Mikaela woke up with start. She was gasping heavily, trying to catch her breath. She was having that dream again except this time it was more intense. She was more engaged. Instead of just being a viewer of her dreams, she felt like she was actually in it.
The rain was falling hard against her window, and the branch of a nearby tree caused a terrible scraping sound to emit. Mikaela didn't even have to look at her digital clock to know what time it was. 3:33 AM.
She sat on the edge of the bed and dug her toes into the plush carpet. She buried her head in her hands and took in long and deep breaths.
She heard her door slowly creak open and as she lifted her head to the source of the sound, lightning flashed. It vaguely illuminated a dark figure standing at the entrance of her bedroom.
Mikaela's breath caught in her throat and in one swift motion, she turned on the bedside lamp. A faint yellow glow splayed across the room. Mikaela let out a sigh of relief when she saw Vinessa standing at the foot of her door, her black hair messy and her face puffy with sleep.
"I had a dream about her again." Vinessa rubbed her eyes and slowly walked over to Mikaela, holding her stuffed giraffe close to her chest.
Mikaela sighed, drew back the covers and gently patted on the mattress. "Come on." She lightly smiled at her sister.
Vinessa hopped on the bed and snuggled close to her sister, clutching her stuffed giraffe to her chest.
"So, what happened this time?" Mikaela asked as she reached over to turn off the bedside lamp.
Vinessa shifted uncomfortably. For a second there Mikaela wasn't even sure if her sister had heard her. She was about to repeat the question when Vinessa expelled a light breath.
"It was scary at first." A slight shudder escaped her lips as if the dream still had a firm grip on her. "I was in a dark room, it looked like a basement but uglier." Vinessa made a face that Mikaela couldn't quite make out in the dark. "She was on the floor, crying. She was in pain." Vinessa's voice broke.
Mikaela squeezed her sister's shoulder and then stroked her hair, "You don't have to continue if you don't want to." Her voice was calm. Even though she felt like she meant what she said, a part of her wanted to know more, even if it was just a dream Vinessa's subconscious had conjured.
"It's ok. I want to." Vinessa sucked in a breath, sounding a little mature for her age. "She was on the floor and she was bleeding. Then she looked up right at me and she smiled. She was beautiful, just like you." Vinessa forced a smile.
Mikaela smiled back.
"She began telling me how pretty I and how much I've grown, her voice was so pretty, it sounded like she was singing." A genuine smile spread across Vinessa's face. "Then she told me to give you a message." Vinessa's voice was low, almost a whisper.
The way Vinessa sounded caused Mikaela's heart to beat a little faster and her breath caught. "What message, V.?" Mikaela asked, she wasn't sure exactly why but her lips were shaking with fear.
Vinessa held her stuffed giraffe closer to her chest and stared into Mikaela's eyes. "Mom said," Vinessa began in her hushed tone, "she said, to tell Mika be careful of that boy. Though he may not be a direct threat, the connections around him will hurt her." Vinessa blinked a few times fast and without saying anything else, she yawned, closed her eyes and gently fell asleep.
Mikaela couldn't do anything but stare at her sleeping sister. Trying to process everything Vinessa had just said. "…be careful of that boy." That phrase was skipping through her head over and over. That boy? Mikaela thought, and as a flash of lightning cut through the sky, a vision of Damien flashed through her mind.
Mikaela kissed Vinessa on the forehead and laid back, staring at the ceiling. The rain was falling hard against the roof but she couldn't hear a thing. Her mind couldn't let go of what Vinessa said. As absurd as it seemed, a part of her believed Vinessa's dream was an actual warning from her mother. A warning about Damien.