Visions: The Nightmares Series

Back Cover

Young Adult Paranormal Mystery by Donna Jean McDunn

Emily's psychic abilities have grown since the acceptance of her gift and the defeat of the father and son sociopaths, the Nelsons, whom she has sent away to prison for life.

But when an old friend of her boyfriend, Tony, comes to Charles City, Emily is suspicious and fears things may not be as they seem.  Something, or someone, a Shadow of darkness, appears to be taking over the bodies of new friends and old.

Then Max, Emily’s murdered dog from her childhood, suddenly comes onto the scene. Emily is certain the ghost dog’s presence means big trouble is brewing.

As her fears grow, the arrival of a young murder victim, adds to her stress, but she vows to find a way to help the child, no matter what.

Her visions aren’t working and only adding to her confusion.

A young man shows up, ostensibly to be of assistance. He claims to be her ‘soulmate’ of sorts. But is he? Or is he simply symbolic of more trouble on the horizon for Emily and her true love?

Will Emily accept his help to protect those most important to her from an evil, vengeful ghost, and prevent him from turning the innocent into killers?

And will she discover where the child’s body is hidden and who killed her, so the young girl and her family can finally have peace? Perhaps, in this case, only the Shadow knows.

Visions © 2014 by Donna Jean McDunn

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or events, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

MuseItUp Publishing

14878 James, Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada, H9H 1P5

Cover Art © 2014 by C.K.Volnek

Edited by V. L. Murray

Copyedited by Greta Gunselman

Layout and Book Production by Lea Schizas

eBook ISBN: 978-1-77127-563-7

First eBook Edition *August 2014

I dedicate this book to all my friends and family

who encouraged me to write The Nightmares Series.

Acknowledgements

I wish to acknowledge my editors, Lynne and Greta, for all the help, patience, and encouragement they gave me throughout the whole writing and revising of Visions. Also to C.K. Volnek for the perfect cover, and of course MuseItUp, for publishing the manuscript.

VISIONS

The Nightmares Series

Nightmares

Visions

DONNA JEAN MCDUNN

MuseItYA, division of

MuseItUp Publishing

www.museituppublishing.com

Chapter One

The New Girl

Emily examined the group of pictures her best friend Kaylee, an aspiring photojournalist, emailed that morning. Emily had been searching through them since sun up, but had only chosen a few so far. She finally selected ten more and put them into the folder named Kaylee’s File.

Why did I promise to help her choose thirty of the best out of 400? The thought barely formed in her mind when a vision materialized of a bloody and bruised Kaylee, appearing lifeless.

The image made her sick, and an overwhelming feeling of fear threatened to destroy Emily’s new-found self-confidence and send her reeling back into hiding, just as it had five months before when Kaylee was kidnapped. Her best friend nearly died and this tedious little project was the least she could do for failing to protect her from Jack Nelson, the charismatic psychopath of Emily Preston’s childhood.

The old guilt raised its ugly head, even though Kaylee didn’t hold her responsible for what happened. Emily was only five when the first visions entered her young mind. And even though she realized a five-year-old couldn’t possibly know what to do with such a thing, she still felt as if the killing of her dog had been her fault. If she had been a little older, she might have known what to do. It damaged her emotionally, and Emily felt like a coward and unworthy of anyone’s friendship. She had rejected her gift of clairvoyance and erased the night from memory.

Those circumstances set off a series of events, which eventually resulted in the recent kidnappings of Kaylee, Emily’s boyfriend Tony, and his brother Devon. It forced Emily to accept her abilities and start to use, not hide, them. The memories returned but not before the psychopath had beaten and tortured all three. That night changed all of their lives, forever.

Emily vowed not to allow anything like that to happen again. She felt different, tougher and in control…most of the time. Visions, now, were stronger, and even though sometimes the fear was still there, she was learning to control it.

So helping Kaylee sort through a bunch of pictures was the least Emily could do.

She examined each image carefully for focus and clarity. Emily recognized some of the students. Many had graduated from Charles City High School with her, but there were a lot of new faces. One girl, in particular, seemed to stand out and was in more pictures than anyone else. But something about her just didn’t feel right.

The girl looked normal, with big brown, warm, and friendly eyes, which were accentuated by black hair cut short and framing a cute heart-shaped face. In another picture, she stood next to a six-foot-tall, basketball player. The top of her head barely passed his waist, emphasizing how tiny she truly was. Nothing in her appearance set off alarms, but something about her smile made Emily nervous. She regarded the Mona Lisa smile as a warning and had learned the hard way not to ignore the caution signs.

What was the girl hiding? And why had Kaylee taken so many pictures of this particular student? It was creepy.

Emily’s eyes began to feel the strain of staring at a computer screen for so many hours, and the new girl’s presence was distracting. She was spending too much time going over them, looking for clues.

Determined to finish the project, Emily went back through the initially selected pics. The girl hadn’t been in those. Emily’s eyes widened as she stared at the first one. The girl was in the picture! Red lips curled into a snarl and piercing eyes drilled into the camera as if she was staring into the face of an enemy she wanted to destroy. The differences in this photo from the others, with the enigmatic smile, were like looking at pictures of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The vision came suddenly and Emily recognized the fast food parking lot. She knew it must be noon because the sun was bright and the lot was full of cars. Shawn, Kaylee’s boyfriend, leaned against his old blue dodge pickup. His arms were crossed in front of him as he gazed suspiciously at the new girl.

I haven’t seen him today. Shawn seemed a little reluctant to give out too much information.

The girl’s eyes lit up with excitement. So you do know where I can find him?

Shawn frowned and opened his pickup door. Yeah, but he’s probably at school.

She laughed. And where would that be? He may have mentioned it, but I don’t remember and it’s really important that I find him today.

He hesitated and then shrugged. Calmar.

The girl laughed again and thumped herself on the forehead. Of course, now I remember. Thank you so much. She then turned toward Emily as if able to see her. The smile vanished and the Dr. Jekyll of evil re-appeared. The girl’s eyes narrowed. You’re wasting your time, you can’t stop me, she hissed.

Emily gasped but tried to keep the images in focus as they slipped away. What had it meant? Tony goes to Calmar. Was this person looking for him? Did he know her?

These visions had been like no others she’d ever experienced. No one ever talked directly to her during one, or appeared to know that Emily was watching. Was it a sign her abilities were growing stronger or was the entity more powerful?

She scrolled through the pictures, looking for clues and hoping for another visualization that would give her more answers, but now the girl was completely gone. She had been part of the psychic world all along.

Emily’s heart thumped in her chest. If Tony was in some kind of danger, why wouldn’t his deceased father, Aiden Shaw, have shown up to warn her as he had when Tony and the others were kidnapped?

Maybe Tony wasn’t the one this girl was after. A lot of people go to school in Calmar. In fact, Tony and three other boys were taking turns car-pooling. It could be one of them. How could Emily find out for sure? She had seen enough to realize the new girl wasn’t who she was pretending to be, and that could be dangerous for someone. She just had to figure out who.

Emily finally selected the last eleven pictures needed for Kaylee’s project and checked the time. Tony would still be at the old farmhouse where he had worked last summer for Ray Watts, a retired police officer, and now Tony’s mother’s boyfriend. When the job ended, Tony rented one of the extra buildings from Ray so he could restore and repair cars for college money. He usually managed to finish work early on Saturdays so the two of them could spend some quality time together.

She would need to talk to Shawn also, and see if he recognized this stranger. Since whomever she was searching for went to school at Calmar, it might be helpful to know when the conversation took place. One of the most perplexing problems with visions was figuring out if they happened in the past, present or future. But no matter how silly or irrelevant they seemed in the beginning, or when and where they took place, they were still warnings, and Emily needed to pay attention.

Chapter Two

The Beginning

Tony stopped his 1966 Chevelle Malibu in front of Emily’s house. She must have heard his arrival because she came bounding down the front steps just as he opened the car door. The sight of her sent his heart into overdrive. It still amazed him how he could feel this way after more than two years. Everything she did, from the way she tipped her head back and laughed to the way she flipped her long hair over her shoulder, aroused so many emotions, he couldn’t comprehend them all.

He hopped out and met her part way to the house. She smiled up at his face and wrapped her arms around his neck. It’s getting late. I thought you forgot.

Forgot? To come and see you? No way! I had to stop at home and shower. I overhauled an old Chevy and was covered in dirty oil and grease. You wouldn’t have let me touch you.

Emily laughed, but the humor he usually saw reflected in her eyes wasn’t there. You’re right. I prefer my men clean and free of pollutants.

Tony cupped her face in his hands. Is that so? How many men do you have?

She giggled in spite of the look of apprehension coming from her eyes. All I need…you and my dad.

He studied Emily’s face. She was joking like normal, but there was something about her expression that reminded him of the previous spring, before the memories of the past had returned. She had shut him out then and he had spent weeks trying to find out what was the matter. What is it, Em? Is something wrong?

Surprise showed on her face for a second and then she grinned. Sometimes I think you know me too well. She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. I’m not sure yet. Come inside and I’ll explain.

* * * *

They sat at the kitchen table while Emily described the girl from the photos. She was smiling in all of the pictures, except for one. She had this horrible snarl on her face, almost like a crazed animal.

Emily paused for a breath and Tony took advantage of it. Can’t you just show me the picture? It would be easier.

That’s what I’m trying to tell you—I can’t. While I was looking at her snarling, I had a vision of her talking to Shawn in the parking lot at one of the fast food restaurants. She asked him where someone went to school and Shawn told her Calmar. Then all of a sudden, she looked right at me with this evil glare and said, You’re wasting your time. You can’t stop me. When I reviewed the pictures again, all her images had disappeared. Does her description remind you of anyone?

He shook his head. No one you wouldn’t already know.

What about when you lived in Des Moines with your mom and brother?

I don’t think so. Have you asked Shawn?

Emily opened the refrigerator door and peered inside. Not yet. Are you hungry? Mom and Dad went to dinner and a movie tonight and I’m on my own. There’s some leftover pizza from last night. She took out two slices from the refrigerator, put them in the microwave and turned it on. The machine hummed. Why don’t you call Shawn and ask him if he’s talked to a small, dark-haired girl recently?

"Why me? It was your vision."

"Cuz he’s your best friend." Emily took the pizza out of the microwave and set it on the table.

Tony watched her divide the food between them, but didn’t take any. He’s your friend, too, but okay. As he took his cell phone out of his pocket, it began to ring. Tony grinned and rolled his eyes. Well, speak of the devil. I bet you didn’t know that was going to happen, did you?

Emily’s eyes widened with innocence. Why, sir, I don’t know what you mean.

Yeah, right. He put the cell on speaker. Hey, Shawn, glad you called. I’m over at Emily’s and she has a question for you. He grinned.

Okay, you win. Emily laughed. Hi, I was just wondering if you’ve spoken to a small, dark-haired girl recently while standing in a parking lot.

Shawn didn’t answer right away and Tony thought they had lost the connection.

Was I in one of your visions? Shawn asked suddenly.

Emily stiffened and her eyes widened with concern. Would that bother you?

No, I think it’s kind of cool. What did you see?

Emily visibly relaxed. This girl asked you where someone was and you told her ‘at school in Calmar.’ Was she talking about Tony?

Yeah, that happened Wednesday and I forgot about it. It’s why I’m phoning. She said Tony was a friend of her brother’s and when he moved to Charles City she never got to say goodbye. So I told her where he went to school. She thanked me and that was it.

Tony felt the blood drain from his face. Could Shawn be talking about Stephanie Gower? She fit Emily’s description, but wasn’t old enough to go to college. She was just a kid.

Did she happen to say her brother’s name? Tony asked.

Yeah, it was…Brandon or Brian or something similar to that.

Well, which was it?

I’m thinking. Shawn sounded annoyed.

Tony ran his hand over his eyes, hoping he was wrong. Could it have been Blaine?

That’s it!

Tony struck the table with his palm and the pizza almost jumped off the plates. I hoped I was wrong.

Emily gave him a strange, concerned look. How did this girl know you were Tony’s friend?

"Tony called my cell while I was eating lunch. She was sitting in the booth behind me. I hadn’t noticed her, but I guess she overheard our conversation or maybe saw his picture on my cell phone. When I left, she followed me outside and asked if I’d been talking to the Tony Shaw who used to live in Des Moines. Shawn chuckled. Big coincidence, huh?"

Yeah, Emily said. "A little, too big."

Her face reflected the same look he’d seen a dozen times over the last few months. Ever since her memories of childhood had returned in the spring, she seemed to think everyone was hiding something. Did she tell you her name? Tony interrupted.

Sure, it was Stephanie. She told me her last name, too, but I don’t remember it.

Gower? he suggested, knowing full well it had to be. Emily looked surprised, but again said nothing.

"That’s right, so you do know her?"

Thanks Shawn. You’ve been a big help. I’ll catch you later. Tony ended the call and looked at Emily. It’s Blaine Gower’s little sister.

Emily’s eyes narrowed. So…I got that. What does it mean?

Blaine was my friend in grade school. He shrugged. But by the time we started junior high, he had changed.

Changed? How? She grasped his hand and held it in her lap.

He started hanging out with a couple of guys who were always in trouble, using drugs, drinking, that sort of thing. I liked to party and have fun, but I was more into sports and wanted no part of the drug scene. Blaine wanted no part of the sports, so we mutually agreed to go our separate ways. I used to talk to his little sister sometimes, but I haven’t seen her since his funeral.

He’s dead? Emily’s eyes widened. What happened?

Tony stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. "Car accident…he died in a stupid car accident."

Most of them are. She squeezed his hand. I’m sorry.

I’m surprised she remembers me. She was just a little kid.

She obviously does or she wouldn’t be here. You must have made some kind of an impression.

Tony shook his head. "I wasn’t a very nice person back then, but I tried to be nice to her because of the way her brother treated her."

Oh? Maybe that’s why she remembers you. What other deep, dark secrets have you hidden from me?

Her question irritated him. She didn’t need to know everything that happened when he lived in Des Moines, especially what had taken place with Blaine. He took his piece of the now cold pizza and bit into it. He picked up the other and handed it to Emily. I thought you were hungry.

* * * *

Tony saw the red convertible in his driveway and almost passed by. At the last minute curiosity got the better of him and he pulled in. It has to be her, who else can it be? But how did she find out where I live?

He entered the kitchen through the back door. Stephanie and his brother, Devon, were sitting at the table with school books lying open all over it. She looked up when Tony entered, brown eyes wide with recognition, and jumped to her feet, almost knocking over the chair. She hadn’t grown much. He wouldn’t have been able to put his chin on the top of her head, like he sometimes did with Emily, unless he sat down first. Her tiny size didn’t stop her from flinging her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek.

Hi, Stephanie! He laughed. I’m glad to see you too. She had quite a grip for such a small person. He held her for a minute, not