Loved By Witches

Chapter 3: Omen

The dream felt so real. Sophia was standing on a shoreline and for a moment, she felt a peace she hadn’t known since the crash.

"Choices are the seeds we plant in the dark, Sophia. We don't always get to see what they grow into."

The voice was familiar and Sophia turned toward the woman, who was standing a few feet away, her back to the water.

She wore a simple dress that caught the breeze and made her look very pretty.

"Love is a beautiful thing," the woman continued, her voice sounding like a lullaby. "But it is also the heaviest weight a soul can carry. Choose who you love with both your heart and your eyes wide open."

"Who are you?" Sophia asked, her voice trembling.

The woman turned and immediately, Sophia's breath hitched, her lungs seizing. It was her mother. Her face was clear and umarred, unlike how she looked after the car crash.

"Mom?"

Just as she called her name, Sophia bolted upright in bed, her heart hammering against her ribs wildly.

The room was quiet and the only sound was the aggressive tick-tick-tick of the wall clock. She squinted at the hands and groaned, she was already ten minutes late.

"Dammit," she whispered, wiping the cold sweat from her brow.

She scrambled out of bed, shoving the image of her mother’s face into the back of her mind.

She didn't have time for grief today, she barely had time to settle into her new school, not even to properly introduce herself to her roommates in her hotel room.

A few hours passed by and she sat at the far end of class quietly. By lunch, Sophia's stomach was a hollow pit. The cafeteria at Oakwood Heights was like a five-star restaurant, filled with the scent of grilled panini and fresh pasta.

She stood in line, clutching a few crumpled bills, only to realize she couldn't afford to wait in the long queue for a full meal. She settled for a small bag of crackers and a bottle of water, moving to a secluded table in the corner.

She sat alone, the words of her dream looping in her head. Love is a beautiful thing. Why would her mother say that now?

Suddenly, the world around her blurred and the chatter of the cafeteria faded into nothing.

Her body began to tremble and a flash of silver light exploded in her mind, an image played out right before her eyes. She saw a student laughing and looking at their phone, then tripped at the top of the grand marble staircase.

She saw the body tumble and land in a sickening angle at the bottom, the pool of blood on the white floor.

Sophia's eyes snapped open. She looked out through the cafeteria window toward the main hall. Her heart sank, and her fingers began to shake uncontrollably.

"What in the heavens!" she muttered, feeling the air knocked out of her lungs.

The vision was so vivid she could still smell the copper of the blood. It wasn't just a dream, it was a premonition, a rare gift she inherited from the Gemini bloodline. As a seer, she had never been able to control the things she saw.

Fear suddenly gripped her and she held the edge of the table, shaking. She couldn't watch it happen. She couldn't be there to fail again, just like she had failed at the car wreck.

She scrambled up, leaving her crackers behind, and ran. She burst through the side doors and headed for the back of the school building, finding a secluded spot behind the gymnasium.

She dropped to a squat, burying her face in her hands and squeezing her eyes shut. Tears leaked through her fingers.

"Go away, go away, go away," she sobbed, trying to drown out the mental image of the falling student.

"Sophia?"

She gasped, looking up. It was him—l, the boy from the hallway. Hart. He was standing a few feet away, his brow furrowed with concern.

"What are you doing back here? Why are you crying?" he asked, stepping toward her.

Sophia couldn't find the words. The panic was a physical weight on her chest.

“It's happening again," she gasped, not knowing how to explain what she felt.

She didn't think twice, she just reacted and lunged forward, throwing herself into his arms and clinging to his shirt.

Hart stiffened for a fraction of a second, surprised by the sudden contact, but then his arms wrapped around her. He pulled her closer to his warm body, his hand resting gently on the back of her head.

"Hey, it's okay," he whispered, his voice deep and grounding. "Slow down. Just breathe. It’s okay."

As he held her, the electric sensation returned. It didn't just stay in her arms this time, it surged down her spine like a lightning strike, warming her from the inside out.

In the middle of the terror, he felt like the only solid thing in the universe.

Overwhelmed by the magic, the grief, and the sudden, intense connection, Sophia pulled back just enough to look at him.

Then before her logic could stop her, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss was desperate and electric, making her head dizzy.

She could taste his soft lips, crashing against him. A clash of two souls finally touching.

But the moment was shattered instantly.

A blood-curdling scream echoed from inside the school, followed by the frantic shouting of teachers and the heavy thud of people running.

Sophia pulled away, her eyes wide with horror. Her vision had come true.