I went to the living room and sat down on the couch. There was nothing that I could do. The only connections that I had in this world were human. Thanks to my parents, I hadn’t even known such beings as the ones we had talked about even existed until we moved to Midvale.
Chapter 22
War Cry
“Hey,” said Aaron’s voice when I picked up my phone.
It had been several hours now since Shawn had turned to his phone for help. My parents had gone into town to see Greg and to check on Adam’s father. It would seem that they had taken to protecting them from the beings that were wreaking havoc on our town.
“Hey,” I replied, my heart fluttering.
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better now, thank you.” I rolled over on my bed and put a pillow under my chest.
“I’m still recovering.” He laughed. “I have to ask. What brought on last night?”
“What do you mean?” I asked him.
“I mean, the claw marks on my back. The fact I feel like I haven’t slept in days, and the reason I keep having dreams about a fire.”
“Oh...” I blushed, grateful he couldn’t see my face. “That.”
“Yes, that,” he said, laughing.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged though I knew he couldn’t see me.
“Actually, something a bit odd happened last night. Something that I can’t get out of my head.” His voice sounded strained.
“What?”
“Though I was very much aware of everything that happened, I still felt as if I wasn’t the one controlling my movements. And I could see the fire in your eyes. I mean, real fire, not the metaphorical kind. At one moment it seemed we were surrounded by flames, then my eyes adjusted, and they were gone. You had this look on your face… I can’t explain it. It was like you were rejuvenated. The black circles under your eyes were gone, and your lips were redder.” He sounded like he wasn’t really sure he should be saying any of this to me.
I sat up, trying to remember if any of this had happened or if this was something that he had fabricated in his mind.
“I don’t know,” I told him. “Maybe it was just the heat of the moment. I don’t remember seeing any flames. And I haven’t noticed any changes in my appearance this afternoon,” I said, fidgeting. This was why it was smart to stick to my guns, but it was a bit late to see that now.
“Maybe it was a dream then. Perhaps the excitement was so great that I started hallucinating.” He laughed again. “Man, what with that and all these weird dreams I’ve been having...”
“What do you mean?” I asked quickly.
“Well, first I had this dream that I was being chased by vampires. Then I had one where I saw this creature standing outside my window. It said something to me, but I couldn’t understand it. Do you have dreams where people speak to you in languages you don’t understand?”
“I personally think anything is possible in a dream. That is why they are dreams. They make what we want reality,” I said, trying to sound smart. I wished I just had dreams, instead of being summoned onto astral planes and having to search for beings that wanted to hurt me.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He sighed. “Maybe last night was just so hot that it felt like I was on fire.”
“I’m glad I could oblige,” I said, stifling a giggle.
“I love you, Dawn.” He broke off. “I have to go now. My mother is calling me. I told my dad you would be in the office on Tuesday to see him.”
“Alright,” I said softly. Then I bit my lip and said something I had never thought would come out of my mouth. “Aaron, in a way I know I love you. I just don’t know if it is the same way that you love me.”
There was a long pause at the other end.
“That is the best thing I have heard in a long time,” he said at last. “I can go with that. See you tomorrow.”
He hung up, and I lay back on my bed, wanting to slam my head into the wall. What had I done? This was what I got for letting the darkness control me.
“It wasn’t the darkness,” Shawn said, coming into my room.
“Huh?” I rolled over as he sat down on my bed.
“It wasn’t the darkness controlling you. You want to think that it was because it solidifies what you think of yourself. However, everything that you did you do because you wanted to. The darkness inside only controls a small part of you. It may deepen desires, but it doesn’t make you act on them. Now, the fire part…” He sighed. “Yeah, you set the boy on fire. However, it was a protective fire that would not harm him. I suppose it was something that you did in the heat of passion. Thankfully, he is convinced now that it was a dream.”
“You are far more invasive than our father,” I told him reproachfully.
“Yeah, well, the one thing that Dad has learned over the years is how to ignore the voices in his head and only pick out the ones that matter. I, on the other hand, have an open line to those I care about. I could even hear Aaron, right now, if I chose to.”
I sat up. “Does he really love me?”
“He loves you more than you could imagine. Of course, at the same time, his love for you is young. Next week the feelings could disappear.” He shrugged.
