interpretations.

     I woke up to the sound of my cell phone vibrating noisily across my nightstand. The alarm clock read seven-thirty, and I wondered who would be calling me so early. I stretched and grabbed it.

     "Good morning, K-doll!" It was Elisabeth, my best friend, and she sounded even more perky than the usual.
     I groaned in response. Mornings weren't the best time of the day for me; I usually walked around in a zombie-like state until I consumed some form of caffiene.

     "Sorry if I woke you up; I just can't wait to tell you all about last night!" She squealed happily.

     "Mhmm..," I yawned, "do you want to meet me at Bo's in about thirty minutes?"

     "Coffee sounds fantastic," she said,"but I was actually on my way to your house-wanna just ride with me?"

     "Sure thing."

     I hung up the phone and dragged myself down the hallway to my bathroom. After brushing my teeth and braiding my long, wavy hair, I put on a bit of concealer and my mascara. Elisabeth always commented on how long my eyelashes were and hated when I didn't wear mascara, because they are such a light blonde that you couldn't see them without it. She also hated my sense of style, or lack there-of. I always wore alot of black; today I was wearing a black. long-sleeved scoop neck tee, my skinny legged jeans, and a pair of black flats. Nothing too flashy. The only jewelry I ever wore was the black onyx pendant my mother had given me before she died; she had told me in would guide me to make good decisions and protect me from evil in the world.  So far, it hadn't really helped with the whole decision making problem, but I liked to think that it was a form of protection, sort of like my mom watching over me.

     Lis walked into my bedroom and made a disgusted face, "Kallisto Lauren! How long has it been since you last cleaned this pig sty?!"

     I couldn't help but laugh at her motherly conduct. She only used my full name when she was using her serious tone.

     "Sorry Mother," I tossed a pillow at her, "I've been super busy studying and stuff."

     "Well, next time I see this room, it better be spotless," she winked at me,"I'll be in the car. Grab a coat; it's freezing outside."

     I heard her say goodbye to Dad when she got downstairs. We must have woke him up talking--oops. The red coat Isis had sent as an early Christmas present was on my computer chair, so I slipped it on and made my way to the kitchen. 
     Dad looked up from the business section of his newspaper and grinned at me. I must have gotten my morning grogginess from mom. "Hey there Kalli, where are you girls off to?"

     Most people said I looked alot like my dad. I was tall like him, and I had the same blond hair. Dad was muscular and had bright blue eyes. Like Mom, I had a slender body and dark brown eyes that turned hazel in certain light. I noticed after she had passed away last June, he had started getting lines on his face that had never been there before. After the funeral, he had taken about a month off work, and we had stayed with my grandmother in Greece. She had tried to talk me into moving there and living with her and my aunt Isis, but I didn't want to leave Dad alone. When we returned home, he started working nonstop and would often stay gone on business trips for weeks at a time.

     "We are going to grab some coffee at Bo's." I replied.

     "Should've known," he said,"Are you sure you don't mind me being in Boston on Christmas?"

     I shook my head. The truth was, I wasn't looking forward to Christmas at all. It was our first one without Mom. Thanksgiving had been horrible enough to endure.

     "I'll be fine. Besides, Lis said her mom invited me to come over and have dinner with them that night."

     "Okay. My plane leaves soon, so I had better get going. See you next year." He winked.

     "Love you. Call me when you get there. And don't open your gift until Christmas Day, alright?"

     "You, too."

     I walked out the door and saw Lis sitting in her bright red Toyota putting on a coat of lipstick. She always looked like a runway model, no matter where we were going.

     "Where's he off to this time?" she asked, pulling out of my driveway.

     "Boston."

     "How long?"

     "He'll be gone until the thirteenth."

     "Wow. You know what that means..," she said excitedly, "part-ayyyyy!"

     "There won't be a party at all if you don't buckle up and slow down a bit!" I said laughing.

     She rolled her eyes. "Who's acting like the mother now?"

     Bo's Coffee Shoppe was my favorite place in town. The drinks tasted great, and the atmosphere was calm and cozy.

     The waitress grinned at us when we walked through the front door, "Two french vanillas minus the cream?"

     "You know us too well, Jess," Lis smiled.

     We sat down at a corner booth and waited for our drinks.

     "So," I asked,"Are you going to tell me how your date went?"

     Lis's face lit up and she grabbed my arm, "Oh my gosh! Marc is such a hunk! Plus, he's a total gentleman! I felt like I was in a movie! You know, one of those super cheesey love stories."

     Marc was pretty much the most popular guy in Fort Oglethorpe. He played football, was the senior editor on the journalism staff, and was extremely attractive to top it all off. I didn't blame Lis one bit when she agreed to go on a date with him.

     "Where did you guys go?" I asked.

     "His parents are out of town till Wednesday visiting relatives, so we hung out at his house. He even made our dinner. It was so sweet! I've never had a guy cook for me before."

     "Wow," I said,"that makes it official; he's perfect."

     "That's not all. Not only does he cook; he's the best kisser ever!"

     "You kissed him on the first date!?"

     She giggled. "Well, who could resist? Not me!"

     We were both laughing when Jess walked over to the table with our drinks. 
     "Can I get you girls anything else?" she asked.

     "No, thanks." I said, handing her my debit card.

     Lis talked about her date with Marc for about thirty minutes, not sparing me any details. As I listened to her story, I watched a group of kids playing in the snow outside the window. This was the first winter in five years it had snowed.

     "Kallisto? Have you been listening to me?" Lis snapped her fingers in the air impatiently,"I said what do you think about Jackson Lemick?"

     "Sorry, I spaced out for a bit. What about him?" I asked.

     "Do you want to double date? He and Marc are really close friends, and I think it would be fun!"

     I thought about it for a bit and stirred my drink with the red and white straw. "I dunno. I might."

     "Come on!" Lis pleaded, "You never go on dates anymore!"

     "I'll think about it."

     She was right; I didn't date often. I went on a few dates with Jackson our Junior year, and I had really liked him. When I lost Mom that summer, though, I told him that we needed to take a break. We still talked occasionally but never discussed getting back together.

     Lis got a call on her cell phone, and by the look on her face, I could tell it was Marc.

     "No, I'm not busy," she said in a flirty voice,"K and I just stopped by Bo's for some java...about an hour?....Sure!"

     She closed her phone and squealed with delight. "He wants to hang out at his place!"

     "Awesome. I need to clean up around the house today anyway." I said.

     Looking at me apologetically, she said,"I'm sorry K-doll! I totally forgot about our plans to go pick out your dress..want me to ask him to reschedule?"

     "No way! We can shop for a dress any time!"

     The Winter Masquerade was in two weeks, and I still hadn't bought my dress. It wasn't really something I was looking forward to. Elisabeth had ordered her dress online three weeks earlier and was wearing a long, backless silver dress with a small train. We had found matching masks with silver swirls outlining the eye holes to wear. 

     "Well, okay, but don't think you are getting out of going!" she laughed.

     The rest of my Sunday was spent cleaning my room (as mommy-Lis ordered), doing the mountain of laundry, and studying for my Biology quiz. At the end of the day. I was proud of my productivity.

     When I was getting in the shower, I heard the phone ringing downstairs. Thinking it could be important, I pulled on my robe quickly and ran to answer it.

     "Hello?" I answered, out of breath.

     "Hello, dear. Is everything alright?"

     It was my grandmother. I hadn't seen her since July. and hearing her voice made me miss her even more than I already did.

     "Grandma! Hey! Yeah, everything is great here; how are things in Greece?"

     "I am fine. Kallisto, I am calling to tell you something very important, but I do not want you to be frightened."

     "Okay," I reassured her.

     "Isis had a vision. She says it was not clear but that she did not have a good feeling about it."

     My aunt Isis was my mother's identical twin. Since childhood, the two had shared a connection and could sense when the other was in trouble or upset. Isis had a vision the night Mom died. She saw her sister's death from her own perspective. Isis was in shock for several days after it happened, but when she regained her strength, she was able to identify the two men who had taken her sister's life. The detectives found it hard to believe that Isis was capable of knowing who had murdered her sister, considering she had been in Greece at the time it happened, but the men admitted to what they had done and were now in prison for life. Since that horrible night, Isis had not had any more visions. Until now, I thought with a shudder.

After a long pause, I asked, "What did she see, Yia-yia?"

"She said it was not very clear...the world was on fire, and Isis could barely breathe. She saw nothing but flames and cloaked figures with distorted faces. They were chanting in the old language of our ancestors..When she tried to move, she found she could not."

"What does this have to do with me? I don't understand...maybe it was a dream?"

"It was not a dream. She knows this much."

"Do you understand what they were saying? In the old language, I mean."

I could tell she was holding something back from me. She said nothing for a few seconds.

"I could not. Our people no longer use it, which is a shame. However, your aunt and I are trying to figure it out."

"How do you know the vision will affect me?"

She got quiet again then said, "She heard them whispering your name."

A wave of fear hit me like a ton of bricks, and my knees grew weak.

"Wh-why? I don't.."
"Do not worry yourself about it right now, Kallisto. Your aunt and I will take care of everything."
Even though I knew that they were too far to reach me if something bad did happen, somehow hearing my grandma say that comforted me.

"I know."

"One more thing before I go, Kallisto. Do you still wear the necklace your mother gave you?"

"The black onyx? Yes. Why?"

"It has been passed down in our family for generations. The story told is that it was blessed by our goddess Aphrodite for protection. I want you to keep it on you at all times."

I reached for the cool pendant hanging from my neck and held it in my hand. I didn't believe that Aphrodite herself had blessed it. I didn't even believe she existed, for that matter, but I still felt safer wearing it.

"Okay, Yia-yia. I promise."

"Goodnight, dear. I love you."

That night I tossed and turned in my bed fighting off the cloaked figures in my dreams.

    

  

    

    

Reviews

[Clarisse Nanoit]

Amazing! K-Doll, huh? That sounds like a nickname that could only be given to the sexiest of the sexiest. ;) Usually, when pieces are long, I get bored, but you kept it interesting... ADD MORE!!!!!!!!
KH

[Kristin Brecoe]

You need to add more. That was a good hook for a first chapter. There's a lot to happen, and I want to know. =]

-Kristin

[Daniel]

Oh the suspense!
You MUST add more and let me know what Aunt Isis' vision was!! :)
I only saw one or two grammatical errors but nothing too bad.
Great story! It's awesome!
Keep it coming!

Write on!