Outside the time, p.19
Outside the time, page 19
The way she snarled the world type I knew she meant he was magic and I was a lowly Nomag.
Keeping my cool I let on I knew all about his type and what they both were and it did not matter to me. It gave me great pleasure to tell her I was head over heels for him and nothing she could conspire with Marsha was going to break us up. No amount of magic would ever be strong enough.
With great force I pushed her off me and stormed off. Mike got angry when I told him where the bruise came from. Some people told me they over heard him yelling at her the next day and telling her who he saw was none of her business. Got to admit, I absolutely loved that, really kind of turned me on thinking about him defending me like that.
The bus pulled up at our stop and I sighed as we stepped off. The sun was starting to set, casting a beautiful golden aura over the sky. Mike kissed my cheek and led me towards the stairs.
"Are you ready for my present?" Mike asked as we reached the door. I mumbled incoherently as I passed by him to step inside.
"Surprise!" Voices shouted as I was about to pass the living room and head to my room and sulk.
In the room a giant banner saying 'Happy Sweet Sixteen' hung on the wall and underneath was my entire family, Mike's family and Claire. Hiding behind Xavier was another moppy top of hair trying to go unnoticed but I recognized that ginger blonde mop in an instant.
"Charlie?" I shouted. The moppy head peered around my brother's shoulder grinning like the fabulous fool that he was.
"That's my present." Mike whispered in my ear before shoving me towards my long lost friend.
Charlie had not even had a chance to completely step out from behind my brother before I was grabbing him in my arms and squeezing so tight I thought I would pop him. I knew I had missed him but it was not until that moment that I realized just how badly I had missed him. There was nothing I was happier about then knowing we had not lost touch as I thought we would.
"Well fine, just ignore our surprise and hug Charlie until he suffocates." Xavier mused. I broke from my embrace and turned to him with a smile.
"Sorry. Thank you everyone!" I politely said before tucking my body next to Charlie hugging him again.
"Come on Paula I do not need your boyfriend killing me after he helped fly me out here for this." Charlie whined.
When I was finally able to pull myself away I rejoined society as I had gifts shoved at me in record numbers. Mike's parents gave me a sterling silver unicorn with a golden horn necklace. They said it was special and I knew it was the charm they had been working on for me. Without having to ask I knew the unicorn design was Mike's idea.
We sat around visiting for a couple of hours eating cake and pizza before Mike's parents went home, leaving Angie to stay the night with Junie. After everyone had gone to bed it was just me and my boys sitting on the couch getting ready to spend the entire night watching crappy movies until we passed out.
Charlie was still the scrawny kid I remembered. He had finally gotten his braces off so his teeth were straight, his face was still littered with freckles to the point you could not tell if he were white or just tan, and he still had an abnormally long neck. I'm not kidding he looked like he would fit in very well with a family of giraffes, his body simply never quite grew into his neck and his ears stuck from the side of his head like a pair of wings.
"I can't believe you move all the way to California and get a hottie like that!" Charlie whispered motioning to Mike. Xavier had given up on the movies and gone to his room and Mike had passed out on the couch with his arms crossed over his chest, slouching on one arm wrest. He looked so peaceful with his mouth slightly open and his head tilted to one side.
"I know right?" I whispered back. "It's like a dream! How about you? Any progress on your front?"
"Still in the closet to anyone but you, I see how they treat other kids who have come out and I want nothing to do with it."
"Can't imagine that's easy, I wish I was still there to help you through it! I'd kick the ass of anyone that made fun of you!" As much as I actually turned out to enjoy California I was serious. I had left Charlie all alone, the only other person to know his secret, and I felt bad about it even if I had honestly thought he would replace me in no time.
"Nah, I'm doing ok. Besides it's not like you're hard to get a hold of." He grinned.
"Honestly I thought you would have replaced me by now."
"Ha! You are one in a million Paula! I miss you every day." He leaned to one side to rest his head on my shoulder and linked his arm through mine. "You will always be my best friend no matter how far you move."
Mike gave us space that week and did not come by nearly as often as he had been. In fact the only time I really saw him was when he would sneak into my room at night to see if I had been dreaming or to just sneak a kiss and some snuggle time.
Charlie was also a nice distraction to have to take my mind off the dreams. Some of them were so strong I did not know if they were a dream or if it was my life that was the dream.
They had been getting weird on me, not that dreaming of a freak from another dimension having sex with me is the definition of normal or anything. But still as far as those dreams went they were getting weird. I regularly found myself back in Azrail, or at least I always assumed it was Azrail, I did not exactly have a picture to use as a reference. I found myself inside a giant castle complete with a portcullis, knights wearing funny helms that had those nose protectors hanging down in front of their face, and servants hustling around waiting on the castles occupants.
Some of the knights were escorting me with their hands gripped tightly on my arms, so tight I could actually feel them bruising. I was led through the winding corridors of the castle to the most immaculate room I had ever seen.
The ceiling was flat with golden squares that alternated from protruding out or being sunk in, it made the ceiling almost look like a giant checker board from below. Three chandeliers were evenly spaced out running the length of the hall that looked like it would be big enough to house a football field.
On the ground were several golden candlesticks, assisting the chandeliers with lighting up the room at night, during the day however there were several windows providing ample light. Between each window there were bronze statues hanging on the wall. Most were of mythical animals like a phoenix, the bird that can rise from its own ashes, a Unicorn, which I could not seem to escape, and various dragon heads.
At the end of this great hall was a fireplace that took up the whole length of the wall with three chairs at the top of a small platform, with two steps leading up to it. One was vacant, a second had Khail sitting in it grinning at me and the other had another man sitting in it snarling at me.
"Told you she would come." Khail snarled. "They never resist me."
I rolled my eyes at him. I would have wrapped my arms over my chest and stuck my tongue out at him as well but the guards were still holding me. The nameless man rose to his feet and began making his way towards me.
With each step his thick steel toed boots clanked on the marble flooring. His clothes looked like something straight from a Renaissance festival I had attended one time. He wore a burgundy leather jerkin with a padded cream shirt underneath it and he had a single sword strapped to his waist by a leather belt with silver stars stuck onto the leather.
When he finally reached me he stared at me through intent lime eyes. Yeah you heard me, his eyes were lime. Not green, not hazel, but actually lime with patches of brown mixed in. The halo around his pupil was a thin yellow. When he smiled I cringed as all of his teeth, the ones that had not fallen out, were rotting and black.
"Vat do ve 'ave 'ere?" He spoke.
His voice reminded me of a bad attempt at playing Dracula Charlie did in an audition for a school play. If anyone actually from Romania had heard him they would probably have been horribly offended. I tried to jerk my head away when he grabbed my chin with his boney hand.
"You are very pretty for a Nomag."
"Bite me." I snarled.
Which if it turned out he was an actual vampire probably would not have been the best words to choose, but he did not have the pointy fangs like one, so I figured I was safe. And truthfully I think my head would have exploded to find out vampires were real. Magic was bad enough.
"You are feisty. But 'ow is zat possible?"
"Because where I come from Nomag are strong, dependent, and they don't take crap from jerks like you!" I cheered loudly.
With a jolt he shoved my face away sending me to the ground. Carefully I rubbed my jaw trying to massage away the pain. Laughter echoed through the hall as he returned to his seat.
"You might believe zat now, but Nomag are all ze same!"
"I know who that jerk is." I began, pointing towards Khail who watched me silently. "But who are you exactly?"
"Me? I am ze Cahgie of Azrail." He bowed his head towards me.
"And what exactly do you want from me?' I would ask it every time but I would never get any answers. The dream would always change at that exact point.
I would be walking down the aisle in a pristine white gown, a vail flowing behind me like a trail of clouds. Extending outward from my back was an incredible pair of wings with soft feathers that ruffled in the wind. Even my hair had turned white and was neatly braided up off my shoulders and wrapped around my head like a crown.
On every side of me there was a gathered crowd of people, some unicorns with pointy eared elves on their backs, men and woman dressed in fancy clothing bowed down as I passed. I was heading down to a sparkling golden alter, where a man waited dressed in a deep blue suit whose features were completely blacked out like the original dream with Khail.
The dream would quickly change before I ever made it to the alter leaving me bewildered. My dreams felt like they were high on crack. I never could figure out what was reality and what was not.
After the next change I would be in an open field by a lake, my clothes stained with blood, bodies lying all around me one of which was always Mike. Khail would stand before me laughing manically pointing his hand at me with electricity trickling off his fingertips, his eyes wide with anger and his lips curled in an uneasy satisfied grin. He was prepared to deal a killing blow when I would wake up in a fright.
While some of the physical details would change the dream itself always remained the same. The three scenes flashing before me, meeting with Khail & the Cahgie, the wedding and the open field and even the conversations stayed the same.
Mike would always be sitting on my bed next to me when I woke up, a towel ready to wipe the sweat from my skin, and concerned was evident on his face as he watched me clean myself up. Sometimes he felt my unease as he stood guard outside as the black lab, watching over me, other times he had been curled up at my side the whole night.
I never had to explain the dreams to him as he had always seen them with me but he could not answer me about what they meant. He would always take me in his arms and hold me until I fell asleep again. Sure a sane person would think it was creepy how he was always in my room while I slept, but honestly it made me feel safer. As confused as I was about the ever changing dreams at least I always had him to lean on when I woke up.
As part of Charlie's trip out west we took him down to San Francisco for the weekend before he left. Surprisingly my parents let Mike go with us and Angie also went so she could keep Junie company, despite their age difference they had become incredibly close friends.
The city was amazing! I marveled at the buildings rolling along the steep hills, some so steep they needed staircases to climb up. Naturally we hit up every tourist attraction known to man. From driving down the crooked street of Lombard that was so popular it was never without a car on it. The sides of the street were wonderfully groomed with flowers and green bushes. I remember thinking living on that street had to be an absolute nightmare with the amount of traffic.
We also rode a Cable Car from Powell Street to the Warf with the driver ringing out its bell happily and of course we visited the Seven Sisters, the houses we knew only as the 'Full House' houses before the visit.
Despite all the fog around the city Mike was actually very calm so I guessed that meant it was all normal fog and not a magical rift ready to suck us to another dimension. Mom and Dad actually trusted us enough to venture out on our own most of the time. It was me and my three boys, armed with a map and a bus pass good for three days.
I laughed as Charlie rushed to the railing at the end of Pier 39 where all the Sea Lions gathered. Each plank of floating wood was covered in the black, gray or brown beasts as they basked in the sun light. His camera flashed madly as he tried to take a picture of every Sea Lion in sight and even made me take a picture of him pointing to them.
One of the best things about Charlie was you could not be sad, mad or anything other then happy around him. His persona screamed chipper and it was highly, highly, infectious.
I sat down on one of the benches to watch him as he read all the plaques about the Sea Lions and their regular perch next to the pier. The wind blew in off the Bay and I could see the fog beginning to trickle around the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. Tour boats circled all around the Island prison of Alcatraz, a stop we had already made on our tourist excursion, and some went out to the bridge itself. Since the bridge was how we had arrived in the City by the Bay we did not bother to add it to our list of stops.
Hello miss. A baritone voice belted out in my head followed by the splashing of a Sea Lions flipper in the water. I swallowed hard.
I don't hear you. Nope, nope, nope. I closed my eyes and lay back against the bench ignoring the voices. Thankfully it was not the height of tourist season so the pier was mostly empty, but I still was not going to allow myself a panic attack.
Please, we only wish to greet you. It is not everyday we get to meet someone like yourself.
Oh please, let us see you! The new voice was softer and more like a child. Each time they were followed by splashes from the Sea Lions.
You are not going crazy miss. The baritone returned.
I sighed deeply and pulled myself off the bench and moved to the railing. Sea Lions on every platform turned their attention to me and started barking loudly. Some jumped up on their back flipper to clap at my sight. I sighed deeply.
Cut it out! I already think I'm a freak enough don't make my friend ask questions. I darted a quick glance to Charlie who was taking a picture of the display.
Apologies. The baritone Sea Lion blurted out and I could see a light brown Sea Lion bow to me quickly while stamping his rear flipper on the wood. His stamp seemed to get all the other Sea Lions to return to their normal routine.
Great, I'm talking to a bunch of Sea Lions. Yeah I have lost it.
Oh my! It is her! A seagull landed next to me and nudged my arm with its beak. I thought I felt a strange connection. My brothers told me there was one up north but I did not believe it.
Oh God… I huffed and covered my ears even though I knew the voices were in my head and doing such a thing would stop nothing. Why is this happening?
Because you have a special bond with us miss. We have heard legends but have never actually seen a human like you before. The baritone Sea Lion barked at me.
What does that mean?
Is that her daddy? The one that can speak to us? The one that makes my flippers tingle? The child's voice called out as smaller Sea Lion pup peered out from behind the baritone.
It is her child, but she is frightened so pay caution.
Ooh! Watch me! Watch me! Suddenly the pup jumped into the water and started splashing the other Sea Lions before jumping in and out like a dolphin.
"So cool!" I could hear Charlie mutter as he snapped pictures. Easy for him to say, he was not hearing voices in his head. Voices that were coming from the very Sea Lions he gawked at.
I don't suppose any of you can explain why it is I hear you. This isn't the first time it has happened. Thankfully it doesn't happen often or else I'd be in a mental ward somewhere! But this is now the second time in less then a year after going several years in between incidents.
Unfortunately no. The seagull squawked. It is very rare for humans to understand us but we know the ones when we see them! We feel an instant connection when one is around! I never would have thought I would see one in my lifetime or that the legends were even true.
Great, as if I didn't have enough rolling around in my life confusing the shi…crap out of me. I really hated cussing too much. Ass was the worst word I liked to use, so often times I had to stop and catch myself. If it were not for the fact my boyfriend was a warlock from another dimension I probably would have already started crying. After all if I could accept that, I could accept talking animals.
We understand miss, we truly do. The time shall come where all answers are reveled by the noble ones. I had to laugh as the baritone Sea Lion spoke more properly then a lot of humans I knew. We shall leave you to your day so not to spook you further. Just know we animal folk truly admire you and that is the only reason we speak to you.
What do you mean by noble ones? I asked.
The ones who watch over all animal folk and even man-kind as well. From this dimension to the next, they watch over all and their re-awakening is near.
I'm sure more of us would like to pay our respects if you allowed it. I was ready to ask another question when the seagull interrupted me. It flapped its wings rapidly. It seemed to be overly annoyed at me all of a sudden.
What do you mean allow it? I can stop you from invading my head?
Yes. But we aren't going to tell you how! It wouldn't be fair! The seagull flew out to a post that protruded out from the murky green water. Its voice was harsh and demanding, he almost came off as a bit pompous to me. I scowled at it.
Fair? And it's fair to feel like I'm a freak because I'm standing here talking to animals in my head while my friend is down there taking pictures of you! Fair when I have no idea why it is you seem to know I can talk to you but refusing to explain it! I mean you clearly know of the other dimension so I damn well know you know what is going on here! Fair that I'm being hunted by a blooming warlock who can turn into a wolf! Fair? You want fair? Come back over here bird and I'll give you fair! I knew if I had actually been speaking I would be yelling at the top of my lungs.
