Chapter 1

Age 20

Ava Miller found herself in her bedroom of her Washington home.  Four miles outside of Deer Park.  T’was the night of her twentieth birthday.  Lying on her bed.  

“I wish I wasn’t in high school.  I’m done being bullied.”

“It’s not going to get much better,” a faraway voice answered.

Causing Ava to jump out of her bed and look around.  She knew her mother’s voice.  The voice did not belong to her.  It was more like an elder woman that she had never heard before.

“Ava.”

  “Who's there?”

  She could not for the life of her.  Find where the voice was coming from.  She did not have any technology that would cause a voice to pop out of nowhere.

  ‘So where is this voice?’

  An elderly sounding woman sighed, “Oh Ava.  We haven’t talked since you were eight years old.”

Making Ava’s brain to work overdrive.  ‘Eight?’  Then she remembered a time.  Back when she was living in the countryside.  Just twelve miles south of Colville, Washington.

“Grandmother Willow?”

“Yes, child.”

“Well,” Ava glanced around.  “Where are you?  Why can’t I see you?”

“You need to focus dear.  You have to see something that is normally not there.”  A huff was sounded.  “This was better when you were younger.  You had the eyes to see things that adults wouldn’t.”

  Ava fell back into her bed.  She knew that it was wrong to do but she was trying to figure things out.  ‘Am I really hearing her, again?’

“What do I need to do?”

“Close your eyes.”  Ava did what she was told to do.  “Relax your mind.  You have shut your mind of all thought.”

Ava with her eyes still closed.  Took deep breaths in and out.  Feeling her mind closing off to any kind of thoughts.

“Now, open your eyes.”

Ava did.  She found an elder woman, who really did not belong in the year 2000.  The woman looked like she should be in the early years of 1900’s.

“You really didn’t change much.”

It was true.  Ava remembered everything about the woman before her.  Her five-foot five height.  Her long ghostly black hair.  Even the animal skins that the woman had been wearing.

“And you have grown to be a lovely looking woman, my dear.”

Ava closed her eyes in disbelief.  “Then why am I being bullied in school?”

“Easy dear.  Girls are jealous of your beauty.  You don’t need to wear face paint to look beautiful.”

“And the guy’s?”

The woman chuckled, “They don’t know what they want.  Other than a toothpick to break easily.”  

A blush found its way to Ava’s cheeks.  “Willow,” gasped the young woman.  “I really didn’t need to hear such things.”

“Sorry dear.  I forgot that you were raised to be a lady.”  The elder woman shook her head.  “I knew my daughter hated everything about the people’s ways.  But I didn’t think that she would make her children into white folks.”  

The ghostly image sighed, “Then again, she married a white man.  Then she had a daughter, who had a daughter, and then you came along.  Making you, my great-granddaughter.”

“Why have you come, now?”

The spirit smiled, “It’s time for you to learn about your family.  About the gifts that were sent to you, by the line of your blood.”

“What gifts,” asked Ava with wonder.  “My mother wouldn’t tell me.  I have tried many times for her to talk to me.  But she would not say a thing.  Even her Wiccan stepsister have told her to.”

A smirk made its way to the ghost’s lips.  “No, she wouldn’t.  Why would your mother say anything?  When she has never really understood her own gift.”

The young woman made her way towards an open window.  Looking out towards the forest.  The only thing around that calmed her.  Not really understanding why.

“Was she afraid?”

“Yes,” stated Willow, with a hollow sounding voice.  “She had every right to.  Your father had sent her to the white padded walls.  Not believing that the man at the thunder building had any demonic intentions.”  

‘Thunder building?’

Then a thought came rushing into her mind.  It was a story about one of the times that her mother had seen things.  It was while her father was in the bowling league.

  “All in good time, Ava.  But you must know, you can’t run from your gifts.”  The Native woman shook her head.  “No.  You can’t run from them, or they will rule you.”

June’s voice coming into her mind, “While your father was bowling.  I was forced to watch at a table.  Which overlooked his station.  The owner of the place came and sat across from you and me.  A time while you were a few months old.”

She remembered her mother looking scared when she was trying to tell her the story.  Was it the fear of facing the whole ordeal again?  Or was it because she was telling Ava the story?

“The man before me seemed friendly and all.  But it was his eyes that told me a different manner.  He tried to get into my head.  Trying to get me to leave your father.  But I fought back.  I don’t know how, but I did.”

June looked pleased with herself.  But also, sad.  Ava had wondered, did the man find a way to bring her mother down after all.  

  “Did the man really try to do more than what my mother was telling me?”

“Yes,” stated the ghostly woman.  With sad looking eyes that Ava had ever seen.  “She nearly lost her mind, when your father took her to the doctors.”  She shook her head.  “No one wanted to listen to her.”

“Poor mom.”

The elder woman sighed, “Yes, poor June.”  After a moment of silence.  The ghostly woman spoke again, “Are you ready to start your training, my dear?”

Ava turned towards her ancestor, with questions that lit her eyes.  “Is there something that I must know before we begin.  Other than ghosts are real?”

The elder chuckled.  “You are a smart one.”  Causing the woman to laugh even more.  “Oh, very well.  There are many things out there, child, but it’s not for me to tell you.”

“I must know,” glared Ava.  She was getting tired of the half-truths that she was getting from people.  All her life was that way.  “What is IT you’re not telling me?”

Ava had not noticed it, but she had a tear running down from the corner of her eye.  Making its way down her cheek.  “What kind of life am I going to face?”

“A hard one.  Unlike most of your family before you.  You will not stray from the path of the light.  This is the only thing I can promise you.”  She nodded.  “Yes.  I can promise that.”

  Ava was glad to hear something positive about the whole strange thing.  Knowing that her morals would not leave her.  Knowing that she would not have to stray from her religious beliefs.  

“I’m going to have to teach you through the dream walk.”  

Causing Ava to raise her eyebrow.  “What?”

“I forgot; you don’t know what I’m talking about.”  The ghostly woman started hovering about the room.  “While your body sleeps.  Your soul leaves your body and explores the world.  When someone can do this, they are able to walk through the spirit world.”

“What else would I be able to do,” Ava asked with wonder in her voice.

“When you master the dream walk.  You’ll be able to spirit walk.”  Great-grandmother Willow seemed lost within her own mind.  “You’ll be able to help or fight back the spirits that cause fear to the living.”

A light flashed into Ava’s eyes.  It was because of a memory of her eight-year-old self.  She had nearly forgotten about that time.  A time that nearly scared her to death.  Seeing a man standing in the middle of her bedroom.  With cold fire red eyes.  The kind that made her cold as ice.  

“I’m watching you, child.  I will always have my eyes on you.”

Ava must have been lost within her own head.  Not realizing that she had been crying.  She had been overlooking her shoulder for many years.  Hoping to never see his kind again.  

“You are remembering him, aren’t you?”

“Who,” rasped Ava.

“The demon that nearly killed you, while you were eight.”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have to fear him,” Willow glared at the memory.  “You’ll have the tools to fight back.”  She glanced out the window, lost within her own mind.  “He will fear you.  When the time comes for you two to face each other.”

Ava laughed hollowly.  She did not believe her ears.  The red eyed demon was her waking nightmare.  He had his hands around her throat.  Trying to choke her.  Ava had thought that she could tell her mother.

‘No.  We had to run to Alaska.  Then move far from home.  Life is not fair.’

“When do we start?”

“Tonight.  When it’s time for bed.”  Willow moved towards the hallway.  “For now.  I need you to do some research.  I want you to understand some terms.  Like dream walker and spirit walker.  I want you to understand the difference.”

“Anything else,” asked Ava.  Sounding more willing than she did before.

“Yes,” stated Willow simply.  “I want you to read up some Native American legends.  If you have questions, I don’t want you to be afraid to ask.”

Then the ghostly image of an elder Native woman was gone.  Leaving Ava Miller alone in her room, once more.

  “I really hope that I’m not losing it,” whispered the twenty-year-old woman.