Evmor: The Calling

Chapter 3

I finally uploaded the third chapter of The Calling! Thank you to all of you who are reading and I hope I'll get more and more readers everyday. Enjoy :)

Chapter 3

"Well that was one crazy night." Xander commented as he pulled into my driveway. I winced inwardly, guilty at having run off without any warning. When I had found my friends again in the carnival, they had been in hysterics at what had become of me. I explained as best as I could, blaming the whole incident on having mistaken someone for a person I knew—a long ago friend, I had said—and they didn't ask any more questions, although I could tell they weren't fully convinced.

"Again, I'm really sorry for running off like that." I apologized, probably for the fiftieth time tonight.

"We were all pretty spooked by the fortuneteller's prank. I don't blame you for not thinking straight at the time." He said, waving away my apology. I marveled at how easily he was able to dismiss everything. Xander had looked upset when I had found him again in the carnival, but not at me. He had every reason to be but he wasn't one to blame others. With a grateful look and a thank-you for the ride, I stepped out into the cold, shutting the car door to send him on his way. Xander waved through the car window and drove away while I stayed standing on the side of the street. When his car drove around the bend and was no longer visible, I trudged my way through the snow towards my house. As I stuffed my hands into my pocket to protect it from the cold, I noticed something inside.

I realized it was a piece of paper that had been folded neatly in half, and I ran my fingers along it, marveling at its waxy texture. I unfolded the paper and there was a short, but clear message written for me in rough letters.

Do not interfere with what has already begun.

My hands shook as I reread the message and a chill ran down my spine. I didn't notice anyone approaching me close enough to slip this paper in my pocket. The carnival was crowded, yes, but I would have noticed if anyone reached into the pocket of my coat. The ominous wording obviously warned me to stay away, but from what? I wasn't trying to stop anything; all I was doing was being confused and scared. As I observed the paper with it's message that seemed to be scratched on, the paper suddenly caught on fire.

The dark purple flames licked at the edge of the paper, slowing consuming the rest of it, curling the once flat paper, turning it black. The flames burned my fingertips and with a yelp, I dropped it onto the pristine white snow. Soon all there was left of it was black ash, a clear smudge against the surrounding whiteness.

My heart was pounding again and it didn't slow for a while. What the hell was happening? I had thought what I had gone through at the carnival was enough, but here was yet another surprise just waiting to pounce around the next turn. Mounting all my frustration, I and stomped at the ash, blending it with the snow. I buried it under the blanket of white snow, trying to hide it from view as if it would erase what had happened.

The front door burst open and Nate ran down the porch steps towards me, Emilie hot on his heels.

"Whoa! Calm down! What's wrong?" Nate exclaimed as he reached me. He grabbed me by my shoulders and forced me to be still, looking into my face. Panting, I looked up at him, then over his shoulder to Emilie. I saw confusion as well as fear in their eyes. As I had expected, they had already noticed my strange behavior, and tonight confirmed their suspicions. There was no hiding it anymore; my sanity was on a downward spiral. Emilie reached out to me and enveloped me in her arms. Though only sixteen, she was a little taller than me and I rested my chin against her shoulder, exhaling loudly.

I looked out into the night, finding comfort in my sister's embrace, and tried to determine what had gone wrong. I didn't understand anything that was happening or why it was. I simply knew an unknown force was messing with me and it sparked a determination inside me. I raised my head in defiance against what was out there. I refused to let anything affect me in this way. I would stay strong and fight against it. If it thought I would back down without a fight and hand over my life on a shiny plate, it was in for a big disappointment.