The Xidoran Prophecy

by Elaine Bassett

  “What about me? Does this means Caroline and I will have no time together?” Charles asked.

  Carson took his shoes off. “What about you Charles? You have your work cut out for you.”

  Charles knew he was right. He did have his work cut out for him. Some days it seemed insurmountable. “What should I do, work all the time and let the girls have all the fun? No way.”

  Bev said, “I don’t think it will be all fun and games, Charlie. You both are going to have a lot to learn. We won’t be able to help Caroline with everything. We will devote time to her training and will help Natalie all we can. Our duty is to prepare you for your future. Remember she is the only one in her family. No one else will be doing this with her. The friendship she develops with Natalie will determine how successful she becomes.”

  Carson looked at Charles and said, “It will be lonely for Caroline. She won’t be able to tell her family about her adventures. Remember the sadness Catherine had not being able to share Sojourning with her family. She may not be willing to accept that she will have to keep an important secret, possibly for the rest of her life. That would be hard to do. If she chooses not to be a Sojourner, then you will have to respect her wishes. If that happens then we have another situation all together. I dare not even think about that occurring right now.”

  Bev shook her head. “I don’t think we will have anything to worry about. Caroline is a very smart and sensible young lady. Being a Sojourner is rewarding, but it comes at a price--sometimes to our loved ones. We are a good example; we cannot share what we do with our own daughter or granddaughters. You won’t be able to share what is in your future with them or anyone outside of our realm of Sojourners. We sometimes have to do what we do to protect the ones we love.”

  Carson added, “Once you experience Sojourning you can’t imagine giving it up. You become protective of its illusiveness and the exclusiveness of it. The secret must be kept at all cost or it will be ruined for everyone who shares this gift.”

  Bev continued, “It would just take one Sojourner to destroy us by exposing us to the world. What has been protected for centuries would cease to exist.”

  Carson looked at Charles. “This way of life is not meant for everyone.”

  Charles hung his head in thought. He hoped he had not rushed into something that would cause Caroline heartache now or in the future. He knew in his heart this was not right for everyone. There were probably dangers in having her Sojourn with them that he hadn’t thought about. Helping Caroline learn to Sojourn would take careful planning and thoughtfulness on their part to get it right.

  CHAPTER 76

  That night Charles had many strange dreams. He woke up several times throughout the night, and at one point was even afraid to go through with Caroline’s training. Was this the right course for Caroline’s life? He wanted to tell Nana and Paw Paw about his concerns, but was afraid they might not understand. To make matters worse he felt the pressure of learning and keeping up not only at school this year, but also with the training to be the next prime minister. It only served to almost push him closer to the cliff. To add to his problems that ridiculous cuckoo clock kept reminding him time was running out. Running out for whom? It was too much pressure and he felt soon he’d explode from all of it. He looked around in the dark and pulled the covers up to his chin. He wished he could fall asleep. His thoughts kept circling and circling. He hated to admit he was overwhelmed.

  Charles wasn’t sure when, but sometime in the night he fell asleep and slept soundly. As he dreamt, he went through each of his problems and solved them one by one as if he were a detective in the big city solving the mysteries that others couldn’t. When he woke up he had a brand new perspective on his problems. The thoughts that troubled him and cast shadows in the night; all looked different in the light of the morning. The problems had disappeared to a fresh attitude. Charles felt such great relief.

  After breakfast Charles and Carson headed for the office. Carson reviewed the financial information with Charles that he had updated last night. So much had been happening lately. The appointment with Nathaniel would take place tomorrow. Charles sighed. He wished he had more time to prepare for this meeting. Cassia had sent a packet for him to fill out several days ago and he hadn’t had the time to complete it.

  Carson was certain Charles would be okay if he didn’t get all the paperwork completed immediately. There was so much work all at once that required their attention. He could tell Charles was distracted and worried because he hadn’t finished the packet for Cassia. Carson put his own paperwork aside. They began to go through the pages from the beginning until every page was completed. Charles sighed. “Thank you, Paw Paw.”

  “Have you had a chance to think about our conversation last night?”

  “Yes, I have. As a matter of fact I had mixed feelings last night. I wondered if proceeding with Caroline was the right thing to do. It kind of scared me to think about it.”

  “Well that is quite unexpected, but understandable considering the circumstances.” Charles looked at Carson expecting him to say something different. Carson leaned closer to Charles and said, “In life we all have to make decisions. Some of the decisions we make result in outcomes that are considered good; other decisions may produce poor outcomes. The choices we make affect others, directly or indirectly. The irony is, even if we choose not to make a decision, we have made one regardless.”

  Carson continued, “I thought about Caroline last night while I was working in the office. I considered would she want the chance to make this decision for herself. My conclusion was yes, Caroline would want to be able to make the choice for herself, and not have someone else make it for her. I believe with Natalie’s guidance and our help, everything is going to be just fine.” Charles felt reassured by their conversation and confident they were doing the right thing.

  CHAPTER 77

  Dolores felt better and stronger with every passing day. Now that she was off her medicine she began noticing things about Sterling that she hadn’t noticed before she went into the hospital. Sterling acted differently when Joseph was around. He’d always acted very grown-up and mature for his age. Dolores believed she was seeing something different in his behavior. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. Dolores decided she would find out why he seemed to shy away from Joseph.

  Every day they had the same routine. In the morning she would drop him off at school. While he was at school Dolores would fill her days with community volunteer work. She enjoyed getting to know and help the people around the inner-city area. She felt like she was making a difference; touching the lives of other people in a positive way. She was glad to take a respite from the backbreaking campaign work that she had been doing for so many years. All the long hours and stress of politics had been catching up with her. Dolores felt like she had found her calling. That was until the night Joseph came home and informed her that he had volunteered her to work for another political campaign.

  She said, “No, I like working where I am. I enjoy making a difference in the inner-city area for the families I am working with. I’ll call the senator’s office tomorrow and let them know that I can’t help this time.”

  Joseph flew into a rage. “I promised the senator you would work for his campaign and that’s what you’ll do. If I say you’ll do it, then you will. I’m not having this discussion with you again.”

  Dolores fired back, “You are not going to tell me what I can and cannot do. I am done working on political campaigns. I’ve moved on.”

  Joseph yelled, “You’ll move on only when I tell you that you can move on. Tomorrow after you drop Sterling off at school, you will show up for work at the senator’s campaign office.”

  Annoyed she said, “Joseph get our checkbook, write a large check for his campaign and be done with it. Quit volunteering my time to your political buddies. If you want to help them why don’t you go and work for them?”

  Fire was in his eyes when he said, “You’ll
do what I tell you!”

  The next day she went to her work in the community. When Joseph arrived home that night he apologized to Dolores for being angry the night before. He asked how her day was. She told him what she had done.

  He was very calm when he spoke. He asked her if she would please help him keep a commitment he had made, and work for the senator’s campaign.

  She thought over his request. Before she went to bed she agreed to go work for the senator.

  Because she was good at what she did, the senator began seeing the money flow into his campaign like never before. She brought energy and fresh ideas to his political team. Things were going well. The senator easily won the election.

  CHAPTER 78

  Natalie was fuming mad. She walked into her apartment and slammed the door behind her. She knew that malicious Max was up to something as soon as she spotted him in the wrong part of the Hub. It soon became evident that she was correct. She knew from their past what he was all about. He was rotten to the core and so predictable. She just hoped she wouldn’t be too late once his scheme came down. Her past experiences led her to believe he wouldn’t give up. Once he set his mind on revenge, it would consume him until he acted on it.

  She had grown to like Charles. He had integrity, unlike Max who acted like a quarrelsome brat! He was out of control and had been for a long time. If given the opportunity she’d fix his wagon before he ever got near her friend. That’s what this was really about, jealousy. That creep was jealous. She could see it in his eyes. The way they followed Charles. She shivered. What did she ever see in him anyway? When she first met him he was mysterious and had a sense of danger surrounding him. He was sarcastic and rude. That behavior made him seem powerful and invincible to a young girl. It was exciting to hang around him and be accepted by the thugs he hung around with. When she began to pay closer attention to Max’s activities she started to understand what was really happening. She began asking all the right questions; checking up on his stories. Things didn’t add up. Amazingly enough her father chose to stay out of her relationship. He let her figure it out for herself. If he had interfered earlier, she may have rebelled. It was just the phase she was going through.

  After getting to know Max, she realized he was just an average ruffian; a spoiled rich kid who came to have a sense of entitlement. His behavior was abominable. Now it seemed to her that once the curtain of reality was drawn and the light of truth was cast on him, he was a “nobody” going nowhere any time soon. He was just a bad actor who had created an illusion. It fooled her until she caught on to him. Now she could see through him. She’d make it a point to study him and find out what his intentions were. Then she’d beat him at his own game.

  She opened her refrigerator and took out a bottle of her favorite drink. She poured a glass and contemplated the situation as she cooked dinner. As she sat at the table to eat dinner she thought about the possibilities of what that lunatic might be up to. She came up with several scenarios. Absentmindedly her pointer finger traced the rim of her glass as she thought back to all of the places she’d been today. She remembered the look of disgust on Max’s face as he watched Charles from a distance. She made up a scene in her mind.

  It was supposed to be that Charles would kick his butt, but it surprised her that the Journeyman became the hero, saving the day. The Journeyman, huh? Hmmm. Just what was he doing there? Had he been watching Max for some reason? She’d never seen him before today and he interested her. If he hadn’t come along and interfered, things could have gotten ugly. Max may have struck then… Who knows? His encounter gave her a chance to disengage and get out of there before Max saw her watching his every move. Come to think of it she had seen that Journeyman in Section 4 of the Hub earlier today. She had looked over his way thinking he was cute. It wasn’t until their eyes locked and he took out his telescope and pointed it in her direction that she looked the other way.

  It was ridiculous to think he may have been looking at her too. Why would he look at her? No, he wasn’t looking at her… She actually liked the thought that he might have been paying attention to her. What if he had come over to talk to her? She’d have made a fool of herself stumbling over her words. It had something to do with those Australian men and their accents. Oh my, and he was gorgeous. She fanned herself just thinking about his face, his tall slender tan body… Whew.

  She’d have to stop there. No sense getting excited, not going to happen. She bet he was already taken anyway. It was a known fact that the best ones were the first to go. A man like that most likely had someone special already in his life. Whether she was a girlfriend or a wife no doubt she’d have her claws dug deep in him. Then a thought occurred to her, Journeymen tended to be loners by nature. Maybe he didn’t have anyone after all. Who was she kidding anyway? All he’d have to do is walk up to her and she’d probably cause a scene and faint. Once again he got the starring role as she fainted in slow motion and he gently caught her in his arms. She’d open her eyes to find his face staring at her with concern. Their eyes would meet and…

  There was a knock at the door. She growled--perfect timing. Her leading man would have to wait. She just hoped their paths would cross again in the near future.

  CHAPTER 79

  Dimitrios was very proud of his daughter. He wasn’t sure he understood why she offered to help Caroline, but that didn’t matter. He would be as supportive as he possibly could. Natalie had always been headstrong and logical.

  He was to some degree envious he couldn’t mentor Caroline himself. He thought about the possibility that Caroline could end up being like the sister Natalie never had, but always wanted. They would make a great team. Working with Caroline would give Natalie the fulfillment she needed.

  She sure took to Charles in a hurry. Those two hit it off immediately. There wasn’t much not to like about Charles. It didn’t hurt that he was Bevy Jones’ grandson either. Natalie really liked her. It was no secret that she liked spending time with Bev.

  Charles already in some respects seemed like an adopted son to him. He would go to great lengths to protect him and make sure he was successful. Dimitrios didn’t want him to make the same mistakes Anthony had made. He’d try to watch out for those pitfalls. He was positive that mistakes would be made but hopefully they would be new ones. Dimitrios was encouraged by what he saw in Charles’ future. Anthony had turned out to be a very successful leader as Prime Minister. All of their hard work had paid off. The gray hair replacing the dark brown was definitely worth it. He earned every one of them. This was the life he chose and he was satisfied.

  Cassia knocked at the door. She smiled when Dimitrios answered her knock. “There you are. I just heard the news. I’m so happy for Natalie. You must be very proud of her.”

  He smiled. “I am. Come in and join me for a moment. I could use your help.” She entered the office and sat across from him with her pad of paper. Suddenly she realized she didn’t have her pen.

  Dimitrios said, “Oh don’t get up. I have one right here.” They reached over at the same time and her hand landed on his. Their eyes met and they stood there momentarily locked into each other’s gaze.

  CHAPTER 80

  After the election Dolores declared she had decided to concentrate on being a stay-at-home mom. Joseph hated having her home all the time. It was driving him crazy. He had to get her out of the house. Before he went to work one morning Joseph left an envelope on the table with plane tickets for her and Sterling to go to the lake house.

  She was secretly thrilled to go. It had been several months since she had visited the lake. Each time she went she was slowly transforming the house, making it her own. She smiled to herself and thought: If he can have secrets why can’t I?

  She had suspected for a long time he’d had a couple of “lady friends” throughout their marriage. Her guess was that the affairs must have started within the first year of marriage. It bothered her for a while. For months she followed him herself trying to prove it, but she never ca
ught him. She was just going by her intuition.

  Dolores looked in the mirror while she put on her makeup. She examined her face looking at herself critically. As she applied her lipstick she thought to herself: Not bad at all. She sprayed her hair and spritzed herself with perfume before she walked out the door. Once she got into the car, she put on her sunglasses and drove downtown.

  CHAPTER 81

  Carson and Charles finished the riddles for the coins. They celebrated a task well done.

  Carson said, “It was obvious all along. I don’t know why I didn’t see it earlier.”

  Charles was quick to say: “I don’t think that is the case. Everyone missed it.” “I overlooked it several times,” said Airabelle.

  Charles was glad to have the riddle solving behind them. He hoped they had truly solved it. Time would tell.

  Carson said, “You can never be too sure about getting the correct answer.” Either way they’d find out soon. Focusing on the riddle took his mind off future events for a while. This was an exciting and unusual riddle; it would take place in threes.

  “Nana is going with us to claim this one. She’s looking forward to it,” said Carson

  Charles stood up and walked across the room to stretch his legs. He took hold of the walking stick and walked around the room. “Hey, I kind of like using this.”

  Carson playfully said, “Someday you won’t have a choice when old age sneaks up on you.”

  “I bet this would be really great for trail walking. I can see using it to walk the paths.” He leaned it up against the wall. The cuckoo clock chimed.