IMMORTAL VISIONS

by M. K. ROZE

  “Yes.” I ducked under his arm and walked out to the kitchen.

  Liam followed behind me, laughing.

  I opened the refrigerator door. “What’s so funny?”

  “You, staggering around like a mummy is.”

  “Glad you’re enjoying yourself.” I got the milk out. “What are you doing today?”

  Liam sat at the breakfast bar. “Going to school then later tonight I have a date.”

  “With who?” I replied, my mouth full of cereal.

  “Ew,” he groaned, turning away with a disgusted look. “Swallow your food before you speak. And don’t worry about who?”

  “Whatever,” I mumbled.

  “Are you done being a jerk now?” he asked.

  “Yes, sorry. And Constin is a nice guy.”

  He headed to his room. “There’s something off with that dude. You better be careful.”

  “He’s fine.”

  “What are you doing later?” Liam asked.

  “Having dinner at my parents’ house,” I replied, and walked back into my room to get ready for school.

  As I was leaving, Liam came out all dressed up.

  “Do I look okay?” he asked me, as he spun around.

  “Wow! You look handsome. Are you wearing that to school?”

  He smiled. “Do I hear jealousy in your voice?”

  I smacked him lightly on his arm. “Nope, I’m in love with Mihnea.” I shook my head. “I mean Constin.”

  His eyes widened. “Mean what? Who is that?”

  “No one,” I replied, and looked away.

  His grin turned into a frown, and he walked back into his room. I guess he was hoping the sadness in my tone was for him.

  “Hey, I’m leaving. See you at school,” I said and walked out the door.

  “Bye,” he shouted back.

  At school, I sat in the parking lot debating if I wanted to face Latore. I needed to know if we went out, but I was too afraid to know the truth. After a while, I got out and went to all my classes without seeing him. That only made me think it was real and he was hiding from me.

  When I arrived at my parents’ house, something smelled good. “What’s baking?” I asked as I walked into the kitchen.

  Mom and Dad hugged me. “Chicken Alfredo,” Mom said.

  “Perfect!”

  We sat at the kitchen table. “How have you been?” Dad asked.

  “Great! I went to see Dr. Dalca, and she gave me more pills. So, no more visions or dreams.”

  “We’re very proud of you, honey,” Mom said.

  Dad squinted. “I’m glad you’re back to normal.”

  I think he could tell I was lying.

  “Yeah, me too,” I replied and took a sip of my soda.

  After we ate, Mom got up from the table and walked into the living room. Moments later, she returned with a brown wooden jewelry box. She sat down and slid it over to me.

  “That’s for you.”

  I reached for it. “What is it?”

  Mom looked at Dad briefly then back at me. “Just open it, honey.”

  “Okay.” I lifted the lid to see an old photo of a woman and a man holding a baby. The woman’s face was sad, and her eyes looked like she was crying. I looked at Mom then at Dad. “Are these my biological parents?”

  Mom exhaled and nodded with tears in her eyes.

  “Your biological mother asked us to give it to you when you were old enough,” Dad said. “We were waiting to give it to you.” He looked at Mom. “We decided now that you’re doing better—this would be the time.”

  I looked down at the picture again. My mother was beautiful. Her hair was long and brown, and she seemed tall. My dad was very handsome, also with brown hair.

  I shook my head as I looked at my parents. “Here, I don’t want it.” I placed it back in the box and slid it over to Mom. “I’m glad you adopted me.”

  Mom frowned. “I’m sorry.” She got up and hugged me.

  Dad followed behind her, doing the same.

  “Thanks for showing me, but let’s not talk about them again. Okay? It brings back bad memories.”

  Mom nodded.

  “We won’t discuss it ever again unless you want to,” Dad said.

  “Good, so what’s for dessert?” I replied, trying not to show the hurt in my voice.

  I wanted to cry and run away, but too many things were racing through my tiny brain to give a crap about people who gave me up.

  “How about a slice of cheesecake?” Mom said.

  “Sounds good.”

  After we cleared the dishes from the table, I sat back down and looked at my phone to see the time. “Dammit,” I said wanting to hit the wall because Constin had called and texted me. I was annoyed that I’d forgotten to turn the ringer back on after Mom called me in the morning.

  “What’s wrong?” Mom asked.

  “Nothing, I just missed a call. I’m going to step outside for a minute to call them back.”

  “Okay,” Mom replied.

  Dad didn’t say anything because he was too busy stuffing his mouth with cheesecake.

  I walked out to the porch and called Constin.

  “Good evening,” he answered in a sexy voice that immediately set off butterflies.

  I smiled ear to ear wanting to screech, but I didn’t. “Hi, how are you?”

  “Wonderful.”

  “You disappeared again. Is there ever going to be a night when you stay with me all night like normal people do?”

  “Someday soon,” he replied softly.

  I sighed. “So, what’s up?”

  “I was hoping you would like to get together tonight.”

  “Sure. What do you have in mind?”

  “I would love to take you out on my father’s yacht. Does that sound good to you?”

  “I’ve never been on a boat at night before, but okay.”

  “You’ll be fine. We can go out on the ocean, relax and talk.”

  “Sounds romantic.”

  “I’ll pick you up at your house tonight at 7:00. Does that work for you?”

  “Yes, that’s perfect.”

  “Viata, be careful and watch out for that rat from last night.”

  “I will. Thanks.”

  I ended the call, walked back inside, and wolfed down the cheesecake.

  Mom and Dad laughed.

  “What’s the rush?” Mom said.

  “I forgot that I had to write an essay.” I rushed up and gave them a hug and a kiss on their cheek. “Thanks for dinner.”

  As I got in the car, they waved bye with a suspicious look on their faces. I’m sure they could tell I was lying.

  I drove back home and got dressed. When the doorbell rang, I rushed to the door and found Constin smiling at me.

  “You’re right on time.”

  “Only for you,” he said and kissed me on my cheek. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, but just a little nervous.”

  “You have nothing to worry about when you’re with me.”

  The way he spoke was strong, and I liked how he made me feel secure.

  We got into the Aston Martin, and he drove off down the street.

  “Why does your dad have a yacht if you don’t live here?”

  He smirked, “Because he can.” He stepped on the gas, causing me to grab the door handle.

  I closed my eyes. “Slow down.”

  “Relax. You’re in good hands.”

  At the marina, he opened the door for me and helped me out of the car.

  “Your hand is shaking,” he said.

  “I’m fine. I’m still nervous.”

  He ran his fingers through my hair. “Viata, you trust me, right?”

  I smiled sheepishly. “Yes.”

  We walked to the yacht, and he helped me step on board.

  “Wow! This is gorgeous.” I walked on the wooden cedar deck, toward the Jacuzzi with a marble bar that sat in front of it. I continued to the other side and stopped. “It has a downstairs too
?”

  “Sure does.”

  “Can I go look?”

  “Yes”

  I grabbed the brass handle and walked down the steps to a rustic looking kitchen. In the back were two large bedrooms with a bathroom.

  I lay on the king bed. “This is insane,” I said and jumped back up.

  I ran back upstairs. “Constin, you’re full of surprises.”

  “This is only the beginning.” He started the vessel and took off slowly.

  The cool breeze blew my hair back, and I could taste the salt water on my lips. About a mile out, Constin stopped and anchored the yacht. He walked up behind me, held me, and kissed the top of my head.

  My body quivered. As we stood there in silence looking towards the horizon, heat lightning caught my eye.

  “It’s not going to rain, is it?”

  “No, Viata, I wouldn’t have brought you out here if it was.”

  My anxiety dissipated, and he walked me over to sit at a small table. It had two crystal wine glasses and what looked like a bottle of vintage wine.

  “This is truly romantic. What kind of wine is that?”

  He sat next to me and opened the bottle. “You deserve it. And as for the wine, I bought it online. It’s from Romania. I thought being you love it there so much—you’d like it. It happens to be a few hundred years old.”

  “That was sweet of you. Thank you.”

  He opened it like a pro and poured me a glass.

  I held the stem of the glass, swirling the thick red wine while smelling its fruity aroma, just as Kaylee taught me to do.

  Constin poured a glass for himself. “Enjoy every sip.”

  I hesitated for a moment as he watched me, waiting for me to taste it. With it against my lips, Constin gently tipped the glass, so I had to drink some. One sip led to another, and I ended up drinking it entirely.

  “Can I have more, please?”

  “No, you have school in the morning,” he said, as he took my glass away.

  I frowned, turned around and placed my feet up on the long bench with my back against his chest.

  Constin wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck. “What’s been going on with you since I’ve been gone?” he asked gently.

  I shrugged. “Not much. Just school.”

  “What about your job? How’s that?”

  I sat up, turned to him, and sat Indian style. “I quit.”

  He pushed my hair away from my eyes. “Why is that?”

  I sighed and looked down. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  He lifted my chin. “Viata, it’s not healthy to keep bad memories built up inside. You should tell someone. Like me, perhaps.”

  I grinned.

  I wanted to tell him, but I was worried he would never talk to me again. “Another time?” I got up and walked over to the edge of the boat to look at the rough sea.

  Constin walked up behind me. “I know you want to tell me.”

  I was about to tell him to drop it, but he turned me around to face him. “I will never doubt you, Viata, ever. Is it the visions you’ve been having?”

  I grabbed his hand and sat back down. I told him everything that happened to me since the first dream in Romania, and he listened carefully to every word I said.

  “Please, don’t think I’m nuts.”

  “I don’t think you’re crazy at all,” he said.

  “Are you ready to run yet?”

  Constin gently ran his fingers down my face. “No. Who’s this man you dream of?”

  “He seems to know me and has saved me many times when I had the visions.”

  His eyebrows came together. “Saved you? Did you like that?”

  “I guess. I mean, I-I believe it was a vision, but then again, they were so real I couldn’t tell.” I rubbed my face and sighed. “Maybe I was going insane.”

  “No, you weren’t, and you’re not now.”

  “What about the part where I was called Divinity in a dream and while awake in Romania? And the same man I saw when Kaylee and I got pulled over? Also, that Muma lady brought me to another realm and said I was a reincarnated goddess who was adopted. The adoption part was true, but I’m not sure about the rest.”

  “You need to trust your instincts. This might be happening for a reason. Do you trust the man from your visions is telling you the truth?”

  “Should I?”

  “That’s up to you.”

  I smiled. “So, you believe me?”

  “I don’t see why not. There are many things in this world that we can’t explain. You told me that you believed there were other realms out there.” He rubbed my back gently. “Why should your situation be any different?”

  I leaped into his lap, embraced him, and kissed him on his cheek. “Thank you.”

  He squeezed me tightly.

  “You’re burning up again,” I said. “Are you okay?”

  He stood up. “Yes, but before I tell you what’s going on with me, I have one last question.”

  “Huh?’

  “Do you have any feelings for this man from your dreams?”

  I looked away. “No, he’s not real. And why are you so into this?”

  Constin smirked and took his shirt off as he walked away. “What if he wasn’t a figment of your imagination. What then?”

  I was unable to take my eyes off his sweaty body. “Even if he was real, I like you. So, it wouldn’t matter.”

  I lied straight to his face, and I think he knew it. If Mihnea were real, I don’t think I could choose. I loved them equally, dream or not.

  Constin walked over to me, picked me up, and brought me to the edge of the boat. “Liar,” he said, and he jumped off the side of the yacht, holding me, and plunged into the ocean.

  Cold water rushed through my body as I clung on to him. When we surfaced, I spit out the salty water. “You’re crazy!” I yelled.

  “Breathe,” he said calmly, as he held me in the frigid water.

  “G-get me out of here. I’m freezing. There are s-sharks.”

  “Try to relax,” he replied as the cold flowed through me violently.

  I buried my face into his warm neck. “Please, Constin, let’s get out. I c-can’t feel my b-body.”

  “You will momentarily.”

  Shaking uncontrollably, and feeling like I was going to die, I wrapped my arms and legs around him tightly.

  Constin didn’t even struggle as he held me.

  The water started to turn warm, so I raised my head. “D-do you feel that?” I asked.

  He grinned. “Yes, it’s my body temperature that’s doing it.”

  “But that’s impossible.”

  “Nothing’s impossible, and you’re not the only one that’s different. The cold helps my body temperature go down.”

  “That’s incredible. But how in the world are you not dead from getting so hot?”

  He took my face between his warm palms. “My body is used to it. And you, Viata, are the incredible one.”

  I melted in his warm eyes.

  “I love the gray streak in your hair. You shouldn’t cover it up,” he said, removing my hair from my face.

  I turned away. How embarrassing.

  I faced him and went to explain, but he silenced me with his kiss. We kissed so long that my mouth became numb and I forgot that I was in the ocean. At that moment, I knew that he accepted me, and it felt amazing.

  He swam me over to the boarding ladder and pushed me up onto the deck, where we lay cuddling while my body temperature returned to normal. His body was still ridiculously hot, but I didn’t mention it. I was happy that he was warming me up. We laughed and talked about the stars, and before I knew it, I was dry, and Constin had become incredibly quiet.

  I nudged him gently. “Hey, are you still awake?”

  Constin groaned. “Yes,” he said, and began kissing me again, but this time his kiss was weaker, and his saliva was extremely warm

  I stopped and turned toward the bar.

  “Co
me on, let me get you home,” he mumbled.

  “No, I want to stay here with you and sleep.”

  He sighed and rested his head on my chest. “I wish I could, Viata, but I just can’t,” he slurred.

  I lifted his limp head. “Constin, you’re very pale. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” With great effort, he pushed himself to his feet and stumbled over to start the yacht.

  “No, you’re not. What’s wrong? What do you want me to do?”

  I ran over to him and tried to hold him steady. He was staring at something up ahead, and hissing sounds came from that direction.

  “What was that?”

  “I don’t know but stay close to me.”

  “Why?” I searched the darkness, trying to see what he was looking at.

  “Father,” he thundered.

  “Constin, your dad isn’t here.”

  He looked at me like he wanted to tell me something.

  “What is it?”

  He looked forward.

  At the dock, we stepped off and struggled to the car. I supported him most of the way, but I had to let go at times because his body was so hot.

  Constin took his key fob from his pocket. “You must drive,” he said.

  I helped him into the passenger seat, ran to the driver’s door, and took off out of the parking lot.

  “Whoa, this car is fast.”

  “Trust in yourself and drive it,” he roared.

  “Constin, I don’t know where I am. Where do you want me to go?”

  He didn’t respond. “I’m taking you to the hospital,” I said.

  “No,” he shouted, causing my body to jerk. I looked at him, and he blacked out.

  I couldn’t think of anything else to do except take him back to the cabin. Maybe he had medicine there. I turned on my cell phones GPS and sped up like a race car driver. I got lost briefly but managed to figure it out.

  I looked over at him, and he was still passed out. “Constin, hold on while I get your father.”

  When I started to get out of the car, Sorin came out of nowhere, opened the door and took Constin out.

  I ran to the passenger’s side. “Help him, please.”

  Sorin looked at me. “Go inside the house,” he ordered.

  “Why?”

  “Just go,” he yelled

  I ran to the driver’s side, pulled out the key fob, and grabbed my purse. I ran to the house and stood at the door waiting on Sorin. Is someone after Constin? Is he a drug dealer or something?