IMMORTAL VISIONS

by M. K. ROZE

  “Sure.”

  We walked outside, and I stood there not wanting to go back in his truck.

  Clay smiled. “Come on. Let me take you back to your car.”

  Not wanting to look like an idiot, I got in.

  On the way, he kept looking over at me.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  “Do you want to go back to my place?”

  “No, but thanks for the invite.”

  We pulled up to my car and sat there quietly for a few minutes. I didn’t want to rush out of his truck and make him feel bad. After a few more minutes of silence, I turned to him. “Thanks for inviting me out.”

  He reached over and grabbed my arm.

  “Let me go!” I yelled and tried to get away, but he was too strong.

  He pulled me toward him, grabbed my breast, and forcefully kissed me. His sharp tooth cut my bottom lip.

  I smacked his face and pushed him away. “What the hell are you doing?” I touched my lip and looked at my finger. “I’m bleeding, you jerk.”

  He started spitting onto the floor of his truck like he’d eaten poison.

  I opened the door, jumped down, and ran over to my car.

  “Viata!” he yelled in a taunting tone.

  I turned and flipped him the bird. “You’re sick, Clay. What the hell happened to you?”

  “See you shortly,” he replied.

  A roar came from above the building. I looked, but nothing was there.

  Clay laughed ominously and spun out, squealing his tires.

  After he left, I got into my car, punched the dash, and screamed from the pain. I shook it off and took off out of the parking lot like a race car driver. On the way home, I couldn’t stop crying and couldn’t believe that Clay was such a jerk. He’d never acted that way before when we studied together. I parked my car, got out and rushed inside.

  On the way to my room, Mom was sitting on the couch in the living room.

  “Hey, hon.”

  “Hi, Mom,” I mumbled, walking past her with my head down, trying to hide my lip.

  “Hey, come back here.”

  I walked backward a few steps.

  “Did you get your hair done? It looks gorgeous.”

  “No, I used black hair dye out of a can.”

  “It doesn’t look like it at all. I love it!”

  “Thanks.”

  She got up and walked over to me. “Is something wrong, honey?”

  “No, why?”

  “Because your hands are shaking. What happened?”

  I cleared my throat. “I had a bad date.”

  I kept it short. If I had told her what really went down, her mother and lawyer instincts would have kicked in, and she would have called the cops.

  “Define a bad date?”

  “He was just rude, Mom. I didn’t like him.”

  “Okay, honey. I was only making sure he didn’t hurt you.”

  “He didn’t.”

  I wanted to tell her the truth, but I was too scared.

  “Why is your lip cut then? Did he hit you?” Her loud voice traveled through the house.

  “No, he didn’t touch me. I smacked it on the window as I got out of the car.”

  She grabbed her chest. “Good.”

  “I’m going to bed,” I said.

  She hugged me. “Don’t forget we have an appointment at Flagler College tomorrow morning.”

  “But tomorrow’s only Sunday.”

  “We have a private tour of the campus.”

  “Oh, I forgot.”

  She smiled. “It’s okay. Night, honey.”

  “Good night,” I said and forced a smile.

  Mom watched me as I walked off to my room. As soon as I shut the door, I ran to my bed, threw myself face down onto the pillow, and let out a scream. I wasn’t focused on college at all. I wasn’t even excited like I was before Romania.

  After I calmed down, I went into the bathroom and took a long hot shower. I still felt his nasty kiss, so I scrubbed my face until it felt sunburned.

  In bed, I curled up into a ball and cried myself to sleep.

  Sunday came fast. I woke up, got dressed, and went into the kitchen to eat the breakfast Mom made for Dad and me.

  After we ate, Mom and I drove in her Escalade to the college.

  Dad stayed home relaxing.

  When we pulled up, it was a beautiful castle-like building, lined with arched windows. The stunning oak trees and breathtaking landscape put a smile on my face.

  Inside, we met a woman named Joann. She was a pleasant older woman with short gray hair.

  “Hi Viata,” she said.

  “Hello,” I replied and shook her hand.

  “I hear you want to become a lawyer like your parents.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, Flagler College is the perfect place to start.”

  Mom and I followed her around the enormous campus.

  In the dining hall, I looked up at the colorful stained-glass windows and hand-painted murals of angels. I could stare at its beauty all day, especially the high cathedral ceiling.

  “Wow! this is gorgeous,” I said.

  “Yes, it is,” Mom replied.

  We continued down a long hall and entered an open room. I stopped in my tracks when I saw the mosaic floor. I looked up at the eighty-foot domed, gold ceiling, admiring the ornate paintings. I loved how it was supported by eight rich sculptures made of hand-carved oak in the shape of robed women, each one unique and strong. I took some more pictures.

  “Who are those women?” I asked Joann.

  “Goddesses, copied from the temple of Diana in Greece.”

  “They are beautiful,” I said still captivated by their beauty.

  “Yes, they are,” Joann replied and walked into the office.

  Mom touched my shoulder. “Do you like it here?”

  “No,” I replied and faced Mom to see her reaction.

  She squinted. “What?”

  “Just kidding. I love it!” I gave her a huge hug.

  Joann came back out. “Would you like to come here, Viata?”

  “Definitely.”

  Joann showed us a few classrooms. Some of them were in auditoriums. It was cool. After that, we left to go back home, and I texted Kaylee and Liam, telling them that I decided to go there. They both texted me one after another. They were excited we would all be together. I was psyched to start there too. We were like The Three Musketeers.

  On Monday, as I pulled in a parking spot, I saw Clay. He smiled at me and acted as if nothing had happened.

  I balled my fist and looked away.

  After class, Clay came over to me while I was sitting there collecting my books. “Why are you ignoring me? Did I do something to offend you?” he asked.

  I looked up at him. “Get the hell away from me, right now.”

  He walked away. “Whatever, psycho.”

  I couldn’t believe he was acting like nothing had taken place.

  At lunch, I saw Kaylee and Liam. They asked me what happened to my lip, so I told them the same thing I told Mom. Liam seemed upset because I went on a date with Clay. He didn’t speak much until I told them how he acted. That’s when he looked over at Clay which was five rows behind us and scowled at him.

  Clay got up and came over to us. “What’s up?” Clay said looking at all of us.

  Liam jumped up. “Why did you ask Viata out, then treat her like crap?”

  “What are you talking about?” Clay looked down at me. “Did you tell them I took you out?”

  “You did,” I said and looked at Kaylee.

  “You liar. I never took you out anywhere. What are you trying to do?”

  I slammed my fist on the table and rushed up. “Why are you lying, Clay? Is it because I didn’t want to make out with you?”

  He stood there looking at me like I was completely insane. “You need help.” He stormed off.

  Everyone in the cafeteria looked my way.

  I looked at Liam an
d Kaylee. “What? I didn’t make it up. He did take me out. I have the text messages.”

  “We believe you,” Kaylee said. “Don’t we, Liam?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  I pulled my phone out of my backpack to show them his text. “What the heck? Where did it go?”

  “Where did what go?” Kaylee asked me.

  “His texts. They were here, and now they’re gone.”

  “Maybe you deleted them on accident,” she said.

  We sat, and the other students went back to talking, I was sure about what just happened.

  “I can’t believe he denied we went out. What’s wrong with men these days?” I pushed my food tray to the side.

  “His loss,” Kaylee said.

  “We’re not all like that,” Liam added.

  After school, I drove home and walked inside. Dad was in the living room watching the news.

  “Hey, Dad.”

  He grinned. “How was school?”

  “Hard as always.” I walked through the living room to go into the kitchen.

  “It will get easier,” he said.

  “I doubt it.”

  Mom was standing at the counter reading a magazine. I sat down at the table. “What’s for dinner?”

  “I don’t know yet. How was school?”

  I picked at the plastic placemat. “That jerk Clay told the entire cafeteria he never went out with me.”

  Mom sighed. “Boy’s these days are cruel. Just ignore him, honey.”

  “I will.”

  “Do you want pizza?”

  “Sure.”

  “Okay, I’ll order it.”

  While she was on the phone, I walked into the pantry and ate some cookies and chips.

  Mom opened the door and laughed. “Viata, I just ordered pizza.”

  “What? I was hungry,” I said with cookie crumbs falling out of my mouth.

  She laughed. “You look tired. Go take a hot bath, and I’ll get you when the food arrives.”

  “Sounds good.”

  In the bathtub, I closed my eyes and right away, I saw images of Clay’s face and wondered if he had schizophrenia or something.

  After the water got cold, I got out and climbed into pajamas. Mom called down the hall, and I went to the kitchen to eat the pizza, but it tasted like cardboard. I went to bed early, passing out quickly but awakened by the hostile animals outside.

  I ran to the window, but I didn’t see anything. It sounded like they were on top of the house. I lay back down. “Call animal control already,” I shouted and covered my head with the pillow.

  My phone’s alarm went off, waking me up. I looked at the time on my phone. “Not again.” I jumped out of bed, got dressed as quickly as I could, and rushed out the door.

  Before I got into my car, Liam honked his horn a few times.

  I jumped and shook my head.

  At school, I saw crazy Clay a few cars over. I looked away, trying to avoid his gaze, but when I glanced up again, he stared at me like he wanted to ask me something, but he walked away.

  I shrugged and continued to the office for a late slip. As I opened the classroom door, everyone looked at me.

  I rushed to find a seat. As the teacher talked about our upcoming test, my head started to hurt, and his voice faded. I massaged my temples, sat up straight in the seat and endured the pain for the rest of the period.

  I continued to my next class and sat next to Kaylee.

  “You look tired, did you sleep?” she whispered.

  “Not really. Some stupid animals keep on fighting every night.”

  “If it happens again, call animal control,” she said.

  “My parents already did, but they can’t trap them.”

  “That’s weird.”

  “I know.”

  “You look like you’re in pain.”

  “My head hurts,” I said, rubbing it.

  “Quiet ladies,” the teacher said.

  Kaylee and I faced forward.

  As the teacher spoke, a sharp pain rushed through my brain. I closed my eyes, cradling my head in my hands and screamed.

  “Viata, Viata,” Kaylee’s voice said in my ear as she shook my shoulder.

  My eyes shot open. The entire class stared at me.

  “Are you okay?” Kaylee asked.

  “Y-y-yes, I’m fine.”

  I snatched my books from the desk, grabbed my backpack, and ran toward the exit.

  “Viata, are you okay?” the teacher yelled.

  I faced him and nodded.

  When students started laughing, I charged out the door and walked quickly down the empty hallway until I reached the exit.

  Kaylee came running up behind me. “Wait,” she said.

  I continued until I was outside. A burning sensation ran through my head. I stopped and grabbed it. “What the hell is going on?”

  When the pain subsided, I continued to my car and got in.

  Kaylee knocked on my window.

  I rolled it down. “Kaylee, I can’t talk right now. I need to go home and take some Tylenol.”

  “What happened to you?”

  I placed my head on the steering wheel. “I got sharp pains in my head, and before I knew it, I was jumping from a tree and landed on some woman. She screamed, and I started to eat her neck like I was a wild animal. It was awful.”

  “Ew, that’s nasty and crazy. Did you watch scary movies last night?”

  “No.”

  “Viata, you can tell me anything. You know I love you.”

  “I know you do. I think my dreams and this vision is all connected somehow.”

  She looked away at the other students’ cars. “I highly doubt it,” she muttered.

  “I gotta go.” I started the car and backed out.

  As I left, she stood there and wiped her eyes like she was crying.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  HIS TOUCH

  Two months had passed with the same head pain, followed by another vision of me somewhere in the forest, lying on the ground. I didn’t know what to make of it.

  Kaylee, Liam and I planned to hang out after school. I cut it short because I didn’t want to have another episode in front of them.

  I slept over at Kaylee’s house and told her about my dreams and visions being real. Like always, she said it was stupid. I decided that Liam would be the best person to talk to.

  As I pulled in my driveway, I saw Liam’s Jeep and decided to talk to him about what was going on. On the way to his driveway, my footsteps faltered. Do I want to tell him? I shook my head and continued to the doorway and rang the bell.

  “Hi, Viata.”

  “Hello, Ms. Moore, is Liam home?” I asked, leaning down to pet Cujo.

  Cujo growled, so I quickly yanked my hand back.

  “Yes, he is. Hold on while I put him in his cage.”

  She disappeared inside, and as I stood there listening to her wrestle Cujo, I wondered why he was acting so violent.

  She opened the door again, blowing her hair out of her face. “Oh man, he’s a strong dog.”

  “Come in and sit down while I get Liam,” she said and walked up the stairs, calling for him.

  I sat on the couch tapping my foot while looking around at all their high-end black furniture, along with their Halloween decorations while Cujo was still growling in his cage.

  Loud footsteps came down the stairs, and Liam turned the corner grinning at me. “Hey there, girl.”

  I got up and hugged him.

  “What’s up. I didn’t see you in school today,” he said.

  “I was there.”

  “Huh. Are you okay?” He sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of me.

  Ms. Moore came back downstairs. “Hey, troublemakers, I’m going to the store. Do you guys need anything?”

  “I’m good, Mom.”

  “No thank you,” I said.

  She always called Liam and me troublemakers because we used to ring people’s doorbells and place their newspapers on the t
op of their cars. It was funny at the time.

  After his mom shut the front door, Liam looked at me with a massive grin on his face. “Where were we?”

  “Do you think my dreams and visions could be real?” I said bluntly.

  He got up shaking his head. “Come again?”

  “I’m serious.”

  “Viata, come on now. This crap has gotten to your head. Look how you’ve been acting for the past few months. You barely even hang out anymore.”

  I got up and paced around the living room. “Kaylee doesn’t believe me either.”

  “Would you believe us if we told you?”

  “Probably not.”

  He patted my shoulder. “Can we have the old Viata back?”

  I smiled.

  “There she is,” he said.

  “Funny. Thanks for talking to me. I have some errands to run.”

  “That was a quick visit.” He hugged me. “Come over or call me anytime.”

  “Thanks.” I walked down the steps of his house and looked back at him.

  “Don’t tell Kaylee I told you, okay?”

  “Why?”

  “You know she’ll get upset. It’s a girl thing.”

  He chuckled.

  “Liam?” I said as I stared him down.

  “Chill out. I won’t tell her.”

  “Good. See you tomorrow at school.”

  “I better,” he called out after me.

  Instead of heading for home, I decided to go for a walk to a small neighborhood park that was a block from my house. I was upset that Liam didn’t believe me and I needed time to think. As I walked, I looked up at the dark sky, and a drizzle fell on my face. The weather matched my mood. At the park, I found a wooden bench, sat down and closed my eyes thinking about calling my aunt to get on some medicine.

  After a long time of thinking of what happened to me, the rain started to pick up, and twigs snapped behind me. I turned to see what had made the noise, but only a few trees and a swing set were in my line of sight. Beyond that was pure darkness. I shrugged, turned back around and remembered the animals that always came out at night.

  “What was I thinking?” I rushed up, and a black shadow hovered over the road in front of me.

  “Viata,” a male voice said.

  I stepped back and shielded my eyes from the drizzle as I looked all around me.

  “Viata,” he said again, provoking me.