Do As I Say

Chapter Four

The seers' eyes snapped open. It was like someone stabbed an ice cold poker into Cree's mind. The strange, hazy comfort she had felt since Madam Iris touched her hand was gone, ripped from her rattled mind. Memories were being stirred up, flashing before Cree's shut eyes in an unyielding slideshow. She heard voices whisper in her mind as the class of mind readers and fortune tellers searched her mind.

"Poor thing," One whispered.

"...Freaky Creaky...what a strange name," Another said.

"There's something wrong about her..."

Panic seized Cree's chest. Who had said that? What did they find? Cree's eyes searched the room frantically, hoping to find whoever who had spoken. What was wrong with Cree? She wanted so badly to sprint out of the haunted room but she felt like she was being pinned down. Another wave of memories crashed into Cree's senses and suddenly she could feel the grit being grounded into her palms as Opal shoved her to the ground. She broke into a cold sweat as she watched her Gran fall to the ground as she hacked and coughed until blood splattered the floor for the second time.

The room was spinning. The round eyes of the seers shifted in and out of focus. Cree felt the gurgle of a scream well up in her throat. As she let it loose she could've sworn she heard a door slam somewhere. And all was silent, like the quiet before a bomb goes off, the static silence.

Her father stumbled in through the door; face covered in grime and crusted blood. His chest was heaving greatly as he struggled to catch his breath. Mom ran to him, wrapping him in her arms. Cree watched, small hands reaching for her father's. He was shouting, loud and wild words of warning. Gran stumbled in, eyes lit with fury. And then the bomb went off. A shot rang out in the din, and Dad's face collapsed into utter pain and turmoil. He crumpled like a rag doll, hands wrapping around his torso. Dark blood dripping on the floor, his eyes rose to meet Cree's and she screamed in rage. The men with guns burst into the tiny home, faces covered with gas masks. Mom was shouting over the sound of bullets spraying the room. The gas masks dropped a canister each, and soon a thick black fog had captured the house.

Cree felt frail arms squeeze her as her mother kissed her forehead, then passed her to Gran. Gran ran frantically from the house with Cree holding onto her shoulders. One last sound: a heavy gunshot, this one had found its target.

It was too much. It needed to stop. Cree screamed again as she shoved the seers out of her mind. She imagined herself pushing them away, replacing the tight bars and locks that had once secured these memories. Her eyes flashed open and a mind-splitting static ensued the room. The seers clapped their hands over their ears and screeched. Cree breathed in and out, trying as best she could to shove the images away. Hot tears scraped her face and she cried bitterly, her throat was scratched raw.

The screeches stopped and silence came. Cree lifted her head, mind still buzzing from the torturous memories. All nine seers were glaring at her, eyes still wincing in pain. Madam Iris was staring in utter shock, her small mouth hung open.

"No one..." She sputtered, hastily smoothing down her dress as she tried to regain some of her composure, "has ever shut out our seers."

Cree didn't like the way Madam Iris was looking at her. How could she shove the seers out? She was just a Mortal after all. Her Gran's obscure words whispered to her. Bugs be scared, and scream when shoved. The seers did have an uncanny resemblance to insects, with their giant, creepy eyes. And they were rather frightened of Cree at the moment.

Head fizzing with the pressure from all of her thoughts, Cree stood and left the room without another word. No one stopped her.