The Nysian Prophecy

by M. K. Dawn

  God, I feel like such a freak. Most girls my age dream about boys. The worst nightmare they ever have is about a boy not liking them back. No, not me. I get the ‘everyone around me dies’ nightmare. The only peace I feel is when the pair of green eyes look down on me. I get lost in them, feel safe with them, but in the end, I'm always dragged away from them.

  Frustrated, and in desperate need of company, I fight the urge to run down the hall and wake up my best friend Gina. I need someone to talk to, and she’s the only one who makes me feel normal. But it’s early, and even though she wouldn’t mind, I decide against it. Breakfast is not until eight, and no one in their right mind would be awake at this ungodly hour during summer break.

  I lie back down, this time on top of my covers, still naked, still sticky, and wishing I would drift off into a peaceful sleep but know it’s never going to happen. As soon as I close my eyes I’m that little girl again, standing in the middle of the road, death all around me.

  “Ugh.” Not ready to relive that nightmare again, I get out of bed and wrap myself in my fuzzy pink robe, trying to warm up from the sudden chill that has taken over my body. My heart races, and the sudden need to escape the confines of my room hits. Slipping on my flip-flops, and grabbing my shower stuff, I head off to the communal bathroom.

  Though I share the bathroom with twenty-five other girls, at this time of day during the summer, I’m almost guaranteed to have it all to myself. The hallway is dark and quiet. I push open the large wooden door, and head towards the back where the showers are. Like the rest of this place, the bathroom is majestic, complete with marble walls and high ceilings. Being a senior and moving to the top floor of this place definitely has its advantages. The only thing missing is a claw tub. What I wouldn’t give to be able to soak away my troubles in a tub full of steaming water, and lavender bubbles.

  With no one waiting, I take my time in the shower, letting the scorching hot water, and lavender body wash engulf me. The intense emotions from the night melt away, and my aching muscles relax. Even though the nightmare still replays in my head, there is no emotion attached.

  The bathroom door opens as several giggly girls come inside. It must be the running crowd. Those are the girls who, for some unknown reason, get up before the sun rises every morning, come hell or high water, and go for a run. Like I said, no one in their right mind would be up this early, only the crazy girl with nightmares, and the freaking runners. I shut off the water and towel off. Wrapping my robe tightly around my body, I grab my stuff, and head for the door, giving the runners a quick smile as I pass by.

  Back in my room, I rummage through my dresser for my black yoga pants, and a tank top. Once dressed, I towel-dry my hair as best I can then pull it into a messy high ponytail.

  There are five floors of this school, or plantation, as the students like to call it. The first floor is home to all classrooms, the dining room, and the administration offices; which includes the therapy rooms, and staff housing. Floors two through five are for dorm rooms, each floor housing a separate grade. Seniors get the privilege of living on the top floor. High ceilings, a large common area, and huge bathrooms are just a few of the advantages.

  Most seniors would agree the best part of the fifth floor is no dorm mother which “helps prepare us for when we leave the confines of the school and move out into the real world.” For Gina, I, and the rest of the senior class, that happens to be one week from now, two days after my nineteenth birthday.

  As ready as I am to be free of my childhood, there is something scary about leaving the only home I have ever known. Gina has a huge two-bedroom, two-bathroom loft downtown, and asked me to live with her. All I would be responsible for are the utilities. As tempting as her offer is, something deep inside has kept me from saying yes, though this hasn’t stopped Gina from dragging me all around town the past few months and including me on all the decorating decisions. It’s like she knows that I will give in, which I probably will, since I haven’t found anything else close to my price range.

  I take the stairs to the first floor, turn left when I reach the bottom, and walk past the front entrance. With its huge double entry doors, and floor to ceiling windows, it really does look like the entrance to a plantation house. As I take a moment to admire its beauty, something catches my eye. An old beat-up car sits in front of the school, which is unusual since security is very tight around this place. I can sort of make out a shape in the car, a very large shape. For some odd reason, I’m drawn to it, like I need to take a closer look. I start towards the window but stop when I hear someone calling my name.

  I turn to see Dean Meel staring at me like I have lost my mind. “You okay, Alaina?”

  “Yeah, I was just looking outside,” I point out front, at the car that is no longer there.

  “Alaina?” she says. “Are you sure everything is okay?”

  “At that…” I know what I saw, but for some reason, it seems silly to get worked up about a car. “That tree out there. You know, the big one? I thought I saw a bird, maybe a bluebird or a blue jay. I'm not sure what the difference is. But I was just going to take a closer look.” Yeah, now I sound less crazy. It takes a minute, but Dean Meel smiles, though I'm sure she buys it.

  “Well, gotta go meet Gina for breakfast before my last session with Dr. Siple. Have a good day, Dean.”

  “You too, hon.” I head for the dining hall but chance a quick glance back. Dean Meel is staring out the window, not at the tree, but at the place where the car was parked. She reaches for her phone, makes a quick call, and smiles. Maybe it’s just a coincidence. She was probably planning on making that call. Still, I can’t shake the feeling there is something more going on.

  “Alaina!” My name is screamed across the cafeteria. I can’t believe my eyes. Gina is sitting at the table with her roommate, Mandy, food in front of her, staring at me as if I'm late. It may be after eight, but Gina is never here this early during the summer. Most days she is at the window of the kitchen, begging for leftovers.

  “Good morning, girls.” I plop myself in the seat next to Gina who glares. Oh, God, she’s in a mood. Which is normal, but as her best friend, I’m usually immune.

  She enrolled in New Ridge a few months after I fell asleep in class one day and had a nightmare. It was a dark time. Once again, I had been labeled an outcast. No one would sit next to me in class. People moved out of my way when I walked down the hall. I was about to make a run for it when Gina showed up. She was an up-and-coming actress, who had just landed a starring role in a new B-list movie. Her mother, an A-list actress, came home early one night from a film shoot and found Gina getting high with her boyfriend, naked. She freaked out and sent Gina to New Ridge. Her story was all over the tabloids, and TV. Needless to say, I wasn’t the one everyone was talking about anymore. Having a famous person show up with a drug problem was bigger gossip than the crazy orphan with nightmares. She was assigned to be my roommate since everyone else had refused.

  The first night we sat up talking and giggling about our family, or lack thereof in my case, and anything else we could think of. We were just two fourteen-year-old girls at a slumber party. On the third night, I had another nightmare. She tried to wake me, but I fought her, and ended up hitting her so hard I broke her nose. I’d felt horrible, and apologized over and over, so afraid she was going to hate me. But she forgave me, as she had been trying to convince her mom she needed a nose job anyway. We ended up becoming best friends, though she refused to share a room with me.

  I smile at the memory, but it quickly turns into a frown when I notice she is still glaring at me. “What, is there something on my face?” She’s acting strange - stranger than usual. She sits and stares, without a word. I glance at Mandy, who shrugs and continues eating. “Gina, what the hell is the matter with you?”

  “How dare you!” she says, loud enough that the girls at the table behind us turn.

  I blush, confused at her hostility. “What?”

  Gina has a temper,
but it has never been directed at me. “Am I not your best friend?” she bellows, hands flying everywhere. “Have I not been with you through thick and thin? Kept all your secrets? And now, when it matters the most, you’re holding out on me?” She’s being dramatic - another bad sign.

  “Gina, what the hell are you talking about?”

  “The guy! From the bar! The totally hot guy with the blue eyes! Ring any bells?”

  Of course, this is about a guy. When is it not about a guy? Now I'm the one pissed. She’s causing a scene about something I don't even know about. It’s times like these that make being her best friend a real challenge.

  My shoulders slump as my head falls forward, and I count to ten. Once I get my annoyance under control, I look up at her. “Oh my God, Gina. I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t know a guy with blue eyes.”

  Her anger fades. “Sorry. I get a little excited when our sweet little Alaina has a suitor call on her.” Southern accent. “He came in looking for you last night. I thought you had met a guy and didn't bother to tell me.”

  I fight the urge to roll my eyes. It’s exhausting being friends with an actress. “Do you really think I would meet a guy and not tell you?” Then it hits me. A strange, though apparently, hot guy knows where I work. “Wait a minute, what guy? Why would a guy I don’t know be asking for me?”

  “Oh, my God! It was so crazy. Last night I was cleaning up the bar when this totally hot guy walked in. He totally caught my attention.” Once she starts to tell a story, especially about a hot guy, she turns into a valley girl wannabe which includes words like, ‘totally’ and combinations such as ‘like totally’. And she rambles, jumping from one thought to another. “Of course, we were closed. The sign had totally been turned off for like twenty minutes, so I was totally surprised when he walked in. But when I saw him, I was like wow, this guy is so freaking hot! He had a tight baby blue shirt on that showed off his muscular body. But not like a bodybuilder body, like, I don’t know, just like he is really into healthy shit. And those baby blue eyes really stood out against his jet-black hair. Oh, did I mention his jeans? The jeans he wore made his ass look amazing. I swear I could have had an orgasm just looking at him.”

  “Gina,” I interrupt. “Can you please just get to the part when he asked about me?”

  “Fine,” she huffs. “So, I walked up to him to tell him we were closed, and maybe do a little flirting, I mean, I was about to leave work anyway so I could have totally hung out or something. But he barely looked at me! I mean, come on, seriously?” This time, I can’t help but roll my eyes. She doesn’t seem to notice. “He was looking around the bar, so I asked him if I could help him with something. He asked me if you were working tonight. When I told him you were off, he seemed annoyed, and then walked out.”

  “Weird.” I can’t think of anything else to say. Why would a guy I don’t know be looking for me? And know where I work? And know my name? Then my thoughts jump to the car outside the school.

  “Alaina… Alaina. Are you listening to me?” I look up to see Gina and Mandy staring at me.

  “Sorry, I must have zoned out for a minute. What were you saying?”

  “I was saying that after he left, I figured out who he is, sort of. He was at the bar when we went out last Saturday. We walked right past him when we left. Remember? Maybe he will show up again tonight and ask you out! Maybe it’s like one of those smutty romantic books you like to read. A handsome guy, watching the girl of his dreams from afar, working up the nerve to go and meet her.” Gina has always been a hopeless romantic. Again, I chaulk that up to being surrounded by movie stars her whole life. Her view of reality has always been somewhat off.

  “Yeah, I don’t know. He sounds more like a crazy stalker to me.”

  “Ugh, don’t be so dramatic. He’s too cute to be dangerous.”

  “Did you happen to see what he was driving?”

  “Nope, sorry, but I'm sure it was something smoking hot.”

  The thought of some guy asking about me sends chills down my spine. Something feels very off about this. My stomach growls and I’m suddenly aware that I haven’t eaten, and I'm running out of time if I'm going to make my appointment at nine. Without a word, I get in the food line and load my plate with eggs, bacon, and whole wheat toast with peach jelly on top. I stop off at the coffee bar (yes, a school with a coffee bar; heaven, I know) and get a large vanilla cappuccino with extra whipped cream.

  Back at our table, Gina is still rambling on about the guy with blue eyes; retelling the story to some of the other girls that have made their way down to breakfast. I eat without tasting any of it, lost in thought about the guy and the car.

  “What do you think, Alaina?” Gina asks tearing me away from thoughts.

  “Huh?” I glance at the clock on the wall. Eight-fifty-five. “Shit. Got to go, appointment with Siple at nine. If I'm late again, he is going to have a coronary.” I throw my garbage away but keep my cappuccino, and head towards the door. Normally I would drag my feet before an appointment with the shrink, but the current conversation has me unnerved, and I have no desire to listen to Gina rehash it over and over.

  “Don’t forget, we’re going shopping for the apartment this afternoon before our shift starts. Be ready to go at noon!” Gina yells.

  I give her a wave and head out the door. Our shift doesn’t start until six. It’s going to be a long afternoon. Not that I mind shopping, I love it. And since my school is paid for, all my tips go to filling my closet with the latest style in clothes, shoes, and jewelry. But shopping with Gina for her apartment is exhausting. Getting her to make a decision is almost impossible. I mentally make a note to take a nap after therapy.

  Chapter Two

  Brady

  Six-thirty in the morning and close to one hundred degrees out. How is it so damn hot already? And of course, the A/C doesn't work. “Piece of shit car, cool the hell off.” I bang on the dashboard in hopes that beating it might bring it back to life. At the very least, it helps alleviate some of the tension that has been building up in me these past few days.

  “Fuck it.” I give up and roll down the windows. Maybe I’ll get lucky and the wind will pick up.

  I grab my phone, push one of the two numbers programmed in the contacts, and wait for Siple to answer. Today’s the day. The moon will be full, which means this is the last night I have left to talk to Alaina, and convince her to come back with me.

  After several rings, Simple picks up, his voice heavy with sleep. “Hello?”

  “She wasn’t at work last night.”

  He sighs.

  “She was supposed to be there, working the late shift, but that little runt of a man running the place was wrong… again. I should kick myself for listening to him. He wasn’t right the first five times I asked him, did I really think this time would be any different? I should have just demanded to see the fucking schedule, though looking at his office, that thing is probably wrong too. The smoke coming out of there should have been my second clue that he has no fucking idea what is going on.” Too bad human drugs have no effect on Nysians. I could have used a little something to calm my nerves.

  “Okay,” Siple mutters, “let me see if I can find out her schedule today and call you back.” He hangs up without another word.

  Gods, I hope he gets back to me soon. A month has gone by, and I’m no closer to completing my mission than I was the first day I arrived. Now I’m forced to sit out here in front of her school in this piece of shit car, waiting for her to leave.

  As the leader of the Kardia Warriors, I was sent here to tell her the truth about her past, and bring her home. Easier said than done.

  By way of her orb, and the information from our informants, Eric and Ordin have kept track of her for the past seven years, so finding her wasn't the problem. Making contact has been a whole other story.

  The first day I arrived, I found her strolling through the mall with a seriously gorgeous blonde. A blonde whom I wanted to pic
k up and take home, if not for her being with the sole reason I was sent here. That, and the no-fraternizing-while-on-assignment rule.

  I should have just gone up to Alaina then and laid it all out there, but rule number one while in the human realm is to be discrete. Only Alaina is to know why I’m here. I tried waiting for the chance to catch her alone. The problem I discovered very early on, is that she is never alone. For the first couple of weeks, I followed her around town, but was never able to get close to her. I kept watch, made sure she was not in any danger, and waited for the right moment.

  Then a week ago, I figured I had waited long enough. She was never going to be alone. Time was running out, so when she and her friends ended up at a nightclub, I figured the best way to talk to her was just to go up to her and act like I was hitting on her. I would flirt, and then when she started to trust me, I would get her alone and tell her the truth.

  But, when I stood up to make my move, a fucking frat boy beat me to it. I was beyond pissed. My first thought was to go up to the guy and beat the living shit out of him, but that would probably break rule number one - discretion. So, I sat back down and watched, thinking Alaina was smarter than to fall for a guy like that. An hour went by, then two, and he was still at her table. I have to hand it to him; he was a persistent little shit. I thought for sure she would throw him some hints to move along and find some other girl to annoy the rest of the night. She was obviously too nice to tell him to go to hell. He talked to her, made her laugh. For anyone who didn't know her, it would seem she was having a good time talking to this douche. But after watching her for the past few weeks, I could tell that she was just being polite. Her smile never did quite meet her eyes. When he wasn’t looking, she would glance at her phone, checking the time or her messages.