I was just your average high school guy. I was just trying to get through the next two years of high school, and just worrying about making it onto the varsity football team this upcoming fall. But that all changed when I met her at a 4^th of July party at Lake Tacko. It all starts two days earlier…. ‘Hey Zero, you coming to the 4^th of July party on Thursday?’ Texted my girlfriend Reyna.

‘Maybe. Are you going and where it is supposed to be?’ I texted her back.

‘I might go if you go, and it’s supposed to be at Lake Tacko on the north side.’

‘Ok. Then I guess I’ll go. I’ll pick you up at 8 on Thursday night.’

‘Great, sounds like a date. :) I gotta go, but I’ll text you later.’ She says.

‘K, bye.’ Then I put my phone on my dresser and I just laid there on my bed staring up at the ceiling thinking to myself about how great the party would be.

A few minutes later my mom calls out “Zero, supper is almost ready. Come down and wash up and get your brother as well.”

“K mom, I’ll be down in just a sec.” I holler back. I slowly get up from my bed and throw on a t-shirt then I open my door and walk across the hallway towards my twin brother’s room. I knock on his door while calling out “Yo Fay, it’s time to eat.” I waited for about thirty seconds and when I didn’t get any response back from him, I opened the door and strolled into his room.

When I entered his room, I was met with darkness, so I flipped on the lights and I glanced over towards his bed and lying in it, covered with blankets is Fay. I walked over to him and started shaking him from side to side, and after a few minutes of shaking him, he finally opened his eyes and groaned out “what do you want?!”

“Come on, it’s time to eat dinner. We are all waiting for you.” I tell him.

“Ok, I’m coming. Help me up will ya?”

He extended his left hand and I grabbed hold of it to pull him into an upright position. But then the strangest thing happened as soon as my hand touched his hand; I felt this electric shock course through my hand and throughout my body, and what felt like forever the electric shock suddenly stops and in my mind, I see this young girl’s face and I can hear her pleading for me to save her. I hear her begging me “Please Zero, I need you and your brother to save me and my people. My name is Alyjra and we will be meeting again soon. But my people and I are in dire trouble and by winter solstice we could perish forever. You are the only two people who can save us....” Then she vanishes and I find myself lying on the floor in my brother’s bedroom.

I’m sweating like crazy and breathing really heavily. I look up at my brother to see that he has this panic-stricken look plastered on his face. I could see it in his emerald green eyes that he had experienced the same thing I had just experienced. We sat there in silence for a long time before I broke the silence first “What just happened?!”

I glance up at him and see that he has this far-away dazed look on his face like he is already thinking about what just happened. I shake his knee and it seems to snap him out of his daze and he mumbles out “Huh- sorry what were you saying Zero?”

“I was just asking you what you thought about this vision we just saw. What do you make of it? Have you ever heard of this girl, Alyjra?”

“No, this is the first time I’ve heard of her, and I don’t think we’ll get anywhere tonight trying to solve what this vision means. We should probably head on downstairs to the kitchen and eat dinner….”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” I agreed. So I get up off the floor then start heading towards the door and Fay follows me.

But before we left his room, he put his right hand on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks and said in this hushed but very serious tone, “Zero, you mustn’t tell anyone about what we just saw. I feel as though something terrible is about to happen and you’re going to be in the center of it all….”

“What are you talking about?” I turn around and question him.

“Nothing,” he says a little too quickly. “I was speaking gibberish just now. But seriously Zero, don’t tell anyone about the vision of the girl. Promise me?!” I nod my head yes and he smiles in approval then he says, “Now let’s head on downstairs and eat dinner. I bet mom is wondering what’s taking us so long.”

I let out a small laugh then turn my back around and continue walking to the stairs and down towards the kitchen. As we ate dinne my mom kept talking about the 4^th of July party on Thursday night. A few minutes into our meals she turns to me and asks “Zero, are you going to the party on the 4^th?”

I finished chewing my food before informing her “Yeah I do plan on going to it. Reyna was wanting me to take her to it, and I told her I would. But what about you Fay, are you going to come to the party?”

“Sure, why not. It could be fun,” he declares half-heartedly, “as long as you and Reyna keep your love affection to yourselves.”

“What love affection?!” I question him.

He laughs this deep laugh and says mockingly “Oh you know what I mean! You can’t keep your hands off of her.”

“Shut up, it’s not like that!” I state as I begin to blush bright red. “You know we’re a couple and I love her a lot, and I like to hold her hand. You’re just jealous!”

“Boys stop your bickering. Fay stop picking on your brother and Reyna.” Commands our mother. “Fay you know how your brother feels about Reyna, so leave him alone.”

“Yes, mom.” We both say simultaneously.

“I know mom,” states Fay as he lets out a small chuckle “I’ll leave him alone for now.” We continue to eat the rest of our dinner in silence. Then after dinner, I am left to clean the dishes and while I am washing the dishes, Fay comes strolling in and plops himself on top of the counter behind me. “Hey, Zero?”

“Yeah?”

“I need you to be careful when you go to that party on Thursday night.”

“Why?” I finish drying the bowl and turn around to face him. “Is it because of what we saw in that vision and with that strange girl, Alyjra?”

“Yes,” he says seriously. “Yes, it is. I feel as though you’ll be meeting her at the party.”

“Ok fine then. I’ll keep my eyes open for her. Is she the only reason why you’re coming to the party?”

“Yes and to make sure that you don’t get into any trouble.”

“Me, get into trouble?! Ha- Trouble is my middle name Fay, you should know that by now.” I laugh out mockingly.

“Yeah, I know that. That’s why I’m tagging along with you.” He says. Ever since we were younger, it has been Fay who has kept me from doing stupid stuff and getting into trouble with the law; and even though I am older than him by hundred and twenty seconds, he has always been the more mature one out of the two us.

“Ok then. You wanna help me finish the dishes?” I ask him.

“Sure.” He hops down off the counter and walks over to me and I hand him a dirty bowl to wash, he takes it and begins to wash it. As we wash the dishes I keep glancing over at him and taking in on how much he looks like me- from the short dirty blonde hair to his emerald green eyes, and his muscular body, and light tan skin tone, we looked basically alike. Except for one thing and that is our height; I am five inches taller than him and he is 5’5 and my height is one of the few things I could brag to him about. As we finish up with the last of the dishes, he gives me this small smile before walking out of the kitchen and up to his room.

“Why?” I finish drying the bowl and turn around to face him. “Is it because of what we saw in that vision and with that strange girl, Alyjra?”

“Yes,” he says seriously. “Yes, it is. I feel as though you’ll be meeting her at the party.”

“Ok fine then. I’ll keep my eyes open for her. Is she the only reason why you’re coming to the party?”

“Yes and to make sure that you don’t get into any trouble.”

“Me, get into trouble?! Ha- Trouble is my middle name Fay, you should know that by now.” I laugh out mockingly.

“Yeah, I know that. That’s why I’m tagging along with you.” He says. Ever since we were younger, it has been Fay who has kept me from doing stupid stuff and getting into trouble with the law; and even though I am older than him by hundred and twenty seconds, he has always been the more mature one out of the two us.

“Ok then. You wanna help me finish the dishes?” I ask him.

“Sure.” He hops down off the counter and walks over to me and I hand him a dirty bowl to wash, he takes it and begins to wash it. As we wash the dishes I keep glancing over at him and taking in on how much he looks like me- from the short dirty blonde hair to his emerald green eyes, and his muscular body, and light tan skin tone, we looked basically alike. Except for one thing and that is our height; I am five inches taller than him and he is 5’5 and my height is one of the few things I could brag to him about. As we finish up with the last of the dishes, he gives me this small smile before walking out of the kitchen and up to his room.

Later that night as I am sleeping I find myself standing on a pier that stretches out over the ocean, and I am watching fireworks explode in the sky. As I am standing there, I feel someone poke me in the back and when I turn around I see this young girl standing behind me. She is wearing this ragged, torn up, muddy dress and in some spots, I even thought I saw what looks like bloodstains. When I glance into her eyes, I am hypnotized by them because I could see the pain and death that she’s seen and felt. She smiles this sad smile before telling me “Zero, you must save us before the winter solstice comes. If not then it won’t just be my world that perishes…”

“Who are you?” I question her. “How can I save you if I don’t even know where to find you?”

“On Thursday night at Lake Tacko, underneath the pier on the south side of the beach, next to the lighthouse….” she hesitates for a brief moment while looking sort of nervous before saying “someone’s coming, I’ve got to go. Until our next meeting Zero.” Then she was gone. Then I am woken up by Fay.

“Yo Zero it’s time to get up.” He says while shaking my body from side-to-side.

“What time is it?” I groaned out.

“It’s half-past ten and mom says to get ready for our therapy appointment. She also wants to run some errands before heading to the appointment. So get up!”

“Ok… ok, I’m getting up. I’ll be downstairs in just a few minutes.” I finally say. He nods his head in reassurance then walks out of my room. ‘Wonder if I should tell him about my dream?’ I thought to myself. ‘I should at least tell him where that young girl said to meet her on Thursday. Yeah- that’s what I’ll do. I’ll tell him after our therapy session.’ So with that figured out I got up from my bed and got dressed then I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair. Then I headed downstairs where Fay and my mom were waiting for me.