FORBIDDEN

CHAPTER 2

Cassy woke up confused. It was still dark outside. She checked the time. Five past twelve. Great. She hadn't been sleeping long. She had a weird dream. She went for a jog with Jared and---
It wasn't a dream. It was all real. Jared slept soundly in the guest room. Cassy watched him as he slept. He looked so peaceful. So calm. The moonlight made him look like an angel. A very pale angel. The moon was so bright that night, Cassy didn't think she had ever seen it shine like that before. She checked on her mom, who was strangely, also sleeping well.
Cassy couldn't remember the last time her mom had slept like that. She always slept so little, if she even slept at all. And it was never as calm as this. It was almost too calm. She shrugged the feeling off and went to get something to drink. The kitchen light was on. That's weird, she thought. Her mom always put it off. She checked. Jared sat at the table.
"Hey," he said as she walked in.
"Did I wake you?" She asked.
"No, I saw you checking on your mom and figured you couldn't sleep."
She nodded and poured two cups of orange juice.

"Is your mom okay?"
"Yeah," she said, "she hasn't slept that well since I can remember." "I think she really needed that sleep," he said.
"Or maybe she's not worrying so much about me anymore."
Jared shrugged.
"All I know is that no matter what, I will always be by your side."
Cassy smiled. This felt good. It felt right. She just hated that it was supposed to feel right because of a prophecy. No matter. If this is how she finds her soul mate then so be it.
"You okay?" Asked Jared.
"I'm fine, just thinking that's all."
"Thinking about?"
"Well our feelings feel so right but doesn't it scare you that it's just because of the prophecy? " Jared walked to her and embraced her with all his might.
"There's one thing I left out when I told you about the prophecy. "
"What's that?"
"In order for us to find each other and love each other, there already has to be a connection. Otherwise the prophecy would be void and nothing would have happened. So it's not because of that. We already loved each other before anything else could happen."
"Oh...so it's like two sides of a coin. There can't be a heads without tails and vice versa?"
"Precisely. So don't worry. What you feel is real. Same goes for me. It's just stronger now that's all. Think of it as being magnified. That's all that happened."
Cassy started feeling alot better. She smiled and let Jared's embrace deepen as they waited for the sun to come up, signaling a new day.

"Cassy!"
Cassy turned. Esmé was running towards her.
"Hi, Esmé," she said.
"Hi? Well, what's with you and Jared?"
"What do you mean?"
Esmé scoffed.
"I mean he left with you yesterday after school and arrived with you this morning plus don't forget the kiss and hug before he went to class." "Oh...that."
"Well?"
"It's nothing. We just really clicked when we met and it would be a waste to let something amazing fall away just because we were worried about what everyone will think."
"So you've met his parents and vice versa?"
"No, I'm meeting his parents on Saturday. My mom invited them over and they agreed. Turns out they know each other."
"Cool. That's nice I guess. Makes it easier."
"Yep. Anyways where are we going next?"
"Drama. We're going to role play Romeo and Juliet."
The rest of the morning went by in a blur and before Cassy knew it, it was lunch hour.
"Hey," Jared said as he sat down next to Cassy.
"Hey," she answered.
"So, do anything fun today?" He asked.
"Oh yes. I role played a couple whose love was so deep yet fated to end from the beginning therefore ending in tragedy."
"Aah, Romeo and Juliet. Beautiful but tragic."
"Do you think we will end up like that?" Asked Cassy.
"How do you mean?" "I mean have a love so deep that we will be destined to never have one another?"
Jared hugged her.
"No, Cass. Besides we're a bit different. We're destined to be together, we'll just be tested."
"Great. Our own real life version of Romeo and Juliet. Can't wait to see the outcome of this one."
Jared sighed.
"We'll be okay. Don't worry. Besides it's not like we're zombies or anything. We have choices over what we want and what we feel. The prophecy is just a hiccup. Anyway, it might not even happen in our lifetime." "It will,"said Cassy.
"How do you know?"
"Because I can feel it, Jared. Getting stronger, closer. Everyday it gets closer. I don't know how long still. But I can tell you this. It will happen before this year is over. That I can guarantee."
Jared held  Cassy tight. Why did she have to get stuck with this. Why couldn't he have had the Sight. He could have comforted her. Made her feel safe. Protected her. He couldn't do that if he didn't even know what was going to happen or when. He knew that now that Cassy knew it's close, it wouldn't be long. He would be surprised if it waited until after Cassy's eighteenth birthday. He knew they had to do something. But until he knew what Cassy Sees he wouldn't be able to help no matter how much he wanted to. Neither could Clarissa. Now, it was all up to Cass to get them through it. They just had to wait for her to See. He wished he could hold her until it was all over and she was safe again. Little did he know the one thing they were waiting for had already shown itself to Cassy. Not just once but every night for the last month. Cassy had been plagued by the Visions since they left Australia. Every night different. A different disaster, a different ending. Never showing the good. Only the bad. Only what will happen if they should fail. The only difference now: she understood them. She knew what they meant. How she wished she didn't. How she wished they were all just bad dreams never meaning anything. She knew they were a far cry from nightmares. They sure did make her want to stay awake though.