“I’m fine,” I said, walking further away from the group. “I’m sorry, I know I should’ve called sooner, but I met some nice people so I wanted to hang out more. We’re down at Mystic Beach. I told Auntie Steph what I was doing and she said it was fine. I’m sorry if I made you worry. I’m okay, I promise.”
He let out a big sigh of relief. “Well, time to start heading back. Should I come get you?”
I looked over at Jayce who mouthed, “I can bring you home.”
“I can get a ride home. My new friends are really nice. Can I please stay longer? Maybe a few more hours?”
I heard mumbling in the background and then my uncle said, “Fine Steph… I know… yes, of course I want her to have friends… yeah, I know… all right then, Shanntal a few more hours, but not too late.”
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
“Okay, see you in a while.”
“See you.”
Just as I thought we were done saying good-bye Uncle Dane piped up. “Hey, who are you with? Do I know them?”
“Jayce, Layla…” I stopped. Were their identities a secret? I felt unsure about answering, but if I didn’t say something he was going to flip out.
Jayce’s voice entered my mind. ‘Jayce Fallon; tell him you’re with me and a few of my friends, but you can’t remember their names.’
I never mentioned Layla again hoping Uncle Dane hadn’t heard me the first time around. “I’m with Jayce Fallon. We came down here with some of his friends. I just met them and can’t remember their names.” I paused, in a lower voice I said, “Their names are funky and kind of strange.” It was the truth, I'd just omitted a few facts about them.
“Jayce Fallon. Could you spell that?” I heard paper shuffling.
“J-A-Y-C-E and F-A-L-L-O-N.” My response took me off guard. It was a relatively unique name. How’d I known the proper spelling?
‘You’re connected to my thoughts, as I am yours. You just need to listen. When we’re connected and either one of us knows the answer to a question, it will simply come.’
Jayce was yards away and facing in the other direction, but it felt like he was right next to me having this conversation.
“Shanntal?” Uncle Dane said, “Still with me? Hello?”
“Yeah, sorry.”
“Get back to your friends, kiddo. Call me if you need anything and don’t be too late.” He lowered his voice and added, “I love you, sweetie. I don’t want anything to ever happen to you.”
Tears came to my eyes. I couldn’t blame him for caring. “I won’t be too late,” I said. “I love you too. Have a good night, Uncle Dane.”
“You too. Say hello to that beauty Layla for me.”
“Lay — How do…” He hung up before I could finish.
Jayce interrupted. ’It’s a small town. That’s all. Come back over. You’re safe with us. Nothing’s going to harm you.’
‘But…’
‘Get over here. It’s time to relax and have some fun.’
‘Right.’ That’s when I realized I was standing by myself. I walked back over and took my place beside Jayce. Everyone smiled upon my return and I realized that I fit in quite nicely. Even though I didn’t look anything like them or have powers like they did, I felt like I belonged. I’d never had such chemistry with my other friends, minus one exception, Ginata. My heart sunk heavily as I wondered where she was now.
Jayce picked up on how much I was missing my dear friend and the emptiness that was left in her place. In an attempt to comfort, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. His gesture worked, his simple hug felt so good; I found myself never wanting him to let go. I was safe and secure locked in his embrace.
‘I can feel how much you miss her. You aren’t alone anymore because you have us now. We aren’t going anywhere.’
‘Thank you, it’s sweet of you to say.’
‘It’s the truth.’ He squeezed tighter.
All I could do was smile. I was honestly happy again.
It started getting cool so we made a small fire and sat along the sandy beach. I chatted back and forth with my new friends as we took some time to get to know each other better. I enjoyed finding out more about their special gifts and left out the horrific details of my past and just gave them the basics. Jayce knew what happened and that was enough. The bond with him was getting stronger by the minute. We felt so incredibly close and everyone else was very accepting, making them easy to get along with.
I breathed deeply taking in the magnificent smells of the water. With the small waterfall and various caves, this place should have been called perfect beach.
The sun began to set and Jayce decided it was time to say good-bye to our friends and get me back home. Meriel, Terran and Layla hugged me before parting ways, while the guys smiled and waved, inviting me back soon. They all felt like old friends.
Jayce and I walked hand in hand back towards his car. On the trip home, he held my hand the entire way.
‘So, what did you think of my friends?’
‘They’re amazing. I can’t believe how well I got along with them.’
‘They really liked you too. I can tell.’ He flashed me his perfect smile.
‘I’m glad.’ I said as my heart fluttered.
I didn’t need to tell Jayce where to go. He passed by the small grocer and gas station, then turned left onto my road and stopped his car directly in front of the black and white bungalow, numbered 5658.
I got possession of my hand back and opened the door with my other hand. “Thank you for everything today, Jayce. I had a really great time.” I wondered when I’d see him next.
“Tomorrow.” He grinned. “I’ll know when you get up. Just send me over a thought when you’re ready for me to pick you up.” He leaned over and gently kissed my cheek. “Sweet dreams.”
“Sweet dreams.” My cheeks blushed, but it was extra warm where he kissed me. He left a lingering permanent kiss, like I’d always be able to feel it.
Jayce chuckled, and I shot up even redder. I needed to try harder to control my thoughts or risk becoming bright blushing red for all time. I hurried out of the car, giving Jayce a wave as I headed towards my house.
I reached for the front door knob, almost losing my balance as the door flung open. Uncle Dane stood in the doorway, trying to glance past me in order to get a peek at Jayce.
Jayce noticed and rolled down his passenger window. He called out, “Hello, I’m Jayce. I’m in a bit of a hurry now, but I’ll meet you properly tomorrow. Good night.” He waved good-bye before driving away.
My uncle shot me a look and I saw the question in his eyes. Tomorrow? Surprisingly, he never said the words expected; instead he moved out of the way, letting me by.
Auntie Steph must have really had a talk with him, I thought to myself. I went into the living room and glanced over at the clock. Wow, almost eleven already. I sat down on the couch so I could spend a few minutes with my uncle before heading to bed. Auntie Steph had already gone to bed. She was a ten o’clock kind of woman. Ten o’clock every night, she was behind closed doors in dreamland.
“I tried to talk to some girls at the mall,” I said, “but they weren’t very nice to me. Come to think of it, they were downright rude. I was going to call you except that was when Jayce sat down. We talked and instantly clicked, and before I knew it, hours passed and we were down at the beach meeting more of his friends.”
“You went alone with him?”
I tried getting his mind off worry mode. “Yes, Auntie Steph said it was okay. It feels really good to have friends again. I really miss that. The girls are totally nice… speaking of girls, how exactly do you know Layla?”
“Small town,” he answered.
I felt tired and was looking forward to seeing Jayce again tomorrow, so I got up from the couch and headed to bed. I didn’t want to sleep all day. Before getting too far, I turned and gave Uncle Dane a quick kiss on the cheek. “Good night and thank you for today. I really had an a
wesome time.”
“Good night, Shanntal. I’m glad you made some new friends.”
“Thanks. Me, too.” I headed into my room for the good night’s sleep that awaited me.
Opened Eyes
~ Chapter Three ~
My dream flashed from one scene to the next. I focused in hard so I could examine the details more thoroughly.
In one part, I appeared very young, maybe about five or six. I was playing on swings in the neighborhood park on a warm and beautiful sunny day. As I flew up into the air I saw something. I had to peer harder at the spot and that’s when I saw an older boy standing just outside the playground. He was watching and it didn’t scare me because it felt like I knew him. I felt safe knowing he was there keeping a watchful eye.
Then my dream spiraled into another time. I appeared to be about thirteen and in a shopping center with some friends. There were crowds of people all around us. We were giggling and having fun. I looked over, spotting the same boy. He didn’t appear any older and was still watching me. He was protecting me.
I associated the boy in my dream with Jayce. I believed it to be him and that he was always around me. I had the same connected feeling with Jayce as I did with this boy in my dream. Knowing he was there made me feel safe.
My dream began to take another path. While things appeared entirely differently, the boy was still with me. This time we were older, the same age. He was close, not far out in the distance like he was before. I turned quickly and looked at him. Jayce stood before me and he was telling me to run.
We weren’t in friendly places like the park or shopping center anymore. We were in a dark alley with doors everywhere, but they were all locked. A thunderous snarl sounded behind us. Jayce and I ran away from it, but I wasn’t scared, even though I knew it was a vampire chasing us. Jayce was protecting me; he was trying to help me hide.
Terrifying screams rang out from close behind us. Wood broke apart with loud crunches and the cries grew louder. Then silence followed until the next screams began. We needed to run faster, they were getting closer and we had to get away.
I finally became very aware of how scared I was. Fear rose up from my feet and continued throughout my entire body. My heart pounded and I had the overwhelming urge to scream. I clenched my hands into fists as I prepared myself for the upcoming fight.
The vampires were so close I could smell the stench of blood all around them. More screams rang out from people nearby. I was so frightened that I couldn’t bring myself to turn around and see what the vampires looked like. I just needed to get away. I couldn’t die like this.
We yanked and pulled with no success, every door we reached was locked. I turned a dark corner and crashed into something hard. The collision almost knocked me over. I managed to regain my balance in time for slimy drool to run down my shoulder. I slowly turned my head around. A werewolf stared back at me. It let out a loud rumbling growl as it moved in closer, its breath reeking of death.
I looked around for Jayce; I needed help but I couldn’t find him. I was alone and my life was about to end. Suddenly, the beast transformed and a man stood before me. I told him we needed to get away; it was too dangerous to be here. He gave me a strange look and with a quick thrust, jabbed a wooden stake through my heart.
I jolted awake, gasping and clutching my chest. I felt the sting as if he’d actually done it.
I blinked my eyes in a total frenzy until they finally focused. The sun gleamed vibrantly through my window, lighting up my room like the Fourth of July, nearly blinding me in the process.
I lay back down in bed for a few minutes longer, recalling my dream that had turned into a nightmare. My heartbeat slowly returned to its normal rhythm, as did my breathing. I told myself over and over again, it was just a dream.
I remembered most of the details, yet something still seemed strange. I knew I’d only just met Jayce, but he felt like a distant memory coming back. He’d been in every part of my dream, watching and protecting me. Did I know him? Was he on the sidelines of my life all along? How come I couldn’t remember my childhood? Only small tidbits ever revealed themselves and they always seemed surreal, almost like they didn’t belong to me.
One part of my dream stuck in my mind, the one about the vampires and werewolves. There was that word again. VAMPIRE. This time it had a partner. Jayce had been with me, trying to protect me from the monsters. Where did he go? Did they get him too? Most importantly, why did the man stab me with the stake?
Why were vampires arising in my thoughts so frequently? They’d been mentioned that night with Ginata through the Ouija board. The whole encounter seemed so strange, those boards were supposed to contact the dead, not the walking dead. Now they were intruding into my dreams. After everything I found out yesterday, was it possible they were real too?
I was going to have a million questions for Jayce when I saw him. I thought about it and realized he probably already knew my questions; it was just a matter of him passing along the answers.
‘Good morning, beautiful.’ His voice entered my head.
I loved the sound of his voice. It was the perfect pitch of deepness. It sounded how every man’s voice should — profound and strong, yet somehow sweet and sensitive.
It wasn’t fair, knowing he knew everything I thought. Why couldn’t I do the same with him? Was he able to see me too? I lifted the blankets and looked down. Perfect! I rolled my eyes. I’d worn miss-matched pajamas to bed.
“Argh,” I said aloud, pulling the blanket up over my head. I felt ugly and embarrassed. To top it off, Jayce was listening and possibly seeing everything I was doing. This could become a really bad thing and we needed to set some boundaries. Quickly!
‘Did anyone ever tell you, you look really cute when you’re frustrated?’’
‘Geez, Jayce.’ I blushed. ‘Can you see me?’
‘Only if I focus all of my attention, I get glimpses, you know, small scenes. I can’t watch every move you make, so there’s no need to worry.’
This had already spun into a full time relationship between us. We were linked together in so many ways and this felt more intimate than I was used to. I’d never really had any serious boyfriends. My longest so-called relationship lasted a total of three months. This was already more serious then that had ever been. I took a moment to think about everything. One major question popped into my head and I couldn’t ignore it. Was I ready for all this?
‘All we can do is take this one day at a time. I promise I’ll behave myself and give space whenever needed. Right now though, it’s time for you to get ready. I can’t wait to see you.’’
‘Okay, okay I’m up!’ Truth was, I couldn’t wait to see him either.
I got up with a big stretch, went over to my dresser, grabbed my hairbrush and ran it through the tangled mess. I left my room and found Uncle Dane and Auntie Steph already up and at ‘em.
They sat together at the breakfast bar, sipping on morning coffee while eating fruit and toast. They smiled happily back and forth as they exchanged conversation and enjoyed their breakfast.
I admired the cute couple before announcing myself. I was amused how they shared the same contemporary style, yet managing to keep it modern. They had the same shade of brown hair; his short and hers shoulder length. Both had bright blue eyes. He was a few inches taller, but over all, they were very similar. I knew the saying, ‘the longer you are with someone, the more you will start to resemble them.’ This was completely true in their case. I sneezed, announcing my location.
Uncle Dane looked up at me and raised his cup of coffee while Auntie Steph said good morning.
“Good morning,” I walked over and gave them each a kiss on the cheek. Then I headed directly over to the coffee pot and filled up the cup waiting for me on the counter. I fixed a piece of toast and grabbed some fruit out of the refrigerator.
Breaking off a piece of her toast, Auntie Steph said, “I’m meeting a friend for a fun-filled day of shopping. Then, we may head out
for lunch and possibly even take in a movie, should time permit. Shanntal, you’re more than welcome to come along.”
“Oh sure,” Uncle Dane said, “just leave me home alone to watch the game!”
Auntie Steph and I laughed since we both knew that was exactly what he wanted to do.
I blew on my coffee before saying, “Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to meet up with Jayce. He said he’d pick me up in a little while.”
“Hanging with Jayce again…” Uncle Dane said.
Escaped the Night Page 5