Mom relents to his warning, “Fine, fine. Just take care of yourself sweetie.”
“Okay, I have to go. I’m home.”
Before they let me hang up, they make me promise to call if I can’t sleep. I halfheartedly agree.
CHAPTER 3: CAPTIVE
Jesca
Sitting in bed with my cup of tea, I flip through the last few pages of the magazine I picked up at the market. I do feel a little relaxed I guess. I set the cup on the side table and turn off the lamp. As I lay back, I walk myself through the imagery Mom and Dad showed me when I was younger. I haven’t used it in years, but I remember my favorite place, the beach. I imagine sitting in the warm sand, the afternoon sun warm against my skin. The sea breeze is blowing steadily, as I sit there watching the waves ebb and flow. I breathe in and out in harmony with the imaginary waves I have created in my head.
***
I’m running in the woods. The low, dull humming vibrates all around me. An echoing voice breaks through the humming white noise. “You’re safe Jesca.”
Even though the vibration in my head blurs the voice, it has a familiarity. Feeling the sensation of a physical touch on my shoulder, I look down at where it’s felt, but nothing is there. I don’t feel the darkness as I have in other nightmares, or earlier today in the woods. Suddenly, there’s a blinding flash and now I’m running through the woods, my legs a blur beneath me. Another flash and I’m treading just as fast on concrete. Yet another flash and I’m standing at the front door of my house.
The nightmare.
An echoing voice pierces through the hum again. “You’re ready to learn the truth.”
Flashes of the nightmare come crashing into my mind. My rushing the staircase, kicking in the door, my father looking at me, my mother convulsing.
“Breathe Jesca.”
Just like the echoing sinister voices in my head set me on edge, this calm one washes unexplainable peace over me.
“They’re fine. Nothing can hurt them. Nothing can hurt you. See the truth. Face it and fight it.”
My heart is pounding frantically yet my breathing is even as I watch the scene in my parent’s room.
The voice comes again. “You have control. See what you fear. See why it haunts you.”
Suddenly the darkened blur that’s possessed my nightmares and now my waking moments appears to my right behind my parents.
The smoky entity slides and dances toward me along the wooden floor. It tries to snare me with the pull it’s used so many times before—the one I fear. The darkness begins the pulling from within me. It’s like a magnetic feeling drawing me toward it.
“Jesca, push back.”
The voice’s command is confusing. I call back. “I don’t know what to do!”
“You’ve done this before. The feeling inside when you push against the darkness, use that energy from within.”
I feel my skin start to crawl as I shrink against the darkness standing erect in front of me. “I can’t.”
“Yes you can Jesca. Force the energy from your body, just like you have before.”
Just as the blackened smoke makes its move to strike, I concentrate any energy I might have inside on pushing it away as I have before. Suddenly, I feel the powerful energy building inside.
“Create a shield around yourself with the energy Jesca.”
I focus on drawing this shield around me, the light illuminating the darkened blur. I sweep my hands to the right, then the left. The dark shadow shifts away with each movement.
It’s working! The pull isn’t as strong now and I have pushed it away from me.
The voice comes again. “Encircle your parents within your energy shield.”
Slowly, I walk in front of the stalled shadow toward my parents, bringing the energy I have produced with me. I lower myself behind them, my eyes still watching the waiting darkness held at bay by my energy. I wrap my arms around my mother and father and try to ignore my mother’s shaking body and my father’s cries as I expand the energy around us. The force I’m emitting is so strong, my eyes lull shut from the sheer power I’m producing.
Behind the darkness of my closed eyes, the humming, the cry of my father, and the shaking of my mother’s body stops. Worried that I have done something wrong, I open my eyes. The room is clear, no darkened shadow to be seen anywhere. I look down at my mother, her eyes no longer brown, but jet-black with no outer rim. Her face has narrowed and elongated into a terrifying sight. My father, his eyes and face mirror my mother’s. I fall back away from them as they continue to stare hard at me. The sinister cackling laugh from the bookstore slowly creeps into my head, sending my heart pounding and my stomach burning with fear.
My guiding voice cuts through the terror. “Don’t let your energy slip Jes. You need to save them. You need to save you.”
Slowly, I lean in to my mom, closing my eyes and praying what she has become doesn’t decide to attack me.
Holding onto the remains of energy I still have, I feel the white-hot energy spill from me onto her. I grab hold of my father’s shoulder and pull him to me, pulling him into my circle of energy.
The powerful shelter I created is still radiating from us, but I can still feel that the dark presence trying to pull me. Why is it not backing off?
The voice responds to my thought. “It’s waiting for any sign of weakness. Quick, imagine yourself turning up the energy slowly, building it inside you until you feel like it’s going to burst.”
“How the heck do I do that?”
“You can do more than you think. Do as I’m telling you, now.”
Feeling the confidence of the voice’s carrier, I let the energy build within me, letting the heat bounce from my body to my parents and cover every available space in the room. The room and everything in it seems to feed the strength building inside. Everything around me is feeding the energy as it grows wider and stronger. The air around me feels intensely electrified. Slowly I open my eyes to see what effect my power is having around me. I see the pulsating wave of energy moving around us in time with the pulse of my heart, steady and strong. Every beat, a wave of pure energy rolls around my parents and me.
The energy waves roll over the room in a consistent hypnotic flow; quicker and quicker as my heart beat rises higher, until there’s a bright flash then everything vanishes into a void—
***
I lift from the nightmare that held me captive. My heart is pounding out of my chest not from fear but from excitement from conquering the terror that’s plagued me for as long as I can remember. My intentions are solid when I try to sit up, but I don’t budge.
Ah, shit!
Damn it, sleep paralysis.
I lie there in the throes of sleep paralysis recalling the nightmare scene by scene, not wanting to forget a single moment of overcoming a fear that’s been with me for too long.
I quickly shift my thoughts to the voice that guided me. It was comforting and confident, steering me through the whole thing. The voice, it called me Jes. While its tone sounded familiar, the only man that calls me Jes is my dad. A wave of eerie awareness washes over me all of a sudden.
Ezra called me Jes.
I write off the thought of Ezra gracing my nightmare to him being the last person I spoke to last night and the one telling me to use imagery to relax. “It was probably that damn tea,” I say not realizing that I have brought my hand up to my forehead. The paralysis, it never reverts this quickly. “Huh, would you look at that.”
A grin slowly creeps along my lips as I hold my hand out above me, wiggling my fingers.
While the paralysis faded quickly, I wished I didn’t have to deal with it at all. I wrap my hair in a towel after a shower and slip a t-shirt on before sitting back down in the bed to call mom and dad. Even though the terrible images of them were in my nightmare, I still had a fear of something happ
ening to them in real life.
Dad picks up on the first ring. “Jes. Is everything okay?”
I answer quickly, “Everything is fine. Are you guys okay?”
I hear Mom in the background. “Is she okay?”
I answer before Dad has the chance to relay her message. “Yes, she’s fine. Jes, we’re fine. Why?”
“I beat it.”
“Beat what?”
“My nightmare. This time was different. I made it through. I can’t really explain it all, but there was this voice guiding me. But I saved you and Mom. I know this sounds crazy, but I think it was a test.”
I hear Dad walking as he actively listens. “Uh huh.”
“I saved you and mom, but it wasn’t you, it was the dark shadow trying to weaken me.”
“Uh huh.”
I hear a shuffling and mom talking in the background, making it hard not to ask. “What’s going on over there?”
I hear his voice muffle as he covers the phone’s receiver for just a second, then returns to me. “Sorry, honey. Mom was just answering the door.”
I wait for Dad to elaborate, but he doesn’t so I probe. “At eight o’clock in the morning?”
Dad dodges my question. “Hey, do you think you could come over for breakfast before you head into work today. You go in at noon, right?”
How’d he know? “Yeah, how did you know?”
“Elicia.”
I roll my eyes, “Yes, of course Elicia. Your third daughter.”
“Ha, ha, ha,” Dad says playfully before silence fill the line between us.
“Seriously Jes. Can you come over? There’s something we need to discuss.”
His tone is worrisome, but I don’t make a big deal of it. “Sure. I’ll be over in an hour.”
I turn on the radio as I drive to my parents house. The news fills the car. I’m partially listening just to have some background noise as I drive. Global warming, upcoming elections, living green tips, weather setting unprecedented records, earthquakes, tsunamis, melting ice caps—all of it is overwhelming and I turn it off after ten minutes of saturating headlines.
As soon as I make the turn on to my street, I’m hit with a dull burning, starting in my head and coursing deep into my core. I hate that feeling. It’s like the milliseconds before lightning strikes when all of your hair stands on end. Dad calls it the fight or flight reflex.
I take some deep breaths as I pull into our drive. Then, I see it—a sign in my yard reading FOR SALE in red letters. A plaque of even bigger red letters lies diagonally over the previous red letters spelling out the word SOLD.
The Wise Guys moving trucks being loaded by four burly men dressed in navy blue jumpsuits is the capper. “Holy shit.”
I feel vertigo and clammy at the same time I get out of the car and walk past the two men moving my dad’s desk into the truck.
“Mom! Dad!”
Boxes line the entryway as I wait for a response, but all I receive is the sound of tape running across cardboard boxes.
I yell louder, “Mom!”
I walk from room to room passing the plastic-wrapped furniture as I head to the master bedroom. Dad is removing the bedding, and two movers squeeze past me, with a lamp in one hand and a pillow in the other.
I look at my father, dumbfounded. “What’s going on Dad?”
Seeming caught in the act, he says, “We can explain.”
“Moving? When were you planning on telling me?” I have so many questions but I’m dumbfounded by what I have walked into. All of my questions are jumbled in my head, and making words of them would take too long to produce.
Mom surfaces out of the closet with a stack of clothes in her arms “Honey, I know this is a little shocking—”
Sarcastically, I respond, “Uh, yeah!”
Mom puts the clothes into the open suitcase on the floor, and then comes to my side to lead me out of the room. “Here let’s go talk in the living room.”
Dad starts, “A few months ago, we decided we were ready for a simpler life.”
Mom adds, her hands folded and hovering close to her mouth nervously. “Smaller.”
Dad builds on her comment. “Yes, smaller. We’re going to be empty nesters soon with Bethany going away for college next year. We don’t need this huge house anymore. We think Colorado is a great place for us to retire.”
Dad looks at Mom for reassurance. Taking his cue, she adds, “So we put the house on the market, and a week later, we had a contract on it. We were completely surprised! Didn’t think we’d have any luck selling!”
I’m still speechless as I watch mom and dad smile like this is the greatest thing in the world.
“The couple who bought the house is moving in next week and is expecting their second child in May. This house is perfect for them Jes. We didn’t come to you sooner, because you’ve been so stressed lately. We were afraid of how it would affect you.”
I fold my arms over my chest. “And my coming over here to see the sold sign and movers would affect me any better?”
I realize I’m being bitchy after I have already made the comment. Before I can turn down the bitch-o-meter, Dad comments, “We didn’t want to throw in something else for you to worry about. When you called earlier, you hung up too quickly for us to say anything to prepare you.”
It’s true, I hung up on mom and I probably should have handled myself differently. Even now, I’m acting like a complete brat to them. I’m just as much at fault in being left in the dark with their lives lately. Avoidance is something I have been practicing for the past few weeks because of the nightmares, so I can’t blame them entirely for this surprise. “If I was around more, I’d probably have known. I’m sorry I have been MIA lately.”
Dad nods, accepting of my apology. “We’re so happy to make this move honey.”
Mom’s excitement can’t be held any longer. “We’ve found the cutest little condo that’ll allow us to travel and not have to worry about home maintenance.”
“What about Bethany? What’s she going to do for the rest of senior year?”
Mom and Dad look at each other again, before mom starts in. “Bethany will be staying with the Sanford’s, Serena’s family, for the remainder of her senior year. She’ll spend the summer with us before attending college at the University of Colorado.”
Bethany is going to the University of Colorado? “When did she apply to the University of Colorado?”
Dad places his arm around mom’s shoulder. “Months ago and she was accepted!”
I’m floored. Bethany hadn’t clued me in on applying or being accepted. Well, I hadn’t taken the initiative of picking up the phone to call my little sister in weeks either, so I couldn’t blame her entirely. She’s probably pissed at me for being so distant and figured the hell with telling me her news. “Sweetheart, why do you look so sad?”
A gruff voice from behind us interrupts. “Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Sera. We have all of the items that are going into storage. We’ll be back Tuesday of next week to move you folks to Boulder.”
I look around at the walls, all of the picture frames and mom’s touches removed. I end the small silence in the room. “It’s not like you’ll be in another country. We’ll see each other on holidays and stuff.”
Dad adds, “It seems like things are coming together for you, Jesca. Last night’s breakthrough with your nightmare is a huge step.”
Mom’s face suddenly loses its happy luster. “You’re turning into a grown woman and we need to let things take its course.”
Let things take its course. Odd choice of words. “Yeah.”
As my parents tend to the movers questions, I excuse myself. Walking to the car, I turn and look back at the house letting the realization settle that my childhood house isn’t mine anymore. Everything is changing, and I don’t have control of it.
/> CHAPTER 4: FIELD TRIP
Jesca
The doorbell rings as I enter Benson’s to start my shift.
Elicia looks up to greet me. “Hey there crazy. What’s up with you?”
I reply sarcastically, “Thanks Lishy face.”
She hated when I called her that. We both have a brief scowl of annoyance that quickly fades into content smiles. That’s just how we rolled.
She follows me to the back room. “Seriously, Jes, what’s up? You look different.”
I look up at Elicia and sigh, not really knowing what to say.
Elicia’s eyes widen with a thought. “Oh my God! Did you have sex?”
Her sheer volume in a quiet bookstore with mingling customers deserves the slap I administer to her arm.
“Ouch!”
She rubs out my slap as I fold my arms over my chest and look for any visible sign of customers craning necks, listening in.
“I just found out my parents sold their house and are moving to Colorado.”
Elicia’s eyes bulge. “What? When did all of this happen? What about Bethany finishing high school? Is she going with them? God, I thought my parents would’ve been the first to do something like this. Why didn’t they tell you?”
I nod, feeling stronger about my reaction with her support. “I know, right!”
I sit down on the stool propping open the door to the storage room.
Licia leans against the counter behind her. “Jes that seems awfully odd for your parents. I mean, they’re like the most stable people I know. They watch you and Beth like a hawk. Shit, they’ve been stalking you by calling me for the last two weeks since you don’t respond to their calls.”
I think about everything she’s saying, but still remind her why I didn’t call them back. “I didn’t want them to worry.”
Licia folds her arms her arms over her chest. “Whatever, the point is, they up and decide to move hundreds of miles away from you and Beth?”
“It’s not something they just decided apparently.”
She adds to my questioning their decision. “And you mean to tell me they aren’t one bit nervous or worried about leaving you two?”
Copula Chronicles: The Complete Collection: Origin, Descend, Ascend, Legacy Page 4