by Zed Amadeo
“What are you doing here?” Shay asked the blonde who was now standing in her doorway. The same woman from before. Dina.
“She told me,” Dina said. “She told me to come find you.”
“What are you talking about?” Shay asked.
“The dreams,” Dina said. “Surely you’ve been having them, too? I can’t even sleep at night anymore. She’s trying to tell me something, but it’s not coming through all the way.” She suddenly burst into tears.
“I can’t do this anymore,” Dina said. “I need someone else who understands.”
“Why don’t you come in?” Shay asked. She stood aside for the blonde to enter. After she closed the door, she pointed Dina in the direction of the sofa in the living room, where they were both soon seated.
“I don’t feel safe anywhere,” Dina continued. “And I’ve been on the run this whole time.”
“What exactly are you looking for?” Shay asked.
“Any trace of the people who murdered my teacher,” Dina said. “But I don’t have a guide anymore. I don’t have anyone or anything to hold onto. It’s like my life has gone right back to the way it was after the attacks. I’m stuck.” Shay placed a hand on Dina’s shoulder.
“You were right about one thing,” Shay said. “I have been having some strange dreams recently.” Dina’s red eyes leapt up from her palms to Shay’s face.
“You too?” Dina said. “About what?”
“It’s this woman,” Shay said. “She’s standing there, pointing at me, like she’s accusing me of something. And I suddenly see my life the way I had imagined it would be. For the first time in my life, I finally felt..free. No one is trying to kill me or use me for their own wants. And when I look back at the woman, I finally see who she is.”
“Who is she?” Dina asked, sitting on the edge of her seat.
“Alejandra,” Shay said. Dina suddenly began to look a tiny bit happier.
“I know it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense,” Shay said. “When I wake up from the dream, my heart hurts. I’ve never had a life like the one she’s showing me. I know she’s trying to tell me that she can give me that life. But I don’t understand why I’m dreaming about all of this now.”
“Don’t you see?” Dina asked. “It’s a sign. She’s trying to speak to us. She’s trying to tell us that she still has a plan.”
“Dina, Alejandra is dead,” Shay said. “I’m sure she had plenty of great plans when she was alive, but she’s already crossed over.”
“Then her spirit must be trying to reach out to us,” Dina said.
“If what you’re saying is true,” Shay said, “I don’t think my dreams have been the only way she’s been trying to reach out.”
“What do you mean?” Dina asked.
“It hasn’t just been the dreams,” Shay said. “Lately there’s been some weird shit going on in my house. I keep finding messages written in my mirror.”
“Messages?” Dina asked. “What do they say?”
“One of them said your name,” Shay said. “The other told me not to be afraid.”
“It’s Alejandra,” Dina said. “She’s trying to tell us something. I think she’s trying to get us together for some reason. I don’t know why. But this is the only real thing I’ve had in months. It’s like she’s trying to give me a new mission. Something beyond revenge.”
“Why would she involve me then?” Shay asked. “It’s not like I knew her when she was alive.”
“I don’t know,” Dina said. “But it’s probably all part of her plan. We just need another way to reach out to her. She’s already been sending messages to us. Maybe it’s time for us to return the favor.”
WORKS BY ZED AMADEO
The Kindred Series:
Resurrection
Reunion
Recipe (Coming Soon!)
Kindred Spellbook