Entrelacen (9 page)

I’m walking down Gillespie heading
toward the first empty field. I see water
bubblingupfrom the ground,but as I get
closer, I can tellthesmellisdefinitely not
water. It’s getting dark, and the sun is
startingtoset behind the Red Rock
Mountains, castingpinksandorangesinto
the sky. It’s quiet, too quiet. My sensesare
strainingtopick upanysound or
movement. That’s when I catch it. A small
flicker of light shinesthroughan opening
in the abandoned house on the corner
adjacent tothe field. Everythingis
screamingat metorun.Idothe opposite.
Iignore my intuitiontoflee andcreepmy
way toawindow. The gravelisloud,
crunchingunderneathmy shoes. My heart
isbeatingfast, spreadingadrenaline into
byblood stream; that’s the only thing I
hear. The alternatingtempoof crunching
gravelandmy rapidly beatingheart have
caused even the birdstogostill.

Imake it tothe window on the side
of the house that the light shone from, but
allIsee isempty shadows, cold and dark.
Could it be possible that my mind was
playingatrick on me?If that wasthe
case, then why isevery single hair on my
body standingat attention? That prickly
feelingyou get when someone iswatching
you makesits way downmy neck. Fear
envelopesevery molecule of my being. This
isit. He hasfinally come back for me. It
takes everything in me to not run. I don’t
want him tosense the fear that Iimagine
isbeingbroadcastedtowhoever it was
behindme. How didhe sneak upon me?

Then comes the
most chillingvoice I
have ever heard. It was dark, deep, and
terrifying. “It’stime Logan.We gave you
the opportunity tocome touson your
own, but we can wait no longer.”

“Nothing was supposed to happen
untilmy 18
^th
birthday unlessmy anger
was able totake control. I stillhave afew
months.”

“No. We won’t wait that long, so
make your choice now.”
“My choice is the same as it was the
day you stood infront of my house. I’llnot
bend toyou or whoever you serve. My life
is my own to command.”
“So be it, but you are makinga
huge mistake. I hope you are ready todeal
withthe consequencesthat willcome from
this.”
He was gone.Iturnaround incircles
tryingtolocate where he was,but allthat
was around me was darkness. A breeze
tore throughthe house, makingit come
alive withcreepy soundsandcausingme
toshiver. My attention isdrawnback to
the empty lot. The sound of bubbling
water is replaced by a gurgling. I startto
make my way over tothe hole in the
ground and see what Ithought waswater
isthick and reekedof decayingflesh. The
street light castsan eerie glow on the
street. The ground that wasonce sandy in
color is now a deepred.
Istart toback away when the light
catcheson somethingin the poolof blood,
asilver bracelet. Abracelet that Inever
wanted tosee covered by blood. In that
instant,my feet have amind of their own
andare makingtheir way tothe armI
see. The body comes intofocus,andIdrop
to my knees. It’s flowing all around me
now, encasingme in thistorment and
agony. My mother.
I woke up gasping for air, tangled in
the sheets of my bed. It was just a dream
Logan. I knew it wasn’t though. It was a
warning of what was to come. The smell
of death was still clinging to my skin. I still
felt the warmth of the blood on my knees
and the overwhelming heartache of seeing
her lying there motionless.
I kept having this dream over and
over again over the following few weeks.
Before I knew it, Deandra would be
coming into town for Christmas. I couldn't
help but not want D here. I wanted to see
her, but if this was going to happen soon,
and I know it would, I wanted her far
from here. Have you ever heard of the
saying, “Be careful what you wish for??”
Well it’s true. I got a call from Deandra
the next day saying she wasn’t going to
make it because her dad had to go away
on business. The relief of hearing this was
instantaneous. I knew D would have
gotten hurt if she was here when
everything went down. She is fierce and
protective and would have done anything
she could to help me.
I could feel it coming closer. It’s like
a black cloud was hanging around and
slowly expanding to cover the valley. The
air was charged with an unseen electrical
force. The pigeons that were usually
walking in the streets ignoring the cars
have all but disappeared. The spiders and
bugs went into hiding. The dogs that used
to bark constantly were suddenly quiet.
Time moves slow when you are
waiting for something that you really
want. It’s like the clock stops just to piss
you off. I wished it would have stopped in
this instance. Though I knew I needed to
be ready for whatever was coming for me,
or my mom, I was not. I wasn't prepared
for this fight; I didn't even know what I
would be fighting. All I knew was that I
wouldn't let anyone tell me what to do.
The darkness had been growing within me.
I felt it the moment it came alive. It was
at the same time I noticed all the subtle
changes taking place in the neighborhood.
It was once bright and full of life. Kids
would play in the yard, dogs would bark,
and laughter was all around me. Not
anymore! Toys were deserted around
people’s yards. I had not seen or heard a
dog in weeks.
It was the end of January, which
meant I had 16 days until the big day.
The month had passed by in matter of
moments. It was Christmas one day and
the countdown to my birthday the next.
My birthday was not going to be epic
because I would finally be an adult. It
would be life changing because well, my
life was going to be forever altered. The
one thing I wanted to do before my life
could possibly end was graduate. Since I
was always focused on school, I already
had enough credits to graduate, so I
talked to the principle and guidance
counsellor. They agreed that I could get
my diploma. They tried to talk me into
staying and graduating with honors’, but I
declined. I knew things were about to get
hard, and going to school was one less
thing for me to worry about.
I was outside looking at all the
gloomy houses, when I looked to the right
at my next door neighbors’ house. Agatha
was sitting outside on her porch looking
around like I was. She had this look on her
face that grew more somber as her face
passed each house, lingering on the
children’s toys. She then looked at the sky.
It was like she was praying. It allowed me
a moment to fully take her in. It had been
a while since I had spoken to her. She
looked the same, no older but maybe
more wise. We had been living next door
to each other for about 3 years.
Agatha was this old lady about 5
foot 2 inches. She wore these summer
dresses when the weather permitted it
and wore these colorful wind suits when it
was cold. Her eyes were always this
electric blue like there was a constant
neon light being cast through from the
inside. Her smile was bright like the sun,
even though she was missing some teeth.
When she smiled at you, it was so
contagious that you automatically smiled
back. Being in a bad mood around Agatha
was almost impossible. She reminded me
of the sun actually, with her golden eyes,
radiant smile, and a way to make you feel
at ease.
As if she could sense me thinking
about her, she turned and looked straight
at me with one of those megawatt smiles.
Her face was different though. The smile
was just as contagious, but her eyes lacked
the happiness normally there. It’s like
whatever affected the world around us
was also affecting her. Maybe it was, but
in a different way.
“Well if It’sn’t Logan. What are
doing sitting outside on a day like this?
Shouldn’t you be at school right now?”
“Well Agatha, if I sit inside too long,
I end up thinking about everything that’s
out here anyways, so I figured I might as
well take in some fresh air. I’m done with
school. Since I was ahead with credits,
they let me graduate already.”
“Boy you know this air isn’t fresh no
more, but I understand. Congratulations
on graduating. I bet your mom is proud!”
I just smiled and began to wonder
how Agatha fit into all of this. She
definitely knew what was going on
outside. It was obvious since we were the
only two people out there. I’ve never been
one to express my thoughts, being more of
an introvert, but being around Agatha
usually made me say whatever I was
thinking.
“My mom told me what’s wrong
with me and said when the time comes, I
should trust you. Do you know when “it”
is coming?”
“Your mother is very wise, and you
will learn to trust me in time boy.
However, what is coming doesn’t go by
one name but by many. It’s uncertain
when it will be here, but it’s very close.”
I knew she was lying to me about
when it’s going to get here. I knew she felt
it in the air like I did. Was Agatha like me
or Mom?
As if she could hear my thoughts,
she said, “I’m more like your mom Logan,
but she is from a family of protectors. I
come from a family with no magical
background.”
“How is that possible?”
“The same way people are born into
magic, by being blessed by the goddess.
Anyone can practice the craft Logan, but
it takes a natural to bend the ways of the
craft.”
“I know you’re not being totally
honest with me. I know you have your
reasons, like they did when they came to
me. I also know the darkness is closer than
what we would like. He was able to reach
me in my dreams.”
That captured her full undivided
attention. Her look made me think that
what we were waiting for was just around
the corner. Maybe it was.
“What do you dream about Logan?”
“He keeps giving me the chance to
go with them, and when I turn them
down, I see mom dead covered in blood.”
The look on her face was one of awe
and sadness. I understood the sadness, not
so much the awe.
“They can reach you in your
dreams, and It’s the same every time?
That speaks highly of what you are
capable of. You should just be able to see
and feel their presence when you are
awake, but seeing them and turning them
down constantly shows your strength.
That’s very good.”
I noticed that she ignored the part
about me always seeing mom dead. That’s
when I knew it was not a warning; it was
the future, and it’s her destiny. Maybe
that’s what the universe was saying that I
was going to have to come to terms with
in order to fulfil the path they saw before
me. Maybe that’s why I was allowed to see
that part of the dream. Usually when
someone’s death was involved I would
wake up immediately. I started preparing
myself emotionally. I had been working on
ways to block my anger; the sadness of
feeling the death of my mom would
trigger that anger. I needed to deal with
it now.
I looked over at Agatha and saw her
smile on her face, and her electric blue
eyes were glowing again. Her demeanor
shifted all of a sudden and sparked my
interest.
“You are wise Logan. There are
many who have sat in the seat you’re in
now and caved to the pressure. Maybe for
once the darkness has met his match.”
I wondered what she meant by this.
Obviously it wasn’t the first time someone
has had to choose, but maybe they
weren’t successful. Whatever it was, I
would just have to face it and hope for the
best. I refused to run anymore.

I was stepping off the plane at LAS, and I felt
relieved. It was the first time since moving to Las
Vegas that I actually felt at home. I would always
miss my friends, but friends are everywhere, right?
Annoyed from all the traffic, I finally made it home.
Have you ever driven in Las Vegas during rush hour?
It’s not pleasant. At all. The first thing I did was check
my Myspace, and I noticed there was a comment left
by James. How was that possible? I thought he should
still be in jail. I clicked on the comment to see what it
said. My heart started racing.

“They let the wrong motherfucker back out on
the streets! Call me baby when youget this.”
I was speechless. I had no idea what I wanted
to do.
Sigh.
So I took the easy way out by telling him
to call me. Not even an hour later my phone started
ringing.
Crap Crap Crap!
“Hello?”
“Hey baby, where’ve you been? I’ve been
trying to get a hold of you for a few days now.”
“Hey. I was in Texas for my birthday. Wow, I
can’t believe you’re out. What are you doing?”
“Did you have fun? Wait, did you get my
birthday card? I’m hanging out at the house. You
should come over.”
“Had a lot of fun and got really drunk since
I’m legal now.” A shaky laugh escaped before I
continued, “I got the birthday card and loved it. Thank
you so much! Where do you live?”
We finished the conversation with him giving
me his address. I told him that I was with some
friends and that we would be there soon. Oh. My.
God. I was freaking out so bad. Soon there were
clothes all over my room. My friends were trying to
calm me down without much success.
In the car driving to his house, all I kept
thinking was
Do I hug him, shake his hands, do the
“what’s up” head nod?
Why was I overanalyzing
everything? I was just going to go with the flow and
follow his lead. We pulled up in front of his house. He
was outside waiting. I parked the car and got out.
It seemed like it was all in slow motion. He
was walking down the steps toward me in some black
converse shoes, black shorts, and a white beater. I
could see his tattoos, and all I wanted to do was lick
them. My eyes finally made it to his face. He had this
ridiculous smile, and his blue eyes were shining with
laughter. His brown hair was roughed up forming
spikes on top. He was undeniably sexy. I realized that
I was holding my breath when we were finally face to
face because he leaned in and whispered into my ear,
“Breathe.”
I had never been one of those girls who got
flustered, but this boy definitely had me rattled. I took
a breath and looked up at him. I was blown away
again. I was just about to say something when he
grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. I guess that
answered the question on the hug issue. While he was
hugging me, I could feel his breath on my ear,
“You’re just as beautiful as I remember.”
I felt lost right there in that moment. All the
common sense that I had went out the window. The
only thing I could see was him. The world, my
friends, and everything else all disappeared. I would
have never believed it if anyone told me this, but
when you’re so caught up in the moment, it feels like
nothing exists except you and that person. It was a
moment I would never forget. He walked us inside,
and I met his little sister. I don’t think she liked me
much at the time, but I didn’t blame her. He lived with
his parents. My first impression was that the house
exuberated love.
We hung out for a little while, but he was
being really quiet, so we ended up leaving. I got a
hug, a kiss on the cheek, and an “I’ll call you later.” I
was so blissed out that it was like I was floating while
a million butterflies had taken flight in my stomach.
His mischievous smile and exquisite eyes were
taking turns dancing behind my eyelids every time I
blinked. I made it back to my house in a daze.
From that moment on, James and I had
become sickening cute, so cute that I would be
making fun of myself it wasn’t me. I would be at
work, and he would call to leave me a message. Then
I would run to the bathroom to check it. I can still
remember the first time he called and left a message
calling me baby.
“Hey baby. I know you’re at work, and I know
you’re going to run to the bathroom to check this
message, so when you do laugh because I know you
so well. Anyways call me when you get a break. I miss
you babe.”
I always thought it was stupid when I heard
my friends talking that way, and I vowed I would
never allow someone to call me that, until him. Any
and all messages he left calling me baby were
automatically saved. They might have been listened to
from time to time as well. It’s like he had me hooked
from that first time we met. This was just the
beginning of our story.
We had been together several months, and
everything was perfect. I still got butterflies when he
was around. When we kissed, the butterflies would
intensify, all my worries would disappear, and
everything felt right. I had never felt so safe in
someone’s arms before. He became everything to me
and, that scared me to no end.
We decided to go bowling one night with one
of his friends. I had so much fun, not because we got
to bowl, but because I beat both of them. Best
moment ever. Since we were at the casino already,
they wanted to stop and play a few slot machines. I
was standing behind James when he asked to use my
phone. It was around 4am. I handed him the phone
and let him know that I was going to run to the
bathroom for a minute. I got back at the end of his
conversation and couldn’t help but be surprised at
what I was hearing.
“I wanted to ask you if you would be okay
with me marrying your daughter.”
Obviously I couldn’t hear what my mother is
saying, so I stood behind him with a look that must
have been comical because his friend turned around
and laughed at me.
“Okay, I understand. Good night.”
That didn’t sound like the answer he was
hoping for so I played along.
“Hey babe. Did you just call my mom to ask
her for my hand in marriage?”
“I did.”
“I take it she said no?”
“No. She said yes, just not tonight.”
Oh my gosh. He wanted to marry me! Then I
was confused because he had not even told me those
three words yet, and just as that thought was crossing
my mind, he said them.
“Baby, I love you. You’re the only one I have
ever said those words to. You’re the only one I want
to be with for the rest of my life. We’re going to get
married, if not tonight, then soon.”
I did the most girly thing possible; I cried.
Next thing I knew his friend issued a dare, and we
were accepting the challenge. We drove around
looking for a tattoo shop. Vegas may be the city that
never sleeps, but it was so hard to find a place that
was open. We finally found one and went inside.
“Ok baby. Let’s get a tattoo together.”
I loved tattoos, so I immediately agreed. Then
his friend had to open his mouth and dare us to get
each other’s name tattooed on our ring finger. Though
I said I would never do that, I wasn’t about to back
down from a dare. About an hour later, James had
April tattooed on his ring finger, and I had James
tattooed above my heart. I got played big time.
Apparently my finger was too small to put his name
on it, so it got placed on my chest. I knew it was a
mistake when I was doing it, but I hoped for the best.
I wish I could say that things stayed perfect
andthat our love was epic, but it wasn’t. Life isn’t a
fairy-tale, and things don’t always go the way we
want. It had been several months since we got the
tattoos, and everything had changed. James used to
call me every day, usually multiple times a day. He
didn’t call at all anymore. We never talked unless I
called him. He said it was because he was working a
lot, which I understood because I worked and went to
school full time, yet I still found time for him. He
didn’t see the problem in this. According to him, I was
making problems when there weren’t any. You see the
problem, right? I felt that familiar sense of dread that I
always got when I was about to hurt myself. I didn’t
want to go back to that, so I remembered what I did in
therapy. I wrote…