The Nysian Prophecy

by M. K. Dawn

  “I see.” She doesn’t push the issue. “Alaina, please remember, you can tell me anything, no matter how crazy you think it sounds. I will understand, more than you know.”

  I consider telling her all of it, my encounter with Brady, the headaches, the crazy Renaissance guy, but think better of it.

  “Thank you, Dean. That means a lot to me. Maybe we can talk tomorrow. My headache is getting worse, and I really want to go lie down before my shift tonight.”

  Without warning, she grabs me, drawing me into a hug. Then, just a quickly, she releases me, and cups my face in the same way Siple did earlier. “Please know that I’m so proud of you, and it has been a great honor to have been the one chosen to watch over you the past four years. You have grown up to be a strong, beautiful woman, not just on the outside, but within. You have an amazing gift, and with that, comes an enormous amount of power. Power that others will want to oppress. Trust in yourself, and let your instincts be your guide. They will not steer you wrong.” After a quick kiss on the forehead, she turns, and hurries away.

  Unsure of what to make of that, I stumble in a daze towards my room. Once there, I set the alarm on my phone to wake me up an hour before my shift starts. With any luck, my nightmares will stay away.

  Of course, luck has never been on my side.

  “Come on, Alaina, it’s starting,” the boy with green eyes yells from outside my window.

  “Mom, is it okay if I go?”

  “Of course, child. Stay with Eric and don’t talk to strangers. Be home before the sun sets,” she says, kissing me lightly on the forehead.

  “Yes, I promise.” I kiss her back on the cheek and run out the door to meet Eric. He is pacing back and forth, obviously ready to go. I'm barely outside when he grabs my hand and pulls me towards the castle.

  “Are they really going to pick the future warriors today?” I ask Eric.

  “I have told you a hundred times, yes,” Eric says, losing patience with his nine-year-old friend.

  “I hope the boy with blue eyes makes it. He is so brave and strong. One day I think I’m going to marry him.”

  Eric rolls his eyes. “That’s stupid. Why would he want to marry you? You are just a child. He is thirteen, four years older than you. Once you are at the age to be married, he will have already found someone that he loves.”

  “No, I think he will wait for me,” I tell him.

  We reach the arena, and Eric pulls me to the box that is reserved for the king’s personal prophesier and the ones that work under him. We take our seats as the games begin.

  The boy with the blue eyes is the only one I notice. He fights so bravely. At one point, he is hit along his forehead, drawing a stream of blood. I cry out, but the boy with blue eyes gets up and continues to fight. He fights until he is the last one standing.

  The beeping starts during the crowning ceremony. I look around and can’t figure out where it’s coming from. No one else seems to notice, but it keeps getting louder and louder. I can’t stand it anymore. I cover my ears and close my eyes tightly, wishing it would stop. Unable to take it anymore, I scream. The boy with the blue eyes looks up at me, and then the arena fades away.

  “Ugh, stupid phone!” I turn off the alarm and check the time. Ten missed calls, all from Gina. Then I see the time. “Oh, shit!” Five-forty-five stares me in the face. I throw my feet out of bed and search for my uniform. It takes me a good two minutes to remember that I left it in Gina’s car, since I was supposed to go to work right after the mall. Not wanting to show up at work with the outfit I wore to the mall, I grab the closest clothes I can find, yoga pants and a tank top, then head out the door. Fortunately, the bar is only a ten-minute walk. If I run, I can be there in eight. Maybe, if I got up early with the runners, I could make it in five, but I seriously doubt that’s ever going to happen.

  I manage to get out of the door without anyone stopping me. As soon as I head out the gate, I pause, remembering what happened after the tram ride home from the mall. The road looks empty, but it also seemed that way earlier, which didn't end up being the case. I look at my phone, it’s six already. “Screw it.”

  As I start down the dirt road, every sound makes me jump. What starts off as a brisk walk turns into a full-fledged sprint. I run as fast as I can down to the main road. Once I get there I stop to bend over, gasping for air. People pass, staring at me like I have lost my mind, which I think I might have. Once I compose myself, I walk down Main towards the bar. I'm late, but hopefully, Shag, my boss, won’t notice. I pass the little diner and cross the street. For some reason, I get a strange urge to turn back and go in. I fight it, but can’t help but glance back, feeling like something is there, waiting for me. The glare of the sun off the windows is blinding, making it impossible to see anything, but I swear someone is watching me. I shake off the feeling and walk towards the employee/delivery entrance of the bar.

  Chapter Six

  Brady

  I should have followed Alaina as soon as she went back into the mall, but my stupid pride got the best of me. She was pissed, thinking I was a nut-job stalker. I was pissed because she thought I was a liar. We warriors are a proud, honorable breed. The lack of trust was a slap in the face. Not that he blamed her. She grew up with humans and does not know who she is or where she came from. Of course, that doesn’t stop me from sulking and licking the wound she’s inflicted.

  So, I let her walk away, figured she would go back to her friends, and then shop with Gina like she had planned earlier. I would give her some time to cool off and put enough distance between us, so when I started tailing her, she wouldn’t know it. But after a fifteen-minute cooling off period, I spot Gina and the other girls, minus Alaina.

  “Fuck,” I mumble. Now I’m faced with a dilemma. Go ask Gina where Alaina is, hoping that she hasn’t told her that I’m a crazy stalker, or wait for her at the bar and pray she shows up for her shift? Talking to Gina seems like an unnecessary risk and more of a headache than it’s worth. Waiting for her at the bar seems like the more discreet choice.

  “Brady! Hey, you looking for Alaina?” Gina asks. When did she come over? I must be losing my touch. Nobody is ever able to sneak up on me. The damn girl has become nothing but a distraction. I open my mouth to answer but she continues, “Well, she went home. She has been getting these really bad migraines lately and it helps when she sleeps them off.”

  My eyes narrow.

  “But don’t worry, she’s still coming to work tonight. OMG… I have a great idea! Why don’t I call her and see if she wants to meet you for dinner at the diner across from the bar? That will give you a chance to talk before her shift.”

  Before I can answer, Gina pulls out her phone and makes the call. “That’s weird, she didn't answer. Maybe she turned off her ringer so she could sleep. No worries. I will get ahold of her. You just be at the diner across the bar at five and I will make sure Alaina is there.”

  “Yeah, sure. How do you know she will meet me there?”

  “I'm going to tell her she is meeting me.” She winks. “Five o’clock. Don't be late.”

  “Got it.”

  She smiles, then leaves me standing alone as she goes back to join her friends.

  If Gina can get Alaina to come to the diner, I have about four hours left to kill. I might as well go back to my apartment and pack up the few items I brought with me. Seeing how the day has gone, and Alaina’s reaction to what I told her, she wasn’t going to come along with me willingly. I hope she brings a change of clothes with her to work, we aren’t going to have time to pack. Don’t think she will like walking around in the woods, wearing her skimpy work uniform.

  The mental image flashes in my head. On second thought, I hope she doesn’t.

  I take my time walking to my apartment. It takes all of ten minutes to pack what little clothes I have scattered around, leaving me about three hours before I have to be at the diner to meet Alaina. I wander about in the apartment, trying to find things to occupy my time, as I w
ait for five o’clock to roll around. I turn the TV on and turn it off. I walk around the apartment again, checking to make sure I'm not forgetting anything, and then I check again twenty minutes later.

  I pick up a random book left there by another warrior who stayed here before me and flip through the first few pages. Romance novel. Cheesy men, saying cheesy things, and getting stupid women to fall for it. This is why men and women have so many relationship problems. Women expect men to say romantic one-liners and sweep them off their feet. Men, on the other hand, are rude, disgusting, and pig-headed. When it comes to women, we can only think of one thing. When we express that one thing, it comes out in our usual rude, disgusting, pig-headed way. Then women get mad because we don't talk to them like the men in the romance novels that are, by the way, usually written by women! We can’t win. The only redeeming quality these types of books have are the sex scenes. And women think men are perverse. My Gods, some of these scenes could make a grown man blush.

  The rest of the afternoon I laze around the apartment. When four p.m. comes around, I grab my bag and head out the door, unable to wait any longer. Something feels off, it has ever since I let Alania walk away from me at the mall, but I just can’t put my finger on it. After locking up, I hide the house key in the small decorative turtle in front of the door, so that it can be used by the next person who comes into this realm on official business. The diner is not far and it’s a nice day, so I decide to walk, hoping to kill some time. The tram is a nice convenience that we do not have in Nysa, but walking frees my mind and relaxes me, and with the task at hand, I need all the relaxation I can get. With a bit of luck, Gina managed to convince Alaina to meet me for dinner. There is so much I need to make her understand, and only a few hours left to do it.

  Even walking as slow as I can, it takes me only twenty minutes to get to the diner. Instead of my usual counter seat, I grab a booth next to the window where I can see the front door and watch the street.

  An older waitress, one I’ve never seen before, comes up to the table and hands me a menu. “Get you something to drink, hon?” she asks with a southern drawl.

  “Just water right now, thanks.”

  She plasters on a fake smile and walks back to the kitchen, undoubtedly pissed that I’ve taken up her table to ask for a glass of water.

  A few minutes later, she comes back with my water, pulls out her order form and clicks her tongue. “Whatcha having?”

  “Nothing now.”

  Her cheeks burn as she taps her pencil on the form.

  To deflate the situation, I add, “I'm waiting for someone, a girl. We are being set up on a blind date.”

  She raises one of her finely penciled eyebrows. Seems like this has piqued her interest.

  “I don’t want to order without her. She should be here at five, I just wanted to get here early and pick out the best table. You know, make a good first impression.”

  She leans over and pinches my cheek. “How sweet are you! You just sit here as long as you want. This girl must be pretty special for you to go to so much trouble. I hope it all works out. Let me know if you need anything. How about a sweet iced tea?”

  “Thank you, that would nice.”

  She walks away and quickly brings back my iced tea. I sit there and pretend to read over the menu. Then I get up, grab a paper, and pretend to read that for a while too. I sit there and watch as the clock ticks past five, then five thirty, then five forty-five.

  Finally, at six, the waitress comes back. “You okay, honey? Some people just got no class. If she can’t bother to meet you here, then she ain’t worth it. You’ll find a nice girl one day who will appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

  “Thanks.” I smile at her as she turns around and heads back to the kitchen.

  I know what I have to do and it’s not going to be pretty. I throw a hundred on the table and head for the door. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, I see Alaina walking across the street. She stops and looks back at the diner, shading her eyes against the glare. There is no way she can see me, not with the sun beaming off the windows, so why did she look back? Did she know I was going to be here? Is she making sure I’m not following her?

  The thought of her avoiding me doesn’t sit well.

  I wait for her to turn the corner, towards the back entrance of the bar, before I cross the street. As I stroll towards the front, I pray to the Gods that this encounter goes smoothly. As I'm about to open the door, I get the strangest feeling that danger is near. I scan the neighboring buildings - nothing looks out of place - but something still feels off. I wait a full five minutes, watching for anything out of the ordinary before opening the door and heading inside.

  Gina spots me a couple of seconds later and points me to a table. I take a seat and wait for Alaina to grace us with her presence, all the while bracing for the wrath she will undoubtedly release.

  Chapter Seven

  Alaina

  I stagger towards the employee entrance of the bar, still preoccupied with the sensation I felt when passing the diner.

  As soon as I step inside, Gina grabs me by the arm. “I’m so sorry. I know I shouldn’t have lied, but I think you two make a perfect match, and he’s so gorgeous.”

  “Hey, Gina. Sorry, I'm late. I was having a strange dream and I overslept. I ran halfway here and then had to stop because I ran way too hard. I need to work out more, maybe wake up with the runners in the morning.”

  “Alaina, didn’t you get my messages? I called you like a hundred times. I asked you to meet me at the diner across the street at five.”

  “What? No, I haven’t checked them. Why would you want me to meet you at the diner at five? That’s when your shift started.” Gods, what is she up to now?

  “Hey… Gina. Table six is ready to order,” the bartender shouts.

  “Yeah, coming, Tony. I will explain everything later. Your uniform is in my locker. We’re dead right now, so take your time. Shag has been in his office since he got here, smoke coming through the door as usual, so you don’t have to worry about him. See ya out there.”

  In the break room, I grab my clothes out of Gina’s locker, then quickly change before anyone has a chance to walk in.

  My all too revealing outfit feels more so today, after everything that has happened. Then it hits me. If Gina wasn’t meeting me for dinner, who was she setting me up with?

  Brady.

  Was he still planning to show up here tonight? Could he be that cocky to think that after that asinine story he told me I would still want to see him? I contemplate this as I walk out to the bar, ready to take over my tables. Then, from the corner of my eye, I catch a set of blue eyes staring at me.

  Even though I half expected him to show up, seeing Brady at one of my tables still catches me off guard. What is wrong with this guy? Should I call the cops?

  I look to my left and notice Gina next to me, her lips moving a mile a minute. How long has she been there? What the hell is she talking about? I feel her grab my arm and drag me towards him.

  Time speeds up. One second, I’m standing next to the bar, next, I'm inches away from him. Gina laughs, flipping her hair around in an obvious attempt to flirt.

  “Earth to Alaina.” Gina snaps her fingers in front of my face.

  Shooing Gina’s fingers away, I turn my attention to Brady. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Alaina, what is your deal?” Gina tries her best to smooth things over. “She is just cranky. She really is…”

  “Gina, stop. This guy is psychotic. I ran into him at the mall when I went outside to get some air. He fed me some bullshit story about my father being a king, and me being from a different realm. And then, when I was on my way back to school, one of his psycho friends followed me and tried to chase me down.” Tears burn the back of my eyes.

  He grabs my arm. My vision blurs and my headache comes rushing back. “Wait, what? What guy? What did he look like? What did he say? I'm not here with anyone else.”

  I p
ull my arm from his grasp and take a few steps back. No way am I going to let this guy touch me again. He must be an actor, a talented one at that. I can almost hear the fear in his voice.

  He gets out of his booth and tries to take a step towards me, but Gina steps in between us. “Get out,” she says, pointing to the door. “Get the hell out before I call the cops.”

  He’s so tall that he towers over us.

  “Alaina, please, just give me a chance. I can prove to you that I'm not making this up. You’re in great danger. The guy that followed you is not with me. My guess is that he is one of Lord Wright’s men. They are looking for you, probably want to kill you. I'm here to protect you and bring you back with me, so you can fulfill your prophecy.”

  “Dude, do you even hear yourself? This is your last chance, leave or we call the cops. You come around Alaina again and we will call the cops.” Gina picks up his beer and throws it in his face in true Gina fashion.

  I have a sudden urge to laugh out loud, which is absurd. Beer drips down his face and he does his best to wipe it away with a cocktail napkin. He’s pissed, which should scare the shit out of me, especially in this moment, but for some odd reason, it doesn’t.

  He runs his hand through his jet-black hair, pushing it out of his face; drops of beer splatter the table. On his forehead is a scar that is so similar to the one from my dream that I can’t help but stare. I want to touch it, trace my fingers along it, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  He catches my stare and gives me a half-smile, then walks out of the bar without a word.

  Once he’s gone, I can’t help but feel like something is terribly wrong, like sending him away was the worst mistake I have ever made. The image of his scar burns in my mind. In my dream, I watched a boy with blue eyes get hit in the head with a wooden sword, creating what would be that scar.