Revelations (The Revelations Series Book 1) (2 page)

JENNA
Morgan bolted upright, her wavy light brown hair tumbling around her flushed face. Not fully awake and still feeling as though they were with her, she scanned the room for them, but to no avail. As the dull haze of sleep wore off and she came back to reality, her heart sank.

“Not again,” she moaned as she covered her face with her hands and collapsed back onto her overstuffed pillow. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the frustration that was growing within her, and then slowly released it.

She reluctantly sat up and pushed her purple comforter off her. She closed her eyes tight and shook her head as she tried once again to make sense of the dream.

It was always the same. She was on a beach scrunching her toes into the soft grains of sand as she watched the red and orange rays of the setting sun glistening on the vast ocean waters. The warm breeze caressed her delicate skin as it pushed along the almost translucent white clouds that lingered above the red and orange horizon. As she was gazing at the beautiful sunset and listening to the rhythmic rise and fall of the waves rippling toward the shore, she noticed a handsome boy walking towards her. He had short brown hair and wore a white t-shirt that stretched over his broad shoulders and lean muscular arms. His angelic smile seemed to possess a kind of peacefulness that made her feel as if nothing could ever harm her. As she watched him come closer, a sudden desire arose within her that made her want to go with him.

Then, to her left, a blackened horizon appeared with a dull fog that brought with it a slight chill. It ran through her body and she wrapped her arms around herself to try to chase it away. As she watched the fog drift away, another attractive boy started to move towards her.

This boy was different, with his short black hair and medium stocky build. He smiled as he sauntered toward her, his hands in the pockets of his worn blue jeans. The devilish grin that played on his lips brought with it a feeling of excitement. With him it was something different that made her want him, like the mystery of the unknown that seemed to call to her.

Both boys stood just far enough away that she couldn’t make out their faces clearly, but both held out their hands toward her as if inviting her to join them. Neither said a word. They just stood there smiling as if urging her to choose one over the other. She hesitated, torn by conflicting emotions. She desperately wanted to go with both of them. She glanced back and forth between the two trying to force her confusing emotions into order. She had no idea which one to choose, but knew she had no choice but to choose one of them.

Each night she hoped she would stay asleep a little longer so she could see who she chose, but she never did. Each time she was about to make her decision she would wake up. It wasn’t just the dream that frustrated her; it was the fact that she could swear she was actually on the beach with the two boys. She could
feel
the gritty sand beneath her feet and
smell
the salt from the ocean that hung in the humid air. Unlike normal dreams, she wasn’t just envisioning herself in a certain place. The peacefulness that radiated off the brown haired boy made her feel calm. She was content waiting for him to come closer, to sit with him and watch the sunset as it slowly drifted below the horizon.

Then, when she would look at the black haired boy she felt excited, like the kind of excitement that always leads to trouble. It felt so real that each time she woke up she glanced around her room to assure herself that she was in fact home. Her stomach was in knots as she replayed the scene on the beach each morning desperately trying to decide which boy she should choose. She was torn, because even awake she felt as though she had no choice but to pick one of them.

She swung her feet over the side of her four-post bed, stretched and yawned. It felt good to be out of bed after being stuck in it sick all week. She made her way over to the window pulling the pale pink curtains aside to see the sun shining brightly.
Finally a nice day,
she thought as she opened the window to let in the warm breeze. She stood there for a moment basking in the warmth of the sunlight.

The continuous rain had imprisoned her mother and her for days while she’d been recovering from the flu. The worst thing about it was that it had come on suddenly the day of her seventeenth birthday, so she hadn’t even had the chance to celebrate. It had scared her because it had been the only time she could ever remember being sick. But her mother had assured her it would pass, and then they would have a long talk.

Jenna stood soaking up the sunlight as she watched her neighbor, Mrs. Franklin, gossip with the mailman. Jenna smiled. She loved Mrs. Johnson, but she would keep you talking for hours if she had the chance.

“Jenna, honey, are you awake?” her mother asked as she softly knocked on the bedroom door.

“Yes, Mom, I’m up. Come on in.” Jenna turned away from the window as her mom, Erin, walked into the room with a basket full of Jenna’s clean clothes.

“It’s good to see you out of bed,” her mom said pushing one of Jenna’s mystery books aside and setting the basket on the desk. “Are you hungry? I can make some breakfast.”

“Sounds good to me.” Jenna walked over to the basket and grabbed a pair of shorts and a light blue shirt. “Just let me take a quick shower first.”

“That’s fine. By the time you’re finished breakfast will be ready. And Jenna, make sure you put these clothes in your drawer.” Jenna’s mom nodded toward the desk. “You know I hate it when you leave them in the basket.”

Jenna rolled her eyes. “I will, Mom,” she moaned. “I’ll do it later I promise.” Jenna didn’t understand what the big deal was about putting her clothes away. If it were up to her she’d live out of a laundry basket.

“Don’t forget,” her mom told her as she followed her out of the bedroom and down the hall towards the kitchen while Jenna headed into the bathroom.

Jenna turned the shower on and waited a moment for the water to warm up before she climbed in. Once in, she braced her hands against the shower wall and let the warm water flow over her, hoping it would help relieve some of the stress of the dream.

After her mind cleared, she showered quickly and got dressed. She grabbed her blue brush off the counter and ran it through her hair.

Jenna paused, confused at her reflection. Her shoulder-length frizzy hair now hung in glossy ringlets around her shoulders. Her once acne prone complexion was clear. Not a pimple in sight.

Two days ago, when she had finally managed to sit up for the first time in a week, she’d felt different somehow. She hadn’t been able to put her finger on what it was, just that her body felt stronger than before she’d gotten sick. But she’d shrugged it off as finally feeling better.

Her stomach let out a soft pitched growl as the scent of bacon drifted under the bathroom door making her forget about her image in the mirror. She hurried out of the bathroom and down the hall into the small, but cozy, eat-in kitchen.

“Just in time,” her mom said as she set their plates on the table.

Jenna hurried over and sat down. She picked up her fork and scooped a fork full of eggs into her mouth.

“How are you feeling today?” her mom asked sitting down at the table with her.

Jenna swallowed her eggs before answering. “Pretty good,” she said as she picked up her glass and took a sip of orange juice.

“Good, I was thinking that since we didn’t get to celebrate your birthday last week we could go to the big outdoor flea market. It came to town today.”

Jenna’s eyes widened in excitement. “Great idea!” Jenna couldn’t believe her luck that the flea market had come to town today of all days. She loved the possibility of finding treasures that no one else wanted.

“Do you want to invite Carly?” her mom asked, then took a sip of her own juice.

Jenna wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “No, that’s okay. I’d rather spend my day with you.”

Erin set her cup down on the small round oak table. “Is everything okay with you two?”

Jenna nodded. “Yes, it’s just that she hates flea markets and we love them. So instead of listening to her asking if we are ready to leave all day I’d rather spend it alone with you. It’s better that way.”

Erin stood up and carried her cup to the sink. “Fine with me,” she said as she washed her cup and set it in the strainer. “Besides, it’s been way too long since we’ve spent any quality time together. But, before we go, I have something for you.”

Her mom opened the pantry and took out a small, flower-covered bag that had been hidden by a box of pasta. She then walked back over to the table and handed it to Jenna. “Happy Birthday, sweetie.”

Jenna’s face lit up as she grabbed the bag, anxious to see what her mother had gotten her. She had to admit her mom had great taste when it came to gifts. She quickly pulled out the tissue paper and tossed it aside to reveal a medium sized book covered in soft pink fabric and embroidered with her name on the front cover in silver stitching.

“It’s a journal,” her mom explained. “You’re getting older now and things are going to change for you soon. I thought this would help you keep things in perspective.”

“Thanks, Mom, I love it!” Jenna ran her fingers over her name. This was a perfect gift for her to remember her senior year.

“When do you want to go?” she asked, happy to be getting out for the day.

“We can leave as soon as you’re ready. The sooner we get there the better chance we have of finding interesting things.”

“Let me just get my shoes, then we can go.” Jenna hurried down the hall to her room and grabbed her sneakers out of the closet, then joined her mom who was waiting in the Jeep. She was so excited about the flea market that when they pulled out of the driveway she didn’t even notice the shadowy figure step out of the shadows of the big oak tree across the street. It watched them as they drove away, then crossed the street and headed for the back door of the house.

JENNA
and her mom pulled into the dusty parking lot where the flea market was being held. The field that was usually used as a picnic area for the local community was now full of multi-colored tents that housed the vendors’ tables.

“Wow, this is a big one!” Jenna said as they parked the Jeep. A gentle breeze drifted past carrying the subtle aroma of fried foods from the food trucks that were set up at the end of the first row of tents. There were at least a hundred people there already from their own town as well as outsiders. “I’m glad we came alone. We may be here all day.” Jenna pulled her hair up into a ponytail allowing the warm sun to caress her neck.

“Then I guess we better get started.” Erin walked around the front of the Jeep towards her daughter. “How about we start on this side and make our way around to each booth. Then if we’re hungry we’ll eat and make our way down that side until we get back here.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Jenna looped her arm through her mom’s and they headed toward the first booth. Jenna cringed as she noticed a group of girls from her school. She tried to duck into a tent to avoid them but wasn’t quick enough.

“Hey Jenna, what are you doing here?” one of the girls called to her.

“Yeah, didn’t you see the no geeks allowed sign,” another girl mocked.

Jenna sighed and put her head down willing herself to ignore the girls’ comments as she slipped into the tent with her mom. She couldn’t wait to graduate so she didn’t have to deal with them anymore.

“Is everything okay?” her mom asked as she noticed the other girls.

“Yes,” Jenna replied, determined not to let her classmates ruin her day. “Don’t worry about it. I can handle it.”

Jenna had always felt different from other kids and tried to avoid them. Sure she had a few close friends, like Carly, but that was it. The popular kids often teased her and made her the butt of their jokes. She did what she could to avoid them but, in a small town like the one she lived in, it was nearly impossible.

Today though, she refused to let them get to her. Today was about having a good time with her mom and she wasn’t going to let some stuck up snobs get in the way of that. She peeked back over her shoulder to see the girls still laughing, but this time at someone else’s expense
. I hope karma gets them,
she thought.

Suddenly, one of them tripped over the ropes that held the tents down and the others, trying to avoid her, tripped and fell to the ground beside her. Jenna bit her lip to keep from laughing as she watched them try to act as if nothing had happened.