Luminescence (Luminescence Trilogy) (4 page)

“What happened may be uncharacteristic for you, but everyone has a breaking point. Maybe you found yours.” She gathered the fresh cut flowers and began piecing them into a crystal vase.

“Yeah, I guess.” I was unconvinced.

Pushing the abundance flower filled vase aside, she faced me. “You have always had a soft heart. If someone needed you there was no question that you would help. The stray animals you found. It’s something to proud of.”

Her words recalled a memory of me at nine caring for a weakened baby bunny lost from its family. Immediately I took it in, swaddled it in blankets and feed it baby formula with an eye dropper. For weeks I dotted on this tiny bunny, afraid he wasn’t going to be strong enough on his own, willing with all my might that he would survive. He did. The day I released him back into the trees bordering my yard was a mixture of gratified happiness and an achy sorrow – but I knew he was going to thrive.

“Your right.” I attempted a half smile for her sake. Propping my elbows on the table, I placed my chin in my hands and exhaled. “Now all I have to deal with is the gossip of tomorrow.”

“You’re stronger than you can imagine,” she said as she engulfed me in hug filled with unconditional love. Her hair brushed against my cheek and smelled of lilacs. Leaning my head on her shoulder, I took a moment to appreciate what she meant to me.

By the time my shift ended at the shop I was physically spent. I pulled up into our driveway and my eyes roamed over the house of all my childhood memories, the two-story pearly white colonial trimmed in black. A veranda swept off both sides of the house. In the center of the front view was a massive cobblestone fireplace. Here and there the cobblestone was accented throughout. My aunt of course landscaped the yard, looking like something out of
Better Homes and Gardens
.

My favorite part of the house has always been the large pear tree that sat off the garage. I loved when the tree blossomed in the spring, stuffing its branches with the white flowers. The sheen petals forever ended up dusted over the yard. My aunt inherited the house from my Grandma when she declared there was just too much unused space for just her. She wanted something low-key and less work, a maintenance free townhome. The house had been a part of our family for generations and was very old but well kept.

Walking inside I headed to the kitchen. The house was quiet and creaked in certain spots underfoot. There were some leftovers from last night that I had planned on having for dinner but my stomach was still unsettled from the day’s events. Grabbing a can of coke from the fridge, I headed upstairs to my room.

Moving out of habit, I changed my clothes and discarded the old ones in the hamper. By nature I was neat and liked things in order. Going to the window, I cracked it, letting the twilight breeze into my room, cooling the humidity. I pulled back the covers, fluffed my pillow and climbed into bed.

That night I found the restlessness had returned and I was unable to sleep in spite of being exhausted. My mind raced with imagines, darting from Rianne to Gavin and back to Rianne. What had happened to me today? I didn’t even recognize myself – fighting, ditching school, engaging with a trouble maker that I had wanted to kiss. Covering my hands over my face with mortification at just the thought of how I’d acted – I was a basket case.

Snippets of Rianne’s cherry rash on her arm and the terror and accusation in her face kept me up. My mind over exaggerated the incident. There had to be a rational explanation of what I’d done and more importantly how. So I grabbed her arm, but tight enough to leave marks like that? It was the only plausible solution my mind could come up with and nowhere near made me feel better.

Eventually in the late hours of the night, my body relinquished to the rest it sought. My dreams however, were anything but peacefully.

Chapter 3

THE DREAM WAS ONE I had many times before. Maybe not the same dream per se but always of him. The blond haired boy with emerald eyes which beckoned me – Lukas Devine. He was as
divine
as his name indicated. He looked like the boy next door, clean cut, athletic built and a charming smile. The random dreams of him have existed since I can remember. They have become such a part of my sleep that I welcomed his arrival.

The fact that I converse with a hot guy in my dreams was just another sad page of my so called life. He had been the most exciting part, gloomy I know, till my run-in with Gavin. I chopped it off to being stuff dreams were made of. Perhaps that feeling only existed in the fantasy my mind created. Other than this made-up guy of my dreams, no one had come close to making me feel the heat rushed exhilaration I’d experience with Gavin.

The dreams started when I was very young, five or six. He always appeared to me at the same age I was. We sort of grew up together. He’d been a friend, confidante, and playmate. Lately the pull of attraction seemed to heighten each time I dreamed of him. And because it was a dream, I could be everything I wasn’t in reality – not that I knew how to do that.

I was lying under a weeping willow, mile long branches swept overhead. The sound of a babbling brook flowing over scattered bedrock sounded in the distance, the ambrosial smell of sweet pea tainted the air. A suitable surrounding for dreams made of fairy tales.

The sun was cast above. Gleaming rays speared through pockets in the willow tree. Lukas lay next to me on his side, fiddling with strands of grass. He eyed me coolly, waiting for me to turn towards him. In these dreams it seemed he waited for me. My brain was unexplainable.

“Brianna.” His honey smooth timber spoke my name.

“Hi,” I replied lamely. Even my dreams I couldn’t master being anything other than me.

He smiled at me brightly. His entire face beamed with a golden glow. “Long time, no see.” He was lying beside me on the grass, propped up on the willows trunk. Months had gone by since my last dream of him.

“I know. I was beginning to think you forgot about me.”

He had one leg spread alongside me and the other one bent up. “These are your dreams, remember?” he teased lightly.

He was always so carefree and happy, with no care in the world. I had no idea how that felt. Responsibility seemed to be bred into my genes. We spent much of our doing things I wouldn’t dare do in my real life and divulging parts of my life I was afraid to tell anyone else.

Today was no different.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his bright smiling losing some of its shine.

Sitting up beside him on the trunk, I sighed. “What isn’t wrong is the question.”

He chuckled and brushed a stray hair from eyes, tucking it behind my ear. His touch surged a blooming of warmth over me. “It can’t be all that bad.” Always the positive outlook for Lukas, his world was a cup half full.

Picking at the grass growing near the base of the willow, my problems came to the forefront of my mind. “In my case, it is,” I grumbled, refusing to let go of my somber mood.

He looked amused by my discomfort. What is with all the guys being amused by me? I couldn’t figure out why my thoughts continued to drift to Gavin. There was an extremely gorgeous guy in my dreams and I was thinking about the rebel with the piercings. Maybe the problem was that Lukas wasn’t real and I wanted something real.

Even with the familiarity of Lukas there had always been an awareness of caution just under the surface. Although it never made much sense to me – I ignored the warning. He was a dream after all. What harm can he possible cause? Not to mention his attractiveness drew me. The more I dreamed of him, the closer I felt it. He was easy to be with. I should have just kissed him already.
It’s not real
, I rationed. Better yet, I should have kissed Gavin when the chance presented itself and a real possibility.

“Spill, we’ll figure it out together.” His encouragement was touching.

I looked out over the green valley. “I lost my temper today. It was bad,” I revealed bleakly.

“Are you sure it was as bad as you think?” he asked knowing that I occasionally over exaggerated.

“I don’t know. I guess if you consider grabbing a girls arm and leaving burn marks not bad then… yeah it wasn’t bad,” I snapped sarcastically.

His lips upturned at my melancholy disposition. “That’s bad.” He was trying to hide the smile that wanted to surface.

Playfully, I smacked him on the chest. “It was,” I admitted. “She deserved it though,” I defended, feeling the need to justify my actions.

“Of course she did. You wouldn’t do anything that someone didn’t deserve,” he blithely teased.

Looking into his face I immediately thought about what a contrast he was to Gavin. Like the sun and the moon. Lukas was the boy next door with his wholesome good looks and lighthearted sense of humor. He had the kind of smile that you just had to answer in return. Gavin made me think of shadows, starlight nights and werewolves.

As soon as the thought fluttered through my head, the dream took a drastic change. My head was so filled with thoughts of Gavin and Lukas that it took moments for me to realize the shift.

Suddenly, the air surrounding us began to transform. The brightened sun was covered by the swift approach of dark murky clouds. Threatening winds screamed and howled, whipping the branches in a war against us. It all happened so fast. I shuddered from the gloomy intensity.

Lukas grabbed my hand, pulling me sharply to my feet. “Hurry,” he yelled over the deafening winds. Using himself as a shield from the slashing switch of tree limbs he guided us out from underneath – our feet crunching on fallen leaves. As we reached the edge of the covering, the willows limbs transfigured into venomous snakes, the hissing of tongues seethed and the clattered of tails echoed off the valley walls. At this point it was clear my subconscious was wacked.

An overpowering tug on my leg stopped me in my tracks. Something held onto me squeezing in a death pressure. Glancing down, I found a snake encircled and coiled around my leg. A piercing scream ripped from my lungs, ringing over the valley. Lukas turned and expounded a hushed string of words over the chaotic noise.

Just as abrupt, a ghostly silence erupted, followed by an eerie ambiance filling the valley. The wavering of my breath thundered in my ears over the muteness. He pulled me protectively to his side keeping his arm around me.

“Are you hurt?” He hastily looked me over to verify himself.

Before I had the option to answer, a smoldering ash of solid fog spread – engulfing us. Reaching for his arm my hands were filled with nothingness. Panic started to rise in my chest; my voice was filled with the prickling of hysteria as it pealed out.

“Lukas,” I yelled. “Lukas… Hello.” My voice came across pitchy. Tentatively I listened for his response; only to hear the quick fear of my short pants.

A dark husky voice broke out into the wall of thickening air. “Bri,” it called.

A quivering of fear encumbered me as my head whipped back and forth. Taking a step or two in retreat, I looked for an opening in the compacted haze. My eyes burned as I searched for the image to the voice. If I had not just heard the voice earlier today, I wouldn’t have been able to place it. As recognition seeped through, my pounding heart receded slowly.

“Gavin,” I whispered half to myself in confusion.

Turning in circles, the toe of my shoe bumped into a rock embedded in the ground, sending me sprawling. Landing with a groan, I barely caught my face from connecting with the surface. As I lay there stunned, a band of arms wrapped around me, pulling me carefully to my feet. Even without looking I knew it was Gavin. His scent was like a wild forest assaulting my insides.

I rubbed my hands over my now scraped and throbbing forearms. Fireflies spread through my stomach like wildfire at his proximity. Even in my dreams he caused those pesky fireflies.

“What are you doing here?” I asked dumbfounded. This was a dream, it didn’t need logic, but his presence puzzled me. Never has there been anyone else in the dream except Lukas and me. His manifestation startled me, along with the creepy scenario. Nightmares weren’t the norm part of the deal. Today was just full of bombshells.

His eyes alert, scanned beyond me. Not sure how he was able to see past the smog. The attentive tension in his back caused a suspicion of fear to sprinkle along my spine.

He never had a chance to answer my question, because that was the moment it ended.

I awoke with a sharp headache and lump lodged in my throat. Swallowing to stifle its pressure I was shocked to find it scratchy. Pushing the bed covers aside I rolled off the bed and switched on the lamp, chasing the dark shadows from the walls. It was then I realized my body was trembling.

Facing the oval mirror on my dresser, I saw an unfamiliar reflection staring back. My skin was pale, covered with a sheen sweat and my eyes were enlarged. The violet irises filled my glossy eyes. Running an unsteady hand through my hair, I forced myself to take deep even breaths.

“What the hell was that?” I voiced aloud, startled by the shakiness of my voice.

Leaving the light on, comforted by its soft glow, I crawled back into bed. Bracing my back against the headboard, I hugged my knees to my chest and forced the tense muscle to relax. My mind swirled around the dream and the sense of reality that was still with me. Never have I had a dream with such clarity and devastating effects. Rarely was I prone to nightmares. Even as a child, however this exceeded anything I’d experienced or wish to again.