I took the
stairs two at a time. My legs began to burn, but I pushed through the pain. I
had to keep going, although the specific reason seemed to hang just out of
reach at the back of my mind. Adrenalin fueled my flight, but fear kept me
moving. That fear was quickly giving way to panic; I couldn’t let that happen.
I somehow knew if I let the panic overtake me death would envelop me.
The stairs
went on and on making safety feel elusive.
It was cold and damp, yet my sweat drenched pajamas clung to my body. If
I hadn’t have been so scared, I would have noticed how cold the stone staircase
felt on my feet and how after a short time they were numb despite my physical
excursion. But all I could focus on was
the desperation I felt with each curved stair of the turret.
Then I saw it.
A light at what I assumed was the top of the stairs. With that light came a
sudden sense of relief. I was going to make it! Right? I didn’t have any idea
why, but somehow I knew if I reached the light everything would be ok. I had
to reach that light. But I didn’t. The brief sense of relief I felt was gone
and replaced with an intense, overwhelming grief.
The light I
had been chasing was gone before I reached the landing. At the edge of the
landing was a large, arched window. It must have been beautifully grand at one
point. It had probably once housed intricate stained glass that filled the
space with colored light as the sun set each day. The glass was no longer there
and the cold wind coming through the arch took my already short breath away. I
ran to the edge and peered down at the fading light. I was too late.
I slowly
turned away from the window, knowing I had to face whatever was coming for me
up the twisting staircase. If I was
going to die, I was going to look it in the eye first…assuming it had an
eye. I may be a lot of things, but my
parents would tell you stubborn was at the top of the list. I stood there with
my back to the open window, squinting into the darkness, waiting. A few seconds
later, I heard something I’d never heard before. A horrific shriek of sorts,
resonated up the stairs in such a way that I more than heard it. I felt it down
to my very core. It was almost here. If the sound getting closer didn’t tell me
this the sudden chill straight down my spine certainly did. The hair stood at
the nape of my neck. I could feel it now even though I still couldn’t see
anything in the dark stairwell. I knew it was close. Scary close.
Just as I was
going to come face to face with whatever this was, it felt as though the wind
formed an arm, wrapped itself around my waist and suddenly yanked me out of the
broken, arched window. I was falling. I don’t remember screaming, but I can’t
imagine I wasn’t. When one is pulled
from a turret and falling to certain death, one screams, right?
As I fell I
saw something through the darkness out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see
what it was, but before I could it collided with me. The jolt was hard and I
was sure there would be bruises. But, as violent as the collision, the fear
that had gripped me moments before dissipated. Relief washed over me. Just as I
had felt whatever it was that was chasing me up the stairs, I felt his presence. This feeling was
familiar. Safe. This feeling was “home.” I turned to see who was holding me;
who saved me, but just as I turned I jolted awake gasping for air. It took me a
minute to take inventory of my surroundings and remember where I was. I
concentrated on my breathing and tried to calm my racing heart all while going
through the details of this dream. This time I knew it was a dream because it’s
the sixth time I’d had it. It felt so real each time and it was always the
same. Except this time, right before I woke up, I heard him say, “Hey Nat.”
“Good morning
Not-So-Sunshine. Rough night again?” Julia, my roommate, has this annoying
knack of seeing right through me. She used to be a little more tactful when
calling me out, but through the years I suppose she’s become weary and prefers
to skip all the pleasantries.
“I had that
dream again and then couldn’t get back to sleep.” Julia was already eating
breakfast, so I grabbed a bowl and joined her at our small table in the corner
of our bright, tiny kitchen.
“Anything
different this time?” Julia asked.
“Nope. Same
terrifying details,” I replied with a twinge of guilt. It wasn’t my plan to lie
to Julia, but in that moment I honestly didn’t know what to think of all of
this myself. How could I possibly begin to help her understand it?
“Natalie, are
you sure you don’t want to talk to your parents?” Julia had been pushing me to
talk to my parents about this as soon as it became a recurring dream. She was
certain this was some kind of premonition that shouldn’t be ignored. If the
dream had been hers, I would have been right there with her. Julia is an
Essential. When Essentials sleep, his or her energy is near and
uninhibited. I’m not saying that it’s
not always accessible (for most anyway) but when an Essential channels their
energy, they have this bad habit of getting in their own way. Their specific
personalities, preferences, and experiences all go into that energy and affect
the outcome. When Essentials dream, well that’s a different story. Their
personalities, preferences, and experiences sink to the bottom of their
consciousness and opens an uninhibited gateway. When Essentials dream, it’s
very powerful and its meaning is very significant. The Essential community does
more than just pay attention. Wars have been waged over dreams. Relationships
forged and relationships ended. Life altering events have been put in motion
all because of a single, Essential dream.
I, however, am
not an Essential. I am what the Essential community refers to as an “Ordinary.”
“O” for short, because pronouncing the entire word, “Ordinary” is, well,
beneath them. The relationship between Essentials and O’s is complicated. We
know we need Essentials, but sometimes they forget they need us, too.
There are
definitely exceptions to this rule. Julia is one. She has always been my friend
and it’s always been easy with her. We’ve been friends since the Third Grade
and I can’t imagine life without her. Especially today. Today I start my new
job and my nerves are high. She has a way of calming me. Always has.
“No. I
definitely don’t want to talk to my parents about this. I don’t want them to
worry.”
“Ok, but for
an O your dad sure knows a lot about the Essential world. There may be a simple
explanation that you are too stubborn to ask for!” Julia took one last bite of
her cereal, walked to the sink and began rinsing her dish.
“I know he
knows a lot. Believe me. He never misses an opportunity to educate me,” I
groaned.
My dad is a
history professor whose research led him smack dab in the middle of an
Essential war. He was a grad student at
Texas Tech University when he came across some unexplained documents while
doing research for his dissertation. A
very long story short, his research led him to Kaleb Everill, the Essential
King of a nearby Kingdom. Somehow, my
dad convinced the Essential powers that be, that his education and skills as a
Historian would be very beneficial to the Essential world; their own personal
documenter who would make sure their greatness would be recorded for all
time…at least that was his pitch. It worked.
My phone rang
and interrupted Julia’s next attempt to persuade me. “His ears must have been
burning. It’s my dad.”
As I swiped
the phone screen to answer, Julie mouthed, “Tell him!”
“Natalie! Are
you excited?” my dad asked.
“Yes…when I’m
not focused on being nervous.”
“You’ll be
amazing. No worries.”
“You always
make everything sound so easy.”
“Well, that’s
because it is. Sometimes. Ok every once in a while, but usually things aren’t
catastrophic so you most likely…probably…will be ok.”
“Dad! You’re
not helping.” I giggled and as I did some of my nerves eased a bit.
“What? I am always helpful. I can’t believe that
just came out of your mouth. And you were always my favorite…”
“Good gravy,
Dad, I’m your only unless you have something to tell me?”
His boisterous
laugh flooded through the phone. “Oh goodness no. You are and have always been
enough!”
“Very funny
pops.”
“Seriously,
though, you’ll do great. You’re going to love this. We just wanted you to know
we were thinking about you today.”
“Thanks, dad.
I really appreciate you both...” A sudden lump in my throat cut my sentence
short.
“Call us
tonight and let us know how things go, will you?”
I nodded even
though I knew he couldn’t see me. “Of course. Love you both.”
“Love you too,
Nat-a-tat.” I loved that nickname. It was usually accompanied by that
contagious laugh of his and a certain smile that seemed all mine. It calmed my
fears and anxiety and somehow seemed to align the stars. It grounded me. Today,
it felt like I could bottle it up, tuck it in my bag and take it with me.
I sighed and
set my phone on the table. Julia studied her phone intently as she finished her
breakfast.
“Oh no,” she
groaned turning her phone so I could see the screen. “There’s been another girl
reported missing.”
I sat up and
leaned in to get a better view. The girl in the picture of the news feed looked
familiar. “I think I know her.” I scrolled down a little, attempting to find a
name. “Rebekah Marles. I went to high school with her.”
Julia turned
her phone back around. “Did you know her well?” she asked concern etched on her
face.
“Not really.
We had a couple of classes together. Her poor family…” I let my voice trail.
“Maybe it’s
not a terrible thing you’re leaving here since there is a nut job on the
loose,” Julia said.
“Maybe. I wish
I could help somehow, though.” Julia nodded in agreement.
We cleared the
table in silence rinsing our bowls and putting them in the dishwasher. Julia
wiped off the table while I put our cereal and milk away.
“Are you sure
you don’t want me to take you to Kambrasia today? I really don’t mind.”
“No,” I shook
my head. “You are sweet, but I feel like I need to do this myself. Besides, you
have a job of your own to get to.”
“True, but
that job wouldn’t mind if I helped a friend out.” She leaned against the
counter. “It can be a little tricky to find—being enchanted and all.”
“So I’ve
heard. But, a really smart, capable Essential wrote down directions for me,” I
smiled. “I’ll be fine and call if I’m not.”
“I can live
with that. Speaking of jobs, I better get to mine. Let me know how things go.”
“For sure.”
She gave me a hug, grabbed her bag and keys and headed for the door.
“Good luck,”
she hollered over her shoulder. The old, rickety screen door slammed behind her
as she headed for her car. I watched her until she was safely in her car—as if
she needed my protection. It made me
feel better with everything happening regardless of its futility. As she pulled
out onto the street I shut and locked the door then hurried to get ready.
Just inside the
door sat two packed suitcases and a small bag. I quickly hopped over the bag
that lay directly in my way and headed for the closet where I had hung the
outfit I’d taken 45 minutes last night to decide on wearing. I grabbed it and held it up wondering if I’d
really made the right choice. With a loud sigh, I draped the outfit over my
arm. I really needed to work on my indecisiveness. As I walked toward the
bathroom I slammed my foot into the side of my dresser.
“Ouch!” I
groaned and sat down on my bed looking at my toe. It looked completely fine
which absolutely did not match the throbbing pain that radiated in my pinkie
toe. The jolt to the dresser had caused a minor avalanche to fall from the top.
I reached down and scooped up the items piling them back on the top. A fairy tale children’s book, The Fairy Princess, caught my eye. I
smiled and sat back down on the bed. I gingerly rubbed the cover and opened it.
Natalie, Remember to always look past the
obvious. There you will find the magic. Love, Dad. He had given me this
book a few years ago for my birthday.
The memory of
the first time I’d seen this book flooded back and I smiled at the thought. It
was the first time my dad told me about Essentials. We were at the public
library and I had brought him this book and asked him to read it to me. He
found a quiet corner and pulled me on his lap. He opened the book and began to
read.
“Once upon a
time there lived a young girl with golden locks. She loved to play outside in
the forest after her chores were done.”
“Daddy, what’s
that?” I asked pointing to a tiny winged girl partially hidden behind a tulip.
“Well, most
people call that little girl a fairy. But, she is an Essential.” He scrunched
his nose and added, “Essentials don’t like to be called Fairies. They think
it’s silly. And, they aren’t tiny like that at all! They are just as big as
mommy and daddy.”
I didn’t know
it at the time, but that was the beginning of my education. As time went on and
I became older, he told me more. In bits and pieces, I learned the differences
between Fairy Folklore and the enchanting and complex world of Essentials.
For the
longest time, I just thought my dad had a great imagination. One day I
corrected a friend at school who used the term fairy and she looked at me like my head was on fire and was adamant
I was wrong. After that, I kept my
father’s Essential ideas to myself.
Then I met
Julia. I’ll never forget that day. My parents had taken me to her parents’
cabin. They explained that her family and ours were old friends and they wanted
to catch up and have their daughter and me meet.
“I’m certain
you two will become great friends,” my mom had said.
As we drove
down the bumpy dirt road and the cabin came into view, a small girl who looked
about my size, sat in the dirt just outside the door lining up rocks. Her hair
was pulled into a messy ponytail and her bangs were plastered to her forehead.
She stood and wiped her dirty hand across her sweaty face leaving a dirt trail
behind. She had the brightest, sweetest smile I’d ever seen. She waved at us
and ran into the house.
“Natalie,” my
dad put the car in park and turned to face me. He looked at me with a cross
between concern and excitement. “You are getting older every day and we are so
proud of the young lady you are becoming. You have shown us over and over how
responsible and honest you are.” He looked at my mom and she gave a slight nod,
smiling. “Honey, we have something we want to tell you. We feel like you are
ready now.”
“Ok,” I said
not knowing whether I should be excited or scared to death.
“We’ve talked
a lot about Essentials and fairies right?” I nodded noticing the little girl
was back outside with a tall handsome man and a woman with long brown hair.
“Well, fairies are a thing of folklore…something that people have taken from
truth and the story has changed and changed over time until it’s not true.” I
nodded again. “Well, Essentials are
the truth. They are real. Essentials were the beginning.” He looked at me and
seemed to be holding his breath.
“Okay,” was all
I had said. I still think back on it and wonder how I could have accepted it
all just on his word, but I did without hesitation.
That weekend
was a magical one. I was as much of a novelty to Julia as she was to me. She
showed me how she wielded the energy around us and used it to make her bed and
I showed her how I made my bed with my hands. Julia was as shocked and awed
with that as I was with her wielding.
And, mom was
right. We did become fast friends. Lifetime friends. Best friends.
That day put
me on the path that led me to right now. Right
now. I glanced at the clock. Oh crap.
I tucked the children’s book in the front pocket of one of the suitcases and
raced to the bathroom to shower. I was going to be late.
