Afterlife Saga: Afterlife Part 3

"What's on tomorrow night?" She asked and I smiled as I got in the pa.s.senger side and waited for my interrogation.

"She's invited me to see this band tomorrow night."

"You must have made a good impression then, where's the band playing?"

"Club Afterlife." Her faced dropped. "What? I'm going to be working there, I think it's a good idea if I go and check it out before my first shift."

"Yeah, about that." Here it was, I knew what was coming, the TALK.

"I was thinking maybe a quieter job would be more...suitable to your situation. I mean you don't want to rush into things, if you're desperate for a job I could see what I could do, maybe office junior?"

"Oh great, making coffee for thirty people and a whole load of photocopying!" She looked hurt so I quickly added, "Look, I appreciate your concern but bar and waitress work I have done for years and you know what I'm like around machines, they blow up if I just look at one wrong, I can't even get my mobile phone to work without calling China!" She laughed and with that the ache I get when I had hurt someone's feelings faded.

"Libby, I will be fine and anyway, what is it about this club you don't like?"

She made a face like she had just smelled some bad cheese and I knew this to be one of those "things she shouldn't say" faces. So I pressed harder.

"Come on Libs what are you not telling me?" she hesitated.

"It's just...just you hear some really weird things about what goes on there."

"Like what?" I looked at her with a sceptic eye, which she refused to acknowledge.

"You hear some crazy stuff that goes on there, and with the Dravens coming, I'm not sure you should be there." This instantly sparked my interest.

"What do you know about the Dravens?" I asked and she looked confused.

"More like, what do you know about the Dravens?" Well, she had me there, I mean I had only been here a week and I seemed to know about the town's favourite gossip.

"RJ told me that they're a rich family that come here once a year and n.o.body really knows why," I answered as she just stared ahead and for once concentrated on the road which was unusual.

"Libs!"

"Sorry, look I don't want to sound like some gossip queen but I just don't like the stories I've heard about them. And no I'm not just being dramatic, but it just doesn't fit, why they come here, why not some big city to do their "business," why this little country town?" she sounded a bit crazy herself as if she believed they were some secret cult.

"You think its drugs?" Although it didn't seem likely, as that would be more fitting to a big city environment, not little Evergreen falls, New Hampshire.

"No, I mean.... oh I don't know, it just doesn't feel right, I mean they bring all their own staff including bodyguards, which Frank thinks is really strange, I mean why would they need them?"

"They bring their own staff? I mean that's a little strange but I guess they must entertain really important people and just want things to be right."

"Yeah I guess," was all she said but didn't looked convinced and this didn't seem like the only thing that bothered her about the Dravens, but knowing she didn't want to say more, made me all the more determined not to let up!

"Come on, I can see there is more to this story!" I insisted.

"It's just one story I heard and before you ask a million questions I don't know much on the details!" She was getting touchy now as the truth unfolded.

"So what was it?"

"A girl went missing...." She said in a low voice and I couldn't help feel a shiver go down my spine when she said it. I could see I wasn't going to get more than that out of her, so I dropped the subject, not really knowing if I wanted to know more anyway. Not if I was going to start working there.

When we got back to the house there was an urgent sounding message for Libby on the answer phone asking her to call the office. Libby worked as an interior designer for a company in Portland and she lived for it, so as soon as she heard that a potential client had changed his appointment date and that their presentation was nowhere near finished, she went into panic mode.

"Look I have to go but will you be ok on your own?" What, was I five? Of course I would be fine, did she really think I couldn't cope on my own for an afternoon.

"I'll be fine, look I could do with a wind down, a good book and a cup of tea and I'll be set, don't worry about me Libs." I finished this with a hug and with that she was out the door and running to her car, I barely had time to shout...

"Not too fast Libby, take it easier on the gas!" she pulled a face and waved as she sped off down the gravel drive.

To be honest I really needed sometime to myself as since I had arrived here Libby had not wanted to leave me alone, well since the "Incident" I hadn't really been allowed much time to myself and considering the circ.u.mstances I could see why people were so afraid of leaving me.

I decided to go for a walk instead of the book and tea idea, so I grabbed my new coat and my keys. I decided to try the walk Libby had shown me the other day, the one with the amazing view. The sky was clearer now and it was still early afternoon so I would have plenty of time to make it there and back before anyone got home.

I followed the footpath that had been created through years of exploring feet until the undergrowth got thicker. I loved walking. It's the only time that I felt free, the only time when you can be yourself with no one judging you. No one to have to act in front of, and most important I could let my emotions flow through my body with ease. To cry when I wanted and to not feel guilty about whom it may be affecting.

But today's walk was different, as now that I was finally alone to feel these things and let the overwhelming sadness and depression sweep over me, I found there was none and it had been replaced by a wave of unanswered questions and a sea of curiosity. I kept finding myself thinking about the Dravens. Who were they? Why did they even come to this tiny town? And most importantly, when would I finally get a glimpse of them for myself?

I would have to restrain myself tomorrow night so as not to bombard RJ with loads of questions. I was hoping she would have been more forthcoming on the subject but once she had mentioned the drummer, he had become the main topic of conversation. The one thing she did say, which I found to be very disappointing was that no-one hardly ever saw any of them. As soon as they arrived they spent all of their time upstairs in the VIP lounge, and of course they had their own private party guest list that no-one who lived in the town was ever included on.

I didn't really understand why I was so fascinated, why I was obsessing over them but at heart I knew it wasn't "them" I was dying to find out about, it was him. As soon as RJ had mentioned the name Dominic Draven, I had latched onto it like a good murder mystery book you couldn't put down! By the time my brain had calmed itself down and started to get some real life perspective, I had arrived at the spot I had been looking for or so I thought.

I frowned as I saw a natural looking archway framed by the trees. I didn't remember this being here the other day and I was sure I had taken the exact same route with Libby. Maybe we came at it from a different angle last time, yes, that must be it. I convinced myself of this long enough to pa.s.s through the entwined branch arch but not before looking back over my shoulder one last time.

Once my fears left me they were quickly replaced by awe. The place was amazing, as if it wasn't part of the forest, it was more like a secret garden, which instead of being surrounded by a stone wall to keep it hidden and the stone had been replaced by a wall of life, lush green life. The forest surrounded the open s.p.a.ce like a protective barrier, with hundred years old trees standing guard.

I was so amazed that I didn't let it register that this was in fact not the place that Libby had brought me the other day. It just appeared that way because it seemed to have the same view. This place looked like someone's property and I had just stumbled across someone's own private Garden of Eden. Upon closer inspection the trees were different and more exotic looking, with huge palms and vines growing on them with bright red flowers that looked very similar to hibiscus, if memory served me right from watching all those gardening programmes with my mum on lazy, boring Sunday afternoons.

But this couldn't be right, it would be far too cold here for them, and there were even more plants that would definitely not survive in this climate. How was this possible? The only way would be in a greenhouse and I was pretty sure I wasn't crazy enough not to notice I was standing in one! Yet here in front of me was the colourful proof, the yellows, oranges and blues of the Birds of Paradise plant. The bright pink bell shapes of Angel Wing Begonia, sun bursting Dahlia's and the beautiful purple and red Blue Dawns, all lay around basking in the winter sun as evidence to this incredible place.

I walked into the middle trying not to make a sound, only I wasn't sure why, it was just so breathtakingly beautiful that it was like a dream I didn't want to be awakened from. There was no sound or movement for that matter, which I didn't understand. How can there be no wind in this big open s.p.a.ce when there were clouds above me that were moving. There wasn't even the slightest breeze. I could feel my nerves kicking in and I started to tremble. I wanted to turn back, feeling something not right under my skin but I couldn't see where I had come in. Where was the archway?

My instincts were quickly coming in to play and I pulled the metal chip from my hair releasing long blonde waves down my back. My eyes darted from one s.p.a.ce to another as I held onto to cold metal, which was pointed at one end and barely bigger than my palm but from my grip it could have been a sword the length of my arm.

Then suddenly I heard a noise from behind me and as I spun round, I tripped on some uneven ground and lost my footing, falling to the forest floor. Letting out a yelp, I automatically put my hands out to break my fall, losing my unconventional weapon in the process, feeling the wet moss across my skin causing my hands to slide. With my grip lost I tried in vain to hold my body upwards. Instead my hands flew out in front of me again coming into contact with something hard and smooth like leather. I could swear I heard someone breathing, momentarily forgetting the noise I had heard before, then realising it wasn't something.

It was someone.

As I lifted my head towards the object my hands were touching, my hair had fallen forwards like a yellow blanket. I shook my head trying to part the sea of hair that was obstructing the view of what my hands were gripping onto. I moved my hands away quickly as a pair of thick, black men's leather boots came into sight and I gasped out loud.

I tried to get up quickly but the earth under me had other ideas and I slid around as if on an ice rink. Then, just as I was about to fall again a large strong hand circled the top of my arm, bringing back a wash of memories I couldn't explain. Before I had time to think another hand grabbed my waist holding me upright, preventing me from hitting the ground.

My eyes followed the figure from the ground upwards, boots, jeans, belt and a long black jacket that started at his knees. I worked my way up his muscular frame, feeling the heat generated from his body as he still held me, so as not to let me fall. He wore a dark tight t-shirt that showed the indents of a muscle covered washboard stomach and an incredibly wide solid chest, with strong shoulders to match. Expecting to see a harsh hard face to match this warrior body, I reluctantly raised my head to see. I had to keep looking up at him, as he was exceptionally tall, being well over six feet, making my eyes level with his hard chest. The face however wasn't harsh but extremely handsome. No, that wasn't enough, he wasn't just handsome.... he was breath-taking!

He was Mediterranean looking with very dark features and olive, sun kissed skin. He had jet-black hair down to his shoulders but shaped as if it had been styled professionally. He was very well groomed but still had a roughness about him with deep-set eyes that burned right though me. They were incredible, as if they were trying to see into my very soul, burning deep and finding what secrets lay there. They were endless, dark pools of hard emotion framed by thick, long lashes. Not quite brown, more like onyx black, but they had a slight purplish edge to them, one I had never seen before.

He was truly amazing to look at, so much so, that I couldn't stop staring at him. His hand finally released me and my body was left feeling cold, as if his touch was sending a warm pulse coursing through my veins and making its way straight to my heart. This in turn pumped what felt like pure electricity through every part of my body causing it to tingle. I took a step back and pulled my wild hair back from my face. He watched me in what seemed to be amazement, as if he was trying to distinguish if I were real or not. The heat rushed to my cheeks with being stared at and I tugged down at my sleeves nervously.

"Are you alright?" His voice sounded like velvet. Smooth and soft but most of all a strong comforting essence encased every word. I was speechless and was just staring at him, finding it hard to turn away from his intense gaze. His face was just so familiar to me but I couldn't understand how I knew him, knowing that was impossible, as I would have definitely remembered a man like this. I needed to make my lips work before he thought me a simple, staring mute.

"I'm...fi... fine...thank you." My voice didn't sound as cool and calm as I had hoped. His lips curved slightly as though amused by my obvious shyness and this made my heart skip a beat and my cheeks blush even more, so much it made them feel like they were on fire, melting away from my bone structure.

"What is your name?" He seemed to be getting closer to me and for some reason I was backing away. I don't know why but he really intimidated me and after all, here we were, all alone in the forest and I knew nothing about him. For some reason I felt both at ease, as if I knew he wasn't going to do me any harm, and scared as though there was something not quite right about him. I didn't know whether or not to tell him my name and he looked shocked that I hadn't yet given him a response.

"It's alright little one, you can tell me," he said looking down at me, speaking in that soft voice, making me trust him even more but instead of giving him my name I confessed my fears.

"I shouldn't be here," I said while looking down at my feet and trying to escape his dark gaze. There was just something so predatory about the way he kept looking at me. He made me feel like a gazelle that had been caught grazing in the wrong territory.

"Oh really... Then please tell me, why are you?" I looked up meeting a confident smile, which was the complete opposite to my own.

"I guess I got lost." He was shaking his head to tell me I was wrong.

"Oh, you're not lost, you're found at last and right where you need to be I think...Now for your name?" This sounded like an order, all velvet now removed and I gulped down the hard frightened lump in my throat before answering him.

"Keira...umm... Johnson." His hand extended to mine offering it to me and reluctantly I did the same. But as he took my hand in his large grasp his grip tightened suddenly and pulled my body closer to his. Warmth coursed through my blood once again making me light headed. He was looking down at me but I refused to meet his l.u.s.t filled eyes. Instead I focused on my surroundings trying in vain not to be affected by the intoxicating scent of raw Alpha male, leather and a spicy musk combined into one indestructible man.

"What's...what's happening?" I stuttered in a whisper when I realised the lush Garden of Eden that surrounded us fade away into a forest of demise. The exotic flowers began to wither and turn to ashes of grey. The trees blew in tornado winds that didn't reach us, uprooting them into splinters. The world began to spin with darkness and die as though in the presence of the man Death himself. I choked back a scream and tried to pull away from this dark stranger's vice like grip. The movement caught his attention enough to pull me back and one arm snaked its way around my waist putting an end to my plans of escape.

He leaned his face down towards mine and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me as our faces were mere inches apart. But he moved his free hand to my face and pushed my hair back from my neck to whisper something in my ear. I could feel his breath swim across on my skin and at first it just lingered there before the words were released from his perfect lips.

His voice was light and delicate as if trying to control me into a trance as he spoke the words...

"Somnus my Keira."

(Meaning "sleep" in Latin)

Chapter 4 - Feeling Crazy.

I woke up on the couch with the Afghan around me and I was alone. I felt strange, as if I had had a dream I couldn't quite remember and when did I fall asleep anyway? I'm pretty sure I went out for a walk or did I dream that too? My head felt all fuzzy as though I had a hangover or something.

The house was empty and it was dark but most of all it was unnerving. I had never been the type to scare easily but there was something about this house that just didn't feel right, as if it held secrets I didn't yet know. I got up and went into the kitchen as my throat felt like sandpaper. On the way I grabbed the phone to see if Libby had left a message. Just as I turned on the lights, I felt a cold chill run up my body, I turned to where it was coming from and noticed the front door was wide open.

My heart froze as a million thoughts went crashing through my head at once. The first being.... was I actually alone? I ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife from the counter and started to ring 911 but decided to hang up before it started to ring. What was I going to say "I thought I went for a walk, found a Garden of Eden and met the most amazing looking man I'd ever seen then woke up with the front door open." The police would think I was a nut job! I would just have to deal with this, preferably like a sane person!

Unless...no it couldn't be, I would have been warned.

I got that idea out of my head like shaking off cobwebs from my body and walked to the front door. There was no porch light on and it was quite wild outside with the trees blowing angrily and the swing chair's chains creaking... no wonder I was spooked. I closed the door and locked it. It could've just blown open. I tried to convince myself but knowing I would have to search the house didn't make me feel any better.

With all the lights on, I checked the down stairs, which, no surprises was all clear. I then checked the first floor, again turning on all the lights as I went, having swapped my knife for a baseball bat I grabbed from the cupboard under the stairs. I used that to open the doors as I braced myself for anything that might be there. Plus I figured the bat had better swinging range and if I fell with it in my hand I couldn't do myself as much damage, as I could with a pointed blade. I had always been quite clumsy so I wasn't taking any chances.

The first floor was like the last, all clear, so by the time I got to the attic I was feeling pretty foolish. I opened my bedroom door and turned on the last light in the house. It all looked just like I had left it this morning, clothes everywhere from getting ready to see RJ and not knowing what to wear. I started to pick stuff up piling it up on my bed when I noticed something was wrong with the way I had left it. My copy of Jane Eyre, which I had left on my bedside table, was now gone. I was sure I had left it there; I was reading it last night and always put it there. How strange, maybe Libby had taken it to read but on reflection, I couldn't see it being a likely reason. Libby was more of a gossip girl and loved all the celebrities and fashion magazines. I don't think I had even seen her read a real book.

I tried to look for it but gave up when I heard a car door shutting and knew that Libby or Frank must be back, I got up from looking under my bed and was just going to make my way downstairs when I noticed the window was open. How had I missed that? It wasn't even cold in here, why hadn't I noticed? I walked up to it and the wind blew my hair around my face and that's when I first noticed my hair was down. It brought me back to my dream and I wondered where my metal hair clip was? I twisted it back up and knotted it, before trying to reach out to close the window.

"Hey, Kaz, sorry I've been so long, work was mad crazy. Hey are you alright? You look really pale... you feeling ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine, I just woke up actually. I crashed out on the couch." She gave me one of those worried head tilts.

"Maybe you should get an early night, you still look beat and I wouldn't leave your window open, you'll freeze up here. Talking about that, do you have enough blankets and stuff?" She started fussing about the bed and folding up clothes, doing the whole mothering hen thing.

"Yeah I must have forgotten to close it this morning. Say, did you borrow my book?" Her look said it all.

"What, Jane Eyre? Not unless there's a new one out that includes Orlando Bloom and George Clooney!" She gave me a cheeky smile and I tried to smile back but I couldn't help feeling that something weird happened today. Every time I tried to think back to this afternoon I couldn't quite see things clearly. It was as if I knew what was happening at the time and things were too clear to have been a dream. I could smell the flowers around me, I could taste the damp air and I could feel the heat being generated from the guy that I met, but now it felt more like it had been someone else and I just watched from afar getting a blurry glimpse. As if I was watching a play through a foggy window. The more I tried to think about the details the more I began to lose it.

In the end I convinced myself it had to have been a dream! There was no other explanation for it. But something burned inside me every time I tried to look back as if there was some sort of line I couldn't cross to access the information. I could just remember the outline or snippets but not the dream as a whole and it frustrated me.

Libby could tell there was something wrong but didn't press me for any more information. I was definitely irritated, so I decided to get a shower to try and relax before bed, at this rate I could see it being a long night of twisting and turning, only the thought did cross my mind that if I went back to sleep I may be able to access the dream again. There was one part in particular that interested me the most. Who was that guy? It was weird, I couldn't remember him fully but it was as though in the dream he had made so much of an impact on me that it didn't really matter that he was a blur because I knew deep down that he was perfect - if there was such a thing.

I got into the hot steamy shower still in my annoyed state, more frustrated with myself than angry. Losing my mind was a definite sore spot with me, so not knowing what I did for a whole afternoon was somewhat distressing.

I let my towel bathrobe drop to the floor and stepped into the cubicle, instantly feeling better as the hot water rained down over my body. I could feel my muscles relax and the tension in my neck ease. I loved water, I loved everything about it, when it rained, the sound of a stream or a river, or even the sound of droplets lashing against my window in a storm. But most of all, I loved the way it felt on my skin. As if it not only cleaned your body from everyday life, but could also wash away any bad thoughts or memories, making you feel like new.

I let my long hair fall down my back and held my face under the rushing water of the power shower, wishing it could be more like a waterfall in some exotic rainforest far away, somewhere hot and full of mystery. This immediately brought me back to my dream as I closed my eyes and let my mind wander in and out of blissful remembrance.

I had washed my hair and my body with Libby's extensive supply of bathroom products, wondering if she wasn't a little bit consumer mad. There were six different types of shower gels and bottles of all shapes and sizes holding G.o.d only knows what. I used what I needed and came out of the shower smelling like a mixture of jasmine, coconut and a touch of apple. I would have to read the bottles more carefully next time otherwise I could come out of there smelling like a fruit salad or a c.o.c.ktail.

I hadn't realised how long I had been in there until the water had started to go colder and my fingers had gone wrinkly at the ends. This used to fascinate me as a child. I got it into my head that if you spent too long in the bath you would grow old quicker and get wrinkles.

I looked in the mirror at my face and frowned, no wrinkles, but I looked so pale even though I had just come out of a hot shower and the bathroom was still steamy. I wiped the mirror again with my arm and noticed dark purplish circles around my eyes. No wonder Libby thought I looked ill; I looked like something from an old black and white horror movie. Considering I'd had a good sleep this afternoon my body felt tired and sluggish.

I dried myself and changed into my sweat pants and a vest top with an old hooded zip up my dad had given me years ago. One he used to fit into until a beer belly had gotten to him. He knew it was one of my favourites. It had his old college football team logo on the front and it was lined with fleece inside. Most of all, it reminded me of home and kept me warm in more ways than one.

I tidied my room before getting into bed, mainly wanting to find my book. It was strange though, my room looked as though someone else had been here. Had I taken it with me this morning? I would have to check my bag. I shook the feeling off and put it down to the stress. I was like this when I first started taking the drugs that the doctor had prescribed me. I didn't know whether I was coming or going. I would do something completely random and then wouldn't remember why or what I had done. It was one of the reasons I had stopped taking my medication. It made me numb and in my opinion not a nice person to be around. The only thing I did still take was sleeping pills. Now they did work but I still would be a bit hazy on the details before I slept, as they made me a little incoherent should we say.

Which made me wonder, could I have taken some after Libby had rushed out to work? It was possible.

I decided it didn't matter. I'd done enough thinking about it. I got into bed and started reading some course material. It was about time, as I was starting college in a week and they had sent me a reading list. I had an advantage though, I had already done the first year in England but as my plans had to change I decided that it was best to start over from scratch. Towards the end I had missed a lot of work and found it impossible to catch up, not that I wanted to at that point. But at least I would be ahead to start with anyway. I was looking forward to History the most. I loved History. I used to watch all the doc.u.mentaries on the history channel with my dad since I was a child, only now I understood them better.

My Grandparents had a huge library in their house in Cornwall and it was full of historical books of all eras. I used to sit for hours on an old worn rug and look at all the pictures, imagining that one day I would go to all these old temples, tombs and monuments and see them for myself. I used to pretend I was an archaeologist and I would uncover all their mysteries and secrets.

I also loved family history, ever since I did a project in school, I was hooked and made my parents a family tree alb.u.m one year for their anniversary. But my favourite kind of history had to be mythological. I love where the stories originate from, the fantasy behind them fascinated me. Ancient Greek, Egyptian, Aztec, I just couldn't get enough, I loved the drama of it all, the scandal of G.o.ds, Kings and Pharaohs alike, it was my version of a gossip magazine. So naturally it was what I really wanted to study. The other cla.s.ses I had just picked to fill the void. Art had been the only other pa.s.sion of mine but not anymore, that had all changed.

As now I had changed.

There was a light tapping at my door, and I knew it to be a Libby knock. She cautiously peeped around the door, either she didn't want to wake me or she was worried about my mood swing earlier. I hadn't taken it out on anyone, I very rarely did, but she could tell that something had happened since she had left and my guess was that she felt guilty about leaving me. However this wasn't the case. I didn't want her to have to worry about me the way she did.

"Hey, you look better," she said and I knew this to be a lie as the evidence was proven in the bathroom mirror, but I appreciated the statement all the same.

"Thanks, I feel better." Another lie, if this conversation carried on like this, we would never be truthful. I hated lying. I was always really bad at it. My eyes gave me away, which from the look on Libby's face they had just done so again.

"Come on Kazzy, you can talk to me you know." My heart melted, I didn't want my sister, to whom I owed so much, to feel a guilt that really wasn't hers to feel.

"I'm just trying to find my feet a bit...don't get me wrong I love it here and you were right, it's the best thing for me. I'm just worried about work and college and stuff but you don't need to worry too." I smiled to try and rea.s.sure her but I could tell what was coming.