Dinner went by quickly as everyone was hungrier than they thought they’d be, and soon everyone went their own ways to unwind before they got to work.
Kalen went to his room and dug out his guitar so he could practice, feeling inspired now.
Lilyette and X relaxed on one couch, Ken and Jeremiah on the other and watched TV.
Malcolm and Aoki went for a walk outside.
“You seem unsure,” Malcolm said as they walked.
“I’ve known you for so long, and I really do care for you. I think I’ve just spent so long focused on how I could expose the Villagomez family for what they’d done to Kalen’s dad, and protecting Kalen from ever being found by that family that I just didn’t give myself the chance to truly entertain the possibility of being in a relationship,” Aoki replied.
“You know how I feel about you, and you’ve known for a long time. After all these years, this is the first time I’ve been able to even meet Kalen, so I know that you’ve been hesitant about me,” Malcolm replied.
“I have, but I’m starting to see that it’s time for me to live my life for other things. It’s just going to take me some time to get used to it,” Aoki said.
“I’m at your mercy. I’ll go at your pace,” Malcolm answered.
“Thank you for understanding,” Aoki replied.
“Through the years I think you’ve turned me down at least a half dozen times, and yet I still keep coming back. So, I take this as a huge success,” he said, laughing.
“Your resiliency is impressive,” Aoki said, laughing as well.
“Can I kiss you?” Malcolm asked cautiously.
“Yes,” Aoki replied coyly.
Chapter 29
Rhiannon reluctantly got out of the deep tub and toweled off before getting dressed. Once dressed, she stood in front of the mirror and stared at herself, searching for any sign that things had changed for her.
I came so close to losing my virginity to Kalen today, she thought, maybe I’ve been brainwashed, and that’s why I stopped us right before we could go the whole way.
Rhiannon blushed as she thought about all that they had done and how enjoyable it was. She’d been so lost in the moment and in his eyes and touch and her feelings for him that she almost regretted the moment it slipped out of her lips that she isn’t ready yet.
Physically she knew that she wanted it, but emotionally she couldn’t help but still be plagued by the eternal shame she received from the High Council and Lady Villagomez when it came to her ‘purity.’
When I decide to do it, I don’t want there to be any shame or uncertainty in my mind, she thought as she walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, she was staying in.
She laid on the bed for a while, thinking, then checked the time and realized it was getting late.
I’d better tell everyone that I’m ready, she thought as nervous energy built up within.
Not wanting to get up, she shot a quick text to Aoki, Kalen, and Lilyette and waited for their replies.
A knock came at the door, followed by it being immediately opened and Lilyette walking in.
Everyone soon followed, with Aoki and her friend quickly set to work to get the machines turned on and ready.
“How are you feeling?” Lilyette asked Rhiannon who was still sprawled out on the bed, her mouth pulled into a tight line.
“I didn’t expect to feel this nervous,” Rhiannon replied.
“We will be here next to you the whole time,” Lilyette said, taking Rhiannon’s hand.
“Yeah, and if you want to wait, we can,” Kalen said.
“No, I want to do this as soon as possible,” Rhiannon declared as she finally sat up.
“Well, if you’re ready, we can start hooking you up,” Malcolm said as he walked to the side of the bed.
Rhiannon took a deep breath and nodded.
Malcolm and X went to work sticking wires on various parts of Rhiannon’s head and chest.
“Why the chest?” Rhiannon asked.
“We want to keep track of your heart rate, so that way if your body goes into distress at all we can wake you up and attend to you,” Malcolm answered.
Kalen’s face became grey with worry as he heard the answer.
“We’ll be able to see everything though, so won’t we know when something happens?” Kalen asked.
“There’s a delay in the images on our screen, so it’s just an extra precaution,” Malcolm answered.
“Don’t worry, Kalen. I’ll be fine,” Rhiannon said.
“If you do manage to break through her wall, try your best to remain undetected and just go straight for the memories. Get in and out as quickly as you can,” Aoki instructed.
“Got it,” Rhiannon answered.
Once all the preparations were complete, Rhiannon laid down on the bed.
“It typically takes about fifteen minutes for a person to fall asleep under the best conditions. So, considering she’s hooked up to all the wires it may take a bit long. Everyone get comfortable,” X warned.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Lilyette whispered.
Almost as instantly as Rhiannon’s head hit the pillow, the machines began showing a change in her brain patterns from awake to asleep.
“How in the world?” X whispered astonished.
Rhiannon fell into her usual trance and focused her mind on locating Lady Villagomez.
“Did we forget to mention that Rhiannon’s a bit special?” Aoki said with a quiet laugh as the screen caught up to Rhiannon’s activities and reflected her travels down a kaleidoscope-like tunnel.
Chapter 30
Rhiannon found Lady Villagomez’s stream of consciousness after much difficulty then faced the more laborious task of getting through. A seemingly endless fortress stood between Rhiannon and her goal destination.
A cold ghostly fog bubbled at the foot of the wall and crept towards Rhiannon’s feet. The menacing fog caused Rhiannon to take a couple steps back, but it quickly caught up to her and tendrils began wrapping up her legs.
Rhiannon was overcome with an intense sensation to run. Every part of her screamed out to turn and run away. Her brain became foggy as she struggled to remember why she was there in the first place. The fog left a sickly wet feeling on her legs that she just wanted to get away from, but instead of running she focused her mind on creating wind in the dream realm and pushed the fog away.
Once the fog was no longer touching her, she remembered her purpose for being there and focused her eyes on the wall in front of her. Lilyette’s wall had seemed impenetrable, but it didn’t compare to the intimidating wall before her. It was metallic in appearance and looked like some type of steel to Rhiannon. Lady Villagomez seemed to have put a lot of effort into keeping others out of her mind.
The resistance gave off an unwelcoming and harsh defensive aura that gave Rhiannon goosebumps. Rhiannon brought forth her wings and focused on the energy that coursed through her when they were out.
All the anger and disappointment she felt towards the Villagomez family caused her to scream out and double her efforts of bringing down the wall.
Mentally willing the wall to disappear wasn’t working, but a white light began to build in Rhiannon’s hands. She aimed them towards the barrier in front of her and focused all her strength towards it. A crackling beam of energy shot out of her hands and hit the wall. From the spot where the beam hit the wall, bolts of lightning spread and began covering it.
Rhiannon clenched her teeth and took steady steps forward as she saw a hole begin to form. The closer she got, she could see that the tendrils of lightning that covered the wall were weakening it and pulling it down. Rhiannon’s eyes went white, and she felt herself vibrate with power as she let out one more shout and took another step towards the wall.
The beam left her hands and seemed to explode into the wall, bringing it down then disintegrating it.
Rhiannon’s eyes went back to normal, and she widened them as she watched the last of the w
all disappear.
She looked down at her hands, looking for some sign of what had just come out of them, but they were the same hands as usual.
That was astonishing, but I’d better hurry. Who knows how long it’ll be before she notices this is down, she thought as she rushed forward.
Rhiannon focused on making herself invisible in the dream realm in the off chance that she should run into Lady Villagomez and worked her way around the dream that was currently occurring.
As Rhiannon walked the outer edges of the dream, she couldn’t help but peek in. All she could see were piles of snakes of varying sizes and colors slithering around. Disgusted, Rhiannon quickened her step and began to put out mental feelers for memories.
Rhiannon focused on Kalen’s name and tried to sense any mentions of him.
Rhiannon was pulled into an all-white room that glowed like a blank television screen. As though a movie had been turned on, images appeared before her like a projection. The imagery was all first-person, and through Lady Villagomez’s eyes, she saw Oberon and his dad sitting across from her at a table looking at a picture.
“She had a son,” Lady Villagomez said, clearly annoyed.
“Where is he?” Arion asked.
“His location remains unknown, but I’m told it’s only a matter of time,” she replied.
“Who is he?” Oberon asked.
“Your cousin,” Lady Villagomez said, “and he’s dangerous. That picture was from when he was five, but he’s a year older than you. Your uncle was first in line for his family’s fortune, and after he passed away, it would legally go to his son. Your father, unfortunately, wasn’t written into his parents’ will, so he had no claims on anything until your uncle’s passing. Now that we know he had a son, this could complicate things,” Lady Villagomez explained.
“So, what now?” Oberon said.
“We will try and find out more about him, and decide from there,” she replied.
“There’s nothing to be decided, we will handle him once we find him,” Arion stated.
“What does that mean?” Oberon asked.
“Don’t worry about it. Now go to your room and do your homework,” Arion ordered.
Oberon flinched at his father’s tone and stood up from the table and made his exit.
Once Oberon was gone, Lady Villagomez walked closer to Arion.
“His name is Kalen,” she began in a hushed tone.
“I don’t care about his name. Just find the location of him and his mother, so we can get rid of them. They’re pests that need to be exterminated,” he seethed.
“I know my love, and I will find them, soon,” Lady Villagomez promised, “then we can move forward with how we will dispose of them without getting our hands dirty. After what happened with your parents and brother, we must be more careful, so we don’t arouse any suspicion.”
“That’s why I married you. You’re the brains,” Arion replied, pulling her in for a kiss.
Rhiannon was disgusted at what she was hearing but felt relieved to know that she was able to witness the confessions.
I hope this is enough, she thought as she readied herself to wake up, feeling nervous about being in there.
The faint hint of memories started to tingle at Rhiannon, and while she knew she should hurry, she couldn’t help her curiosity.
I wonder what Lady Villagomez actually remembers from the day my parents were murdered, maybe I can get a hint as to who is responsible, she thought as she quickly zeroed in on the date that they died.
The day she’d conjured up began to play out in the wall in front of her – first showing the mundane daily activities of Lady Villagomez, and feeling rushed Rhiannon focused her mind on speeding through those parts.
Once she got the hang of it, she intended to speed straight to the part where Lady Villagomez allegedly came to Lilyette’s house to check on Rhiannon but halted everything when she caught an unexpected sight.
Through Lady Villagomez’s eyes, she could see that she was watching Rhiannon and her parents playing in the snow that day.
She must’ve been walking by before it happened, Rhiannon thought, eyes welling up with tears as she watched her almost unrecognizable younger self playing happily with her mom and dad.
Lady Villagomez’s eye line shifted to three muscular leather-clad women next to her.
“We can’t afford to make any mistakes. Make sure Deitra and Rhiannon remain unharmed but subdue them,” she stated.
“Yes, ma’am,” the three replied in unison.
“Now’s the time – go!” Lady Villagomez ordered.
The three women dressed in outfits that reminded Rhiannon of the outfit she’d worn on the day she first met Kalen, ran towards her unaware family at breakneck speed.
“NO!” Rhiannon screamed at the white screen, wishing to stop what was happening.
The women worked so quickly and thoroughly it was like a synchronized dance as one grabbed Rhiannon, another grabbed her mom, and the last grabbed her dad so quickly and precisely that they didn’t have a moment to gather their senses and realize what was happening.
Rhiannon watched as her younger self cried hard and asked what was happening.
“Let my family go!” her father yelled, “What’s the meaning of this? I’ll give you anything you want!”
At that moment Lady Villagomez stepped up in front of him.
“I suppose we are at an impasse of sorts then because what I want is your family. You see, your beautiful wife here is a lot more powerful than you know, and I’m going to find a way to make it mine. As for your daughter, we will wait and see how she develops and how I can use her. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’s well taken care of,” Lady Villagomez said as she pulled a familiar dagger out and smiled in his face before shoving it into his heart.
Rhiannon watched her younger self scream and cry and found herself mirroring her counterparts’ actions as she dissolved into tears of fury and confusion.
She felt the electric power within her building up to dangerous levels as she watched Lady Villagomez order the women to lock her mother up and handle the funeral, so it seemed as though they were both dead.
Lady Villagomez then pulled out a syringe and walked up to the crying younger Rhiannon.
“Don’t worry sweetie,” she said as she gently caressed the side of her face and wiped away her tears, “I’ll take care of it, so none of this nasty business is remembered by you, okay?”
Younger Rhiannon kicked out her foot with all the strength she could muster and managed to make contact with Lady Villagomez’s gut.
Lady Villagomez looked up at her with venom dripping from her eyes and smiled a wicked smile.
“Well, I guess I’ll have to make your memories hurt a little bit for that,” she said and then she drove the syringe into the side of Rhiannon’s neck.
Rhiannon watched as her younger self went unconscious and felt herself losing control as her heart raced rapidly, and her skin grew itchy with anger. She’d long forgotten to maintain her invisibility and stood there exposed.
Her screams gave away her location, and Lady Villagomez appeared in front of her.
“What are you doing here?” Lady Villagomez demanded.
“You…it was always you behind this…you killed my father…and my mother? Where is she? Is she alive?” Rhiannon asked, her voice raspy from her cries and screams.
Lady Villagomez smiled the same smile she’d given in the memory and shrugged.
“Maybe, maybe not,” she laughed.
A scream like the cracking of lightning and a cry like thunder erupted from Rhiannon and her wings extended to their full glory. Her entire body became consumed in the white light that she’d previously channeled to break down Lady Villagomez’s wall.
“What the hell?” Lady Villagomez muttered.
Before she could say or do anything else, a bolt of lightning originating from Rhiannon’s body shot out towards Lady Villagomez.
She didn’
t even have time to scream as she was evaporated into nothingness.
The power trickled away, and Rhiannon looked around her confused as all realm around her began to dissolve.
She ran in the opposite direction looking for a way out as the world seemed to be collapsing, when she saw a glowing purple and gold beam coming towards her. She reached out towards it, and when her hand made contact, she was jolted awake and opened her eyes to see Kalen, Lilyette, and Aoki watching over her in horror.
Her body was shaking, and tears were streaming down her face, she glanced up and saw the stone of the dream catcher still glowing then fading back into normalcy.
“What happened? Are you okay?” Aoki asked.
“My mom…she might be alive…and I think…I think…I think I might have just killed Lady Villagomez.”
Chapter 31
Rhiannon got up from the bed and felt her knees lock then become wobbly. She knew where she wanted them to take her, but the uncertainty of the moment weighed on her and pushed her down. Her fall to the floor was halted by the many hands that reached out to hold her up.
“Where are you trying to go? Maybe you should lie down a bit longer?” Aoki questioned as she helped to steady Rhiannon.
Rhiannon shook her legs a couple times, then pulled away from the hands that were helping her.
“I have to know that she’s okay. It was too much at once, and I didn’t mean to do it,” Rhiannon insisted to everyone.
“We know we saw everything. No one in your position would have stayed calm,” Lilyette insisted, her eyes burning bright.
“I can’t be a murderer,” Rhiannon snapped, “If I did this…if she’s…if she’s…gone because of me, how does that make me any different than her?”
Rhiannon grabbed her phone off the dresser and ran out of the room.
Kalen, not knowing what to say or do, followed behind her but kept a safe distance – images of her lightning still fresh in his memory.
Once she was downstairs, Rhiannon grabbed a hoodie and a pair of sneakers from the closet by the front door and threw them on haphazardly. She grabbed her purse and keys and reached for the doorknob.
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