Which for several reasons we won't mention
Everything about 'em is a little bit stranger, a little bit harder
A little bit deadly'
-Rufus Wainwright, 'Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk'
Chapter One
The Dream
"Excuse me, miss?"
I paid no attention to the nagging voice, instead trying to keep the darkness inside of me at bay. It took all of my energy to keep from curling into a ball on the floor. I took slow concentrated breaths, careful to keep my thought blank.
"Miss?" A hand waved in front of my face. "Are you ok?"
I couldn't ignore the voice any longer. I looked up from where I was sitting on the counter at Newton's.
"I'm on break," I said, the words coming out a little more sharply than I intended. The owner of the persistent voice turned out to be male. His eyebrows drew into a frown."You look like you're going to be sick," he said, looking concerned.
"Can I help you find anything?" I asked wearily, wishing I was in my bed at home. At least I could be alone there. I slid off the counter and attempted to smile at the man. I must have failed because he stared at me for a moment, looking hesitant. Shrugging, he asked me about camping equipment, and I spent the next 45 minutes explaining the various uses of a canteen. After he had left, Mike Newton walked over to me.
"You look beat, Bella," he said, looking at me as though I were about to break into a million little pieces. Who knew, perhaps I was. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off?"
Nodding my head, I methodically packed up my things and headed out the door. Before I knew it, I was at my house, with no recollection of driving home. It began to thunder ominously, warning that it was about to storm, but I had barely enough energy to open the door of my truck. Thankfully Charlie wasn't home yet; so feeling as if I was going to break down at any moment, I all but crawled into the house and up the stairs. After what seemed like hours, I reached my bedroom, and collapsed onto the bed.
A beautiful woman walked along a meadow, periodically picking wildflowers and winding them into the bouquet in her hands. She sang a strange melody under her breath as she worked.
"Mother!" a voice called out from behind the trees. The woman turned, smiling, and opened arms to a beautiful doe-eyed girl running toward her. The girl wore a white dress identical to her mother's, and both women were barefoot. Laughing, they began to dance around the meadow. The mother threw the bouquet into the air.
"I have a surprise for you!" she called as petals and leaves rained down.
The girl smiled.
I awoke with a start, momentarily stunned. This was not the usual nightmare that haunted me every night. Rubbing my temple, I listened to the rain pounding on the rooftop. Who were those women in the meadow, and, more importantly, why had I dreamt about them? I pulled my quilt up over my head, pondering long after the rain had stopped.