Chapter 1 The first signs

As dust gathered itself on Brooke Meyer's shirt, she laid lifeless on the parking lot's ground in Central Municipal Mall. Her legs and arms were extended, as if she were making a snow angel, refusing to move from her spot.

"You are so immature Brooke! Get your butt here, or things ain't gonna be pretty." Jessica O'Brien, her best friend warned her, her voice laced with exasperation as she looked at the golden blonde haired teenager in front of her.

"I didn't even want to come!" Brooke shouted, rolling on the ground to emphasize her point, as Jessica did the same with her eyes.

"You have five more seconds to stand up and enter that mall!" She shouted.

"Make me!" Brooke's stubborn self retorted, thinking about her best friend's obnoxious attitude.

"Please tell me I didn't just waste 15 minutes of my time, begging you to come off that dirty floor so we could get your birthday items!" Jessica mumbled more to herself, in perfect annoyance, placing her fingers on her temples to calm down.

On the other hand, Brooke who had had enough fun messing with her, decided to stand up and brush the dust off her clothes. Jessica immediately looked up, and sighed in relief. "I owe Chloe ten bucks now. She knew you would give up in less than twenty minutes." Brooke informed the brunette.

"You guys bet on me?!"

Ignoring Jessica's question, Brooke groaned at the thought of giving Chloe those ten dollars. But instead of wasting more time in that filthy parking lot, she decided to get moving, tugging onto Jessica's sleeves so they could approach the mall entrance. "Jessica can I ask you something?"

"You just did."

"Okay. Can I ask you two things?"

"You just did." Jessica replied again, as Brooke breathed out of her nose in frustration.

"How about four things now?" She demanded, hoping the pain that was standing next to her wouldn't find a new way to avoid the question.

"You just did."

"No I didn't!"

Trying to push Brooke off her edge, Jessica emphasized one more time, "Yes you did."

"When?" Brooke wondered. She was conscious of her friend's immature mind games, but played along for the sake of it.

"Just now..."

All she earned was an eye roll from Brooke, who shoved her to the side lightly. "Now if you're done acting like a ten year old, I would like to ask you why you brought me here, on a Sunday afternoon."

With a sigh, Jessica turned towards Brooke, stopping them from walking for a while. "Brooke baby," she started.

"Don't call me that."

Brushing off the request, Jessica continued. "Brooke baby, for the third time, I'm taking you to the mall." She spoke slowly, as if Brooke didn't have a high enough mentality to understand the simple words she was trying to say.

"I got that already. What I'm trying to ask you is why? You come here all the time, why do you need to drag me along with you, on my birthday?"

"Night before your birthday you mean." Jessica corrected her.

"Same thing."

"But back to the point, I'm bringing you here because tomorrow, on the seventeenth of September twenty seventeen, you're turning eighteen. You're going to be a legal adult Brooke. Don't tell me you don't want some change. Especially when it comes to your wardrobe." She explained, giving off a weird look towards Brooke's clothes.

"What's wrong with what I wear?" Brooke demanded, looking down at her outfit. Most of her closet consisted of similar clothes, with different colours and designs. Her pale blue button down blouse, matched well with the white destroy jeans, and a comfortable pair of flats gave off a girly aura. She didn't see what was wrong about it. It wasn't like she had showed up in a band shirt and sweats, not that it wouldn't have been a better choice. But her outfit resembled Jessica's style. Why was the girl complaining?

"Nothing. It's just not my style."

"Wow! I'd forgotten that my daily life consists of waking up to impress you doesn't it?" Brooke deadpanned, not even trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

"Well, you better remember next time." Jessica ignored the sarcastic remark, as they continued their walk. Brooke could see the mall entrance edging closer, and quickened her pace. The underground was getting hot, and stuffy, therefore, she was eager to feel the air conditioning of the mall. "Oh well, now you're eager."

"Shut up. This ain't for your satisfaction, but just the air conditioning." She gave her best friend a quick side glance, and stopped straight in her tracks. Jessica was standing still, and looking at Brooke seriously.

"I don't know if you thought I was joking, but tomorrow when you wake up, your life will change. Being eighteen isn't only a title. A responsibility comes with it as well." Jessica's words were out of the blue and soft.

"What are you talking about? One moment you're pissing me off with ten year old jokes, and the next you're standing still and talking about my life?" Brooke asked incredulously.

"Its not a mood swing or anything. I just had this sort of feeling, of telling you that, for some reason." With a shake of her head, Brooke' s best friend came back to her normal state.

For the first time since the day they met in middle school, Brooke looked straight into Jessica's eyes in a way she hadn't done before. Her friend's sea of darkness invaded her, as a cold chill ran down her spine. Her eyelids dropped, and she found herself standing with eyes closed.

As if trying to break through, she could feel a sort of evil spirit edge closer. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and her whole body felt icy cold with a sudden fear. Not a normal type of fear, one that comes from nightmares or horror movies, but a deeper fear than that. A fear of danger.

As if swept away by the wind, that feeling got replaced by one of soothing calmness, and purity. A feeling of deep contrast, exactly the opposite of what the first feeling gave her. This one gave an impression of flying or floating, as if all problems had been drowned away with the snap of fingers.

Brooke was going to explore that feeling more, go deeper into her mind and body to figure it out, when a sharp voice brought her back to the cold, hard, grounds of reality.

She opened her yes slowly, to find Jessica staring right at her, her eyes darker than she had seen them before. Brooke figured it must've been because of the lack of sleep they had endured the night before, when they were too busy gossiping about worthless drama.

"Hello? Earth to Brooke." Jessica waved her hands in front of her friend's face, which made Brooke stumble back a bit. "You Okay?"

"You're the one asking that now?" Was all she replied, before sighing and dragging her friend past the automatic doors they had reached.

● ● ● ● ●

Sitting crossed legged on her bed surrounded by shopping bags, Brooke stared at the leather photo album in front of her. Only an hour since Jessica had dropped her off, Brooke felt bored, and decided to go digging into the past.

She wasn't in a bad mood, since Jessica had offered to pay all of her items, with the large amount of money she got as an allowance. So why was she deciding to take such a dangerous step behind? The simple album in front of her held things that were better hidden and unspoken of, Yet she felt the need to go through it. As if to torture herself more.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she took a deep breath and opened the first page. Brooke Anabelle Meyers -part 1.

Somehow it was part 1, as if there was yet another part of her life unexplored and hidden. For some reason, because of what Jessica had told her, she felt like that second part was going to start. Whatever made it less different than part one, was a mystery.

As she flipped through the pages, she saw herself gradually grow. From her baby pictures, to last year. When she stopped storing memories. Her mother was in most of her pictures, along side the two most important males of her life. All smiling and joyful, and simply overall different than what they were now.

She particularly stopped at one picture, where she must've been around nine years old. The two boys who changed her life were at her side, and they were all dressed in Christmas costumes from their Year Five Play. They were all side hugging each other, with toothy grins. Her light hair different from their dark ones.

That picture particularly brought back a pang of nostalgia, and envy. She missed those times. When her biggest problem was not being able to memorize her lines, or to forget her homework at home. When she would  tuck her feet inside her blanket and not let them cross the bed edge, because she was afraid a monster would grab it.

When she was happy.

With a faint smile played across her face, she shut out her past, and laid flat on her back. She instead grabbed her bible from the bedside shelf, feeling the need of Wise words. She flipped across the pages, when a small  pink highlight caught her eye. It was a small passage she had highlighted, a small quote she always kept in her mind daily.

There are friends who destroy each other, but a real friend, sticks closer than a brother -Psalms 18:24

Watch out for those who hug you to reach for the flower behind your back.

She told herself. With warnings flashing behind her lids, she closed her eyes and waited for her life to change the next morning.

As she exhaled her last breath as a seventeen year old, when it ticked midnight.

● ● ● ● ●

"Wake up. Brooke baby, it's time to get to school." Bethany whispered into her daughyer's ear.

As Brooke started twisting, Bethany took that as a chance to send a final bullet. She tapped her in the shoulder repetitively, whispering 'wake up' in the blonde's ear. With one last grunt, her daughter was up. Shoving the blue plate she immediately picked up into her daughter's view, she happily cheered, "Happy birthday honey!"

"Morning mom. Thanks." Brooke wiped her eyes slowly, and sighed, relishing a terrible morning breath Bethany had to squirm to get accustomed to. "What you got there?" She asked, when she finally let her sleep go away, and took in the scents coming from the blue tray. "Poison to add to the misery you've already given me my waking me up?"

"If you call a birthday breakfast poison, then sure. This was specially made down in hell for your sake." She joked, with a wink. She watched her daughter take in the bacon and eggs, soft buttered bread and hot chocolate into her vision, and smiled. Brooke's eyes immediately lit up, and a low grumble from her stomach resonated through the room.

"I take back all insults I could've said about you." She mumbled, her eyes gleaming with love for her mother.

"What have you been saying about me?" Bethany asked, a slight suspicious frown replacing her previous smile.

"Don't ruin the moment mom." Her hands were rubbing together, and her tongue lightly brushed over her lips, as she got ready to devour her breakfast.

Bethany, who just stared at her, wondered how fast time could pass by. It seemed like only yesterday, she was still holding her new baby in her arms, wondering how she would raise her all alone. A sudden fear overcame her; a fear that she wouldn't be able to protect Brooke from everything anymore.

As if in matter of seconds, an entire flood of memories came hitting her like a wave. The more Brooke grew up, the farther away from Bethany's grasp she got. And the closer she advanced instead, towards danger.

Her eyes slowly watered, her only wish at the moment being to hold Brooke forever. Brooke suddenly turned her eyes towards her mother, noticing the tiny detail of the water in her mother's own.

"Mom are you crying?" She asked.

"Should I not be? It's not everyday my baby turns eighteen you know. Soon you'll move to college, have a job, get married, and I'm just going to stay at home everyday waiting for you to come back." She said slowly.

"Are you on your period? You seem extra emotional today."

With a sound that was between a scoff and a chuckle, a tiny smile spread across Bethany's face. "You see. This is what I mean. This is what I'm going to miss. Seeing you when you come home, your sarcastic remarks, and your humor in serious situations." Bethany had always been an emotional woman. And events like last year, were things that brought out her protective side. But I'm the case of this morning, it was seeing her daughter slowly grow that brought tears to her eyes.

With a deep sigh, Brooke moved the plate of food aside on her shelf, and sat up straight. "Mom," she began. "I already told you that your life shouldn't revolve around me. Live your own. You don't have to worry about me going. Just know that You'll never lose me either ways."

"My baby girl, you are the type of daughter every mother needs."

With an eye roll, Brooke muttered, "well this conversation just got cheesy. So if you please mother, I have to get ready for school today." She urged her mother away, and took the tray with the food inside once again.

"No problem." Almost as an after thought, Bethany added, "oh and Kevin is waiting for you downstairs. He has a surprise to give."

"Not much of a surprise anymore, now is it?" Brooke mumbled. Her mother pretended not to hear, and walked out of the room leaving the door open purposely, knowing it would set her daughter off.

Downstairs, she met Kevin, her daughter's boyfriend, greeting him for a second time. "Want some breakfast?" She offered. When he politely declined, she set the toast back down on the kitchen table, leaving it aside for Brooke instead.

She examined the black haired boy, and looked past his grey-green eyes, to his polished neat school uniform.

The indigo jacket over the white button down, paired with a striped tie, and maroon pants. She personally hated the clothing, yet enjoyed it.

Perks of sending your children to Hamilton Private High. The school fees could be high, but atleast she didn't have to use the washing machine much.

"...that's why I got her this one." Kevin finished, abruptly snapping Bethany out of her reverie.

"Y-yes. Of course. That's such a reasonable reason." She replied, not sure of half the things she said, seeing as she hadn't been paying much attention to the boy.

The footsteps of her daughter, saved her from embarrassing herself further. She dived behind the fridge, a weak attempt to hide herself, and took out fresh orange juice. Over hearing the conversation of the young couple, Bethany shamelessly invited herself into the conversation.

"Hey boyfriend." She heard Brooke's soft voice say.

"Hey girlfriend." Kevin's raspy voice followed. "Happy birthday." He whispered, and discreetly kissed her on the cheek, well aware of Bethany's presence.

"Thank you very much. Are you ready to leave yet?"

"Not quite. I have something for you." The look of surprise on Brooke's face startled Bethany herself. Apparently, her daughter hadn't believed her when she said Kevin had something to give. The curse I'm rewarded with. She thought. But she was distracted by the baffling beautiful golden necklace Kevin pulled out of a velvet box.

It had a cute little heart pendant on the bottom, with the number '18' engraved in the middle. The heart was outlined with tiny specks of what Bethany thought were mirrors, but were actually diamonds.

If only I'd had the chance and grace she gets when I was her age.

"I can't accept this." Was all the blonde replied. "It's too much."

"Well then, that's a shame. Because I'm pretty sure I can't get a refund."

"You must've spent a load of money on this."

"Don't worry. It was only a week's allowance." Bethany internally rolled her eyes, and saw her daughter do the same.

"Y'all rich ass people can get whatever you want." Brooke mumbled, and Kevin chuckled lightly.

"So...do you like it?" He asked, after a pause.

"Like it? Baby I love it! Thank you. Sincerely." With a small lick over her lips, she stood on her toes, and pecked him gently. He wrapped his arms over her waist, burrying his face in her vanilla scented hair, holding her close to himself. They seemed in comfort, genuinely happy. Although Brooke, Bethany noticed, was biting her l io anxiously.

Thinking it was because of time, she stepped in. "Okay love birds. You need to hurry up, or you'll be late to school. We pay tons of money for you to have an exceptional education, so please make an effort to get there on time." She ushered them out of the house.

"What about breakfast?" Brooke hurriedly asked, speed walking off her front porch.

"You can buy a bagel on the way. Chiao." With an airy kiss, the closed the door. Leaving her daughter staring dumbly at the wooden object.

Through the small opening of the grey curtains, she saw Brooke enter her boyfriend's car, a black SUV, with dark grey leather car seats. She remembered it as a birthday present from his parents on his sixteenth birthday. Watching them talk for a couple of minutes, she saw the car drive away into the neighborhood, towards the school.

With a deep breath, she rushed upstairs, her heart pounding hard in her chest.

If only Brooke knew in how much danger she is in. Was all she thought, before setting matters into her own hand.

● ● ● ● ●

The smell of air freshener vividly covered the air. A lemon scented perfume delicately brushing past her nostrils. It only took a total amount of twenty minutes to get to their private school, Brooke thought, but it usually felt like an hour. Silently sitting in the car, slowly drifting off to sleep. The sound of the motor, a lullaby to her ears.

"Do you not get enough sleep at night?" Kevin asked, his eyebrows raised, but still concentrating on the road ahead.

"Nope. Just catching up on the sleep school has deprived me of, since it started."

"It began a week ago!" He exclaimed.

"Who said otherwise? It only takes a few hours for the torture hope to kill you." She sleepily answered.

"You know our parents pay a lot for us to attend that school right? Show some gratitude by at least enjoying it."

"I do! And you can't even talk to begin with. Tour parents don't even take a fraction out of their bank account to pay for you!"

"Don't be jealous. Besides, it's not helping much. I didn't even understand the few things we did last week."

"We were just introducing ourselves!"

"Well Thank you for rubbing it in." He Murmured. "I'm definitely stressing over our IGCSEs next term."

"Don't worry about it. If you study hard and focus on school for the next couple of months, you'll succeed." She reassured him.

"Easy for you to say. You've never gotten a bad grade before. Well, excluding that D in P.E...." he trailed off. "You have some sort of supernatural intelligence. Even Justin, who's basically a prodigee, has a B as his target grade for the end of the year."

"What can I say? Some people are just born amazing." She bragged, and flipped her hair. Awaiting for a retort from him, he was cut off by the sound of an explosion.

A dark cloud, with incredible speed, gathered itself over the car, golden streams of light striking down on the ground. She tried looking around herself, outside, and saw no other cars or people. Her head snapping back to the side, tried to see Kevin's expression, except...he wasn't there.

Is this something concerning the realms?  Was her first thought. The second was; what's happening?

Her heart started pounding, afraid he had found her again, and was putting up an entire scene to scare her. But instead of that, she was struck by a soft angelic melody, that seemed to come from heaven itself.

Instead of the car, she was standing in the middle of a flower field, the sun shining bright and the flowers reflecting all sorts of colours. As if she had been transported into a new world. The air was fresh, unstained, and pure.

A sort of force pushed her head to look up, and she immediately saw a bird. A white bird. As it descended, and got closer to her, she realised that it was actually a Dove. Slowly approaching her. In a weak attempt to protect herself, she three her hands up, hiding her face.

But instead, the Dove flew right through her, and she felt herself shake. Shaking abruptly, as if an earthquake was carrying her to the middle of its core. Feeling like she was about to get ripped apart, her vision cleared, and she found herself sitting on the grassy flower field. 4

Then, she started glowing, like a fading fire that got a sudden burst of energy. She glowed, until the light hurt her eyes. The glow was bright, and powerful, a nice and soft shade of golden. Growing in her like twigs.

Then without notice, everything stopped. And she was back in the car, other vehicles driving outside. People chatting on the streets, and Kevin talking to her. As if all of what had happened was just a sorry of dream. A dream that faded back into reality.

"And that's why I love you." Kevin said, the retort she had been expecting. It was as if time had frozen in on itself, and she had been transported to a different place. Until she was taken back into the course of time.

It was hard to explain to herself and to overall understand, but that was the closest thing to a concrete reason as to what had just happened.

With her mouth hung open, she let Kevin's words drift away, watching Hamilton Private High come into view.
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So...how was it? Better or worse?? I hope you enjoyed it both ways.

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Thanks so much for reading you lovelies❤

Love: Annelyse😚😚