The Promise (Book 1, The Coven Series)

Chapter Twenty-One

"PleasepleaseEmswakeup!" I shook her frantically. Her mouth hung open in a silent scream while her body, covered in sweat, convulsed and twisted. I tried to shake her awake again, but her arms flailed, knocking me down.

What was wrong with her? When I woke up she was lying on the floor. I thought maybe she was sleeping, but I wasn't sure. I didn't know what to do. She wouldn't wake up. Emily always told me what to do. She was older than me. I was only five and she was eight. She knew everything.

What should I do? Daddy. I'd get Daddy. Standing up, I started to run to the door, but stopped when Emily groaned and rolled over. I flew back to her. "Ems! Are you still sweep?"

She pushed out blindly, knocking me away from her. I fell and hit my head on the dresser. "OWW!"

The door opened and Daddy came in. "What is going on in here, girls? You're supposed to be asleep."

"Ems is having bad dreams," I told him, rubbing the sore spot on my head.

"Bad dreams?" he frowned and came over. "Emily?"

"I had a bad dream too," I told him, careful to stay out of Emily's reach. "When I woke up, she was on the floor."

He picked her up and put her on my bed. "What did you dream about, Pumpkin?"

"Fire, Daddy." I shivered, remembering. "I was scared. The fire..."

"You dreamed about being in a fire?"

"Uh-uh," I shook my head and crawled into his lap. "A mean man tied me up and set me on fire."

He looked down at me in horror. "You were tied up?"

"Yes...no...I don't know. I can't member." I started to cry. I could still feel the heat of the fire on me and smell the smoke.

"Shh, Pumpkin." He stroked my hair. "It's okay now. Daddy's here."

Emily came awake with a gasp. Daddy covered her mouth with his hand to keep her screams silent. "It's okay, honey, Daddy's here. You're okay now."

"Burning," she croaked when he pulled his hand away. "Set...on...fire..."

"You dreamed of being set on fire too?" he asked.

She nodded and took several deep breaths. "Heard CJ crying. I came in to see what was wrong. She was shouting something."

"What was she shouting?"

"I don't know," she said. "I touched her and then I was there. I couldn't talk or move. I was being burned, Daddy, just like they told us in kindergarten."

"Have you ever had this dream before?" he asked her.

"No."

"I do," I piped in. "All the time."

"All the time?"

"Even fore they told us about it."

His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "CJ, did you ever tell anyone about your dreams? Maybe Mama?"

I shook my head. "No, Daddy."

He let out a sigh of relief. "That's good, baby. Daddy's going to make them go away forever. Don't be afraid. I have to see the dream first for it to work. When I wake up, you'll never have that awful dream again, baby. Either of you. Now, both of you take Daddy's hand."

Never have that bad dream again? I latched onto Daddy's hand. He smiled.

"Spirit, I ask thee to free her from this burden,

In this time, in this place, I call it into me.

Show me now what she sees and forever let it be."

Daddy fell backwards onto the bed. Emily and I waited for him to wake up. As the minutes passed, we forgot the dream.

I forgot the dream.

Until now.