As her fingers tightened even more, the last thing I was fully conscious of were Alice's eyes looking at me intently...
And then...
Then it started to happen again.
Where was I? Or rather, where had my mind carried me to this time? My eyes were closed, at least, in the literal sense yet here I was experiencing an event once again that was appearing so vividly in my mind... and although not actually present I knew deep down I was under the influence of my gift as the vision of long ago played out in front of my very eyes...
I was fully aware of someone running towards me at a high speed... and then...then they tumbled as someone else seemingly tackled them to the ground.
"Get off me..."
That voice was familiar yet different...
"I said get the hell off me"
And at once I knew, mentally scolding myself for not putting the pieces together sooner... I had been holding Antara's hand...
The girl on the floor was Antara.
I watched as Antara was pulled to her feet by two men in a uniform I didn't recognise.
"We've got you now Missy" one of the uniformed men hissed as Antara struggled wildly in their arms. Before I could make sense of what just happened, the other man lashed out hitting Antara squarely on the jaw...
"NO!" I screamed as I watched her slump in their arms, the vision now becoming obscure and dark...
"Bella"
Alice... I could hear Alice yet she seemed so far away...
"Antara, you need to let go of her hand..."
Alice's voice again, more urgent this time...
"Not yet Alice, she isn't in any pain. Trust me... I need this contact to fully understand her gift..."
I felt slightly nauseous as my head started to spin. Why couldn't I see anything?
Suddenly I was blinded by a searing slight, so bright I found myself covering my face with my hands... and then I heard her, again...
"If you touch me again, so help me god, I will kill you..."
Antara?
"Antara" I heard myself whisper, as the light dimmed and her image appeared in front of me...
Was she talking to me?
And then I realised, how could she be talking to me? I was merely a spectator of her past... watching the events unfold in front of me as they had done so many years previous...
"I'll do whatever I like with you" a voice hissed, as I turned... "You're in MY country now..."
My country... Australia! I immediately detected the man's accent...
He was tall almost lanky and as he walked over to Antara I realised he was holding something in his hand... what was that?
And then I shivered.
He was holding a club...
"No... Don't you dare..." I screamed as he lunged forward, hitting Antara on the arm.
It's no good Bella, he won't hear you, nobody will hear you... echoes of the past remember?
"I want you to let her go Antara"
