17 Chapter 16

We are all in the car heading to the council meeting, Buford is driving us the thirty minutes of town, he′s dressed in a similar fashion as Remey, black jeans and button-up shirts.

Zaline in her fashion of bright clothes, and myself in a burgundy dress, hair down and black sandals. No one speaks, all of us lost in thought, halfway through the trip I see a hand reach out to me, only to look at Zaline with a small smile and nod toward her hand. She wants me to grab it, I know, but I'm terrified.

She looks at me and reassures me with "It will help you protect us if you know what's coming, you don't have to tell us, it's for your knowledge" hesitating at first, then deciding she's right, only I can see it, and only I can help prevent it, I take her hand.

With a gasp, the vision brings me to looking at Buford's terrified eyes before looking at the door with all the commotion, and the door burst open with a bright light.

Three men rush in with sunken cheeks, pale eyes, and mouths sewn shut, with the guy from my dreams that was chasing my mother hovering right behind them, staring straight at me with that evil smile from before. Hello Adeline, I've been looking for you for a long time my dear...

I pull back my hand with a shaky breath and can't bring myself to open my eyes yet, this guy was chasing me, my mother was protecting me, why was she so scared of him? Zaline nods at me, making sure I'm ok, then looking back out the window.

I don't understand the feeling taking over me now, but I'm ready for it, ready to protect me and my new friends and finish what my mother started fifteen years ago when she hid me from him, ready to face whatever happens in that room, knowing I'm not alone.

Still, in my thoughts, I didn't notice until we parked the car, looking around as we got out, I was amazed. We weren't exactly in a swamp, but there was water on each side of the road, and this two-story castle style house was a beautiful sight, with a high iron gated yard, and about a dozen men dressed in black along the fence and house.

Remey comes and walks beside me, walking to the front door, noticing several cars parked around us, it seems we are late for the party, with one last look at my surroundings, we go inside.

Following Buford and Zaline, Remey's still walking beside me, we head to a staircase that leads to a basement. There stands a small room with a heavy metal door, guarded by two big mean-looking men, Buford nods at the men and they let us in, leaving Remey behind as he is not allowed in the meeting, with one last good look from him, the door is locked behind us.

The room looking exactly like my vision, a podium at the far wall in the middle of the room, with a chair next to it. Two tables filled with eight unknown faces, in a slick grey granite walled room, with matching floors a hint darker than the walls.

Zaline sits at the table to the right of the chair, taking the seat closest to the podium, while shaking hands and waving at a few people. Buford gestures to the chair upfront as he goes behind the podium, asking me to sit. I look around at the unknown faces, all staring at me, some with aww, some with confusion, and some with what looks like hope.

No one has said a word since we walked in, and it just makes me feel a bit more awkward and out of place. With that sinking feeling in my gut, something bad will happen soon, and I don't know how to stop it.