Things Unseen

[DreamCadence]

The crowded walkway bustled with people heading home from work. I heard the animated conversations of the day's activities and the exhausted conversations of a day's work. Somewhere in the distance, I heard the distinctive ringing pattern that issued from the bell tower at six o'clock each night. I was going to be late for dinner if I didn't pick up the pace. With rapt attention, I walked on, stopping when I felt the rush of cars going through an intersection, and going when I heard the monotone beeps coming from the crosswalk signals. Everything was going smoothly, until I heard the screeching of a car. I felt the nudge of a front bumper, and the dark glasses I wore slipped off.

"Hey! Are you blind or something?!" yelled a man, no doubt the driver of the car.

"I - I'm sorry sir," I stuttered. I then looked up in the direction of where I believed the car was located. I heard a gasp from the man and from a few passerby. Realizing the scene I was creating, I fumbled frantically around for my glasses, shoved them back on my face, and walked away as quickly as I could. I walked until I felt the unique texture of the concrete slab my mom got installed in front of our town home.

As soon as I found the stairway railing, I felt a sudden breeze. My skin prickled. I paused for a few seconds, then I continued to walk up the stairs. At the top, I turned around to face the street. I heard the streetlights flicker on and the occasional car pass by. Behind me, I heard someone unlock the door from the inside. Turning back around, I couldn't help but sense that something foreboding occupied the town.

 

[Safria]

I walked down the street alone. I had failed to find the girl again. I needed to warn her he was coming. Someone who just the thought of has most people running away scared. Well most people that know about him that is. A lot of people in this world refuse to see the danger in front of them. Not that all of it is dangerous there's also a lot of fun things in the world hidden right beneath the worlds nose. Of course I get caught up in the most trouble possible by attracting his attention. Now this poor girl is gonna be involved unless I can somehow stop this from happening, but first I need to find her.

I walk into the building the looks like a run down abandoned warehouse but in reality its the home for a lot of the different creatures in this world. For now it is my home too, where my friends are who have helped me through it all. It is where I will have to leave them all behind soon to try and protect them.

 

[DreamCadence]

"Are you okay sweetie?"

I nodded and continued to sloppily eat my chicken salad. "It's just hard to eat salad when you can't see," I lied.

I heard my mom put down her fork. "But you can eat spaghetti without getting a single drop of sauce on your shirt? That would be even harder to eat in my opinion. Most of your salad is in your lap right now. Something must be bugging you."

I wondered if I should tell her about the strange feeling I had. She would probably think I was crazy. It was one of the things bugging me, and only telling her the other one wouldn't necessarily be lying. "Well, it's just...today my glasses fell off, and I heard people gasp when they saw me. Is there something wrong with the way my eyes look or something?"

I heard her chuckle, but with a hint of unease. "That again? Don't let that bother you dear, they're just probably not used to seeing blind people's eyes. Yours is just different from theirs. Don't let that get to you." I heard her take a sip from her cup, and shakily set it back down. At least I wasn't the only one lying at this table.

As I bent down to eat more salad, I heard the lights flicker. It then stayed on for a few seconds, until multiple pops from all around the house meant that the house was bathed in darkness. I secretly hoped the ominous feeling from before didn't have anything to do with a sudden power outage. I heard a chair scrape against the wooden floor, and then felt my mom's hand enclose around my upper arm. An eerie silence followed, and the prickling sensation came back. Sensing another presence I turned my head to the right. I gasped. A being stood by the table, but I could not describe it. Never having the ability to see until setting my eyes on this being, I had no idea what it looked like.

"Mom? Can you see that?" I asked.

"See what?" I felt her head swing from side to side, even in the direction I was facing. "I can't see anything at all..." She then shuddered and her grip got tighter. She then whispered, "Keep close to me." She then pulled me from my chair, and we ran. In the chaotic sound of multiple footsteps, I had no idea where we were going. All I could see was the imprint of the being on my eyes.

 

[Safria]

"John I need you to try again. I need to find this girl before it is too late!" I just can't let him reach her before I do. With her the war could be won by him, and that would not be pretty. Why? Why does this have to involve me? My life can never be easy can it? "John please look and tell me where she is. He is close I can feel it."

"Nina, you already know what her eyes look like, and I told u her location for the afternoon. But I guess I can see if I can pin down her current location for you." He gives me a smirk at this point. "There is a cost though, my dear." He says whispering into my ear. John is a vampire and even the best vampires have their weakness, blood. My blood especially. Not that John wants to posses me as some vampires do. We are friends, but I guess sometimes the temptation is too much for him.

"What is the cost?" As I ask this he runs his hand up the side of my next brushing the hair aside to expose the skin there.

"Just a little bit of your blood. Not too much because if you have to fight him tonight I want you to have your strength. Therefore I will have to restrain myself from drinking too much of your blood."

I don't really want to give up my blood but this seems like it will be the only way. Plus I know the real reason why he wants my blood for strength, so he can give me an accurate answer to where the girl is without killing himself. Scrying takes a lot of energy, and would weaken him for days without some of my blood.

"Fine, you make some of my blood." At those words he bites my neck and it hurts. Then his venom takes effect soothing the pain, but no pleasure comes. He is refraining from letting me feel that. I am grateful right now I don't have time for pleasure. Before I know it he is done and closing the wound. He really did restrain himself I feel as if I hadn't lost any blood at all. If he just needed some strength all he had to do was ask but no he is a guy, which means he has to try to act like a bad ass. It a good thing I know him like I do, otherwise I would probably hate him if I didn't understand his attitude.

He sets up the ritual for scrying for her. What seems like forever goes by, with him doing a bunch of things I have no understanding of. When he finally says, "She is near here, in the next three blocks over. I can't see the address, but the house is blue…. A light blue. The side walk in front is different from the rest as if u step on it will feel different."

"Thank you John! You're a lifesaver." With that I run out of the building following my instincts in the right direction for three blocks. Looking for a blue house with a different side walk in front. There, there it is the house that he describes. As I am running towards it the light go out "Shit he is already here."

I pull out my daggers and run into the pitch black house. "Where are you?? I'm here to help, and we need to get out of here right now!"

 

[DreamCadence]

The mayhem seemed to carry on forever. The sound of footsteps and the scraping of furniture against the wooden floor deafened me. Then I heard a different sound. A door opening. Another set of footsteps. A female voice I didn't know.

"Mom, I think someone else is in the house!" I yelled.

Before she could respond back to me, we ran into something, or someone. There was a moment were all I heard was scuffling, then the voice said, "I've come to help you!"

"You are one of them?" my mom asked. "If you are, follow me. I have a safe place where we can go for now."

Again we were running, except outside. I could feel the night breeze, the steps, the textured pavement, and then grass. A door creaked open, and I had the feeling we were in the cellar. Never before was I allowed to set foot here. Why now?
The door closed, and all was silent, save for the panting breaths of me, my mom, and the girl I didn't know.

"I made this space in case he would come. The enchantments I set up should keep him away. But if they don't hold, hopefully your daggers will set him back."

"Wait, what? Mom, what's going on?"

She sighed. "I knew I would have to tell you eventually. Remember when I told you that your father had to go overseas for a long time? How his job demanded it? Well, he didn't leave us because of his job. Forgive me for lying to you. He found out I was a sorceress. He did stay for a while after finding out; he still loved us immensely. Then that evil being came to the house one night. The lights all went out. Then he spoke to us, demanding you. I begged for time, since you were just a baby. He laughed that cruel harsh laugh, agreed to give us more time, then left. That laugh still haunts me to this day...
"Then you started crying. Your father went to comfort you, but at the sight of you gasped and fell back. 'Her eyes!' he yelled. 'What did he do to her eyes?!' I went over to you, and saw that your eyes were...different...demon-like...as if you were possessed. But you weren't possessed. You were still your little self, only marked by that being. That there did it for your father. He left, blaming me and my powers for the beings appearance in our house. As you grew, I learned that you were also blind. No matter the amount of witchcraft I knew, no matter what potion I would brew, nothing could bring your sight back.
"I prepared for this day that the being would come back, so I made this cellar into a stronghold against him, whoever or whatever he is. But now I don't know what to do..."

All those years my mom had kept it from me. One would expect me to be mad, but I wasn't at all. I wasn't sure what to think. But I did think it was cool to have a sorceress mother. Did that mean I had powers too? And who was this being, and why did he want me?
I heard a shuffling to my right. I was guessing it was the girl. I turned my head to that direction. "You said you could help us. Who are you?"

 

[Safria]

Shit what did I expect to do? I really didn't think this was the time or the place to tell my story, well at least my whole story, so I decided to keep it short and sweet. "I can help. I am not sure how much help I can be, but I can fight him where most people or creatures, unless powerful can not. I know one thing for sure if he gets you he would have a huge advantage in this war. I have powers, but they are not what you would call normal powers, like what your mother has. Though we do not have time to go into that right now. Let me concentrate for a little bit."

He is here, but the enchantments put on the celler are strong. He won't be able to break through anytime soon. 'He won't be able to be here too long the sun will drive him away.' Where the hell did that thought come from??? I feel I should listen to it though, my instincts are telling me it's right.

"He will leave in the morning. He doesn't like this sun, though I do not know how I know this. All I know is we need to leave in the morning till then we should be safe. You are a very good sorceress."