The Embered Eye

Prologue

"I really thought it was over, baby.But uh, I guess not."
-Musiq Soulchild

Jazmine Dubois was buried underneath her mountain of purple sheets, tossing and turning from one side of the bed to the next until she finally curled into a tight ball.

"Jazmine."

A whispering voice alerted her to someone's presence in the room.

She tore off her blanket and sat up with a groan, glaring at the large MacBook on her desk.

It was playing a loud, bright video of her and her best friend Cindy earlier that day, shrieking excitedly as their hair flapped around in the wind, cruising the streets in Cindy's new Jeep Wrangler.

There was just one problem...

That didn't sound like Cindy. As a matter of fact, it sounded nothing like her.

"What the hell?" She closed out of the photo app and pushed the screen down before hopping back into bed and closing her eyes.

In a few seconds, it happened again.

She let out an irritated groan and frowned, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.

"Jazmine!"

She could hear the wind pick up outside, so strong she could see the branches begin tapping gently against her window.

She threw the covers off and walked back over to the desk, pushing the slight edge of anxiety down by remaining as calm as possible.

"Must've forgot to close it." She mumbled, trying not to freak out. "I'm way too young to be snapping like this. I gotta stop spending every night out with Cindy and get some sleep."

She crawled back into bed, easing under the covers. Only this time, she eased her head back until it was facing the desk, just in time for a bolt of lightning to send the house shaking.

She jumped slightly, managing to keep her eyes glued forward. She didn't dare let them dart around the room.

The laptop still didn't move.

"Go to sleep." Jazmine muttered to herself. "It's just a thunderstorm. It'll pass soon."

Just as her eyes fluttered shut, she saw the laptop fling itself open again, and that wasn't all....

It was typing.

By itself.

Her first thought was 'What an odd dream'.

Her second thought was 'Oh hell no! I don't do ghosts!'.

Her third thought was 'Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed by thy name...'

After all, that Baptist preacher at her granddaddy's church always said....

Resist the devil, and he will flee.

"Jazmine!"

The typing on the laptop grew furious as Jazmine buried herself deeper and deeper under the covers.

Even when silence overtook the room, she stayed still until the door creaked open.

Unfortunately, her parents were away on vacation, which meant neither one of them could help her, even if she screamed. And she'd never make it to her neighbors if there was someone inside the house, not if they were walking into her room at the moment.

She clearly had two choices: stay or make a run for it.

"Jazmine Marie Dubois!"

The sound of an invisible something calling her full, government name was enough to help her decide.

The lightning flashed and the wind crashed against her window, the rainfall coming down in a torrential stream.

She sped downstairs as fast as her legs would carry her, desperately pulling on the door, trying to escape. She could hear the loud, heavy footsteps behind her, the dark sounds of laughter as the goosebumps appeared on her arms, alerting her to danger just a little too late.

This was it.

This was how she died.

She couldn't believe she was gonna get killed by something she couldn't even see!

"Don't be afraid." A small voice said. "We're here to help."

Three golden orbs hovered above her just as she'd fallen to the ground and the footsteps quieted.

She stood to her feet and stared silently, watching as they floated down the hallway.

Quickly deciding that they were trustworthy, she took a few steps forward, walking until she'd made her way up the stairs and into the attic.

It didn't take long for her to spot an illuminated cardboard box with a bunch of her old baby stuff. She reached inside and pulled out a manilla folder full of documents. There were a few articles, a court case, and a birth certificate.

A birth certificate dated sixteen years back.

"I'm adopted?!" She shrieked, thumbing through the pages. "I guess Cindy and Riley weren't teasing as much as they thought. I'm really not their kid."

She tried to ignore the pang building in her chest and dug through the rest of the box. There was a small green onesie, a white rattle in the shape of a rabbit, and a tiny hardback leather pamphlet with a microscopic inscription, tucked away in the lefthand corner of the box.

"What's this?" She picked it up to examine its blank, dusty pages. She wrinkled her nose at the small booklet and placed it in the center of her palm. "Why is this old, beat-up thing in here? It's just some tiny-"

All the doors in her house began to open and slam shut, again and again, as the footsteps downstairs started up again. She felt something prickle across her hands, then across her entire body, as a blast of green light filled the room.

"Whoa! Okay, stop!" Jazmine tried to breathe. "That's scary!"

At her command, everything went quiet, and the tiny booklet grew in her hands until it was a large, heavy grimoire that required her to use both her hands and her wrists just to carry it.

"Nope." Jazmine dropped the book. "I'm gonna go to church Sunday and repent. I always knew there was something off about this house."

"Please, just trust us." The orbs spoke. "You need our help."

She sighed and turned her attention back to the book on the ground, crouching down to lift it before running her fingers across the cover and reading the inscription aloud.

"To Jazmine Marie Dubois: The Golden One." She flipped it open to examine its pages. "That's weird. It's empty."

She hopped back when the book slammed shut and the three orbs appeared again, quickly whirling around her.

"Okay, seriously!" She put her hands over her face. "Whatever you...things are doing, cut it out!"

But they didn't stop.

They whirled faster and faster, until Jazmine swore she could see the outlines of three translucent black women.

"Welcome back."

The book snapped shut, and the orbs continued their dance.

Her world became a mixture of shadow and light until the darkness took over, and she collapsed on the floor.

And at that moment, the real story began.