The woman looked right at me as the car swerved again, this time towards one of those weeping willows. She was smiling.
I screamed as the car drove into the tree.
Chapter 10
I woke to find Chris nudging me. The earrings were in his hand.
“Hey, you okay?”
Like the last time, I felt really groggy. I blinked at him.
“What happened?”
“Nothing,” he said. “But you were mumbling a little, so I took the earrings off.”
“How long was I out?”
“Not even five minutes,” he said.
It seemed longer than that, but I have to admit this trip was brief compared to the last one. I took the earrings. I was going back. Twice in my family’s life that woman had shown up, and she looked the same age. The fact she had looked straight at me both times didn’t sit well. Something was going on.
“I’m trying again,” I said. I hooked one of them in.
“What did you see?”
“I’ll tell you after. Something’s not right.”
I hooked the second one and the blackness took me again.
I was beginning to get a little used to these trips, but I have to say the death part was never pleasant. Not only was watching my family members die upsetting, but actually being a part of the car accident in that last one was unnerving. I hoped that wasn’t how I was going to go.
Then there was that woman. That part bothered me the most.
Who the hell was she?
This time my ghostly form stood inside the bowels of some kind of ship. Or so I thought. There was a seesaw motion and a hollow, metallic creaking. It was dark here, and cold, with only a faint metal-encased bulb at the end of the corridor to let me see where I was going. I walked the corridor to a metal door. There was no point in opening it — I just slipped through.
The next room was darker, and from what I could tell, this appeared to be some kind of crew’s quarters. Bunks with men in them filled the tiny room. I knew this couldn’t have been the standard crew — there were too few of them.
I tried to make out the time as it must have been the middle of the night. I had no luck. No clocks.
There were two other things on my mind as I scanned the room. Which one of these men was I supposed to be following? And where was that woman?
I searched through the snoring, flatulent bodies and found nothing that indicated who I should be concentrating on. I had been hoping for some kind of glow, or something.
Nothing.
Fortunately, the woman wasn’t around. A part of me hoped she might not be here this time.
I was suddenly jolted as a thundering sound echoed through the hull. The ship heaved, knocking the men from their beds. They were so young, some not even eighteen. As they yelled out, I caught their accent.
Brits.
They paused for a moment, as if waiting for something. Somewhere in the mumbling I could hear an announcement come over the speaker system. I didn’t catch it all, but there was something about checking the magazine temperature. I had no idea what that meant.
There didn’t seem to be anything further, and the men climbed back into bed with the exception of one. He made his way to the door.
“Gregory!” called one of the men. “Where are you going?”
The man called Gregory was dark-haired and had the prominent chin of my grandfather. I had never seen a photo of my great-grandfather, but I was pretty sure this had to be him. In the dim light he looked pretty dirty, but he was built like a brick shithouse.
“Back in a minute,” Gregory said, and slipped through the door.
I whisked after him, through the cold, metallic corridors. He moved as if driven by some purpose. I followed him through dark hallways until he arrived at a room that smelled acrid. He poked his head in, as if checking something, and then moved on. I continued to trail him up ladders and along further tight corridors until we reached the deck. It was a narrow ship with a huge tower and massive turrets.
It was difficult to see in the dead of night, even with the Northern Lights in the distance. That green and red weaving meant we had to be pretty far north.
I continued to shadow Gregory as he walked through the chill of the night to each side of the ship, leaning over to examine the sides and the water in the distance. He finally stopped at one part of the ship. His hands gripped the railing. He was staring into the distance, and as I got closer I knew what was coming.
I didn’t even reach him before the explosion hit. It was followed by another right after. The ship lurched and I fell to the deck screaming, Gregory with me.
Why was I feeling this?
Now I was worried.
The few lights that shone went out. Explosions boomed within the ship, and flames flared from the ladder we had climbed up. The ship tilted, spilling Gregory and I along the deck towards the other side.
We both clung to the railing. I tried to pull out the earrings. They weren’t there.
“Chris!” I called out. “Wake me up!”
I wanted out of this. Now!
Screams bellowed from below us as the ship started to tilt further. The open portholes at the side of the ship were now going under the surface of the water. We were sinking fast.
The ship lurched further. Gregory and I tumbled overboard. I screamed until I hit the water. It was cold, and my breath was taken from me. I struggled to get it back.
“Chris!” I called again. The ship groaned as it began to sink.
I saw Gregory swimming away, towards shore. I went after him.
I used to be a varsity swimmer, so it didn’t take long to catch him.
I wasn’t sure we’d make it to shore before the cold took us. I didn’t know what season this was. It wasn’t quite winter, but it was far from summer.
I heard men yelling, others attempting to swim like us. The ship was now mostly under water. I caught its name on the side.
H.M.S. Royal Oak
Gregory was now struggling to swim and his head kept going under, like he was being pulled.
I tried to grab him, but my hands went through him. Again, his head came up for a moment, and then he went under again.
I saw his problem. The golden-haired woman was there, under the water. She was pulling him down. She looked up at me through the dark waters, and gave me her wicked smile.
After one last gasp, Gregory was pulled to the depths of the sea.
I continued to tread water. Why wasn’t I waking up?
“Chris!” I called again. “Wake me up!”
I started to swim for shore. There was no way I was staying here, not when I could feel the cold like this.
I got about one hundred yards when I felt a tug at my leg.
No!
I looked down. The golden-haired woman was there. She was holding the earrings out with that malevolent glint in her eye.
Then, she snatched my leg and pulled me under.
I couldn’t believe this was happening. I was supposed to be on an airplane. This was supposed to be a dream. It wasn’t real. This bitch was not supposed to be tugging at my leg trying to drown me.
I kicked at her head.
“Chris!” I gurgled as I resurfaced. The waters were so cold, and I didn’t have the energy to fight this woman.
Then, I jerked awake.
The familiar hum of the cabin was like music to my ears.
Chris was nudging me. I coughed up water on him.
“What happened?” he asked. He didn’t seem to mind the water. “Are you all right? I’ve been trying to wake you.”
“How long was I out?”
“A few hours.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I came back a couple minutes ago and the earrings were gone. I thought maybe you took them out and were sleeping, but when I heard you mumbling I tried to wake you. You took a long time to come back.”
I clung to him. He was a source of sanity in all this, mostly because he believed me. “She has the earri
ngs.”
“Who?”
I told him about the golden-haired woman, how I’d seen her in every trip and how she seemed to be responsible for the deaths of my family.
“Wow,” he said. “So who is she? And why is she doing this?”
“I don’t know,” I said. I coughed up more water. This time I swallowed it down. It was salty.
“You sure you’re okay?”
I shook my head. “This is salt water. She tried to drown me in the sea. The dreams, or whatever they are, are becoming almost real.”
A shudder ran through me. Maybe it was good she took the earrings. Another one of these trips and she might actually kill me.
The salt water churned in my stomach. I unbuckled.
“I think I need to use the washroom.”
He took me by the arm and escorted me down the aisle.
What the hell was going on? Who was this woman? For that matter, what was she? No woman stayed that young over a period of three generations. It wasn’t possible.
And why was she killing my ancestors? And if she was going to come after me, how was I going to stop her?
Chris opened the door to the washroom.
“Can I grab some paper towels?” he asked. I grabbed a few and patted his shirt.
“Sorry about that,” I said.
He smiled. “Don’t sweat it.”
His pants were damp as well. I looked down at them, contemplating whether I should pat those dry as well.
He didn’t need to encourage me with words; his eyes were doing that for him.
Quite frankly, this was a welcome distraction.
I felt that rush of warm charm envelop me. It was all I could do to resist.
I didn’t.
Instead, I pulled him into the washroom and locked the door.
Chapter 11
We did our best to sneak out of the washroom, but one of the male flight attendants noticed us. He gave Chris a look that screamed of “I wish I had been in there”, and then winked at me.
We returned to our seats, and I did a quick search for the earrings. They were nowhere to be found. We buckled in, and the descent began.
Chris held my hand as the plane touched down smoothly into Heathrow, but I didn’t relax until we came to a halt. Although my birthday hadn’t come yet, I was getting a little antsy about what might happen at any moment.
At the very least, if what I was seeing in those visions was true, then I knew who to look out for. That golden-haired bitch wasn’t taking me without a fight.
We passed through customs without too much hassle. I contemplated taking a cab to a nearby hotel, but I was running out of time. Instead we rented a car and drove to the address I had for Aunt Marigold’s house in the Cotswolds.
Fortunately, Chris had driven in England numerous times, so he took the wheel while I watched the countryside, in the dark. The sun hadn’t come up yet.
I stared out the window, wondering what we would find.
There was one thing at the back of my mind as well. When I was last here, I had left with a shattered heart. The boy I’d spent that summer with, the first person who’d ever actually loved me, had swept me off my feet and then dropped me cold.
For years, I had hopped from bed to bed in the hopes of finding that same feeling again. It had never happened. Instead, I walked around feeling like ten pounds of shit stuffed into a five-pound bag.
I shoved the memories of him deep down into the recesses of my mind, where he needed to remain — forgotten.
Through rolling hills and valleys we drove with the moon illuminating the way. I actually watched the trees and greenery. I hoped to see the little green man. Perhaps he would be here. At the same time I wasn’t sure if he had a connection to the golden-haired woman. I hoped not.
“Tell me,” Chris said, pulling me away from my search. “The last dream you had. Where were you again?”
“On a battleship. If I had to guess, WWII.”
“How do you know?”
“If I go back three generations, that’s around 1939.”
Chris nodded. “And you watched that woman drag your grandfather under water?”
“Great-grandfather,” I said. “My grandfather died in a car crash, having sex with her while driving.”
Chris grimaced, but then grinned.
I felt a twitch between my legs at the thought. It lasted less than a second.
“Nice thought, but with my luck, she’ll be driving a truck in the opposite direction while we’re at it. Then I’ll be taking you with me.” I looked in those emeralds of his. “Interesting way to go, but I don’t think so.”
He jokingly pouted.
“But I’ll make you a promise,” I said. “We figure out how to get out of this and I’ll take you up on that offer.”
That devilish grin was back.
We passed a forested area. I peered through the trees, but found nothing.
“You keep looking into the trees. It’s not light enough to see much.”
I hated admitting it. It was going to sound ridiculous.
“I’m looking for the little green man. I’m starting to thing he’s been trying to warn me.”
“Or show you how to fight this?”
“Maybe,” I said. “I don’t know. Hopefully Aunt Marigold will have some answers.”
“And what if she doesn’t?”
“Go dancing naked in the forest and hope to find the queen of the faeries to help me?”
I really had no idea what the next step was going to be. I was also getting hungry.
I asked Chris to stop at the next village or town so we could find a place to eat. His grumbling stomach didn’t argue with me.
We found a quaint pub that was open. The local ale was meatier than what I was used to, but likeable. Chris enjoyed it immensely.
We shared some battered fish with chips. It was early morning here, but for us it was a long overdue dinner. I’m not sure if it was my hunger or not, but the food was delicious.
As we nursed our beer, the villagers talked quietly among themselves. I was surprised. I’d always heard that in these small towns the locals were quite friendly and open. I can’t say they were staring at us, but there were a few glances that didn’t make me feel particularly comfortable. Most of them, though, seemed to avoid my gaze.
I thought about asking Chris if he noticed, but he pushed his chair back before I could speak.
“Excuse me,” he said. “Back in a moment.” He made his way to the washrooms while I continued to sip and listen.
The talk wasn’t really much of anything important, chat of the weather, recent problems with someone’s sheep, and a few tasteless jokes. Under it all, I did catch one thing.
Two women in the corner. “She’s not natural,” said the fatter one.
“I’m telling you, Natty, I’ve seen her kind before and no good will come of this.”
My first instinct was to find a mirror.
Did I look that bad?
“When she comes back from the washroom, don’t look at her.”
Washroom?
So it wasn’t me they were talking about.
“Golden hair like that is unnatural.”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head.
Golden hair?
I tried not to make a scene, but I rose from the table as quickly as I could. It was the longest walk to a washroom I think I’ve ever experienced.
My breath was stuck somewhere in my chest. I fisted my hands.
What was I going to do if I found her?
I rounded the corner and found the washrooms.
The men’s room door was just closing as I caught a glimpse of golden hair slipping through. I hurried my steps, worried for Chris now. If she touched him, I’d rip her to shreds.
I pushed the door open and found Chris standing there. He took a step back as the door swung just past his nose.
“Woah,” he said. That grin was suddenly on his face. He whispered. “Either all th
at talk in the car got you riled up or you got the wrong door.”
I didn’t say anything. I just pushed past him and examined the washroom. There was one stall and one urinal. It stunk.
I pushed open the stall door. Nothing.
“What’s going on?” Chris asked.
“That golden-haired woman is in the pub. I think I saw her come in here a second ago.”
“No one’s in here but us,” he said.
I slipped out and went into the women’s washroom. Two stalls. Both empty. I looked in the mirror.
“I’m not going crazy,” I said to myself. I washed my face and found Chris waiting for me in the corridor.
“You all right?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. “I heard some of the women talking about her and I saw someone with golden hair enter the men’s washroom. I was afraid she was coming after you.”
We sat back at the table.
“Don’t worry about me,” he said.
“I do worry. I saw what she did. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if she did something to you.”
“Who were the women?” he asked, looking around.
I went to point to the corner, but there was no one to motion towards. I looked about, but all there was at the table were two empty tea cups.
I took a deep breath. “Let’s get out of here,” I said. I’d had enough. I just wanted to get to my aunt’s house.
Chris paid for the meal and beer, and then we got back in the car.
“Am I going crazy?” I asked.
He took my hand. “No, but you’ve been through a lot. And you were drinking a pretty hearty beer.”
I took my hand away. “You don’t believe me.”
He took my hand again, squeezing it. “I didn’t say that. It’s possible your mind is playing tricks on you. It’s also possible you saw what you did. Either way, I still think you’re perfectly sane.” He kissed my fingers. “There’s nothing wrong with you, Katherine.”
The tension in my body eased, although I didn’t think it was the beer. I hadn’t had that much. I was tired, though. Actually, exhausted was more like it. But I refused to sleep. My actual birthday was now hours away and I just wanted to get to my aunt’s house.
Broken: A Paranormal Romance Page 6
