The Unsacred Gift (A Young Adult Paranormal Novel)

by C. S. Dorsey

  I dragged myself out of bed and grabbed the clothes I had laid out the night before, went to take a shower. My mom was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. This would be our last breakfast together until I moved back. I kept trying to convince myself that I was coming back home after school. But I had a feeling that I would be coming back sooner than I thought. It was like something was pulling me to stay, but I didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was because of the vision I had of Granny. She knew her time would soon come. She didn’t know when, but death was sitting there waiting.

  I finished my shower and put on my clothes, an old pair of jeans and a pink T-shirt. I didn’t feel like dressing up because I know I was going straight home after my plane landed.

  My mom and I ate breakfast together. She cooked the usual: eggs, bacon, sausages, grits, and pancakes. My mom had coffee, and I had orange juice. I didn’t care for regular brewed coffee too much, I was interested in the frappucinos.

  I ate slowly. I didn’t know how to tell my mom I didn’t want to go. I knew she would love for me to stay, so I already knew what her answer would be.

  “Um, Ma—I kind of don’t want to leave,” I said, looking down at my plate of food. I started playing with my eggs with my fork. My mother sipped her coffee for a long time before she answered. She grinned, and shook her head.

  “Honey, I know you want to stay. For a minute there, I thought you were going to leave the same day you came, after your big explosion about Mark.” I cringed as I thought about the way I acted that day. I still felt really bad about what I’d said and done. “But you finally came around. I had a nice time yesterday and I know you did, too, but I want you to go back and finish your last semester. Don’t worry, it will go by fast.” She winked at me and smiled.

  I nodded my head in agreement and finished eating.

  Then I went and grabbed my luggage. My mom and I loaded up the trunk and got in the car. I felt my eyes water up again, and I didn’t know why. I started to get this nervous feeling in my stomach, like someone was twisting it from the inside. Maybe it was the food, I thought to myself. Or maybe I was scared, scared that my life would go back to the way it was before, scared that I would let my visions torment me again.

  I feared being alone.

  We arrived at the airport. My mom parked along the Southwest curb. We got out of the car, and I grabbed my luggage.

  “Well, honey, this is it. This feels like déjà vu. We were standing right here the day you left for college. Seems like it was just yesterday. I was a nervous wreck, letting you go all the way up to Washington, but it was your choice. Time goes by so fast. And now you’re going to graduate and do what you’ve always dreamed of—helping people with their issues.” She laughed, and so did I.

  I looked into my mother’s beautiful eyes and saw life behind them. They assured me that everything would be OK. That was all I needed.

  “Bye, Ma. I love you so much. You be good.”

  “I need to be telling you that.” We hugged each other goodbye. She grabbed my face with both of her hands and said “mi amore,” then kissed me on the forehead.

  I started to walk in, then turned and waved to her. In an hour and a half, I would be back home. My main focus was to get this semester over with, so I could come back home and be with my mom. I knew she would be getting married soon, but at least I would be close to her.

  Once my bags were all checked in and ready to go, I went into the waiting area for my plane to arrive. I sat down facing the window, when I noticed a little girl sitting right across from me. She was sitting by herself, with her head down. I looked around to see if her parents were nearby, but I didn’t see anyone that looked like they were connected to the child. She wore a white sweater with a sunflower dress and white tennis shoes and white socks. Her hair was long and black, covering her face. I looked at the little girl. She looked so familiar, but I couldn’t figure out where I knew her from.

  Five minutes passed, as I was reading a magazine that someone had left on the seat. No one came to claim the child. I got up and walked over to sit by her.

  “Sweetheart, are you here by yourself?” I asked the little girl. She just kept her head down and didn’t say a word. “Honey, are your parents nearby? Maybe we can have one of the ladies at the desk call them.”

  “You were supposed to save me,” she said.

  I was confused. “Sweetheart, what are you talking about?”

  “You just gave up,” she said, lifting her head up to look at me. Her eyes had purple circles under them, like she was lacking blood and oxygen. Her skin was white and looked ice-cold. By this time my stomach had dropped, as if I was on a rollercoaster.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “No, Sissy, you do.” She took her cold, pale hands and grabbed my wrist.

  I suddenly woke up. It was just a dream, but it felt so real.

  I was at home in my bed. After I got off the plane I got in my car and headed home. As soon as I got home I laid on my bed, but I don’t remember falling asleep. It was dark in the house and outside. There was a chill in my body. I kept shaking, like it was below zero in my room. My body felt like it was about to go into shock. My hands were like ice, and when I breathed out there was a dense fog. I reached over to turn on the lamp on my nightstand when I noticed that my fingers were blue. My nails were purple and green underneath.

  “WHAT DO YOU WANT, MISTY?” I yelled at the top of my lungs, and broke down, sobbing. “What does this mean? I’m sorry, Misty, I tried…I tried.” I sobbed for a few minutes, when the phone rang.

  “Hello,” I said, trying to swallow back the lump in my throat.

  “Honey?” It was my mom, but she didn’t sound too good. She sounded like she’d been crying.

  “Yeah, Ma—what is it?” She didn’t speak for about a minute, until finally I heard her swallow.

  “Granny is…honey…Granny is…Granny is gone, honey.” She didn’t have to say it. I already knew what she was going to say. I already knew that Granny was going to pass, I just didn’t know it would happen so soon.

  “How, and when?” was all I could say. I couldn’t even pretend to be surprised.

  “After she left from our house on her birthday, she went home. I tried to call her, but she didn’t answer the phone.” She started crying. “I asked Tiy and Tyler if they heard from her, and they said they didn’t. I got worried, so this afternoon I asked Mark to take me over there. Luckily I had a key to her house. We walked in, and everything was nice and neat as usual. Then her room door was closed and locked. I knocked on the door, but she didn’t answer, so I had Mark kick it down.” I already knew the rest of the story, but I continued to listen. “There she was, lying in bed with her head hidden in her covers.” She burst into a louder sob. “Sissy, I was so scared. Honey, are you OK?” She spoke softly.

  The only thing could say was, “Ma, I’m getting on the next flight. I will call you when I get to the airport.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “After this tragic event, everyone in the family, except Uncle Tyler, needed to be admitted into the hospital.”

  I rushed to put some clothes on. My bags were still packed. I emptied them out and grabbed some clean clothes to throw in. I wasn’t sure how long I would be gone, so I packed enough for ten days. It was 10 p.m.—I called Southwest to see about the next flight out.

  “I need a flight to Oakland within the next hour or so, can you help me with that?”

  “Ma’am, I am sorry, but all of Southwest Airlines flights to California are booked.”

  “Booked! At ten o’clock at night? You have got to be kidding me. Well, get me another airline please. Anyone, I don’t care.” I knew she was just doing her job, but I needed her to do it faster, so I could get out of here. I zipped up my bags and rolled both of them to the door.

  “OK, ma’am, let me check.”

  “Thank you,” I said, grabbing my purse and keys.

  “OK, we have one for
Alaska Airlines. Flight leaves at eleven o’clock, first class. Is that OK?”

  “Yeah, yeah, that’s fine.”

  “And is this round trip, or one-way?” I wasn’t sure when I would be back. I didn’t want to give a date, because my mother might need me for a while. We might have to go over to Granny’s house and do some cleaning. Who knew what was going to happen with Granny’s house.

  “It’s going to be one-way.”

  “OK.” She kept typing in the background. I stood in the kitchen, waiting for her to give me the green light so I could get out of there. I was glad that I’d decided to let Kim chi stay at my neighbors’ house for another day. They seemed to love him so much. I was glad, because he was going to be staying with them for a few more weeks. I knew they wouldn’t mind.

  “OK, Ms. Monroe, that will be $380.”

  “WHAT! Are you a drug dealer, or something?! Why is it so…you know what… never mind. I just need to get out of here.”

  “And what type of credit card will you be using?”

  “Visa.”

  “OK, go ahead and read off the card number.” I read her the number and expiration date; I was in a hurry, so I didn’t want to argue. I was lucky my mom had given me this credit card for emergencies. This was the only time I’d used it, so I didn’t think my mom would get upset over the purchase.

  “Alright, Ms. Monroe, your flight is confirmed.” She read off the number, and I wrote it down and put it in my purse.

  “Is there anything else I can help you with tonight?”

  “No,” I said quickly

  “OK, well you have a nice—” I hung up the phone before she could finish her sentence. I turned off all of the lights, grabbed my luggage, and headed out the door.

  I took a cab, so I wouldn’t have to worry about parking. We pulled up to the Alaska entrance, and I quickly got out of the cab, paid the driver, and got my luggage out of the trunk.

  My phone rang as I approached the counter.

  “Hello?”

  “Honey, it’sMom. Where are you?”

  “Hey, Ma, I’m checking in my bags now at the airport.”

  “Wow honey, you work fast. When does your flight arrive?”

  “Twelve-thirty.”

  “OK, honey, I will have Mark pick you up. I am still over at Tiy’s house. She is taking it hardest.” My mom got quiet. I knew this was hard on her as well, because she had to be strong for everyone. But I also knew that when everything was over, my mother would crack—but not until then.

  “Ma, don’t worry, I will be there as soon as I can,” I said, letting her know that I would be right by her side to help her. It was hard for my mother to show emotion—she felt like someone had to hold up the fort.

  “OK, honey,” she said in a whisper. I could hear the frog in her throat from her holding back her tears.

  “Hold tight, Ma—OK?”

  “Yes, I will.”

  I hung up the phone.

  I hurried to the gate, where my plane was boarding. Sleep came over me suddenly. My eyes were slowly lowering, ready to be shut for the night.

  “Flight 367 is now boarding at gate seven.” That was me.

  I showed my ticket to one of the gate agents. She smiled at me. It was so late, I didn’t know how she could be so happy. “Thank you, and enjoy your flight,” she said.

  “Thank you,” I said. I couldn’t afford to smile right now. My mom needed me. The tables had turned, and I was happy that now I could be strong for my mother. Mark was there, but he had only been around for a short period of time. He would console her and tell her that everything would be OK, but in fact, he was on the outside looking in.

  I got on the plane and settled in my seat, lowered my seat back, and went to sleep.

  My dream was blank. I dreamt of nothing. Everything was white, like a blank canvas. It was like I was staring at the canvas waiting for something to happen, but nothing showed up. No images, no color, no life.

  I woke up. My mind was blank. I was glad not to find a leaf in my hair, or my hair soaked in lake water. Or to be shaking, my body cold as ice, with pale blue and purple fingers. I would take a dream with no pictures over that any day.

  It was so quiet on the plane, I looked around to make sure that I wasn’t the only one on there.

  “Did you need help with anything?” the flight attendant asked me. “No, I’m fine,” I said, making sure I kept my distance from her. I remembered what happened the last time a flight attendant touched me. There was only one dead person I wanted to see this week, and that was Granny. I was in no mindset to deal with someone else’s fate.

  My visions were killing me, and now my dreams were trying to finish me off. I wanted to know what Misty wanted—I knew it was her, in my dreams. The child wore a white sweater with a sunflower dress; that was what Misty was wearing the day she disappeared. In my dreams I was trying to save her, and they felt so real. The mist I felt on my face and the wind sweeping through my hair; the hand grabbing at my feet in the lake, and the taste of algae in my mouth. They were leading up to something, I just didn’t know what.

  “We are now preparing for landing at Oakland International Airport. Please put on your seatbelts, and thank you for flying Alaska Airlines,” the pilot said over the intercom. I was so sleepy, but I needed to stay awake. I looked at my clock and saw that it was way past my bedtime. I didn’t function well after midnight.

  We landed at the airport, and everyone dragged themselves off the plane. I wanted to push everyone out of the way. I needed to get to my mother as soon as possible.

  I walked quickly to the baggage claim to get my luggage. Just when I got on the escalator, I saw Mark on his phone, looking around. I knew he was on the phone with Ma. Those two didn’t do anything or go anywhere without the other knowing it. I couldn’t wait until they got married. They had the hots for each other like a forest fire, and it was staring to spread.

  “Mark, over here.” I waved to him so that he could see me. He finally heard me and walked over.

  “Honey, I see her…yes, she is fine…OK…love you, see you in a minute.”

  “Hey, Sissy, I am so glad you came back.” He hugged me like he had not seen me in years. He looked so tired and worn-out, almost looked like he had aged overnight. I felt sorry for him, because I knew he was worried about my mom. I knew he was hurting for her. I knew he would do everything in his power to take away the pain and sorrow she felt.

  “Thank you for coming to get me so late.”

  “Oh, it’s no problem, anything for you and Tina.”

  We walked over to the baggage claim, grabbed my bags, and headed to his truck.

  “Mark, be honest...how is Ma doing?” He threw my bags in the back of the truck and got in on the driver’s side. He looked at me, and then turned away to start the car up. He shifted the gear into drive and headed toward the exit. He was quiet for a while before he spoke.

  “It may seem that your auntie is the one taking it the hardest, but it is eating your mother up inside.” Tell me something I don’t know, I thought. “Everything with her is ‘I’m fine.’ I am just scared the pain that she feels is going to come out, and she won’t be able to handle it.

  “When we found your grandmother, your mom…she…she…didn’t even cry. Tiyanne cried enough for the whole family. You should have seen her, Sissy. Tiyanne went nuts. She tore up her whole house. Tina had to go over there and calm her down. Good thing Halo called Tina when she did, or there is no telling what else Tiyanne would have done.”

  “Halo was there?” I asked, curious.

  “Yeah, she was.” He shrugged his shoulders.

  It was good that Halo called my mom. I was glad someone was over there with auntie Tiy. After this tragic event everyone in the family, except Uncle Tyler, needed to be admitted into the hospital. I was going for my cursed gift and dreams. They were making me crazy, so I needed to be the first one to be admitted. My mom was going for having a silent breakdown. Auntie Tiy for her outbur
st, and smashing her house up. Mark (oh, yes, he was a part of the family now) was going, just because my mom was going. He lived, ate, and breathed for her—there was no way he was going to let her go to the hospital without him. Heaven and Halo were going, too. All they needed to do was open their mouths, and the doctor would know something was wrong with them.

  Mark and I rode in silence the rest of the way. I was fighting sleep, but I could never win. I caught myself dozing off a few times and waking up. I wanted to stay up with Mark so he wouldn’t fall asleep at the wheel. It was bad enough that my mom had to plan one funeral.

  We pulled up in front of my mom’s house. Her car was there.

  “I thought Ma was at Aunt Tiy’s house?”

  “She was…she left when I picked you up from the airport.”

  “Wow, she drives fast.”Auntie Tiy lived in Fairfield. That was a forty-five minute drive, and that was without traffic.

  “Yeah, she is a speed demon.” He chuckled and then got out of the car. We grabbed my bags and headed into the house.

  When I walked in I saw my mom sitting on the couch watching TV, her eyes red and her face flushed. I immediately dropped my stuff and sat next to her. She wrapped her arms around me and started crying.

  “Honey, I am so happy you’re back,” she said between sobs. It felt like my heart dropped into my stomach, and I began to cry, too. I was crying more for my mom. She was so heartbroken. I was sad about Granny, but I’d already known she was going to pass.

  It was only a matter of time before my mother’s emotions really came out. On the outside, her tears were tears of relief that I was home to help her. But on the inside, I think she was torn apart about losing another love one.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “I wanted him here because I needed to tell someone about my gift before I went nuts.”

  I don’t remember falling asleep, but when I woke up I found myself on the couch wrapped up in a throw blanket that was normally folded on the back of the couch. The sun was shining in the living room, and Angel was sleeping at the end of the couch, next to my feet. It was so quiet. I blinked a few times, to try and get my vision back to normal. “Ma,” I said, waiting for a response, but no one answered.