A Song of Remembrance ( Redamancy Book 1: Under Reconstruction)

Chapter 2:

The earth was cold beneath my feet, the dew that had settled over the ground, an aftermath of the midnight rain, sending a chill through my body. Heart racing, I peered through the haze that had settled over the earth, listening hard to make up for my blurry vision. Most people would be asleep at this time of night, yet the night was undoubtedly awake. The wind rustled in the leaves as the crickets sang, slowly lulling to life the small creatures that rarely came out during the day. It was an odd melody. Serene, yet unsettling.

I shivered, taking a step. I knew I should have gone inside and grabbed my shoes unless I wanted to wake up with a nasty cold the next day, but I didn't move. There was one thing I needed to figure out first.

How had I gotten outside in the first place?

My memory had always been more spotty than the next person's, but there was something about my inability to recollect my steps to the yard that caused my stomach to turn. Something wasn't right. I wasn't sure what it was just yet.

I inhaled once, taking in the damp fragrance lingering in the wind that carried the musical chime of a foreign melody. I was still in my pajamas from the night before, the loose tank top and shorts doing nothing to shield me from the cold. My skin, although not pale, glowed in the shadow of the porch lights, and for the first time since standing there, I felt exposed in the night.

What was it that I had been doing?

"Okay, Pumpkin, are you ready to go?"

My heart lurched in my chest as I was startled, goosebumps dancing across my arms as I turned toward the voice. The words echoed in my ears, leaving a steady ringing sound in their wake as I squinted my eyes. 

Even though I hadn't technically been doing anything wrong, I felt as if I had been caught.

Breathlessly, I watched as three blurry figures walked down the driveway that had just been empty a second ago. Curiosity and something else that felt a lot like fear ran through my spine as I took a step back, reaching for the cover of the darkness.

I was unable to speak. Or blink. Or breathe.

"Yes, yes, I am. I will race you to the car."

This voice was higher pitched than the last, the words spoken in bursts of excitement and anticipation.

A child.

I leaned forward, crouching with my hands on my knees as I tried to get a better look. I took a step and was just about to take another when a loud snap followed the pressure of my feet on the grass. I stilled, glancing down at the sting of the twig I had cracked beneath my foot.  I glanced up, my movements stilled and a gasp leaving my throat when a pair of eyes clashed with mine, my heartbeat stalling as I stumbled further back, the sting of the bushes biting at my calves. 

But just as quickly as panic had overcome me, it dulled to a steady hum. Although seconds before I hadn't recognized the people in the yard, familiarity crashed down upon me in waves, drowning me in relief and sorrow.

It couldn't be.

"Are you ready to go too, Rowan?"

Alarm bells rang in my head, but I ignored them, my mind too busy trying to figure out what was happening. Tears pricked at the back of my eyes, and I winced before grabbing my arm with my fingers and squeezing tightly.

The pain from the pinch was just as apparent as the figure in front of me. Yet I knew that only one was real. No matter how much I wished that the words he had spoken rang true in my ears, I knew it was impossible.

"Little Bird?"

I swallowed, my throat dry as I willed for whoever was playing such a terrible joke to reveal themselves. Although I knew that it was the farthest thing from funny, I longed to be able to disguise my pain behind a shield of forced laughter. I longed to fake a smile.

Anything to save me from the torment that was drowning me.

I wanted to wake up.

I wanted to stay asleep.

I needed to wake up...

"Honey we have to go."

Realizing that whoever it was that was finding mirth in my anguish wasn't going to reveal themselves anytime soon, I opened my mouth.

"I-I..." I closed my mouth, the tears now rushing down my face as I shook my head, unable to finish. There was no way that I could answer him when he was looking at me with emotions so pure and genuine. Eyes that were so real and full of life.

How was I going to explain that I couldn't go with him despite how much I wanted to.

That I would never be able to again.

A sob tore through my body as the expression on his face fell, taking some of the light away with him. It took me a moment to notice that the other two figures in the driveway had vanished, whisked away by the wind that was now after him.

The bright red shirt he had been wearing had now dulled to a gray, along with the color of his skin. Although his eyes, gray in comparison to the moonlight still twinkled. 

"Dad you have to listen," I breathed. "You can't go tonight."

My whisper was weak, but the change in his expression told me he had heard it. A soft smile flitted across his mouth. It was as if he was oblivious to my torment. Blind to what was about to happen. Realizing that I only had a few seconds left I stretched my hands out, trying to keep time at bay. Holding on to hope I took a step. Then another. This was the closest I had ever made it so far to him. He was but a step away.

I was doing it.

I was going to change...

"Look out!"

Devastation slammed down on me at the sound of the desperate cry.

Just like all the other times I had failed. 

Succumbing to fate, I braced myself.

The sound of glass shattering was louder than it usually was, as the formidable crunch of metal settled in my stomach. 

For just a moment after, everything was quiet.

And then...

Chaos.