Destiny Gift (The Everlast Trilogy) - By Juliana Haygert Page 0,43
seen at the crystal palace during a previous vision.
The winged monsters dove down at the city, their strident shrieks and stench made my skin crawl up my arms. But Omi wasn’t done. From the orb of his scepter, he cast a red bolt and threw it at the nymphs, who waited for their deaths, standing like statues and holding hands. The bolt hit them and set them on fire. Gasping, I retreated a couple of steps. I wanted to help them, to save them from his fury, but I was a ghost here.
In seconds, the fire consumed them and they turned into black shadows that dissipated into the gray skies.
In my shock, I almost didn’t see Omi sauntering to the edge of the precipice. With trepidation, I walked to the edge too, making sure I kept a good distance from him.
I peered over the edge. The cloud and the monsters were destroying the city. Men, women, and children screamed and shouted. My heart hammered a punishing beat, and I had a hard time breathing. And when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, he cast new red bolts and hurled them into the city. The town exploded into flames. My legs gave out and I fell to the ground. Red mixed with black until black took over.
“Nadine?” Raisa stood before me. “Talk to me,” she yelled, jerking my shoulders.
I glanced around. I was in my room. My tote was over my shoulder, and I wore regular day clothes. All right, I was safe in my world. This was the first vision I’d had in a while, and not one that I’d ever care to have again. A chill crept up my spine. I didn’t want to think about what I’d seen with the nymphs and that town. Goose bumps ran up my arms. God, Omi was a beast. I was glad he only lived in my dreams.
But having a vision reminded me of Victor. I hadn’t seen him in my visions in ages, and hadn’t heard from the real-world Victor for more than ten days now. But who was counting?
“What?” I asked.
“You were screaming, for Pete’s sake!” Her eyes glowed with concern. “You’re scaring me, Nadine. I think these episodes, or whatever you have, are going too far.”
“I’m fine,” I said, walking past her. After not hearing from Cheryl, I didn’t feel confident seeking out the other specialist she’d recommended. I didn’t think I could handle finding out if I was permanently insane by myself. I needed Cheryl, but she apparently didn’t need me.
A glance at my wristwatch informed me I would be late for my shift if I didn’t start moving. Thankfully, this was the last day I would be working at the café, and I was finally done with summer semester.
I turned to leave, but Raisa stepped in my way. “You’re not fine. You were yelling and panting.”
“Raisa, let me go. I’ll be late.”
“Then damn your job. You’re quitting in a day anyway.”
“Yes, but I have a contract to fulfill and it says I have to work until the end of the day. So, if you’ll excuse me, I really need to go.”
She crossed her arms. “Fine. But be prepared. We’re going to talk about this later.”
I rolled my eyes. “As you wish.”
Unnecessarily, I slammed the door when I left our apartment.
To try to alleviate the anxiety and the rage I was feeling, I jogged to the café, glad I preferred wearing ballet flats instead of high heels like Raisa. And, when the cawing over me began, I increased my pace. I tried to ignore it but I glanced up. The scarred raven circled the sky right above me.
Inside the campus, I ran past a temporary stand selling flowers. There was a phone number painted in red at the side of the stand. The three number eights that composed the telephone number shone and pulsed, as if calling to me.
When I entered the café, I was panting and flushed. Adam shot me a glare from across the counter. I did my best to ignore him and, after leaving my things in the back and grabbing my apron, I went to work.
All the coffee I drank during my shift didn’t help with my anxiety and my shaking. I had to keep my hands and mouth and mind occupied at all times or I would have a meltdown—scream, pull out my hair, and who knew what else.
Near the end of my shift, when I was starting to calm down, Victor