Chapter Two: Remembering Through a Dream

Part 5

'What?'

'NIA!'

Her eyes shot open with the sudden outburst of her name. Abruptly she sat up and smacked heads with her nephew, who on cue, started to cry. Looking around, she sat flabbergasted. 'What just happened?' Zachary sat behind her rubbing his head vigorously, crying only slightly. Turning to face him she asked if he was okay and hugged him.

"Hey Auntie, look." Zachary pointed to something behind her. She froze in her spot, only for a moment, then they dizzy spell returned. Rubbing her temples, she sighed.

"There are two hawks behind me, aren't there?"

"How did you know?"

"I am psychic or psychotic. Chose one."

He just stared at her, confused. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think it is time we go home."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"Auntie, the haw-"

"Ignore them. Let's go."

Pulling Zachary by the arm, she forced him to follow. After a while, she started to hear laughing. 'What is he laughing at?'

"Sssshhh." Nia turned to him and he looked away.

"Alright Zac, what is it?"

"Nothing."

"Liar."

"Nothing!"

"I'll tell your mom you have been lying."

"That's not fair! I have been doing as you asked."

"Doing what?"

"Ignoring."

Nia sighed heavily. 'So I am being followed. Hold a sec, what makes me think that they are following me?' Giving into temptation, she looked behind her. 'Oh God! And I had to look why?' Both hawks were following her, and making sure they were very obvious at that. She groaned. 'None of this makes sense. Dollars and cents. Invest in the market today. Aw gawd. Curse you trimark! I have missed my mark by a long shot. I need to get shot. I might as well be shot. I could have killed the Zacster. Back up, what in my right mind makes - the hawks. Rig-ht.

Coming to the kitchen door, she shoved Zachary in first, all the while still quite aware that she was being stalked by air. 'What the heck is going on Nia?'

It was not until the early evening where she had finally calmed done had she stopped freaking out at Zachary. After apologizing to him, but not telling him exactly the reason as to why, they sat down on the floor in front of the television to watch a movie. He had chosen 'Finding Nemo', which had seemed quite appropriate. Air popped popcorn sat in a bowl in front of them, covered with powdered sour cream and onion seasoning. Half way through the movie, at the point where they are asking the tuna for directions to Sydney, she looked to her left. Out through the kitchen window, she could see very easily even though that the sun was going down, were two distinctive shapes perched on a branch. Heavily sighing, she decided to ignore them, and then maybe they would go away. She had a slight inkling that that may not work, by it was worth a shot anyway. After they finished the movie, she picked him up to take him to bed.

"They are still watching us," he remarked softly as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

She groaned. This was beyond past weird. She started to scan her memories for any sign of hawk mistreatment. There was obviously none. 'What are they still doing here? What are they waiting for?' Shaking her head, she walked back to the spare bedroom. After she helped Zachary change and put him to bed, she crouched down beside him and stroked his forehead carefully. Her mind flashed back to when she was holding him in her arms, watching him die. Her hand froze, as her face grew pale. That dream was too real. Standing up, she closed the door slightly, and headed back towards her room.

Entering her bedroom, she stopped and stared straight at her windows. The drapes covered them, but she knew what lay beyond them. Those two hawks were waiting, watching her. She did not know why, but she was beginning to feel annoyed, no, frustrated, no, anger. Anger of what were they doing. Anger from what she had experienced. She knew, for some reason, it had to be their doing. Rationally, she would not be blaming two birds for something this unreasonable, but this was beyond reasonable. She knew she saw her nephew die. She knew she heard the female hawk talk. She knew that they were not just hawks. She knew that this was not just a coincidence.

Throwing back her drapes, a giant gust of wind entered her room. It was very robust and a distinct odour. The wind itself was warm, as if heated by the sun itself. Blinking, she found that she was just staring at the moon that was now beginning to wane. Slowly she felt it, that same eerily presence she had felt when she had picked up that box from the auction. She breathed in, and a shudder took hold of her. Her stomach started to turn, and she held her abdomen for fear that she would be sick.

"Ageriw reka, Niasstrah, tenri shuari askha." This time the voice was masculine. Turning to face where the voice had come from, she found that she was falling once more. The last thing she saw were the outlines of a female and male human.

"Ageriw reka, Niasstrah, tenri shuari askha." = "Now is the time, Niasstrah, for you to begin to remember."