Dacia Wolf & the Prophecy

by Mandi Oyster

  “I guess I should’ve packed a flashlight,” I said.

  Cody and I held hands, helping guide each other through the woods. I strained my eyes to see the path. A couple shadows moved too quickly. I nudged Cody, and he bent down.

  “What?” he whispered.

  A cold tingle ran up my spine, twisting my stomach. Keeping my voice low, I said, “Somebody’s hiding behind those trees.”

  He pulled me off the trail into dense timber. Our eyes adjusted well enough to see the trees, but we were insecure about our footing. Every now and then a twig snapped. We made it past the spot where I had seen the people hiding, but there was no sign of them.

  We stood still, searching the darkness. My heart thudded against my ribs. If anyone was hiding in the trees, they’d be sure to hear it.

  A branch snapped, and Cody’s grip on my hand tightened. Somebody stood in the shadows in front of us. I took a step back and bumped into someone else. My heart jumped into my throat, blocking a scream.

  In the darkness, I couldn’t make out their faces.

  “Nice of you to step off of the path where nobody can see you.”

  I recognized the voice as Bryce Sumac’s.

  “What do you want, Bryce?” Cody asked.

  “We’ll do the talking here.” Alvin Leach’s voice came from behind us.

  “The freak here”—Bryce pointed at me—“needs to stay away from Cassandra. If she doesn’t, she’ll answer to us.”

  I tried to calm myself, not wanting anything else to happen today, but I didn’t like being threatened. “I’ve been trying to stay away from her since I got here, so that won’t be a problem on my part! Now, why don’t you move out of the way?”

  Bryce stuck his face right in front of mine. “We’ll be keeping our eyes on you, Freak. You’d better watch your back.” He pushed his fingers into my shoulder.

  “Back away from her. Now.” Cody’s voice turned dark and dangerous, protective.

  Bryce pulled back from me and punched Cody in the jaw. Cody, caught off guard, stumbled backward, catching himself before falling to the ground.

  A familiar sensation burned in the pit of my stomach, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to control myself much longer. This was why Cody and I couldn’t be together. He would always be a target because of me. People feared anything different, and I couldn’t let Cody live like this. Somehow, I needed to let him go.

  Cody regained his bearings and pulled his fist back.

  “Go ahead, Cody, hit him,” Alvin hissed. “You can’t get us both at the same time.”

  Cody turned his head to get a better look at Alvin and was lowering his fist when Bryce threw another punch at him. I clenched my fists and stepped forward.

  Bryce’s punch didn’t land on Cody’s face. It stopped about an inch away, and Bryce howled in pain.

  Cody and I ran through the trees, stumbling and fighting our way back onto the path. We sprinted until the campus lights illuminated us. Bryce’s screams followed us back to the dorms.

  Panting, we stepped into the glow of the lamps. Even in the dim light, I saw the red mark on his cheek and felt horrible for not stopping Bryce’s first punch.

  “What did you do to Bryce?” Cody asked.

  Panting, I answered, “I have no idea.” I sucked in a breath, trying to ease the burning in my lungs. “I couldn’t let him hit you again. He should’ve hit me.”

  “No.” Cody’s hands clenched at his sides.

  “I’m the one he has a problem with.”

  “If he’d hit you, more than just his hand would hurt.” Cody spoke with a fierceness I’d never heard from him. “I didn’t hit him because I couldn’t bear to see you get hurt. If you’d’ve gotten hit, all bets would’ve been off.”

  I put my hand on Cody’s shoulder. “Stop worrying about me. I can handle myself.”

  “I’ll never stop worrying about you.” He grabbed my hand and led me to the dorm. “I know you can handle yourself, but I also know you’d never forgive yourself if you took it too far.”

  When Cody opened the door, Samantha said, “Where have you been? I thought something hap—” Her voice broke off when she turned around and saw us. “Cody, are you all right? You look like you’ve been in a fight.”

  “Fine and sort of.” Cody summed everything up quickly, then said, “Let’s eat!”

  “That’s all you’re going to tell me?” Samantha sounded a little wounded about not getting the full story. “How did Dacia save you?”

  “We’re not sure.” I looked out the window, wondering if they’d made it back to campus yet. “Bryce’s hand stopped about an inch short of Cody’s face. We didn’t stick around to see what happened. We took off running and didn’t stop until we were under the lights.”

  Cody folded his hands together and asked, “Can we eat now?”

  “Yeah, the food’s over here.” With a hint of guilt in her voice, Samantha said, “It’s been here for about fifteen minutes. I ate some of my fries while I waited for you.” She rubbed her arms. “I guess I should’ve been there trying to save you. I just figured whatever Cody wanted to talk to you about took longer than he expected.”

  “Don’t worry, Sam,” Cody said with a mouth full of food. “You’d’ve never found us.”

  By the time we finished eating, it was nearly nine o’clock.

  “I should leave before Marcy kicks me out,” Cody said.

  I pulled my hand through my hair. “Will you walk with me to Sarah’s office tomorrow?” I wanted to leave Cody out of my problems, but I kept pulling him into them.

  He turned to look at me. He might as well have had a question mark painted on his face. “Yeah, why?”

  “I better talk to her about what happened tonight.”

  “Yeah, you should.”

  

  Cody and I sit on the beach at Falcon Lake. His arm is around my shoulders, and my head rests against his chest. It’s nearing sunset. The clouds turn vibrant shades of pink, orange, and purple, and the reflection on the water mirrors the sky, not a single ripple disturbs the surface of the lake.

  Silence surrounds us as we enjoy the view and each other’s company. The wind picks up, and the serene reflection is cast aside by intense ripples moving across the surface.

  A burst of cold air makes me shiver. Cody holds me tighter and rubs my arms. Just as quickly as the wind comes up, it is gone. An eerie feeling crawls along my spine. Something tells me to run. I try to shake off the sensation, but it increases until my resistance crumbles. I decide to get Cody up and leave, but he seems to be frozen in place. I can’t even move his arm from my shoulder.

  A wave crashes against the shore, drawing my attention. Yellow, glowing eyes stare at me through the water. I struggle to pull myself out from under Cody’s arm. My legs flail, trying to pull my body free.

  “Dacia, give up. You can’t win.” I hear a low, growling voice. Then a clawed hand the size of my body reaches up out of the water.

  I kick harder but can’t free myself. I feel a surge of relief when Cody moves. I turn toward him intent on making him leave, but instead of Cody, I peer into Bryce’s pale green eyes.

  “Look what you did to me.” His hand is wrapped in bloody bandages, his fingers contorted. “I’ll get even with you for this.”

  I struggle to get away, but Bryce pushes me toward the lake. I stumble backward. The icy water crashes against my legs. My feet slip out from under me, and I fall back. Nefarious closes me in his fist. His claws dig into me, pinning my arms to my sides.

  I fight to free myself, but I’m no match for his strength. As he pulls me into the depths of Falcon Lake, I gasp for air. Water fills my lungs. My chest burns. I know I’m going to drown. My head spins. My legs thrash out. Everything goes dark.

  T
hen I feel myself being pulled out of the water. As I near the surface, the light blinds me. I can’t see who is lifting me up.

  Nefarious’ claws tear through my shirt as he grabs at me.

  My eyes adjust to the light. I look around to see who is saving me, but nobody is there. I’m flying.

  Yellow eyes stare at me from under the surface of the water. A thick stream of ice flows from my hands, and in a matter of seconds, Falcon Lake is frozen solid. I hover above the water victorious.

  A low, rumbling noise pierces the surface of the lake. It grows louder until the lake explodes. Shards of ice fly through the air. I twist and turn, dodging them. I roll to the side, but intense pain shoots through my face. My eyes water. Blood runs down my cheek and drips off my chin.

  From the depths of Falcon Lake, Nefarious rises. His body is covered in bright red flames. He tips his head back and roars.

  I feel small, insignificant.

  Chapter 16

  Dreams Do Come True

  “Dacia, wake up.” Samantha shook my arm. “It’s just a dream.”

  I woke up startled, saturated with sweat. I turned to face Samantha, and she gasped.

  Her mouth hung open, and her eyes widened with fear. “Dacia, what happened to you? You were asleep!”

  I reached my hand up to my cheek; it was sticky with blood. “Oh, my God, Samantha, I dreamed I had been hit in the face by a shard of ice. How did it—” I swallowed over the lump forming in my throat “—how did it come true?”

  “I’m calling Sarah.” Her determined tone left no room for dispute.

  “Call Cody, too.” My voice trembled. “He’ll never forgive you if you don’t.” I climbed out of my loft on shaky legs. “I’m going to go wash my face.”

  Samantha turned the overhead lights on. My pillow was covered in blood. I fell back, grasping at my ladder. I clung to it, struggling to catch my breath. I felt a breeze on my back and reached behind me to find my pajama shirt shredded. I finished climbing down and sank into Cookie Monster.

  I heard Samantha in the background, “Hello, Sarah, this is Samantha. I’m sorry to bother you so late, but Dacia just woke up from a nightmare, and her face is covered in blood.” Her voice wobbled. “Okay, I’ll tell her.”

  Samantha walked over to me. “Dacia, you’re as white as a ghost. Are you going to be okay?”

  “Look at my pillow.” My voice was cold and detached.

  Samantha’s hand shot to her mouth. “Oh, Dacia, I can’t believe you bled that much! Sarah will be over here as soon as she can. Everything’s going to be fine.”

  I think she was trying to convince herself as much as me. “Please call Cody,” I said my voice still lifeless.

  “Yeah, I’m sure he’ll come rushing right over here, too.” As she walked away, she mumbled, “I don’t know why the two of you aren’t dating.”

  “We don’t want to ruin our friendship.” My voice sounded hollow, dazed.

  “Did you ever think it might be worth the risk?”

  “Yes”—I looked up at her—“way too often lately.” I stared down at my hands. The blood on my fingers reminded me I should be doing something about my face. “I think about it, but … but I don’t know what to do about anything in my life right now.” The thought of Cody coming over to comfort me made me feel better. I got up to go clean my face and heard Samantha gasp as I walked to the sink.

  “I’m going to let Cody in.” I held my fingers up in the Girl Scout salute. “I promise not to go anywhere else.”

  Samantha nodded. “Change your shirt first.”

  I pulled on a tank top and threw a hoodie on over that. Then I rushed down to the door closet to the men’s dorm, holding the washrag against my cheek.

  Cody rushed across the parking lot. He was dressed in thin pajama pants and his Bittersweet Lions hoodie. His hair stuck up at odd angles.

  My hand slipped, sliding the rag lower. You can’t have him. He’ll always be a target if he’s with you.

  I held the door open and Cody rushed in.

  His eyes were wide with fear. He came to an abrupt stop. “Samantha sounded like something awf—” Cody suddenly seemed wide awake. A muscle in his jaw ticked. He pulled the washcloth off my cheek. “Who did that to you?”

  I put my hand over his mouth. “Another nightmare. But, I woke up with this. And my pajama shirt torn to shreds.”

  “How … how did that happen?” He reached his finger to my cheek but pulled away before touching it. “It’s bleeding.”

  I brought the rag back up to it. “Good grief.”

  We jogged up the steps to the third floor. I held my finger over my lips. We’d almost made it to my room when Marcy stepped into the hallway.

  “Cody Hawks! What are you doing here at this time of night?”

  He pointed at me. “Dacia fell out of her loft, so Samantha called me to come get her and drive her to the doctor.”

  I removed the washrag again to show Marcy my cut.

  “How did you fall out of your loft?” Marcy asked like she was addressing a two-year-old.

  “I went to climb down my ladder and didn’t realize my foot was asleep. As soon as I put weight on it, I fell. Those things are dangerous, you know.”

  “Well, just get out of here before somebody else sees you,” she instructed. She turned back into her room and slammed the door behind her.

  “Good thinking,” I said, turning toward my room. “Maybe I should get a ladder to lower from my window. Then you could climb in without Marcy finding out. Or maybe we could tie some sheets together and throw them down to you.”

  We opened my door to find Sarah and Samantha standing by my bunk, whispering.

  “Let me see your face.” Sarah hurried over to me.

  “I’m not sure, but I think I’m going to need stitches.” I removed the rag once again. “What do you think?”

  “Oh, dear.” Sarah gasped. “I think we should have you see the school nurse. You might at least need butterfly stitches. We’ll have to think of something to tell everyone.”

  “Marcy jumped us in the hallway.” Cody explained what he’d told her. “I think we should stick to that story.”

  “Yeah, I know how rumors spread, and it would be best to tell everyone the same thing,” Sarah agreed. “Why don’t we take you over to the nurse’s office? I’ll call her and let her know we’re on our way. Then we can come back here, and you can tell us what happened. Is that okay with you, Dacia?”

  I nodded, knowing full well there was no point in arguing with Sarah. Her face was set with determination.

  “We’re coming too,” Cody informed us.

  “There was no doubt in my mind,” Sarah responded.

  When we arrived at her office, Nancy Heron, the school nurse, was waiting for us. “Come in, come in,” she said in a bubbly voice. She was a short, heavy-set woman in her mid-fifties. Her graying hair was tousled. She wore a flowery robe and a warm smile. “This is the second accident I’ve had this weekend.”

  “How is Bryce?” I asked.

  “He’ll live,” she answered gruffly. “Now, let me have a look at your face.”

  I pulled the washrag down again.

  “How did this happen, dear?”

  “I went to step out of my loft. My foot was asleep, and I fell off the ladder.” The lie tasted like curdled milk, but how could I tell her the truth?

  “What did you cut yourself on?”

  “I don’t know.” I didn’t know why that mattered anyway.

  “It’s a clean cut. I think we can get by with butterfly stitches. I’ll give you some bandages to wear over it for the next couple of days. I’m afraid it will scar. If you’re lucky, it will be pretty thin and not too noticeable.” She fixed me up. Then Cody, Samantha and I waited ou
tside while Sarah talked to her.

  “What a beautiful night.” I waved my hand in an arch. “Look at all of the stars.”

  Millions of tiny twinkling lights dotted the sky. A thin crescent moon smiled down at us.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. A silvery moth-like creature flittered through the air. “A fairy!”

  The fairy turned toward me. Her eyes were wide and metallic blue. Silver hair flowed over her shoulders to her ankles. Her wings were silver and blue. She screeched something at me before vanishing into the night.

  “Did you see it?” My voice was high-pitched, and I bounced up and down like a little kid.

  “Right before she disappeared,” Cody answered. “Holy crap.”

  “Why do the three of you look so excited?” Sarah asked when she came out.

  “We saw a fairy!” Samantha answered, unable to contain her excitement. “She was beautiful.”

  Sarah’s frown deepened, and a sad sigh escaped her lips. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one. I wish I’d have come outside earlier.”

  “She wasn’t what I expected,” I said. “She looked like a moth, not a dragonfly.”

  “That was just an example.” Sarah waved her hand in the air. “Think of fairies like birds. There are so many varieties.”

  She glanced wistfully over her shoulder before walking away. Following her, my eyes darted from side to side, hoping for another glimpse of the magical realm.

  “How did you know it was Bryce?” Sarah released a deep breath. “Do I even want to know?”

  Cody summarized our trip to Falcon Lake. When he finished, I added, “We were going to see you about it in the morning.”

  She folded her hands together, then released them. “Bryce’s hand was badly bruised with four broken bones.” Her voice hinted at disappointment. “Nurse Heron suspected it had been crushed, but he was very evasive when she questioned him.”