Jane

First chapter from a main character's point of view, and from one of the seven people who are going to be gathered. More to come-enjoy!

Jane

I sat in the chair by the window, staring at the cold winter air that whistled eerily on the opposite side of the glass. The first snow of the season had begun to descend on the town, hauntingly beautiful. I noticed this, but sat in a trance, unable to really register anything else but the feel of the crisp white envelope in my limp hand. I looked down at it, twisting it around slowly. The flap was open but not torn; instead kept neatly intact. I ran my forefinger along the edge, then pushed it up. My hands shaking, I slowly pulled out the letter inside, the one I had read over and over again throughout the week. By now, I had it memorized word for word- which had ended up being a mistake. I couldn't get the words out of my mind as much as I tried, like a shadow was lingering over my every thought. The tip of the old, torn binder paper appeared, and soon I was staring at the one word on the page, written in her- Lucy's- elegant script. One word. Jane. 

Suddenly, I couldn't stand just sitting there for another second. I hurriedly pulled on my boots and jacket, wrapped a scarf around me and grabbed my keys. I sprinted as fast as I could out of my house and down the slippery road to my car, tripping and almost falling down altogether several times. The wind stung at my eyes and harshly whipped my hair into my face. I threw myself inside the car, gunned the engine and sped away as quickly as possible. My breathing elevated until I found it hard to breath, gasping for breath as I drove wherever the road took me. 

I barely made it through town, receiving many honks of protest at my poor attempt of driving while trying to hold myself together. It wasn't until I parked that I realized where I was: a park just outside of town. Today, I saw from the parking lot just outside, it was deserted. The grass lawn was growing a thin layer of snow, which had ceased to fall at some point which I hadn't noticed. My breathing gradually slowed, as I struggled to take deep, full breaths. When at last I had calmed down, I recognized the complete serenity of the world around me in that instant. Even the harsh wind seemed to be still. The silence was immense, encasing me as if the world had come to a stop and this moment would last forever. And within it, my emotions caught up with me. The sadness, and guilt, was overwhelming. I began to cry, which developed into sobs wracking through my body. I curled my knees up and wrapped my arms around the wheel, my head bowed over. I sat in my car, which was so cold it had me shivering, and sobbed for what seemed like ages and until my head pounded. I had drained myself of all energy; I felt like I had just relieved the weight of the world. So I let the remaining tears stream down my face, blasted the heat, and let myself fall asleep. 

What would sleeping be without a dream? The odd thing was, I had never had a dream before that was so real. I always saw movies and read books about people who have dreams that feel real, but until now never experienced it in such exactness. The most believable part about this dream was that it took place in the park, right outside my car. There were two things that gave the dream away. The first was the snow, which was at least a foot deep in all directions. It was breathtaking, as if I had stepped into a winter wonderland. The second was the moon that shone above, a perfect crescent. I knew, even in my dream, that when I fell asleep it had been early in the morning. Yet none of this bothered me; I was content. I heard a noise behind me that distracted me from admiring the glorious moon. A girl about my age was standing there, and the only thing I could think was that she was as angelic as the scene around me. She had long, flowing silver-white hair, striking violet eyes, and wore a dark blue cloak. Her face was pale but radiated and glowed like the moon, and though she had a mysterious air to her, she still had the hint of a kind smile on her face. 

"Hello, Jane. It is my pleasure to finally speak to you in person." I was confused-who was this? How did she know me? "I know you are confused. I am real, but I couldn't come to you in person- not yet. I could only greet you in this dream before I continue the Gathering." 

"What-who are you? Why are you here?" She smiled sweetly, like a mother would to a child. 

"My name is Genevieve. I am a Gatherer- you don't understand that now, and for a while you will not, but right now, I am here to help you. However, I do not have much time, so I must be quick." Genevieve took a step closer. "I feel your heartache, Jane, and understand it. Do not let it disable you; instead accept what has past and let in enable you to do more. Do you understand?" 

"Is there...something coming that I need to do?" Genevieve laughed lightly. 

"I could never expect you to be on your own, my dear. And that will all be taken care of. Don't worry, it will all be explained. Just don't give up hope. I must go now." She began to walk away, but turned once more. "And Jane, you will need the gift-you know which one. Bring it back here, and you will soon see your path." With that, she was gone, and I was falling backwards, darkness surrounding me. 

I jumped awake and took in my surroundings. Outside, I could still see the grass peeking through the thin blanket of snow. The brightness of the cold, white air told me that although the sun was hidden by clouds, it was still early morning. My car had gotten warm during the time that I slept, but I had no time to relax and savor it. Instead, I backed out, threw on last glance toward the park, and drove out, knowing exactly what I had to do. On the way back to my house, I tried to keep my eyes off of the silver marks appearing on my wrist. 

Reviews

[Blessed_Angel]

Oh wow where did those markings come from.. And i loved how you put detail in to this chapter. Great job.