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Although Brian was awake, the last vestiges of the dream still hung in his mind. What had brought on the onslaught of fear that he had been feeling over the last two days? He couldn't fathom how any of the events had been real, certainly not the scene in his bathroom the day before. Before he had a chance to consider the thought any further, he was startled by a sudden blow to his back. He was pitched forward into the mountain of blankets that he had kicked off during the night to the end of the bed. He was overcome by fear until he turned around and realized that it was only Leighanne, who had merely tried to throw her arm over him in her sleep. He took in leisured breaths as his heart raced. Why was he so edgy? He placed his hand lightly on his chest in an effort to calm himself down. He climbed out of bed and paced the large bedroom.
There had to be a reason for the vision he had been seeing. He thought of it as a vision mostly because of the fact that Leighanne had not seen her. Her. Who was she? She was a pretty strange figment of his imagination. Surely he would have imagined someone familiar, yet he couldn't recall ever having seen the girl before. Moreover, had he simply invented her, he knew he wouldn't have invented someone as frightening as her.
The next thought stayed in his mind, torturing him. Frightening. What was so frightening about her? She was only a young girl! The only thing that should have been even remotely unnerving about her was her piercing stare. Her icy gaze seemed to penetrate his soul. Her attitude had seemed perfectly harmless, yet her stare was what really bothered him. The thoughts swirled around in his head for hours, and still he could come to no conclusions. He finally decided to simply put the vision out of his mind and hope that he wouldn't see it again.
That afternoon, the plan fell apart.
Brian was in the lobby of the hotel checking to see that the rest of his and Leighanne's luggage had arrived when he felt a chilling presence behind him. He tried to ignore it, to once again put it out of his mind, but the presence persisted, beckoning him to turn around. When he finally did, he saw the girl standing in the south corner of the lobby; her hands still clasped in front of her. A mischievous grin played upon her lips, and her eyes took on a playful quality. Brian frowned, wondering what she was thinking. Without turning around to face him, Brian spoke to the clerk at the front desk.
"Who is that girl?" he asked, pointing in the direction of the image.
"Girl, sir?" the smartly dressed man in his mid 30's asked.
"Yeah! See that girl over by the plants? In the corner." He dropped his pointing finger and waited for the clerk's reaction.
"I'm afraid I don't see anyone… oh! You mean Lucy, the hotel's insurance agent?" he asked, locating the girl.
"That wouldn't be life insurance, by any chance, would it?" Brian muttered under his breath.
"What's that, sir?" the clerk asked.
"Oh, nothing," Brian said, turning around to take the luggage slip from the clerk's hand. "Thank you. I'll have someone pick that up later today."
"As you wish," the clerk said, and turned to another customer.
Brian walked toward the girl, who was still in the corner, surrounded by huge potted plants, ranging from lilies to miniature palm trees.
She must be a life insurance agent, Brian thought. She looks like the Grim Reaper.
"Hello," he said, keeping his gaze on the girl.
"Hello," the girl said. "I see you've come back. Have you made your decision?"
"Decision?" Brian asked, confused.
"Decision of whether or not you will fulfill your duty," Lucy replied, patiently.
"I have no duty. You're just an insurance agent who's been following me around!" Brian fumed.
"I'm not really an insurance agent. However, I have to keep up the pretence that I am, so the guests of the hotel won't be frightened when they see me roaming around at night," she explained.
"So just exactly who are you?" Brian asked, smugly.
"I am someone sent here to help you… a messenger, if you will, although at first, you probably won't like the help I have to offer."
"Try me," Brian challenged.
She ignored his comment. "I have come here to offer you a chance to have something better… a love stronger than the one you have found with Leighanne; a life happier than you have now."
"That's not possible." Brian said defensively. "My life is perfect! I just got married to the woman of my dreams, and my life is at its peak!"
"I think you'll change your mind once you get a feel for what I have to offer." she said.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"There is a girl, a young girl," she began. "She lives far from here." She stopped to monitor his reaction. He listened intently to her words. She was rather impressed at his belief in her. "This girl knew about you before she had ever heard your name or seen your face. She felt you in the back of her mind, knowing that someday she would marry you," she said.
"Leighanne!" Brian said, excitedly.
"No, not Leighanne. Her name is Holly," she said.
"Then she was wrong," Brian said. "I've married Leighanne."
"She was right, if the Creator has anything to say about it, which she does," Lucy said.
”God would never make me marry someone!" Brian shouted.
"You don't understand," Lucy countered. "I said the Creator, not God."
"But God is the Creator!" Brian argued.
"Not that Creator, Brian," Lucy corrected. Brian was surprised by the tone in which she said his name. It was as if it was very familiar to her. He said nothing, but let her continue.
"God is the Creator of the Earth, that is true, but this is the Creator of Love. She brings soul mates together," she went on.
"I don't need her help!" Brian said. "My soul mate is up in our suite right now!" his eyes drifted upwards, as if by looking at the ceiling of the lobby he could see his wife.
Lucy took a deep breath. "This is why I said you might not like what I have to offer at first. Leighanne… she's not your soul mate."
"What? Of course she is!" Brian protested.
"The Creator knows who everyone's soul mate is, and she does her best to bring them together… even if they have to go through heartbreak to do so," Lucy said, her eyes dampening with the tears she knew so well.
"So this girl, Holly, is supposedly my soul mate, am I right?" Brian asked, trying to assess what Lucy had told him.
"That's right," she agreed. "And she has chosen you."
"She's chosen me? What about who I choose!" he asked, angrily, balling his hands into fists.
“The Creator understands your anger, but She knows best," Lucy said, remaining calm despite Brian's apparent anger at the situation.
"No she doesn't," Brian said, determinedly. "No one can ever make me as happy as Leighanne has."
"You'll realize how wrong you are, once you meet Holly," Lucy said, her smile widening. "But it could take some time."
"But last night, you said I don't have to meet her, right?" Brian asked, searching for a loophole.
"Yes," she agreed. "However, I would advise that you do, since not meeting her will leave you in an even worse situation."
"How?" Brian asked, defeated.
"You will lose Leighanne." Before waiting for Brian's reaction, she plunged on. "She will be taken to meet her soul mate. You, on the other hand, will be stuck all alone. And trust me, your life will not go well."
"I don't believe you," Brian spat, denying her words. He stood up and walked away. "You're no messenger, you're just screwing with my head!" he yelled over his shoulder.
Suddenly, she appeared in front of him. He had to stop mid-step to avoid colliding with her. She stood just inches away.
"I am," Lucy said. "Do you need proof?"
"Yes, I need proof," Brian said, exasperated.
Suddenly, the small figure in front of him grew until she was about Brian's height. Her features shifted on her face and her hair lightened. Her clothes changed from a drab shade of black to a pair of form-fitting jeans and a light blue tank top. Brian gasped as he realized that Leighanne was now standing in front of him.
"Is that proof enough?" she asked in Leighanne's voice. "Will you come with me tonight, or do I have to take Leighanne instead?"
"I-I'll come," Brian choked. A moment later, the girl morphed back into her original self then disappeared. Before he could think about what he was doing, Brian ran up the stairs to his hotel room.
Welcome The Darkness