Gardendale, Alabama
Chipper's Redvale Restaurant
"Reservation for 2. Guerin and Deluca. Ok. This way please." The young usher of around 23 confirmed Michael's booking and led them quickly over the ruby red carpet, to their reserved seats. They were situated a few meters away from an extremely large glass window that was pretty much the size of the entire wall. Tears of rain were streaking silently down the pane, the lights from the street reflecting from the droplets, creating a stunning sparkle effect all around the restaurant. God, everything is so freakin' red in this place.Michael shuddered at the thought as his eyes surveyed the almost empty room. Red meant love and Michael absolutely hated admitting that he loved anything let alone Maria, but he knew that she liked it and this was obviously as good a place as any for what he wanted to say.
They reached the table and Michael hurried around to Maria's side and pulled out her chair, indicating for her to sit down before taking his own. "Whoa, Spaceboy, what has gotten into you today? In all the time I've known you, I don't think you have ever once done that! A few more stunts like that and you might just be able to sleep in your own bed tonight and not some crusty old motel." Maria commented with a slight smile. Michael smiled back yet well and truly knowing that he was still far into the doghouse and he had to do some serious explaining before she really let him come back home.
"Here are your menus." The usher handed out two thin dark red folders, one to Michael and the other to Maria. "Would you like to order any drinks? Tonight's special is." "Hey buddy, can you just give us a moment?" Michael interrupted, "Sure thing sir," The usher replied and walked off to tend to another couple some tables away. Michael turned and faced Maria. She was looking at him confused. "Why'd you send him away? I wanted to order" she whined. "Maria, you wanted and explanation, so here it is."
Maria folded her arms and sat back comfortably in her chair with a smug look on her face, ready for the next cock-and-bull story Michael was about to give her about his behaviour of late. "First of all," he began, "I've been having these dreams lately.disturbing dreams.I know you think I'm making this all up, but just hear me out.And this is no bullshit thankyou very much Maria." He added noticing her very common eye-rolling technique that he must have seen her do a million times since the day he met her. "Anyway." He continued, "These dreams, I wouldn't classify them as being normal dreams. In them I hear voices, voices from the past. Telling me things that I have forgotten over time.vital things. These voices have been haunting me day and night; I can never focus on normal everyday things anymore because these voices are always tormenting me even when I'm awake. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting towards you lately Maria, but these dreams just wont leave me be. I think they mean something, I just can't figure it out yet.and secondly."
Michael paused and put his hand into his pocket slowly, trying not to attract Maria's attention, and gripped the small black box he had concealed in there some hours previous. "There's a second reason?" Maria still sounded confused but there was a tiny hint of sarcasm in her tone, "My, my, Michael, you are full of surprises lately aren't you. You aren't really one to make up two excuses." By this point Maria had begun to notice that Michael was staring at her. "Secondly." he repeated, interrupting her mid-sentence "I know that I've also been acting very secretive these last few weeks, that I haven't really been giving you all the attention that you need and again I apologise for that but, the reason being that." He began slowly to remove the box from his jacket pocket. A slight movement out of the corner of his left eye caused him to release his grip on the small package suddenly, his attention diverted.
A young boy of no more than 14 years of age was pressed up against the oversized glass window. He was not moving. The boy looked like he had been standing there for some time now. He looked soaked to the bone. Michael felt a slight shiver flow through his spine; followed by a shocking tingling of an unknown familiarisation, that hit him hard. The boy was staring directly at him, and Michael found that he could not take his eyes away from the window even if he wanted to. The slow exhaling breathes of the boy had begun to fog up the glass once clear glass. Who are you? Michael thought, I know you.but that's impossible.I have never met you before in my life.
A loud clap of thunder followed by bright flash of lightning blinded Michael causing him to finally break eye contact with the boy. The tremor that the bolt had caused made him feel like he had been struck by lightning himself. He jumped up alarmingly from his seat, falling helplessly backwards onto what felt like the soft texture of the restaurant's elegant carpet.He lay there, ignoring all sounds around him, including Maria's startled shouts of worry. He lay there for no more than a few minutes but in those crucial minutes however, a darkened image of a formation of stars that produced a V in the night sky, surged swiftly past his now closed eyes and through his alien mind.
"Michael.MICHAEL! Please, wake up! You're really starting to scare me now.if this is just another one of your stupid pranks to get out of apologising to me, I swear." Maria let out a sudden high-pitched scream as Michael abruptly bolted upright into a sitting position, grabbing her left wrist and gripping it extremely tightly. His eyes immediately darted to the window before him. The boy was gone. "Shit!" Michael cursed under his breath, "Maria, stay here a minute will you." He told her without meeting her gaze, his eyes still plastered at the garden outside the window. "No." She replied firmly and stubbornly. Michael took off anyway, not caring to bother with any of her antics right now. He had to find the boy.
Michael pushed his way hurriedly past a group of annoyed waiters, ignoring their angry cries. He shoved open the glass panelled double front doors, headed straight out into the pounding rain and around the brick corner of the building, where he came to a standstill, mesmerized by the strangely familiar sight etched into the rain soaked mud before him. Five small dots, extremely visible considering the fact that the rain should of them washed them away by now, were imprinted on the ground forming the odd V-shape. "The royal seal of Antar." He breathed almost silently. Only just noticing that Maria had walked up behind him and let out a small-astonished gasp. Michael carefully crouched over and gathered a small ball of energy inside his palms. He waved his left hand slowly just above the mud where the symbol was imprinted, causing it to glow brilliantly in the night sky.He turned his head disbelievingly up at Maria and whispered, "Maria.I think I just saw Zan."
"Reservation for 2. Guerin and Deluca. Ok. This way please." The young usher of around 23 confirmed Michael's booking and led them quickly over the ruby red carpet, to their reserved seats. They were situated a few meters away from an extremely large glass window that was pretty much the size of the entire wall. Tears of rain were streaking silently down the pane, the lights from the street reflecting from the droplets, creating a stunning sparkle effect all around the restaurant. God, everything is so freakin' red in this place.Michael shuddered at the thought as his eyes surveyed the almost empty room. Red meant love and Michael absolutely hated admitting that he loved anything let alone Maria, but he knew that she liked it and this was obviously as good a place as any for what he wanted to say.
They reached the table and Michael hurried around to Maria's side and pulled out her chair, indicating for her to sit down before taking his own. "Whoa, Spaceboy, what has gotten into you today? In all the time I've known you, I don't think you have ever once done that! A few more stunts like that and you might just be able to sleep in your own bed tonight and not some crusty old motel." Maria commented with a slight smile. Michael smiled back yet well and truly knowing that he was still far into the doghouse and he had to do some serious explaining before she really let him come back home.
"Here are your menus." The usher handed out two thin dark red folders, one to Michael and the other to Maria. "Would you like to order any drinks? Tonight's special is." "Hey buddy, can you just give us a moment?" Michael interrupted, "Sure thing sir," The usher replied and walked off to tend to another couple some tables away. Michael turned and faced Maria. She was looking at him confused. "Why'd you send him away? I wanted to order" she whined. "Maria, you wanted and explanation, so here it is."
Maria folded her arms and sat back comfortably in her chair with a smug look on her face, ready for the next cock-and-bull story Michael was about to give her about his behaviour of late. "First of all," he began, "I've been having these dreams lately.disturbing dreams.I know you think I'm making this all up, but just hear me out.And this is no bullshit thankyou very much Maria." He added noticing her very common eye-rolling technique that he must have seen her do a million times since the day he met her. "Anyway." He continued, "These dreams, I wouldn't classify them as being normal dreams. In them I hear voices, voices from the past. Telling me things that I have forgotten over time.vital things. These voices have been haunting me day and night; I can never focus on normal everyday things anymore because these voices are always tormenting me even when I'm awake. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting towards you lately Maria, but these dreams just wont leave me be. I think they mean something, I just can't figure it out yet.and secondly."
Michael paused and put his hand into his pocket slowly, trying not to attract Maria's attention, and gripped the small black box he had concealed in there some hours previous. "There's a second reason?" Maria still sounded confused but there was a tiny hint of sarcasm in her tone, "My, my, Michael, you are full of surprises lately aren't you. You aren't really one to make up two excuses." By this point Maria had begun to notice that Michael was staring at her. "Secondly." he repeated, interrupting her mid-sentence "I know that I've also been acting very secretive these last few weeks, that I haven't really been giving you all the attention that you need and again I apologise for that but, the reason being that." He began slowly to remove the box from his jacket pocket. A slight movement out of the corner of his left eye caused him to release his grip on the small package suddenly, his attention diverted.
A young boy of no more than 14 years of age was pressed up against the oversized glass window. He was not moving. The boy looked like he had been standing there for some time now. He looked soaked to the bone. Michael felt a slight shiver flow through his spine; followed by a shocking tingling of an unknown familiarisation, that hit him hard. The boy was staring directly at him, and Michael found that he could not take his eyes away from the window even if he wanted to. The slow exhaling breathes of the boy had begun to fog up the glass once clear glass. Who are you? Michael thought, I know you.but that's impossible.I have never met you before in my life.
A loud clap of thunder followed by bright flash of lightning blinded Michael causing him to finally break eye contact with the boy. The tremor that the bolt had caused made him feel like he had been struck by lightning himself. He jumped up alarmingly from his seat, falling helplessly backwards onto what felt like the soft texture of the restaurant's elegant carpet.He lay there, ignoring all sounds around him, including Maria's startled shouts of worry. He lay there for no more than a few minutes but in those crucial minutes however, a darkened image of a formation of stars that produced a V in the night sky, surged swiftly past his now closed eyes and through his alien mind.
"Michael.MICHAEL! Please, wake up! You're really starting to scare me now.if this is just another one of your stupid pranks to get out of apologising to me, I swear." Maria let out a sudden high-pitched scream as Michael abruptly bolted upright into a sitting position, grabbing her left wrist and gripping it extremely tightly. His eyes immediately darted to the window before him. The boy was gone. "Shit!" Michael cursed under his breath, "Maria, stay here a minute will you." He told her without meeting her gaze, his eyes still plastered at the garden outside the window. "No." She replied firmly and stubbornly. Michael took off anyway, not caring to bother with any of her antics right now. He had to find the boy.
Michael pushed his way hurriedly past a group of annoyed waiters, ignoring their angry cries. He shoved open the glass panelled double front doors, headed straight out into the pounding rain and around the brick corner of the building, where he came to a standstill, mesmerized by the strangely familiar sight etched into the rain soaked mud before him. Five small dots, extremely visible considering the fact that the rain should of them washed them away by now, were imprinted on the ground forming the odd V-shape. "The royal seal of Antar." He breathed almost silently. Only just noticing that Maria had walked up behind him and let out a small-astonished gasp. Michael carefully crouched over and gathered a small ball of energy inside his palms. He waved his left hand slowly just above the mud where the symbol was imprinted, causing it to glow brilliantly in the night sky.He turned his head disbelievingly up at Maria and whispered, "Maria.I think I just saw Zan."