Caleb: "You got into some big trouble down there little bro." He laughs, turns to his desk, opens the small fridge underneath. Handing me a water.
"Haha, very funny donkey face." I say as I roll my eyes
"Y'know that's not very kind, I'm just expressing my worry for my sweet, sweet younger brother"
"I'm going to kill you you know that?" I slap his shoulder. He winces in pain from the slap
"Nah you love me too much"
We both start laughing so hard that I fall off of the bed "OW, SHIT!"
Mum: "You boys okay?????"
"YEAH MUM WE'RE OKAY I JUST FELL THAT'S ALL"
"ohh okay be more careful darling"
Caleb: "okay, so what even happened out there? you looked like you had been hypnotized"
"I don't know what happened. I can barely even remember what it even is now"
"Not even a tiny bit of it??"
"All I know, is whatever I saw, it was real. SHE was real."
"Who was real??"
"The voice, the voice in the vision"
My memory of the vision coming back to me suddenly, only faintly being able to make it out.
"She called out to me Caleb. She kept begging for me to 'save' her, whatever that means"
Caleb notices my visible stress, trying to calm me down "hey, lets go to bed. its getting really late and we have class tomorrow"
"yeah..."
I get up to go to turn off the lights, "hey Caleb...?"
No answer.
"Goodnight.."
I struggle to fall asleep between the pain from falling, and the memories that seem to fade and come back constantly. I stare at the ceiling, the dark void in the room feeling so present. Feeling like a vast, empty space waiting to be filled. Silence of the house seems to amplify the ringing in my ears.
suddenly, everything goes dark.. And next thing I know, I'm standing in a pool of water. Ankle..? no, knee height.
Everything's dark, not a peaceful darkness, no. The darkness feels as if its going to consume my soul.
help me, somebody please help.
the sounds of the lake fight with the silence for dominance over my ears. creating a painful ring that causes me to become dizzy.
where am I..
I take a step but fail, my legs felt weighted. Like they weren't even mine anymore, I looked down. I'm not touching the ground. It just keeps going down for what looks like forever.
How am I floating?? how did I get here?? Where's Caleb? where's mum? where's dad?
"Liam..." the voice speaks to me from behind, sensing my confusion
I turn.
It's her, the girl from the vision. Except she's older, and I can actually make out her features this time. Roughly my age, brown hair, She carries a long, jagged scar beneath her left eyebrow. She's wearing a long, black and baggy gown that reaches to ground. It drags behind her as she steps
And then I notice her eyes. Her most piercing feature. they are a deep gold-hazel, glowing with an unnatural intensity that cuts right through me. They also have an unsettling gaze to them.
"It's you again..." "who-"
she moves closer touching my forehead, releasing a strange pulse, before disappearing entirely.
"WAIT I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE"
As I say that, I am transferred to another vision. Its the Easdale park? except its not in complete ruin. the cold breeze carries the smell of nearby street food being sold at the front of the park. Warm summer breeze against my cheeks, and the sounds of kids playing tag on the playground.
Then I see it. That's me, and a young girl who has a striking resemblance to the girl I saw moments ago, except with out the unnatural, unsettling features. Her bright amber eyes that could light up an entire room, she seems so innocent. They're surrounded by a group of many other kids
Then they leave the group. As they run to the oak tree together, giggling. But then There is the sound of a bell ringing.
Then the vision ends abruptly. causing me to jolt awake.
I look, before pinching myself to see if I'm actually awake.
The golden morning light shines through the window,
But then the peace is interrupted by my alarm. "No, no, no, no" I mutter as spring out of bed quickly. I lunge towards my dresser, pulling out the same outfit I wear almost every day. My signature polo and jeans, I quickly get dressed, wake up Caleb and my parents, and run to the bathroom to brush my teeth and fix my hair
I run down the stairs and grab breakfast
M "COME ON CALEB YOU GUYS GOTTA GO"
"CALEB COME ONN" I yell as i stand at the bottom of the stairs, bagel in hand.
C: "I'M COMINGGGG"
"okay lets go come on"
We hurry out of the house, making our way to school, which is all the way on the north end of town. Luckily for us though, Easdale is a very small town so even walking from one side the another will only take roughly half an hour.
We head down our small residential road until we reach maple street. We take maple street until we eventually reach Meadows street
suddenly my mind flickers to yesterday...
No, I can think more about that tonight. What's important right now is getting to school on time.
We then turn onto Heritage square, Which is a massive roundabout which features a 120 feet tall clocktower that has stood there since the 1880's. Many people like to call it Sentinel tower, mainly because it gives off the vibe of the guardian of the town. The walls consist of dark, weathered granite that looks almost black when it rains. In my opinion, it gives off a gothic- style that doesn't fit that rest of the town at all.
And at the top, stands the four clock faces, each roughly 12 feet across, with roman numerals made of heavy, blackened iron. The glass is thick and slightly warped with age, making the hands look like they're submerged underwater when the sun hits them in the morning.
And then there's the bell chamber. At the very top, behind arched open-air windows, hangs a three ton bronze bell. When it tolls, the vibration is so strong you can feel it in your teeth if you're standing in the square.
For a second, I catch myself staring up at the clock tower. As if it knew something I didn't.
C: "Come on Liam, we have to hurry up"
"I'm coming, I'm coming."
We finally make it all the way around the roundabout
I look back at the tower one more time with a concerned look, then I see in the distance. Easdale park
We finally make it onto Founders way and follow the street down until we reach the Easdale High School.
Just then, the bell rings signaling class is about to start. Both me and Caleb look at each other, before we both start sprinting into the building, taking a less busy hall to avoid being caught.
We moved like ghosts through the hallways. Silence was so loud i could hear Caleb's heavy breathing behind me.
Just as the teacher, Mr. Henderson, turned to face the chalkboard, we slipped through the heavy oak door of the classroom. Caleb dropped into his seat silently, I did the same. My heart hammering against my chest so hard it felt like it might bruise. He didn't look up, instead staring at the chalkboard and continuing to write todays assignment.
"Glad you could join us, Millers," Henderson's voice droned, dry as old parchment. "I trust the walk to school was... uneventful?"