Annalise Starke had known her mother was going to die eventually; she just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
At fifteen she had moved with her mother back to her home country of Australia with half a heart (metaphorically, of course) and her mo...
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𓇼
I was having the most insane deja vu of my life.
As I walked down the sidewalk towards home, it felt like I had been here before. And not in the way that I had walked this route countless times, but rather this moment.
Whether a dream or a memory, it was like an echo in the back of my mind. Bird, the word suddenly jumped to the forefront. My brows furrowed as it overtook me. Bird bird birdbird bird bir—
Something large and feathered cut across my path and smacked right into the middle of one of our our neighbor's, Ms. Tremblay's, front window. It connected with an awful crunch noise before ceasing movement and slumping to the ground. A reddish-brown stain was left in its wake.
A bad omen.
That I had somehow seen coming?
I squeezed the straps of my backpack that I'd slung on in haste. I was already late to meet Mom—it was Tex-Mex Tuesday (our own little made-up holiday to fend off the homesickness before it even starts!)—and my feet were moving so fast that my breath could barely catch up with my heart.
It was stupidly hot today, something I still wasn't used to feeling in what was supposed to be winter months, and the last-minute groceries in my bad were making it feel extra sweltering.
I glanced down at the watch on my wrist. 𝟒:𝟓𝟑 𝐏.𝐌. Okay, so not that late, I assured myself. Mom couldn't even start cooking until she got the tortilla's, which were in my bag, so I was still good on time.
I passed by Mr. Lancaster's familiar pastel blue cottage, arguably the cutest house on the entire block, when the deja vu crept back into my stomach.
This time, it said something else. Cat. Cat cat catcatcat cat—
My breathing picked up, and I was nearly hyperventilating. I couldn't tell if it was from my fast pace or the strange thoughts. But then, the largest cat, nay mountain lion, darted our from Mr. Lancaster's bushes and across the road.
My breathing hitched as I froze, hoping it wouldn't notice me. I opened my mouth, but couldn't bring myself to speak. What the fuck is going on today?
In the distance, I could hear a beeping sound. As I got closer to the house, it became clearer. A ringtone. I patted both my pockets, just to be safe, but it wasn't my phone that was ringing.
Another glance.
𝟓:𝟎𝟐 𝐏.𝐌.
Hurry up, Annalise.
Finally, I came upon our house. I pushed on the quaint picket gate at the front of our yard, and it swung open without protest. My heartbeat was echoing in my ears as I took the porch steps two at a time.
