Out of Time
A Paranormal Romance Short Story
Michelle Wilson
Contents
Out of Time
About the Author
Michelle Wilson’s Books
Also by Michelle Wilson
He came to me at night. When I was deep in the recesses of my mind, I heard it.
“Blair.”
The first time it happened, it woke me. I sat up in bed and looked around my bedroom for him, sure that the past month had been nothing but a bad dream. After a few breathless minutes, reality washed over me. It was a dream.
Then it happened again.
“Blair.”
This time, I knew I dreamed.
I clung to the dark.
“I’m here.”
I tried to call out, but the words were lost in the dark.
“Blair.”
My name. Over and over.
“Blair.”
It was the only word. For weeks I called into the darkness, searching, hoping to find him. But always my name faded as consciousness overtook me each morning.
This time would be different. This time I wouldn’t wake until I found him. As I fell asleep, I entered the darkness. It was the only place I wanted to be. The blackness surrounded me. I was no phantom in the dark. The blackness folded around me like an old friend.
I didn’t have to wait long. It traveled through the night.
“Blair.”
It was faint at first, like a whisper on a nonexistent wind, but I knew that voice. I was certain he looked for me.
“Soren, I’m here.”
My voice sounded loud in the darkness, like the clang of a wrong note.
“Soren. Where are you?” I whispered into the black.
“Blair.” Louder this time.
“Soren! Soren, please. I’m here. Please find me.” I raised my voice again. The back of my throat ached.
“Please find me.”
“Blair.”
His voice faded away. I couldn’t let that happen. I spun in a circle, trying to find even a pinprick of light in the vast void that surrounded me. Though warm and inviting before it now pressed on me from all sides. Something solid met my feet as I lurched forward. I couldn’t see where my feet landed, but still I walked on.
“Blair.”
My name sounded louder this time.
“Soren!”
My voice filling the void.
“Soren, I’m coming.”
I lost the passage of distance and time to the dark. I stopped. The dark still pressed at me from all sides.
“Soren! Talk to me. Help me find you.”
“Blair?” The voice said again. Then something changed. “Blair? Is that you?”
My heart caught in my throat. I strained my ears for some sound, anything in the dark.
“Blair? Are you there?” His voice sounded elated. It was him.
“Soren?!” I called again. “Soren? It’s me, it’s Blair. I’m here. I’m here!”
I ran toward his voice.
“Blair? Blair, where are you? What’s going on?”
“Soren, I’m here. I’m coming to find you.”
I was still running. His voice sounded so close now. I would see him at any moment.
But then I sensed it. The tug on my mind, pulling me back into consciousness.
“No!” I yelled, falling to my knees, “No! Not yet, I’m so close.” I swiped at the tears that were falling out of my eyes.
“Blair? Blair, what’s wrong?”
His voice was so close. I reached my hand out into the dark, hoping to touch him, to see him once more. There was nothing. I closed my eyes with a cry.
When I opened them I was back in Cassandra’s apartment. The soft light of the afternoon sun coming through the curtains caused me to blink a few times as I returned to reality. A tear leaked out of my eye and down my face. I wanted to jump up, but my body protested, so I uncrossed my arms from my chest and pushed myself up off the mat where I had been sleeping. Hollowness crept from deep within my chest out into the rest of my body. I looked around at the faces of the witches in the surrounding circle until I found Cassandra’s.
“Cassie, what happened?” I asked. “Why did you wake me up? I was so close that time.” I paused and took a deep breath, trying to stop more tears from flowing out of my eyes.
“Blair, you were asleep for almost 24 hours. Your vital signs were becoming unstable. We had to wake you up.”
I busied myself with unhooking the monitor strapped around my wrist and pulled off the electrodes stuck to my forehead.
“Well?” I looked over at Marie. The witch sat at the kitchen table in front of a computer.
Marie shared a glance with Cassandra. Cassandra cleared her throat.
“Come on Blair, let’s get you some water and some food. Once you’ve had something to eat, we can talk.” She stood and grabbed my hand to help me up.
“No.”
I jerked my hand away from Cassandra and glared up at her friend.
“I want to know what you found. Where did I go? Where is Soren?”
Cassandra shared another glance with Marie and whispered, “Blair, you didn't go anywhere. None of our readings were abnormal. We kept you under as long as we could, but you were just dreaming.”
I felt like someone kicked me in the chest. I sat there in the middle of the floor as the surrounding witches cleaned up the candles and herbs they had been using for the spell casting. Someone handed me a cup of hot tea. I took a sip. The tea ran down my throat and out to my limbs, rejuvenating me.
Cassandra’s words echoed in my head. You were just dreaming. My feet ached from walking so long. And Soren had answered me this time. There was no way I was dreaming. Wherever I was going when I was asleep was real, and Soren was waiting for me there.
“No worries. Next time we will see what we can tweak. Maybe if I go to sleep first, and then you all start the spell, it will show something different. Isn’t there a tracking spell? If you tell me the words once I get there, I can say them. Or, if I can find Soren next time, he can say them, and you’ll be able to track us.”
I laced up my tennis
