by R.K. Ryals
***
All five of us met at Monroe’s house after school. It was something we’d done since being put on probation the year before. We had fulfilled our community service two months ago, but my aunt still thought I was working off my time.
“Try not to get the couch wet, please,” Monroe said to Conor as the rest of us threw ourselves down haphazardly around the living room. He had come straight from the gym showers.
Conor shook his head, grinning as water droplets hit us in the face. Monroe growled.
“Fight it out in a ring, you two,” Jacin joked.
I laughed, and Lita joined in. Monroe might enjoy a good wrestling spar, but I was pretty positive Conor had more interesting ideas for relieving angry tension. Conor winked at me, and I rolled my eyes. Lita began twirling a skull-covered cigarette lighter around in her fingers as Monroe popped a piece of gum into her mouth. She handed me a dumdum lollipop. We all had our addictions, though we were all trying to get Lita to quit hers. She wouldn’t light up in Monroe’s house, but it didn’t stop her from wanting to.
“How long do you think it’s going to take your aunt to realize we’ve done our time?” Lita asked me lightly. I shrugged. I honestly didn’t care.
“At this point, I don’t think I could get her any angrier."
Monroe didn’t look convinced. Her face was shadowed. Conor must have noticed it too.
“I don’t know. I think you need to be more careful, Red,” Conor said.
Monroe seemed relieved by his statement. She let out a pent up breath. I looked around the room. Everyone was trying to avoid my gaze. My eyes narrowed.
“Now would be a good time to tell me what’s going on."
Conor came to sit beside me, one arm stretched casually behind my head. It didn’t make me feel uncomfortable even if it should. He was familiar with anything female.
“We’re just worried,” Conor said. I looked up into his face.
“Because of one vision?”
I saw Monroe shift uncomfortably from the corner of my eye. She seemed willing to leave the explanations up to Conor. Conor touched my shoulder lightly.
“It’s more than one vision, Red. Monroe did a scrying last night."
I sat up straight, my back hitting Conor’s arm as I did so. A scrying, I knew, was the Wiccan method of divining the future or getting a clearer perspective on something. Monroe came to sit at my feet.
“Now, Day. Don’t get angry. Please. What I saw . . . something’s wrong."
I looked down at her. I wasn’t Wiccan, but I knew from being friends with Monroe as long as I had that scrying wasn’t accurate. Lita sat forward, her elbows on her knees as the lighter started flipping faster. She was a part of Monroe’s Circle.
“The visions were too clear to be discarded,” Lita said.
I looked between Monroe and Lita, my eyes narrowing.
“I asked her to sit in on the scrying,” Monroe clarified.
I grew pale. What was this?
“What did you see?” I whispered.
Conor’s arm tightened around me. Maybe he thought I needed the support. Monroe bowed her head.
“Blood.”
Her voice was so low I almost missed it. Blood? Jacin’s face grew pale. I assumed this was the first time he had heard this too. I’m sure my face mirrored his.
“There were figures, blood, a chain . . .” Lita explained, her voice trailing off as she watched my expression.
I could hear my own breathing in my ears. Silence filled the room. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say. Terror filled me.
“What does that mean?” I asked, choking on the words as I did.
Monroe moved to sit on the opposite side of me. She made me look her in the eye.
“Day, I think you need to find a way to leave the Abbey. I couldn’t give you an accurate reading because I’m honestly not sure what any of it means, but I do know there’s danger ahead. It has me terrified,” Monroe pleaded.
I shook my head. I couldn’t speak. Lita moved to sit on an ottoman closer to the three of us.
“Blood can mean death, rebirth . . . anything. The figures are completely unknown to us. No meaning seems linked. The chain can mean connection or imprisonment,” Lita told me.
I nodded at her gratefully. Her words frightened me more, but I had wanted to know. I looked at Monroe again.
“I can’t leave the Abbey, Roe, especially after last year. And the vision you saw might not have anything to do with the Abbey. Besides, my sister is there."
This was too much for me! Monroe’s hand found mine and gripped it unmercifully.
“Whatever it is, I don’t think there’s much time, Day."
I looked around at the four of them. The room was tense. This was stupid. One vision while sleeping over and suddenly my life was in danger? I had lived at the Abbey since I was ten. Nothing happened there. It was the most emotionless, suffocating, boring place on earth. Right?
I pointedly ignored the feelings I'd shared with Monroe Saturday night. I didn’t trust my instincts not to be influenced by my dreams or fantasies. I had a powerful imagination. The Abbey was only a prison in my head, its talking, closed-in walls a product of my mind.
“Scrying isn’t accurate. You’ve told me that before, Roe. We were pretty scared Saturday night. Couldn’t the visions be affected by that?” I asked.
Monroe didn’t answer, just looked away. The gesture made me feel a little less afraid.
“It doesn’t matter, Day. I’d rather take the chance I was wrong than risk your life."
I agreed with her, but there were few options left open to me. I wouldn’t run. The vision hadn’t been of the Abbey. The group seemed to recognize this because everyone moved away from me except Conor. Monroe watched me warily as she took a seat on the sofa. I didn’t blame her. If the roles were reversed, I’d be terrified for her too. But I just didn’t understand the fear. I lived in an Abbey surrounded by nuns. How much safer could you get? Conor leaned down, grabbed the half-eaten dumdum I was holding in my hand, and stuffed it in his mouth.
“You should listen to her,” Conor whispered in my ear.
I shivered. Maybe I should. But I couldn’t. The room around us began buzzing with conversation. Lita began picking on Jacin and Conor followed suit, his gaze drifting every so often to Monroe. They would let the subject drop because that’s what I wanted, but they wouldn’t quit watching me. I sat back and watched them chat, my body there but my mind gone. At some point, I felt Conor massage my shoulder and point to my cell phone. It had been a birthday present from the Jacobs. Monroe’s mother had given it to me and told me not to worry about the bill. I owed a lot to the Jacobs. I glanced at it quickly and noticed the time.
“I’ve got to go,” I said immediately, jumping up to grab my stuff.
Monroe followed me to the door. I waved at Lita, Jacin, and Conor. They waved back.
“See you tomorrow, Red,” Conor said. I smiled half-heartedly and nodded.
“Be careful. Please, Dayton,” Monroe pleaded. “You need me, call me.”
I nodded and hugged her hard.
“See you tomorrow."
I moved outside and climbed into my car, laying my head briefly against my steering wheel. Images plagued me. Figures, blood, a chain . . . that wasn’t my life.