The Prophecy

by Desiree DeOrto

  Rose struggled and tried to remove herself from his grasp. “I like them feisty— why don't you come on over to the— oomph!” Rose fell to the bricked sidewalk as he released her, scrapping her palms and leg from the fall.

  “You are not allowed to touch her, you filthy fucking pig!” I stood behind him, complete rage filling me, pouring out of me. I felt the currents move furiously throughout my body. The darkness seemed to be screaming at me, egging me on and testing for control. For once, I was glad of its presence and wasn't afraid of it. Feeling it reaching out, I focused all of my rage on the drunk.

  He straightened and turned his focus onto me. Good. Rose crawled backwards, fear crossing her face. I wasn't sure if she feared me, or him. At that moment I didn't care.

  He rubbed his back from where I shoved him and let out a snarl as he advanced toward me. I stood my ground, wanting him to come. I was so consumed with the rage and trying to control the currents that were sparking almost painfully along my body that I didn't see his hand fly out until my head snapped back from the force of his slap. “You fucking cunt!” he roared into my face, raising his hand again for another strike.

  Time seemed to stand still. Sounds faded as I felt the ever present rage and darkness build within me to a frightening crescendo. I could feel the change in me, reflecting in my eyes just like they did when I fought with Rose, only this time was different. This time felt more— powerful. I knew without a doubt that my eyes would be glowing an almost liquid silver, so intense was my hatred of that man. My hair started to lift in time with the pulsing currents. I would have freaked out if I was in control of myself, but I wasn't. Darkness held me in its grasp and wasn't letting go.

  I watched in slow motion as the drunks hand moved closer to my face, spittle flying from his lips as he roared. All I heard was silence. Pulse-pulse-pulse. I felt the currents move in an ever increasing rhythm. When his hand was a millimeter from my face, I felt an almost all-consuming freedom as the electric-like currents shot out of my body. The darkness leading the way.

  When the last tendril left, everything moved at its regular pace. I saw the drunks eyes widen as his body flew backwards into a nearby car. The sound of his body smacking into the metal snapped me out of my daze. I watched in horror as the man fell to the ground, blood pooling from his mouth and the back of his head. I looked from his body to the car he was leaning against and saw a perfect indentation of where his body hit.

  My emotions released as the darkness left me. I freaked out, and ran to him, checking for any sign of life. My head snapped around as I heard movement behind me. I stared at Rose a she neared, her hands up in supplication as if trying to pacify a wild animal.

  “It's alright.” She said, her voice shaking.

  “Are you okay?” My, eyes frantically searching over Rose's body, looking for any sign of damage. I was afraid to move toward her, petrified that I had hurt her.

  She knelt down and gently laid her hand on my shoulder. “I'm fine, really, the only thing I have is scratches from hitting the ground when the ass dropped me.” She smiled slightly, nervously. As she peered into my eyes I could see relief seep into her body.

  I ran my hand frantically through my long hair. “I think I might have killed him—” pain and fear filled my words, my soul.

  She leaned past me and checked for the drunks vital signs. The last of the tension left her as she felt a small, steady pulse. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders, pulling my shocked body into the comfort of her own. “He's fine, just knocked out. He might have a concussion, but the fucking ass deserved it.”

  I looked into Rose's warm, green eyes and broke down sobbing. “I don't know what happened! What am I?”

  “Hell, as far as I'm concerned, you're my hero.”

  I looked up at Rose and stared in disbelief. “How in the hell am I a hero? Didn't you see what I just did?”

  She smiled softly and patted me gently on my head. “Yeah, I did. You just saved me from possibly being raped by that drunk asshole. And who knows? Maybe you saved other girls too. C'mon, let’s go back to my place. You can spend the night there, and if you promise not to snore, then I promise not to kick you out of bed in the middle of the night.”

  I looked at the man still crumpled before me. “But what about him? We just can't leave him here.”

  “Well, the hardware store won't be open until the morning, so I don't know where we could stash him until we can buy the cement and rope.”

  “That's not funny, Rose.”

  She laughed and reached down to pull me up. “You'll be laughing about it later. For now, why don't you go wait while I run in, and tell someone that he's out here.”

  I nodded as the shock started to wear off, leaving uncontrollable tremors racking my body. Rose quickly went inside to relay the message. I was unable to look away from him. I replayed over and over again his body as it impacted and crumpled to the ground. While I stood there, motionless. Emotionally barren. I began to fear myself and what I could unknowingly do to people. “I'll never be able to laugh about this—” I whispered as silent tears ran unnoticed down my face.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I woke up with a jolt. I sat up and stared at the unfamiliar surroundings. It took me a moment to remember where I was. Rose's sleepy mumblings only concurred the fact that I was at Rose's apartment. I looked over and watched as Rose pulled a pillow over her head and buried herself further into the covers.

  I rose quietly and tried not to wake her as I tiptoed to the door where my shoes lay. I picked them up and grabbed my car keys and phone off of the side table. I crept to the bedroom door, opened it, and silently shut it behind me. I breathed out a sigh of relief as I made my way down the hallway to the living room. I screeched when I felt a hand lightly tap on my shoulder. I turned around quickly and put my hand over my racing heart as I looked into the familiar eyes of Mary Beth.

  “Holy crap, you scared me!”

  She frowned slightly and made a tsking noise. “Language, dearie. I know it wasn't that bad, but still, you're a lady and should speak as one.” She motioned for me to follow her as she made her way to the kitchen. She stood in front of the refrigerator and started pulling out eggs, shredded cheese, and chunks of ham. She placed them on the kitchen isle, and grabbed a spatula, gesturing for me to sit. “Go on, have a seat while I whip us up some breakfast.”

  I looked longingly at the door. “I really should be going home, my parents—”

  “I called your mother last night after you two got home, making sure they knew where you were. I was surprised when I found out that your mother and father didn't even know that you ever made it home.” She threw a disapproving look over her shoulder and slid a cup of coffee my way.

  I sat wearily onto the isle's bar stool. “Thanks.” I said, nodding to the cup of coffee. “I know. I went home and heard them talking—”

  “I know that as well, which is why I'm not raising hell with you right now. Your mother realized it too once she had a chance to calm down.”

  “Oh.” I relaxed, letting the stress fade from my body.

  “That doesn't mean I'll make this any easier on you though.”

  I looked up and met Mary Beth's gaze. “Look, I'm sorry. I just—”

  “I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, Starlette, and you know it. You're going to eat, then go home and talk to your parents. Even though you spent the night here I know they're still worried.”

  I nodded and started to trace patterns on the isle's marble top, refusing to meet Mary Beth's gaze. She turned back to the stove, poured the egg mix into the hot skillet and waited for the omelet to cook.

  Some zombie like moaning coming from the hallway. I turned around to see a very bedraggled Rose making her way to us. Her short hair was sticking up every which way, half of it plastered to the side of her head. Her Rainbow Bright pajamas were back, but hung crookedly from her body. She looked like a pissed off peacock.

  “Morning sunshine!” I said cheer
fully, laughing when Rose flipped me off. “Well aren't you all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning.”

  “Uuung.” A smiling Mary Beth walked over and gave Rose a quick kiss on the top of her head while handing her a cup of coffee.

  “Morning, love.” She said while eying her daughter’s appearance. “Did you sleep all right, dearie?”

  She downed half the coffee before sending a glare my way. “No, someone is a freaking bed hog.”

  I grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, forgot to tell you about that last night.”

  “Just remind me next time to get the cot out of the attic. That way when you get the urge to go all sumo wrestler in your sleep, you can just fall onto the floor instead of shoving me out of the bed.”

  “Deal.” I replied, clinking my cup of coffee against hers.

  Mary Beth looked between the two of us and bestowed a beautiful smile upon us. We grinned in return while the heavenly scent of omelets permeated the air.

  “So, what’s on the menu for today? Should I expect any more fun like last night?” Rose asked sarcastically.

  I tensed and sent a sideways look toward Mary Beth. Not seeing any obvious interest coming from her, I turned back to Rose. “No, nothing like last night. I don't think I could handle any more of that.” I whispered.

  She rolled her eyes and looked at me. “It wasn't that bad. We did have some fun before all the shit hit the fan. And why are we whispering? Are we going all secret ninja about your ‘incidents’?”

  “Dude! Your mom is right there!” I hissed, nodding my head toward Mary Beth who was busy dividing the omelet onto plates.

  She smirked and nudged me in the ribs. I didn't think it was funny. “Just watch,” she whispered. “Hey Mom!” she practically shouted. Mary Beth jumped and whipped around, nearly dropping one of the plates.

  “Holy Mother, Rose! You know better than to shout when I'm distracted.”

  “Sorry, just wanted to see if you had anything planned for me to do today.”

  “Nothing that I can remember this moment. You go on out and have fun. I'll call you if I need anything.”

  “Okay, thanks Mom.”

  “You're welcome.” She replied distractedly, already focused on the task in front of her.

  Rose leaned closer to me. “See? There's no need to whisper when mom's busy. She completely zones out when she has something to focus on. Took me twenty minutes once to get her attention when she was re-arranging a shelf.”

  We looked up as Mary Beth set the plates in front of them. “Now, make sure you do the dishes after you girls are done. I have to run down to the shop and work on some paperwork. Oh, and make sure you lock the door behind you when you leave, Rose.” With a distracted wave she left, leaving us to stare after her.

  “I seriously don't want to go home.”

  “It can't be that bad.” I followed her to her room so she could get dressed. I was going to miss those pajamas.

  I sat on the edge of the bed and ran my fingers roughly through my hair while Rose sorted through her over flowing closet. I laid back with a sigh and looked up at the ceiling. “They think I'm going insane.”

  Rose paused and looked over her shoulder at me. “Who? Your parents?”

  I nodded and turned over onto my side, propping my head up with my hand. “Yeah, I overheard them talking yesterday. It's why I came over here. I didn't want to be at home with them after that.”

  She frowned and sat Indian style on the floor. “What did they say?”

  I thought for a moment, distracting myself by picking small bundles of lint from her comforter. I knew how much it took Rose to talk about her Dad. Knew that I should return that trust, but I couldn't. The past year of hiding everything and lying had become too natural. I couldn't open up to her. Not yet. I shook my head. “Just, never mind.” I got up and walked to the door, pausing to look back at Rose. “I'll talk to you later.”

  ******

  I sat in my car as my parents words played over and over in my mind. My rage was almost non-existent after the huge 'incident'. My parents were right when they said that there's always a break after each one. I always felt more like myself afterward, more in control. But it always starts back up again, leaving me feeling lost in the myriad of tumulus emotions. That was almost worse than dealing with the constant darkness. I shook my head to clear the heavy thoughts away and got out of the car to walk inside.

  My parents rushed into the entryway as I opened the door. They ran to my side and pulled me into a tight embrace. I allowed a moment to take in their comfort and sank into the warmth and familiar scent they offered. I pulled myself back together and grudgingly stepped out of their arms.

  I stepped back from them and looked into their eyes, searching for the blame and fear I'd come to believe would be there. After the previous nights 'incident' I really couldn't blame them if they feared me. My eyes welled with tears and I held back a sob. I saw nothing but worry and love shining from them.

  “Why in the world did you disappear like that?” Mom half yelled, her relief quickly being replace with anger. I looked away from them and remained silent. I refused to bring up the fact that I spied on them.

  “I'm sorry.” The flood of tears being held back made my voice husky. I moved back as Mom tried to hug me again and flinched at the flash of pain in her eyes. She backed off and moved to Dads side.

  He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her protectively to his side. “Yeah, well sorry doesn't fix anything.”

  “Look, I wasn't anywhere dangerous of doing anything wrong.” The taste of the lie soured my mouth.

  “That doesn't matter, you shouldn't have just disappeared like that! Do you know how worried we were? If it wasn't for Mary Beth calling and letting us know you were spending the night with Rose we would have called the cops!”

  “Actually, you can't do that until the person in question is missing for twenty-four hours—”

  “Enough! I've had enough of your switching temperaments and sarcastic attitude!” his face flushed with his bursting anger.

  “Paul, that's enough.”

  “No, it’s not enough! We've been babying her, and look at where it's gotten us! I've had enough of this!” he stepped away from her and stalked toward me. I'd never seen him that angry before. I stepped back as he advanced, fear flashing through me. He grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and looked menacingly into my eyes. “You will straighten up, or you will leave.”

  Tears streamed down my face as my control broke. I couldn't deal with this anymore. It was all too much. “Daddy, I didn't mean to—”

  “You never mean to! You say the same damn thing time and time again! Stop acting like a baby and take responsibility for your actions!” he spat into my face, shaking me lightly at the shoulders.

  I stiffened, feeling the anger slowly start to return. No. Not again, not so soon. My tears dried up, the building rage replacing all other emotions. “Let go of me.”

  He released me and backed away. Mom tried to pass him to reach me, but he stopped her progress, pushing her slightly behind him.

  “Baby girl—” she began pleadingly. “Please, just tell us what we can do to help you— we just want you back.” Tears streamed from her beautiful jewel like eyes as she held her hand out to me, silently begging, beseeching me to let them in.

  I stepped away from them and slowly shook my head. “I've told you. A thousand times over, I've told you. But you refuse to listen. You don't want to believe.” I ran my hands viciously through my hair, trying to keep rein over my rising anger. The darkness pulsed in time with my racing heartbeat, electricity sparking across my skin.

  “Star, please—”

  “No! You say you want to help but all you do is condemn me! I don't know what's happening to me! How many times do I have to keep telling you that?” I gestured wildly as I felt the darkness flare within me. I shook my hands, trying to get rid of the excess energy coursing through me. I was becoming desperate. I didn't want to hurt them, coul
d never hurt them regardless of how much they've hurt me.

  “How can we help you? Just tell us and we'll do it!” she cried out. I saw the truth within her eyes. She wanted, needed to fix everything. To have it all go away. But she couldn't. No one could.

  “You can't help me! No amount of talking or punishing me is going to make anything change! You think I'm the only one who's changing?” A bitter laugh burst free as I felt more and more of myself become consumed by the darkness. Almost drowning out my inner voice that was crying out in panic.

  “When did you both turn on me? For fucks sake, you're my parents! But all you've done is try to get me medicated, thinking I'm losing my mind, having me believe it! You automatically think anything that happens is because I want it to!” I couldn’t throw in their face that I didn’t cause things to happen. After the blaring truth last night, I couldn’t deny it anymore. “When did you both turn from loving and trusting me to condemning and fearing me?” I looked at their stunned faces and felt my control wavering, on the breaking point. “You can't even deny it, can you?” Scoffing, I quickly moved past them, fleeing to my room, my sanctuary. The haunted look on my parent’s faces followed me, adding to all the images that forever haunted my mind.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I fell asleep curled in my wicker chair. I opened my bleary eyes as my phone vibrated in my pocket. I dug clumsily for my phone, not gauging the edge of the chair correctly. I landed on the floor with a startled 'oomph' as I fell out of the chair, my phone skidding across the fool. I grabbed it and answered with a hurried, “Hello?”

  “Star! Where the hell are you? You were supposed to start shift twenty minutes ago!” Rose's annoyed voice came through the speaker. I held the phone away from my face and looked at the time.

  “Shit! I'm so sorry! I got into a fight with my parents last night and completely forgot about setting my alarm for work.” I jumped up off the floor and hurried around, trying to find a clean uniform.