LET'S HIT THE ROAD...PART 3 (Johanna's POV)

LET'S HIT THE ROAD...Part 3
(Johanna's POV)
March 1st, 2013
Dear Diary,
That night I put on a sweatshirt and jeans and walked out the back door. Gabriel was busy repairing the house and I wanted Natalia to stop bothering me. Gabriel wouldn't notice that I was gone for a while, and I didn't plan to be gone for long. While walking into the forest, I saw a rose bush and plucked the reddest one from the group.
Mmmmmm-it smells pretty.
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that it started storming...again! I guess I've just gotten so used to it lol
Soon I was standing in front of Natalia's grave, pushing my wet hair out of my eyes.
Now, I wasn't exactly sure what she wanted, but I have a pretty good guess.
"Natalia," I yelled over the storm, "Gabriel asked me to marry him. And I said yes." She got very angry, "I love him very much and we've been fighting to stay together for a long time. He always thinks of you, ya know. We dated for 3 years before he proposed-"
Lightning crackled, she had caught my lie.
"Okay, okay. He proposed after a couple months because I was going to leave. But he only did that because he loves me! Natalia, I want your permission to marry Gabriel!"
I stepped forward and placed the rose on top of her tomb stone. As I was pulling my hand away a thorn caught my finger and tore the skin. I yanked it back quickly, the blood was really gushing out. I looked up for a second and then found I couldn't look away, blood was dripping from the rose and over the face of the grave.
The storm got even more intense, I got even more scared, so I ran all the way home. I slammed the door shut behind me and tried to turn on the lights. The power had gone out from the storm though. So I grabbed a candle and lit it. I called out Gabriel's name but he didn't answer. It looked like he wasn't even home! I was scared, and cold, so I went up to bed and climbed under the sheets, I didn't even take off my wet clothes. As soon as my head hit the pillow I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I wasn't in that same room.
I woke up in a bed with four posts, there was a chair on the other side of the room, a big closet, and a mirror with a small desk. I sat up, puzzled at where I could possibly be. I was even more puzzled when my hair was in a braid over my shoulder and I wasn't in my jeans! I was in a long white nightgown! With long puffy sleeves and lace at my neck and wrists!
Through the see-through curtains attaching my bed posts I saw a figure standing in the dark.
"Who is there?" I scream. The sentence came out in russian though.
Slowly, the figure stepped forward. A dress appeared and then hands and then a determined face. A set jaw, delicate hands, brown eyes, and long brown hair piled on top of her head.
It was Natalia.
"I think you know who I am." She starts.
"Why am I here, Natalia?"
"You said you love my Gabriel. You said he loves you. Well, I still love him too."
"Yeah, but your-"
"Dead? Well, you will be soon. Did Gabriel tell you that he killed me? And his brother? And his daughter?"
"That's a lie!" I shout, defending him, "It was Kali who killed Catia! Not Gabriel. And look, Natalia, see something you don't want to see: Gabriel killed Kali to avenge Catia's death!"
She walked closer to me, "I have a few things to show you. And if you still want to marry my Gabriel after you see what I have to show you, then I will let you. But I guarantee that you will not. The Gabriel that you knew then is not the Gabriel that you know now."
"Uh, I think you said that wrong-"
"Nope. Welcome to 1385." And then she disappeared. What?! I'm in the 1300s?!? I leap from the bed and over to the window, Natalia was right.
I'm not sure what to do so I open the bedroom door and wander down the hall. At the end of the hall their is a huge clock that wasn't there last night. I hear laughter coming from the dining room as I wander down the stairs.
"Oh, Papa! Thank you so much!" A female voice cheers. I peep my head around the wall. A golden haired girl held out her wrist for the bracelet.
Instantly, I knew all their names. The golden haired girl was named Galina, to her right and left are her brothers, Yasha and Philip, in front of her are her parents.
"Johanna! What are you doing still in your nightgown?" Galina shouts.
The boys chuckle as I'm turned around and ushered back into my room.
I keep trying to ask Galina questions but she's hoping around the room picking out a dress, choosing jewelry. Finally, as she comes over to help me put on the beautiful crimson gown, I get to talk to her.
"Galina, where is Gabriel?"
So many questions flooded my mind. The main ones being:
1) Who do they all think I am?
2) Will Gabriel or Natalia recognize me?

"Oh who knows! My brother is more trouble than a bunch of boys in a brothel!" She giggles a little, I don't think its funny, "He's as wild and untamed as his stallion, if not worse, and as sinful as the Devil himself."
I see Gabriel's family holds high expectations of him...I now know why he dislikes them so.
Galina finishes lacing the back of my gown and I stand to look at myself in the mirror. My hair is piled on top of my head and the crimson looks good against my tan skin.
"Let's go!" Galina giggles.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
She leads me out the door and back down the stairs.
"Oh, Cousin, your becoming forgetful. We're going to a christmas party!"
Oh, how nice.
Well, we make it downstairs just in time for me to see Gabriel...
He's leaning against the wall covering his face.
"Can I have some more money?" He asks, but the words slur together. He's drunk.
Our eyes make contact, and for a second I feel like he will remember me...but then he looks away.
His father refuses to give him money. I would too, but I don't think I'd be able to deny him anything.
Gabriel complains, all the time keeping his face, except his eyes, covered.
My heart stops. Just to hear that voice and see him standing there! Oh I could just melt!
Gabriel slides to the floor and removes his hand from his face. Oh god! He's bleeding! I try running over to him but Philip and Yasha catch my arms.
"Gabriel? Sweetie, please tell me your okay?"
Gabriel chuckles a little, but I can tell it hurts him so he stops. He looks at me weird, before he can reply, I'm not even sure he was going to, Yasha speaks.
"Ah, our poor cousin probably hasn't seen a man this drunk."
Oh please, Yasha! You didn't see me and my brother when we were together!
"Well, take a good look, Johanna," Philip says, "You'll never see a man more drunk." They both laugh.
How could they laugh?! That's their brother! And my almost husband!
What Philip and Yasha didn't expect was that I would be so strong, strong enough to break away from them.
I pulled my arms out of their grasp and knelt on the ground next to Gabriel. I started wiping away the blood with my sleeve, Galina was protesting behind me.
Gabriel searched my eyes, like he knew I wasn't just a cousin, like some part of him recognized me.
He flinched when I touched the side of his nose, it was obviously broken.
"Its broken," an unknown voice says.
I look towards the top of the stairs and find the source of that voice. He's tall, with wavy blonde hair and brown eyes, he looks to be in his late 30's. Wait a second, Yasha and Philip are standing behind me, they both have blonde hair, Gabriel is next to me. That must mean- the blonde haired man on top of the stairs is Nikolai! Oh my! He really is a handsome man.
Nikolai walks down the stairs to stand near Gabriel and I. Like the kinder older brother he is, he examines his brother.
"We need to fix his nose-" I start.
"Why? So he can go out their and break it again?" Gabriel's father inserts.
Gabriel tried to say something, but Nikolai politely quieted him.
"Your right, Johanna," Nikolai says softly.
So before anyone can say or do anything, I re-break Gabriel's nose to the opposite side so its somehow in the middle.
A long string of obscenities comes out of his mouth and it actually sounds really cool in russian!
The boys- strike that- everyone is really shocked that I did that. I guess in these days girls couldn't do that kind of thing.
Gabriel's parents walk towards the door, his siblings follow.
"Go ahead, Johanna," Nikolai whispers to me, "I'll take care of my brother. Go enjoy the christmas party."
I nod and slowly get up, straightening my gown. Just before the big oak door closes behind me, I look to see Nikolai helping Gabriel up and leading him to his room.
Once at the party, I felt even more lost! I didn't know anyone, I didn't know these dances! I was even afraid to speak in case I might say something wrong.
"Do you see that girl over there?" Galina casually points across the room, "That's Natalia. Gabriel is supposed to marry her. Isn't she beautiful?"
Natalia turns her head slightly to the left and nearby candles illuminate her face. She was beautiful, very beautiful.
I hardly even realized her make her way over to us.
"Natalia, please meet my cousin Johanna."
"How do you do?" Natalia nods politely.
"Fine. And you?"
"I would be better were my fiancé here."
Galina laughs, "Its a favor to us that he isn't. His reckless ways aren't appreciable."
To break the awkward conversation I change the subject, "Well we'd all be better if Nikolai were here."
The girls laugh and agree.
Galina excuses herself to see some other friends.
"And how are you enjoying our town?" Natalia asks.
"Cut the crap, Natalia. I'm ready to go home."
She looks shocked, "I don't appreciate that foul language." She turns and starts walking away and I'm shocked! Could I really be trapped here! Is she really playing such a cruel joke on me?!
"By the way," she turns around, "Your not ready yet."
The room collapses around me. It spins and colors blend together. Soon the room turns to darkness, I'm all alone.
"Hello?" My voice echoes.
Far away in front of me, I see a speck of light. I start running towards it and the faster I run, the bigger the light gets! Soon I am running threw the bright burst.
I am in the middle of a dirt road, just barely missing a carriage.
"Where am I?" I ask to anyone who will answer.
Inside my head a voice answers, 'Go to the Headless Harrow. Down the street and around the corner.'
So I listen. Its a bar. I find Gabriel there...doing, guess what? Drinking. And gambling. Their is a cheap looking, red-headed whore by his side.
'This is the alternative he choose to marrying me,' the voice in my head says. I realize it is Natalia.
"I'm so sorry," I quietly whisper.
'Next stop-'
"No! I don't think I can handle-"
Before I can finish, I am traveling through time. For a second I am in a room back at Gabriel's house. There is a brief, shrill cry. I look up and Gabriel is holding a baby girl. The last thing I get to see is Gabriel's face: the look of love.
'That's how I got him to stay with me,' Natalia smirks.
Then we're gone again, its not like traveling through time now, its more like a jump.
This next one...I couldn't handle it...
Gabriel was loading a gun.
"What are you going to do with that?" I ask. He doesn't answer.
He points it at his head.
"Gabriel?!" I ask frantically.
Gabriel closes his green eyes and places his finger on the trigger.
Just as he pulls the trigger I dive at him screaming.
What really got me scared was when I fell right through him and landed on the floor.
All I cared about was that he was alive! I could have died for all I cared just as long as he didn't.
"He can't hear you," Natalia says from across the room, "He can't see you either."
"Natalia, I want to go home!" I pull my knees to my chest and cry.
Soon she is kneeling next to me, "Don't YOU dare cry! I had to live with this." Her tone is firm but I can tell she is starting to care.
Behind Natalia I notice Gabriel load another pistol.
"Natalia!" I warn.
"I had to get used to it and so do you." She said firmly.
I have to watch Gabriel load the gun and point it at his heart.
Right as he pulls the trigger I scream, "STOP!"
Time freezes. Only Natalia and I can still move.
I get up and stand next to Gabriel. I start crying fresh tears and the only thing that helps me is to climb under his arms and pretend I am being held by his strong arms.
"Time to go," Natalia says forcefully.
I am gone from Gabriel's arms. This time I'm outside, and its dark. Just ahead of me I see Gabriel and a little girl. Catia.
As a human this might be the most heart wrenching thing ever.
The still night air is broken by fierce growls and high pitched screams of fear. Gabriel's russian voice is now screaming and yelling...and then crying.
The high pitched screams have stopped.
Slowly, with realization of what has happened, I bring my hand to my mouth and cry for that sweet little girl taken to soon by death's cold, immortal hands.
"You didn't even know her." Natalia says behind me.
"Not like you did. But I know Gabriel loved her very much, and that she loved him." Looking back at the scene of her death I continue, "I dreamt of your daughter. She was so sweet, and so innocent." I touch Natalia's hand, "She didn't deserve that."
Natalia doesn't reply. Time moves again and I'm gone from the 1300s.

I wake up back in Galina's room, still in my wet jeans and sweatshirt. Its dark out as I get up and wander into the front room which is just filling with the start of the morning sun.
Sitting on the window seat is a person. At first I think its Gabriel but when I get closer I see a full length gown, brown hair piled on her head and delicate hands.
"I envy you," Natalia says turning to look at me.
Her eyes are filled with tears.
"Why? Your beautiful, you had a family that loved you and a sweet little girl!"
"But you have Gabriel," the tears shimmer in her eyes.
I sit next to Natalia, being careful not to wrinkle her dress.
"I'm not trying to steal him from you. I love him because of his heart and he loves me for mine. I understand that he has you and Catia still in his heart, its one of the things I love about him." I pause, "You are there you know. In his heart. He hasn't forgotten you and never will."
She cries a little then dries her tears.
"You still wish to marry him then? Even after all I've shown you?"
Without hesitation I reply, "His differences make me love him more. We all have a past to hide, a secret to keep, but its what we do with the future that shows who we really are. And Gabriel is strong, and caring!"
I tell her all about the vampires back in Kerry, about teaming with the Cullens to put an end to the Volturri, and lastly about his time in Kali's castle.
The brilliant orange of the morning sun illuminates Natalia's face.
"Its time for you to wake up, Johanna." She smiles.


The grass was wet under my cheek when I first opened my eyes. There was a thin layer of rain still over my clothes as I sat up.
I was so confused, I didn't understand.
I remembered being cut by the rose so I look at my hand but the cut is completely gone, the blood on the face of the grave is also gone.
I look up at the red rose lying on the tomb stone, water droplets lay on its velvet petals, and the sun is rising behind it.
'Marry Gabriel. Love him like he loves you. Its what I want.' Natalia's voice says in my head.
With a smile on my face I get up and race all the way back to the house.
"Gabriel?" I call as I throw open the back door.
"Yes?" He responds from the living room.
I run to him and embrace him. His arms are tight on my shoulders.
Surprisingly I don't go to kiss him, but instead I touch the side of his nose where it was broken on the night of the christmas party.
"Where have you been all night, Johanna?" His accent is just as thick as it was in the 1300s.
Oops! Lol
"Its all going to be okay." I smile as I hold his hand and the room floods with light around us.
-Johanna