The Psychic

Chapter 2

The morning sun crept in through the blinds, slicing golden stripes across my bedroom walls. My alarm buzzed faintly on the nightstand, but I was already awake. Last night’s dream clung to me like a second skin, its residue heavier than the blanket I hadn’t even noticed I’d tangled around myself. The faint red mark on my temple still glowed under the soft morning light. My fingers traced it lightly. How could it be real? A dream shouldn’t leave traces. My stomach twisted at the thought.

I tugged my uniform over my head, tying my hair into a messy bun. I forced myself to look in the mirror one last time. “Just a dream,” I whispered, trying to convince myself. But my heartbeat thumped unevenly, and a cold, buzzing sense of dread prickled my skin. Memories of past nightmares flickered in my mind. Flashes of metal, shadows, the man I could never fully see.

Downstairs, my parents moved carefully around the kitchen, words hushed and guarded. I didn’t bother reading their expressions; the weight of their secrets pressed down like fog, thick and suffocating. I grabbed a piece of toast, muttered I was leaving, and stepped outside. My headphones went in, volume up, trying to smother the thoughts threatening to choke me.

As I walked to school, little things set my nerves on edge. The breeze carried a tang of gasoline, a crow cawed sharply from a power line, and the uneven sidewalk made me stumble slightly. A chill ran down my spine for no reason. Something felt… wrong.

Inside, the day dragged, each lecture a blur. History stretched endlessly, each fact pricking at my anxiety, and every lecture felt like it went on forever.

I couldn’t stop replaying the dream: the van, the cold hospital lab, the electrodes, the man. Something important. Crucial, hovered at the edge of my memory, just out of reach.

Finally, gym arrived, a small relief. Fresh air. Movement. Maybe it would calm me.

Outside, The field smelled of grass and dust, sun warming my skin, trees swaying lazily in the breeze. My friends were already there: Sarah and Blessing tossing a volleyball, Liam stretching on the grass, and Jace… Jace leaning against the fence, casually watching the game, calm as ever. My chest tightened. I couldn’t stop noticing him. Always calm. Always unbothered. Someone like that should be watching and worrying about me, not this lame volleyball game, I thought bitterly.

I tried to focus on them, but unease prickled my spine. The sky looked sharper than usual, the sunlight reflecting off the pavement in harsh streaks. A flutter of anxiety passed over me, a déjà vu sensation I couldn’t place. My stomach churned, a warning I didn’t fully understand.

“Did you do the homework for history?” Sarah asked, flopping down beside me.

“Nope,” I muttered, eyes tracing clouds that seemed impossibly high, perfectly shaped. “I can’t even make up an excuse. I just hate history.”

Blessing snorted. “Same. Who cares what happened in 1879? I’m not going to remember that in five minutes. Honestly, why do they expect us to?”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Yeah… say thanks, Ms. Valdez, I’ll remember who drove into a ditch in 1975 by nine, and-”

Mateo’s voice cut in, sudden and sharp. “Hey… do you guys see that?”

Jace’s finger shot up. “Look!”

I followed their gaze. My chest tightened. A pink, glowing pentagon hovered high above the school, impossibly perfect. Lines of light stretched from its corners, forming a sigil against the clouds. My vision flickered for a fraction of a second. I knew this. Not consciously, but something deep inside me tensed. An echo of a dream I hadn’t fully understood yet.

“What… is that?” Sarah whispered. Her face had gone pale, her fingers gripping her volleyball like a lifeline.

“It’s… beautiful,” I murmured, throat tight. “But… wrong.”

“Yeah… this is… not normal,” Jace said, voice cracking slightly.

More appeared, two, three, five. The sky darkened, the air thrumming with a low, vibrating hum that seemed to press against my chest. A wave of nausea hit me, and I stumbled on the grass. My heartbeat leapt. Panic spread like wildfire.

Then the first explosion tore through the air. The shockwave knocked me off my feet. Screams shattered the morning calm. Students ran in every direction, tripping over backpacks, falling over each other. Smoke curled up from burning debris, stinging my eyes. The heat of nearby blasts singed my arms. I gagged on dust and the metallic tang of blood from someone tripped nearby. My heart screamed in my chest. My body froze for a second. Then I ran.

I shoved through the panicked crowd, my hands grabbing at Blessing’s arm. “Come on, come on!” I yelled. I forced a hand over hers, dragging her with me toward the parking lot.

I dove behind a car, fumbling for a moment of stability. Blessing crouched beside me, her eyes wide and shining with fear. Relief collided with terror. At least one friend was alive. At least one.

“Oh my God Blessing, what the f**k is going on?!” I yelled, grabbing her hands, shaking her lightly.

She couldn’t speak. Her lips trembled; she stared at the chaos.

“Hey! Breathe! We’re okay! We’re going to be okay!” I tried to reassure her, though the tremor in my own voice betrayed me. My stomach churned. Why did I run first? What if Sarah, Liam or Jace got hurt? What if Blessing gets hurt while she's with me? What would I do? What's going on? I'm so f*****g scared. I can't think straigh-

Another explosion rattled the ground, sending smoke curling into our faces, bringing me back to reality from my thoughts. We scrambled to our feet, running, dodging debris, leaping over fallen backpacks, weaving around students screaming and falling in panic. A student tripped nearby, their arm scraping the asphalt, a low cry escaping. My stomach twisted, adrenaline and nausea fighting inside me. I stumbled over debris, dust filling my nose, heat and smoke stinging my eyes. The metallic tang of panic filled my mouth. I have to keep moving. My vision darted. Shapes, patterns, echoes from dreams, flashes of the man I could never fully see.

I spotted a bus in the distance and sprinted. The doors flung open, and we dove in. Inside, the bus rattled violently. Liam’s hands were white-knuckled on the wheel, sweat glinting on his forehead. Fumes from the exhaust and smoke from explosions seeped in. Sarah and Jace inside, panic written on their faces, clinging to the seat. Blessing slumped beside me, still trembling.

“Oh my f**k, you guys are okay" I sighed out of relief, hair sticking to my sweaty face, lunging for the edge of the seat.

"Liam, drive!” Jace shouted, leaning over the console. “Left, right, whatever- just move!”

“Where are we going?” I gasped, chest heaving, eyes scanning the sky, calculating the chaos.

“I don't f*****g know, anywhere away from this ” Liam shouted, swerving sharply to avoid a beam striking the road.

"Keep your heads down!” I yelled, twisting to check outside, catching glimpses of shadows falling and the pink light chasing us. The bus jerked violently as explosions rattled its frame, and I grabbed onto a pole, teeth clenched. My mind raced. Cabin. My hidden cabin. That’s the only place safe. Only there can we think.

"Liam, drive to my house. I have a hidden cabin at the very back atleast to buy us more time " I yelled.

Sarah screamed again. “We’re not gonna make it! We’re all gonna die!”

“Shut up!” I snapped, gripping her shoulders. “We are gonna make it. You have to trust Liam. Trust Jace. Trust me.”

Jace leaned back, hair in his face. “Yeah, Ruby’s right. Focus, everyone! Look at the road, Liam- don’t hit that-” He ducked instinctively as a beam slammed into the road.

The sky outside twisted, shadows of debris reflecting against the bus windows. Heat licked at the glass. My stomach lurched. My hands shook. I swallowed hard, nausea and adrenaline mixing. I felt an echo from my dream. Something about the movement of the stars, their shape- like déjà vu. My heart raced. Something about this chaos felt familiar, like it was unlocking a memory buried somewhere.

The bus skidded to avoid a flaming chunk of asphalt, and Liam cursed, swerving violently. I grabbed the edge of a seat, pulling Blessing close. “Breathe! In, out. Don’t look at it, just breathe!”

“Ruby- look!” Sarah’s voice was high-pitched, panicked. I turned to see a piece of debris narrowly miss us, and for a second, I was frozen. Then I shook myself, grabbing the wheel myself just to steady the bus.

The trees blurred past. The heat of explosions pressed against the windows. The sound of chaos was deafening, a mixture of screaming, fire, metal, and our own ragged breathing. My body shook uncontrollably, adrenaline burning every nerve. I couldn’t stop my mind from flashing: the man from my dream… could he be here? No. Stop thinking. Focus. Just get to the cabin.

Finally, in the distance, the familiar pathway to my house came into view. I let out a trembling breath, relief washing over me as Liam slowed the bus. My hands still shook, my chest a tight knot of terror and adrenaline. My friends were alive. We were alive. For now.