ALLY’s POV
A drop.
More drops of water.
A downpour of water.
The eerie sound of thunder.
Darkness covering the face of the earth.
The trees dancing to the sound of rain.
"Hey, are you okay?" Caleb whispered in my ear, jolting me back to reality and I looked around at the gathering of parents in the school hall. I was here as Myer's guardian for the end of term parent conference and Caleb had offered to accompany me.
I couldn't imagine how my life would've turned out if he wasn't a part of it. "Yeah, I'm fine" I answered with a smile and he nodded and continued paying attention to what was going on. He must've realized that I wasn't going to listen anyway.
Thank you goddess, for Caleb.
A drop.
More drops.
Everything in slow motion.
A voice.
"It is your destiny."
"Hey, Hey, Ally, Allyson. What's going on?" Caleb shook my hand.
"What?" I asked and blinked, trying to be aware of my immediate surroundings.
"The conference ended ten minutes ago. I've been trying to get your attention. Are you okay? You look really pale."
His eyes scanned my body, concern etched on his face.
I didn't even know how to explain the fact that I was hearing things and seeing things that were difficult to even comprehend.
What was worse, Aiden Thorne seemed to be everywhere. Since I met him, not a day had gone by that I didn't see those eyes.
Those damning grayish blue orbs tormented me, even in my sleep and now, these weird visions.
"Ally, is it because of the full moon tonight? Please say something." Caleb panicked and I was about to respond when the school bell was rung and students rushed in, excited to meet their parents and introduce them to their friends.
Myers ran towards us and jumped on Caleb.
"Woah there, shorty. You're becoming a lot fatter. Is Ally responsible perhaps?" Myers smiled at me and nodded.
I rolled my eyes at the both of them and they feigned fear and walked away, not without giving me their signature mock bow. I glared at the back of their head and followed them out of the hall, watching parents get all loved up with their kids and I smiled ruefully.
"Allyson, what do you want for your birthday?" Camille, my mum asked as she danced around the kitchen, preparing her mouthwatering apple pie that had become one of the town's favorite dish.
"I want a party." I answered and tiptoed to scoop some of the sugar in my mouth when she turned to put some of the pie in the oven.
"So you want a party, huh? I'm afraid you won't be getting one if you steal that sugar, honey." I froze, the spoon of sugar almost in my mouth, and groaned.
She turned and took both the spoon and bowl of sugar away from my reach. "What's so wrong about licking sugar?" I whined and made my cute face, hoping it would change her mind.
She smiled. " Sugar now, no party later. It's your choice, ma cherie. I will not be played."
I pouted and huffed, accepting defeat and she sighed and knelt in front of me.
"Too much sugar isn't healthy, sweetheart. So, tell me what kind of party do you have in mind?"
"I want Dad to finally be around for one of my parties. He's always so busy when it's my birthday and he loves Kara and Myers more. He won't play with me or take me to the park."
I sniffed and tried to put up a smile but the tears trickling down my face gave me away and I saw my mum's eyes glisten with tears as well. She hugged me and I started sobbing.
"It's alright, sweety. I know he loves you, it's just bad timing and everything that's going on in the pack. Don't cry,my sweet spitfire. Big girls don't cry." I looked into her eyes and wiped my tears away. "And I'm a big girl, right?" "Right. My little one will be 10 in a matter of days and finally join the big girls' club. Come on, I'll give you just a tiny scoop of ice cream,but don't tell the others, okay?" She whispered and I nodded, with a wide grin.
The sound of my phone vibrating snapped me out of my thoughts and when I looked around, I found myself in an empty hallway, completely different from the one I walked into. I saw an exit door down the hall and heaved a sigh of relief. The whole environment looked so different from the place that used to be my school a while ago and I smiled at some of the good memories I had as a high-schooler. That's when I heard it again.
Drops of water.
More drops.
The whole place felt so chilly and every step I made toward the door seemed laboured. There was a loud shrilly sound and it all felt like I was in a dream when I saw a girl on the floor, blood pooling from her eyes and mouth, crawling toward me.
"Help me, please" she whispered.
The lockers seemed to open and close at the same time and her pleas became louder as I scurried away, panting and crying at the terrifying sight in front of me.
"Ally! Ally, it's alright, it's alright, you're safe. No harm will come to you. Allyson, look at me.
Look at me!"
Everything seemed to fade as the voice became louder and louder.
I blinked and saw Caleb shaking me, his eyes filled with panic and when I looked around, there was nothing in the hallway.
Just me, on the floor, my entire body soaked like I'd stepped into the rain and Caleb kneeling before me, terrified.
I couldn't believe I was dreaming. It couldn't have been a dream if I was wide awake and supposedly leaving the school premises. It was real. All of it. I felt it. I could hear her screams. I could feel fear envelope my entire body and mind. My soaked clothes were proof enough that I didn't just imagine stuff.
"What happened?" I mumbled, trying to stand but failing miserably. "Ally, we've been searching the entire school for you. It's been over an hour. My mum came over and took Myers home because I didn't want him to worry. I heard you scream and when I found you, you were crying and yelling 'No'. This hasn't happened before, has it?" He helped me get up and I shook my head when he offered to carry me.
"No. This has never happened before." I walked slowly, my hands touching each and every locker I passed by, probably trying to convince myself that I actually just saw something.
"Why are you soaked? Did you enter the shower by any chance?" I scoffed and gave him an 'Are you serious?' look. "What shower? Do you see any shower here?" I pointed around but my eyes stopped at the ladies' room and on impulse, I walked toward it. "Hey, stop, you know I can't go in there" He stated and I rolled my eyes at him.
"I don't need to remind you about the number of times I've found you in the Ladies', do I?" He pouted and grumbled under his breath and I would've laughed if I wasn't so confused and scared of the situation I was in.
Slowly, I pushed the already halfway opened door and then I heard water running from somewhere and I moved towards the sound, walking slowly in order to avoid splashing the water on the floor. Caleb was uncharacteristically silent and it was at times like this that I wished he wasn't as scared as I was.
I stood in front of the cubicle where the sound was coming from, contemplating whether to open it or not.
"Go on, Ally. The silence is killing me." He finally spoke, scaring the life out of me. I glared at him but he ignored me.
Just open the door, Allyson. You can kill him later.
I raised my hand to touch the door but I felt numb, like the fear was coming back all over again. Caleb, on the other hand, couldn't wait anymore and when he pushed open the door, I saw the same girl that asked for my help, lifeless and with the same symptoms as the other bodies that had turned up before.
No pupils, no fangs, black blood all over the floor.
_________________________________________________________
I couldn't get her image out of my head. This wasn't the first body I'd found but this was the first one I'd actually had an actual premonition about. I'd felt all the pain she'd experienced before her untimely death and what made it worse was the wails of her mother when she arrived at the school and saw her daughter being wheeled in a body bag into an ambulance.
Nora Tarly.
She was last seen leaving the same conference room where the meeting was held to go to the loo, meaning that she'd died not long before her body was found. That maybe I was given a vision about it so I could save her and I didn't kept replaying in my mind over and over and over again.
What if it was my brother I'd seen?
What would I have done?
Caleb and I were questioned before we were allowed to go home and I insisted on going home alone even though he was virtually pissed with the idea. Myers was going to stay over at their place tonight, because judging by the look on my father's face when he was called to see the body and I was mentioned yet again as a crime scene witness, this was going to be a long night.
Maybe Aiden was right.
Maybe I was somehow a part of all this.
Maybe I could help.
But till I was ready to admit that I was indeed a part of something that was possibly more complicated than anything we've ever seen, things would remain the same way they are now.
Or they could get worse.
