Gabriel (Book 1)

Let's Hit The Road...Part 3 (Johanna's POV)

March 1st, 2013

Dear Diary,

That night I put on a sweatshirt and jeans and walked out the back door. Gabriel was busy repairing the house and I wanted Natalia to stop bothering me. Gabriel wouldn't notice that I was gone for a while, and I didn't plan to be gone for long. While walking into the forest, I saw a rose bush and plucked the reddest one from the group.

Mmmmmm-it smells pretty.

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that it started storming...again! I guess I've just gotten so used to it lol

Soon I was standing in front of Natalia's grave, pushing my wet hair out of my eyes.

Now, I wasn't exactly sure what she wanted, but I have a pretty good guess.

"Natalia," I yelled over the storm, "Gabriel asked me to marry him. And I said yes." She got very angry, "I love him very much and we've been fighting to stay together for a long time. He always thinks of you, ya know. We dated for 3 years before he proposed-"

Lightning crackled, she had caught my lie.

"Okay, okay. He proposed after a couple months because I was going to leave. But he only did that because he loves me! Natalia, I want your permission to marry Gabriel!"

I stepped forward and placed the rose on top of her tomb stone. As I was pulling my hand away a thorn caught my finger and tore the skin. I yanked it back quickly, the blood was really gushing out. I looked up for a second and then found I couldn't look away, blood was dripping from the rose and over the face of the grave.

The storm got even more intense, I got even more scared, so I ran all the way home. I slammed the door shut behind me and tried to turn on the lights. The power had gone out from the storm though. So I grabbed a candle and lit it. I called out Gabriel's name but he didn't answer. It looked like he wasn't even home! I was scared, and cold, so I went up to bed and climbed under the sheets, I didn't even take off my wet clothes. As soon as my head hit the pillow I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I wasn't in that same room.

I woke up in a bed with four posts, there was a chair on the other side of the room, a big closet, and a mirror with a small desk. I sat up, puzzled at where I could possibly be. I was even more puzzled when my hair was in a braid over my shoulder and I wasn't in my jeans! I was in a long white nightgown! With long puffy sleeves and lace at my neck and wrists!

Through the see-through curtains attaching my bed posts I saw a figure standing in the dark.

"Who is there?" I scream. The sentence came out in russian though.

Slowly, the figure stepped forward. A dress appeared and then hands and then a determined face. A set jaw, delicate hands, brown eyes, and long brown hair piled on top of her head.

It was Natalia.

"I think you know who I am." She starts.

"Why am I here, Natalia?"

"You said you love my Gabriel. You said he loves you. Well, I still love him too."

"Yeah, but your-"

"Dead? Well, you will be soon. Did Gabriel tell you that he killed me? And his brother? And his daughter?"

"That's a lie!" I shout, defending him, "It was Kali who killed Catia! Not Gabriel. And look, Natalia, see something you don't want to see: Gabriel killed Kali to avenge Catia's death!"

She walked closer to me, "I have a few things to show you. And if you still want to marry my Gabriel after you see what I have to show you, then I will let you. But I guarantee that you will not. The Gabriel that you knew then is not the Gabriel that you know now."