Enlightened

by Samantha Britt

  Marie tapped again–harder.

  Shaking the sensation away, Darcie turned and joined her friend inside, convincing herself the feeling was just a trick of the mind.

  7

  Darcie stared out into her backyard and watched the snow fall gently from the sky. A smooth white blanket covered the ground, undisturbed by any creature.

  It was a pretty sight, but she had no desire to venture out into the delicate precipitation even though she knew she needed to. She checked the weather channel earlier that morning and there was a storm coming their way. She might not be able to run her errands later in the week.

  Bracing herself, Darcie bundled up with her warmest coat and gloves. She tucked her ears into a thick beanie and wrapped her neck in a scarf.

  As prepared as she could be, she grabbed the grocery list and ventured outside. Her water-resistant boots sank into the three inches of snow, leaving a trail of steps behind her before she made it to the car.

  Darcie fell into the seat and started the engine. Waiting for it to warm up, she leaned her head against the seat. A loud buzzing sounded from beneath her layers.

  She dug out her phone on the second to last ring and answered, “Hello.”

  “Hey,” Kevin greeted. “Is this a good time?”

  Darcie glanced at the engine temperature gauge. “Yup, just waiting for the car to warm up. What’s up?”

  “Well, long story short, I was thinking about you.”

  Her heart gave a tiny leap. “Okay?”

  “And how you said you are bored being at home all the time.”

  “Okay?” She couldn’t come up with another word apparently.

  “Well, I’m bored too, so I did some research,” his voice grew louder with enthusiasm.

  “Alright, I’m on the edge of my seat.” Darcie chuckled. “What is it?”

  “You could totally take classes this spring semester at the community college. They don’t have a deadline for admission or anything. I know you aren’t planning on staying there long term, but it might be nice to get some basic classes out of the way.”

  Her shoulders dropped. Disappointment brought down her mood. She already had the discussion with her dad:

  “I don’t understand why you aren’t okay with this,” Darcie told her father. “It will give me a head start on my degree. I might get to graduate early from college, too.”

  John Abernathy shook his head, frowning at his daughter’s suggestion. “I don’t understand why you are in such a hurry to grow up. You worked hard while we were in Greece. You deserve a break.”

  Darcie sighed, already exasperated with the conversation. “I have taken a break,” she pointed out. There was only so much a teenage girl could do locked up in a house. “I need something else to do.”

  “Find a hobby or join a volunteer organization. Just wait on college, Darcie,” her father instructed, effectively ending the conversation. “You will have plenty of time to work on your education next year. Enjoy being a kid for a little while longer.”

  Darcie blinked, forcing the frustrating memory away.

  “Thanks, Kevin. That’s not a bad idea. I’ll think about it.” She didn’t have the heart to tell him his suggestion was pointless.

  “Anytime.” She could hear his grin.

  One moment of silence followed before Kevin quickly added, “Well, that’s all I got. I’ll let you go so you can drive.”

  Darcie thanked him again before she hit the red button to end the phone call. It was nice of Kevin to spend the time to come up with ideas to solve her boredom. The thought of him thinking about her when she wasn’t around made her giddy, and gave Darcie a sliver of hope regarding her continuing crush. Kevin really was a great guy.

  Before her mind took her further down that path, Darcie switched the car into reverse to back out of the driveway. She drove to the grocery store. She parked as close as she could to the entrance, and rushed inside the warm building.

  Using her teeth, she bit the tip of her glove and freed her hand. She retrieved the list of things she needed to pick up from her pocket, and maneuvered through the sea of adults in the aisles. She was the only teenager present who was not an employee.

  Originally, Darcie took over grocery shopping when she and her father first moved to Greece. Professor Abernathy found himself immersed in his research from day one, and it wasn’t long before he realized he was falling behind on household duties.

  After learning the local market was less than a ten minute walk from the apartment they rented in Greece, her father decided he felt comfortable enough to allow his daughter to make the trip alone. Darcie loved the freedom, and was glad to be able to buy whatever she needed without going through her dad first.

  Now that they returned to Maine and Darcie could drive, she continued running the errand. She was happy to have one more thing to do during the week, and her dad was happy to be free from making trips to the crowded grocery store.

  “Darcie?” She turned and came face to face with a vaguely familiar girl.

  The red-headed teen wore a uniform, identifying herself as an employee of the store, but she couldn’t come up with a name to match the face.

  “Hi,” she greeted. “How are you?”

  “Great! Marie said you were back in town, but hardly anyone at school has seen you.”

  The girl moved closer ,and Darcie was able to read her nametag.

  Amanda.

  Darcie only remembered one girl named Amanda, and she was one grade below her. The Amanda she remembered had a mouth full of braces and thick plastic glasses. The girl in front of her was without those items, clearly not the awkward pre-teen from two years ago.

  “Yeah, I’ve been back a little over two months.” Darcie’s tone grew friendlier after recognizing the girl, “but I finished my senior year over the summer, so I don’t go to school.”

  “Oh, that’s right. I think I remember Marie saying that to someone.”

  Darcie smiled. “Marie does like to talk.”

  Both girls laughed.

  “Have any big plans now that you’ve graduated?” Amanda asked, seeming genuinely interested to hear what Darcie had to say. “You were always really smart.”

  “College,” she stated, touched the girl remembered that particular trait about her. “I plan to start next fall.”

  “That’s awesome! Know where?”

  “Probably St. Phillip’s to start.”

  “Isn’t that where Marie’s brother goes? Kevin, right?”

  “Yes,” Darcie answered. She didn’t know the younger girl knew her best friend’s brother.

  “He’s so hot,” Amanda added as her eyes lost focus. Darcie didn’t know what she felt in response, but whatever it was, she didn’t enjoy it.

  She couldn’t resist asking. “You know Kevin?”

  Amanda shook her head. “I wish. I saw him last Sunday at the movies with Marie. I thought she was cheating on Josh at first, but then I noticed they looked alike. I asked around and figured out she had a brother.”

  “And where he went to school, apparently,” Darcie pointed out. It seemed a little creepy… in her opinion.

  Immediately, she stopped the negative thought.

  Amanda was a girl with a crush. Darcie needed to chill out with her judgement. After all, it wasn’t Amanda’s fault she found Kevin attractive. Kevin was attractive.

  “Excuse me?” Their conversation was interrupted by the approach of another customer. The woman’s tone conveyed annoyance.

  Darcie stepped back as the stranger walked up right next to her, practically pushing her out of the way to stand in front of Amanda.

  The woman was dressed nicely; her outfit almost too fancy for a snowy Tuesday morning at a grocery store. Darcie noted the stranger’s lower legs were covered only by thin tights; the rest of her body was hugged by a tight red dress.

  Definitely not a cold weather outfit.

  “How can I help you?” Amanda addressed the woman with a customer-friend
ly smile.

  “Can you tell me where the cosmetics are? I cannot find anything in this stupid store.”

  Darcie’s eyes widened at the stranger’s rudeness. She quickly schooled her expression when the woman turned her cold eyes to her. They lingered there for a moment, causing an eerie shiver to run down her spine.

  What did I do? Darcie wondered before the snappy woman turned back to Amanda.

  “Of course,” Amanda answered. “Aisle 12. Would you like me to show you?”

  “No, thanks. I can count.” The customer’s stilettos clicked against the tan tile as she walked away.

  Darcie noticed two other women standing to the side. They, too, were dressed in fancy clothing. Both followed their friend, and one shoulder-checked Darcie as she walked past, glaring as if it were her fault.

  Both she and Amanda gaped after them, not believing what just happened.

  “What a bitch,” Amanda muttered, her customer-service leaving when they did.

  Darcie agreed. Though, she might not have used that particular word. “Some people are just rude.”

  “I’ve never seen them before,” Amanda added. “Hopefully they are only passing through town.”

  Darcie didn’t recognize them either, but she’d been gone the past two years. She felt relieved to hear the rude women might not be new residents to the town.

  Brunswick was small and people tended to run into one another frequently, and Darcie’s instincts told her she had no wish to see those women again.

  8

  Darcie stood in the checkout line and silently urged the bagger to pick up his pace. Her morning coffee made it through her system during the shopping trip, and she needed to use the restroom pronto.

  At last, the older man finished. Darcie gave him a tip with a smile and quickly pushed her cart to the wall adjacent the restroom. After confirming one of the return counter’s employees would watch her items, she rushed into the restroom.

  Moments later, she was about to exit the stall when she heard the sound of heels click against the floor. Darcie frowned, pretty sure she knew who the newcomer was. She stepped out and avoided looking around, heading straight to the sinks.

  “There is no way,” she heard the rude woman’s voice over her shoulder. She pushed the soap dispenser and washed her hands while trying to ignore the conversation. “She is practically a child.”

  “There is nothing special about her,” another voice added. Darcie swore she could feel multiple gazes on her back. She continued to scrub her hands.

  “Well, Thane certainly seemed sure of himself.”

  Darcie’s hands stilled after hearing the familiar name. She turned off the water and grabbed a paper towel, lost in thought.

  Maybe the women were a part of Thane’s work. Didn’t he say that’s what brought him to Brunswick?

  “Yes, but Des denies it.” The original haughty voice added. “He would know best would he not?”

  Wanting nothing more than to be out of the tense environment, Darcie threw away the towel and moved to the exit.

  She was stopped by the placement of a tight dress directly into her path. Darcie looked up and tilted her head. “Excuse me.”

  “Oh look, she’s polite.” The rude woman’s friends chuckled in response, but Darcie didn’t find the comment funny in the slightest.

  “Look at her eyes,” one of the other women commented with a hint of awe. She leaned forward and stared at her. “I think I’ve seen those eyes before.”

  The woman in front of Darcie glared at the source of the voice. Clearly, she was not pleased with the woman’s observation.

  The teenager frowned, only wanting to leave the weird situation. “Can I help you with something?”

  The woman returned her attention to her and scowled. “Yes. You can stay away from Des.”

  She blinked. “I don’t even know who that is.”

  The woman continued on as if she didn’t hear her, “There is nothing special about you, no matter what anyone says.” Again, the woman shot a menacing look at one of her companions.

  “Alright. Not special. Got it.” Darcie tried to step around her, but the woman moved in the same direction.

  “Do I know you or something?” she questioned, at a loss for what caused the woman to focus on her.

  “No,” the woman grinned, a glint in her eye. “We have never met.”

  Darcie tried to pass by again, but she was matched step for step. The woman moved towards her, effectively backing her up against the sinks on the wall.

  It wasn’t until that moment that Darcie began to truly panic. There was a calculating look in the woman’s eyes, and it didn’t look good.

  “Evetta…” one of the companions called cautiously. “Don’t. They will banish us.”

  The woman, Evetta, lifted a hand and reached out to stroke Darcie’s hair. She wanted to move–to swat away the manicured fingers, but her limbs refused to respond.

  Darcie’s eyes bulged. She tried to scream, but her voice wouldn’t leave her throat.

  What the hell?

  “I know one who will thank us,” Evetta replied, her hand trailing down Darcie’s face.

  “You really are nothing special,” she whispered, sending another jolt of panic through Darcie’s body.

  Without warning, thin hands wrapped around her throat and squeezed as they deprived her lungs of air.

  Darcie willed her body to move–to fight. To do anything. But she was still as stone.

  Her head swirled as she tried to come up with a plan of escape. She didn’t know what was happening, but she needed to end it. The two companions did not do anything to stop their friend, and the crazed woman before her looked ready to kill.

  Darcie’s mind screamed in panic, and called out for help. She desperately tried to put a voice to the cries. Her oxygen level continued to fall.

  Darcie’s vision began to blur. At that exact moment, but fuzzy image of a man appear.

  Relief coursed through her despite the continuing suffocation.

  Her rescuer wore a tight V-neck, and she watched as he threw another man across the parking lot of the club, cursing him for harming Darcie.

  She lied on asphalt, struggling for breath, as she observed her avenger’s actions. The man turned to her, concern for her written painfully across his handsome face. Darcie’s heart continued to race for an entirely different reason.

  Wait, her brain froze. This isn’t right…

  A loud crack sounded as the bathroom door busted in, bringing Darcie back to reality. The hands abandoned her neck and the girl fell to the floor, gasping for air. She glanced up and could only see the back of a tight dress. Her attacker faced the entrance, blocking the view of whoever entered.

  “Do not be hasty,” Evetta said with blatant fear. “We are doing you a favor–removing the subject of Thane’s incorrect assumptions.”

  No response.

  The woman continued talking with desperation, “You know we are devoted to you and your brothers. You must believe I am doing this for your benefit. I have heard the disagreements regarding the girl. It is a danger to your strength to have discord between you three. The rebellion will use it to their advantage.”

  A faint glow grew around the woman.

  Still struggling for breath, Darcie tried to stand up and see what was happening.

  A quick scream followed by a blinding brightness caused Darcie to fall back down. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. She couldn’t see much, but knew her attacker was no longer standing in front of her.

  “No, please!”

  Darcie’s head turned towards the other two women.

  Both cowered in the corner. Their eyes filled with terror and locked onto something behind Darcie. “We did not harm the girl. Evetta is the only one who touched her.”

  Darcie was about to turn and see what scared them so much when another blinding light formed.

  This time, around the two women. Both of their expressions grew in agony until, with a flas
h, they were gone.

  Darcie let out a small cry. Where did they go?

  Her chest tightened in fear as she finally rolled over and saw the other person in the restroom. She blinked, not believing what she saw.

  Her rescuer was the guy from her hallucination.

  He was real.

  “Are you alright?” he asked, moving closer to her.

  She could only stare.

  “Darcie?”

  He knew her name. Why didn’t she know his?

  “Please answer me. Are you hurt?”

  Seeing his concern brought Darcie out of her own thoughts. She looked down and assessed her body. Her knees stung from when she fell to the ground, and her throat ached from the woman’s hands. Other than that, she felt fine.

  “I’m okay,” she rasped and immediately grimaced. Talking was painful.

  The stranger’s eyes narrowed when he saw her reaction. He walked towards her and knelt down.

  Gently, he grabbed her chin and directed it up. He let out a low hiss. “She strangled you.” Darcie swore she could feel the anger coming off him.

  “I’m okay,” she repeated. Call it instinct, but she knew she needed to reassure him. “Really.”

  “Were there any others?” he asked.

  You mean besides the girls you made disappear into thin air?

  “No,” she answered.

  “Good.” He stood and held out his hand to help her up. “Come.”

  Darcie stared at the open palm, unsure if she should take it. He may have just helped her, but she did not know the man. He was a stranger who knew her name, but she had no knowledge of him. That was enough of a red flag to deter her.

  But why would he save me from the catty women?

  Her mind felt muddled; she didn’t know what to think about anything at the moment. All she knew was the man helped her. She could only hope he didn’t do it with malicious intentions.

  Slowly, Darcie lifted her fingers and placed them in his open hand. She let out a small gasp and her eyes darted to his. Her palm felt ignited with sparks. She went to pull her hand away, but the stranger tightened his hold.