Envisioned (The Elemental Prophecy) Read online

  Copyright © 2013 by Nikki Narvaez.

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. No part of this book can be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without the permission in writing from author. The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  Cover design by Mae I Design and Photography http://www.maeidesign.com

  Interior Design by Angela McLaurin, Fictional Formats

  For more information: http://nikkinarvaezwritegirl.blogspot.com/

  https://www.facebook.com/TheElementalProphecy

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  The fires surrounding me were blazing—I felt as though my skin was melting from the heat of the flames. The towering buildings in this foreign city were reduced to a pile of steaming cinder and rubble. I stood there immobilized by the destruction around me, powerless to stop it. Horrific winged beasts circled around me in the black sky, like vultures searching for their next meal. In the distance, I could see giants as tall as mountains roaming the city, leaving more destruction in their wake. Somehow, all of that wasn't as unsettling as when I saw him - those startling eyes, glowing like embers, burning into me with a look of desperation that I still could not comprehend. Why did he stare at me like I was his salvation? Why did he elicit feelings of longing in me like no other? Talons gripped at his shoulders, causing him to thrash and reach in my direction. They dragged him away into the blackness of the night, and his screams penetrated me to my soul.

  I woke up to the sounds of my own screaming, my unruly hair plastered to my skull by sweat, and my body racking in sobs at my lack of control. It felt like a memory given the vast number of times I had dreamt this exact scenario; I had been dreaming it for as long as I could remember. What did these dreams mean? Even though they were impossible, their constant recurrence had to signify something. Who was this man, and why did he arouse feelings in me that no other guy had come close to, even though we hadn't even met? I didn't even know if he existed, yet something deep down in my being screamed that he did. A part of me chastised myself for thinking something so ridiculous. It was just a dream; he wasn't real. Even still, another part hoped that he was real, and that one day, I would be able to give him what he so desperately pleaded for.

  This is what I thought about each night after the nightmare, after he was pulled away by creatures not meant for this world. I tried talking to my dad about it, but he just said that I had always had a vivid imagination and not to worry myself with unanswerable questions. Yeah, right, like that was going to happen. The world collapsing all around me was definitely something I could not ignore. What if I was envisioning the future? Was that even possible? I didn't dare tell anyone that I considered that—they would probably throw me in an insane asylum, which is where I felt I belonged after waking up from this ongoing nightmare. I couldn't prevent the end of the world from an institution so I silently dealt with my questions. No one would be able to help me anyway.

  I looked at my phone, which read 4:38 AM. Damn, I still had two hours until I had to get ready for school, but I knew there was no way I would be falling back to sleep; I never did once I awoke from my dream. It always eluded me, taunting me by making me dwell on the disturbing images from my never-ending nightmare. Most nights, I wouldn't even try to sleep, I would just read on my Kindle, immersing myself in someone else's world until I had to get ready for school. I only had a few weeks until school ended, with my birthday being on the last day of school. My best friend, Kimber, was planning something for such an “epic night,” as she put it. Graduation and her BFF's birthday—that was something worth partying for, according to Kimber. But, then again, Kimber didn't need an excuse to party, and neither did I. I wasn't a good girl by any means. I made good grades throughout high school without even trying, but I did enjoy going out and having a good time, even if Dad didn't approve. He saw me as his perfect angel, who never even had a boyfriend. That wasn't even close to the truth, but who was I to crush his dreams? Little did he know, I had lost my virginity a while ago, but I would never break his heart by divulging that information to him.

  Ever since my mother had died while giving birth to me, he had put me on a pedestal. He even named me Brielle, which meant “exalted goddess.” Who could live up to that? Maybe some of the characters in the books that I read, who were still virgins at twenty-one and never had a real boyfriend until their true love magically appeared in their life, but not me. This was the real world, and it was definitely not like the books I engrossed myself in.

  As I straightened my hopeless hair after showering the filth that the nightmares always left behind, I gazed at my reflection in the mirror, scrutinizing every flaw. The only part of my face that I felt was worth looking at were my eyes; they were a hazel that changed on a daily basis, seemingly with my moods. Sometimes, they were a warm brown, usually when I was upset. Other times, typically when I was happy or content, they were a golden amber, surrounded by flecks of a vivacious green. I loved when my eyes looked like that because they made me feel beautiful and exotic. I liked to think that was what got the guys' attention, but I knew it was my “blessed chest,” as Kimber liked to call it, that got the attention of the male population at our high school, my current boyfriend included. We had been dating for almost two years and he still didn't compare to the guy in my dreams - how sad was that? All he ever wanted to do was sit around with his friends and smoke pot, which was so not my thing, but I had no other options at the moment. Being with him was better than being alone. Being alone meant more time to long for the man from my dreams, and boy, was he a man. His eyes alone made me weak in the knees, but add his muscles and golden skin on top of that, and I was done for. It was as if someone had taken all the qualities I was attracted to in a guy and put them into the perfect man, all to torture me since there was no way he could be real. Dreams like that didn't come true, but I still held on to the slightest hope that he was real. That Fate wasn't playing some cruel joke on me by making me dream every night of some perfect guy that didn't exist.

  I stared in the mirror, silently scolding myself for letting my thoughts turn to him. There was nothing I could do about it, so why get worked up over things I couldn't control? I looked at my phone—crap! I totally lost track of time and now I only had ten minutes to finish getting ready, and I wasn't even dressed yet! The lack of sleep and constant daydreaming were definitely taking their toll on me. I hastily threw my clothes on, a ruffled yellow tank top and a cute denim skirt before rushing down the
stairs while awkwardly trying to put on my tan wedged platforms without falling. Dad was sitting at the dining table, drinking his coffee and reading the paper, his salt and pepper military-style hair peeking out over the top. His dark brown eyes looked up at me as he said, “Good morning, sunshine! How are you this morning?”

  I didn't understand how he was such a morning person when I was the complete opposite. I despised mornings. I would much rather stay up late than wake up early, but most teenagers were probably that way. I made a mental note to schedule all of my college courses to be after 11 AM. “Oh wonderful, Daddy. I'm running late, as usual. How are you?”

  He chuckled at my sarcastic attitude, which made a small smile tug at my lips. He could bring anyone out of their funk with his laid-back personality. “Well, I won't keep you,” he said, as he kissed the top of my head. “Have a great day, sweetie. I love you.”

  Even in my grouchy mood, I couldn't resist. I was a total “daddy's girl.” “I love you too, Daddy,” I proclaimed as I tiptoed to kiss his chin. “See you when you get home.”

  My dad, Domenic De Luca, was the fire chief of our small island town of Avalon, which was located on the Santa Catalina Island of California. The approximate population was 3,500, but during the summer the visitor count entered the millions due to the desirable weather. The days are warm and the nights are cool, which is perfect in my opinion. The waters surrounding the island were always crystal clear and breathtaking, not like the water closer to the mainland of California. I loved my little piece of paradise, but I felt trapped at times because Dad refused to let me leave the island. My grandparents had bought me a boat, but it just sat in the harbor because Dad was adamant that I never step foot off of Avalon. He had taken me for rides, even taught me how to drive it, but we always stayed close to the harbor. He always gave the excuse that I had everything I needed on Avalon so there was no reason for me to go over to the mainland. There was absolutely no arguing with him when it came to that issue. I got my way with everything else, so I never put up that much of a fight when it came down to it. Besides, Dad asked for so little and gave so much, practically anything I wanted, so I didn't press the issue.

  Once I turned eighteen, however, I was going to the mainland whether Dad liked it or not. I thought about how I could get off the island without him knowing as I sat through my boring-ass morning classes. The teachers droned on and on, all of them sounding like the adults in a Charlie Brown cartoon—blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I would've fallen asleep if my mind wasn't busy with thoughts of graduation and my birthday. Kimber had already planned to take me to a club in downtown Long Beach, which was the closest harbor to ours, but it would still take an hour to get there on the Catalina Express Fleet. Kimber wanted to take my boat, but I was still unsure since I didn't have much experience driving it. Kimber's argument was very convincing, especially since the latest scheduled Catalina Express trip was at 7 PM. We were definitely going to be out later than that, but I was afraid my dad would go check to see if the boat was at the dock when I was gone. “He trusts you, Brie. You've never given him a reason not to,” Kimber assured me at school during lunch, which only made me feel worse.

  “I know, but he has to suspect we are going to do something besides stay in Avalon for my eighteenth birthday. He's not that naïve,” I countered.

  Kimber rolled her eyes, “You are an angel in his eyes. He is going to believe whatever you tell him, which is that we are going to a friend's graduation party, where we promise not to drink, and then you are spending the night at my house. If it makes you feel any better, that last part is technically not a lie.”

  I sighed, “I hate lying to him. He is such a good dad, and I already feel guilty for keeping so much from him.”

  “You can't stay in Avalon forever, Brie. Plus, you will technically be an adult so he can't force you to stay. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?”

  “Maybe we could actually go to the party. We would still have fun, and it will probably be the last time we hang out with all of our friends together,” I proposed.

  Kimber looked at me like I had sprouted wings and a third eye, arguing by saying, “Really, Brie? We have been to enough high school parties. We are both going to be eighteen, and we are going to celebrate your birthday and our graduation with something unforgettable, whether you want to or not!”

  “Fine. We will go wherever you want to go, Kimber, since it's your birthday,” I sarcastically joked.

  Kimber feigned hurt, “I am thinking about you here, not me. You only live once, and this is an occasion worth breaking the rules for so no more arguing. Besides, I already found the perfect place to go,” she simply stated, then paused, waiting for the anticipation to overtake me.

  I played along, asking, “And where would that be?”

  She answered, “Only one of the hottest twenty-one and up nightclubs in downtown Long Beach—Sevilla Night Club. They ar—"

  I interrupted her by asking, “You do know that we are not twenty-one, right? I mean, we are hot, but I doubt that's enough to make them let us in.”

  She continued, “Well if you didn't interrupt me, you would know that they are having a special eighteen and up event on the night of your birthday. A graduation/beginning of summer bash to kick off the summer. Isn't that perfect?!”

  “I know I'm perfect, but you don't have to make a big deal about it,” my boyfriend, Nathan, interrupts as he sits down with us. I roll my eyes when he puts his arm around me—it always makes me uncomfortable, like I'm cheating on the guy from my dreams. I know, I know, I have some serious issues.

  Kimber scoffed, “Like I would really think you were perfect, you self-absorbed asshole!”

  “Don't hate because I'm not falling at your feet like every other guy—I'm out of your league.”

  Kimber started laughing hysterically, tears falling as she retorted, “You, out of my league? Ha! Both Brielle and I are out of your league, she's just too nice to dump your sorry ass!”

  I flushed, embarrassed, as Nathan looked back and forth between us. He and Kimber never got along, and he always expected me to take his side. His gaze landed on me as he said, “Aren't you going to defend me, Brie? Are you just going to let your bitch friend talk to me like that?!”

  “Both of you should stop arguing—you are causing a scene,” I pointed out. Everyone in the cafeteria was looking in our direction, waiting for something to happen that everyone could gossip about later.

  “Fine, I'll stop arguing, but you have to choose—me or her,” he demanded.

  I didn't even hesitate, “Her.”

  Nathan's face turned to a mixture of shock, anger, and embarrassment. If he were a cartoon, smoke would be fuming from his ears. “You would choose her over me? Me?!”

  “Yeah, she's my best friend, and has been since we were little. Plus, it's almost the end of school, and we will be moving on to better things. Did you really think this would last forever?” I replied.

  “You're right—I will move on to something better than you, skank,” he seethed. The juvenile crowd “ooohed” at that comment. Thank God I was almost done with this place.

  “What did you just call her?!” Kimber interrupted.

  “Stay out of this, bitch,” he replied.

  “Oh, hell no, you did not just call me a bitch again,” Kimber said, standing up from the table, causing Nathan and I to rise, as well. She walked over to him and got in his face, both of them spewing obscenities at one another.

  “Both of you, stop!” I yelled, trying to get in between them.

  “Fuck you, slut!” Nathan screamed at me. That was it, the last straw. I was done with the insults and mistreatment. He had walked all over me for years—making me cry with his verbal abuse and yelling, and putting everything else before me. The sex wasn't even that good, and sometimes he guilt-tripped me into doing it when I didn't want to. I moved Kimber aside to stand right in front of him. “What did you say to me?” I asked, anger dripping from my words.
>
  He looked me square in the eyes and repeated what he said, accentuating his words, “Fuck…you…slut. You ain't gonna do shi—" My fist cut the rest of his words off. He stumbled back, falling from my impact—huh, I didn't think I was strong enough to knock him down; it was probably my adrenaline. The crowd cheered as I looked down and said, “We're through.”

  Kimber and I turned to walk away, both of us snickering. Nathan yelled out, “I was through with you a long time ago—I cheated on you with Lauren and Jenn! So, yeah, I'm done with you!”

  I didn't even acknowledge him with a response. Surprisingly, I didn't really care. It hurt a little that he cheated on me, but I think I should have been more upset when my boyfriend of two years reveals that he cheated on me with two different girls. My emotions must be whacked to be totally fine with ending a long-term relationship, but admittedly, I'm not normal. Being infatuated with the man from my dreams ruins me for everyone else. I smiled as Kimber said, “That made my day—the look on his face when you decked him—priceless. Best thing that's happened all year!”

  I laughed. “It did feel good. He deserved it.”

  “Let's not talk about that douche anymore. So what did you think about my plan for your birthday?” Kimber asked as we walked to our next class.

  I thought back to her plan—it did sound like fun, and I couldn't deny that I was excited to be getting off the island. “I can't wait! Thank you so much for being an amazing friend,” I said, squeezing her tight.

  “No problem. You know I would do anything for you. You're like the sister I never had, and I love you,” she shyly admitted while hugging me back.

  “Stop it! You're going to make me cry! You know how emotional I am!” I exclaimed. I was always emotional, crying at movies, TV shows, and commercials—even when strangers cried, I would tear up. Kimber and Dad always made fun of my strong empathy and emotions, especially since I would also cry when I got angry. They both thought it was amusing, and that made me more upset because it made me feel like they didn't take me seriously. A plus side, however is that Dad hates to see me cry, so arguments usually end promptly with me being the victor in most cases. Sometimes I wished I could make myself cry, just so I could win the argument about leaving Avalon. I guess that doesn't really matter now since it will be happening on my birthday.