Three

Vanessa

Vanessa woke up in the same bed with her mother. She knew that she slept alone but guessed that she had screamed or cried or did any of those things in her sleep.

Which was normal.

Her mother was still asleep so she sneaked to the bathroom to wash her face. Careful not to cause noise for her mother. They have been driving for two full days and they always left early in the morning to continue their drive.

She wanted to give her mother the rest she needed before they continued their journey.

She didn't know where they were going. However she knew where they were coming from. They were more of on the run. But it wasn't from the authority. It was from something that scared the living daylights out of her.

The thing that has been chasing her ever since her childhood. Her mother never explained it to her but her father tried.  Not that he was anywhere around here. however she never understood a thing.

She walked into the bathroom used it. When she left twenty minutes later with a towel around her, her mother was just stirring in her sleep. She changed and walked outside to find breakfast. She found a café just around the corner and bought a meal for two.

"You're quite grown little one." A soft feminine voice said into her ear. She stopped by the door and looked around. Her heart racing. She knew the voice quite alright. Every time she dreamt of it, a nightmare followed. However she didn't find the owner of the voice.

She scanned all around her for a seven foot five tall woman wearing a gold ancient Greek armour. But she couldn't find her. She then looked for anyone wearing green who could be within eavesdropping range. Or white. Or anyone who had those clear blue eyes. Blue and black hair with a fringe that fell on one side of her face. She couldn't find her anywhere.

"I know you're afraid of me, and i hate it." The voice said again. Vanessa tried to ignore it and walked outside.

"Why are you afraid of me?" The woman she was searching for said leaning by the window right by the door. Vanessa jumped as she saw her.

Unlike in her dreams, she had the same facial features but she had a long look on her face. Wrinkles of worry and grief were all over her face. But she still looked young. Only broken.

Her hair color wasn't black and blue. It was rather blonde. She wore nothing but simple jeans and a pale light orange blouse.

"You... You..." Vanessa couldn't even speak as she grew afraid of the woman though she looked harmless. Like in her dreams. But like in her dreams she didn't want to be turned into a snake. A white komodo dragon with wings.

"I know your father, John Orton won't approve of me being here but I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm not that crazy yet." The woman said softly.

"Then what do you want?" She asked.

"I..." She smiled weakly. She took out a pendant and opened it.

Vanessa knew what it was and her heart broke into two thousand pieces. The pendant Jamie had given to her on her eleventh birthday.

Where did you get that?  She wanted to scream at her but words couldn't come out of her mouth.

"My grandson is... He's not dead. He never was." The woman said giving Vanessa the pendant.

"why... are you... giving it to me?" She asked scared and hesitantly took the pendant not tht she wanted to but her body just wanted it.

"I want you to remember him and not cry anymore. I want you to stop running because sooner or later, everything will catch up to you and you will not have a strong hold." She said everything slowly and calmly. Thought every word she said sounded like she was about to crackdown and cry.

"Where you are going, I don't know becausr its not in my territory. But I do know one thing, he is right there waiting for you. Stop running Vanessa. Find your roots. Don't... don't be like me... I... I lost ...the person I love long time ago because I couldn't stop running. Whatever is hunting you, the dragon that is in you can fight it if you have the courage to step up and fight it."

Vanessa's head ran. She looked aside and saw people frozen in time. The woman smiled then disappeared.

Even as they drove into right into fort Worth,  Vanessa's ears still rang of the lady's words. As the sun came to another setting, they drove into the town of lake Bridgeport Texas. They drove around neighborhoods following their GPS. Her mother finally stopped her Mazda in front of a three story residential building, only one of its kind in the neighborhood. She didn't say or move as her mother walked out of the car. She just kept thinking about Jamie. His twin brother Jimmy and their twin cousins Jason and Justin White.

There was a yes way that Jason and Justin were alive. But for Jimmy and Jamie, there was no way they were alive. She saw them die. Even their parents died that day two years ago. Even everyone they knew said they were dead. There was no way they were alive. She saw them being buried in Africa. The thing chasing her had killed them. Then it tormented her day and night about it.

Her mother came back from an old friend of hers with house keys. She didn't ask her anything but started the car. Before driving anywhere she drove into the driveway of one of the houses that Vanessa always dreamt she could live in.

"Here we are." Kelly said stopping in front of the garage. "The owner said if want, we could live in it as long as we want."

"Who is he?" Vanessa asked.

"Its Anne. Justin and Jason's mother." Kelly said, looking hopefully at her daughter. Thought she was tired of Vanessa telling her to pack and leave at any moment, she didn't want to show it. But still she would follow her because she knew better. The first time Vanessa started telling Kelly to run, she was barely five years old. She didn't listen to her. However Vanessa ran away from home. By luck, Kelly looked for her leaving the house just before it erupted.

Ever since then, every time Vanessa woke up crying, telling her to escape, she agreed because the eruption didn't happen once. It happened almost every time they left. Sometimes it happened when they were still on the sidewalk. Other times already in the next house. It also wasn't eruptions that destroyed the house. It was sometimes fire, at times fire. At times water, storms lightning. All that you could think. But she still wished just set her roots and not run anyone. She knew Vanessa wanted to also.

Vanessa left her in the living room after placing their bags on the living room and searched for the rooms. The first two rooms were okay. The third, she opened and screamed her lungs out. Slamming it shut a second later.

Her mother ran to her and hugged her telling her everything is okay and trying her best to calm her down.

But Vanessa just remained pale like she had just seen a ghost.

She turned and pointed at the room while frozen. Her tongue didn't move.

Kelly opened the door and peeked inside.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Her heart felt like it would stop beating. It was like every single piece of Vanessa's childhood rooms were combined together to form one room. Everywhere she looked was Vanessa's favourite stuff.

There was her favourite flower, white roses, on a white vase decorated with Chinese characters. The vase that she broke five years ago in Europe. There was her favourite colour all over the room. Games she used to play. Even painting of Vanessa in the wall. Her first drawing in elementary was also framed.

"What... The... " Kelly said frozen. When she found her voice she blurted, "I'm sure your father has done this." But she didn't even believe it herself.

"Nope. Dad doesn't smell like that. He doesn't even know about that teddy bear." She pointed to the huge red stuffed teddy bear that was holding a heart.

The teddy bear that she was given for her eleventh birthday by Justin. Even the Santa Claus in a globe. Nobody but Jamie knew about it. It was their little secret. She had bought it when she was nine and sent it to Jamie. Who on his ninth birthday buried it together with...

He eyes widened as she saw half of it. The last piece of their promise, the puzzle piece that had Vanessa's first name on it. Only thing that was missing was Vanessa's piece. The one she lost a few years ago.

Breaking deep down her heart, she broke and hugged the huge teddy bear as she cried on it. The scent on it smelt the same as that of Jamie's and she could swear the last person to touch it was Jamie. She held on it as tight as she could as if she was holding onto Jamie. The only fault was the unmistakable truth that her Jamie was no more. Despite what the green eyed lady said. Her mother smoothened her hair and put her head on her chest.

Vanessa cried on her mother's chest until she fell asleep. Her mother helped her into the bed and walked reluctantly downstairs to pack their clothes and belongings.

Vanessa slept like a baby with the teddy bear in between her arms. She didn't let it go when Kelly put her to sleep.

Like a baby, Kelly tucked her in and kissed her good night. Hoping and praying that she be okay.

Vanessa dreamt. Not just any dream but the dream she's been longing for ever since she was told Jamie was dead.

She dreamed that she was eleven again and Jamie was twelve. The last week of the union. The union she never really who could have the privilege of joining. But never really cared to learn.

Jamie was wearing a navy blue jean and as usual, his T-shirt was white. The sneakers he wore where something like Jordan and were just an inch or two above the ankle. They were two shades of navy blue and white. As usual his twin wore the same clothing but of different colour, red. Except the jean of course. However the other twins, their cousins had worn the same jeans with what used to be lime or was it yellow shirts. She couldn't tell because they were so dirty one would mistake them for piglets. Instead of sneakers they wore golden Cumberland boots. Or at least they used to be golden.

As usual, Jamie who happened to be the oldest of them all and crown prince of the Swans was alone. Sitting on a swing starring at the sunset while his younger siblings ran around the grownups causing havoc. She advanced towards him.

Before she could sneak at him and poke his side, he said, "I can smell roses." Like clockwork he turned and smiled at her.

"I'll always know you." He added.

She smiled at him and sat next to him.

They say you can tell if a boy is in love by his eyes. But today Jamie's eyes were different. The was no love in them. No focus. Nothing except idleness. He did look older than twelve, yes. But his eyes seemed way too lost to be anything glad to see her.

Her smile disappeared.

Her heart stopped dancing.

Every hope that she had about him dissolved.

She looked behind her and realised that everything was different. The house, the farm. All of it was gone. All that remained was charcoal from the burnt house and ruins. Trees crowded the once beautiful farm she used to look forward to visiting each and every school holiday.

What happened?

What's wrong?

Why you like this?

Can you hold me?

She wanted to ask but didn't know which question to ask.

"Tell me you're real please." She said touching him. It was as if he  didn't feel her touch he just looked ahead of him. Even Vanessa were he held him, she felt like she was only holding a cold rock.

Jamie smiled weakly. Despite it being a forced yet weak smile, Vanessa felt the warmth she had never felt in a long time return to her.

However before she could hold on tight to him, he disintegrated into a pile of sand at her feet. Behind where he used to be, stood a gleaming figure of a ghost.

No, no. She got up and stepped back knowing from her dreams what was about to happen.

The golden ghost smiled at her. This time the smile was genuine. Full of power and warm. But it didn't drive away the churning feeling in her stomach.

"Never forget about us, princess Jasmine." The ghost said before before standing up and walking away.

She stared at it knowing fully well that wasn't how things ended. The ghost was supposed to attack her. Tell her to move or it would kill here. However, this one didn't look like the ghost she knew. It looked like Justin. With a small scar on his eyebrows.

"Wait!" She called after it but it was already gone. She saw the ground form her mother's face and she told her its alright. She was there. Everything then dissolved and she was awake. Her mother held her in her chest again. Murmuring in her sleep that everything was fine.

She let the bear go, though it reminded her of Jamie, the only person who she didn't know how to grow to forget. Like her mother used to say, whatever friendship they had, it was nothing but a childhood fling. It was nothing that was bound to last.

However it was not that. Most times she felt like she had lost her everything. Her heart, her love, laughter, everything the day she had a dream about Jamie dying with his family, the Whaler White family.

She hugged her mom, thankful for her being there by her side. Her swallowed up eyes easily closed before she hit the bed, forcing all the memories she had of him into her head and wishing, desperately wishing her dream would be of him and it would be a sweet one. Not a nightmare.