Dark Prince
004
“Ava, is something wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.” My mom brought my attention back to reality after what had just happened. I was in a daze after seeing the stranger. Like a complex calculus equation, my mind made no sense of what I just saw. I noticed that we were at a red stop light.
“It’s very possible that I have…” My heart was still beating rapidly as if after a nightmare. I wish someone could just tell me who that was! My mom looked over,
“Well you know witchcraft goes way back in our family, you might have caught the gene!” I smiled- my mom always knew how to lighten the mood. I started to breathe a little easier.
“Right mom, you have always said that I have a sixth sense. I guess it’s true then, isn’t it? From now on I can see the living dead!” I exclaimed.
“Then say hi to your great-grandma for me, won’t you?” We both chuckled. “We’re almost here can you wake up Elliott?” My mom asked. I put aside the stranger for the night. He was just another unimportant face in crowd…right?
“Elliott! Elliott!” I reached over to the backseat and shook my brother’s shoulder. “Leave me alone, will ya?” he grumbled half asleep.
“Don’t you want to see our new home? Dad says it is near a gorgeous park and pond. I can’t wait to go feed the swans’ there- of course if they haven’t flown away yet.”Just thinking about the park that we were going to live nearby was enough to calm my nerves. Some of my best memories were spent on the weathered park benches, and the family picnics atop the mossy hills.
“You know what Ava, I think Theo actually took some pictures of the park a few weeks ago when we were just going over to see our apartment. You can look in my purse and see if you can find them.”
Theo is my father’s name. Apart from being a “travelling electrician” he has also become a great photographer- but so far he has not had luck in making it his full-time job. I look through my mother’s navy blue snakeskin bag, and find the incredible pictures.
“Wow! If only dad would print them to a portfolio size!” I looked at one photo in particular of a golden sunset painting two perfectly white swans in the water by an ancient willow tree. “Yep- that’s where we’re driving to.” My mother nodded.
As soon as we got to our new apartment, I went directly to the bed, and to sleep. I decided to wait till the bright morning to see everything in full colour. I closed my eyes and within minutes my subconscious dream state took over…
Her voice fades away and reappears in a louder tone. She’s on the phone with someone, probably talking about money problems.
“ You said I could pay you a week later! I don’t have that kind of money now! And what happened to the prepaid package?”
“Is everything ok mom?” I wipe away a stray tear- the last remnants of the strange dream. “I’ll talk to you later, bye” my mom hangs up the phone and sighs deeply.
“Everything’s ok Ava, it’s just that the only high school in the area is a private catholic school that parents pay lots of money for, and I made a deal with the hospital I’m working at now that they’d pay for you, but now I’m getting calls about down payments and first month costs, and I gotta solve this before we go bankrupt.”
“ You, know I don’t have to go to school while we’re here, it’s only going to be a few months, and when we move I can always take an extra year of high school.”
“ No Ava, it really IS okay, don’t worry yourself.” She smiles and then looks closer at my face. “were you crying Ava?” clearly my mom would notice…
“ Yeah, just a bad dream that’s all.”
“ Okay, well I have to go to work now all the information is on table.” She grabs the car keys and blows me an air kiss from the door.
“Love you mom!” I say just before the door closes completely. My mom had reminded me of the dream, and for some reason I forgot what had happened. I knew it was melancholy, but what made it that way I could not remember. All I could keep in mind were those chilling eyes of the boy…
There was nothing much to do but explore my new home and unpack some of my moving boxes. My room, which I shared with my brother, was painted a light yellow colour with a bright window looking out at the busy streets below. I moved the white sheer curtains to let in the sun rays. We were on the second floor of the building.
I put all my clothes away into the closet across from the window. I’m only allowed to take up half the closet space, but my meager supply barely fills a quarter. The rest is left for my brother’s toys. He must be in daycare at his new school already.
I remember that I need school supplies aswell. On the counter lays the note written by my mother with all essential phone numbers and places, including the hospital she works at now. I will consider going there later. For, now I will just put on my most gorgeous peep-toe one-inch heels, paired with a classic Parisian cloak from my mother’s closet, and an outfit for the breezy weather outside. This is a beginning of another great day…
“It’s very possible that I have…” My heart was still beating rapidly as if after a nightmare. I wish someone could just tell me who that was! My mom looked over,
“Well you know witchcraft goes way back in our family, you might have caught the gene!” I smiled- my mom always knew how to lighten the mood. I started to breathe a little easier.
“Right mom, you have always said that I have a sixth sense. I guess it’s true then, isn’t it? From now on I can see the living dead!” I exclaimed.
“Then say hi to your great-grandma for me, won’t you?” We both chuckled. “We’re almost here can you wake up Elliott?” My mom asked. I put aside the stranger for the night. He was just another unimportant face in crowd…right?
“Elliott! Elliott!” I reached over to the backseat and shook my brother’s shoulder. “Leave me alone, will ya?” he grumbled half asleep.
“Don’t you want to see our new home? Dad says it is near a gorgeous park and pond. I can’t wait to go feed the swans’ there- of course if they haven’t flown away yet.”Just thinking about the park that we were going to live nearby was enough to calm my nerves. Some of my best memories were spent on the weathered park benches, and the family picnics atop the mossy hills.
“You know what Ava, I think Theo actually took some pictures of the park a few weeks ago when we were just going over to see our apartment. You can look in my purse and see if you can find them.”
Theo is my father’s name. Apart from being a “travelling electrician” he has also become a great photographer- but so far he has not had luck in making it his full-time job. I look through my mother’s navy blue snakeskin bag, and find the incredible pictures.
“Wow! If only dad would print them to a portfolio size!” I looked at one photo in particular of a golden sunset painting two perfectly white swans in the water by an ancient willow tree. “Yep- that’s where we’re driving to.” My mother nodded.
As soon as we got to our new apartment, I went directly to the bed, and to sleep. I decided to wait till the bright morning to see everything in full colour. I closed my eyes and within minutes my subconscious dream state took over…
My eyes open to a most bright, pure white light- blinding me at first. Then the scene before me starts to focus more. I’m at my old house? I couldn’t believe it, I woke up in the very house that I spent the first couple of my childhood years in. We lived there till’ I turned about 10- that’s when all the moving first started to happen. I could barely remember it, but have seen tons of pictures of it, but why was I here? I looked around the room and saw a crib with a crying baby inside. My eye then followed to my very upset mother, crying on the ground praying near the crib. My father is yelling in the other room, and I could see him through the hallway. There is a strange darkness which surrounds whoever my dad is yelling at. Here and there the edges of the room blur and distort, as if struggling to stay there.
“Mother, what’s wrong? Mother?!” I am so worried by this horrific scene of my mother sobbing and shaking on the floor, her hands tightly gripping the crib. For some reason she can’t hear me. I step closer and start running towards her. I know I shouldn’t be that far away, and yet I can’t get to my mother. I scream at her but no voice comes out. I’m crying now- I want to help her, and for some reason it feels like if I don’t make it to her on time I’ll lose her forever. And the next moment I’m right at the crib.
That’s when the weeping baby finally stops crying. My mother doesn’t even look up. Everything goes silent for one never-ending moment, and then she crumples to the floor in a heap of sorrow. My father runs out of the other room and picks her up and hugs her. His face is so harsh, it pains me to look at. I seem to be the only one interested in the baby at this point. I look down at him or her I’m not really sure. My hand strokes the baby’s cold forehead and emanates the same bright light as I saw before. I feel so hideous of myself- the only thing I can think of is that my presence killed this baby. Who was he/she? I wondered. What could have this little person grown up to be? I don’t remember my mother being pregnant but it was obviously hers.
Somebody lightly taps my shoulder. I am scared to practically death of this sudden appearance of somebody who could see me. Turning around I see blinding white space everywhere with a little boy, maybe 4 or 5 years of age, handing me a present. His clothes are very dark and tailored, like some sort of suit. His chillingcool eyes stared at me. I hesitantly took the wrapped pale pink gift, with a beautiful bow on top. Something makes me look over down the hallway. I see the person my father was arguing with.
She is faceless and made of light with long blonde wavy hair that touches the ground. I need her acceptance- and I don’t know why. My mother looks over at the strange faceless light and pleads her of something. All I could hear now is my mom blaring out “NO! NO! Please don’t do this to us!...”
“Mother, what’s wrong? Mother?!” I am so worried by this horrific scene of my mother sobbing and shaking on the floor, her hands tightly gripping the crib. For some reason she can’t hear me. I step closer and start running towards her. I know I shouldn’t be that far away, and yet I can’t get to my mother. I scream at her but no voice comes out. I’m crying now- I want to help her, and for some reason it feels like if I don’t make it to her on time I’ll lose her forever. And the next moment I’m right at the crib.
That’s when the weeping baby finally stops crying. My mother doesn’t even look up. Everything goes silent for one never-ending moment, and then she crumples to the floor in a heap of sorrow. My father runs out of the other room and picks her up and hugs her. His face is so harsh, it pains me to look at. I seem to be the only one interested in the baby at this point. I look down at him or her I’m not really sure. My hand strokes the baby’s cold forehead and emanates the same bright light as I saw before. I feel so hideous of myself- the only thing I can think of is that my presence killed this baby. Who was he/she? I wondered. What could have this little person grown up to be? I don’t remember my mother being pregnant but it was obviously hers.
Somebody lightly taps my shoulder. I am scared to practically death of this sudden appearance of somebody who could see me. Turning around I see blinding white space everywhere with a little boy, maybe 4 or 5 years of age, handing me a present. His clothes are very dark and tailored, like some sort of suit. His chillingcool eyes stared at me. I hesitantly took the wrapped pale pink gift, with a beautiful bow on top. Something makes me look over down the hallway. I see the person my father was arguing with.
She is faceless and made of light with long blonde wavy hair that touches the ground. I need her acceptance- and I don’t know why. My mother looks over at the strange faceless light and pleads her of something. All I could hear now is my mom blaring out “NO! NO! Please don’t do this to us!...”
Her voice fades away and reappears in a louder tone. She’s on the phone with someone, probably talking about money problems.
“ You said I could pay you a week later! I don’t have that kind of money now! And what happened to the prepaid package?”
“Is everything ok mom?” I wipe away a stray tear- the last remnants of the strange dream. “I’ll talk to you later, bye” my mom hangs up the phone and sighs deeply.
“Everything’s ok Ava, it’s just that the only high school in the area is a private catholic school that parents pay lots of money for, and I made a deal with the hospital I’m working at now that they’d pay for you, but now I’m getting calls about down payments and first month costs, and I gotta solve this before we go bankrupt.”
“ You, know I don’t have to go to school while we’re here, it’s only going to be a few months, and when we move I can always take an extra year of high school.”
“ No Ava, it really IS okay, don’t worry yourself.” She smiles and then looks closer at my face. “were you crying Ava?” clearly my mom would notice…
“ Yeah, just a bad dream that’s all.”
“ Okay, well I have to go to work now all the information is on table.” She grabs the car keys and blows me an air kiss from the door.
“Love you mom!” I say just before the door closes completely. My mom had reminded me of the dream, and for some reason I forgot what had happened. I knew it was melancholy, but what made it that way I could not remember. All I could keep in mind were those chilling eyes of the boy…
There was nothing much to do but explore my new home and unpack some of my moving boxes. My room, which I shared with my brother, was painted a light yellow colour with a bright window looking out at the busy streets below. I moved the white sheer curtains to let in the sun rays. We were on the second floor of the building.
I put all my clothes away into the closet across from the window. I’m only allowed to take up half the closet space, but my meager supply barely fills a quarter. The rest is left for my brother’s toys. He must be in daycare at his new school already.
I remember that I need school supplies aswell. On the counter lays the note written by my mother with all essential phone numbers and places, including the hospital she works at now. I will consider going there later. For, now I will just put on my most gorgeous peep-toe one-inch heels, paired with a classic Parisian cloak from my mother’s closet, and an outfit for the breezy weather outside. This is a beginning of another great day…
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Thanx for reading!! :3