Chimera (The Weaver Series Book 1)

by Vaun Murphrey

  She'd slumped in the chair with her arms crossed over her small breasts and her legs splayed out in an almost casual pose. When our eyes met, I felt a tension between us go taught. I figured the best answer for whatever was bothering Kara was silent acknowledgment since she happened to be the one with something on her mind. I raised my eyebrows briefly and waited her out, which didn’t take long.

  “You know whatever this is between you, and my brother complicates things, right? Not only will his sister have been keeping secrets from him, but the girl he has the hots for will be hiding things as well. I don’t even know what it is I’m keeping from him besides the fact you had something to do with my reawakening and possibly some of the physical changes to my body. I want to know, Cassandra, and James will too.”

  I had figured this conversation would pop up eventually. Silver had already said I could share with her about us, so I dove straight for the heart of it in a calm, reasonable fashion as if I was telling a story.

  “I have a condition called chimerism. My twin’s body died in utero but some of her DNA attached to mine. Her name is Silver. She is attached, mind and soul, to my body. Silver’s life has been spent mostly in the Web, and she can do some things I’ve just now discovered, one of which is restoring balance to a lost soul in the Web.”

  Kara went still.

  “Silver is responsible for your return, not me. When you walked in on me in the laundry room, she had just revealed herself after hiding my memories away the whole time we were a prisoner of the Warp Faction. Sometimes, when I stare off into space or don’t answer what you say right away or maybe even laugh unexpectedly, it’s because she’s talking to me. So what part of that exactly can I tell James that won’t make him run away faster than the speed of light?”

  Kara looked at me with a dubious expression. “Um, are you serious or are you putting me on?”

  “Dead serious.”

  Silver sighed in my mind. “If she can’t handle it, I can always pull the memory of this conversation. I thought her mind was more open than this. How disappointing.”

  “Give her a minute, Sister.” Out loud I said, “Would you like to go in the Web with us? I promise we can keep you safe.”

  Kara let out a shuddering breath. “I don’t know…”

  I laid a hand on the table and waited for her to decide. It took her about a minute to sort through her fears. The palm of her sweat coated hand met mine, finally. “Close your eyes.”

  When she followed my instructions I closed mine as well and asked her, “Do you know how to find your center?” I smiled because I could tell by the shift in air currents she had nodded her response instead of speaking. “Okay, I’ll go in first and find you, just relax.”

  It only took me a moment to navigate into the Web. When I opened my ‘eyes’ Kara was shining brightly right next to me. I could even see a warmly glowing green ball of light not far behind her that almost distracted me from my purpose because I knew it had to be James. Kara’s violet light had an oval shape, but it also had channels of light that pulsed all throughout it, like a fireworks show. I already felt attracted to her light with a gentle pulling sensation. Some of her DNA resembled mine. Perhaps we were similar enough now to mimic the genetic bond other Weavers felt for their family?

  I sent a thought Kara’s way. “Are you with me, sweetie?”

  Kara’s voice came through a little unsure. “I’m here. What if I get lost?”

  I checked with Silver, but I made sure I sent the thought to Kara as well. “Are we certain, Sister?”

  “Never again, Kara, I made sure of it.” Silver’s voice carried a gentle tone.

  Kara’s light flared brighter for just a pulse, and her voice was excited. “Was that Silver?”

  Silver laughed. “Yes, that was me. Can you see us clearly? Maggie told Cassandra we look as if we have extra parts in the Web. What do we look like to you?”

  Kara blurted, “You’re beautiful and brilliant, it almost hurts my ‘eyes’ to see you. Your light moves and changes, but it’s never symmetrical. Maybe that’s what Maggie meant?”

  “Interesting.” Curiosity filled my sister about us and what we could do now that she was no longer in hiding.

  I thought out at Kara, “So, are you pretty confident we aren’t putting you on?”

  “I believe you. I know you said I couldn’t get lost again, but do you think we can end this visit? I need to feel terra firma under my feet.”

  “You’ll get over it, Kara. Come back and I’ll take you on an adventure with me.” Strangely enough Silver’s offer was genuine.

  Kara’s light pulses had begun to speed up, and I took that as an indicator of her stress, just like when I had been upset in the Web and felt myself wobble. I sent a calming, soothing feeling with my words. “Can you ‘wake up’ first or do you want me to go out and make sure you open your eyes?”

  Her light had steadied before she responded. “You go out and make sure I open my eyes.”

  When I opened my eyes, Kara's hand was sweaty and warm in mine. I whispered her name at the same time as I squeezed her fingers. Her eyes opened wide, and she looked at me for a long moment, then blinked myopically.

  “I know that was scary, but it will get easier every time you go in. You’ll learn to trust once again in yourself and the Web one day.”

  Kara spoke in a low scratchy voice and said, “Losing yourself is terrifying, Cassandra. You just don’t know…I think I’ll get more settled on the physical plane and convince myself all of this is real before I dive back into my training.”

  “You look perfect in the Web, Kara. Your light is a gorgeous blend of violet, lavender, and even some dark purple. Little lights dance across your surface reminding me of tiny fireworks or lightning bugs.”

  She cleared her throat and squeezed my hand. “Um, so you know, usually Weavers only discuss how they appear in the Web with family or…partners.”

  “Oh, why?”

  “Every person looks different to every other person. Your feelings toward me color how you perceive me. Another Weaver might look at me and see something entirely different.”

  “Okay, so you and your brother are two lights floating close together, which I guess is normal since you’re family. Maggie said he formed a bond with you to replace your mother’s.”

  Kara flinched a little at the mention of her mother then got a confused look in her eyes. “You could see James?”

  “Was I not supposed to? I saw Gerome attached to Maggie, too.”

  Kara frowned. “As part of a natural defense mechanism, Weavers hide their attachments from others. When one Weaver approaches another to initiate contact, they should only see that Weaver and not any of the family bound to them. Maybe it’s because you brought me back?”

  Silver put in, “I’ve always been able to see the attachments, even all of the places I’ve been in the Web. I knew it was unusual, but I forgot to share it with you. Kara could be right. It could have something to do with our ability to restore balance to another Weaver.”

  Kara narrowed her eyes at me. “Is Silver talking to you? You’ve got this strange look like you’re listening to something.”

  “She was just telling me she knew it was unusual for us to be able to see Weavers’ attachments, but she agreed your theory about it having something to do with our ability to restore a soul could be correct.”

  “Is it not weird having a voice in your head? Nevermind, don’t answer that, it was rude! You need to develop some different ways to hide that you’re talking to Silver. I’ll be honest; you look a little crazy.”

  “Thanks for the advice,” I said dryly.

  “When I’m with you, I’ll try to help cover until you can figure it out.” She patted my hand to be reassuring.

  The timer on the stove began to beep in a rather annoying way, and Kara popped up from her chair with an abundance of energy to turn it off, all traces of her shakiness from being in the Web gone. I slid the kit in front of me and cleaned t
he middle finger on my left hand with an alcohol swab, waved it in the air a second for it to dry, and then put another needle in the finger stick device.

  That moment right before I pushed the release and got stuck was harder this time. Such a small pain to make me hesitate. I had been through worse, after all. When I’d collected the tiny bubble of blood with the test strip and got a reasonable readout of 120, I relaxed. A wall of tired hit me like a mudslide, oozing into whatever crevices of my awareness it could find.

  Silver cooed in my mind. “We need rest, lay down and take a nap. We can discuss our next step when you’re more yourself.”

  Kara suggested at the same time as Silver, “Hey, why don’t you lie down and take a nap. I don’t need entertaining. I can find something to do around here.”

  I was so tired I only shrugged an answer and rose to stumble in the direction of the couch. Before sleep pulled me under a blanket draped over me. I smelled lavender and then I fell into darkness.

  Chapter Twelve: Dream a Little Dream

  I dreamed vividly; all things were crisp and defined. My thoughts felt like they soared in all directions; limitless. The world and everything in it made sense.

  A flat plane of rotating glass spun toward me. As it passed, I noticed a three-dimensional ball of light was entering from one side to disappear on the other.

  That image was replaced with one of my father, Declan, making shadow puppets with his hands on my bedroom wall late at night. I remembered the wonder of how a simple turn of his hand could create different shapes in the stream of the flashlight resting in my lap.

  Dad vanished, to be replaced by a massive flying carpet in space. For every undulation in the carpet, a rolling ball of light appeared only to disappear again. I felt a sense of urgency from a source outside of myself, as if I needed to understand this final concept before I could be whole.

  Then the carpet dissolved into nothingness.

  The tone of the dream changed from light to dark, and the Soul Eater was suddenly holding a sharp metal instrument against my navel again, amusement and cruelty in his strange eyes.

  “What do you dream?” he asked.

  I felt awake, and I didn’t fight it. I wanted to escape the memory. The urge to go outside was an invisible shove against my shoulder blades.

  I jumped to my feet from a supine position on the couch and almost fell on top of the coffee table when my feet tangled in the blanket Kara had thrown over me. Kara squealed in startled surprise from behind the couch. My eyes took in the wet rag she was using to clean up Malcolm’s muddy footprints from this morning. All I had time to get out was, “Outside,” before I was dashing for the door in my sock feet.

  I stood on the porch in a panic trying to decide if I should go to the left, right, or straight ahead. Movement behind the fence line caught my eye. Immediately, I knew I should head toward the signs of activity.

  Malcolm came around the side of the house with a screwdriver. “What the heck are you doing out here with no shoes?” Then he saw my panic. “What’s wrong?”

  I felt that surge like a shove between my shoulder blades again, and I ran in the direction of the fence line. I heard Malcolm shout, “Hey!” behind me, but if anything it only made my legs pump faster.

  Just as I came around the side of another house and could see the fence stretching off to the right, I saw Harris, the male one, walking in the direction of the movement I had seen. A rifle hung on a strap over his left shoulder. He could have been on guard duty, but something about him seemed wrong. I knew he couldn’t be allowed to find whatever it was I supposed to see first, so I yelled, “No!” I shook the fence in frustration and heard Malcolm’s boots hitting the semi-wet ground behind me.

  As Harris looked at me, an intense hatred flashed to life and then hid away when Malcolm caught up. Harris was almost to the lump when it suddenly moved. Rising above the top of the wild grass, I could see what looked like the matted hair and profile of a teenage girl. When the girl caught sight of Harris barely ten feet away. She screamed as if she was about to die and collapsed into the overgrowth, disappearing again.

  Harris pulled his rifle off his shoulder and looked down the barrel as if he was about to shoot.

  Malcolm boomed, “Hold your fire!”

  Harris cast a look Malcolm’s way, and I thought for sure he would kill the girl with us as witnesses. In one quick move, he slung the rifle over his shoulder as if he never intended to fire, then crossed his arms.

  Malcolm pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. “Section Four about midway I’ve got an injured girl in the grass. Harris is on the scene. I’m inside the fenceline, but I won't be for long. Call the infirmary and tell Maggie we need Nicky for first-aid. Tell her to have Nicky go to the front gate.” Malcolm was silent as he listened to the person on the other end. Something they said didn’t sit well with him, and he glanced surreptitiously at Harris before he said, “I see.”

  He ended the call and dialed another number, but no one answered. In frustration, Malcolm hung up and stuffed the phone back in his front pocket then closed his eyes. I knew he was in the Web, so I didn’t speak, only stood there keeping a very steady eye on the grass where the girl had collapsed with Harris standing a mere ten feet away. All of my nerve endings were screaming he was too close.

  I felt a popping sensation in my head and then Silver’s strident voice.

  “Cassandra, answer me!”

  Her mental shriek was so intense I put both of my hands to my ears before I could stop myself. “What! Why are you yelling at me?”

  Silver’s voice lowered, but she was still so upset I could feel it like a vibrating tuning fork in my sinuses. I pulled my hands away from my ears and gripped the chain link again as I kept vigil over the girl in the grass.

  “Why did you shut me out? How could you do that to me? I called and called, but you wouldn’t answer me.”

  I responded in a rush of thoughts and images because I couldn’t find any words to describe my dream and the urgency that had felt like a real push between my shoulder blades. Silver absorbed everything I shoved her way without complaint and then grew calm, silent and thoughtful.

  I could feel her curiosity about the girl in the grass and her absolute loathing of Harris before she thought plaintively, “So you didn’t cut me off?”

  I sent a reassurance, “Hell no. At this moment, I’ve got no idea what just happened. The only thing I’m certain of is the girl out there would be dead if that push hadn’t made me run out to the fence. I’m just as confused as you are.”

  Malcolm raised his head and opened his eyes beside me then pulled his phone back out of his pocket and dialed three digits before putting it to his ear. As soon as the other end picked up he rattled off his name, the address to the compound and the situation regarding the injured girl. I could hear the voice on the other line asking questions.

  Malcolm listened silently then responded, “We have medical staff, and they’ll start first-aid as soon as they get on the scene. When our nurse arrives, I’ll pass the phone on to her.” Malcolm was silent as the emergency operator asked him questions and then answered, “I don’t know, I’m inside a fence line, and the girl is on the other side. I didn’t get that good of a look, but she’s injured and unconscious. Hold on, I’ll climb over.”

  Malcolm turned to me and slapped the phone into my palm. He gripped the links and barely got a toe hold with the tip of his boots. Once he hit the top, Malcolm swung both legs over and heaved outward to land about a foot from the base of the fence. The maneuver caused a ripple effect down multiple sections like the aftershocks of an earthquake.

  I could hear the emergency operator yelling for Malcolm, so I passed his phone through, and he put it to his ear as he walked toward the girl in the grass. A loud engine rumbled. The same Suburban Malcolm and I had taken to town earlier stopped about twenty feet away.

  Nicky opened the passenger side door and hopped out carrying a huge first-aid kit. Then she r
ushed toward where Malcolm pointed. Another vehicle, this one a white conversion van, was coming up the fence line as well. When it parked behind the Suburban, about ten security men and women poured out, and at Malcolm’s direction, made a perimeter around where Nicky knelt in the grass.

  I saw Malcolm motion to Harris after he handed Nicky his phone. Harris looked mutinous but obeyed, sauntering over out of the way by Malcolm. I could tell they were talking, but I couldn’t hear anything. I wanted to make sure the girl in the grass would live, so I ignored their little confrontation and stared intently at Nicky as she checked for vitals.

  Another vehicle came up to park behind the white conversion van, and I could see a woman behind the wheel. To my surprise, Gerome got out of the passenger side door and came over to me immediately.

  When he was close enough no one would overhear his words; he looked behind him at the blonde woman approaching Malcolm and Harris then back to me.

  “Go to the house. Trust me to handle this. You weren’t here. At least as far as the police are concerned. Do you understand me?”

  I hesitated long enough to ask, “Will you tell me how she is?”

  Gerome gave a curt nod, then walked to Malcolm, who was shaking his head no to something the blonde woman said in an imperious, arrogant manner with gestures in Harris’ direction. I had a notion this was my first glimpse of Gerome’s Council opposition, and I didn’t like anything I was seeing. This woman liked expensive clothes, and her jewelry was flashing in the sunlight as she flipped her fingers daintily to make a point.

  When I turned away from the scene, it was to see a crowd of curious Weavers flocking to the spot I had just vacated. In the middle of the approaching crowd stood Kara and James like stones in a stream. I drew even with them and looked down at my muddy socks. “These are toast. Let’s go back to the house. They’re going to be a while.”

  I pushed between them and kept walking. It took longer than I thought it would before the front of my house came back into view. I could see Gerome’s black tool case lying on the ground, propped open and the boxes for the exterior lights sitting nearby.