Invoke

Chapter 3

The evening was taxing. It was supposed to be a low-key night, but Grace had made plans unbeknownst to her. Scarlett hadn't had a night out like that since her early twenties. She was feeling it too, as she grabbed for a pillow to conceal the light that was flooding in from her bedroom window. After much convincing from Grace, Scarlett yielded, and the two of them headed to town.

Grace scoffed at the attire Scarlett had chosen but knew this was just the way it was with Scarlett. Jeans and boots, not frilly dresses, Grace always said. "A body like yours screams for a pretty dress, Scarlett."

But Scarlett liked the way a pair of jeans felt. She could dress them up or down and still feel pretty damn sexy. Scarlett's intentions were to have some appetizers and a few drinks, not close down the place. Friends that she hadn't seen in a while had shown up, and the night seemed to go on without a glance at her watch.

She was now under the goose down coverlet, and divinely comfortable. However, the vivid light was too intense for her monster headache that made its presence known this morning. She stretched and felt as if she truly had been plowed down by a bulldozer. She had many things to do, and her list wasn't getting done lying in bed.

She made her way to the kitchen, groaning and looking the sight. She could smell the coffee brewing as she descended the stairs. Thank God for gadgets, she thought. Her moose head slippers scooted across the hardwood floor, sounding like sandpaper against wood. She poured her cup and sipped the hot heavenly liquid.

She then looked out the kitchen window and noticed that her back yard was definitely in need of some attention. The trees were old, some needing to be taken down, a few still standing regal and proud. The lawn was overgrown, and the small, pitiful pond on the property more resembled a moat. Yet another thing to add on to the list, she thought with chagrin. She would walk the perimeter of the property today and take notes of anything that needed to get done.

The plumber and the electrician weren't due to arrive until noon, so she had some time to explore a bit. About an hour later she was dressed and ready for the day. She grabbed her coat off the hook in the kitchen and opened the back screen door, its rusty hinges making a small sound of protest. The grass was wet with dew, small droplets shining with the morning sun.

Scarlett made her way towards the back of the property. The sun was indeed bright this morning, casting shadows of the trees upon the lawn. She headed toward the pond, making her way up the small hill and then veering off to the right. The smell of it hit her first, and then the muddy filled mass of water came into view. The simple fact that it was in need of water astounded her. She was astonished that lily pads still floated upon it.

"Great," she muttered to herself. Another project, and more money to spend, she thought. She shook her head and then plopped down on the moist ground, surveying the area. The sounds of morning were welcoming to her. She looked around and was amazed and proud that all this was hers. Everything... The land, the crummy pond, the house that was falling apart. Hers... Even the silver locket that now adorned her neck.

Inadvertently she put a hand up to it, tracing it with her fingers. It's been a long road getting here, her mind thought, but she made it. Soon, her mind began to wander, going to the place that she long laid to rest. Her childhood. The taunting from others, the whispers from people. She was an outcast. Labeled one because people didn't understand her. It all started when she was just a girl, about nine. She was in a terrible car accident. Both her parents had died, but Scarlett survived, barely...

After coming out of the coma she started seeing things. It started with the whispers in the dead of night. Then she could see them. It wasn't often, but when it happened, it unglued her. Her grandparents tried to understand, chalking it up to a young girl's imagination. After a while, they just ignored it, or better yet, attempted to squelch it. Scarlett didn't understand it then, and at the age of twenty- nine, she still didn't comprehend why she was cursed with it.

Scarlett was a Medium.

She could envision things that others could not. She didn't ask for the gift. She didn't want the damn thing. And she certainly didn't want to communicate with Casper in her house! She had buried all that. It was a page of history she burned a long time ago. She got up to leave, dismissing her thoughts. Soon the workers would be arriving. Her hands dug into the back pockets of her Levi's, Scarlett hummed to herself, making her way back to the house when she heard it.

A thick whisper upon the air.

I told you to leave.

The mark will be made, and you will be trapped here as I.

You are not mine to keep. You are not mine to love again.

She will take what I called my own.

Escape before the blanket of night.

It is then her magic will be unleashed.

"Sweet Jesus," the words barely escaping her lips.

Where did he come from? She asked herself. She hadn't seen him a second ago. Her eyes darted around in vain.

But there he stood from across the way, gazing at her from the thicket beyond the pond. He was dressed in black pants and an overcoat. His white shirt was opened, revealing copper skin. His black hair was disheveled, charmingly so. His sky blue eyes impaled her from a far, instantly captivating her. Her heart was pounding, and she was certain that he could hear every beat of it.

She stood immobile, wanting to flee, yet the urgent sense of being beckoned filling her. A crackling sound penetrated the sky, roaring loudly, causing her to cover her ears to muffle it.

Scarlett screamed.

Run! Her mind warned her. Run!

But Scarlett could not. No... Her heart screamed to stay.

Suddenly, she felt a blazing heat engulf her. So sweltering, its touch caused her to feel that Lucifer himself was casting her into his hell.

The air around her snapped, drumming throughout.

Authors Note:

Thank you so much for reading this chapter of Invoke. If you enjoyed it, it would be wonderful if you could vote. Feel free to leave comments as well. I answer every one. And last of all, if you follow me, you will find out right away when there are updates or new stories.

XOXO,

M