Mystic Awakenings Ch2

As Sarah took her position next to her competitors, she flashed back to the conversation with the woman in her dream. "You are the only one who can help me..." The voice of that woman is haunting her in her waking hours. Shaking her head, she snapped back to the present and positioned herself for the sounding of the cap gun.

 

"On your marks...get set...go!" Crack! Went the gun. The runners zipped passed the cheering fans drinking their lattes and cappuccinos. Sarah was running faster and harder than ever before. She could hear her heart pounding inside her head. Her body was covered in sweat. She found herself holding steady in third place, with her competitors gaining ground. For a split second, she lost focus. She again recalled her dream. How odd it seemed to her that, she had been summonsed into her dreams by some stranger, desperate for her help to brake some centuries old spell.

 

"Furthermore," she thought, "the stranger holds me responsible for the spell’s casting in the first place!" She just couldn’t shake this oddly familiar feeling, that possibly, there maybe some truth to the matter. Her focus snapped back to the meet. She found herself in fifth place. This was unheard of for Sarah.

 

"What is happening to me!" Sarah screamed inside her head. The sounding of the horn announced the winner and sealed her first defeat. "I don’t believe this! What is going on with me?" Rambling in utter shock, Sarah kept repeating aloud, "fifth place...fifth place..." Shaking her head in disbelief and pursing her mouth, she was pissed, all the way home.

 

"Mom! You just don’t realize...fifth place! I’ve never finished worst than third!" Sarah continued to beat herself up about the situation. Stacey, Sarah’s mother was making oneof her daughter’s favorite comfort foods - chocolate pudding. "Sarah, everybody has there off days, Honey, maybe it just wasn’t your day to win..."

 

"Mom, you have always encouraged me to do my best. How can you stand there now and tell me that it’s okay to slack of and finish last?" Sarah’s mother sighed, then replied, "I’m not telling you it’s okay to slack off. What I am saying is that, there will be times in your life, that you will not finish in first place or be the best at something...You are old enough to grasp that concept."

 

Sarah walked threw the living room slowly, letting her mother’s words sink in. "How can I accept that way of thinking?" Shaking her head in confusion, she mumbled, "I dunno... I gotta call Mica. She’ll understand." Trotting upstairs to her room, Sarah grabbed her cell phone and hit the number three on the speed dial. Mica Beck, her best friend since third grade. Mica has lived around the corner from Sarah for the past seven years, since moving from Groton with her family.

 

Mica’s father retired in 1998, after 25 years of U.S. Naval Service. He had traveled around the world to many exotic places. Mica never did understand why he picked Mystic to retire to. Maybe it was the call of the small town environment, maybe. It was something else? Sarah always got a really bad "vibe" from him, but she could never quite figure out why. She assumed that he just didn’t like her and projected that her way. All she knew for sure was, he creeped her out.

 

" Mica, ya busy?" Sarah asked. "No. Heard you lost. I mean came in fifth place. What happened?" inquired Mica. Sarah responded with a hint of urgency in her voice, "Mica, I havesomething to talk to you about. Something weird is going on and I need your help." "Okay. Whatcha need?"said Mica volunteering her services. "Just listen and don’t say a word until I’m done...okay?" Sarah politely demanded. "Okay."

 

Sarah relayed her dream journey to Mica in explicit detail, as well as the way it affected the outcome of the track meet. Mica was stunned. "I’ve known you since the third grade girl and I never heard you talk about this kind of stuff before. Mysticism and stuff - it’s weird!" "I know, Mica. It has only happened recently. I go into like a trance, I guess and then the real fun begins!" The two continued to delve into the realm of teenage guestimation, searching for answers to their mystical quandary.

 

After dinner, Sarah’s mother fixed her a large bowl of chocolate pudding. She knows her daughter is troubled, but was not ready to talk. She will give her time, as she had done many times before, granting her daughter the space she required. "She’ll come to me in her own time." Stacey smiled as she placed the dessert in front of Sarah and walked away. Sarah looked up at the bowl of chocolate pudding surprised. A smile came across her face. "Mom always knows what I need to cheer me up." She thought as she dove into the pool of chocolately goodness.

 

After indulging, she found her way to her bedroom, feeling more at peace with herself. "Ah," she sighed happily, lying back on her pink, down comforter. Listening to the sound of angry waves crashing in the distance, "Sounds like rain’s coming," she thought as her eyes began to flutter and into the trance she fell.

 

As mist and darkness befell, Sarah found herself sailing high above the sea, guided only by the torches that aligned an old pier. She descended onto the pier. The wetness beneath her feet chilled her as she boarded a massive vessel. What little she could see, the bough of the ship was adorned with a gilded woman. "An obvious symbol of strength, "she thought. The vessel dipped then rose, rocking between the incoming white caps. Sarah reached desperately for the railing, as her feet repeatedly slipped on the wet, wooden deck. "The storm is quickly approaching," said the voice out of the misty darkness, startling Sarah. "Sasha?" she gasped. "You scared me half to death!" Sasha walked over to Sarah and put her arm around her shoulder and said, "My apologies. Follow me. You’ll be safe in here."

 

The two went below deck, into a room, which seemed to be the Captain’s quarters. Sasha lit an oil lantern and two candles for light and warmth. Sasha noticed that Sarah was still a bit chilled. She wrapped an animal fur over Sarah’s perfectly toned back and shoulders to warm her. Her long, dark hair slid over the fur and swayed side to side. For a brief moment, Sasha recalled watching Sarah doing battle with Gilliam in a previous life. She recalled Sarah’s hair swaying the same way after the mighty blow she delivered, knocking Gilliam off his black horse. That was the ‘blow’ to Gilliam’s ego, which kicked off his crusade to destroy Sarah and all things she holds dear. She had that same spark in those beautiful topaz eyes, as she did back then.

 

 

"I brought you to this ship because your castle is not safe for now." Sarah still finds it amusing that Sasha says the castle is Sarah’s. "We have much business to attend to." Sarah listened attentively to Sasha’s explanation about Wiccan rituals, celebrations and offerings and what they signified. She explained the widespread panic caused by the sheer ignorance of the neighboring villagers. The two conversed for what seemed like hours. Sasha informed Sarah of her powers and her part in the grande scheme of things. This answered some of Sarah’s pressing issues. Sasha continued with, " I realize this is a lot to fathom, but you were a force to be reckoned with. Your powers far surpassed even the strongest of the villagers." Sarah tried to wrap her mind around the tsunami of information Sasha sent her way.

 

She instead laughed aloud. Her laughter released some the nervous tension she was bottling up. "You’ve got to be kidding me! Me . . . a warrior? A warrior stronger than all the villagers? Oh my goodness! A force to be reckoned with? Oh, Sasha, you’re too much!" Sasha fumed at Sarah’s response. "I will give you clarity once you compose yourself!" Sasha waited while Sarah regained her composure. "You, my dear Sarah, have lived many lives. You entered a specific body with each reincarnation. Each body gave you distinct and preordained abilities. In each of the lives, you played different but very important roles in rising up and defeating the evil forces that have plagued this planet for centuries . . . your legend was known throughout the lands."

 

"You were the only one to take a stand against that monster and lived to tell the tale! No other has survived his wrath. That infuriated him to no end. He was further insulted that this brave opponent turned out to be a woman!" Sasha informed Sarah. "He then torched our village and slaughtered our people as punishment to you. So, you see Sarah, you are the one!" she delivered that little tidbit of a guilt trip flawlessly. Sarah’s eyes widened and her eyebrows rose uncomfortably high. She sat speechlessly, wondering which ‘Twilight Zone’ episode she stepped into.

 

 

"Sasha," she asked, "How am I supposed to believe all of this? I do not know where you are getting this from, but this is more than a little hard to swallow!" Sarah stood up abruptly and began to pace about the room. She continued, "Then tell me this, why did he spare you, by only casting a spell on you?" Sarah was becoming irritated with Sasha and her "vague" answers. "Again Sarah, to punish you." Sasha responded. "I don’t understand, why would a spell on you be punishment to me?"She searched for the logic in this very surreal moment. Sarah decided she had enough of this. "Sasha, I can’t help you. I have no powers. I don’t want any part of this can of crazy your selling!" she said, questioning her sanity at this point. She started walking up the old wooden stairs toward the upper deck. "No, Sarah! You must accept that which has been written! You cannot change it! You are the chosen one! The only one who can help me!" Sasha was desperate and losing ground. "Help you do what, Sasha?" Sarah shot back."Help me break the spell Gilliam cast upon me century’s ago! You must help me Sarah! You’re the only one who can defeat Gilliam!"

 

Sarah’s jaw dropped. Her eyes were fixed on the desperate creature before her. "Her emotions are linked to her morphing abilities," said Sarah to herself, as she watched Sasha take form of a hawk and fly off over her head and into the misty night sky. She felt that familiar ‘shove’ in her gut as she zipped backwards threw the same misty night sky.

 

 

Awakened with a jolt, Sarah breathlessly sat erect in her bed. Her sheets, in addition to her comforter were strewn across her bed, indications of her fretful slumber. "Oh man, my head is spinning," she mumbled. She looked at her clock and realized she had less than thirty minutes to get ready for church. "Mica will be there. She’s gotta hear this!" She took a quick shower and dressed. She hustled down the stairs and met her Mother, father and sister Sadie who were already in the car.

 

 

She nearly fell on the slick driveway before entering the family vehicle. Sadie giggled at Sarah’s near mishap. "Have a nice trip, see ya next fall!" heckled the little, chubby faced minion. "Thanks you little weasel!" Sarah shot her sister a dirty look. "Mom! Sarah called me a weasel!" tattled Sadie. "Sarah, that’s enough name calling. We’re almost at church, "insisted her mother, Stacey, a sophisticated, dark-haired beauty. Thomas Duke, her fair haired, light-eyed father, turned into the parking lot of the First Baptist Church of Mystic. Her mother looked over her shoulder and shared a humble, "knowing" glance with Sarah.

 

 

As the Duke family found their seats, Sarah visually searched around for Mica. Spotting one another, they signaled to meet each other by the restrooms. They excused themselves, and headed toward the restrooms. Gary Beck glared at Sarah with disapproval. She returned the favor. "God, he’s creepy!" she thought to herself, tiptoeing down the aisle. "Thanks for coming, Mica. Get in . . . "Sarah led Mica into the lady’s restroom and locked the door. "What’s going on, Sarah? My Dad’s gonna kill me for missing the sermon!" said Mica suspiciously. "Don’t worry about your Dad. I’ll take care of him!" Sarah boosted. "You’ve got to hear about last night’s dream journey!" Sarah proceeded blurted out her entire dream in under seven minutes. A new record.

 

 

Mica stood there for minute, just stunned. Then said, "Sarah . . . you were a warrior and this Gilliam person, murderer-whatever, is the person who put the spell on Sasha and Sasha wants you to fight this guy because it’s written that you are the chosen one and the only one who can defeat him?...is that right?" Mica summing up the dream, trying to make sense of her babbling, best friend.

 

 

"Yes," said Sarah with a definitive tone to her voice. Mica studied her friend for a moment and said, "Okay, and you’re sure this isn’t bull, right?" "That’s the thing Mica. I’m not sure of anything right now. Sasha told me that I supposedly had these powers and abilities that I would not be able to tap into on this plane until I master them under her guidance and on her plane first." Mica blinked, then rolled her eyes and said, " Oh Dude! This ought to be a real trip!" She sighed and gave Sarah a big bear hug. "Let’s get back out there," said Sarah. The two then left the restroom and returned to their seats for the remainder of the sermon.

 

 

As the Duke’s and the Beck’s left church, Sarah and Mica hugged once again. Mica said she would call after they got home. Again, Gary Beck gave Sarah a dirty look before entering his black Hummer. Sarah watched as the Hummer slung gravel across the parking lot, then sped away. "Creep,"she thought to herself as she sat in the back seat of the family SUV and shut the door.

 

 

Mica opted to ride her bike over to Sarah’s instead of calling. The two cozened up on Sarah’s bed and continued chatting about the recent dream experience. Mica started off by saying her father was giving her the third degree about her and Sarah spending so much time together. "You know Mica. He was giving me dirty looks all through the sermon today." Revealed Sarah. "Really? I didn’t notice. Huh, I wonder why?" Mica questioned what her father’s actions were really about. "Yeah, I figured he might say something about it when you guys got home. But why does he care how much time we spend together?" Sarah inquired. "I don’t know, but I’ll find out." Replied Mica.

 

 

Mica asked Sarah to tell her more about the morphing abilities Sasha displayed. "What abilities did she say you had?" She asked curiously. "She didn’t." She replied flatly. "Only that we had to ‘work’ on rediscovering them, so that I may use them to ward off the mighty Gilliam the Horrid!"Sarah proclaimed playfully. They giggled and continued their conversation long into the evening hours.

 

 

"Sarah, I wish I could step into your dreams for just one night," Mica said with a small degree of envy. "I wish you could too, Mica," Sarah lowered her eyes and began to fiddle with her nails. "Maybe you could help me make sense of it all." She ran her fingers threw her hair then rubbed her forehead and said, "It’s getting late and we’ve got school tomorrow." They said their goodbye’s, hugged then parted ways.