Chapter 6: Dream, Dream, Dream

"Hey, Mom?" I asked as I was putting away the dishes while Elliott was following my every move, remaining unseen.
"What?" My mother said.
"I was wondering if I could start sleeping on the couch."
"Sure, I don't see why not."
"Ok, thanks. Oh my gosh, it's hot in here! I think I need some air," I ran out back because I had the feeling Elliott needed to talk to me.

"What went on there?" Elliott didn't hesitate to get to the point.
"I didn't do it," I told him.
"Why not?" He sounded angry.
"Maybe... just possibly... I think I might love Sam, too."
"That's impossible."
"Not really. But in the end I think, no I know, I will have to choose and it's killing me, Elliott. You can at least try to help me right now, can't you?"
"No. You don't underst-"
"Don't you dare say I don't understand, Elliott! You are the one who doesn't understand!"
"I understand completely."
"No you don't. Good night, Elliott." I stomped off and changed clothes and went to bed.

"Brogan." It wasn't a question it was a statement.
"Who's there?"
"Don't listen to him."
"To who? Who are you?"
"I am Everything." It was a fatherly voice. I tried to look around for him but all I saw was black, like trying to remember a dream.
"Well, you're real specific and helpful."
"I know." He said like he didn't realize my sarcasm.
"Who should I stay away from?" I asked frantically.
"Him."
"Who's him?" No reply. "Hello! Are you still there?!" Then a scene came to view in my head. It was terrible!
The sky. The sky was a dark brown like the color of the Mississippi River. Beneath it was a scene of absolute horror that if I was awake I would have screamed and ran, but in my dream, I could feel tears not just my own but everyone around me. I could feel their tears.
Blood painted the ground bodies strewn everywhere. I walked two steps and saw the body of my best friend, Katelyn. Her face was horrible. It had fear written all over it. She died and the last thing she saw was fear. Her face just screamed, "I called for YOUR help but you never came." The next few bodies I saw were of my family, my friends, people I knew, people I grew up with, and they all had that same expression as Katelyn. Suddenly I see someone alive. It was Sam kneeling down by Colton, but they both had wings, wings of pure white. Sam looked up at me and had tears of gold running down his face and he said to me in a whisper only audible to me and Colton, "It's his fault." Colton looked up at me through half closed lids, "Brogan, you could have stopped him. You could have saved us." Suddenly my dream-self looked over to a fallen oak in my and Sam's field. And standing on top of it was a man with blonde hair, blue eyes tinged with red, and black wings. Next to him were two women, two women that I recognized. They were Sarah and Chassidy. Where was Jared? Maybe that was Jared up there. But Jared doesn't have blue eyes. They all three had wings as black as a raven's, as long as a small plane's wings, and they were tipped with red.
"You are no good. You're a terrible person. You did this to them. You helped us." I heard a voice behind me; it was Chassidy talking.
"You filthy BITCH!" I screamed.
"Oh no, no, no! I am not the one who did this. Well, yes I am but only you could have prevented it."
"Where's Elliott?"
"Why should you want to know? He's let's see. How do I put this? He's in a better place."
"What?" You can't die if already an angel. He was supposed to be in the better place already. Wait if she thinks it's better... "He's in Hell." It wasn't a question but she thought it was. I started breathing heavy and almost in tear. I fell to my knees.
"Yes. You may not be the the best, but you are the sharpest."
"IF that was a question, you demon whore, IT would have been RHETORICAL!" I screamed. I broke into convulsive sobs.
"Shshsh, there, there, Sam will hear you. Then what will happen to him when he tries to kill me?" My filthy, brown sun image was eclipsed by Chassidy's wings.
"DON'T YOU DARE LAY ONE OF YOUR FUCKING FILTHY DEMON FINGERS ON HIM," I spat through gritted teeth. I started to run to Sam. She knocked me backward with one of her wings into the other, and man, it felt like being knocked by a wrecking ball into a concrete wall. I had the red liquid all over me. It smelled metallicky, coppery. It was blood. I heard laughter.
"Your best friend's and brother's blood. How nice." My world went dark and I fell into a restless sleep.

Chapter 5: The Truth

I drove to the back of the field off of the highway and met Sam. (Elliott had stayed home after I begged him not to come.) Sam was in his new black '09 Chevy with the bass up high and stereo blaring. I could hear every word of Kanye West's "Heartless" playing, it was so loud. He saw me pulling up, turned off his humming Chevy, and got out to meet me.
"Brog," he said with a genuine grin on his face.
"Hey, Sam," I replied biting my lower lip but returning his smile with one that was as genuine as his.
Sam pulled me toward him, holding me tightly, and he kissed my forehead very lightly. Sam's body always felt reassuring. The only bad thing was his evil sister. She loved him ,but she hated me. She was truly evil. She looked and acted like Satan's spawn (no offence to Sam's loving and kind parents) to me and Sam knew it.
"Let's get in my truck. It looks warmer than your little Ford," he nodded to my white, big, old '98 Ford F250. It never had anything wrong with it.
"Hey, don't hate on the baby. That truck has never had a thing wrong with it," I was going to defend my truck, but compared to his monster truck, it was nothing but a baby.
He leaned in the front seat and turned on the monster. I climbed in the backseat after much struggling and help from Sam that I am pretty sure he did not mind at all with. No wonder guys get such high weels on their trucks. He got in and pulled me close to him. I wrapped myself around him. I got so close to him I could hear his heartbeat. His heartbeat. Did Elliott have a heartbeat? I mentally shook myself. I looked into his deep, beautiful, green eyes for a few seconds and he leaned down to kiss me.
He felt so warm. At first he was kissing me softly with long, delicate kisses. Next thing I knew he was giving me more insistent kisses and I returned them. I kissed his neck, his hands, and his face and he did the same to me.
"I love you, Brogan Rose Northman, and one day I would like to marry you. I couldn't ever think of loving anyone else," Sam announced.
"I love you, Samuel Emmett Troy, I love you, and I hope you won't go back on your word, Sam, because I do, too," I said cuddled close to him, holding him as tight as he was holding me, not even realizing what I was saying. Well, shit. God, please help me chose the right one, come to me in my dream tonight, send me a sign, please. Was it possible that I loved both of them? Probably, but in the end I had to choose.
"So, sweet, what did you want to talk about?" Sam asked after looking me over and kissing me again.
"What?" I snapped back my head back to him. There was something in the woods, moving. At least there was no caw-thump-thumping. But it had that presence that made it scary.
"At school, when you called me, you said you needed to talk to me, that you needed to tell me something."
After more looking I said, "Sam something's out in the woods."
"What? That doesn't seem that important that you had to call me at school, set a meeting time, and oh-" It took him a moment to register. He looked out the window and became more alert. "STAY HERE." He said it with such a finality that I didn't even question him. Just nodded.
Then three figures stepped out of the woods. I nearly did the whole nine yards in my pants they were so scary. There was one man(standing in the front) and two girls and out of them was Sam's sister, the evil twin Sarah.
Sarah, who looked nothing like Sam in the beauty department (she was beautiful don't get me wrong but for twins they were so far from different), was tall lanky, with inhumanly yellowish-green eyes, black hair down half of her back and took to her mother's half-Cherokee skin color with high cheek bones and scarred skin. She was beautiful in a totally scary way. If you've seen Megan Fox in Jennifer's Body, picture that but with more defined features, rounder hips, and brighter more threatening eyes.
The other two looked more evil than Sarah. The girl had a regal posture. She looked like she thought she was something, royalty maybe. Her hair was so blonde it was almost white and it wasn't a dye either; it was long, longer than Sarah's, and very curly. She had glowing, yes they were literally glowing, red eyes. She had a humorous expression on her face and looked directly at me. I stared right back her, two can play at this game, even though I nearly collapsed of fear.
The man was beautifully scary. He like, what look liked his sister, had blonde hair and those scary red eyes that would make a room full of kids scream and maybe die of fear. He had shaggy hair with bangs that cut over his eyes diagonally and it made him seem more frightening because it didn't cover the glowing redness of his left eye. His sister was the first to break the silence by looking at me and laughing.
"You're the one, the one, the one girl that The Dude Up In the Sky picked to be the only girl spirit hunter?" She looked at me some more and laughed harder.
"SILENCE!" Mean Guy shouted. Yup, he's evil.
Despite what Mean Guy yelled, I yelled back to Mean Shithead Girl, "What in the HELL do you have against me?! And how did you know?" I asked not fearfully now, but courageously and fearless, like my dream horse Fearless Pride.
"Don't use my home's name in vain. I don't say what on Earth... Wait. I do. And, I have everything against you. For one thing, Big Guns picked you, my father hates you, you took the only girl position. Oh and to answer your second question; I saw you; I see you; and I've seen you with your dear, precious Elliott. " She turned to Sam, "Your hear that, Sam? Elliott. The angel." She said it like she knew something that she wasn't going to tell us.
Sam looked angrier than when he couldn't catch a pass or when he dicovered his dad went out drinking, had slept with another woman, and tried to come home but his body was discovered 3 miles north of Lexington along with his totaled car in a ditch. Suddenly, his body was rippling, straining, and changing. He was forming his hand into claws as viscous as the bear's in Gander Mountain.
"You can't do shit to them, Sam. Chassidy and Jared will rip you to shreds, eat the pieces, and enjoy it. And so will I," this time is was Sarah Joss Troy talking and laughing at her brother's foolishness.
I ran over to Sam holding him tighter than when we were in the truck. Weather. I need to do something to the weather. Suddenly there was a gust of cold wind coming from the east and a warm gust coming from the west meeting here and swirling the low pressure of the storm pressing down on us. Them, not us I told the weather. It nearly knocked them down. You may pass, I silently told the weather. It listened, surprisingly.
"Now," I said stronger and more assured than I've ever felt before, "we may talk civily. What are you?" I asked looking from the man, Jared I assume, the woman, Chassidy (probably), Sarah, and last Sam.
"Sam, you explain. You know how the weather always gets us down," Jared commanded Sam tirely.
"I am a werewolf, a good one at that, one that fights for good, unlike Sarah. Sarah is a half werewolf and half demon which explains her evil vibe, looks, and ways. She became a demon because one day she was dying and Jared, here, was there." Sam motioned to Jared and Jared tossed his hand like a gay guy buying the last Gucci man purse on sale and the sales lady complimented his swiftness. Sam rolled his eyes (he hated queers (and needs to just get over it)) and explained, "He sensed death and found her. A demon makes a demon by kissing the victim and sucking the soul right out of the person but since Sarah was half werewolf when this happened, all of her soul could not be taken, so only half was. Which brings us to Chassidy and Jared. They are twins and Satan's immortal spawns, literally. They aren't vampires although they do take after vampires in many ways." I shuddered, Sam rubbed my back but continued, "They are demons. Real ones, not those fakes that are really ghosts. Ghosts are just posers. Everyone who is supernatural can see each other for our true nature. Which brings us to you."
"Wait, Chassidy implied that you knew Elliott." Well I needed to change my relationship status on Facebook from in a relationship to it's complicated. I laughed, and I needed to revise my note to Katelyn (my bestfriend) that says "my completely human boyfriend" just to "my boyfriend" because he (the one she knew, Sam) was far from human.
"Mary and Amelia, too. In a way I work for them. They are good. You may be wondering why Jared, Chassidy, and Sarah haven't killed us. It is because we are off limits, as are they. There is a war waging between the two other worlds, Heaven and Hell. Each side has to pick only a few people to be off limits; and me, you, Elliott, Amelia, and Mary are off limits. Now your turn about Elliott." I chuckled at his use of improper English but it faded as he mentioned Elliott.
I told Sam the way Elliott and I met the first and second time not leaving out a single detail, I even told him how I was going to break up with him (Sam) but now I can't because I love him too much and I can't tell Elliott to just go fuck off. That's when I was interruppted by Sam saying, "But Elliott knew you and I were dating why would he do this?" and Chassidy laughing and saying, "My Evilness! A spirit hunter with such a dirty mouth. Sarah, you may have competition." and she snorted and laughed some more. I commanded the weather to blow them off their laughing asses and dismissed it with a satisfied grin on my face as they pulled themselves up with tiredness seeping through their pores. "Maybe you should go to Hell, oh and don't forget to tell Satan to rot in his grave." It was my turn to laugh and they disappeared in the trees, very angry.
"Now where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?" Sam said and we both climbed in the truck bed. We stared at the stars and kissed like the world was going to end, in a way the world as we knew it was vanishing before our eyes. At eleven o'clock I went home with a smile on my face and glad that we were all even in telling the truth. Sam didn't even have a bad reaction to me telling him about Elliott, but I still had to tell Elliott about Sam.
The truth shall set you free as my mom's boss would say. Good old Mr. Brian was right. The truth is powerful and has good effects. The truth was a wonderful thing. And the good side was all about truth. I was pretty happy with the truth right now. So happy I could just hug it, if it was a person.

Chapter 4: Back to Earth

"Hello, my beautiful." It was Elliott!!! Elliott was in the real world! I was so happy!
"Hello, Elliott," I replied. I couldn't help the joy I was feeling. I remembered something earlier. Crap!
"What?" Elliott asked, "You look frustrated."
"I have a human boyfriend..." I cringed because I realized that I still loved him and couldn't have 2 boyfriends. What a hoe I would be if that happened. I was surprised to hear Elliott laugh. "What?"
"I make you forget things don't I?" As if it was answering the question I heard the omnious CAWWW-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-CAWWWWW.
"Ok, WHAT is that noise?"
"Your first spirit. It is actually one of the hardest to catch."
"Great," I mumbled aloud. Again more chuckles. "What is sooooo funny?"
"You are. You are even this amusing in the Spirit World a.k.a. Heaven. That stunt you pulled today at school was funnier."
"How long have you been watching me?" He was like my own Edward Cullen. I chuckled slightly at the thought.
"Ever since you were born. God told me to keep an eye on you the minute you were born. I was in a way your Guardian Angel." He smiled.
"Oh." Weird but undeniably cute. "So what is this freaky spirit thing that I have to catch and how?"
"You catch him by thunderstorm, rain, tornado, hurricane, any natural disaster really, but it has to be created by you. The 'freaky spirit thing'," he put air quotes around freaky spirit thing,"is an old Native American from the Civil War. He loved the land and his culture. His tribe was probably the most Christian tribe. He was very Christian but had a big fault. He loved women too much. He was killed in action. He was known for fleeing in battle. Boy, could he run! He is avoiding capture and we think the only way to lure him in is with a girl. A young, beautiful girl. He was adventurous with the women of his tribe, more specifically the young women. He had many children, bastards in fact. He wouldn't claim them. When he realizes that you are to capture him he will most likely flee so you'd have to set a trap. Many Spirit Guides won't listen to their mentors and haven't been able to capture him, but then again you are the only girl Spirit Guide. We will have to see what you can do. Unfortuantely, that is the easy part. The hard part is making them good. We will worry about that later though." Elliott finished waiting to see my reaction.
"So, I have to capture this spirit who might rape me and then make him see good?" I was appauled.
"Yes, basically, but he will not harm you because no one can," Elliott said making sure I got the concept but of course I didn't.
"What time is it?" I abruptly changed the subject.
"Time for you to lie down and quit worrying."
"Really, Elliott, what time is it?" I said playfully.
"Ten o'clock, you're supposed to be sick, rememeber? Now rest."
I play coughed and laid down so my angel would be satisfied. I turned on my side and closed my eyes, thankful that I wasn't at school. As soon as my eyes were closed, I felt a crease in the oppisite side of the bed. Elliott scooted close to me, wrapped his right arm around me, and tucked his face into my neck. We stayed like that for 15 minutes. I turned over and was embraced by him. I fell asleep.
I had a peaceful nap. No freaky dreams with my friend as the Sex Ed teacher or some freaky spirit thing trying to rape me were in my head, but instead I dreamed of my lovely Elliott, how his embrace made me feel loved, relaxed, and dazed like Sam. How light it felt. His embrace felt like a feather, yet he was holding me tightly; I could tell.
"Brogan, it is twelve o'clock, you need to wake up," Elliott urged me.
"Mmkay," I mumbled back not wanting to get up from the dream.
"Helllllooooo," he was getting aggravated.
"You have a bad connection!!" I said still half unconsious.
"Wake up."
"Whatever ya say."
"No mental eye rolling either."
It was my turn to chuckle. "Maybe I could call Sam; after all it is our lunch break," I needed to settle this thing Sam and I have. Sam was my human boyfriend. Big emphasis on HUMAN. He has dark blonde hair, or light brown hair whatever you want to call it, green eyes, 6 foot 2 inches, has abs (not a measly six pack either more like a 12 pack but who's counting?), and plays football (running back). This was gonna be hard.
I heard his ring back on the other line playing Big Green Tractor by Jason Aldean. "Hello?"
"Hey, Sam it's Brogan," I replied.
"Hey, babe. What's up?"
"We need to talk."
"Mmk, shoot."
"Not like this, uuuuuhhhh." I shook my head trying to set up a plan and erasing them by shaking my head as if it were an etch-a-sketch, "Meet me at our field." Sam and I have this special field at the very back of Henderson where no one has crops growing, a pasture, or anything. It is government owned but we don't have to sneak around because there is no one to catch us.
"Okay, what time?"
"8:30?"
"Sure, bye, babe," Sam said so quickly it sounded like hurbyebabe without a pause I got the gist that a teacher was around.
"Bye, Sam, see you later." I waited for him to hang up. Something I have always done in case the person on the other side forgot to say something to me.
Back to reality; back to Earth.

Chapter 3: Now Back to Not-So-Normal

I couldn't figure out where I was. I thought I was still in the spirit world but when I looked around it looked too much like Earth. I probably just hit my head too hard when I fainted. Yeah, that's what it was, just a post-faint dream. It was still creepy, yet I wanted Elliott more and more. I had to get out of here. But I still wanted to know where that noise came from. Oh well, maybe I was imagining things. I regained my balance then there it was again. CAWWWWWW- THUMP- THUMP- THUMP- THUMP- CAWWWWW!! Screw walking back slowly, I thought. I then started to run but a voice inside my head stopped me. "Don't try and run from your destiny, Brogan. It all starts tomorrow." It sounded like Elliott. Whatever. Who said you can't be beautiful and insane?
I got home and rushed into the kitchen and told my mom and Colton about the event. They of course thought that I had a major concussion.
"Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital," Mom said.
"an asylum or Quinco," Colton added suggestively. (Quinco is a mental health center in my small town.)
" because the doctor said that if you hit your head or fainted or any of that stuff you'd have to go back." Mom added a stern look at Colton after she quoted my doctor.
"Whatever, I can see that ya'll think I have serious issues and what not. Thanks for being supportive!" I yelled at them. I didn't mean to but it felt good to let my anger go.
I heard the sound of distant thunder. Wow. I think I did that. Elliott was right, I can control the weather. Well I guess this has its upsides.


"Brooooooooogggggaaaaaannnnnn!!" Mom yelled at me!
"Fuck!" I whispered under my breath, "Ma'am!" I yelled back.
"You have to go to school today!"
"OK!"
RIINNNNG!! The school bell rang signaling we were late for first period. I am never late so hopefully they will excuse it or at least won't glare at me like I just shot their dog. Teachers are so pissy about things.
TICK, TICK, TICK.
What in the hell! I guess I can't get a break from these monsters. I looked around. Gosh I am so paranoid; it was just Dionday Williams getting into his locker. I took off for first period after that.
"Today class turn to page 99 in your Microsoft Office workbook and do as it says. I see you decided to join us today, Brogan." Ms. Martin spat the words at me and emphasized my name like it was an STD.
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes back.
CAAAWWWWWWWW- THUMP- THUMP!!
"Ms. Martin, may I go to the bathroom."
"No! It took you 20 minutes to get to class I think you had long enough!"
"PLEASE! IT IS AN EMERGENCY!! I FEEL SICK!!"
"FINE! Go but if you get sick in my classroom before you make it out the door, you'll have to clean it up."
I ran, ran so fast that I realized what Elliott said was true, again. It took me 5 seconds to get all the way across the school to the office. "Mrs. Kyra? May I call my mom, I didn't drive to school today because my doctor said not to while taking my medicine. I threw up." I lied at the last part.
"Sure, honey. Just dial a nine before you call."
"Thanks."
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. "Hello."
"Hey, Mom can you come pick me up? I don't feel too well and I got sick." I really hate lying to her.
"Sure. I will be there in 5 minutes."
"Okay, I love you, Mom."

10 minutes later I am half way home and I really start to feel sick. I feel like I did yesterday before I fainted. Shit! I knew what was about to happen and my mother would cry and run me to the hospital. I was NOT cool with that. Please God help me not faint. I pleaded with God in my head silently.
The 10 minute car ride felt like a 10 day road trip. I felt woozy, unprotected and a little scared. Maybe Quinco was good for me.
"I'm just gonna, you know, go lie down."
"Come take some medicine, Brogan. You look as pale as a ghost," Mom ordered me.
I groaned in annoyance to the analogy but Mom just thought it was the pain from the pretend stomach ache. I took the medicine and trudged down the hall to our room. I keep forgetting that I don't have my own room. This situation is uncomfortable for me and unhealthy for my social life. As if I had one in the first place.... Life sucks......

Why in the hell do I hear laughter?! My dreams are so fucking crazy I don't even have any idea what's going on. Like for example, one night I had a dream that my friend was a Sex Ed teacher. No lie. That's when I realized this wasn't a normal dream. Hell, nothing anymore was. Nothing.
"I told you that you can't run away from your destiny, silly girl. You thought you could just go to school and be normal again? Trust me your life will never be normal again." I looked around this dark night-sky-blue room and found Elliott, the angel, dressed in white and sticking out like a sore thumb looking at me with intense, caring eyes with a splash of humor in them. He looked more human than the last time that I saw him. His beauty is what helped him to be noticed as an angel.
"Oh, it's you," I replied dully. Quite frankly I wasn't too pleased to be here, but his beauty made me rethink that displeasure. I felt something like a magent pulling me toward him and without warning I am gliding across the room and in his arms embracing him as if he was my lover who had just gotten back from a long, hard battle. Was I in love or did I just need someone who understood me? I am so confused.
"I think I love you." I heard Elliott tell me. I think he met me half way.
"I think I love you." I replied my voice was almost inaudible but I knew Elliott could hear me. I heard him chuckle. "Why?"
"Why what?" Elliott asked concerned.
"Why does it have to be like this? Why when I find someone to love me it seems like he is not real?"
"But I am real."
"Then come to Earth and hold me like you are now."
"I..."
"Help me. Assist me in spirit hunting. And maybe hold me." I pleaded with him.
"I will ask."
"What will Mary think or say?"
"Mary? Oh. Mary is a young girl. She hasn't met many guys. In fact I am the only other angel guy she knows outside of her family. She hasn't learned to broaden her horizons."
"Oh."
"I will be right back, love."
5 minutes later (although it felt like an eternity) Elliott was back.
"Hello, again."
"I didn't realize we said hello a first time." I replied back to him slyly.
He laughed. "Then Hello, Brogan." When he said my name it sent shivers down my spine and sent a smile to my face. "When you regain conscienceness, I will be there with you. I am to be there with you 24/7. No one else will see me but you. You are not to say a word about me being there. These are not my orders; they are His. I will see you in a few minutes, Brogan."
Shivers and a smile, again. Could anything be more perfect. No. Yes? No. He was irreplaceable. I loved him and maybe someone else, crap, I forgot. But he was right. I could not go on to live a normal teenage life. I wouldn't ever be able to. I am in love with an angel (literally), I can talk to spirits, and I am the only one, besides the 49 others, who can see them. Now back to normal. NO. Now back to not so normal. Yes that was the phrase of my new life.