Young Writers Society

I'm sure you guys hate me now for posted this so many times to as an added bonus just for actually reading this I'm posting chapter five. So thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Rain Before Dawn

Chapter 1

Upon the ground freshly fallen dew is rubbing against the knee highs of a crying little girl. Her tears, streaming, are falling, fast, on the ankle-high grass. In her hand is a large white lily whose pollen is spraying as fast as her tears. She stops when she makes it to a medium sized tombstone. She kneels down and lays the lily on top of the dirt in front of the stone. Tears pour from her eyes and soften the ground on the grave. The girl puts her hands on the ground wishing to be closer than as close as she was.

Amber grabs a can of Cola and pulls her hand out from the inside of the fridge. She shuts the fridge door as Faith walks in.

“What did you do to your hair?” Amber questions.

Faith’s wavy brown hair whips out from the two pig tails that were in it.

“Nothing.” She says innocently.

She looks straight into Ambers’ sparkling green eyes. “Hey Amber, you think you can pick up a movie for us to watch later?”

She takes a wooden spoon out from the draw and does a Kungfu pose; Amber busts out laughing. “Maybe a Kungfu?”

Amber stops laughing abruptly. “It’s going to rain soon and you know I don’t like to drive in the rain.”

“It will only take a few minutes.” Faith puffs out her lips, “Please?”

Amber takes the keys off of the counter and stuffs them into her pocket. “Fine but I’m only going because you have to ‘sit your sister.”

Faith jumps into the air. Amber down the hall and past the room she’ll be staying in this night; she sighs and opens the door into the garage. The cold hard ground underneath her feet reminds her of a grave yard ground. She slips her feet into a pair of flip-flops and takes out the keys unlocking the car doors. Suddenly she hears the slow R&B rhythm bursting through the little window in the garage. Amber remembers how people would always ask if Faith and Amber were twins but since Faith dyed her hair from blonde to a dark brown nobody asks that anymore. The leather seat feels cool and soft as she sits down upon it and clicks the button on the key; opening the garage door. She puts the key into the ignition.

The same little girl, but older now, is looking out of a fragile glass window that is fogged up from the intense precipitation outside. She walks over to the door, locks it and walks back to the window. She slides the lock over and pushes up. A clicking sound can be heard and a gust of cool, wet wind hits her small face. It is just enough space for her to climb out and step down the ladder on the side of the house. Her thin skirt clings to her legs as she gets off and sneaks past the big window leading into the living room. A bush from behind her rustles but she doesn’t notice or hear it. In front of her is an electric scooter so she rides it off down a street and onto another. Onto another street until she gets to a small cemetery. She parks the scooter and runs down the many rows of stones. One row in particular she stops at, walks down and touches one stone. Moss covered most the name but she read ‘Alexis Soto’. The rain pours harder as she stands in it crying. Mud splashes up on her legs, caking them.

Amber starts the car and pulls out of the garage. Driving down the street she pops open the island and pulls out a C.D. She puts it into the C.D. player and cranks it.

When she gets out of Blockbuster it starts to pour so she runs to the car.

“Shit, shit, shit!” she yells as she opens the car door and gets inside.

She puts the key into the ignition; the car makes a sputtering noise.

“Fuck, it’s flooded.”

She pounds her hand against the wheel.

She tries it again, this time it purrs “Alright.”

Suddenly a big boom of thunder roars through the parking lot. “Ok time to get going.”

Traffic is terrible but being the kind hearted person she is, she cuts someone off and speeds up to the best of her ability. She pulls onto a small road to avoid any other traffic. Now the rain has fastened its pace so the car is starting to fog up. She presses her face up against the windshield so she can see. She stops at a red light and fumbles with the heater knobs. When she’s not looking the light turns green and a big truck from behind her honks its horn.

“Damn it.”

She floors the car, the speed she is doing is too fast for the wet road; the car starts to slip. She loses control and the car goes over a side ditch. It smashes into a tree and sends Ambers’ head into the dashboard. Blood drips down on her face. Before she passes out she hears the sound of rain pounding at the crushed metal.

“Oh my head.” Are those the last words ever escaping from her lips?

Chapter 2

In heaven an argument is just ending between God and a very stubborn angel.

“Please spare Eve, God. She means a lot to me and my whole world.” the angel plies.

“I will do what is right and no angel is going to tell me what to do.” God‘s normally cheery smile is now an angered frown. “Now please leave, Michael.”

Even Michael can see that God is holding something from him. He looks deep into the forgiving eyes of God. “Just promise me she’ll be ok, Eve is dearly needed on Amum.”

God looks at Michaels’ feeble attempt to change his mind. He shakes his head, “Please leave.”

Michael’s face goes dull. He turns from God, somewhat ashamed, and leaves.

The girl, who is now a lot older than before, is sitting on a stone in the middle of the night. She studies her surroundings, almost as if she is waiting for something or someone. She looks at her watch then back at the dark of the night. A woman, around the age of twenty, walks up behind the girl and taps her on the shoulder. The girl turns and sees the woman has a Faithlow yellow glow around the outline of her. She is filled with a calming feeling and smiles. In her mind she thinks about the last time she ever smiled, never. When her eyes get adjusted she sees the woman has dark green eyes and light blonde hair. “Mother?” the word almost pops out of her mouth. The women looks around worried, “I don’t have long, but promise me you’ll never give up.” The girl nods slowly, confused. “Good.” The woman disappears as fast as she came.

Amber wakes startled. She sits up straight in the bed she’s in. Her head fills with pain but she still looks around. She’s in a pale yellow room. On the right side of her are a chair and a little window. And on her left is a small table with a glass of water on it.

She thinks for a second, “This place looks awfully dreary.”

Suddenly it hits her, “Oh my god I’m in a hospital!” she screams.

Faith comes rushing in. “Are you ok?”

Amber looks at her, “Faith, what happened to me? Why am I here?”

Faith looks Amber straight in her forest green eyes. “Amber, you were in a car crash. Luckily someone saw the whole thing and called an ambulance. The doctors said you lost some blood but you would be ok. You‘ve been asleep for one day. So you’re about ready to leave. ”

Mortified, Amber stares at Faith; she dare not blink.

“I know you don’t like hospitals, Amber, but it’s for the best.”

Amber snaps out of her daze, “Faith, you know that they just stuff a person in a room and leave them there to rot.”

Faith stares her friend in the eyes “I swear Amber I’d never let them do anything that would harm you.”

“Yeah, but you know what happened to my mother. The doctors just let her rot in a room until there was no more.”

“I know Amber, I know.”

Amber stops to take it all in, tears prickling at the backs of her eyes. “Is my mother here?” she asks.

“She’ll be here shortly.”

Amber grips her head for now the throbbing is getting worse, Faith looks worriedly.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah.” She let’s go of her head and looks around.

“I’m so glad you’re ok, Amber.” Faith smiles.

The atmosphere is a bit tense.

“So, how long am I going to be here for?” Amber asks her voice trembling.

“I don’t know for sure, but I think just today and tomorrow.”

Mother walks in, “Ok Faith, Amber needs to get more sleep if she wants to leave tomorrow.”

Faith strolls out of the door. Her mother sits on the corner of her bed.

“I know you don’t want to be here Amber, but it’s for the best. I brought soup, in case you’re hungry.” Amber looks at the bowl of tomato soup, her favorite, and smiles at her mother.

“That’s the Amber I know.” she says.

Amber takes the soup and gobbles it down. She hands it to her mother and falls asleep quickly. Her mother kisses her forehead and walks away.

Amber is running in a field, she isn’t being chased yet she runs faster. She stops when she gets to a forest, a very bushy forest. A prickly vine pops out of the brush and tries to grab a hold of her arm. She catches it and pulls it off; catching a thorn in her hand. Suddenly she turns toward where she was running from. Someone in a long black robe is running up to her. She lets out a loud, painful and agonizing screech. The person snickers and grabs Amber’s arms. “No one can hear you, love.” She screams louder as they pull off their hood on their head. Before she can get a look of their face……

She sits up, hot and sweaty.

Chapter 3

Relief washes over her face as she sees through the darkness that she’s still in her hospital room. The dream scared her so she looks around the room to make sure she’s really there. She sees a chair, a T.V., door leading to the hallway, she stops when she sees the little window near her is open slightly.

“Huh? Was that window open when I went to sleep?” she pulls the covers off herself and gets out of bed, slowly.

Suddenly the window shuts and a big gust of wind whirls in the small room. She shakes her head, in an ’I give up’ manner, and walks back to her bed, not knowing eyes are watching her the whole way. She lifts the blanket up, about to crawl in, when she feels like someone is behind her. She turns to see no one, so she slithers on the mattress and nods off into a deep sleep. Off in the corner of her room deep in the shadows two glowing red eyes stare at her the rest of the night long.

Soft humming from beside her wakes Amber from her intense slumber. She opens her eyes to see a man in a long white robe sitting in the chair next to her bed. He is humming a gentle tune while staring out the window next to him. He stops when he sees Amber is watching him.

“I see you are awake now, my dear.” his voice is light and gentle, like a summer’s breeze.

“Who are you?” she asks politely.

“The names Michael.”

“Oh well, I believe you have the wrong person, I don’t know any Michaels’.” she says in the nicest voice possible.

“Oh I do have the right person.” she gives him a puzzled look, “If you still do not believe me, your name is Amber is it not?”

She studies his look of certainty “Yes, I guess you do have the right person. May I ask what you’re here for? Are you a doctor or a therapist, what?”

He chuckles at this, “My dear, sweet Amber. You will find out very soon why I am here. As for now, you mustn’t ask questions.”

Still puzzled by this mysterious man, she feels a calmness wrap around her as she gazes into his emerald green eyes. Something about him makes her feel as though she has met him before.

He grips her hand, his touch like a ray of warm sunlight, stroking it lightly he whispers. “I can not explain this but I must go. You will find out when I get back. Do not worry I’ll be back soon.”

Still confused she whispers, “I can wait to find out.”

“But before I go, I have your lunch.”

He sets a tray of lots of colorful foods on her lap.

Before she can say thanks, he disappears like a mirage slowly fading out of sight. She gasps and rubs her eyes.

“I’m seeing things on top of the terrible throbbing in my head?” she looks at the food and puts it on the table next to her. “I’ll save it for later.”

“Now I feel bad, I can‘t remember how I know Michael.” She sighs and turns the T.V. on with the little remote in her bed rail. “Maybe I’ll remember later.”

As it gets later in the day the sun shinning in her room retracts and it gets darker and darker in the small pale yellow room. Soon like every other Sunday, there is nothing good on the T.V. and since she doesn’t want to sit in complete silence, she watches the news. Amber snickers when she sees the newscaster is an obese man in an impossibly small coat.

“Hey look a fat man in a little coat!” she bursts out laughing referring to the song.

He adjusts his toupee on his head and clears his throat.

“This is the six o’ clock news at six. I’m Harry Blasdell and this is my co-host, Lisa Diaz,” a small Spanish woman sitting next the big man nods her head, making it look like she’s a bobble head doll, “Our top story today, priceless jewels stolen from the richest woman in the country. And later in the program, gas prices to rise again? A fire in the forest of Fijis? All this and more after these messages.”

A hair care commercial comes on but Amber doesn’t care, she’s intrigued about the story regarding the jewels.

She hears a soft knock on her door, “It’s Matt, can I come in?”

She walks over to the door and opens it.

A tall skinny boy about the age of 16 walks in. Amber sniggers when she sees that his pants are falling off his skinny waist. She shuts the door and sits on her bed. He pulls his pants up and sits in the chair. She looks over at him and he looks back at her. His eyes are dull and almost lifeless.

“How you feeling, ’sis?” his voice in monotone.

Not noticing Amber answers, “I’ll live.”

He giggles, a thing that Matt is not known to do. Amber gives him a weird look and he stops. He gets up from his seat and nervously fumbles with his fingers.

“Um…I have to go. Sorry I couldn’t stay any longer but I have something to do.” he rushes out the door.

Amber looks confused at this “It’s Sunday, he never has anything to do on Sundays’. Something’s up I know it.” she thinks.

In a minute, she hears another knock on her door.

“Who is it?”

A voice unfamiliar to her says, “Dr. Collins. May I come in?”

“Yes.” she turns the T.V. off for a minute.

Chapter 4

A short plumb man wearing a white overcoat walks in. By now it is almost nightfall and with it, it is dark in her room.

“Ms. Soto may I steal a minute of your time?”

“Yeah I guess so.”

She pulls the covers off of herself and sits on the bed. Nervously she puts some wavy brown hair behind her ears and sits up straight, although it hurts her back not to mention her head.

“May I be the first one to say, Ms. Soto, that you are a very lucky girl. In all the other accident victims I have treated none have come out of a wreck, like that, almost unharmed.”

“Yeah well, I’m not like other people.” she jokes uneasily.

“Are you ready to leave?”

Amber looks down at her hospital gown and looks back up at Dr. Collins.

“Oh course after you change into some clothes.”

She nods, “Yes then.”

He leaves. Amber lets out a big sigh of relief and wipes some sweat off of her forehead. As she does that something catches her eye, a stack of purple on the end of her bed.

“Did Dr. Collins leave that?” she thinks and picks it up.

Unfolding it she sees it’s a short dark purple cut-off dress

“It’s something to wear I guess.”

She walks into the little cubical sized bathroom in her room.

“Strange,” she says while looking at the tag, “it’s my size.”

Taking off her gown she slips into the dress. She realizes now that it is a tight fit. Satisfied she stalks out and waits in her chair. Her mother walks in just as she sits down.

“Ready? Where did you get that?” she says looking at the dress weirdly.

Amber gets up. “The doctor gave it to me.” Her mother nods and takes out a slip.

“We have to stop on our way home; the doctor gave me a prescription I need to get for you.”

Amber marches out the door. Her mother gives a once around the room and shuts the door, leaving the room empty or so she thinks.

The cherry red BMW drives down the long winding dirt path. Amber looks out the window; ever since she was little she can remember her adventures in the forest around her house. Amber smiles remembering how the ’jungle’ was full of tigers and evil bugs. But her smile fades when she sees a pair of glowing red eyes as the car passes by. After the two minute drive down the path they put up to a clearing with a house right in the middle. The house has a small cottage look with its light blue walls and cloud white shutters. The only thing that stops the cottage theme is the fact the house is huge.

“Home sweet home.” Amber whispers excitedly and opens the passenger side door.

She jogs up to the door and rushes inside. The sweet scent of cinnamon wakes her nose up telling her she’s home, she’s home. She sprints up the stairs and into her room. The first thing she does is jump on her bed; she forgot how soft it was. She stares up at her ceiling and looks at a poster of Devon Stone; her teenage heartthrob. She sits up and looks around; everything is the way it was the day she left. Her lava lamp still is on top of her nail-polish covered desk. Her stickered computer is sitting next to her lava lamp. As for the rest of her room, the walls covered with posters, pictures and bumper stickers.

She sighs, “God it’s great to be home!”

She yawns; realizing how tired she really is. It seems as though with every blink she takes she gets more tired. Finally she takes her last blink before falling fast asleep on her blanket.

In a few minutes there is a knock upon her door, it’s her mother.

She pushes the door open when she doesn’t hear an answer.

“I have something-.”

She looks at Amber passed out on her bed. All she can do is stare at her. She closes the door disappointedly. Although the door is shut her words aren’t.

“One day, Princess Eve, one day.”

Amber tosses and turns in her sleep. Her face winced up like a prune.

The little girl, about age three, is sitting in her mothers’ lap. Her mother looks down upon her child, her deep emerald eye filled with glee. The girls’ father looks upon her too. Suddenly two huge wooden doors fling open reveling a hoard of tree looking creatures. An ear-piercing shriek sounds through the air……

Now for what everybody is waiting for....

Chapter 5

Amber shoots up from her bed in a cold sweat. She sees two glowing red eyes right in front of her door. Amber, shocked, freezes completely still. Suddenly she hears an unfamiliar voice.

“I’m sorry to frighten you, love, but I seem to have that affect on people.”

She can tell from the deepness in the voice that it is male. The only sound is the sound of her heavy breathing.

“Did I startle you that much, love?” His voice concerned.

She snaps out of it when she hears the door shut and yells “Who is it, Michael?”

The voice offended, “No I am most certainly not!”

Amber sees the eyes glowing a brighter shade of red.

“Then who are you?” She sighs seeing the eyes turn to a relaxing red.

“I’m Demitrin nice to meet such a lovely lady.”

The eyes move over to the side of her bed.

“Demitrin, Demitrin, sorry I don’t think I know any Demitrins.”

Now she can see in the moonlight, coming in through the window that Demitrin is wearing a dark robe much like the man from her nightmare the night she was in the hospital. His dark eyes and devilish smile is the only other thing she can see.

“I assure you, you do know me.”

“May I ask why you’re in my room then?”

He smiles, “I have something important to tell you.”

She looks surprised but that fades into a weak smile. “Well, Demitrin, could this wait until morning? I would like to get some sleep.”

He sighs, “I guess, love. I shall see you in the morning.”

The eyes fade out and Amber goes back to sleep.

Amber wakes to the smell of bacon, eggs and sausage. She rubs her eyes, rolls out of bed and runs down the stairs into the kitchen.

“Is that bacon I smell?” she takes a big whiff of the air.

Her mother stands over the stove cooking. Amber sits down on the bar stool along side the kitchen snack bar.

Her mother turns from the stove, “I making Canadian bacon, scrabbled eggs, toast and home fries.”

Amber starts to drool. She hasn’t had a big breakfast like this since the last time she was at home. Since she went to college, Amber has been living with Faith. Of course, Faith doesn’t mind the extra company given that she can get lonely easily.

“I love being at home.” Amber smiles and waits for the food.

Her mother places a plate stacked with chow in front of Amber.

“Enjoy.” She whispers and leaves the room.

In a few minutes, Amber pats her stomach and gets up from her seat. “I better get dressed.”

She skips down the hall toward her mother’s room. She can hear voices coming out of the room. She stealthy moves toward the half-open door; listening carefully when she hears the word ’Amber’.

“Yes I’m talking about Amber; did you tell her yet, Nicky?”

The voice sounds very much like her brothers’ thus she continues to listen.

“Not yet, I think her-” The female voice is interrupted

“I do not care what you think, you despicable excuse for a demon. How dare you go against my wishes and not tell the princess her fate.”

Amber hears a loud slapping sound followed by the sound of someone weeping. Horrified, she runs down the hall and through the front door. Who were these voices? What were they talking about? She shakes the questions from her mind and turns the curb. She remembers, from the many nights running away from home, going down this same cold, dark sidewalk. Except today it is light out, the birds are singing their beautiful songs, and the-. Her thoughts slightly intermittent by memories flooding back in. Very painful memories.

An eight year old Amber runs down the sidewalk in pitch black. “It’s not fair,” she thinks, “Other people have mothers’. Why couldn’t mine still be alive?” Her eyes swell up with tears. “It’s just not fair!” She screams.

Amber shuts her eyes to stop the tears from coming. It isn’t fair but she’s learned over the years she just can’t run from every problem she has. She has dealt with every other problem but this one she has been struggling with. It seems as though someone doesn’t want her to forget, ever. She stops on the curb a few blocks away from her home. She sits and cries for the first time she is going to confront this dilemma. Amber sits in silence, except for her sobs, when she feels a slight tap on her shoulder. She turns, Michael stands before in a sort of glow for now the sunny is at its fullest. He is wearing his normal long white cloak and his eyes shine with glee.

In between snivels she whispers, “What do you want?”

“To cheer you up. Please stop your crying we have places to go, things to see.”

“How did you know I needed cheering up?” she wipes her nose and eyes off.

He smiles and places out his hand, “Sometimes you just know. Now take my hand so we can go, it is your birthday is it not?”

She thinks about his offer and grabs a hold of his hand. “Yes, how did you know?”

“I have my ways.” he whispers.

He pulls her off the sidewalk. He directs her the way of a sky blue corvette parked nearby. It has bright goldish-white wings painted on the sides and in the sunlight it looks as though it is floating above the asphalt. Her eyes widen and her face fills with spirit again. Because if there is anything Amber loves, it has to be a sports car.

“Is that your car?” she asks hoping it is.

He looks at the car then at Amber, “Yes you like it?”

“Very much so. Can we take it for a ride?” she answers grinning.

“If you want to.” He smirks.

She races over to the car and jumps into the passenger seat. Michael hops in and starts the engine. Scenes from her accident flash in her mind. She squirms in her seat from the sights she’s seeing. Michael looks over at her, with his always smiling face.

“We could walk if you want.”

She shakes her head no. She doesn’t want this to stop her from having a good birthday. He nods his head and drives down the road. Amber looks over at him; she senses a calming sensation in his presence. Whoever he is, she feels safe and at rest with her mind when she’s around him.

He looks over at her and thinks, “I am graced by your beauty, Princess Eve. But I know my responsibility, I will tell you today, about how sixteen years ago your life changed forever. But now it is my duty, and yours, to return you back to your homeland, the place you were born and that you don’t remember. However, this isn’t going to be an easy task, Eve.” He silently prays, “Please give me strength.”

His face holds that everlasting smile, the smile that holds a thousand other emotions and more. He knows deep down in his heart that if he fails to jog her memory about her past that he’ll never be able to forgive himself. And so he drives down the road fearful of the past and even more of the future.

In about an hour they drive up to a lakefront. The water stretches across the land. Amber’s eyes light up for she has never been near a lake before. Michael smiles at her; his eyes glimmering just as much as Amber’s. He parks the car by the side of the road. Amber hops out and waits for Michael. He gets out and strolls over to a nearby tree on a hill. He sits down next to the trunk of the huge tree looking out at the seashore. Amber joins him and relaxes against the bumpy stalk.

She looks at Michael, “Aren’t you hot in the cloak? It’s about 90 degrees out here.”

He smirks, “Not in the least bit.”

After a few minutes Amber breaks the silence.

“So where exactly are we going for my birthday?”

“I don’t want to spoil a surprise of this proportion.” He sneers and looks over at her hopeful face. “But trust me, it will be special.”

He pulls himself up from the ground and extends out a hand. Amber grips it as he pulls her up. Michael walks off down the hill toward the shore. Amber brushes herself off and follows Michael. He stops at the waterfront and Amber stops with him. He reaches into the clear water pulling some out.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?”

Amber looks at him then at the water. “Very charming, but are we just staying at the beach for the day?” she asks impatiently.

He drops the water back and snaps his fingers. Amber looks around, everything has stopped. The water is frozen in mid tide and birds have stopped in mid flight. She walks over to a leaf that is immobile in the air and touches the air under it and above it, the leaf stays. She gasps, surprised.

“Today, Amber, you will learn your destiny.” Those are the last words Amber hears before collapsing on the ground unconscious.