11

Aria

“Aria. Please.. Please, help me!”

Dark woods flash before me, the dark and looming trees isolating me from the rest of the world. Cries echo all around me, but all I can hear is the pounding of my own heart and my own labored breathing. There is a searing pain in my stomach and when I look down, all I see is a crimson stain of blood. My blood?

“I'm in the woods. Please hurry!”

I sit up suddenly, feeling a sharp pain in my stomach, yet when I look down there is no blood. Nothing looks amiss. Looking around the room, I am confused by my surroundings at first. A glance at the clock tells me that it is after midnight. I stand up, ignoring the weakness creeping into my bones. I ignore the nausea in my stomach and the feeling of dread.

I feel a tug in my gut, as if there is some invisable string attached to me that is being yanked. I follow the urge, my mind closing off until I am barely aware of my surroundings. I feel my legs carrying me away from my home but my mind is unnaturally blank. I fade out of conciousness.

Halona

“Aria!”

Moira and I are just getting out of the car when we see a vacant eyed Aria stumbling from the house in her pajamas. She turns her head but her eyes seem to look right through us. I think immidiately that she must be in a trance, like Maddy warned us about. Aria goes to walk past us as she says in a robotic way. “I have to go! I have to get to her.”

“We'll go with you!” I tell her, grabbing her right arm to hold on to her.

A second later Moira grips her left. We begin to walk down the street, the two of us following her as she leads us into the ominously dark night. I have no idea how long we have walked for but the trek was made in silence. Neither Moira or I speaking for fear of disturbing whatever is going on with our sister. She is way too out of it to hold up her end of the conversation either.

Aria is deep into her trance of darkness, relying on only her insticts to guide her. The fact that they are guiding her, and us, into a creepy dark forest in the middle of the night is a little disconcerting, but I won't let that sway me. I would follow my sisters straight into Hell if they needed me to. Some creepy ass trees aren't going to keep me away. She wants to find some woman and we want to be there with her to help her. Protect her, even, should the need arrive.

I look around and woods loom before me, ominous and frightening. Aria and I move forward but a tug pulls back. Moira is rooted in spot. “We're going in there?”

“I have to go!” Aria repeats, as if she is on autopilot. I know that she is going in there, with or without us. I decide on with, because I am sure as hell not letting her go alone. Anything could happen to her if he were by herself.

“Okay. We're here for you! Lead the way!” I tell her.

The three of us trudge forward, moving past trees and over uneven ground. Moira stumbles over a root, pitching forward until she catches herself on a tree. “Ow!” She pulls back and grips her hand. Using her other hand she conjures a little ball of light, illuminating the area enough to see the blood on her hand.

“You scraped it on the tree.” I tell her, moving towards her in concern. “Is it bad?”

“No. It just stings. I'll clean it when we get home.” She looks at the ground. “This would be so much easier if it were day time and the ground was a bit more even.” Moira grouses beneath her breath.

“Well, my beautiful and smart sister, let's do something about that!” I tell her, flicking my wrist. The ground moves beneath our feet as the roots bury themselves into the ground. Moira's little bubble of light grows in size until we can see around us. Sometimes I really love having magical powers.

Aria moves forward, leaving us behind to follow. She turns to the right, down a path of twisted, gnarled trees and tall brush. We follow along and walk until Aria sees something that must feel familiar. She places her hand on a tree and her whole body jerks, her eyes rolling back in her head.

Aria

I am in a black void. Nothing around me but darkness. Cold, damp darkness that sends a chill through me, cutting me to the bone. “Aria, please hurry! I don't have much longer!”

“I don't know where you are!” I call back to the disembodied voice. "Where are you?"

“I'm by the water. Death is looming. Follow your senses and you shall find me.” The feminine voice answers back. Her voice reminds me of the tinkling of Christmas bells, even though it is underlined with the strain of fear and pain. 

“I will find you!” I promise.

I am standing beside the tree once more when I open my eyes. I stand still, listening. Waiting. Trusting my own instincts, I give control of my body over to my powers, letting them lead me where I need to be. I stumble through the dark, pushing past various foliage and after a few steps I hear the sound of a river flowing.

When I draw near the river, I see her. Sitting on the bank of the river wearing all white is a beautiful woman. Her white dress spreads around her on the ground and she looks so peaceful. She spots me and she stands up to greet me. “Aria.”

“Um, Hi!” I say, with an awkward little wave. I am not sure what is happening and I don't know this person, so honestly that was the best that I could come up with in this messed up situation. “Uh, what's up?”

“I was coming to find you.” Says the woman in white.

“Me?” I ask, incredulous. “Not to sound rude, but um, who are you? How do you know me?”

She nods weakly. “It was foreseen that this would come to pass. I know your destiney as surely as I was to know my own. You are the one I was meant to give my greatest treaure to. I was just hoping to make it to you before-”

“Before you die?” I ask, then gasp in dismay. “Sorry. Rude! I didn't mean to blurt that out! This is all so new to me. And strange! Like, weird things are happening and I am a freaked out mess most of the time.” I look at her, then remember her previous words “So, um, who told you of all this? That we would meet? About our destinies?” Talking about 'destiny' sounds like the plot to a cheesy movie, but oddly enough, this is my life now.

“My oracle.”

So when she says things like 'my oracle' I just accept it. “Um. Okay.” Odd, but not the weirdest thing that I have heard. But about this treasure of hers.. Does she mean like a chest of gold, like in pirate movies? Why would she choose you?

“I just- you never told me who you are.” I gently remind the woman.

“Primrose Bush.” She says with a smile. “Everyone called me Rose.”

“Rose.” I repeat, nodding. “May I ask why you are giving me your treasure? Don't you have family or friends-”

“No.” She shakes her head, looking forlorn. “My brother Thorn, the last of my family, was murdered. We were the Royal family of the high Fairies of Elivorn. My family has always been beloved by our kingdom. When my dear brother met with such a terrible fate, I sought our wise council, an oracle named Odessa. She foretold of my own impending doom. She spoke of you, Aria. Told me to start my journey to you and everything would fall into place.”

“But you are still going to die?” I ask, terrified for her. Terrified and sad.

“Far be it from I to try to change the fates. I accept that my time is nigh. I only ask that you, my dear, take my precious treasure and guard it with your life.” She smiles at me. “My oracle told me of your life. I know everything. I have seen into your heart and mind. You are the one I have been looking for.

Tears flow down her face and I feel so helpless. She looks at me with serious eyes. “Do you promise to keep my treasure all your life?”

“Y-yeah, whatever you need.” I tell her, trying to give her comfort. If these are to be her last moments, I have to try to be as kind as possible. I will agree to anything to make the end of her time as pleasant as it can be, considering that she is dying. Besides, it seems rude to say 'no' to a dying person.

“Follow me.”

She leads me down along the edge of the water towards a patch of dense foliage. When she pulls back the a limb from a thick bush, the sight before me brings forth a gasp. Her body lays heaped on the ground in a pool of blood. Her eyes wide open in a face frozen with fear. She's dead.

I hear a whimper, at first believing that it came from me. Then I notice the bundle clutched tightly to her. It begins to move and I gasp once more. Springing into action, I careful pick up the bundle, cradling it to my body.

I look down into the face of the cutest baby ever. He is so tiny I feel I might break him. I don't know much about babies, but I know he couldn't be more than a few days old.

I look up at Rose, not sure what she is. Is she a ghost or an abberation? What's the difference between the two? Either way, I have more pressing questions to ask her. “Who did this to you?” I have to know who the killer is. I can stop him. I can stop anymore girls being murdered.

Rose only shakes her head. “You mustn't tell anyone of the child. Please, raise him as yours and never let it be known who he is or he will never be safe.” She looks at the baby, tears streaming down her face. “My angel. You will be a fine mother to him, Aria. Just remember, no one must know that he was found today. Claim him as your own. Please. It is the only way that my child lives.”

Damn. I'm not capable of handling this. I can't make life and death decisions. I never signed up for this! All of this is just too much. I hear the crashing of leaves and limbs moving as my sisters finally find me. They look at me in shock.

“Your son, Aria, will be truly spectacular. Just, remember my words. The secret must hold or he will not live to see his sixth birthday.”

“Son?” My sisters chorus.

Rose moves back. “I have to go now. I only waited to see-” She smiles weakly. “Aria, fear not what you don't know, for all will be revealed in time.” With a small smile she vanishes.

“Was that-” Moira begins.

“- a fucking ghost?!” Halona bellows.

A feeble cry sounds from my arms, the baby stirring in protest at the loud shout. I cradle him closer, snuggling him into my bosom. “Shh.. baby.” I rock and sway. I have decisions to make about her words but one thing is already decided. I know what I am going to do about the baby. About the destiny Rose spoke of. I am going to accept it.

“Mama has you, baby boy.”