slowly led her out of the dining room. She had never been to her bedroom but knew its general direction so she took a turn at the long hallway to face the older woman's door before she held the door handle, flipped it and pushed it to enter.
It didn't budge.
"You keep your room locked grandma?" she asked the obvious to actually get the answer she wouldn't have gotten had she asked the question directly.
"Ofcourse I do, don't look so surprised now granddaughter. Nobody likes little pest invading their privacy, lest they see something that could easily render their insidious existence extinct" the older women retorted rather haphazardly and realised after a second that she had bitten more than she could chew.
"There . . . you finally said it. I figured we needed to have a private conversation but I didn't know when you might actually be keen to have it but then it dawned on me that you're already dead. You touched the dead magic to ensure that you still breathe the same air as the living. What I don't understand is why" Dana humored the older women with a brittled expression to flatter her blind, nonsensically fat ego.
She pushed her aside to unlock the door with a simple spell that barricaded the door so to make it seem locked to intruders. She pushed the door wide open both of them to enter.
"You shouldn't have been born" she made the single statement before she looked like a hologram that fizzled in and out of existence. "It's funny how I used to advocate for you until I became an outcast. I was tricked into believing that I was the chosen one and so I touched the dead magic to try and save my own but alas! It was a ploy to single me out and throw me to a dean of predators. I was framed for you to be born. They thought they could control you but look where the joke landed. You're lost to the winds of the earth" at this point a single tear followed by a melancholic sound that would've been mistaken as laughter if it wasn't Dana seeing the older women. The guardians tainted me and I'm sure they are just looking for you to cleanse their dark paths but atonememt is inevitable for all beings" another tear escaped her left eye. Her right eye remained dry as if in significance to something.
Dana felt sad for the women and suddenly her cold demeanor was put to justification in her heart but still "that still doesn't answer why you were trying to kill me . . . for the same people who framed you and made you an outcast?" she failed to understand that part.
"This is long overdue but you will know when the time is right. Being made an outcast guarantees that you are always the last one to know so I accepted my fate. There are many people out there who are willing to sacrifice their heads for you Dana, people who have been asked to sacrifice themselves for you to live each day. I was mearly trying to end the next person's misery but the sacrifice has already been made sufficient by that time" she hung her her head low again, her breathing becoming shallow with every breath she took but she held on to the bedpost for dear life.
A few things came to light in the room and a faint smell made its way to her nostrils. She averted her eyes from the older women and looked around the room for the first time. The room was dark and had a dark wallpaper all around it. A dark blue light bulb hung close to the ceiling, emitting the gleam like that of an ocean at sunset. It reminded her of the blue current that occasionally races through her veins beneath the surface. She blinked to regain her focus and when she laid her eyes on the older women, she whispered something so she scooted closer to her.
"D-do not . . . do not-t trust them Dana . . . T-they have been infiltrated at their weaknesses w-without . . . t-their know-knowledge. The e-enemy lives w-within their- . . ." she grabbed Dana's hand roughly to try and get the message across which made Dana frantic now and tears gushed freely hearing the older woman's time hit the clock
"No . . . grandma . . . their what? Who are they?"
The older woman's hand went slack and Dana froze.
Everyone's eyes were once again focused on Dana's pale face as she entered the dining room and Nick stood up to go to her.
"Talk to me Princess" he was also puzzled by the contrast on his Princess's face as compared to the bright smile she had when she left "what's wrong sweetheart" he asked again seeing the shocked expression that had morphed on Dana's face
"Dad . . . she . . . grandma . . . I'm sorry daddy" she tried but she couldnt even form a single coherent sentence but Nick got the message and so Did snr Mr Simons and soon everyone else on the dining room did
Nick was in a daze. He didn't was to belive it. He smiled and went straight through the door with his car keys in hand. They were still shocked to regisyer what happened before they heard the loud screeching of car tyres which was soon followed by a loud crash
Boom!