CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The blackness seems to be staying for a long time. But without fail, the colours slowly start to creep up. I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing these amazing blends of rich, beautiful hues. The bubble is slowly coming closer. It's getting bigger, sharper, more defined.
I step into the bubble, and let it engulf me. I search around me for anything familiar, but see nothing that I recognize. I'm standing on the side of the road, more like a highway. Cars are flying past me. My focus is drawn to one vehicle in particular, as it speeds closer to me. I recognize it as being the van that brought me to this school.
I concentrate on the van and blink. When I reopen my eyes, I'm sitting in the backseat, next to a kid that I don't recognize. The boy is looking out the window and doesn't see me.
In the front passenger seat, I see Ginger Adams, who's talking to the driver. She says, “I know that you have plans for 9:30, you won't have to cancel. We have lots of time.”
The driver answers her back with a familiar voice, “I just want to make sure that I am back in plenty of time.” I focus on the rear view mirror, the eyes in the mirror. It's Laden. Laden is driving the van. It's him that's talking about being back by 9:30.
Am I looking into the past? When my vision started, it was way past 9:30, so why am I seeing this now? I don't understand, the clock in the car reads 8:19. I'm confused.
In a flash, I'm sucked out of the van and standing on the side of the road again, looking at the van. A red car starts swerving back and forth across the road, until it smashes into the side of the van, spinning it around in a circle. The red car flips onto its roof, and slides down the road. The van spins sideways once more, then also flips. It's rolling over and over again.
I'm screaming and running towards it, hoping and begging that what I'm seeing is only my own imagination, and not actually what's going to happen, or has happened already.
I finally reach the van, which is now rested onto its roof. I run right to the driver’s side, and get down on my hands and knees to look in through where the window once was.
Glass is all over the place, and the steel roof is crinkled up like tin foil. Laden is upside-down still strapped in his seatbelt. His face has some cuts on it, but otherwise he's alive. “Laden, are you ok?”
Laden looks at me, his eyes wide. “Laura? How the hell..? How did you get here?”
“My vision… I'm here through a vision. It's actually around 11:30, for me, so I guess I'm coming back in time. Can I help you get out of the van?”
Ginger's eyes are glued to me, big like saucers, “How are you here? Did your ability bring you here? Are you that powerful already? You are amazing.”
“Hi Ginger, Are you alright?” I reached in to pull some glass away from her arm, and she grabs my hand.
“I can actually touch you. This is fantastic.” Ginger is smiling, huge for someone who's just been in a rollover accident. “Can you see if Randal in the backseat is in one piece?”
I crawl to look in the backseat at Randal, and almost throw-up. He is smashed up really bad. His face is full of blood, and his arms look broken. Then I realize that he's not breathing. “I... I think he's dead.”
Ginger says, “No Laura, Randal's ability prevents him from dying. He should be able to heal himself.”
I crawl back to Laden, who has undone his seat belt, and is now crawling out of the window where the windshield used to be. I help him stand. Ginger is also crawling out.
“I have to go make sure the other driver is alright." With his arm around my shoulder to help steady him, we start walking towards the red car. "Do you know why you're here? If it's 11:30 in your time, and you're back here...” Laden looks at his watch, “It's only 8:20 right now. You can't prevent the past. So I don't make it to you on time tonight, do I?” He looks really upset.
“No, we were looking for you. I thought they caught you snooping, and did something to prevent you from coming to me. Why are you driving in this van tonight, anyway?” Laden starts to get more steady on his feet, as we walk down the highway to the little red car. Cars are stopped all over the road on both sides. People are everywhere.
“Doc Turner asked me to. I tried arguing with him, and telling him that I had plans, but he insisted. Bradley Rathem was ill today, so admissions asked Doc if he could spare me so that I could assist Ginger in coming to pick up Randal. I figured I'd be back in plenty of time to meet up with you for 9:30, so I didn't bother to call. By the way, sorry that I don't make it, but at least now, you know why. Your eyes are a beautiful blue again, at least in your vision they're perfectly clear, I wonder why that is. Do you think I'll remember that you were here? If I don't remember, tell me about it. You'd better head back to your body. It's not good to be gone for so long. I'll catch up with you soon. I'll bring a washcloth for your eyes, ok.” With a laugh, he lets me go, and walks away from me.
I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and scream really loudly, so I can pull myself back to my body. With a great sucking feeling, I'm being pulled back fast through the bubble, and past all of the swirling colours into the blackness. I feel like I'm spinning down through a funnel this time. It's not the same.
I'm stuck in the blackness, spinning and flipping around and around. I take another deep breath, and scream again. Nothing… just blackness. I scream, and scream, and scream, but it's not pulling me out. What do I do now?
Colours In Blackness - A New Life Page 21