Little Fox in Big Trouble

Two

Blinking furiously, I tried to force the darkness from my vision. I felt something cool on my forehead, but I couldn’t quite get my mind to focus. When the couch shifted underneath me, it all came flooding back, and I instantly threw my body into motion. “Jess!” I called as I lurched upright, hoping it had all been a dream. I could still feel her terror in my bones.

“Shhh,” I heard whispered from the floor next to me, “Briseis, it’s okay. You’re not alone.” The male voice purred, as I felt something stroke my hair.

Wait a second. Male voice? Something was stroking my hair? It took another few seconds for the fog to recede enough for my memories of the day to come back to me. I whipped my head to the right and found Troy sitting cross-legged on the floor, concern written all over his face and his arm still partially extended from his attempt to sooth me. “I could feel her,” I told him, rushing to get the rest of the words out of my mouth before they faded away like an ordinary dream. “She’s all alone in the dark. She’s scared. I have to find her.”

“Calm down,” Troy murmured. The concern in his features growing as he studied me.

“I know it sounds crazy, but I swear it. It was her.” I don’t know why it was so important for this stranger to believe me. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I believed me.

“Okay,” he said, moving to sit next to me on the couch. “Have you ever had experiences like this before?”

I opened my mouth to tell him that I hadn’t, but… “Yes. Actually, I think I have.”

“You think?” He asked, appearing to be on the fence about whether interacting with me, a crazy person, at all was a good idea.

“When I was younger.” I explained, “I think I used to. I had these dreams that I was so sure were more than dreams. My dad always got bent out of shape when I told him about them. He would tell me they were nothing and…” I wasn’t sure how to finish. I couldn’t remember very much about the dreams. It had been so long. “I need to call my mom. She’ll remember.” I said, lunging from the couch to search for my phone.

“Here,” Troy said, picking it up from where I must have dropped it on the floor and handing it to me.

The phone rang four times, and I was about to hang up when I finally heard my mother’s soothing voice. “Hello? Briseis?”

“Hi, mom.” I said. “I need your help.”

“Of course, sweetheart. What do you need?” She said.

“Do you remember those dreams I had when I was a kid? The ones that freaked Dad out and he made me see a therapist for?”

“I do,” she answered, carefully.

“Okay, listen. I know this is going to sound crazy. Jess never came home last night, Mom, and I think she's in trouble. I think she needs me to find her.”

“What did you see?” She asked. Her voice hardening, as if she had been waiting for this for a long time.

I tried to explain everything I saw in my dream, but it didn’t all seem to fit together. “It was just flashes, I think, but it was so dark. I couldn’t really see anything, but it smelled like... it smelled like wet earth. Maybe it was in the woods somewhere, something.” I was trying to piece it together as I told it to her; trying to make it make sense, but she stopped me.

“Don’t worry about how it sounds, Bris. Just tell me what you saw. Tell me what you felt.”

“It was pitch black. I couldn’t see anything. It smelled like wet earth. I was so scared, and I didn’t know where I was. I was cold. It wasn’t me though, Mom. I wasn't me. I was Jess. I know it.”

“I believe you,” she said, gently. “You haven’t had one in so long I was afraid your father had taken them away from you for good.”

“I haven't had what, mom?” I asked. My hackles rising.

“A vision, Bris. You had a vision.” She told me. "You used to have them from time to time, but your father was afraid and he made you take those pills."

“I.., what?” I asked. I was never particularly religious, but my mom was. She believed in things like visions and magic. It used to embarrass me when I was younger. These days, I usually just humored her as I let her tell her stories about the old days, about the gods and the priestesses that worshipped them. It was similar to letting a toddler tell you about the unicorn in her closet. I was sure she was gearing up for another of those stories, now. I wasn’t sure I’d have the patience to let her speak, though.

“Please. Just listen for a minute, okay,” she pleaded. “Do you remember any of the stories I used to tell you when you were little?” She asked.

“No,” I sighed. "Not really."

“The folktales about the gods and magical creatures that roamed the earth. Tricksters and spirits, mostly.” She said, as if to get herself back on track.

“Mom,” I started to protest, but she cut me off.

“Bris, you are not a normal girl.” She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, “you have always been special.“

“Okay,” I replied carefully.

“Listen to me Bris. You can see through magic. You can hear the lies and truths spoken to you, and you can ask the gods for help; for their favor.”

“Of course I can ask, mom,” I sighed in frustration. “I can pray to Big Bird, too, but it isn’t likely to help me, any.”

“I’m serious, Briseis. Do not mock me. You can ask and they will answer. You only have to learn how to use your gifts. Learn to read your visions, learn to look through what is in front of you and see the truth. You have powerful blood in your veins. We were born from the gods, and if you let them, they will guide you.”

“Great. Well, which gods am I born from, mother? Do you have their phone number? Maybe, I should call them.” My frustration was quickly getting the better of my tongue.

“You have no idea what you have,” she snapped. “I never should have left you with that man. He’s blinded you to the truth.”

“Mom, please. Let’s not start that again. Dad was just Dad. And you had no choice. The judge gave him custody.” I sighed, unwilling to rehash the same old argument we had every time she felt like I was shrugging off her beliefs.

“Fine, but if you want to find your friend, you better start learning how to use your gifts. Maybe, you can find your gentleman friend’s sister, too.” She said, slowly and deliberately.

“What? How did you–“ I sputtered as my gaze jumped to Troy, startling him with my sudden movement.

“I do know how to use my gifts, sweetling,” she said, more than a little smug.

“Okay,” I said, looking around for a camera or other spying device in the room. Of course, that wouldn’t explain how she knew about Troy’s sister. He hadn’t even mentioned his sister since we’ve been in the apartment. “You win, I guess. I believe you. If you can help me find Jess, and especially if I can help him find his sister too, then I’ll believe anything. Tell me what to do.”

Troy c****d his head to the side, at that. Clearly trying to recall when I had mentioned him to my mother. I shook my head at him, hoping to convey, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell you after I hang up.” It must have worked because he nodded and relaxed against the couch again.

“I would say you need training,” she told me, “but, as I’m sure you’re not willing to take the trip to visit me, I am currently unable to provide it for you.”

She never missed a chance to take a jab at my reluctance to fly to Japan. No matter that she chose to move to a different country rather than stay nearby her only child. “Mom,” I snapped with frustration. “I don’t have time for this. Jessica could be…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence.

“Watch your tone, young lady.” She scolded me. No matter what was happening, Mom would still be Mom.

I reigned in my growing agitation and apologized. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’m just really worried about her.”

“I know you are, Bris. I know you are.” She said, calming my twitching nerves instantly. She had always been able to do that. She claimed it was one of her gifts from the deities she insisted were watching over us. I always thought it was just a mom thing.

“Listen to me, carefully.” She began. “You need to open yourself up to what I am telling you, and you need to find a way to connect with your true spirit.”

“What does that even mean?” I asked.