Valerie Lives in Dreams

CHAPTER 6

I found a small tea café not so far away. The bell rang as I entered.
"Hey! I am Mary Grace. Can I get green tea, please?" I sighed in frustration.
"Hello, Mary, I am James. I'll get your green tea right away!" he stood in front of the table I sat down at as he ran his fingers through his fluffy, black hair. A smile ran across his face as if he was clearly trying to show off his cute dimples.
"Thanks!" I replied as I looked up at him and made eye contact.
"So, what brings you here?" James asked me.
"I am just looking for answers." I replied as I looked down at my phone and started texting Alex.
Mary: hey this is mary grace. is this alex?
Alex: Yep mary its me alex how are you
"Maybe I can help you find answers to what you're looking for?" James's lips curled into another friendly smile.
"So basically, I need to learn about the magic that surrounds this city and about souls and spells and stuff."
"Oh, I can help! There's this girl who lives near the riverbank. She has answers to all the questions regarding this city's magic. I can take you there after you finish your tea!"
"Thank you!"
"My pleasure! Here's your tea! Enjoy!" James said, placing down my green tea.
I started sipping on my tea.
Mary: im at a tea cafe
Alex: oh nice im still at work but my shifts over
"How much do I owe you?"
"Don't worry, it's on the house!"
I smiled, "Thank you!"
"If you need my help anytime, you can come over or just give me a call."
“But I don’t have your number," I said.
He fake gasped, “Pretty girl asking me for my number in such a sneaky way. Clever.”
“No, I mean-” I said in a confused way until I realized and said jokingly, “Hey! Don’t be so smart with me.”
“So can I have your digits?" he gave me a cute closed-mouth smile.
“Fine," I pretended to be annoyed.
“Yay," he did a tiny happy squeal and I smiled with my hand covering my mouth as he watched me put my number in his phone.
"Let's go!" James said when I finished my tea.
He unexpectedly grabbed my hand and led me out.
His cold touch ran shivers down my spine.
James talked to me all the way to the girl's house near the riverbank. He knocked on the door of the small house.
"It's open. You can come in," said a high-pitched voice from inside.
James opened the door for me.
"After you," he smirked.
"Chivalrous!" I raised my eyebrows.
We walked in. A girl was sitting on the couch with a bowl of Doritos in her lap concentrating on her soccer match, unfazed by our presence in her house. The house was quite spacious compared to how small it looked on the outside.
"Hi! How may I help you today?" the redhead girl said with a mouthful of chips, her eyes still fixated on the soccer match.
"Uhhh-" I looked confused but James just smirked at me.
“Bro! What the hell!" she yelled as she threw a dorito at the TV screen.
She sighed in frustration and turned the TV off from the remote. She crossed her arms.
"Y'all pretend like people who are psychics are wizards from your books with literally zero personality like I will not comply with being a flat character wizard that's supposed to show up in your journey to give you some stupid advice and be boring," she said with loud hand gestures.
She was right and also, quite full of color. Her copper hair was tied up in a messy bun as she sat crisscross applesauce in her green flannel pants, an oversized black t-shirt, and loooong white socks. Her cute and small slippers were on the floor and her house was all messy with things lying around randomly.
She was one odd wizard- or psychic- for sure.
"I need answers. Is there something more to the Stuart family's death than just Miller killing them? Are there souls trapped or captured? How can I free them?"
"Wait... you didn't tell me you were trying to crack the Stuarts family mystery...?" James came shocked and stuttered, his eyes widened, nostrils flared.
"There's nothing wrong with that, right? Or do you not want me to figure out what happened?" I questioned, with a hint of sarcasm.
"I- I meant... I just don't want you getting into any danger?"
"We literally just met. What are you trying to say?" I rolled my eyes and said it sarcastically.
"I mean you just moved here recently and I don't want you getting into any sort of trouble or danger. Please listen to me and be safe!" James said with a worried look on his face.
I fake gasped, “You’re Miller and you don’t want me finding out.”
“Come on! Do better than that!” he chuckled.
"I just need some info. That's all."
"Fine"
The psychic girl cleared her throat. "How. May. I. Help. You. Today," she forced the words along with a sarcastic smile.
I took a deep breath. "I need help regarding the Stuart family mystery!"
"Are you sure? Think one more time!" The girl replied.
I exchanged glances with James and he nodded after letting a sigh.
"Yes, I'm sure!"
The psychic girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I see some things but..."
"But what?” I impatiently inquired.
"But the links between the stories are unclear... The souls need revenge as in blood in exchange for blood."
"They want Miller dead?"
"Yes, that seems like it!"
“But isn’t he like dead?”
“He is but somehow he’s still among us living people!”
“Zombieeee!" I whispered to James.
"What else do you see?" he said.
"An evil spirit named Miller had the intention to ruin the town's peace and make it his home so he could rule it-"
I interrupted the psychic and continues the story in my own words.
"He kills an honored and respected family of the town, the Stuarts. Their daughter Hailey manages to escape and lives. She tries to get revenge for her family but ends up dying."
James looks at me with eyes wide. "How... do- do you know all that?" He swallowed.
"Doesn't matter?" I looked at him in confusion.
The girl nodded her head.
"That's enough information for you today!"
"Thank you!" I smiled and walked out.
James quickly followed me on the way out.
“Does she go to our highschool? I mean, she looks seventeen-ish.” I asked as we continued to walk to the café.
“Nope. She doesn't attend school.”
“What about her parents though?”
“She doesn't have parents: Miller killed fhem. She lives alone.”
“If she doesn't make people pay fot the psychic services then how does she, you know, make a living?”
“She works online.”
“Oh…”
She was even more interesting than I'd thought. I felt really bad for her though. Why did Miller kill her parents?
At the café, I kept overthinking about what to do as I sipped on another cup of green tea.
"What are you thinking?" he asked as he wiped the table.
"How did Miller take into human form though, is what I'm wondering?"
"It's simple. He killed a human and took his form. Then he just changed his name and stuff... He's an evil spirit, or demon of sort, you know?" he looked at me as if he was staring into my soul through my blue eyes as he dumped all the information on me.
"Are you serious... how do you know all this?" I looked at him, shocked.