On to more excitement. I hope to hear you are all still enjoying yourselves, and what is left of this summer. Where did it go?
A thank you to bast4 for your lovely proofing.
I do not own any of these characters, I just love to write about them!
The next week was full of activity. Sophie didn't have class for thanksgiving so Jamie drove them to their parents to gorge themselves. She slept the whole way. The past few days had drained her. During the day she would write and draw. In the evenings she would join Jack and the children to play in the snow. Once the sun set, Jack would keep her up all night asking questions about her stories or telling her about the new games he'd found to play. Well, she would egg it on just as much as him, so it wasn't entirely his fault. Either way, they were spending a lot of time together. Sophie told Jack everything. In the course of a few days, Jack had passed Cassie as her best friend, god forbid she ever knew that. It had been an amazing week, she was the happiest she'd been in years. Going home to Burgess was quickly dampening her mood though. Her parents loved her, but she knew she had to be reserved compared to her normal self. She pulled her hair back and pinned up the stray pieces. Her clothes seemed out of place and she was left over-all uncomfortable.
Thankfully Jack followed them and after a few pleasantries she was able to go 'be alone.' Now she walked out in the woods with Jack to the frozen pond where he was reborn. There, Sophie sat on a downed tree to kill time.
"I used to come out here on the days when the kids were exceptionally mean. I loved to watch the light filter through the leaves..." She smiled to herself. "or the snow swirl on the ice. In the back of my mind, I would still think it was you." Jack smiled and tapped the bark with his staff forming intricate designs.
"Sometimes it was. You came here a lot. There were a few times I heard the kids laughing as you walked by on your way here. I'd make them all slip on the ice." Sophie chuckled and they headed back.
After dinner and a little time spent watching the football game, they said their goodbyes. Sophie hugged her dad and then her mom.
"You seem different, Sophie. You seem happier, I guess college agrees with you. I'm glad." Her mom stepped away with a look of pride. Sophie smiled and waved before they left.
Two days later, it was time for the party that Sophie had no desire to attend. She convinced Cassie she'd meet her there. At this point she valued each second of alone-time she had. She brushed her hair slowly then put it in a ponytail high on top of her head. All the shorter layers fell and framed her face. Make-up was a lost cause, she had never been good at it. After she put the dress on, she checked herself in the mirror before heading out the door.
The party was everything she dreaded it to be. There were throngs of people and music pulsed in her ears, she could feel a head ache forming already. It didn't take long to find Cassie in the center of a crowd. The girl yelled to Sophie, forcing all eyes on her.
"Sophie! There you are, I thought you weren't coming. Come on, I've been talking about you to Parker. He's so interest. I can tell!" She tugged on Sophie's arm, leading her into the dense group of people. Sophie cringed, completely regretting coming at all.
"Parker, you remember Sophie."
The boy looked her up and down then smiled, holding out his hand. "Sophie."
"Hi." She didn't take the offered gesture, but grabbed a drink instead. He didn't seem fazed and smirked at her.
"Care to join me? We can get to know each other."
"Of course she will!" Cassie pushed her forward before Sophie had a chance to object. He turned away and she was forced to follow him.
The night air was crisp and cold, as it would be in November. Sophie had no guard against the icy chill and she could feel the goose bumps forming across her open back. Parker still took her outside. It was quiet and dark and Sophie's heart started to beat a little faster.
"So, what's your major?"
"Creative writing." She fidgeted and looked around her dark surroundings to find some sort of distraction.
"How can you make a career out of that?" He snorted then leaned against a fence post, cocking a brow at her. "You aren't going to write fairy tales are you?" He laughed at his own joke and Sophie's muscles tensed.
"I don't write fairy tales. I write what I see and what I know is true about everyday life."
"Well, what do you see now?" He walked forward, backing her into a tree.
"Um..." Her heart beat faster and her blood pumped in her ears. She looked around for a way out.
As her fear grew, the edges of her vision became dark. Her alarm intensified and as it did her surroundings morphed a little. The backyard became slightly dead, the plants curled in on themselves. When she looked at Parker again, her breath hitched. His eyes were glowing and he had a sickening smile that creeped across his face. Time seemed to slow down for a moment and her fear took over. All her senses ceased to work and she panicked in her mind. Then all at once, she broke free and screamed. Her limbs jerked and pushed Parker back. She lost her footing and fell to the ground panting.
"What is your problem? God damn it, you hit my nose!" He yelled as he held his now bleeding nose.
The other party goers had gathered in the yard and were all staring at her. The fresh fear flooded her mind with images from her younger years.
"Sophie, what happened?" Cassie stepped from the crowd. She looked confused and embarrassed, maybe slightly worried.
"She started to mumble some weird crap and when I said what, she screamed and hit me in the face! She's a psycho! This is the girl you've been talking about? Not even close!" Parker spat the words in Sophie's face. Cassie laughed and nervously looked around.
Sophie's head fell and her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. The fear still suffocated her mind so she did the only thing she felt capable of. She hopped the fence and ran into the trees.
The snow was still deep and started to cause an ache in her legs but she kept moving. Branches caught her face and pulled her hair. Her vision was blurred and her head stayed clouded. She couldn't form any sentences, but she managed to yell the first thing to reach her consciousness.
"Jack!" Tears started and she yelled again. "Jack, help!"
A familiar gust caught her and she was lifted up. Her sobs broke loose as she curled in on herself. She could feel Jack grab her arm and cradle her. She wrapped her arms around herself tighter and continued to cry. The fear was clearing and she was starting to think and recall everything.
"Sophie, what happened? Are you hurt? Why were you out there?" All she could manage was to shake her head. He didn't press anymore and the rest of the time was spent silent besides her soft crying, as Jack flew her home.
Once in her room she felt drained and stumbled across the floor. Jack caught her before she hit the ground and helped her to her bed when Jamie came in.
"Woah, Sophie, you look terrible. Are you ok? Jack?" Jamie looked between the two, a little scared as he attempted to help tend to his sister.
"I don't know what happened. I found her yelling for me in the woods. You may want to get a blanket or something. She's too cold."
Jamie nodded and hurried away. Jack sat at Sophie's feet and pulled her shoes off. Her feet didn't feel warm and he frowned. Jamie came back with a heated blanket and wrapped her up. During this time, Sophie didn't say a word, not once. She only stared forward and let them move her around. Once she was wrapped up snug, Jamie went to make her some hot chocolate. Jack sat on the floor watching her face, she wouldn't look at him. Not a single emotion betrayed her blank expression.
"Sophie, tell us what happened. You're safe now." Her eyes refocused and part of her normal-self returned.
"It seemed so real, I thought I was going crazy. They all stared at me."
The last wall broke and she told them everything, sparing no detail. She told them about her discomfort with Parker and Jamie's face hardened. She told them the images that formed and the indescribable fear it caused. Jack's eyes fixated on the floor as he listened and the space between his brows grew smaller. As she finished she felt more like herself and started to draw in the dark journal. It was quiet for a short time.
"Didn't you say it was the same as one of your dreams?" Jack questioned as he mentally sorted through what she had told them.
"Almost, I felt the same and there were a few similar moments." She closed her journal and set it aside. "What does it matter?"
"It may not matter at all, but it's something we need to monitor."
"You can't protect me, Jack. You protect the children. I may believe in you but I'm not a child anymore. It was just a bad dream that lingered longer than normal. It played tricks on my eyes."
Jack's eyes widened and he stood. "I'm going to figure this out. Until I do, keep this with you." He handed her the dream catcher Jamie had found the week before. "It should help."
"Where did you find this?"
"I saw the sand coming out of your pocket." He glanced at Jamie briefly and back at Sophie before walking to the door with Jamie on his heels, leaving Sophie alone.
She rolled the catcher around in her hand watching the little bits of gold swirl with it. She sighed and looked at her dream journal. The cover had a dark glint to it and a grainy feel when she ran her hand over the surface.
Dark Sand?
Oh boy...a smidge of a cliff hanger. As always, please review. I love to read them and say hello in the next chapter. :)
The-Unnamed-Artist: Your review made me giddy, I love when she flies too, I'm envious actually. But who wouldn't be? Thank you!
Lolita Girl55: I thought her hair was adorable when she was little and it just made sense to keep it since she is the 'odd ball' and artistic :) Glad you are enjoying yourself still!
rats xp: I can tell! your excitement feeds my excitement! :D It makes me so giddy that you are still liking this!
pottercouples1216: I did actually read your story, :) And I like it! Can't wait for your next chapter, it makes me feel so good to know I helped you get started! Thank you for following :)