"Annie, Kaleb! You're going to be late!"
The voice of Cassie Robinson twinkled up the stairs to where Annie was barricading the bathroom door as Kaleb was trying to barge in.
"I'm still curling my hair!" Annie squealed as the door handle rattled.
"I need to brush my teeth!" Kaleb yelled against the door.
There was something so frantic about mornings in the Robinson household. Annie would hog the bathroom and Kaleb would typically pick the lock to force her out. Then they would lovingly yell at each other until they both came down the stairs laughing.
Today, when they rushed into the kitchen, they were hit with the smell of breakfast food. Cassie, their mom, was dancing in front of plates of pancakes, and Michael, their father, was reaching around her to plop strips of bacon from the pan onto the plates.
"You guys!" Annie gasped.
The two siblings sat down to breakfast, summer sunlight basking the kitchen in golden light as the family of four laughed and smiled.
After they finished eating, Annie scrubbed the plates and Kaleb dried them. Cassie walked over to the two of them and put her arms around the both of them.
"I'm gonna miss you to so much," she gushed, squeezing them tight.
"We'll miss you both too," Kaleb said.
"Good thing we won't be gone too long," said Michael from the other side of the counter, "we just have to finish this last project."
Then Michael came around the counter and pulled the other three into a bear hug, "take care of each other while we're gone, will you?"
The two siblings nodded.
When their parents rolled their suitcases out to the car, they didn't know it would be their last time.
***
Annie's head rested against the warm stone, her eyes fluttering closed as she held her legs close to her chest.
"I miss you guys." She whispered to the grave next to her.
Two days after her parents left for their trip, Annie and Kaleb got calls saying their parents plane had been found wrecked off the coast of California. There had been no survivors.
Cassie had been a radiant source of sunlight and brilliance. She was always in a good mood, and it was impossible to be in a bad mood in her presence. She had hair the color of honey and a smile that could level continents. Her blue eyes could see through any sadness and melt it away instantly.
She had been the greatest mother anyone could've ever asked for.
Michael was witty and smart, and was almost never caught off guard. He was the conversationalist that could strike a connection with anyone he met. He was charismatic, and funny, and impossible not to love. He had wispy chestnut hair and the prettiest hazel eyes Annie had ever seen.
He had been the greatest father anyone could've asked for.
It's only fate that something so perfect would be forced to end so soon. Nothing perfect lasts long.
Annie sat up from her resting place to look around the clearing. Her parents had been buried in a small cemetery in the back lot hidden in the trees. There was a trail leading into the woods that had to be followed to reach the clearing. Their tombstones sparkles brilliantly in the sunlight and the grass within the clearing was the perfect texture for relaxing in.
Annie found herself in the clearing after seeing Sam so weak after returning from Hell. She clutched the book she had stolen, but had been too frightened to open it.
It took her nearly three hours before she finally mustered the courage to look inside.
Pulling open the cover, she was met with symbols and letter she didn't recognize. Sloppy ink filled the first few pages, and as she flipped through, she was sure she'd be able to get anything out of the illegible text.
But the longer she stared, the more they started to make sense.
The first phrase she was able to make out was "he who is born to a human will suffer with the roaches."
The second phrase she read was, "bountiful is the quest to find where the three worlds meet."
She wanted to keep reading, but the longer she stared, the more her head began to pound with intense pain.
Annie dropped the book next to her and rested her head back against the soft earth. She wondered what the phrases she had read meant, and how they applied to her.
The sun was shining in waves through the trees along the clearing. Annie noticed the almost perfect symmetry of the area, her parents graves positioned perfectly in the center. She rolled onto her side, rereading their tombstones.
"Here lies Cassandra and Michael Robinson. May the trifecta of worlds float peacefully in endless light."
Annie's eyebrows furrowed as she reread the phrase etched on the bottom of their stones. She didn't recall seeing the writing there before, and she was the one who arranged their headstones. Someone must've added it afterward, and she had no idea who.
She ripped open the book again, looking for the passage she had read earlier.
"Bountiful is the quest..." she murmured. "To find where the three worlds meet."
She reached out to run her fingers over the etching, almost hidden by the raised grass. It was looking so close to the earth that revealed a small metal box, half obscured by the dirt. She swore it appeared out of nowhere.
She uncovered the box and pulled it from the ground. It had the initials "AR" on the front. Her own initials.
She pulled open the lid and gasped. Inside the box was was sapphire ring set in a pool of velvet fabric. She recognized the ring, one that her mother always had on her finger. She took it from the box and slid it onto her finger, admiring its perfect fit.
Tears sprung to her eyes and her hands shook as she stared in shock at the ring. She struggled to see through the tears, but noticed the ring started to glow as it sat on her finger.
She grabbed the box and ripped the velvet out, revealing a small note.
"Dearest Annabelle,
You are stronger and more powerful than you will ever know. Trust only Kæleb, and stay away from the roaches. We will always love you, and will see you again one day.
C & M"
A choked sob left her throat and she almost didn't even recognize the sound of her own voice. Before she had the chance to reread the message, it crumbled into dust. She sat frozen, her body trembling.
It was a few minutes before she was able to snap out of the panic and shock that had set in. She grabbed the demon book, pulled herself off the ground, and ran from the cemetery. She couldn't get the door open and into her car fast enough.
***
"You're brother will always be there to protect you, baby girl," Cassie whispered to her young daughter.
The child held her mothers hand, enamored by the ring on her finger. Her small finger rubbed the face of the glimmering green stone, and the mother smiled down at her.
"One day you'll wear this ring and bring us peace. You are the brightest star in any sky, my child."
YOU ARE READING
Renova
Paranormal"I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't... fuck. Annabelle. I can't do anything but think about you." Annabelle started having the dreams after the death of her parents. She didn't know what they meant, and she didn't know how they were pulling her in...
