IMMORTAL VISIONS

by M. K. ROZE

  He cleared his throat. “Okay, don’t keep hiding in that dungeon of yours.”

  “Funny. My bedroom is far from a dungeon. It’s all white, with pictures of flowers everywhere. Thanks to Aunt Jessica.”

  “Speaking of her. She said she was going to let me work in her office for the next few weeks, but she hasn’t called me yet.”

  “Are you sure you want to become a psychiatrist?” I asked.

  “Heck yeah. Will you call her for me, please?”

  “Sure, just as long as you don’t diagnose me like she does.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t,” he said and hugged me.

  I hugged him back. “You make me feel like I’m four feet tall.”

  He laughed. “That’s a good thing. Night, girl.”

  “Night, boy,” I shot back and walked inside.

  When I shut the door, I looked upstairs to see if my parents were still up. Everything was dark, so I continued down the hallway and stopped, debating if I wanted a snack or not. Nope.

  I went to the left toward my room. I was down the hall from the living room, but I didn’t care. I loved being downstairs. When I turned seventeen, my parents allowed me to take the old game room, and I loved it.

  I lay on the loveseat near the window and dozed off. Someone shook my doorknob, and my eyes shot open.

  I sat up. “Who is it?”

  “Viata, it’s Dad. Can I come in?”

  “Yes.”

  He opened the door with a worried look.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “I heard animals fighting outside our house. Did you hear it?”

  “No, I was passed out.”

  He stood there yawning, barely awake. “Sorry to have woken you up. Go back to sleep.”

  “It’s okay. What time is it?”

  “It’s 2:30 in the morning. I’m going back to bed.”

  “Good night, Dad.”

  When he walked out, I got in bed, collapsed my head on the pillow and stared at the leafed ceiling fan spinning. I listened carefully to see if I could hear what Dad was talking about, but I didn’t hear anything.

  Afternoon came too fast. I got up and met Kaylee and Liam at a nearby café for lunch.

  When Kaylee got out of her orange Charger, she was wearing an outfit I bought for her before I left for Romania. The blue shirt matched her hair, and the jean shorts looked good with her long, tan legs. She hugged me. “I missed you, Sis. And I love the dress. Where did you get it?”

  “Missed you too! I got it in Romania.” I dug through my purse for a key chain Mom bought for her with the Bran Castle on it. “Here, it’s nothing big, but I thought being you collect them, you would love it.”

  She smiled, showing off her beautiful teeth. “Thank you! It’s awesome.” She looked at it again and smelled it.

  “What are you doing?” I said and giggled.

  “Trying to see what Romania smells like.”

  I laughed. “It smells like a big forest.”

  Liam was leaning on the side of his silver Jeep Wrangler his father gave to him. He walked over and joined in, hugging us both.

  “Okay this is getting weird,” I said as people were looking at us.

  “Who cares,” Liam said.

  Kaylee giggled.

  We walked inside, and Kaylee sat next to me with Liam across from us.

  “So, what’s up?” Kaylee said. “You’ve been hiding since you got back from Romania.”

  “Sorry, I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

  Liam looked at me, then Kaylee, and back at the menu.

  “What are you two not telling me?” Kaylee asked.

  “Do you remember when you slept over for my seventeenth birthday?”

  “Yes.”

  “Remember when I woke up screaming from that dream?”

  “How could I forget. You threw me off the bed, and when I looked up at you, you looked possessed.”

  Liam chuckled. “Glad I wasn’t there.”

  I nudged her with my shoulder. “I had the same dream when I was on the plane going to Romania, but it was more intense and seemed longer than the last one.”

  “How does someone get stabbed twice and live to tell about it?”

  “It was a dream, silly.”

  “I was kidding, but it’s still crazy,” she said. “And why didn’t you tell me this when you got back?”

  I turned to her. “You weren’t available, remember?”

  “I was at camp all week with my mom, remember that? We didn’t have any service on the island.”

  “You sound like sisters,” Liam said. “Order something before it’s dinner time.”

  We both snickered and looked at the menu. We all ordered cheeseburgers and fries. I wolfed mine down, and they laughed.

  “Your dream with that woman sounds like a horror movie,” Kaylee said.

  “Or a vampire one,” Liam added.

  Kaylee tossed a napkin at him and turned to me. “Did anything else happen?”

  “Yes.”

  I told her about the other weird stuff that took place.

  “Have you had another dream’s since Romania or any weird encounters with people you don’t know?”

  “No, but I wish I would have another dream with the man.”

  “Ah ha, you’re in love with a man from your dreams,” Liam joked.

  I kicked him under the table. “Shut up.”

  Kaylee laughed. “Seriously, if you keep having them, maybe you should go see a doctor.”

  I took a sip of my soda and looked out the window.

  Kaylee rubbed my back. “I’m sorry you’re going through this.”

  I turned to her and forced a smile, certain they knew I wasn’t acting like myself.

  After lunch, Kaylee and I said bye to Liam and followed each other to the mall to buy new clothes for school. There, we had pretzels and walked the entire mall. I felt normal for the first time since I got back from Romania. While Kaylee was in Abercrombie & Fitch, I went to Gap and Macy’s. She always had to try every outfit on. I was much faster. I picked a size three in pants or shorts with a small top and bought it. After that, we met at Victoria’s Secret and bought more outfits and undergarments. With multiple bags in our hands, we walked out to our cars and said goodbye.

  At home, I took a shower and watched a funny movie in my bed. As soon as my eyes shut, I saw Mihnea looking at me while standing next to a carriage with two white horses. His clothes looked like they were from centuries ago.

  “Hi,” I said unable to stop smiling.

  He kept grinning at me.

  I walked toward him and looked down at the hunter green gown I had on. Why am I wearing this?

  Mihnea walked over to me and said something, but I couldn’t hear him. He twirled me around and kissed me on my lips.

  My eyes opened, and I sat up in bed to a woman running in the woods, screaming on the TV.

  I turned it off and lay back down, cuddling with my pillow, hoping I would dream of him again.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  TOTAL JERK

  One week later, I went without sleep because of some wild animals fighting outside my house. On the fourth day, I crashed. If I did have another dream about Mihnea, I didn’t remember.

  Thank goodness school was starting. I was excited to think about something other than obsessing about a man from my dream.

  I got up and rushed out of the house without eating. After fighting the heavy traffic, I finally pulled into Augustine High school. I grabbed my phone and texted Kaylee.

  Hey, where are you?

  Kaylee texted me right back.

  I’m already in class. Where are you at?

  I looked up and noticed no students were outside. I rushed out of my car and walked quickly toward the building. With only two minutes until class, I had no choice but to speed up, so I ran. A few students laughed as I sprinted down the hall.

  As soon as my morning periods were over, Kaylee texted me.

 
Meet me in the cafeteria.

  Okay. I replied.

  I walked there and stood near the exit door waiting for her. Tons of students were sitting at the tables. When a few girls stared me down and laughed, I quickly looked out the window.

  Liam walked up to me. “Why have you been ignoring my texts all week?”

  “Sorry. I haven’t been sleeping because of stupid animals fighting every night.”

  “What animals?”

  “How could you not hear them? All they do is growl and hiss until the sun comes up. It’s scary.”

  He shrugged. “I sleep with my earbuds in. So how was your first day back?”

  “Good,” I replied staring at the same girls laughing.

  “I’m glad it’s our last year,” he said.

  “Hey, Liam,” a boy shouted from across the cafeteria.

  Liam turned to him. “Hold on.”

  “I gotta run.” He gave me a quick hug.

  “Stay out of trouble,” I replied.

  “I will,” he said while walking backward. He spun around and joined his friend.

  Liam always had tons of friends. He introduced me to them, but most of them had no interest in me. I even tried hanging out with a few popular girls in middle school, but they looked at me like I was a freak, so I gave up. High school was no better. Everyone remained intolerant of anyone who didn’t conform to their world. I didn't need them anyway. I had Kaylee. She arrived, and we got our food and sat down for lunch.

  “So, have you had any more encounters with your dream lover or that nasty lady?” Kaylee asked.

  “I had one with the man again.”

  “You did? What happened?”

  “It was fast and weird. I was wearing a gown, and he came over and kissed me. I didn’t even stop him. It was like I knew him or something.”

  “That’s hot, but it’s only a dream.”

  “I know.”

  “You seem down. Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” I said and took a bite of my turkey sandwich.

  I wanted to tell her I believed I met Mihnea before, but I decided not to. I didn’t want her to think I was going insane and lose her as a friend.

  “Do you want to look at some apartments together after school?” Kaylee asked.

  “What’s the point? We can’t move in until we’re eighteen.”

  “That’s only four months away.”

  “Yes, and what we look at now, will be gone by then.”

  “Well, being my birthday is in December, maybe I can get it, and you can stay over during the weekends until you can move in.”

  My face turned sour. “Hey, you promised we’d pick out one together.”

  “Just kidding. I wanted to see the Viata I know come out.”

  “Not funny.”

  After lunch, we walked to our math class we had together.

  Typically, when school was over, Kaylee and I would hang out at her house and do homework, but I wanted to be alone.

  In my car, I sat there thinking of something to do besides going home and thinking about Mihnea again. The mall sounded like a good idea. I needed to buy a few things for the new place I was getting soon with Kaylee. I didn’t mind staying with my parents, but I was turning eighteen, so I felt it was time to become an adult.

  After I watched a romantic movie, I walked the mall for a few hours and bought some towels and washcloths from Macy’s. On my way out, I asked a security guard to walk me to my car. He was nice and even offered to carry my bags.

  At home, Mom and Dad were in the living room watching TV. I wanted to go straight to my room, but they asked me about my first day, so I told them. An hour later, I went into my room and danced to Zumba.

  Mom came charging in. “Viata, turn that down. We’re trying to watch a movie.”

  “Sorry.”

  “You look exhausted. Are you sleeping?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “You don’t look like it. Go to bed.” She shook her head and walked out.

  I disconnected the Bluetooth from my speaker and sat on the loveseat with my phone. While I was watching YouTube videos, my phone went off. I picked it up and saw a text from a guy, Clay, who I had a few classes with.

  Hey, Viata, can I call you?

  I’d had a crush on him since middle school. Clay was tall with a muscular build and loved to tan. He loved to work out too.

  I looked out the window, not quite believing he even texted me. I needed to push myself to do something different besides sit around and dwell on my dreams.

  After I had taken Tums for my wicked bellyache, I finally got the nerve to text him back.

  Sure.

  Within seconds, the phone rang. “Hi, Clay,” I said sweetly, hiding my nervousness.

  “Hi, stranger,” he replied in a soft tone. “What are you up to tonight?”

  “Not much. Do you need help with something?”

  “Nope, just wondering if maybe you wanted to get a bite to eat sometime this week?”

  “I haven’t heard from you in forever. Why call me now?”

  “Because I miss hanging out with you. Is that a good enough reason?”

  I giggled. “Yes, so what time do you want to meet up?”

  “How does Saturday night at 7:30 sound? We can meet outside the gym, and we’ll go from there.”

  “Okay, that’s perfect. See you then.”

  When he ended the call, I called Kaylee and told her all about it. She was happy for me.

  After I hung up with her, I grabbed the pillow next to me and screamed into it with excitement. I couldn’t believe he’d asked me out. I’d never been on a date before.

  In my closet, I started scattering clothes everywhere. Eventually, I found a pair of jeans and a cute top to wear. As I draped them over the couch, the room started to spin. I grabbed my head and fell to my knees until it subsided. My breathing became weak, and my heart slowed down. What the heck was that all about?

  With no clue as to what had happened, I downed a bottle of water, and I passed out.

  ***

  The rest of the school week was pretty good, despite my sleeping problem. I did think it was weird because Clay didn’t text me again, and he never showed up at class. Perhaps he was sick. I had no clue, but I did know that I didn’t have any more dreams of Mihnea. That made me upset, but I got over it.

  When I woke up on Saturday, it was afternoon. I guess I was making up for all the days I didn’t sleep. I rushed out of bed and took a shower. After I got out, I put some dance music on and brushed my hair. I pinned it up, trying to hide the thick gray streak. It didn’t work. At that moment I remembered where Kaylee got her hair dye, so with a few hours left, I drove to Sally’s Beauty Salon and bought a can of brown spray in hair color to make it match.

  Back at home, I sprayed the gray streak and coughed in the process. I didn’t care for the smell but loved that it stayed, unlike the permanent hair dye which always washed out. I looked in the mirror and couldn’t stop smiling. My hair color all matched, and I loved it, even if it was temporary.

  In my driveway, I texted Clay to make sure we were still meeting up. He replied right away and said yes. I smiled and drove to the local gym he went to. While sitting there waiting for him to come out, I felt sick to my stomach, like when I was looking at the dating site. I wanted to back out, but Clay came out of the gym and walked up to my car, still wearing his gym clothes.

  I rolled down the window. “Hey.”

  He smiled. “Your hair looks good, and you smell great.”

  I wasn’t wearing any perfume, plus he was standing there outside my car window, so I wondered how he could have smelled my scent. Maybe it was the hair dye.

  “Thank you. Why weren’t you in class all week?”

  “I was sick. But I’m better now. Come on. Let’s take my truck.”

  “Okay.”

  I joined him in his black pickup, where the smell of sweat was overpowering. His air freshener hanging from the mirror didn’t help. I t
ried not to gag. I wanted desperately to get out, but his cute baby face and blue eyes stopped me, so I dealt with the smell.

  Clay started to drive without asking me where I wanted to eat.

  I looked out the window at a couple walking on the sidewalk holding hands.

  “Get out,” a male voice said in my ear. His voice was desperate and sounded like Mihnea, but I knew that was impossible. I glanced over at Clay to see if he said it, but his eyes were on the road.

  He caught me staring. “Are you okay?”

  “Did you just whisper something?”

  His eyes widened. “No. Why?”

  I shrugged. “It’s nothing. Maybe it was the radio.”

  “What did you hear?”

  “Sorry, it was muffled.”

  Clay glanced at me with a dark stare. He probably thought I was a wacko.

  I swallowed hard and looked at my phone. What the hell. Am I going nuts?

  After a few more minutes of silence, Clay pulled into a health food restaurant a few blocks away. I wasn’t expecting a place like that, but then again, neither had I expected his smelly truck or his attire. He grabbed a small duffle bag, and we walked in. He didn’t even open the door for me, which I thought was rude. I ordered a chicken salad, but he didn’t order anything or offer to pay for mine.

  A woman behind the counter came up to us. “Hey, Clay, you’re extremely pale today. Are you sick?”

  He stared blankly at her. “I just worked out.”

  “All right, well, you better eat something,” she said and turned to deal with another customer.

  We walked over to a small table and sat across from each other. While I ate, Clay opened his bag, took out a bottle and drank some.

  “Is that a bodybuilder drink?”

  “Yes, it’s leftover dessert,” he chuckled.

  I rolled my eyes.

  He acted strangely. Not like the Clay I knew. I guess being a macho man had made him turn into a rude jerk. While I was eating my salad, he was staring at some woman next to us.

  She smiled and bit her bottom lip.

  I looked back down at my salad. Player.

  He turned to me. “Do you want to go somewhere else?”

  “No, I can’t. I have to study for an exam tomorrow.”

  I lied. I couldn’t wait to get away from him.

  We sat there for another twenty minutes in silence. “Are you ready to go?” I asked.