The darkness surrounded me and the air around me turned ice cold, making my breaths come out as little clouds of smoke. The hair on my bare arms rose up as I felt a vicious presence approaching, causing a chill to go down my spine. My breathing got heavier as my heart started beating more violently, a threatening chuckle filling the empty void.
A sound of something dripping from behind me, reached my ears and with a lot of effort, I defied the paralyzing fear that had struck my body and turned around. A small puddle of blood laid approximately four meters away from my naked feet and with every drop, it grew bigger.
I blinked and then the blood had vanished, it was replaced by a dark figure, shaped like a human. I couldn't see it's face but it was slightly crouched down with it's knees bent, like it was ready to leap forward. "Who are you?" I called out but got no answer.
No sounds came from it, no signs of any movement, like it was a statue. I took a few steps closer, slowly, and it remained competely still. Whatever this was, it made me feel uneasy, yet desperate to find out more about it. I spun my head to the right when I heard a hissing sound but when I didn't see anything, I returned my attention to the dark figure in front of me and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest when it hovered over me, only six inches away from my face. I raised my head, turning my gaze upwards and was met by a pair of big eyes, with the same colour as the puddle of blood.
I quickly spun around and ran in the opposite direction but stopped dead in my tracks when big drops of blood landed right in front of my feet. I looked up to see where the blood came from, when something big fell from above me and landed in front of me – a body. It was a young man. His sweatpants and shirt was tainted with blood, as well as his blonde curls that fell, damp onto his forehead. His dark blue eyes were still wide open but they held no life to them. He was dead. I screamed.
That was the last thing that I'd seen before waking up, covered in sweat and breathing hard. I had been thinking about my latest vision all day, trying to think out a reason for seeing what I saw, perhaps an incident that had triggered the horrific scenes. The closest thing I could think of, was the papercut I had gotten last night when working on my essay, which I wouldn't consider being that dramatic. And who was that boy? I was pretty sure that I had never seen him before in my life, so why was he in my vision?
I rested my elbows on top of the cash counter, putting my chin against the palm of my hands. The vision had been short but also more detailed than all my previous visions. Instead of many different sequences passing by in a blur, this one had been clear and played out in one single frequency but this hadn't been the first time the same red eyes had been haunting my sleep. They would appear in almost every vision, holding the same menacing glare, that would turn my blood to ice. Whoever they belonged to, didn't mean well but then, who could possible have red eyes, unless they were contacts?
"Hi there."
I looked up and noticed that a middle-aged man had, well, rolled inside the shop. The man was crippled, still sitting proud on a wheelchair, giving me the most warm smile that I had ever received. His long thick black hair rested on top of his shoulders in silky waves and I easily figured out he was from the reservation. He was being pushed forward by two big hands and when I saw who the hands belonged to, I nearly choked. He seemed just as shocked to see me, gaping and staring at me. Seeing as this was the fourth time me and Jacob had bumped into each other in one way or another over the last couple of days, made me question if there was simply a coincidence or if there was something else behind it. I was probably overthinking it but I also couldn't ignore the fact that I felt a pull towards him, after not even noticing him for nine years.
Remembering that they were my customers, I snapped out of it and smiled politely. "Hi! I'm sorry, I must have been daydreaming. How can I help you?"
"That's quite alright dear! We're looking for the perfect bouquet for a wonderful woman." He said with a playful wink, causing Jacob to roll his eyes. "Dad, come on."
I laughed softly at Jacob's embarrassment about his dad's little gesture. Luckily he didn't seem offended by it as he turned his gaze towards me, a grin forming on his lips.
"That's sweet, what's the occasion?" I asked.
"Oh... Just a regular dinner with friends of ours."
I led them over to our cabinets with bouquets of different flowers. "So what kind of flowers are you looking for?"
"What about lilies, son? Think Sue would like them?" He turned to his son, who still had his eyes on me. Warmth rose to my cheeks, despite my efforts to stay calm and collected.
"How would I know?" He mumbled as he finally looked away from me and to his father.
The grown man didn't answer but gave me a look of amusement and I smiled back. "Well, if I were Sue, I would love them. Especially the purple ones, they're my personal favorites."
From the corner of my eyes, I could see Jacob turn his head in my direction once again as I spoke and I began to feel the familiar flutter in my stomach.
He agreed on purple lilies and I went towards the back desk to get a wrapping paper, to drape around the flowers. As I walked back, I failed to notice the spilled water on the floor, from when I re-filled the buckets earlier today. Before I knew it, I had slipped on the wet surface and I felt a strong suction in my stomach as I began to fall backwards to the ground. But before I hit the floor, I felt two strong arms catch me and help me back on my feet. The only thing I could feel was my own rapid heartbeat as I stared up at Jacobs widened eyes. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for catching me."
He nodded his head. "No problem."
When the adrenaline subsided, I blushed as I felt his hands grasping my lower waist, I seemed to be doing that a lot lately. His hands felt warm and the feeling of him touching my body, even with the fabric in between, sent a jolt through me and set my inside on fire. Not in a painful or agonizing way, but in a jittery and sensual kind of way. It was feelings that I wasn't used too and it scared me quite a bit, the strong feeling of wanting him as close to me as possible. I told myself that it was natural, having a physical response to someone who's so attractive. Completely normal, expected even.
Jacob didn't seem to be in any hurry to let go of me either, on the contrary, his hold on me only seemed to tighten - or maybe that was my imagination. The two of us only stood and stared at each other, the intensity between us working like a snare, tying us together. He flickered his eyes between my eyes and my lips and as I invited the idea of him leaning down and kissing me, a sound of someone clearing their throat brought me back to reality, like a cold wave.
Jacob dropped his hold on me and I quickly took a step back, remembering that I was still at my work, with his father standing only two meters away from us and I barely even knew him. Jacob seemed to realize his mistake as well, as he looked down on the ground, running his hand through his short black hair.
When I finally dared to look back up to his father, expecting to see a look of shock or even disapproval, I was surprised to see that he was smiling. He gave his son a knowing look, which Jacob ignored as he walked back over to his side, avoiding looking in my direction. He was probably just as embarrassed as I was and I knew that my face was as red as an overripe tomato. Knowing that I had to be professional, I ignored the fact that I had just made a complete fool of myself and continued to help them pick out the flowers.
The tension that hung in the air, made every movement seem forced and when Jacob and his father finally left the store, I slumped down on the ground, leaning my back against the counter.
"What the hell was that?"
Hours later:
"You almost kissed?!" Kaitlyn exclaimed, her eyes big with excitement.
I had just told her about my meeting with Jacob and his father earlier this evening. We sat in a booth at the diner, waiting for our burgers and fries.
"I didn't say that. A part of me wanted him to kiss me."
"So why didn't you kiss him?"
"I barely even know the guy!"
"So? Kiss him, then get to know him." She whispered the last part as the waitress came with our plates.
I took four fries and stuffed them all into my mouth, I was starving. " You know that's not the type of girl that I am."
"I do know that, but sometimes I wish you could stop overthinking everything and just do what your heart tells you to. You have a dark side young lady, whether you choose to embrace it or not." She stated, pointing a fries in my direction before putting in into her mouth.
"A dark side?" I mused.
"It's true, you have a weak spot for adventures, just like the rest of us and speaking of, have you heard about The Cullens having a graduation party at their house friday night?"
Leave it to Kaitlyn to completely change the subject, although this time I didn't mind the subject change. "A party? At The Cullens? Really?"
This really surprised me, that they would want to invite other people than just Bella, to their home. The Cullens had always been very secretive about themselves and had usually only kept to themselves but that changed when Bella had arrived. She shocked everyone when she caught the interest of Edward Cullen, who had never shown any signs of being interested in any girl, and short after they were an item. Now because of Bella they had finally started to open up a little and they no longer sit at a table all to themselves, with the exception of Rosalie and Emmett, they still liked to be left alone.
"Everyone is going..." She stared at me expectantly and I immediately understood what she wanted.
I sighed. "I don't know Kaitlyn. I mean, are we even invited? Don't you think that the party is for Seniors only?"
"Of course not. Come on Mila, it will be fun, I promise!"
After pestering me about the party for another couple of minutes, I finally gave in. I agreed to check it out for an hour and if I didn't feel comfortable, I would simply go home. Even though the main reason I agreed to go was for Kaitlyn, I still felt a little intrigued to see how The Cullens lived.
Kaitlyn and I continued on talking about our plans for the summer vacation as we ate the rest of our food. Somehow, I had a feeling that this summer was going to be special and it made me excited.
At about 8 p.m we finally left the diner, after sitting and talking for about two hours. I wrapped my arms around her in a hug and she immediately hugged me back. "See you tomorrow at school."
"Yeah, sleep tight." She replied.
As we walked to our individual cars, the wind picked up and I folded my arms in front of my chest, pulling the jacket closer to my body. The only sound came from the footsteps of Kaitlyn and I, except for the soft roar from distant cars. I looked all around me, when the feeling of someone watching me crept up my spine. Seeing no one, I looked back at Kaitlyn, who didn't seem faced at all as she climbed into her car.
Thinking that I must have imagined it, I turned back to my own car, opened the door and got in. As I put the key into the ignition, I flinched when I heard a loud car horn behind me and I looked into the rearview mirror as Kaitlyn drove past me. I hadn't even heard her engine start. I started my own car and pulled it out of reverse, before grabbing the steering wheel, a little too hard. The feeling of someone watching me still lingered, making me feel very anxious and exposed.
I drove well over the speed limit, wanting to get home as soon as possible and when I finally closed the door behind me, I let out a breath of relief. Before getting into bed, I walked over to my window and closed the curtains. Somehow, it made me feel a little calmer, like the curtains worked as a barricade between me and the outside world.
Next morning:
A yawn escaped my lips as I walked down the stairs, enjoying having some extra time this morning before school. I had always liked doing all my morning routines without feeling stress about time. As expected, I didn't get much sleep during the night, so this extra time was really precious.
I put on the tv in the living room and raised the volume so I could hear it from the kitchen while I started making breakfast. The first thing I did was to make coffee, needing a caffeine kick to wake up. As I began buttering a sandwich I could hear the news blaring from the tv.
Last night, a young man was found dead by two teenagers close to the harbor. Reports states that his body had been emptied of blood by two puncture wounds on his shoulder. He is the fifth victim in the last three weeks and panic are now beginning to spread in the town of Seattle...
This caught my attention and I stopped what I was doing, walking out into the living room. What I saw almost made me scream as I slapped a hand over my mouth, in shock. On the tv, a picture was showing the latest victim and I recognized him immediately. The same blonde hair and dark blue eyes, it was the man that I had seen dead in my vision. Suddenly I didn't need the caffeine anymore, I was wide awake.