Foreshadow

(Note: I wrote this when I was thirteen, and am considering writing a second chapter.)


"HELP" I hopelessly beseeched, my high-pitched soprano screeching like fingernails across a rusty blackboard. "HELP," I repeated once again, prepared to fully give up. My desperate pleas, despite the Herculean effort behind them, were a waste of precious breath. Nobody would hear me. Nobody would rush to my aid. I was abandoned in a world of shadows.

"Sequoia stretches his neck over his cat dish, lapping up the endless ocean of tap water."

The foretelling vision itself wasn't particularly troubling...no, that was fine. My ginger tomcat, Sequoia, had been my constant feline companion ever since we adopted him as a tiny scrap of fur.

In fact, the only reason I sat motionless in terror on my mattress was the fact that I was even having a premonition in the first place.

All in all, I had lead a frightfully normal childhood - average grades ranging from B+'s to A-'s, plain, decent, 'girl next door' appearance (auburn hair, wide cheekbones, freckles dappled across my face and gangly arms), and fairly popular. I often compared my standard personality to the mild taco sauce at Tex-Mex restaurants...tasty, yet not really the spicy jalapeno, sure to liven up any party. As for family, I never differed significantly from any other thirteen year old girl. My family consisted of me (Jayla Anderson), my mom, dad, and my baby brother (Jason), along with our beloved Sequoia. Right across the street resided my Best Friend Forever, the one and only Hope Bennett. In this shadowy world, she always took place as my brilliant sun - my only Hope - lighting a serpentine path.

Today, I sprawled across my bed, considering a week packed with dance recitals, a pre-algebra final, and, oh yeah, possibly foreseeing the future. No biggie.

WRONG! If anything in the history of Earth had ever been such a gargantuan deal, I was surely facing it at this very moment.

"Jayla," an unfamiliar monotone whispered from behind me. "Congratulations."

I spun around, unsure of who to expect. A six foot tall beauty queen gracefully sauntered through the wooden bedroom door.

"Who are you?" I interrogated at once, struggling to glance away from her gorgeous hair; her ebony locks draped down past her waist, cascading like a perfectly flowing waterfall. However, her jet-black keratin miracle by far outshone Niagara Falls. Judging by her mucky t-shirt and worn out sneakers, she lacked only impressive fashion sense.

"My name is Skye. Welcome to the Seers of the Loom."

I demanded answers at once. "I'll require some decent explanation."

She nodded in agreement. "You deserve it, after what you’ve recently encountered," she replied politely. "We are both Seers: some of the exceptionally rare humans with an uncanny ability to gander at the future."

I squeaked. So she knew. The secret was out, at least between the two of us.

A harsh breeze swept by us. Darkness hung in the cool October air, leaving only mystery to fly free with the wind.

"You see, centuries ago, vague visions would soar carelessly across the entire world. Normal humans would frequently catch brief glimpses at these mortifying predictions. They were quite unsettled, taking rash actions immediately. Therefore, many revealed sacred secrets, interfering with time's natural course."

"In that case, why bother with Seers, if nobody should see the future?"

"Oh, dear! Prophecies would open up like a Pandora's Box. Havoc breaking loose, causing uncontrollable pandemonium throughout the universe. No, we aren't aiming for that. Us Seers yearn for peace to prosper."

"But why me?" This was the question I had really been pondering for the duration of her lecture.

Skye probed, "Jayla, what did you do after experiencing Sequoia's vision several times?"

"I panicked," I admitted sheepishly. "Honestly, I was dreading every second. Each moment felt more painful than breaking a bone." I reminisced on the time my older cousin Anthony tore a ligament during a baseball game – he mentioned that the pain was a thousand times worse than merely breaking a bone. However, I don’t think either, including a torn ligament, could ever compare with this situation.

“Yet you never once opted to refill your cat’s empty water dish?" She pointed out, beckoning toward Sequoia's cranny. I glanced at the dry bowl. Of course she was correct, but of all reasons to worry, she selected my cat’s hydration?

I meekly hung my head, ashamed by her uncalled for chiding. “Again, why me?"

“You misunderstood. We require more young teens like you. You are exactly the type of girl Seers scour the earth for on a daily basis. Rather than giving in to your automatic reflex, you turned to your inner conscience. You took the prolonged amount of time to consider every option. After monitoring your actions and lifestyle for several tedious weeks, Jayla, I fully believe that you are worthy to become a Seer. Finally, you have entered the Loom by witnessing your very first divination.”

Worthy? All I ever did was become too frantic to even fill my cat’s water dish! How could she judge my patience from just that?

“Promise me this: never confide in anyone with your power. This duty is treacherous, but I strongly caution you to guard your information with your life. You must swear that you will never interfere with or prevent an event from occurring.”

“No! I never desired this! This is certainly not a valuable gift; it’s a wicked curse! I take it back! I’ll do anything,” I emphasized.

She paused hesitantly. “I’m afraid it’s out of your hands. In fact, it’s out of everyone’s hands, including mine. I regret your sorrows, Jayla, but I cannot reverse this power. You’re a Seer for life.”

Tears stung my eyes. As if life weren’t dismal enough, buckets of torrential rain suddenly plummeted from the gray sky. Droplets of salty liquid streaked down my cheeks harder than the storm. Overcasting clouds hovered above, releasing even more water. At least, we wouldn’t get drenched in the safety bubble of my bedroom walls.

"Hope gasped, fighting for breath. She panted, struggling to preserve her own life. Finally, she gave up. Hope Bennet took her final breath."

“NO!” I quarreled with fate, determined to alter the result. Even before I yelped, I recognized that destiny was not arguable. Why would this happen to my best friend, of all people? She was so gleeful, energetic…full of life and spirit. What happened? How did she end up like this? Also, would it occur now? Ten years from now? Gosh, what if she was dying this very minute? Would I have the courage to prevent or, or the strength not to? What path would I choose?

“You must swear that you will never interfere with or prevent an event from occurring." Skye's voice repeated dutifully, my ear throbbing from the intense pain of her words.

That was the exact moment when I, Jayla Anderson, concluded that entering the Loom was a fate worse than death.