SURVIVING THE LAST YEAR OF High school was not an easy task, and even worse was feeling like a magnet for the supernatural twenty-four hours a day.
Everything Nate wanted to do was go out to parties, kiss strangers without the need to remember their names and enjoy his youth while he still could; but his desire remained hidden beneath the invisible cloak that separated him from other teenagers his age.
No, he's not a teenage vampire or a werewolf in love with the captain of the football team — although that wouldn't be so awful.
Nate Paschar had the uncanny ability to predict... bad things. Yes, This was his terrible secret. His visions were not as cool as it may sound, it was like running barefoot on volcanic soil and drowning among the waves at the same time, with nothing to hold on to. In his visions, Nate was always alone, always someone else, always seeing death more than he could count.
It wasn't anything as cool as predicting the future and having a chance to hit the lottery, no, nothing like that. It was something much more morbid. He could only predict death, and he couldn't control it. It was not a superpower whatsoever… It was a curse, Nate's curse.
Although he wasn't too thrilled to share his big secret, he was used to it. It became something natural to him, like a disease he grew to ignore and adapt over. However, since two weeks ago, after his father's death, his visions became unbearable.
Each day was a living torment.
"Have they stopped?" his mother asked a few days ago. "The omens, I mean… You don't talk to me about it anymore, so I was wondering if".
"Yeah, kinda… I just ignored the symptoms and hid them for so long that now that I think about it…. Yeah, they're gone for good.I didn't even notice they'd stopped."
Lies. At seventeen, he, unfortunately, couldn't say that he knew how to handle it properly. That invisible grasp was always there, the constant nightmares, suffocating him as if a vine had been tied around his neck…
It was impossible to ignore them as his nights were interrupted so many times. Dreams turned into nightmares and reality became a vague, calculated and rehearsed concept; a brief fraction of what actually existed inside Nate's mind.
But it was not real and, at that moment, however, Nate needed to deal with other problems.
"Listen, mom. I have to hang up… I'll call you later, ok?"
"Are you sure you wouldn't prefer me to pick you up? Don't you need money or something else?" Clarice's voice sounded higher-pitched than Nate remembered and the hiss of interference did nothing to help the boy's task of deciphering his mother's affected diction.
"I really have to go now… Don't worry, I don't need anything. Bye!"
" I still don't think it's a good idea for you to come alone, after everything that happened, I…"
A male voice called his last name on the other end of the line. Nate took the cell phone away from his ear and looked around to make sure he wasn't the one they were looking for; but soon his mother's laughter confirmed that he was definitely not the center of attention in that conversation.
The school hallway was still empty and the clock on the other side of the wall clearly indicated that classes hadn't ended yet. If that hadn't been his last day of school and his father hadn't died in a mysterious fire, he would definitely be in trouble if he was caught talking on his cell phone during class period.
"I'm not going alone. Jimmy is going to take me to the ferries and promised to accompany me there. A friend of his lent us a car and… I'm still a minor, have you forgotten? I can't travel alone." Nate huffed, irritated. They had already had that conversation more than once and he hated repeating information.
"Have you already registered with me at the new school? I sent the transfer documents by email…" Nate cowered behind the lockers when he saw a group of teachers on the other side of the hallway. "Mother? Mom, can you hear me?"
"Yes, yes, everything is already resolved." she assured. "And about the fire…" Nate felt his spine go cold when he heard that word. "You know we need to talk about this... After your father died, we... Nate? Na... can you hear me?" The interference became even more intense and it didn't take long for the call to be terminated.
At that same moment, the bell rang and the sea of students dominated the corridor. Nate slid the phone into the jacket's pocket, then shook his head as he made his way back to the classroom, as if the movement could bring some comfort; but it was enough to see the orange light of the sunset through the window for the memories of that night to invade his field of vision, transporting Nate to the moment he wanted to forget.
Fire, ashes, screams.
"Are you friends with him?" suddenly, a girl asked. She was an ordinary medium height red haired.
Just as they came, like a breath of winter breeze ruffling the foliage of the trees, the memories were carried away. He focused his attention on the stranger's rounded, friendly face. She appeared to be a little younger, her hair had obviously been dyed a dark red and, he noticed, her eyes were dark.
The girl lended her left hand on top of Nate's shoulder, and the sudden contact made him shiver. He blinked three times before finally realizing where he was. The walls, chairs, and blackboard at the back of the room brought him back to the real world.
Immediately, he discreetly brought his fingers to his left eye, trying to check if there were still any tear droplets there. Nate hated crying away from the comfort of his home because he hated attracting attention to himself, but he knew that a few tears wouldn't attract anyone's emotion.
Still confused, Nate stared at the gilr for a few seconds before responding; he recognized the voice and the face, but he didn't remember the name. The girl was pointing in the direction of a tall, black-haired, slightly tanned boy who was standing at the door with his arms crossed over his chest.
"No." He replied, moving the book away from his face. "I have no idea who it is". He didn't check the boy twice, it wasn't worth wasting his precious seconds with a stranger. He analyzed the rest of the room and turned his attention to the girl standing in front of him.
They were the only ones there.
Nate checked the clock on the wall and turned toward the window next to him. Dusk had arrived and he was already late. He knew he would find old Jimmy standing next to his old truck, facing the old gas station, waiting for him with a frown.
"Sorry," she let out a nasal laugh, "but it's hard to believe. He started appearing here after your father's death... He watches you for a few minutes and then leaves. I thought it was some relative or…"
"What. You. Said?"