Chapter 4: Premonition

After a small amount of time passed-- a year to be exact, actually, it did not take us very long to get married. We ended up deciding it would be best for me to devote my time to finishing my second year of college, and that I would take off a semester for a break from all the stress and tension that goes hand in hand with college.

A simple ceremony; right in our local City Hall, as neither of us had any living relatives to attend-- although I was unsure if my Great Aunt, Eunice was alive or dead… I hadn't bothered to look her up as she had been nothing but a bitch to my mother and me. Although it was not the wedding I would have imagined having when I was much younger, I loved it; I dressed casually, then a simple exchange of vows, and some signage of the right forms, and we were off for our honeymoon; all the way during our trip, I thought of my mother and how neither she nor my father had lived to see my wedding day-- my father had not lived to give me away, while my mother had not lived to cry happily over my new marital status. It broke my heart, and try as I might to shut out the pain, it continued to linger.

And it always would.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On our way home, we stopped to stay in a little Bed and Breakfast pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Although the atmosphere of the place was absolutely wonderful, I couldn't help but have the feeling that business was not doing well, as when we walked in through the doors, the guy behind the reception desk had seemed to brighten up, and promise that whatever accommodation we requested would be given.

Our trip together had gone by wonderfully; Matthew had not disappeared, and had not even gone anywhere without me-- it was as if he were making up for lost time, and although I never vocalized my opinions, I truly appreciated it. We were together, and for once, everything was going well… He made my life so much better, and I felt happier than I had felt before now that we were married… Little did the two of us know that things would soon change...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, I slept quite peacefully-- which was actually no surprise now; now, I always slept all throughout the night when Matthew was sleeping and safe beside me… He held me as I slept, and it was then that the dreams began again…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I run through the building, screaming my head off for no apparent reason… And then I realize what it is; I am trapped here. Alone and trapped. There is no one here to comfort me. No one here to guide me. I hate being here. I hate it so much…

"You lied to me!" I scream in anger at the unseen presence I know is REHtoMna, "You promised that I would not journey alone any longer!"

"I have no control over the future, Beatrice-- surely you must know that by now… Otherwise, Matthew would not have--"

"Where am I?" I scream, interrupting her; not wanting to hear the name of the man I love so, "Where have you sent me?"

"Surely you recognize the place," she whispers.

"No," I hiss, "You cannot possibly mean that--"

"Yes, Beatrice, yes. You must go back to the home from which you came… Only there can your journey resume."

"I can't," I insist, angrily, "I simply cannot… I have forgotten the way."

"You know as well as I that that is not true."

"I can't go back there! You cannot make me… The memories will kill me… I cannot handle it now… I'm trying to forget everything that took place there…"

"You can't forget your past, Beatrice… You cannot forget…"

And with that, I am alone in the house that had once been my sanctuary crying on the dusty floor, yearning for it all to end…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke instantly with a start, "We have to go," I whispered, and in a few moments, Matthew was awake as well, and was staring at me with a strange look upon his face.

"Where?" he asked, yawning; obviously not fully awake yet, "What are you talking about, babe?"

"I told you not to call me that," I whispered, "But it doesn't matter. We have to leave. Now. We have to go home."

"Home?" he asked, his wide eyes now full of deep misunderstanding, "We'll be back tomorrow… We made the reservations for dinner."

"Cancel them," I whispered, "We need to get out of this place… We need to go home, Matthew."

"What are you on about?" he asked.

"Home… Not home, but my home-- my hometown-- and my old house, where I lived with my parents until everything began. I had a dream, and REHtoMna told me that we must go there as soon as possible… I think there's something that we-- I need to find there, Matthew."

He stared at me, skeptically, "But, how are you sure it wasn't a trick, Beatrice? This is too sudden, and it seems as if I would have known about--"

Deciding to question his last statement later on, I continued, "Look, Matthew. You've got to believe me. I'm sure of this… We need to go there."

"Okay, just let me get dressed… We'll have to cancel our dinner reservations and our second night here."

"Fine-- just hurry."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took about an hour for the both of us to get ready, so by the time we were in our car, it was nearing nine in the morning.

It would take a while for us to get to California-- my old house was about an hour and a half drive from Barstow. I was unsure why I was so anxious to get there; the dream had frightened me… It made it seem as though Matthew would somehow--

No. That wouldn't happen… That couldn't happen. It was just a dream-- but then why was I letting it drag us away from everything, and return to the life that I had declared dead so long ago…? Was I overreacting, or was I under reacting to the content of that blasted dream…? Well, no. I was simply responding… right? And why shouldn't I? These were dangerous times, and I had to react to each and every sign I received along the way.

I stared at Matthew, and couldn't help but smile as the car started, "Thanks for understanding," I whispered. He nodded, gently, and I closed my eyes in deep concentration.

It was crazy. Absolutely crazy, but I could not tell Matthew the full extent and contents of the dream… I didn't want to worry or frighten him… Everything was beginning to speed up again, and I hoped for what seemed like the billionth time that I would be ready for whatever lay ahead of the two of us.