THE PLAIN NECKLACE
Whilst Emma helped herself to some of the cookies on a round plate which had been on the tray, she noted the plain necklace with a blue center which was dangling from Zipfarah’s hand. Was that a protection charm? She thought, before translating the question to Prescott telepathically.
The squirrel was in the same boat with her. He had no idea what it was, or what it was used for.
“Here, have this…Emma. Give it to Derek. You can tell him, ‘it is a birthday present.'” She said, and Emma exchanged glances with the squirrel first. An act which didn’t go unnoticed by Zipfarah.
“What is it for?” Emma asked, knowing that whatever this plain necklace was, it must have a purpose; since it didn’t have the primary characteristic of necklaces-beauty and enthrallment.
“Why do you think you have been so adamant about going back to see him?” Zipfarah asked, settling down at the edge of the bed, close to Emma.
“Well, I’m not sure. I just feel like I should see him so strongly. I can’t really explain it.” Emma replied, truthfully.
“Hmm…” Zipfarah sighed, resting her back to the wall.
“What about the dream? You had mentioned some dream you had had last night. You hadn’t been able to go further because of the influx of the elders into the room earlier today.” Prescott said, causing an echo of ahhh and ohhh from the lips of the queen and Emma.
“That is true. So, tell us about it. What had you dreamt about?” Zipfarah asked, grateful for the squirrel’s remembrance.
“Well…” Emma stuttered, not knowing how she should tell the dream without feeling embarrassed. Already, she was feeling that even.
Her cheeks colored, and Prescott wondered why.
“C’mon you can talk to us. No one is here. No one can listen in either. If it is a secret, it is safe with us.” Zipfarah promised.
“We were making out, and he started misbehaving like he was possessed!” Emma blurted out, covering her face with her palms, expecting Prescott’s snickers.
When she heard nothing, she let her palms part ways; and saw that the queen and the squirrel were just staring at her. There was no sigh of amusement either on their faces. If anything, they looked more serious than she had ever thought that they would.
“Is that the only dream that you have had of him?” Zipfarak asked, her gaze unblinkingly meeting Emma’s.
“I’m not sure.” Emma murmured, remembering the dreams about the wolf that had sacrificed his life for her.
“Just talk, Emma. This could be very important. Tell me about your dreams.” Zipfarah requested, and Prescott nodded, encouraging her to go on.
So, Emma obliged.
She told them about the two dreams she had heard about the wolf, and what she thought of the wolf, also mentioning the moving painting she had seen when she had strolled into the sitting room of Derek’s home that eventful night, after the second dream.
When she was done, there was a dead silence in the room, such that if a pin was released to the ground, its clanging sound would be heard.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
“Oh…my Goodness…” Prescott was the first to break the silence. Having processed the dream, the idea of the undead turning up for war was giving him the chills.
He wasn’t alone on that matter either.
Zipfarah was shocked. The girl had seen the future and she hadn’t even known it.
But the problem with future-seeing is that you wouldn;t even know the future is the next minute, or the next hour, or the next day, or next month or next year.
Like now, she didn’t know if the war would be happening on the lad’s birthday which was today or sometime else, in the future.
This was not good. She thought.
“What is the problem? Is anything wrong?” Emma asked, her fears mounting as she watched the grave looks on the faces of the queen and the squirrel. Already, she knew that the interpretations were bad. But how bad?
“Emma…” Zipfarah began, not knowing how to break the sad news to the girl.
“What you had seen was the future. And as you had thought, the wolf is Derek. He is fated to die for you to live.”
“The future…” Emma croaked out.
She shook her head frantically, not wanting to believe what she was hearing.
“He can’t die. I won’t let him.” She kept muttering, standing up from the bed as her buttocks refused to remain seated at such news. She started pacing from one end of the room to another.
“What kind of stupid fate is that? I refuse to partake in that.” She stated, her eyes flashing with anger, tears shimmering in their depths.
“Sometimes, we don’t have a choice. Sometimes, nature prevails.” Zipfarah responded meekly, working on empathizing with the young girl.
“Well, it won’t this time around. So, vampires exist then?” Emma asked, standing at akimbo.
“Yes, of course. They are the undead. Creatures with no soul and feeling.” Zipfarah replied, choosing to tell the redhead the truth, and nothing else. It was better she knew what she was up against, than staying in the dark.
Emma’s widened after Zipfarah’s confirmation, then were shut the next minute.
Her mind was reeling with information, anger and fear.
“But they can’t move during the day right?, but at night…” She inquired, opening her eyes. The indication of tears was gone. What was left was a swirling pool of flashing green. For a second, Zipfarah was lost in them.
“Yes, and we don’t know when the future is happening. It could be this night…” Zipfarah said, leaving the statement hanging, knowing that Emma would understand where she was going.
“And then, he is possessed already.” She added, sighing thereafter, expecting to be on the receiving side of the girl’s anger any minute from now.
“What do you mean by that?” Emma asked, furrowing her eyebrows as she stepped closer to the queen, not wanting to believe what she had just heard.
“Leonarya got to him first. He is possessed with the Alaferic species. They can be called demons as they are wicked. Damon had told me that. I had sent him to check out the land, for I had had a premonition that something of this nature was bound to happen. But I was late. I hadn’t been able to stop her. That’s why I need you to give him this necklace. Apart from being a protection charm, it will subdue the beast till a permanent cure is found.” Zipfarah said, hoping that her last clause will at least quench the angry flames in Emma’s eyes.