Chapter 2- Welcome to Alhezia

"Psst! Alyssa!" a voice whispered my name, causing me to jolt awake. I scanned the dark room, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice. But all I saw was darkness.

"Psst! Alyssa!" the voice called out again, this time with a hint of reverence in its tone.

"Who's there?" I asked, trying to keep the tremble out of my voice.

"Come take your place," the voice said, its words cutting through the silence like a knife. "Take it now. It is time."

I woke up with a start, my heart racing. As I sat up in bed, I fiddled with my bracelet to calm my nerves. I glanced at the clock, 12:05. I really needed to stop watching horror movies.

But despite the terror that still lingered in my mind, I couldn't help feeling a sense of awe at the mysterious voice that had called out to me. Was it a ghost? A deity? Or just my overactive imagination?

Shaking my head, I got up and headed to my closet. I grabbed a sleeping bag and a pillow, and made my way out to the veranda. It was raining outside, but I didn't mind. I found pleasure in watching the storm, seeing the flowers bloom and the trees wither and grow. And when lightning struck, setting the trees ablaze, it gave me a strange sense of happiness. Yeah, I know, I'm weird.

As I lay there, wrapped in my sleeping bag, I couldn't help but notice that I didn't feel the cold, despite the chilly rain. In fact, I never felt cold during the winter months, nor did I feel the heat during summer. It was like I was immune to the weather. Weird, huh? I guess I'm not quite human.

Eventually, the rain stopped, and the moon emerged from behind the clouds. It was full and bright, like it was smiling down at me.

I smiled back, feeling a sense of peace wash over me. Maybe that voice I heard earlier was just a dream, or maybe it was something more. Whatever it was, I was content to let it remain a mystery.

With that thought, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, the moonlight casting a soft glow over me. And for the first time in a long while, my dreams were calm and peaceful.

~

The sun's rays kissed my face awake, and I sprang out of bed like a jack-in-the-box. I scrambled to pack up my sleeping bag and tiptoed to my room, stripping off my pajamas and wrapping a towel around myself before heading to the bathroom. I scrubbed every inch of my body and slathered on lotion, then pulled on some comfy sweatpants and a hoodie. I twisted my curly hair into a ponytail and grabbed my bags before bounding downstairs.

"Good morning, my favorite people!" I exclaimed, hopping into my seat and smooching my parents on the cheek.

Dad wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Why so chipper today, little miss?"

I grinned. "I'm headed to your town for the first time, Pops! I can't wait to see Nana and Grand Pops."

Mom's face fell like a souffle. "Why can't you just video chat with them, honey? You don't have to go all the way there."

I frowned. "I miss them, Mom. I want to spend time with them."

"Well, they could come here," she said, grasping at straws.

I shook my head. "No way, Mama. I'm going there, and that's that."

She opened her mouth to argue, but I cut her off. "End of discussion. I'll be waiting in the car." I stormed out, grabbing my plate of pancakes on the way.

As I chowed down in the car, I couldn't help but wonder where that surge of boldness had come from. But one thing was for sure: nobody messes with my pancakes.

~

During the journey, there was an awkward silence between my parents and me, after the little spat we had at home. I didn't even know what to say to them to break the ice. So, I put on my headphones and shut my eyes, hoping to escape the tension.

Suddenly, I felt someone was hitting me. "Go awaaay you agent of disturbance, go awaaaaaayyyy," I grumbled, annoyed at the sudden disturbance.

Then it began to rain, but it didn't feel like any ordinary rain. It was weird, almost eerie. The world started shaking, and before I could process what was happening, an earthquake hit us. I muttered a silent prayer for safety.

After the shaking stopped, I heard soft murmurs that sounded familiar but I couldn't put my finger on who it was.

"She's not waking up no matter what I do. I hit her and even sprinkled water on her, but she still won't wake up. I don't know what to do," a panicked voice, which I realized was female, said.

The person must have been talking about me since I was the only one asleep. But then the voice changed to a manly one. "Do you think she's in a trance?"

"I don't think so, I don't know," the female voice replied. "If she is, we need to wake her up."

"I think I have an idea on how to wake her up, but you're not going to like it," the man said.

"What is it?" the woman asked, sounding hesitant.

"One of my tricks."

"Which one?"

"Thunder slap."

"What?! Do you want to kill her?!" The woman screeched.

"It may or may not kill her. We can never know if we don't try it," the man replied nonchalantly.

"I don't even want to know. I'm not taking that risk. Is there not a less dangerous trick you can do?" the woman pleaded.

"I assure you that nothing bad will happen to her, even though I'm not 100% sure. And there are no other options. My other tricks are far more dangerous than this one. Maybe it won't hurt her because she is my blood," the man explained.

"I'm not sure about this. It's our daughter's life we're talking about. Don't you remember the last time you used it? You put the person in a coma, coma, commmaaaaa!!! What do you think will happen if you use it on her, huh?" the woman argued.

"Okay, I get your point. You don't need to emphasize it. But that time I was angry. Trust me when I say nothing will happen to her. Don't you trust me?" the man pleaded.

"I do trust you. It's just that..."

The man interrupted her. "Then let me do my stuff, okay?"

"Okay," the woman agreed, sounding unconvinced.

The person continued to mumble incoherent words that I couldn't comprehend. I was still thinking about the person sleeping until something cut it off. Or, rather, someone.

As I regained consciousness, it felt like I had been struck by a billion volts of electricity. I saw the grim reaper waving at me, and I realized that my eyes were closed until I forced them open.

“Am I in heaven?” I wondered aloud, looking around at the cars, trees, and birds. “Are there even cars in heaven? Wow, they’ve really modernized the place!”

“You’re awake, thank goodness,” said a familiar voice. I turned my head to see my parents standing over me.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, confused as to why my parents were chuckling.

“You looked like you were about to sleep forever,” my dad explained.

I winced as I remembered the jolt of electricity that had just zapped me. “I thought I was the one sleeping,” I thought to myself. “I’m supposed to be a rock, but I can’t even stay awake when my parents are around.”

“Thank God I’m still alive,” I said, relieved.

My dad grinned proudly. “See? It worked.”

My mom rolled her eyes at him. “That slap hurt,” I complained inwardly.

“Do you have electricity in your hands, Dad?” I asked, half-joking. “It felt like I was struck by lightning.”

My dad chuckled. “It’s not that bad,” he said.

“Not that bad? It felt like I was hit by a truck!” I retorted.

My dad high-fived himself. “I’ve still got it,” he said proudly.

My mom shot him a disapproving glare. “Here,” she said, handing me an ice pack. “This will help with the pain.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, applying the ice pack to my face. “I’m sorry for being such a heavy sleeper.”

“It’s okay,” my mom reassured me. “We just wanted you to see where we are.”

I looked out the window and saw a huge gate with the words “Welcome to Alhezia Town” written on it. “Wait, are we there already?” I asked.

My dad nodded. “We are. That’s why we woke you up.”

As we drove through the gate, I marveled at the beauty of Alhezia Town. It was nothing like I had ever seen before. And to think, it all started with a slap that felt like it came straight from heaven.