Visions (Forest Secrets Book 1)

Chapter 12

I woke up that morning to see a giant hand covering my bedspread. I gasped and was about to scream when I realized that it was just the sun streaming in through the cracked glass on my window. That hand still creeped me out and I shuddered as I got out of bed. I tried not to move the bed to much as I got off, because I didn’t want to wake the other two. Then I heard my grandmother making breakfast downstairs and thought, Screw it, they’d have to wake up soon anyways.

            I shook the a bit and said in a normal tone, “ Wake up.” I got two different reactions.

            Christine got up  in a slow, hunched sort of way, growling like my next door neighbor’s standard poodle, Lulu. Emily shot up and said, “Faeries got my cat.” That one took me aback. “Uh, I don’t think you’re awake enough. Go take a shower,” I said guardedly to Emily. I pointed to where it was and got her a towel. “Come on, Groucho,” I said to Christine as she shuffled along behind me, scratching her head. I heard the shower go on as we walked down the steps.

            My grandmother was cracking eggs and had the toaster cooking two bagels. She looked up and said to Christine, “You smell. Go take a shower; you can use mine.”

            “OK, Mrs. Andrews,” she mumbled, and walked away. I watched her go, hoping she remembered where it was and didn’t end up in the backyard. I turned back to my grandma and she looked at me for a minute, smiled, and said, “Go scramble the eggs.” She went to removed the done bagels and placed them in the oven to keep warm. I cracked the rest of the eggs and beat them with a fork before pouring them into the buttered pan.

            I loved cooking with her in the summer. She put the radio on and we hummed along to it together, braking out every once in awhile in off-key singing. I finished with the scrambling and set that on the table while she started oatmeal. She pointed to an apple for me to cut, and I got to it.  

            Grandma was pouring oatmeal into four bowls when Emily came down the stairs, Christine close around the corner. Last night I’d lent them each a pair of my pajamas of their choice and said they could wear my clothes in the morning since we hadn’t stopped to pick anything up. I was glad we were all close in size so the clothes fit them.

            “This looks really good, thank you.” Emily smelled appreciatively.

            “Yeah, thanks Mrs. Andrews.” Christine already knew our cooking and was already at her usual seat. We each had a bowl of oatmeal, some orange juice, a bagel half and scramble eggs  to pick from. I heaped a pile onto my plate and then went about spreading cream cheese on my bagel. I took a few bites from that, but didn’t want my oatmeal to go cold, so I grabbed a spoonful of brown sugar and stirred it in, finishing that first.

            We ate and shared some polite conversation. My grandmother didn’t ask any questions about our private search for Carter, probably thinking we might do something illegal, and thought it better not to know. She did say she was proud of us, though didn’t specify on what.

            Sneaky grandma… But that’s why I loved her.

            We finished off our plates and had a few apple slices before we washed our dishes and headed back upstairs.

            “Oh man, I love your guys’ cooking.” Christine was rubbing her stomach with a satisfied smile of her face.

            “It was really good,” Emily agreed. I think, for the first time, those two’s smiles matched.

            I headed in the bathroom for a shower. The water ran warm after a few seconds of cold, and I stripped and jumped in.

            The shower felt like heaven and I relaxed under the warm jets. I heard talking but I could make out the words. Then there was the banging and clattering sound of someone going through drawers.

            “What are you guys doing?” I yelled above the loud shower head at them.

            “Where are your divination supplies?” They yelled back.

            “I’m not telling you! We’re not doing that!” I started shampooing my hair. Mmmmm, oranges.

            “Hey, why won’t you tell us?” Christine asked, her voice closer and just a little above normal tone so I could hear.

            I moved my head out from behind the curtain. “I think that would be obvious.” I went back to my shower.

            “Enlighten us, then,” Christine said.

            I let out a sigh and moved my head from behind the curtain again. The shampoo, mixed—but not fully washed out—ran down my neck, shoulders, and to my back. “I just think we should try stuff that would actually help. But if you want to do some divination, go ask Emily. She’s the witch.” I nodded to her and was about to finally finish washing my hair when she said, “I’m not as good as you are. I wasn’t born with the sight, like you…Seer.”

            A chill ran up my spine. “Don’t call me that.”

            “Why?” she asked. “Because it’s right; because it’s the best chance we have at finding Carter? You know what you are, Jennifer. You don’t have to worry; it doesn’t make you evil, just special. You’re only human, I know, and you’re scared, but it’s a part of you, and you will have to accept it. You need to practice it, else it’ll mature into something you won’t be able to control.”

            I didn’t meet her gaze when I said, “I know.” Christine jumped in surprise. She had never, ever heard me admit that divination wasn’t just some game. I still wanted to think that way, and sometimes could lie myself into not believing. Lately, though, it got harder and harder. The truth was surrounding me and it was hard to find direction to look where it was clear. Ever since that day of the party it’d been slowly creeping up on me, waiting for a chance of faltering in my denial. This was the moment, but I didn’t want to face it fully just yet.

            “Later,” I said with a little conviction, and I knew she understood. She smiled and it was both a happy and sad smile, an apologetic and proud one. Knowing the future wasn’t always a good thing, and she understood that too.

            “Come on.” She pulled Christine along with her out of the bathroom. “We won’t do divination. This time.”

            Even though I had turned back to my shower and couldn’t see them, I knew that when she said those last words out loud, she’d been looking at and silently mouthed the words, “Goddess help her.”

            Because sometimes I just knew things, and when I’d finally started to accept it, I’d started to know more.