I Remember (Remembrance Series)

by Cynthia P. O'Neill

  “Remember in the hospital when your father told you that he saw a bright aura about you and how angels are drawn to you, one in particular?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “After you left that day, your father told me that the angel that watches over you is the same nurse Ray, which we encountered on the day you were born.”

  I shook my head. “So, why did you wait for months, now, to tell me?”

  “I was hoping it was just your dad’s mind playing tricks on him.”

  Just when I thought my mother could not shock me with any more information, she said, “You don’t ever need to be afraid of telling me anything. Pushing Gregory away for the sake of me could end up causing more harm than good. Look at how chaotic your life has been since you have been apart, versus how your life was when you spent a lot of time with each other.

  “Life is full of risks, Jordan. We never know if we have several years, let alone the next several seconds left to live. So, you cannot let fear of what might happen rule your life and worry about how it may affect others.”

  “You’re right, Mom. My life has been nothing but chaos since I pushed him away. I feel as though half of me is missing.”

  “Then call him.”

  I grabbed the phone and looked at the clock and realized it was already nearing midnight. “I’ll try calling tomorrow from work, if time allows. If not, then I will call him when I get home.”

  At that moment, I yawned, loudly.

  “Go ahead to bed and get some sleep. Don’t worry about anything, Sweetie. Life has a way of making things right and when you have true love on your side, anything is possible.” Mom gave me a big squeeze and whispered in my ear, “I love you. Don’t forget that.”

  “I love you, too, Mom. I always will!” I hugged her and headed to my bedroom.

  When I got in bed, I contemplated calling Gregory, even at this late hour. But, I ended up falling asleep in my work clothes, finally getting some much needed rest, thanks to exhaustion

  I woke up with a renewed sense of courage and hope in my heart.

  I was happy to see the smiling faces of some of my co-workers, who had been sick earlier in the week. I hoped that I would be able to complete my work and find time for my much needed phone call to Gregory. But no such luck.

  By noon, the front desk was bombarded with appointment calls, so all of us on the back-up list were put into motion.

  I was thankful when lunchtime rolled around so I could put my phone on “Do Not Disturb” for at least an hour. I grabbed the lunch Mom had packed and ate while I worked on my reports, thankfully finishing the last one with only moments to spare.

  The afternoon continued with a barrage of non-stop phone calls. I was elated when the office announced that the phones had been switched over to the answering service.

  I grabbed my purse, dropped the reports off on Caroline’s desk and was out the door. I felt like I couldn’t get to my car fast enough.

  Naturally, the Friday, quitting time, traffic was impossible. The pace was continued stop and go through several outlying cities. There was no way I could make a phone call and try concentrating to drive in this mess.

  Finally, I made my way to the Deland exit and found similar circumstances on the main highway through the south end of town.

  Since I was stopped at a red light I took the opportunity to call Gregory. At that moment, I heard a car’s engine revving up and tires squeal as it peeled out from the pavement. I only looked up in time to see a black SUV, with a dark cloud around it, coming straight at me. I cried out. “Protect me, please!”

  I heard a loud bang as pain rocked every portion of my body and everything went black.

  “Jordan? Jordan! Can you hear me? Hang on, Sweetie, help is on the way.” Was that his voice, or was I dreaming?

  “Someone grab me a tire iron, hammer, anything you have. I need to break her window to get to her.”

  His voice was so close, it felt like a dream. I tried to move to unlock the door, but my body refused to cooperate. Suddenly, the locks opened on their own.

  There was an influx of humid outside air as the car door opened. I felt someone reach across me to turn off my vehicle.

  “Jordan, Honey, can you hear me?” Gregory’s voice was full of the same love I remembered two weeks ago.

  I felt one of his hands caress my face and then felt some pressure to my forehead and winced.

  “Sorry. You have a deep cut on your forehead and I’m trying to put some pressure on it to slow the bleeding.”

  My eyes managed to open just enough to see that I wasn’t dreaming. Gregory was there beside me.

  Weakly I asked, “You’re here. How?”

  “I couldn’t bear living another second without you in my life. I was on my way to your mother’s house to see if you would talk to me and end this crazy experiment. I don’t know how your life has been, but mine has been filled with extreme pandemonium.

  “I tried not to think about you, but I’ve been empty, just a shell of a person. Nothing made sense or mattered, anymore. Then I had a vision that the darkness was planning something, but I couldn’t figure out what.

  “I was about five cars back when I saw the accident. I got out seeing if I could help. When I got close I recognized your car and knew they’d come after you. I am so sorry I wasn’t here to protect you. I never should have agreed to this.”

  I wanted to reach my hand out to caress his face but I couldn’t move. The moment I tried, a sharp pain ripped through the side of my chest.

  I found it hard to breathe. My breaths were coming too fast. I felt lightheaded and my eyelids felt heavy. I had to fight to keep them open.

  “Jordan? Darling? Keep your eyes open, okay? I hear the ambulance.” Gregory’s voice was full of panic.

  I tried to talk. “Mom?”

  “I already called her. She’ll meet us at the hospital. Stay with me, Jordan. Keep your eyes open!”

  The siren was loud in my ears. I could hear the opening of doors and medical equipment in the background.

  My eyes closed as I found it harder and harder to breathe.

  I heard one of the emergency medical technicians call for a neck brace and a back board. Then I felt something hard and uncomfortable supporting my head.

  I must have blacked out, because the next thing I knew I was strapped to a back board and felt my left arm weighted down, possibly splinted.

  I managed to find Gregory’s face, amongst the confusion I had to tell him. I whispered, “You were right. We’re better together than we are apart. I love you more than you know. I’m so sorry.”

  At that moment, I felt my body go limp and a sense of peace rush through me. This new sensation felt so wonderful, but I knew it was death and I had to fight it. My mission here was far from over.

  “Come back to me, Jordan! Come back, please! I don’t know how to live without you!” I could hear the overwhelming pain in his voice.

  Suddenly, I was back. A strange voice called out, “We have a pulse. She’s stable, for now; but her breathing is still shallow. Notify the hospital our estimated time of arrival is five minutes out.”

  “Sir, you can follow us if you want. But, because you’re not immediate family, we cannot allow you to ride with her. Please gather her belongings and bring them with you.”

  “I will be right behind you, Jordan. Hang on please, for me. For us. For everyone who loves you.” I felt myself being loaded onto the ambulance.

  I woke up to find that I wasn’t in the hospital, but standing in my dream room. As I walked around, the walls began to morph into dark gray, rocky walls, dimly lit from a few scattered torches throughout the cavernous area. In the center was a large fire, surrounded by ghosting clouds of dark smoke. It seemed like some sort of gathering formation.

  As I peered around a rock column, a cloaked figure looked to be reading an ancient book. I couldn’t see the title, but the book seemed familiar to me.

  The figure began to speak with a sinister
female voice, in some kind of ancient dialect that morphed into English.

  I immediately recognized it as the figure from the field and the train. It was the one who destroyed Daniel and Angeline.

  I heard the word “Prophecy” mentioned. It seemed to anger everyone in the room.

  The cloaked figure drifted from side to side, addressing the shadows; then, with an instantaneous flash, the fire roared to life and another, deeper voice was heard. “Will you follow me and do my bidding or fail me again?” The fire soared to the top of the cave, scorching where it touched the ceiling.

  The figure bowed to the ground. “Master, I will always follow you. Forgive me for our past failures. I will seek out those in the prophecy and we will serve to please you.” Her voice was rough and grunting.

  The fire’s voice called out. “Use my dark spirits as you need, but do not fail me, again, or I will call you home and find someone else to do my bidding.”

  “Yes, master”

  The next thing I knew, the fire shrank back into a smoldering mass. The voice was gone.

  The shadows gathered around the clocked one that had been speaking to the flames. “We have mission on our hands, my dark ones. We have come so close to destroying those whom the prophecy mentions; but each time we fail, they become stronger. We cannot afford to fail again. All that is evil depends on our success.”

  “Let me remind you of the prophecy:”

  “Two souls shall be born at select points in time,

  With gifts on high of divine.

  Destined to be joined in love,

  A definitive gift from above.

  Darkness will try to block their fate,

  But perish not at Heaven’s gate.

  Ever stronger ones born anew,

  Marked by love and powers, destined to

  Undo the evils of darkness hate,

  The shadow’s dominance will abate…”

  “We will not allow our powers to be curbed, again. Go find the ones we are looking for. Locate them by their auras and look for the marks they will bear. You are ordered to cause utter chaos and heartache in their lives.” The shadows went wild with screams of hate.

  “Find out as much information about them as you can. Then seek me out so that I may personally attend to the prophecy’s undoing. I want to make sure no source can possibly save them, now. Be gone with you!” The figure ordered.

  The shadows scaled through the cave and out into the open night sky, where they vanished.

  The cloaked, faceless, figure turned around and seemed to look directly at me I screamed.

  The cloak dropped away. Nothing but a ghosting dark smoke loomed in its place, before it streaked off in the direction of the others. Then, the scene disappeared and I was back in the safety of my mind. Am I imaging things or am I dead?

  “No, Jordan. You still have a lot to accomplish and your destiny has not been fulfilled, yet.” It was Ray.

  He was beside me, looking just as he did the last time we had seen him in Virginia.

  The room was alight with his glowing aura. He never changed. He still wore his long golden hair tied back with a band. He had on white dress pants with a white oxford shirt, with his sleeves rolled up slightly. The only thing missing was the trench coat.

  “I thought I would never see you again, Ray.”

  “Technically, you are not supposed to. Remember, I can only be seen when I need to give you clues and when you have solved each mystery.”

  “If I’m not supposed to see you, then why am I able to talk to you, now? Where are we?”

  “We are between your conscious and subconscious mind. I am here because I need to set the record straight.

  “I gave you space after Virginia, hoping you would see the path you and Gregory needed to take; not realizing it would push you in opposite direction. That allowed the darkness to grow stronger and, as a result, it tried to destroy you. I am sorry for my oversight. I can assure you, it will not happen, again.

  “It could have been much worse. Actually the accident should have torn your car in two and you should have died. However, today I heard both Gregory and you cry out for protection, so we were able to cushion the blow.”

  “But, I thought Gregory didn’t realize it was me, at first.” I questioned.

  “He didn’t; but he had asked for your protection earlier that day, sensing evil was about.”

  “Usually I can sense these things long before he can. Why couldn’t I feel it?”

  “When you are together, in person and in dreams, you are both at your strongest. You pushed Gregory out of your mind and opted to not think about him, which made you blind, in a sense. He could not stop thinking about you; therefore he felt the presence before you did.” Ray explained.

  “So, what you are telling me is that our destiny is already set in motion and we need to see this mission through to the end—whichever end that is?” I nearly choked as I said it.

  “Yes. The darkness knows where you are, now, and it will stop at nothing to destroy you, despite your attempts to distance yourselves from one another.

  “The two of you have a great chance of completing the prophecy and they know that. That’s why I am here. To help you figure out what went wrong in the past, so you can learn from it and be ready for anything the future holds. To give you the best opportunity of defeating the darkness.”

  “Why did I just imagine a cave and a prophecy?”

  “Because I wanted you to see it, so you would know and believe.”

  “Know what?”

  “What to look for in order to find the full depiction of the prophecy.”

  “But, where do I begin? I don’t even know what I am looking for exactly? Help me Ray.” I begged.

  He responded. “You found the book, many months ago. You just didn’t know”

  I thought for a moment. “The Prophecies of the Ancients?”

  “Yes.”

  “So what do I do, now?”

  “I will give you more guidance in due time, as there are more clues to your journey. The first priority is to heal and get strong, as you will need your strength. Let Gregory back into your life, as you two are destined for one another. The more time you spend together, the more clues you will uncover to solve the puzzle; and the more insight you will have of the abilities that you two are only beginning to realize.

  “You may want to move up your wedding date, now that the darkness knows where to find you. Keep the date from everyone, the only exception being your parents. Don’t even tell Gregory’s brothers. Plan it as a last minute surprise. Do the same with your honeymoon, only let your parents know the location and no one else. This will hopefully be enough to allow you to reach one of your main goals.” Ray spoke with urgency.

  “If the darkness knows how to find us, how can we be safe? Can they hurt the people we love?” Now I was worried.

  “Thankfully, they are only after the two of you. If they try to hurt anyone close to you, their powers will weaken; so they will not take any chances with that. Remember, the more time you are with each other, the stronger you become. If you have to be apart, just keep thinking of one another and meeting up in your dreams. That will help to sustain your strength against the shadows,” Ray said with certainty in his voice.

  “How can I be sure the dark spirits won’t harm my mother or my future in-laws?”

  “Your father helped us discover the limits to their powers,” Ray stated, solemnly.

  “What do you mean, my father?!” I was blindsided. Then I remembered my conversation with my mother. “How is it that he could see you watching over me? Tell me, please!” I begged.

  Ray placed a hand upon my shoulder and looked deep into my eyes. “Your father realized he had cancer long before it was diagnosed. He started having visions of you being attacked by the dark witch and her spirits. Once the cancer was diagnosed, he saw they were coming for you and he attempted to offer himself instead. When he did this, they were severely weakened and driven back.”


  “So, my father might still be alive today, if it weren’t for me and this prophesy?” I was angry.

  “I’m sorry Jordan. Either way, he would not have lived much longer than he did. But, by his unselfish sacrifice, he saved this from happening to you much earlier. And Gregory’s love for you prevented it from being much worse.”

  “Is my dad’s spirit in a safe place or did his sacrifice place him at the hands of darkness?”

  “He is safe and still watches over you and your mother.

  “When someone full of love and devotion surrenders their life to save another pure soul, the darkness can have no power over them.”

  I didn’t know how to respond. I was thankful that my dad’s spirit was safe and that I was still alive but still sad at the loss.

  “It is time for me to go and for you to wake up.”

  I panicked. “What if I need you?”

  “I won’t be very far.” Then he vanished and the room darkened, slightly.

  The darkness surrounded me, but I wasn’t afraid, anymore. I felt a renewed strength within me.

  I began to hear noises. I strained trying to make sense of things. The muffled sounds slowly morphed into words.

  “I’m sorry that I can’t give a more definitive answer. I am just as puzzled as you are as to why she hasn’t awakened, yet. She should have come out of this a couple of days ago, after we stopped sedating her.” The mysterious voice stated.

  “Sometimes when the body is injured, the mind will seek to protect it by allowing it to rest and heal itself. If she doesn’t come around by tomorrow, we will run some tests. If you notice any changes or have any questions, please have the nurse page me.” I guessed this was either a doctor or physician assistant doing rounds.

  “Gregory, why don’t we get some lunch from the cafeteria?” It was my mother’s voice.

  “Thank you, Marilyn, but I’m not hungry right now. If you don’t mind, I would like to just stay here and keep an eye on Jordan.” His voice was weak with exhaustion.

  “It doesn’t do you any good or help Jordan if you don’t take care of yourself.” My mother was giving him the same speech I received when Dad was in the hospital.