The Grace Curse

Chapter One

M

Y BODY ACHED. I felt like someone had slammed my spinal column into a concrete wall and then walked on it a few times. The sound of waves churning reminded me of an irritated stomach. Frigid water repeatedly splashed in my face causing the coldest pain I had ever felt. I couldn't really tell where I was or why I was here but I decided it was best to scout around. The sky, or rather the lack of, was an unnatural swirling black; it appeared as if I was staring into an endless black hole where the Sun should have been. Something about the landscape seemed distant, but yet familiar to me...as if I had been here before. It didn't take me long to figure out I was dreaming, again. A rush of relief ran through my body. It's ok Chase, focus. I told myself. You'll wake up soon, you're ok. From behind me I could faintly hear a cold laugh roll across the waves of an ocean. You really think you can just hide your whole life? Soon enough, you will join your father in depths of the abyss. My father was never to be mentioned, not without invoking the wrath of Vivien Grace, herself. My feet sank slowly into the ground. "AH!" I struggled to hold my ground. I tried to turn around to face the sadistic source of the voice; instead I was met with a tall ghastly specter.

"Sooner or later I will find you...you cannot hide forever from me little one," My stomach did involuntary knots and fought against me, the black shape advanced slowly like an insidious stalker rising out of the night. I couldn't make out the specific details of the figure, but could catch a small glimpse of a horribly disfigured monster. Suddenly, I began gagging at the very air; yellow fumes spread around me and enveloped me like a spore cloud. My neck quivered, a cold appendage dug into my skin. "I expected more of a fight out of you," Tingles went down my spinal cord; I wanted to wake up and tell myself this was all just nightmare, but to my disappointment, I did not wake up. "Give up now and come to me, and then I will show you mercy," I shook violently; I refused to give into this, it violated my moral code. I wasn't one to give up easily.

"Never!" I howled, the shadow laughed cynically and rose to a gigantic height. I wanted to cover beneath the ocean waves and acknowledge that this wasn't real.

"I don't think you understand this properly, you do not have an option in this Chase Grace. By the moon of tonight, you will perish, along with your foolish mother,"

"Just leave me alone!" I was a shaking mess on the cold inanimate ground, the shadow coughed out another damaged laugh from its void like lungs.

"Of course, as soon as you hand yourself over to me,"

"NO!" My patience was quickly thinning, the shadow clenched its fists and red eyes glowed out from under its face.

"Now you will suffer!" The shadow lunged at me and—!

"WAKE UP!"

"AHHH!" I leaped upwards and crumpled onto the floor with a loud thud. As I raised my head up from my fetal position, I saw my Mom with a twisted face of amusement. Her elaborate long golden blonde hair was straightened to the point where it looked ridiculous. Did she honestly need to make her hair so poker straight? "I was trying to wake you up for over ten minutes, and now you choose to wake up," She was tapping her black high heels impatiently. I went to get up but slipped pathetically on my own rug. I hit the floor with a loud bang; in that moment my Mom chose instantly burst out laughing. "Chase Grace, you are by far, the clumsiest person I have ever met!" She seemed to enjoy my spectacle. More like freak show.

"I'm not clumsy," I grumbled beginning to get annoyed with my Mom; I hated being treated like I was so protected. My mother laughed at me again. I really wasn't in the mood for this today.