Present the Past- Chapter Five
Alright pplz... this is the biggest chapter I've written yet, but nothing is coincidental... I won't let you dwell on that. :P
Anyways, I just want to take some time out to recognize my super-cool editor girl (and one of my best friends), Sophia!!! She's been looking through all of my work (I'm very self-conscious) to make sure it's okay, and that I didn't spell something like "at" wrong. :P Good job, no?
Oh, if you need a disclaimer, check the second chapter.
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Saturday morning. I woke up with a feeling of something seriously wrong. And it wasn't the tiny, small feeling that had gnawed at me last night. This one swallowed me up whole.
It wasn't the fact that my parents had called the police last night, either. As soon as I heard the family car pull into the driveway, I shooed David, Jalil and Christopher out of my room (through the broken window, for those who are wondering). I heard my parents open the front door and I shouted out in a 'frightened' voice, "Mom? Dad? Oh God, please tell me that it's you..." They came up to my room, and were completely astounded by what they saw. I told them that someone had entered through my window, waking me up. Before I had a chance to scream, I was knocked unconscious while they sabotaged my room. I had no idea why they didn't hit any other part of the house- but no one asked. Of course, my parents immediately called the police when I told them this. I couldn't say I was proud of last night's acting job. There were too many lies already spun... too many...
But today, I had a feeling that everything was about to turn even worse.
The phone rang. I picked it up. "... Hello?"
"April?" I could hear David's voice clearly on the other line.
"It's me," I replied.
"Hey. We're thinking of meeting up around lunch."
I didn't have to ask what "we" meant. I simply said, "Sounds good. Where at?"
"Don't know yet. We'll get back to you about that. Will your parents even let you out of the house?"
"Because of what happened last night?"
"Well... yeah."
"Don't worry about my parents. They're busy with the police, and Senna's death, and they've got a million other things on their minds. My parents will let me out of the house. You worry too much."
David laughed softly. I thought this was *so* weird- everyone but Jalil, David, Christopher & I seemed to be affected by Senna's death. Tears were a natural, every-day occurrence here since she died. But still... the four of us, we could still laugh with Senna gone. We never shed a single tear. And David seemed to have completely forgotten about Senna, too. Guess that means her spells disappear with her.
David interrupted my train of thought. "So I'll call you back with some more details later on, alright? See ya."
"Bye."
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I walked into a café, which was located in the downtown area. Not a place that anyone I knew would hang out at, which made the café selection even better. Inside, the lighting was dim, and the place smelled of incense. People were draped over couches, sipping lattes. Everything was an earthy-tone. I saw one guy sitting on a rug, playing around with bongo drums. Now, I know that I'm the actress here, but this was a hangout for beatniks, which is something I'm definitely NOT. Before I could inspect the place further, I saw Christopher waving to me from his table. I walked over.
"Are the others here yet?" I asked as I slipped into a seat.
"Not yet. It's just you and me," Christopher grinned.
I looked at him in disbelief. He still grinned. But then, his glance turned towards something behind me- Jalil.
"Hey guys," Jalil said, taking a seat in between Christopher's and mine.
"Go home, Jalil. Me and April were just about to do the same," Christopher leered.
"Shut up, Christopher," Jalil said.
I laughed.
"So it looks like we're waiting for David, still?" questioned Jalil.
"Right," Christopher replied. "It's weird for him not to be on time. I thought that he would've been the first one here, not me."
"Yeah," I said. "Oh well. Hey, never mind- I see him."
David opened one of the glass café doors. He spotted us almost immediately, and walked over.
"Good to see you again, General," Christopher gave a salute.
I noted the frown on David's face. "What's up?" I asked.
David sat down, barely even acknowledging the fact that I had asked him a question. It was strange- his face remained blank, like he was in some sort of trance. David shook his head, as if to wake himself up. Only then did he reply, "Nothing."
"Something's wrong. We can tell," Jalil stated.
David sighed, and rubbed at his eyes. "I saw her. I saw Senna."
A hushed silence fell over us. It seemed as if the cozy café faded out of the background, along with the steady, rhythmic beating of the bongo drums and the silent murmuring of the crowd. Now, the strange feeling I'd had this morning surrounded me again. It made me uneasy.
Finally, Jalil spoke. "Are you sure that's what you saw?" He spoke slowly, like he was talking to a 4-year-old.
"It sounds strange. But there she was. Senna. I mean, God..." David murmured softly.
"Isn't Senna..." Christopher didn't finish that thought. Instead, he said, "What happened? We really need to know about this."
David paused before speaking again. "I was walking... walking here. I turned around the block, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw her... She was smiling at me. I ran to her. But there were so many people... when I reached Senna, she was gone."
"... And you weren't imagining this?" Jalil asked.
"Would I?" David countered.
"It could've been another Everworld vision," Jalil murmured.
"It wasn't, Jalil. I just know it."
None of us brought up the fact that it could've been a Senna look-alike. Or the fact that David might've been imagining that she was there. Her death didn't really hit David hard enough for him to imagine Senna strolling through downtown Chicago. I patted David on the shoulder, as if it would actually help comfort him. I believed him, though. Somehow, I knew that Senna had really appeared. Not an Everworld-vision-Senna. I knew Senna was still alive, because I had just realized what was really going on here.
"You guys... I have this all figured out. I know what's happening to us," I spoke. No one replied, but the three of them gazed intently at me. "These Everworld visions we've been having? They're not visions. They're real. Senna's alive. She's still an active gateway- still on Loki's most wanted list- still powerful. Think about it- the girl's a witch. She can fake her own death. Fake her own drowning. Senna's powerful enough to do that. She's switching between worlds, and some of the Gods are being brought along with her. Senna's been hinting at us, dropping clues that she's still alive. That's what the Gods were for. Ever wonder why so many people shed so many tears for her death? Senna's doing. No one would cry about her death. Her own mother didn't even care about her," I flashed back to visiting the Everworld version of Egypt. "We have to end this thing with Senna before she screws us again. Senna can bring us back to Everworld in a snap of her fingers, or bring Everworld here, in the real world, just the same."
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Look out for the sixth chapter. Might take me a while to get it up- be patient, young grasshopper. (I'm having writer's block.) :P