After Forever

by Krystal McLaughlin

  “Come here baby, let me look at you,” she croaked.

  This wasn’t my mother. This had to be some sort of monster, some sort of scary illusion meant to break me. But I knew that it wasn’t… and I was ashamed of my disgust and fear of her. My mother… the woman who had rocked me to sleep and took care of me when I was sick and I couldn’t even look at her.

  Against my will, my feet moved me toward her. The smell of illness was thick in the air and I gagged against it. When my hand reached toward hers, I let the tears fall. I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to touch her. She disgusted me.

  “I need a kiss from my baby. One last kiss before I go,” she whispered.

  I closed my eyes and shook my head, aware that her grip had tightened on my hand and she was pulling me closer to her. “No…” I whispered. I kept moving toward her. “No, no, no.” I repeated. I was weak. Tears streamed down my cheeks once again. I could feel her hot breath on my cheek. “NO!” I screamed and ripped my hand from hers.

  I backed away from the bed. I opened my eyes and was unable to take my gaze away from hers. She was hurt. She was devastated. I forgot everything. Bella, Artie… Phillip. There was nothing but her and I was terrified.

  “Don’t you love me anymore?” She asked.

  I tried to remember the person she used to be. The one before the cancer distorted her, but it was hard to do while I was facing her. Images flashed through my mind of days spent together, but it was like I was looking at two different people. I just couldn’t believe that she was the same person who had raised me.

  “I can’t do this,” I whispered, broken.

  Mallie reappeared. “I knew that you weren’t strong enough.” She laughed hideously.

  Then Florine and Fawn were standing before me, smiling down at where I had crumpled to the ground. “Luck has finally found you… all of your dreams are within your reach.”

  Then Miss Merriweather was before me, only she was smaller and a pair of shimmering wings were fluttering behind her, elevating her above the ground that I was lying on. “Follow your heart Aurora. You’re not a coward…”

  Artie and Bella replaced her. “You’re a hero.” They finished. “You’re our hero.”

  They all believed in me. They all needed me. They were all depending on me to be that person… to be that hero. Phillip took their place and I reached for him. My hand passed right through his image, but he smiled down at me.

  “I’ll love you anywhere Rory.”

  I stood up and walked toward my mother.

  “What are you doing?” Mallie asked, a hint of panic in her voice. “Don’t do that, look at her, she’s repelling.”

  I ignored her and took hold of my mom’s hand.

  “No, you’ll ruin everything. Leave this place. Take your brother and sister and go. We were fine without you.”

  I looked down into the eyes that looked just like mine and ignored everything else.

  “GET AWAY FROM HER!”

  Light exploded inside of me and love filled the places where shadows have been hiding. This was my mom. When the light cleared, it was like my perception had changed. No longer was I seeing her balding head, no longer was I looking into her sunken eyes, no longer were there tubes in her arm. It was my mom… the beautiful amazing mom that I had loved forever.

  “I love you,” I whispered to her before leaning down and pressing my lips to hers.

  The room began to spin. Mallie’s screams began to tear through the room and when I opened my eyes, I was looking into Phillips. He clung to me and me to him while the room spun and spun. There was nothing but the two of us.

  “Sleep, my love,” he whispered against my lips.

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to lose you.”

  He smiled. “You won’t. When this is all over, I’ll come wake you up.”

  Then the world turned black.

  “Rory! Rory!”

  I shook my head, trying to clear the sleep from my brain. I had been having the most magical dream. It was… it was…? I opened my eyes and blinked. I couldn’t remember what it was.

  “Rory!”

  I sat up in the hospital bed and stretched. “What Artie? I was sleeping.”

  But when I looked around for him, he wasn’t there. Instead a boy was standing next to my mother’s hospital bed. He was wearing pajama pants and a white t-shirt and I couldn’t help thinking he looked familiar somehow.

  “Who are you?” I blurted out.

  He turned and smiled at me. “I’m Phillip. I’m sorry to wake you, but I thought you should see this.”

  I stood up, confused but curious, and walked over to him. I gasped when I looked down at my mother. She was radiant. Her breathing was even, her hair was thicker, and her coloring had returned to normal.

  “How did this happen?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been sleeping.”

  Just then, doctors rushed in and someone pulled him from the room. I reached toward him, afraid that if he left I’d never see him again, but it was too late. He was gone.

  My mother was cured. The doctors said that she was in remission, but I knew that it would never come back. Something had happened that day… something… magical. And although I didn’t understand it, I didn’t question it… I just accepted that my life was different and that everything was going to be better.

  It was a few weeks after we had left the hospital and life started returning to normal that I saw him again. I was walking through the halls of school and he was just… there… waiting for me. He smiled when I saw him and I smiled back.

  “I’ve been looking for you.” He told me.

  “Yeah, things have been a little crazy since my mom got better.”

  “I got better too.”

  I frowned. “Were you sick?”

  He shrugged. “Not really… just sleeping.”

  “What woke you up?”

  He smiled and reached out to take my hand. “You did. I was dreaming of you. I know that sounds crazy, but something told me that if I didn’t wake up, I’d never see you again.”

  Our fingers intertwined and my heart sped up. It was crazy… just as crazy as my mom suddenly cured… and I knew… it was magic. It was like something out of a fairytale.

  “I dreamt of you too,” I whispered shyly, but I knew that it was true. That it was him I had been dreaming of when he woke me in the hospital.

  He leaned forward and kissed me. Tentatively at first, like he was afraid that I wasn’t real, but then he pulled me into his arms and our kiss deepened. “I’ll love you anywhere Rory… forever.”

  I smiled and pulled away from him so that I could look into his honey colored eyes. “I’ll love you too... always.”

  And we did… we lived and loved… happily ever after.

  Other works by Krystal George include: The Witches Lottery (Enchanted Island Series Book 1), A Dragon Forsaken (Enchanted Island Series Book 2), The Willows, and Guardian of the Realm: A Faerie Tale

  Coming Soon:

  The Goblin’s Daughter (Enchanted Island Series Book 3)

  If you like this Anthology – Please check out Pleasant Dreams and Miraculous: Tales of the Unknown

  Beastly

  Heather Kirchhoff

  ©2013 by Heather Kirchhoff

  I glared out at the small town we’re nearing. I had been ripped away from everything I’ve ever known; I’ve lived in the city my entire life, but now I was taken away from it. Now I’m being forced to start over.

  It isn’t fair.

  “We’re here!” my mom sang as we came to a stop. I glanced up at a small cottage looking house. I groaned.

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “No, of course not.” Mom shook her head quickly. “Never. This is our new home.”

  “You’re serious?” I sighed, meeting her gaze. “There’s no way you’re backing down, is there?”

  “Nope. You’ll get used to this, I promise you that.”

  “Well, thank
s, I guess.”

  “I know you don’t mean that, sweetie,” Mom informed me, reaching a hand over to pat my leg. “This will get better as time goes on.”

  “How can you be so sure?” I demanded. “Anything can happen!”

  “Stop that,” she chided. “Everything will be fine. It’s not like we’ve never moved before.”

  “Yeah, but never to a new town,” I retorted.

  “Chill and enjoy,” she said as she got out. I watched as Mom went up to the house and unlocked it. She looked back at me once before going in. I waited another minute before getting out of the car, sparing one glance around the small yard and street. I sighed again as I headed towards the house, my heart skipping. This is just a new start, I tell myself over and over. Nothing more, nothing less. But yet, I still feel lost. It just isn’t fair. Why do I have to suffer?

  “Oh stop,” Mom said when I went into the house. “It’s not the end of the world. You’ll live.”

  “Yeah yeah,” I muttered, looking around the small living room-or, at least, that’s what I assume it is. Mom left me then to go roam the house. After a few minutes, I went back outside and sat down on the ground, turning my attention to my phone.

  “Belle,” Mom said as she came back out ten minutes later. “Let’s get this stuff into the house so we can go into town.” She gave me a pointed look when I glanced up at her. “The sooner we get settled, the sooner you can get used to it.”

  “And if I don’t want to?”

  “You can’t control what you get used to. Now let’s go.”

  “Fine,” I grumbled, standing. It took us several hours to get the stuff in and put away. Relief washed over me once we were done. That was a lot for us. I shook my head, rolling my eyes at myself. “Don’t be silly,” I told myself sternly.

  “Come on, Belle!” my mom called suddenly. I nodded, going to the living room. I found Mom going through a few last things; she looked up at me, her eyes shining. “Are you ready?” she asked, studying me.

  “Yup.”

  “Good, let’s go!”

  I laughed at her excitement, but I guess I understand where she’s coming from. This is a new start for both of us.

  After a few hours of wandering, Mom went into a store while I lingered outside. A couple girls were talking while sipping on their drinks.

  “Did you hear?” one of them asked, taking a long drink.

  “About what?”

  “About the monster…werewolf-whatever the hell it is.” The other one shook her head. At that, my gaze immediately shot up to them. The one that just shook her head met my gaze, nodding slightly. I quickly turned my head away, my cheeks flushing. I knew I should just walk away, but I couldn’t.

  “Oh yeah, my boyfriend told me,” she said. “It’s crazy, isn’t it?”

  “Defiantly.”

  “I can’t believe something like that could even happen.”

  “Same here.”

  I rolled my eyes. That can’t happen. No way.

  “Did your boyfriend tell you anything else?”

  “Nah, not really except that it’s something no one knows about. People claims they see it, but nothing ever comes of it.” She shrugged. “Who knows?”

  I looked up when I noticed their voices were fading away. A monster? Yeah, right. Nothing like that is possible. It isn’t real.

  Is it?

  I shook my head fiercely. There’s no way it is. That’s just a myth people are spreading-a tale. Exactly, it’s just a tale. But what if it’s not? What if this is true? Think reasonably, I scolded myself, mentally rolling my eyes. This isn’t true! Yet, I couldn’t shake the feel it is. Maybe there’s only one way to find out.

  Am I really going to do that?

  Will I really go to wherever this myth is taking place and find out? I began walking, noticing a library not that far from me, I went to it. Once I was inside, I nodded at the librarian and marched over to the computers, claiming one. I waited as it loaded, rebooting itself and all that. Once it was finally done, I typed in the first thing that came into my mind and watched as several things came up. I clicked on the first one, skimming over it before moving onto the next. There was a lot of information and some blurry pictures taken at night, it was weird. They looked as if the object of the picture was moving-running. I closed my eyes after thirty minutes passed, knowing I got all the information I needed. I have to go see what all this commotion is about. My curiosity is getting the best of me.

  For the rest of the day, I hung around the library, checking out a few books and flipping through them. Finally, around four, I decided to go find my mom; I had a feeling she’d be worried sick about me. I enjoyed the cool breeze against my flesh, walking quickly with the books in hand.

  “Hey, Mom!” I called the moment I spotted her.

  She instantly looked in my direction. “Oh good God. What has gotten into you?”

  “Nothing,” I said, showing her what I held in my hands. “I just went to the library.”

  “Of course you did,” she sighed.

  “Is something wrong with that?” I asked cautiously.

  “No, no. I wish I knew about that, though.”

  “You were in there.” I gestured towards the building she had disappeared into. “I didn’t really want to go find you.”

  “I get it. Let’s get home so I can fix supper.”

  Well after dusk, I sneaked out of my room, tiptoeing through the house. I unlocked and opened the front door as quietly as I could, slipping out; I latched the door silently behind me. I then walked swiftly to the woods lining the houses. I glanced around, finding a tree not far from me with a few branches entwining, making a perfect spot to sit; I climbed the tree effortlessly, grabbing a hold of two branches above my hideout. I sat down, leaning back and resting my feet on the bark.

  I don’t know how long I sat there before hearing a noise. I snapped my head up, my eyes darting around the dark woods. At first, I didn’t see anything, but as the moments passed I began to hear noises-scratching, grunting. It was weird. I sat straight up, trying my best not to be caught; I peered through the darkness, my eyes narrowing. I opened my mouth to speak, but instantly closed it. I’m not that stupid, am I? Why did I even come out here? The noises seemed to be getting closer and closer to me. I froze, silently crouching down on the tree branch; I placed my hand on a branch beside me for balance, closing my eyes briefly, waiting. I rest my head against the bark, my heart racing as I listened to the noises. God, I’m so stupid. Another noise drifted to me from the darkness and I flinched, gripping onto the branch tightly. I willed myself to stay quiet.

  Not long after that a figure darted between the trees, and, for some unknown reason, I jumped down after it. I raced forward, listening intently for the crashing noises ahead of me. My breathing became ragged as I ran, my chest heaving as my heart pounded within. After what seemed like forever, I tripped and fell, a scream ripping its way from me. I tried to put my hands out, catching myself, but it didn’t work. Instead, a searing pain filled my body as my wrist bended the wrong way; I cried out, softly cursing under my breath. I cradled my wrist, tears stinging my eyes. Why did I come out here? I wondered helplessly. Now I can be found easily. I shook my head fiercely, trying to clear my thoughts. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, letting the pain wash over me as I laid there, shivering. I sighed, shifting to the fetal position; I let myself drift off to sleep, uncaring anymore.

  I awoke to a sharp snap. My eyes snapped opened and I bolted upright, my thoughts scattered as I peered into the darkness. A scream wedged itself into my throat as I opened my mouth, my heart skipping a beat. Scared eyes stared down at me; I couldn’t make anything of it out. It was covered in the darkness.

  “Hello,” I said gently, extending my hand. The creature stared at me long and hard until finally stepping forward. I gasped as I watched it step into the silver glow of the moonlight; it had burns all over, leaving scars and welts crawling along its flesh. Dirt was grinded over the poor cr
eature; it had black hair and torn jeans. “Who are you?” I murmured, gazing into the eyes of a terrified human, I quickly realized. It wasn’t a creature, but a he. The boy opened his mouth to speak before quickly closing it, opting to stare at me instead. “It’s okay,” I informed him, my tone light. “I won’t hurt you. Who are you? What’s your name?”

  “I-I…don’t…know,” he said gruffly, almost as if he hadn’t used his voice in forever. My heart twisted for the young boy.

  “Why don’t you know?” I slowly went on my knees, never letting my eyes stray from his. “You must know something.”

  He shook his head, grunting. I sighed, tearing my gaze away from his. I kept my eyes glued to my hands as pain still ebbed from my wrist.

  “Please speak to me. I want to know what’s going on.”

  He didn’t say anything for a long moment. “I-I…don’t remember my name.” I didn’t reply, but I let my eyes stray to him again, encouraging. “I was abandoned…” He trailed off and I saw tears form in his eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “You want a new life?”

  His head shot up at that, staring at me, astonished. I smiled at him, standing; it took me a moment to balance, but once I did, I walked over slowly.

  “What do you think? I can take care of you. No, I will take care of you. I swear.”

  “I can’t ask for that,” he said. It sounded like it came easier for him.

  “I insist.”

  “I can’t,” he repeated, taking a step away from me.

  I caught up to him, grabbing his hand. “I want you to,” I replied as he turned back to me. “I want to make you better. People fear you.”

  “Why?” he asked hesitantly.

  “Because you’re only out in the woods, always running and hiding. No one knows what you are.” I tugged on his hand. “I insist you come with me to my house.”

  After a little more pursuing, he agreed to do so. I took him there, cleaning and addressing his wounds; I fed him as much as I could, a smile lighting my face as I watched him eat. It felt wonderful knowing it was my assistance that helped him. My heart was filled with joy at giving him new clothes, food, and a place to sleep. I gently kissed his forehead, murmuring a soft good night as I turned out the light and went to my own room, the young boy on my mind all night as I tried to close my eyes and go to sleep.