The Usurper

by Candy Crum

  Kailah thought for a moment. That sickness had come on so suddenly. Karen, another nurse, jokingly asked if she was pregnant, but that wasn’t possible. She kind of wished it was because at least that was a reason. Whatever had happened had scared the hell out of her. It had been very strong, and the onset had been incredibly fast with no explanation.

  But it had died down some. “It’s getting better,” Kailah said. “My headache is just a dull throb now. The dizziness has calmed a bit. My stomach still feels like hell, but that’ll pass, I’m sure. I can work. No worries.”

  Sydney smiled. “I’m not worried about that at all, actually. I’m glad you feel better. I wanted to ask you a few questions about little Tommy in three.”

  Kailah nodded, leaning back in the chair and rubbing her eyes. She was happy she opted for no makeup that morning. “Sure. What’s up?”

  “You made some interesting comments in here. You said the scan showed pneumonia. You also said the other tests showed signs of a high white blood cell count. It says you would recommend to the doctor that he be seen by oncology,” Sydney said.

  Kailah nodded again. “Yes. He’s having kidney problems, too. I went over those tests again and again. I know nurses don’t diagnose, and I realize I don’t even have my masters yet, so I’m even less qualified, but I’ve been here a long time. I’ve learned a lot. He has every symptom.”

  Sydney smiled. “I’m sure you have learned a lot. My biggest question is… How did you know all that without running any of those tests?”

  Kailah was confused. “What do you mean? The results from those tests are all in that chart. Where do you think I got that information from?”

  Sydney shook her head. “I’m the only physician here. No one can order tests except me—because you have no masters yet—and I hadn’t seen that boy until after you did your assessment.”

  Kailah started to protest, but Sydney lifted a hand.

  “Out of curiosity, after listening to his lungs and his mother complain about painful urination caused by a possible UTI, I did a scan, full blood work, and a urinalysis. Guess what I found?”

  Kailah was silent for a moment before finally saying with a bit of sarcasm, “A urinary tract infection? High white blood cell count? The same results that were already in his chart?”

  With a heavy sigh, Sydney jumped down, turning toward the computer and pulling up Tommy’s digital chart. “Look at the time stamps. I can’t fake that. No one can. You charted all this an hour before I even ordered those tests. Still… you were right about everything. I sent his chart off to the oncologist, Jackson, upstairs. He wants to see him immediately.”

  There was a pause as Kailah stared at her with obvious confusion.

  “Have you had visions like that before?” Sydney asked.

  Kailah looked at her incredulously. “Visions?”

  Sydney looked off for a moment, her expression unreadable. “Yes. You saw something that wasn’t there, that a normal person might not have seen. It turned out to be correct, so it wasn’t a hallucination. It was a vision. Do you have them often?”

  Kailah wasn’t sure how to respond to that. The day had continuously gotten stranger with every passing minute, and worse than that, she hadn’t been able to shake the bad feeling she’d had since waking to find her great-great grandfather visiting her with a warning he couldn’t quite relay.

  Ignoring Sydney’s odd line of questions, she said, “How long was I out? Completing an assessment and ordering tests, let alone receiving the results, takes a while. Seems like a lot to happen in just a few minutes. I think—”

  “You were asleep for about two hours,” Sam said with irritation as he passed behind them.

  “Thanks, Big Ben,” Sydney said with obvious annoyance.

  The new doctor turned to face Sam, and Kailah saw something dark in her expression. Her stomach almost violently rolled again. When Sydney returned to her original place on the desk, the pain settled, although faint nausea still lingered.

  “Yes, you were asleep for about two hours,” Sydney said. She opened her mouth to say something, but her phone went off in her pocket. She pulled it free, a fleeting expression crossing her face as she read a text. “Actually, you know, it’s pretty obvious you feel like hell. Why don’t you go home?”

  Shaking her head, Kailah said, “No. Not today. I can’t. I need the hours. I have to work doubles on the days I’m off school, or I won’t be able to afford to live on my own.”

  Sydney tapped her finger on the desk a few times. “Don’t clock out. Just go. I’ll take care of everything here and clock you out at your scheduled time.”

  Kailah looked at her with a sudden spike of anger. Sydney was supposed to be a doctor, her boss, and she was already showing herself to be someone that couldn’t be trusted. “Why would I do that? That could get both of us in trouble. I don’t know you. At all. You could turn me in the second I leave.”

  “Why would I do that? What would that possibly gain me?” Sydney asked.

  Kailah shrugged. “I don’t know. People are weird and sometimes vindictive for no reason at all. All I do know is that I’ve not felt well all day, and you give me the heebs. I tend to listen to my gut. So, no thanks. I’ll pass. I don’t feel like losing my job over a few hours.”

  Confidence had flowed through her a few seconds ago when she felt the spike of anger that spawned her rude comments, but once she had spoken her piece, she sat there with eyes wide as she lifted a hand to her mouth.

  She began to backpedal, but Sydney interrupted. “It’s time for you to go. You feel like shit, so I know you didn’t really mean what you just said. But that doesn’t change that you’re a liability here. It’s not like I can have you chart. It appears you create diagnoses all on your own—right as they may be, it’s still not a good idea.”

  Kailah sighed, not wanting to go home yet. She would have loved nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep away the rest of what was bothering her, but she couldn’t do it.

  Movement to her left caught her attention, and she turned to see a familiar face. She froze as she stared at the reflection of a woman with cold and distant ice-blue eyes and long white hair that was pulled into a high ponytail. The image smiled, sending the anxiety rushing through Kailah again.

  She turned, looking behind her for the woman in the reflection, but she wasn’t there. There was no around. Only Sydney and Sam.

  “Kailah,” Sydney said, her voice stern. Kailah met her worried gaze. “Go home. Now. Don’t argue with me.”

  Kailah.

  Her eyes widened, her heart racing faster as she heard someone whisper her name. She hadn’t heard it with her ears, though. Only her mind. What is happening to me?

  She stood on shaky legs, deciding it was best to leave. She felt like she was losing her mind and sticking around to take care of patients wasn’t the smartest idea.

  As she began to walk out of the nurse’s station, not bothering to say another word to anyone, she heard the voice again.

  Kailah. Run. Get out now. She’s coming!

  Kailah turned to face Sydney only to see worry all over her face. “I’m sorry, Kailah. I can’t continue to be subtle anymore—not now.”

  “What?” Kailah said, on the verge of tears.

  “Run, Kailah. Run now. I’ll be right behind you,” the doctor said.

  At that moment, Kailah saw something faint hovering around the new doctor. It was a reddish cloud. Thunder rolled overhead, and both Sydney and the voice said at the same time, “Go!”

  Kailah didn’t wait around any longer. She turned and bolted out of the nurse’s station, nearly slipping and falling when the fire alarm went off and the sprinklers began to soak everything. As she passed another large window, she saw the white-haired woman’s face again, laughing loudly, only forcing her to run faster.

  Chapter Three

  Rachel Mitchell had just finished showering and getting ready for the day. She didn’t have to be at work until noon, and it wa
s still very early. Her mom had been up most of the night, restless as usual, and it had left both women with little sleep. Rachel figured no sleep was better than a nap and the crash that came after. They always seemed to do her more harm than good.

  Rachel had promised her best friend, Kailah, that she would look over her paper and edit it for any mistakes. Rachel’s favorite class had always been English, so she was very good with the red pen. She had started on the path to getting a degree of her own, wanting to teach, but hadn’t yet finished.

  Because of her terrible relationship, she’d had to quit. He didn’t like her going to school, and it had been much easier to quit than to fight him on it. She wasn’t nearly as strong back then as she was now, and it had been a decision she regretted.

  They had been together for six years, and she just broke up with him. After all the things he’d done over the years, finding Casi in his phone was the final straw. There were plenty other times that should have happened, but she was just happy the time had finally come. Jeff was gone—for good.

  Even though they’d broken up, he still texted her and annoyed her. He’d even threatened her a few times, but she wasn’t having it. After all that time, she’d grown numb to his threats. She didn’t care anymore. She wasn’t afraid anymore. Life wasn’t supposed to be miserable, and she refused to live like it was.

  Once she knew Jeff wouldn’t interfere, and after she and her mother figured out what was going on with her health, Rachel planned to go back to school. She was going to get that degree. Even the thought of it made her smile.

  Happiness was Rachel’s first sip of coffee from her favorite mug. She moaned and smiled at the taste as she sat at her desk. She set the mug down and took a bite of her eggs as she opened her browser to download the document from her email.

  She saved a copy so she could have an original and opened Facebook, so she could nose around while she ate. Until she finished, she knew she’d be useless for editing. There was a knock on her door.

  “Yeah, come in,” she said, knowing it was her mother.

  “Good morning,” Mary said. “I thought I smelled eggs.”

  She crossed the room and picked up her daughter’s fork before stealing a bite.

  “You’re welcome,” Rachel said with humor.

  Mary winked and smiled. Once she was finished with her bite, she said, “Sorry. I know if I make even one egg, I won’t be able to finish it. I’ve been so on edge lately, worrying about all this. But it’ll be okay. I’m sure of it.”

  Rachel’s heart sank at the mention of her mother’s problems. She’d found lumps in her breasts and was set to get tests done. She was just waiting to hear from the doctor for scheduling.

  The entire situation had wrecked both of them. Neither woman had been sleeping well, but Rachel knew Mary had the worst of it because she was worried about Rachel on top of all that. She was a mother through and through. Even in the worst moments of her life, Mary worried more about Rachel than herself.

  For years, Rachel had lived with Jeff, though she always kept her room at her mom’s ready for whatever might happen. That ended up being very useful many times, and in the last few weeks, it had become necessary.

  “I’m sure it will be, too,” Rachel said. She believed it, but she was also aware of what could happen if even a single one of those lumps were malignant.

  “What are you doing up so early anyway? You should still be asleep.”

  Rachel shook her head. “I was restless and slept like crap. I promised Kay that I’d edit her work for her. She’s really worried about it and wants it perfect. Figured it was a better way to spend the morning instead of tossing and turning in bed, hoping to fall back to sleep.”

  Mary smiled, but Rachel could see the dark circles under her eyes. She knew how exhausted her mother was.

  “Well, make sure you take a nap if you get too tired. I don’t want you going to work sleepy. Okay?”

  Rachel nodded and smiled. “I’m going to try to get away with no nap, but if I need to, I will. Promise.”

  Mary leaned over and kissed the top of Rachel’s head before turning and walking out of the room. Once the door was closed, Rachel turned back to mindless scrolling on the computer and eating her eggs.

  When she’d finished eating, she got up and took her plate to the kitchen. On her way back through the hall, she heard a ding. Someone had messaged her. She sat down and looked to see who the message was from.

  “Who the hell is Sayen?” she asked out loud to no one.

  There was no picture and clicking on the name to bring up a profile was even less revealing. The account was brand new, made within minutes. She laughed sarcastically. “Sorry, buddy. I don’t know who you are, but I’m not interested in any marriage proposals today.”

  She moved the mouse over the X to close it, not even reading the message, when her eyes picked out a word. Kailah.

  That caught her attention.

  <>

  After reading that message, Rachel was confused. Kailah was family and threatening her was a serious offense in her book. If this was a joke, it was a disgusting one. And if it was for real, this person was privy to information that could save her friend’s life.

  <>

  <> came the reply.

  Rachel didn’t quite know how to respond to that, but she did her best.

  <>

  There was a pause as Sayen typed. <>

  <> Rachel asked.

  <>

  <>

  <>

  Rachel paused. Storm? Fleeing? Goosebumps were raised all over her body. Deep down, she believed this person. Something was screaming at her to trust them. But the pessimistic side of Rachel didn’t buy this for one second. She wanted to see this person face-to-face. She wanted to ask for vid—

  Ring.

  Rachel’s eyes widened as the Facebook messenger video chat notification rang. She swallowed as she picked up her phone to answer it. She didn’t have a webcam, so her phone was the only option.

  Shaking, she slid the bar across her phone to unlock it and answered the call. She was immediately met with the dark complected face of a beautiful young woman with hair the color of snow. Her eyes were a piercing blue.

  “I was hoping to avoid this, but I began to see visions of y
ou demanding to video chat and decided this was the best option. We don’t have the time to waste,” Sayen said, her soft voice slightly accented.

  “Who the hell are you?” Rachel asked.

  “Believe it or not, I’m Kailah’s great-great-grandmother. I know you don’t believe me, but feel free to look in the family tree. You’ll see my name. I’m sure Russell has photos of me somewhere,” the woman replied.

  Russell was the name of Kailah’s grandfather, although they called him Papaw Fruit. She seemed to know everything—though scammers usually did. They didn’t however opt to video chat, especially at the exact moment the other person was debating on asking for that very thing. This was all very strange and creepy to Rachel.

  “H-how...?” Rachel stammered.

  “There’s no time to explain all that. Khia is coming, and she will take Kailah. I promise, I will explain everything soon enough. Unfortunately, now that Khia knows Kailah exists and where she is, Kailah will have no choice but to step into this life. I will protect her with my own, but I can’t do this. Khia and I can’t fight. If we do… People will die. Other than keeping Kailah safe, minimizing human casualty is my main goal in this war. Will you help me?”

  War. That didn’t sound good.

  Rachel nodded. “I will.”

  Sayen sighed, her shoulders slumping in obvious relief. “Thank you.”

  “You can see the future?” Rachel asked.

  A sad expression crossed Sayen’s face as she nodded. “Yes, I can, and I know what you’re going to ask. Are you sure you want to know the answer to that?”

  Rachel swallowed. If this woman was for real, and everything in her gut was telling her she was, then Rachel just got the answer to the question she didn’t ask. But she still had to say the words.

  “I do. If you know what I want to ask, give me the truth.”

  “Your mother is very sick. The only reason I know is because I’ve seen Kailah’s future so intertwined with yours. The road ahead will be hard, especially after the diagnosis. She will try to hide it from you, but she’s trying to protect you. Don’t let this derail you. You know she would hate that more than the disease wreaking havoc on her body right now.”