Chapter 110

Tessa’s POV

It happened so quickly that I couldn’t grasp what was happening. Me and everyone else were standing to our feet just as Anna went tumbling to the ground.

She was screaming and instantly covered in a layer of sweat. She gritted her teeth and dug her long nails into the chair she was sitting in. I realized she had gotten extremely pale as well and the look of pain was evident on her face.

My heart was racing, and my mind was whirling. But Bernard wasted no time. He was instantly by her side and scooping her into his arms, carrying her bridal style.

It was then that I realized her eyes had turned completely black.

“What’s happening?” I asked, grabbing onto Joseph’s hand.

He looked calm, as did Bernard, though it was obvious it pained him to see her like this. But his body movements were so calm like he had done this a thousand times before.

“Joseph, grab me a washcloth soaked in hot water,” Benard ordered. “And a glass of cold water.”

He quickly jumped into action, completely ignoring my question.

Bernard disappeared down a long hallway and I heard a door opening and slamming shut. I’m assuming maybe their bedroom.

Carter was grabbing some blankets and pillows off the couch and running to join Bernard in that room.

I was left alone in the living room, shocked and completely confused.

I went into the kitchen to find Joseph waiting for the sink to turn scorching hot before soaking the cloth in the water.

“Joseph?” I said again, my voice failing me and turning out weak and trembly. “What’s going on?”

“She’s having a vision,” he answered.

My heart fell into my stomach at his words.

“What?” I gasped.

I knew it was painful for her because they had just explained it. But I had no idea it was like that. It looked like it was absolute torture for her.

“What can I do to help?” I asked, tears instantly filling my eyes. I felt so helpless, and I wanted to do something.

“There’s nothing any of us can do besides make her as comfortable as possible,” Joseph explained, only glancing in my direction briefly. “And try to remain calm.”

“Joseph!!”

Bernard's voice boomed from the room he was in. Joseph quickly soaked the cloth.

“Can you grab a glass of water?” He asked urgently.

Without saying anything I ran towards the cupboards and rummaged through them until I came across a glass. I filled it with water from the fridge and put a couple of ice cubes inside of it.

I followed Joseph down the hallway until we reached the doorway that was now open, and Carter stood nearby, looking at Anna worriedly.

Bernard sat by her bedside, holding her hands and watching as she squirmed in pain. The bed sheets were already covered in her sweat and my heart nearly stopped when I saw that blood was coming out of her completely blackened eyes.

She was gritting her teeth and crying out in pain. I felt frozen at the doorway.

Joseph took the water from me and went toward the bedside. He placed the hot cloth over her face I saw that her body relaxed but only slightly. He set the water down on her night table and went to join me at the doorway.

“How long does it last?” I found myself asking.

I didn’t realize I was crying until I spoke.

“Depends,” Joseph answered. “Sometimes minutes… sometimes hours.”

“It all depends on what the vision is,” Carter further explained.

She screamed out again, causing me to flinch. But this time, I heard words from her. She was speaking and crying at the same time.

“No…no no no…” she continued to cry.

Bernard looked mournful and leaned his head against her chest, closing his eyes.

Soon, her body movements slowed, and she remained still. The only sign of life from her was her deep breathing like she was trying to catch her breath.

Then, she spoke in a low and defeated tone.

“Bernard….” She croaked.

He lifted his head to look at her, removing the cloth from her face. I was relieved to see that her eyes were back to normal, but she had so much blood all over her face and it was mixed in with her sweat.

“I’m here…” he whispered to her as she continued to cry.

“We should give them privacy,” Joseph suggested, taking my hand, and pulling me out of the room. Carter followed after us, closing the door as we walked into the hallway.

“That was intense…” I whispered, finding my voice.

“Believe it or not, that was mild,” Carter said shaking his head. “They’ve been worse, and they’ve been longer.”

“I couldn’t imagine,” I breathed, tears falling freely from my eyes. ”Why would your goddess allow her to be in that much pain?”

“Seeing visions of the future takes a lot of your mind,” Joseph explained.

“What do you think she saw?” I asked, sitting on the couch beside Joseph.

This time, Carter sat in Bernard’s reclining chair. He looked tired from just watching that. I was tired too and leaned on Joseph to support my worn-out body.

“She will tell us when she’s ready,” Joseph said softly. “But we can’t push her to talk. Especially right after a vision.”

I nodded in agreement, burying my face in the side of his body. He wrapped his arms around me, wrapping me in a warm embrace.

“I hate seeing that happen to her,” Carter said, shaking his head. “I’ve known her for a long time.”

“For how long?” I asked, peering over at him.

“She was my nurse when I was sick,” he explained, which came as a shock to me. “She was always very kind and I flirt with her every day. I thought I was dying and had nothing to lose.”

I rose my brows.

“While I was befriending and bonding with Carter before I turned him, Bernard was bonding with Anna,” Joseph chuckled, shaking his head at the memory. “He hid it from us for a while. She lived with an abusive boyfriend though and he would beat her daily. When Bernard found out about it….”

He stopped talking and my face reddened. I could only imagine what Bernard did.

“Something happened where Anna almost died. When Bernard found out about it, he went ballistic,” Carter explained. “He never did tell us what happened to that guy. But I’m sure you can use your imagination like the rest of us.”

“Yes,” I said with wide eyes. “I certainly can.”

“Anna almost died because of that guy and the only way to truly save her was to turn her,” Joseph explained, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. “Afterwards, Bernard took her to the academy. I believe it was her 4(th) year at the academy when she got her abilities.”

“Remember when she tried to hide it from us?” Carter laughed.

Joseph smirked at the memory.

“Yeah, she didn’t tell us about it for the first year she had it while at the academy. She would hide whenever she felt a vision approaching. Usually, she could tell before it happened. At least in the beginning, she could, now there aren’t many warning signs. I honestly think she was scared. But she couldn’t hide it from us once she graduated from the academy.”

“We found out when she moved into our village and there weren’t many places for her to hide at the time. But anyway, several years later Bernard and Anna got married and now it’s an entire century later.”

“That’s a beatify story” I breathed.

I heard the door of the bedroom opening and shutting and Bernard entered soon after.

“Joseph… I need to speak with you.”

…

Joseph’s POV

I went with Bernard to his home office across from the house and when we were in private, he turned to me with a look I couldn’t read.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Did she tell you about her vision?”

He nodded and met my eyes.

“She saw a battle unfolding,” he told me. “She’s not sure when it happens, but she knows it’s later down the line. She’s also not sure how or why it starts.”

“That’s unusual,” I said, furrowing my brows together. “Usually, her visions are clearer than that.”

Bernard nodded grimly.

“Usually yes, but she was distracted.”

“By what?”

“By me dying…” he said instantly, making my heart stop in my chest.

“What?” I gasped. “No!”

“That’s not all,” Bernard continued, keeping his eyes locked on mine. “She also saw you becoming the new Overseer.”