Ally woke up to the sounds of her parents’ voices whispering quietly somewhere in the room.
“Mum, Dad? Is that you?” She felt her warm quilt smothering her. The sensation was one she welcomed. But how did she get home, let alone get into her bed?
Her mother, who had been talking to her father on the other side of the room, abruptly looked up and came over to sit down by the bedside and took her hand. “Ally, sweetie, how are you feeling?”
Ally’s father came over and sat on the opposite side. “You gave us quite a fright.”
“What happened?” she asked whilst trying to sit up.
Her mother gently encouraged her to lie back down. “You don’t remember anything?”
She looked at her mother, trying to work out why she looked so worried. “Um, not really. I was at the Fair with Kat. We went to see a Fortune Teller and…” Her voice trailed off as it all came rushing back to her. Ally felt herself starting to black out again, but as she got control of her breathing, the unnerving sensation disappeared.
“Kathryn told us that the Fortune Teller predicted some awful things. Is that right?” her mother asked as she gently stroked her daughter’s cheek. It was something her mum had done to calm her for as long as she could remember.
Panic flooded Ally when she looked at her adoring loving mother and father. What if they were the two people close to her that Madame Isabella had been referring to? If the prediction came true, and it involved them, how could she ever live without them? Ally caught hold of herself before her thoughts started to run away with her, as they so often did.
“It wasn’t a nice prediction,” Ally said quietly, then realized Kathryn might have told them what was said. “Did Kat tell you what it was?”
Her parents looked between each other before her mother spoke. “No, she said that I could ask you.”
“Oh.” Her stomach dropped. Ally wondered if it would have been better to have Kat tell them or to tell them herself?
“Well, honey, out with it. What was so bad that you ended up passing out?” her mother prompted.
Ally told her parents what the Fortune Teller had said. With each passing word, she was convinced that her parents knew something that she hadn’t been told. The level of surprise she expected to see in their eyes, wasn't there.
“What aren’t you telling me? Is she right?” Ally asked her parents, feeling a raw fear clawing its way inside her chest with each passing second.
Her mother and father looked at each other with sadness and defeat in their eyes. “There is something we must tell you, but you need to rest first.”
“But Mum, if there is something I want to know, now!”
“Ally,” her father said. “We have a business dinner to attend tonight, but first thing in the morning, we will sit down over pancakes and tell you everything. I will ask Adele to have them cooking for us.”
She smiled sadly. Her parents had been keeping a secret from her, and if the Fortune Teller was right, it was going to destroy her world.
“Kat was really worried, but I said you would call her when you felt up to it.”
“Thanks Mum.” Her parents rose to leave when she stopped them. “I love you both. Please be careful.”
“We will, sweetie. We love you too.” Her mother smiled at her. “Now get some rest.”
“Good-bye, sweetie,” her father said, as gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. It felt so final, good-bye instead of goodnight. Ally almost said something but when she looked up, they had already left the room.
“Oh well, might as well call Kat.” She sighed as she picked up her Iphone and dialed her friend.
Kathryn answered almost immediately, sounding panicked. “Ally…Oh my god, I have been worried sick! Are you ok?”
“I’m feeling much better now.” Ally was hoping that she sounded convincing. The truth of the matter was that she was terrified, and filled with an inner turmoil, that she just couldn’t seem to shake.
“I was so worried about you! And I’m sorry for taking you to that Fortune Teller. What a horrible woman!” Kathryn was indignant on her behalf. Ally couldn’t help the quiet laugh that escaped her. She was very lucky to have a friend like Kathryn.
“It’s ok you didn’t know what was going to happen. I’m sure everything will be fine.” Ally felt the dread run through her again, and knew that nothing was going to be fine. She already knew a secret was being kept from her. Did that mean the rest of the prediction would come to fruition? She prayed with all her heart and soul that it didn’t.
Finally convincing Kathryn that she was ok, Ally finished the conversation and decided that she needed to try to forget about what had happened. Settling on reading a book as a way of losing herself, she began to read. Ten minutes later, the book fell from her hands as a deep sleep claimed her until the morning.
Alessandra awoke to sounds of conversation, the waft of pancakes cooking and fresh coffee coming from the kitchen. She immediately brightened convinced that she had been wrong. Her parents had come home after all! They weren’t the two people who would be lost to her if the prediction came to pass. She jumped out of bed feeling a sense of relief so great that she almost felt euphoric. Running to the door, she tripped over her slippers lying in the middle of the room. She stopped and quickly put them on, then continued in her rush downstairs to find her parents.
When she got there, she stopped short. Ally’s grandmother, Adele, was standing in the kitchen with a man she’d never seen before. She was struck by his eyes - an exquisite green, like the sea surrounding a Mediterranean island kissing the white sand. He was tanned and had a muscular physique. The smoldering stranger’s hair was so dark that it appeared to be raven at first, but upon closer inspection, his hair was actually a dark bitter sweet chocolate. He felt strangely familiar to her, but Ally was sure she had never seen him. A sixteen-year-old girl would remember a guy like that.
The stranger, who didn’t appear to be a day over twenty two, looked at her, and she became paralyzed. In his gaze, she saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes, but as quickly as it came it was gone again. She was overcome with a desire to know who this handsome male was.
Gran interrupted her thoughts and broke the spell between them with one life-altering sentence. “Ally, I need you to sit down. I have to tell you something. I’m sorry so sorry…” Her grandmother didn’t have to finish the sentence. Ally already knew what was coming, as soon as she saw her face, and the first words, “I’m so sorry” were uttered.
“No,” she cried in disbelief, closing her eyes and collapsing down onto the floor.
She felt like her whole existence was spinning out of control, and the world started to get blacker and blacker, but she welcomed the darkness, anything to block out the pain, the shock and the truth of what had happened. Madame Isabella’s prediction came to pass…
Ally's eyes began to flutter open, and she felt herself being held by strong, comforting arms. Her vision was filled with the stranger’s piercing emerald eyes staring intently at her. He had caught her as she passed out, falling towards the floor. Ally knew he was concerned about her. It was reflected back at her in his eyes, and in the energy that seemed to flow out of him and fill the room. She felt a connection with this man, which didn't make sense, but she couldn’t think about that, not just after what she had been told. The worry lines around his eyes relaxed once she had opened her eyes and tried to stand up.
He held her in his arms and until he was sure she could balance on her own. Then promptly helped her back into her chair and stood to one side. Who are you? She wondered.
Her grandmother was fluttering about asking if she was ok and telling her that she should go lie down, since just moments ago, she fainted dead away from the shock of learning her parents had passed on
“What happened?”
Adele’s face paled, and she seemed to be lost in her thoughts for a moment before replying. “It looked like an animal attack.”
Ally’s mind was
racing, trying to process the information. She was trying to form a coherent sentence, but all that escaped her mouth was a series of sputters followed by, “No, n-n-no. You can’t be serious! What kind of animal around here would do that?"
Adele looked at the stranger. They seemed to be carrying on a conversation between them without words.
“Who are you?” Ally asked, annoyed with them both. She had the feeling that she was intentionally being kept in the dark, and she didn’t like it one bit.
“I’m sorry, darling.” Adele looked warily at him. “This is James Carlisle, a family friend. He was invited for breakfast by your parents this morning. They had something they wanted to discuss with you, but the police came to the door and…”
“Oh, God…” Ally whispered. James Carlisle, her guardian and soul mate was standing right in front of her. She was staring at him openly in shock and disbelief, at the same time feeling there was something between them. By the look in his eyes, he felt it too.
James spoke with genuine concern. “Alessandra, I’m so sorry for your loss. Your parents were wonderful people. It is a true tragedy.” He looked at her grandmother and said, “Adele, I must go, but I will return.” Turning his full attention back to Alessandra, James stared intently at her with his sultry eyes for a moment longer than necessary before saying, “It was a pleasure to have met you Alessandra. I am just sorry it was under such tragic circumstances.”
Looking into her eyes, he took her hand and kissed it gently, then turned around and walked out of her life.
Ally watched him leave and sank into a chair at the kitchen table.
“It has begun…” she whispered to herself.
Adele dropped the coffee cup she had been holding on the floor with a loud crash. Her eyes widened with shock as she asked, “What has begun?”
“I don’t know exactly, Gran. All I know is that it won’t be good.” Ally replied.
Feeling defeated, she began to sob hysterically for the beloved parents who had been taken from her.
Chapter One
Immortal Prophecy Page 2