Dwellings On The Past ~ (Lorraine's daughter)

Late Night Talking

I sit up in my bed at the images still playing in my head. The dreams I have are getting more and more vivid and it affects me more and more. When my hand finds my forehead it's covered in cold sweat, but it still feels warmer than usual. My throat feels as dry as the desert to the point it's really uncomfortable.

The carpet next to my bed feels soft against my bare feet when I walk towards the door in hushed steps. The only thing that lights up the room is the moon, but it's full enough I don't trip over my own feet. My cold hand finds the doorknob and with a creak from the door I step into the pitch black hallway. I know my way around well enough to find the kitchen blind, though.

Because of the moonshine I don't trip over the bell laying at the bottom of the stairs. It doesn't belong there and neither do I recall it getting there. I huff in confusion while picking it up. The sound it makes feels incredibly loud in the all so quiet house.

My gaze switches from the bell to the living room to my right, to the kitchen and then to the empty and dark hallway behind me. I feel like someone else is here even though I can't see anyone.

While pushing my worries away I continue my way to the kitchen and place the bell on the counter. I was never too frightened of demons or unholy spirits, not more than anyone else who believes in them. But since what happened with Annabelle roughly a year ago, I can't seem to shake the feeling there's something or someone with me, at all times. I'm even scared of thinking about that doll. It creeps me out, but not enough for me to tell anyone.

The light from the fridge blinds me for a few seconds and I have to blink against it multiple times. My eyes scan the contents of the fridge for a while, but there's nothing matching my expectations. Well, a cold water will do.

As I reach for the water I hear a bell ring. I freeze and the glass bottle drops to the ground. It shatters next to my feet. Probably in more pieces than I can count. I'm really scared of turning around. More though, of what happens when I don't.

My foot accidentally hits the glass while I turn around. I wince but push the pain to the side. I'm more focused on the open room right in front of me. From the kitchen you can see the dining room, the living room and the hallway. Don't get me wrong, it's really pretty. It's scary in the dark, though.

Because my eyes are used to the light, I don't see anything except darkness. It's even scarier this way. "Who's there?" I ask aloud, aware my voice is shaking. Shivers go through my spine and the rest of my body when I feel a cold breath on my cheek. "Don't you wanna know?" I hear a female voice growl in my ear.

I scream in fear. The next second I open my eyes, I feel hands on each side of my shoulders. My gaze finds the one of my worried mom who's standing right in front of me. The light in the kitchen is turned on and the bell is still at its place.

"Linda, I'm here." Lorraine says, trying to talk some sense into me. "You're with me, it's okay. Come on, look at me." she expresses calmly. Her hands still have a tight grip on my shoulders. It doesn't hurt, it's just a little uncomfortable.

Even though I was looking at my mom before, it's only now that I really see her. "Mom, something was here." I whisper, my eyes not leaving my mom. I'm too afraid to look in any other direction. "I could feel it, it was so real. And it talked to me." I add, breathing faster than usual. My voice is shaking and instead of more oxygen I get less.

"Shh, it's okay." she whispers, matching her tone to mine. While wrapping her arms around me she lays her head on mine. With our heights she's barely able to do that. I don't know how long we're standing there, but at some point my breathing calms down and I can feel my pulse slowing down as well.

When my mom notices too I can hear her closing the fridge behind me. The light gets a little darker. When she parts from me again my gaze switches to the ground. It's full of broken glass. My mom is wearing dark brown slippers so she doesn't hurt herself. I can't say the same, a medium sized wound is showing on the left side of my right foot. The longer I look at it the more it hurts. "Mom, I'm sorry. It was an accident." I say, but she doesn't even let me finish my sentence.

"Oh, sweetheart. It's fine, don't worry about it." she tells me with a soft smile. She looks around for a second before her eyes land on the counter. "C'mon, hop up." she smiles. "You don't wanna hurt yourself more."

She helps me get up before grabbing a first aid kit from a kitchen drawer. "Oh, mom. That's not necessary. It's just a little scratch." I chuckle while she hints for me to get closer to her so she doesn't walk over the broken glass again.

"It is far more than that and you cannot be too careful." she says, clearly worried. "Come on, give me that foot." she instructs while opening the first aid kit. She takes out a compress and a bandage before sitting down on a kitchen chair.

"Wanna tell me how exactly that happened, honey?" she asks. While glancing at the fridge behind me I sigh deeply, trying to push the memories of the creepy voice away. "It all started with this dream I had, it was so vivid. I mean, I've been getting them for a while, but it was never that bad. When I woke up my throat felt really dry, so I wanted to get something to drink. At the bottom of the stairs I found a bell. I assumed it was one of yours so I placed it on the kitchen counter. When I opened the fridge and reached for the water, I heard the bell ring. I turned around and everything was dark which doesn't really make sense, because the light of the fridge should've been there. Then I felt a cold breath on my cheek and heard a female voice asking "Don't you wanna know?" and then you were there." I tell her and she listens carefully.

Once she realizes I said everything she takes my hands in hers. "If I ever made you feel like you couldn't tell me about your dreams or that you even had them, I'm sorry. Linda, what you saw, it wasn't real. At least it's not real yet." Lorraine informs me.

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. "What are you saying?" I wonder. "I'm a clairvoyant? Same as you?"

She smiles while looking down at her lap. "I don't think there was a point in your life where I didn't know or at least assumed it." she tells me while getting up and putting the first aid kit away. "Just a few weeks after your first birthday, your dad and I were away on a case. Your grandma Georgiana was watching over you for the day." she says while grabbing a handpan and brush out of a drawer in the kitchen. "We came back with something believed to be possessed by the previous owners. It wasn't so, but something was definitely wrong with it. I just knew, there was this awful feeling when I touched it." my mom says while cleaning up the mess I made. "When we came home your dad wanted to put it away as quickly as possible. You were mad he didn't say hello to you, though. While I was getting Ed and my things from the car you went after him without my mother noticing. I had a vision of you and where you were going, some sort of warning. When I arrived at the room I saw you touch the item your dad had so carefully put away in a lower shelf." I can see the smile forming on her face at the memory. "God, I was so worried when you touched it and wouldn't stop crying. But I realized it must be because of what you felt while doing it. A mother knows."

My mom has that knowing smile on her face and it's been there since she started talking. So she's known it since the beginning or has been suspecting it at least. She finishes up cleaning and throws the broken glass away. Then she walks back to her position in front of me, but she doesn't sit down.

"Why didn't you tell me? It would've made sense from the beginning on. From the first dream. Mom, that was ages ago." I say, trying to keep the anger and confusion in my voice down. But hiding anything from Lorraine borders on the impossible, so of course she notices. "I understand you're upset, sweetheart. But what if you weren't a clairvoyant and I just wanted to see it? If you actually were, but felt too pressured to see something?" she asks. At this point, I'm not too fond of admitting she's right, because she is most of the time. And she's so good at admitting when she's wrong.

"I just wanted you to feel safe. I didn't want to pull you into your dad's and my world because I know how wicked that can end. Can you understand that?" she asks and of course I can understand that, even though it annoys me.

While nodding I carefully jump down from the counter, taking care to only land on one foot, my left one. "Mh-hm, yeah." I mumble while she opens her arms for me. I feel relieved she understands and that she's here. Because I'll always know she's there for me when I'm lost in the darkness. 

A/N: 
Hi! I've decided to write another conjuring story, right now I'm really in love with the conjuring universe. I'm open for suggestions (Especially for the title of this story) and I'd really appreciate votes.
I'm actually thinking about writing a Vera Farminga fanfiction as well... btw, happy late birthday to her. Thank you for giving this story a try, I hope you won't be dissapointed! 
- Elle <3