“Oh, yeah, just getting used to the cold. It may be getting to me, but I’m fine. I promise.”
I wasn’t sure why I didn’t just take that moment to tell him the truth about the headaches or about seeing weird golden tattoos on dead people. It just didn’t feel right to divulge that information to him. I wanted to be normal, and saying any of how I felt out loud felt like an omission that everything was anything but normal.
But as I left his office, I couldn’t help the feeling that Uncle Dan didn’t believe me. And that maybe he knew more about what was going on than he was leading me to believe.
Chapter Five
That night, I dreamed of Nana and the Obelisk again. It felt like the dream picked up right where it had left off days ago. But instead of Nana melting away in the fire, she glowed. Her long, gray hair was tucked into a woven braid that hung over her left shoulder. Her left hand remained on the burning Obelisk, but her eyes remained steadfast on me; her features stern and serious, as if what she was about to do or say was of extraordinary importance.
Her head tilted as her soft gray eyes took me in. I knew I was dreaming, that this was nothing more than a figment of my imagination, but I swear I could smell Nana as if she were really right in front of me. Her rich, citrusy perfume, which I would get her every year for her birthday, clung to the air. Tears welled in my eyes as I looked at her, no longer scared, but homesick.
“I miss you.” I croaked, my voice cracking on the last syllable. Nana’s chin lifted in recognition, the corner of her mouth twitching up slightly.
“I miss you too, baby.” Her sweet southern drawl sounded like music.
I took a step toward her, wanting to reach out, not caring that she was literally on fire. But before I could get close enough to touch, she shook her head.
“No, baby. You can’t come near me. Not yet.”
“What do you mean ‘not yet’? Nana, what’s going on?”
Nana sighed patiently, her lips forming a firm line. It felt as though there were things she wanted to say but couldn’t.
“Keep my amulet with you. Always.”
My hand naturally gravitated towards my neck, where I was still wearing the amulet Tiffany had given me days earlier. I kept it on while I slept, hoping that the amulet would actually protect me from nightmares. Now, it felt more like a connector, a way for me to feel closer to Nana.
“I will,” I replied, tears streaming down my face. The amulet seemed to hum and warm at my touch.
“I don’t have much more strength to keep them back.” Nana’s voice began to sound strained, her brow furrowing as her grip on the statue tightened. “You need to go to him. Learn about your birthright.”
“Go to who? Nana, what are you talking about?” The dream started to fade at the edges; the vision of my Nana starting to blur and fade.
“Seek the one who walked where you now stand, the one who rises out of death’s shadows.”
Before I could reply or ask anything else, the fire surrounding Nana and the statue intensified, and suddenly everything went dark. I woke up with a start, tears still streaming down my face, the amulet at my neck hot, as if it had been on fire.
I sat in my regular seat for chemistry, notes open, but my hand clasped around the amulet. It still felt warm to the touch, comforting. Like Nana was sitting right next to me. I tried to focus on reviewing my notes for the quiz we were going to have, but my mind kept replaying the dream I had the night before. Nana’s words kept replaying in my head, over and over, but the more I thought about them, the more confused I became.
Seek the one who walked where you now stand, the one who rises out of death’s shadows.
What the hell was that supposed to mean? And who is this person she was referring to?
To make matters worse, my head had begun its usual deep throbbing, starting at the back of my neck and snaking as if a tight band was wrapped around my head. I had forgotten to bring some extra headache medication with me, so there was nothing I could do to dull the pain.
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice when Alaric slid into the seat next to me, his presence jolting me for a moment. The amulet at my neck felt like it was humming, sending small vibrations against my chest. It had been doing that off and on since I woke up from my dream early this morning. Almost like an alarm clock that kept getting snoozed but never turned off.
I glanced Alaric’s way, noting the loose bun at the base of his neck and how his ringed fingers tightened around his pen as he seemingly reviewed his own notes.
“Hey,” I said without thinking, the feeling to speak to him taking over.
His dark green eyes slid my way hesitantly, but he said nothing.
I sighed. “I just wanted to say thanks again for the notes. They’ve really come in handy.”
He nodded, his mouth set in a firm frown, before turning back to the front of the room, waiting for the teacher to begin the quiz.
I turned to look at my notes again, but the urge to ask him what was wrong took over.
