Hailey’s P. O. V

“Kaesha… Kaesha, we’re here. You need to wake up.” Ari said, softly tapping Kaesha.

She stirred, eyes shifting under her eyelids, before they snapped open. The Sienna rocked violently and Ari and I were pushed several feet backwards, landing on our asses on the porch.

“No! Please! Don’t take it!!” She shrieked.

“What the actual fuck?!” Tim yelped from the back, startled awake.

A few moments later, having comprehended the situation, he reached forward, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Kaesha, breathe. You’re gonna wreck something- or someone.” He said in a soft voice, “Whatever you feel threatened by, isn’t here. You’re safe. No one’s gonna take anything from you, okay?”

Not long after the words left his mouth, the Sienna stopped. Tim sat back, sighing.

“What… Ava? Hailey?” She jumped out, running towards us, “Are you okay? I’m so sorry! Here, let me help you. Are you hurt? Did you hit anything hard? Can you wa-?”

“Kaesha.” Ari said calmly, waiting for the psychic witch to calm down, “It’s alright.”

“Are you sure? I can heal you if anything hurts.”

Ari smiled, “We’re not hurt, are we Hailey?” She turned to me.

Well… my butt’s sore…

I shook my head.

“There. We’re fine.” She got up, dusting off her hiney, then lent me a hand, before turning back to Kaesha, “Come on, you still need rest. Let my show you your room. You can take a shower before going back to sleep, if you’d like.”

“Thanks, Ava…” Kaesha said in a small voice, following Ari inside.

I looked back at Tim as he climbed out of the vehicle, shutting the door behind him.

“I guess you’re not so grumpy.” I commented once he reached the porch.

He rolled his eyes, “The rocking was giving me a fucking headache. Was I supposed to just sit there and let her play bumper cars?”

“But… you sounded kind.”

He scoffed.

“Come on,” I grabbed his hand, leading him into the house, “your things are inside. I’ll take you to your room. Ari let you have the biggest one. You even get your own bathroom.”

I knew Ari didn’t trust him, not the way she could with me or Kaesha. He was far too closely connected to her former tormentors for her to comfortably do so. But she was at least trying to make him comfortable, and that was a start.

“How nice of her.” He rolled his eyes, words dripping with sarcasm. A second later, he snatched his arm from my grip.

“Meanie.” I grumbled.

He sneered, “Boo hoo, Sunshine. Gonna tattle on me? Make Ari take the big ‘ol room from me?”

‘He is so freaking rude!’

“Your room’s over there!” I stabbed a finger in the direction of his door then stomped off to my own room. I slammed the door on the sound of his laughter.

It wasn’t enough. The sound of his fading chuckles still reached my ears before it altogether stopped and he retreated to his own room.

‘Apart from Keily and occasionally your mom… I’ve never seen anyone annoy you in such a short time with them. Even with Lance. He didn’t really piss you off till that date.’ Opelene observed.

I huffed and folded my hands, blowing on one of my longer bangs, ‘I… ugh! Did you hear what he said about Ari? How he said it? He was mocking her kindness!’

‘Right…’ She didn’t even bother to try and sound convinced.

‘It’s true! She’s the one paying for this place and she gave him the biggest room. Instead of being grateful and appreciating how her kindness is growing, he just had to go and be nasty about it!’ I half threw myself onto the bed, wincing a little at its stiffness.

‘Uh-huh…’

‘His attitude is the worst! Just like Keily!’

Opelene didn’t stay quiet on that one, ‘Hailey, you know that’s not true.’

‘I know…’ I pouted.

I knew. I knew he wasn’t nearly as bad as Keily.

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Not even close.

He was much kinder than her. He’d seen hardships in ways that she could never even begin to imagine. He’d been run out of his home and hunted like some criminal. All because he’d heard something.

All because of something that was in no way his fault.

But he was rude, arrogant, crude and a general pain in my usually pleasant backside. Sure, he didn’t walk into a room and expect everyone to be at his beck and call, but he made it his job to be needlessly mean and distant. And he seemed to make a game of ruining my mood.

He didn’t appear to actively diss Ari, at least not to her face. And, to some extent, he seemed fond of Kaesha. Well, this was not my house back in Manhattan, and I wasn’t gonna let anyone make me miserable ever again.

I sat up, squaring my shoulders, ‘I’m not gonna let his attitude get to me.’

‘Good for you.’ She said dryly.

‘Opelene! Be more supportive!’

‘This is the most I can muster.’

I huffed, then started unpacking. It was a short trip and I didn’t have much with me, but I always thought it best to have all my clothing options out where I could see them. Plus, it was nice to have something to do with my hands.

When I was done, only ten minutes had passed and it was almost four pm. I figured, Kaesha should be done with the bathroom by now, and I definitely needed to get out of these clothes. They were bloody, dirty and I could feel a thin layer of grime all over my being.

I grabbed my towel and toiletries and went to take a hot bath. I took extra care to scrub the dried blood and dirt from earlier in the day. It was only about quarter past five, but it felt like Ari taken us on this trip two days ago.

I sighed. I guess it’ll feel that way with all that’s happened today.

Once I returned to my room, I got dressed in some comfortable clothes and crawled into bed. It didn’t take long for me to slip into unconsciousness.

‘No… not again.’ My present consciousness groaned, taking in the scene.

I’d found myself in a darkened stone hallway. Gold and black themed tapestries illustrating extravagant balls, glorious warriors and some of lone women with enough regality to make a any of the Queen of England’s descendants feel like servants.

I watched in third person view as a version of myself raced down the hall, taking the stairs at the end in leaps and bounds. Her- well… my - clothes were in tatters, the all too familiar pattern of dried blood coating them. Hair, a greasy, dirty mess and skin pale and dull. She - I - was covered in bruises and barely healed cuts. There was a particularly nasty gash on the side of our head and we were bleeding profusely from our outer left thigh.

My present consciousness, in the form of an inconceivable ghost, floated after her, an all too familiar dread clenching my corporeal core.

I knew this scene.

Other me reached the top of the stairs, and continued her run, kicking down doors on each side of the hall. I floated over to the fourth door on the right and counted down.

… four, five, six, aaand, seven.

Other me knocked down the door I was next to, “KEILY!!”

She rushed inside and I floated in after her.

The view before me still made me feel the blood drain from my intangible face. Her normally straight, glossy blonde hair was sprawled out around her, lacking gloss, shine and its usual luster. And, somehow, the unthinkable had happened and she was missing some chunks of it.

“Keily! Keily! Oh, my God! Keily! Wake up! Wake up! No! This is not happening!!!” The other me was reduced to sobs as she did her best to stem blood loss from her abdomen.

After so many times, corporeal me was still heartbroken, no matter how many times Keily had been nasty towards me. The sight of the ripped skin off her nose still prickled my skin. Looking at all her injuries and bruises still made me desperately want to make them disappear.

‘And cue…’

I floated closer in anticipation. Almost immediately, I felt my present self being sucked into the other, distraught version of myself. Her emotions and being became mine as the feeling of all her aches and injuries bombarded my consciousness. Sticky warmth filled my palms with the feeling of fresh blood. And then…

Panic. Terror. Despair.

The next words out of my mouth were hers as well, and we were one.

“The Princess!” I knew she would be able to do something… anything… “Where is Princess-”

I gasped awake, struggling in my tangled sheets and tumbling out of bed with an oof, followed by a loud groan.

‘Hailey!’ Opelene startled awake, ‘are you okay?’

‘Yeah…’ I sat up, rubbing the kink in my neck and gathering up my sheets.

‘Same vision again?’

I nodded.

‘Did you find out who the princess was this time?’

I shook my head. Dejected once more.

This hadn’t been the first time I’d seen this in my sleep. At first, I’d thought it was simply a dream. I’d often cry once I woke, not wanting my twin to die despite her flaws and mistreatment.

But it had gotten too much.

The dream would only occur the times I slept within the forty-eight hours nearing a full moon shift. And then it would come at least once over the two, three or four nights of the shifts, while Opelene was in control and my consciousness took the back seat.

However, once I’d overheard mom talking about our Seer heritage with Keily, I wasn’t so sure it was simply a dream. So, figuring that it was a vision, I’d decided to take the offensive.

But to do that, I had to figure out clues about the location and who the Princess was. Once I could, then I’d be able to prevent Keily’s death by making sure either I or Keily were with the Princess at any give time in that location.

Unfortunately, the vision was always cut off before future me could say the Princess’ name. So I’d taken to observing the surroundings. I knew every stone of the corridor, the number of steps, the details of every tapestry, the positions of every dimmed light, and, most of all, the details of the room I would find Keily in.

But not the Princess’s name.

Sighing, I made my way to the kitchen to drink some water. It was already dark, but I didn’t need the lights and risk waking anyone. Thank goodness there was wifi, ‘cause I normally couldn’t sleep till some hours later and needed something to occupy myself with.

On my way back, the uneasy sounds of whimpering and restlessness reached my ears. Following them, I found myself standing at the door of none other than… Tim.

How ironic…

I wrestled with myself, whether or not to intrude on what seemed to be a vulnerable moment. He’d probably throw all the snark he could find at me for bothering him… But what was the point of being allies if we couldn’t be there for each other?

Resting a hand on the doorknob, I gathered my patience and ventured into his den.

‘Here goes nothing.’