SERAPHS: THE AWAKENING

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

She could not move again. Her eyes were glued shut. It was the dream again. Nora was back at the accident site. The cold night, the ominous aura of death looming in the atmosphere. Smoke rising from the car and the smell of fuel dripping under it filled her nose. She groaned in her sleep as the sound of raindrops on the crushed bonnet made her ears ring. Her father was not moving, he was too still and her mother's breath was raspy and low. And of course, here comes Mr Glowy, his light beamed radiantly as he nipped over to the wreck. The rain stopped and turned to small water pearls, floating in the air. Marisa's door opened without exacting any physical force on the door handle. He bent down and muttered to Marisa.

"What are you saying?!" Nora screamed.

The man turned to Nora and approached her. He got closer to Nora this time before Nora was yanked back. "Wait! What are you trying to tell me? Who are you?! Wait! No!" she wailed as she felt her body sucked back with force before the man could utter a word.

Nora jumped out of her bed with a sharp and loud gasp. Her hair and clothes were soaked like she was really in the rain from her dream but her body was burning hot. She stumbled to her bathroom, hyperventilating. Nora ran a bath to submerge herself in it, hoping to cool down her body temperature. She sat on the tub's rim, waiting for it to be filled, her body was on fire and vibrating. From the bathtub, she fell to the floor as darkness crept over her vision and the last sound that echoed in her ears was of flowing water.

Three hours ago, Nora, Keelan and his Seraphs had arrived at the South America Outpost. Keelan walked Nora to her room and promised to see her the next day. He went back to his office at the Outpost to get some work done. When he came up for air, two hours had passed and his thoughts drifted to Nora. He checked the time, it was midnight. Nora would likely be asleep by now. He remembered what happened at Xerixs's and what he said about Nora's dreams. Why didn't she tell him about it? Probably because he always complained that Nora talks too much. He was too far from her, he thought. As much as he loved it quiet and undisturbed, without Nora's voice in his ears, his world suddenly seemed too quiet. When did this start? he asked himself. He was comfortable with quietness and saying only a few needed words before.

Keelan rose from his chair and glanced outside his window. Facing the west side of the Academy, wondered if Nora was having another dream. He stared edgily, through the window with folded arms, tapping his fingers against his triceps. Was she dreaming? What if he went there and she is fine? It would look like he wanted to go to her room at night. Keelan stamped his foot on the ground rapidly, contemplating if he should go or not.

He went back to his desk, she is fine, he assured himself. He tapped the table and nibbled on his left thumb in agitation. When his body could not take not knowing anymore, he stormed out of his office, to the Academy. The Seraphs on guard at the Academy let him in once they saw him. He sprinted two floors upstairs to the residential wing and marched across its corridor to Nora's room. Her room was the eighth room on the left side of the fifth corridor. He knocked on the door. When he didn't get a response, he knocked harder the second and third time.

"Okay, I've tried." He kicked the door open and stepped into water flowing leisurely, from the bathroom. Nora was not on the bed. "Nora," he pulled out his zayins and tiptoed inside the room. "Nora," he called out again, moving towards the trickling sound of water in the bathroom. "Norabel!" he threw his zayins aside and rushed to pull Nora up, from the wet floor "Norabel! why is your body this hot? wake up! Norabel!" he tapped her cheeks and jerked her body. "Norabel!" Nora didn't move a muscle as her body burned against Keelan's arm.

Keelan stretched his right arm to close the running tap then submerged Nora in the water. Hurriedly, he went in after her. He raised her face in his palms and called her again till Nora showed a sign of life with a soft moan. "Norabel! Open your eyes!" Keelan had never been as worried as he was, holding Nora in the tub with his arms wrapped around her. "Norabel please wake up!" he whispered to her ear.