Rachel Stanton and The Darkest Night

CHAPTER 14: THE FIRST PREMONITION

14. THE FIRST PREMONITION

I woke up seeing my mom lying flat in the floor. The sky was still dark and there were no nimbus clouds covering the entire night sky already.

I sat up, placing my fist into my painfully hurt head. Then someone poked me in the shoulder. The finger was cold and as it touched my clothe, a portion of my dress shone as though a ray of light was striking it.

At first, when I looked into its face, I thought it was my dad. The person smiled at me and he looked like my dad.

“Augustus,” I said quietly, trying to keep my voice as low so that none of them would hear. “Why’re are you here?”

“I saved you, Rachel,” he said flatly. “Matilda has got away already. She’s not going to touch you anymore.”

“Where is she?” I asked.

“She’d disappeared. I don’t know where she’d gone but I think she will be far away from you.”

I tried to get to my feet, but every nerve in my body was hurting as though there were needles sinking into it.

“What happened?” I said when I finally gotten up, wobbling. “What did she do?”

He stood frozen. His breathing was faster than before. He then heaved a great sigh and stammered to speak. “I’m s-sorry, R-rachel. But if you believe it or not, Matilda gave you the Curse of Death.” He started to look wary. My jaw dropped and I forced myself to close it.

“What?” I said under my breath. “The Curse of Death?”

Augustus nodded. “The color of your eyes is one of the signs, Rachel.” He stepped forward. “I have no choice but—but to give you the other curse that would help you control the Curse of Death.”

Tears formed in my eyes. Then a tear fell on my cheeks slowly, streaming into my chin then fall into my shirt. This couldn’t happen. I never wanted to have this thing inside me. It gives me trouble or more than that.

“But how? Have you given me the curse already, the Curse of Life?”

“That’s why I woke you up, because someone you love might die this morning without letting yourself know about it. It’s better if we do it as early after the Curse of Death. It will help you predict. Now”—he backed away five meters—“are you ready?”

I wasn’t ready at all. I clenched my fists and readied myself for the pain I might receive again.

For a minute, I nodded.

I didn’t see him raised his hand and how he did it. My eyes were closed as though I wanted to die. Then, something blue flashed quickly and hit me in the chest. There was no pain. I wasn’t hurt. But I knew I toppled down and hit the floor.

“—if you didn’t, she should be saved—”

“—it’s him who did it—”

“—why me? It’s you, you know—”

Three voices came hissing in my eardrums. I felt my head lying on a flat, soft surface. I knew I fell on the floor but it seemed to be as a pillow. Suddenly, as the voices still hissed words (“Stop it!” “No. He did it.” “Now, will you explain us.”), I opened my eyes and looked over the people around me.

The four Quarles, blurred in my sight, were circling around my bed. But I thought I was on the floor the last time I was conscious.

“She’s up,” someone hushed.