Light

by Adrienne Woods

  I looked at my mom, and smiled. “I’m okay, mom. Really. I just got lost yesterday, that’s all.”

  “Okay, sweetheart,” Mom came over, gently stroked my face and gave me a kiss on the head. “Be safe, I’ll see you this afternoon and then we can speak about your dream last night.”

  I just stared at her. How did she know? I shook my head. Mom always wanted to know about my stupid dreams, it was my paranoia that had gotten the best of me.

  “Bye,” I said and walked to the bus stop with thoughts of Shadow hounds and the most badass, geek beauty I’d ever met.

  ON THE SCHOOL BUS EVERYONE MINDED THEIR

  own business. Nobody even glanced my way, why should they, Chas? I whispered inside my head. I was sure after today the bus driver would probably never let me on his bus once Clare and the gang told everyone what I’d done yesterday at the lake.

  There was no sign of Clare, Ty, Nicole, or any of the guys when I found my locker. Scared of opening it, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

  Don’t have a heart attack, don’t have a heart attack. My hand lingered on the lock and I opened it quickly.

  Nothing came, no explosion of some sort that would cover me with a liquid stickiness, no booby trap, nothing.

  I took out the books for the first three periods and shoved them into my backpack, fast. When I shut the locker door, I jumped as I found Clare leaning against the locker beside mine. I closed my eyes and wanted to tell her to take a hike when she opened her mouth.

  “Relax, scared-y pants,” she smiled. “Where were you this morning?”

  I frowned. “This morning?”

  “Yes, Ty and I went to your home to pick you up, but there was absolutely no answer. Did you take the school bus?” she said with slight confusion on her face as if the school bus was drenched with the plague or some other deadly disease, and started to walk in the direction of our first period.

  She stopped and turned around.

  “What are you waiting for?”

  I closed my eyes and pinched myself. No I was definitely awake. I looked around, waiting for any of the others that might jumped out behind a closed door or something.

  “Chas, what is it with you today? You’re acting really weird.” Clare came back and spoke softly as concern was evident on her face.

  I’m acting weird?

  “I’m fine, I just don’t feel so well. It must be the fusion my mom tried last night,” I lied.

  “Fusion? Since when does your mom cook fusion?”

  “She’s trying new things.”

  Clare laughed and I couldn’t help but to feel as if we’d just picked up where we’d left off four weeks ago before the Ty incident.

  I followed her into the Science lab and we split up to join our respective lab partners.

  Through the entire class Clare was sending me notes, made faces behind Freddie’s back, which I didn’t like because he was one of my favorite geeks, but I smiled. Something was definitely not right with this picture. Whatever it was, I didn’t care. I had my best friend back, even though she’d acted like a complete bitch these past four weeks. If she was willing to forgive and forget everything, then so was I.

  The school bell rang and Clare waited for me to pack up. “So when did we start on molecules and mass?”

  I looked at her. Science wasn’t Clare’s thing either. She was more of the P.E. Queen. I just giggled.

  “I know, it all goes so quickly, right?” I said.

  “Way too fast for me.” We split at the end of the corridor. “See you in P.E.,” she yelled and went the other way.

  “See you,” I spoke softly.

  It was weird, seriously weird and although I wanted to trust it, I couldn’t. I froze as I thought about yesterday. She called me a freak and today she was all best buds with me again. Something was going to happen in P.E., I just knew it.

  In P.E. they chose teams again for the volleyball game. One team belonged to Clare, the other Beatrix.

  The first name Clare called was mine. Everyone’s eyebrow rose and some even gasped. Clare just shook her head as I moved forward slowly. Beatrix called her first name and it was back and forth until we made up two teams. Then we started playing against one another. I wasn’t good like Clare, but together we made a killing team. It was just like the old times where she would yell in codes that none of the other girls – except me – understood and we won the game by ten to five.

  We high-fived each other every time we scored and when the bell rang again it was break.

  I wanted to break from her when I saw Ty and Derek.

  “This guy is seriously making my blood boil,” Clare said and I just rolled my eyes. He kissed her softly as I walked past.

  “Hey, Chas. So did you think about my offer, yet?” Derek asked.

  “What offer?” It came out harsh.

  “Wow, a snake spat in your milk this morning?”

  Clare laughed. “Ignore him Chas.” She grabbed me by the elbow and moved with me to our regular table. “She’s not into Tweedle-dums like you, Derek.”

  The guys laughed and took seats around our table.

  I huffed and pinched myself as they spoke to one another about another party at Ty’s house. He threw them every time his mom and dad went away on a couple’s retreat. Ty and Clare actually became a couple at one of the parties we were accidentally invited to. Everyone except me was excited, just like the last time.

  I pinched myself again. Still awake. I had a really weird feeling and couldn’t help but watch over my shoulder every five seconds.

  Nicole walked with her tray to our table and even she acted as if yesterday or the past four weeks never happened. We were like one happy family again.

  The entire day it felt as if I was stuck in the twilight zone, but I had to admit, it was one of the best days I’d had in a long time.

  When the final bell rang, I walked fast, scared that maybe the entire day was meant to gain back my trust and that a horrible prank would blow up in my face. That Clare had told them to mess with my mind and act like nothing bad had happened and then boom, reveal the unexpected.

  She caught up with me at the main door.

  “Hey, where are you off too?” She put her arm around my neck and walked with me down the stairs. “Seriously Chas. Speak to me, spit it out. What is it with you today? You’re really starting to freak me out,” she looked worried. Clare wasn’t someone that had a skill for pretending and she definitely sucked in Drama and in school plays.

  “Nothing. I just had a bad dream yesterday.”

  “About what?”

  I sighed. “It doesn’t matter, it was just a stupid dream.” I smiled and hugged her back. “I’m sorry about today. I promise that tomorrow I’ll be myself again.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that. You coming with us?” She asked as Ty appeared out of nowhere.”

  “Can I give it a miss? My mom is picking me up today. Bonding time,” I lied if they were trying to lure me to the big thing.

  “Sure, say hi. And Skype with me tonight. Same time?”

  I nodded and ran to the parking area where all the parents were waiting.

  “Bye, Chas.” Derek yelled as he was running toward Ty’s pick up. I waved, sort of and walked on again.

  WHAT THE HELL?

  I pinched myself for the gazillionth time today and still it was just as painful as the first one this morning.

  My mom’s SUV was nowhere to be found and I almost changed my mind and ran back to Ty’s truck when I found her climbing out of a Porsche SUV… Did I mention Porsche?

  I knew something about today was wrong. There was no way that we could afford that on Tim’s salary.

  I walked to the SUV, not knowing how I should act and smile. But Mom didn’t share my enthusiasm and just ordered me with a shaky voice to get into the car.

  I did and found two men dressed in white leather. I felt like I was being sucked into a different zone, like in The Matrix. You know, the movie wher
e Keanu Reeves couldn’t be more yummy?

  One sat in the front, behind the wheel, and one in the back. Mom climbed into the front after she closed my door.

  The guy behind the steering wheel started the engine and I stared at my mother, who just looked out the window. I had no idea who these men were and glanced at the one next to me. He gave me a sweet smile.

  When we got to the house, Mom plunged herself down on the couch, without saying a word. The two men stood, neither of them sitting down.

  “Can anyone please tell me what is going on? Mom, who are these people?” I didn’t care about manners anymore. This was the last straw and I was freaking out.

  “Please, Chastity. Sit down.” The one guy with the blond ponytail that had sat beside me on our way here said. He couldn’t have been more than three years older than me.

  “No! I’m not going to sit down. Who are you?”

  “My name is Kale. I’m a Seeker and we know what happened yesterday.”

  My face went all numb and my mother just looked at me with concern in her eyes.

  “You came because I got lost?” I played the dumb card but the look on both their faces told me that they were referring to what happened before I got lost.

  “We know, Chastity.” The other one spoke. He was slightly older than his buddy, maybe early thirties, late twenties and had dark, raven black hair with dark brown eyes. It wasn’t Leigh though.

  “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “You’re playing that card?” Kale said with a hint of a smile.

  I didn’t want to say this in front of my mother. But the look on her face said that they’d already told her.

  “She doesn’t even know what you are talking about,” Mom finally said something.

  “Ma’am, we’ve already explained it to you. As unbelievable as it sounds, it’s real. Your daughter was never supposed to live in this world.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “You are a Dream Caster, Chastity. Your mother has no recollection of any of this. So we believe that your biological father was one of us. It sometimes happens – more than our kind likes – but you are technically part of our world and need to come with us.”

  “What, are you insane? I’m not going anywhere with you guys.”

  “It is not safe here.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “We aren’t speaking about you. We are referring to the normal people. It is not safe for them to have a Dream Caster that has no idea what she can do, running free in this world.” The dark-haired grouch said.

  Mom still kept quiet. She just stared at me.

  “I’m not going to leave my mother. I…”

  “You have no choice. We would take care of your mother, it would be as if you never existed.”

  “What?” Both mom and I said.

  “It is for the best.”

  “You can do that?” I asked, sounding shocked.

  “We already did, with your opponents of yesterday. It wasn’t easy, because we couldn’t erase everything. So we just erased a little,” Kale explained.

  So that was why Clare and the others were acting so strange. None of them remembered what had happened the past four weeks.

  “Is it true, Chastity?”

  I looked at my Mom. The fact that I’d lied to her was making me feel like a dog. “I didn’t know, mom. How was I supposed to tell you that sand appeared in my hands when they wanted to attack me? I didn’t even know if it was real or not.”

  “Oh, it’s real,” Kale said with admiration in his eyes, on his entire freak’n face. Mom shot him a glare.

  “Sorry,” he spoke softly with both hands behind his back.

  “I’m your mother, you could’ve tried.”

  “Then what, mom? Would you seriously have believed me? I knew what it sounded like.”

  My mom just shook her head with her eyes closed. Yeah, it sounded crazy and she already struggled with believing it as we spoke, even with these two men that looked like they’d stepped out of the Matrix movie, standing right here in the middle of our lounge. It was hard to believe.

  “Where is it you want to take her?”

  “To where dreams exist. Revera. You can’t follow, which is why she has to come with us. Nomadic minds don’t see any of it, and it would be as if you are stuck in darkness. It’s not a place for normal humans, like yourself, ma’am.”

  “I told you my name is Vinique,” Mom sounded angry. “Can she come back if she doesn’t like this River-place?”

  “Revera, and no. It’s a one way ticket I’m afraid.” The dark head spoke again.

  “No,” Mom said. She was adamant as she got up and started to pace.

  “Ma’am,” Kale said. Mom shot him another look. “I mean, Vinique. I’m afraid that no is not an option here.”

  Mom started to laugh. “You’re just going to take my daughter against my will?”

  I didn’t like that.

  “It’s law.”

  “It’s not the law, we live here. Here it is called kidnapping. If you don’t know what that term means, I have plenty of dictionaries that can break them up for you.”

  “Your law doesn’t matter. The child belongs to Revera, to her father. She doesn’t belong in your world.”

  “I don’t care, she is my child. I carried her for nine months.” Mom started telling them about everything. How she’d sat with me when I was sick, when I broke my leg falling off the sleigh when I was five. She told them everything, and they listened.

  “We understand that you have a connection…”

  “Connection. Listen to the way you speak. I love my child. She is not going with you. That’s it.”

  “Then you give us no choice.”

  Golden sand appeared out of the dark heads palm. I knew what he was going to do. He was going to erase me from my mother’s memory.

  “Wait!” I jumped between my mom and the dark head’s sand. “I’ll come with you, just don’t use that on my mom, please. I’ll speak with her. Just give me a couple of minutes, please.”

  Both of them are looking at me through narrow eyes. “Please, just let me say goodbye.”

  “Chastity,” Mom started.

  “Not now, okay? Please, Mom. I don’t want these men to make you forget me. Do as they say,” I whispered.

  “I would never forget you, no matter what they say they will do.”

  “They can, mom. Clare and Ty, all of them forgot about the past four weeks. It was wonderful,” I spoke. “They will make you forget that you even had a daughter. Please.”

  My mom finally nodded with tears in her eyes. “Can I at least help my daughter pack?”

  “Of course,” Kale spoke and the other one wanted to say something. “Not now, Duke. Let them say goodbye.”

  Duke grunt, and stormed out of the house.

  “Sorry, my partner isn’t used to human conversation. He still has plenty to learn. Take all the time you need, but know that running away…” he smiled. “I’m sure you get what it is I’m trying to say.”

  I nodded and watched him walk out the door too.

  I led mom up the stairs. She looked defeated and I hated the silence. I hoped that she wasn’t afraid of me.

  When we entered my room I gasped as I found another Mom on pilot-mode sitting on my bed. I wanted to yell but the Mom behind me covered my mouth with her palm.

  My eyes were huge when I stared at her.

  “It’s okay, Chas. Don’t scream otherwise they will know. I’m going to take my hand off your mouth. Not a peep.”

  Her entire demeanor changed and she scared me a bit. I nodded. When she drew her hand back I ran to my mom sitting on my bed. She didn’t even look at me.

  “Mom,” I spoke softly and shook her gently. She didn’t move.

  “What did you do with her, who are you?”

  The fake rolled her eyes. “Chas, it’s me. The dummy is not real, she will take my place for a few hours, giving us plenty time to get
away.”

  “Take your place? I don’t understand.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about last night’s dream?” She didn’t look heartbroken anymore, she looked pissed off.

  Then it hit me. I never told her or anybody about last night’s dream except Clare, sort of. “How do you know about last night?”

  “If you’d told me, we would’ve been miles away from here now, Chas. I wouldn’t have had to use your father’s sand to conjure her.” She pointed at second Mom’s figure who was still sitting on the bed. My father’s sand….nothing made any sense.

  I looked through the window where the SUV was parked. Duke was standing against the SUV with his arms folded. Kale was speaking to him softly.

  “I don’t understand. It was just a dream, Mom.”

  “It was far from a dream honey.”

  I froze.

  “Why do you think I kept asking what you dreamt about all the time?”

  I shook my head. Staring at the floor. It wasn’t a dream?

  “Chastity?” Mom shook me softly.

  “I don’t know. I thought you were some spiritual freak.”

  My mother’s posture slumped. She sighed and closed her eyes. “A spiritual freak.”

  “Yeah, you know someone that think they can detect your future out of your dreams,” I yelled at her softly so that our two guests couldn’t hear. “Mom what is going on, please?”

  “Later, we’ve got to get out of here, now.”

  “Didn’t you hear what Beavis and Butthead said? We can’t leave. They’ll find me.”

  “No, they won’t. Just trust me.”

  “What about the dream?”

  “I’ll tell you later. Now go pack light. One backpack, Chas. We don’t have time for anything else.”

  I nodded and my mother left. I shoved in a lot of underwear, a pair of jeans, track suit pants, stepped out of my pumps and into my sneakers. I grabbed two black t-shirts and a hoody.

  I stared at the mom on my bed. She looked just like the one that’d left my room a couple of seconds ago.

  This was so weird.

  I couldn’t shake the feeling of last night’s dream from my mind and how the hell my mom knew about all of this. Was she just pretending downstairs not knowing, and if so, why? Why didn’t she tell me any of this?