Fatal Vows

Chapter 12

"Why didn't you save me?"

I wake up standing on an endless coast.  The sun streams in through a mysterious mist.  Gentle waves lap at my feet across the white sand.  I look up to meet the questioning face of the little girl from that night.

"What?" I ask, confused.

She gives a condescending smile.  "Why didn't you save me?" she asks simply.  "Why?"

I stagger back a bit, a slight wind ruffling my soft white clothes.  "I don't know," I respond.  "I couldn't."

She chuckles, her voice not her own.  "Sure you could've.  Only if you'd discovered the murderer in time."

I shake my head, "I thought I did."  I look at the smirk implanted on her face.  "You know who it is, don't you?"

She raises her thin brows.  "I might."

"Tell me," I say desperately.  "Please, I need to stop this.  For my friends...for everyone."

She laughs an evil laugh.  "You'll find out soon enough."  She looks over each of her shoulders.  I see ten other women emerge from the mist, flanking the girl.  I recognize Grace's cousin and a few women from the brunch.  They all glare at me.

"Why didn't you save us, Elena?" they say in sync.  The impact of their voices knocks me to the ground.  I realize that these are all the murder victims.  All of the innocents.

I frantically scrape at the sand, trying to get up.  Their hard stares keep me glued onto the shore.

"Why?" they all say again, less of a question and more of an accusation.  "Why?"

"I don't know!" I shout, a pit of guilt eating away at my stomach.  "Please, stop!  It was impossible for me to save all of you!"

"You could have been smarter," they say, their voices intertwining.  "Faster."

I cover my ears in an attempt to shut out the voices.  "Stop, stop, stop!" I scream.

I manage to turn around to meet two other figures standing impatiently on the sand.  My stomach drops.  Ryder and Daylon.

"Yeah, Elena, why couldn't you save them?" Daylon asks, his deep accent lower than usual.

"You were always stupid.  Slow," Ryder says, snickering.

I laugh nervously.  "You guys, what's going on?"

"Told you," Ryder says with an evil smile.  Daylon chuckles, his brown eyes now flashing with gold.  Red.

I feel like I'm choking.  I gasp for air on the sand, but nothing replenishes my lungs.

"Why?" the voices continue, Ryder and Daylon joining them.  "Why?"

I cover my hands over my head, attempting to shield out the voices.  It only makes them echo in my head harder.  I grit my teeth together, my temples throbbing.

"Stop!" I scream with all my strength.  The voices stop and the scene fades.

I wake up, calmly, my eyes still heavy.  I don't gasp for air or feel sweat dripping down my spine.  

I feel as if the dream never happened, though the voices still ring in my skull.

I sit up, looking out across the teal ocean.  I close my eyes at a sudden, horrible realization.

"Today's the wedding!"