Golden Hue (Ascension)

by Stone, Zachary

  “Eli!”

  She’d seen me, and rushed towards me.

  Eli, I've called you three times, but you haven’t responded to any of my messages,” Candace said, clearly annoyed with me.

  “I'm sorry,” I said. “That was wrong of me.”

  “Look, I need answers about what happened that night in the cave,” she said. “I need to know what happened to me and what the heck you are.”

  “That could be complicated to explain,” I said.

  “Well, I'm all ears,” she said.

  “Look,” I said. “We really don't have the time to discuss this now. I promise that as soon as I can I'll explain what happened.”

  “That's not good enough,” she said. “You said you loved me. I know that you care about me – you always have. Why won't you just answer my questions?”

  “Candace, I don't love you anymore,” I said. “I have a fiancée now.”

  “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait for answers, Candace” Sarah said, interjecting.

  Candace paused for a moment and then looked directly into my face.

  “Are you really a vampire?” Candace asked.

  Sarah grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to the side.

  “Let go of me!” Candace shouted, causing a few shoppers to look our way.

  “Listen here, Candace,” said Cathy. “We saved your life that night. The least you can do is keep your mouth shut about what you saw. Now go on back home.”

  Sarah took my arm and pulled me out of the store and we walked quickly back to the SUV.

  “I wish I hadn’t seen her,” I said as we drove back to the hospital.

  “Don't let her bother you,” Sarah said.

  “She does deserve to know the truth,” I said.

  “Be careful what you tell her,” she said.

  “I'm not going to tell her anything,” I said. “I'm going to let Cathy call her.”

  I found a pen and started writing a note in both the Bible and the card I’d bought for Cathy.

  Before long we were back at the hospital where Cathy was waiting outside for us. We slowed down, I scooted closer to Sarah, and Cathy got in.

  “How are Sandy and Jessica?” I asked.

  “Doing great,” she said. “Their burns are mostly healed.”

  “What about their babies?” I asked.

  “Jessica had hers – the baby is beautiful and doing fine. Sandy’s is overdue.”

  “That’s great news – I’m so glad,” I said.

  Cathy buckled up her seatbelt, which puzzled me a bit. Thinking about it I realized that even though she’d barely be injured from a severe accident, we didn’t want a cop pulling us over – so I put mine on too.

  “Eli has something for you, Cathy,” Sarah said.

  Cathy looked at me. I had hoped to wait until the perfect moment to give her the items, but Sarah had forced the issue.

  “What is it, Eli?” she said smiling.

  I reached into the back seat and grabbed the plastic shopping bag.

  “I have two presents for you,” I said. “I hope you like them.”

  “I'm sure I'll like them,” Cathy said.

  I took the red envelope out of the bag and handed it to Cathy. She opened it, looked at the two cats purring on the front of the card, and then read the contents silently.

  I could have purchased a card proclaiming your good looks or great personality. However, the only way to describe what I think of you is by admitting you’re the purrfect girlfriend. Thanks for being you.

  Underneath was my note.

  I'm sorry for forgetting Valentine's Day. I hope you’ll forgive me. I love you more than you’ll ever know. Sincerely, Eli.

  Cathy leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

  “You’re so sweet,” she said. “I love you too.”

  I then handed her the Bible.

  “Look at the first page,” I said.

  She read the note I’d written.

  “Dear Cathy,

  As we start our new life together, I hope that we will be able to go to church on a regular basis. I thought that instead of each of us having a separate Bible, we could share this one. You’re the most amazing blessing God has ever given me. Please accept this Bible, the first gift I have ever given you, as a token of my love.

  Forever yours,

  Eli

  “Thank you so much,” Cathy said taking my hand and squeezing it. “This is the best present you could have given me.”

  Cathy took my hand and squeezed it.

  Suddenly out of nowhere, a man stepped out the road in front of our vehicle. The breaks squealed as Sarah tried to avoid hitting him.

  Chapter 4

  The van came to a stop just inches in front of the man who continued to stand in our lane looking at us with a menacing stare.

  “It's Clint,” said Sarah. “I'll talk to him.

  Sarah jumped out of the van and went up the man.

  “Who’s Clint?” I asked Cathy.

  Cathy’s happy demeanor had suddenly turned very serious.

  “One of Albert's brothers,” she said.

  He was a vampire, then.

  “Should we get out?” I asked Cathy.

  She didn’t answer; she seemed extremely preoccupied.

  “You need to talk to him!” I heard Clint shout at Sarah outside “My father is furious and next week may be too late.”

  Sarah pointed her finger at the vampire in the jean jacket.

  “Never stop my vehicle like this again,” she said. “Tell your father that after I go talk to the empress I’ll be glad to discuss matters with him.”

  I decided to step out of the vehicle.

  “That's not good enough,” Clint said. “Don't you realize my brother is dead?”

  Clint’s face was close to Sarah's.

  “You aren’t fit to be queen,” he said.

  Sarah suddenly slashed at his face with her now-extended claws and Clint fell backwards to the ground.

  “Are you challenging me?” she said. “I'm your queen, and I demand to know if you’re challenging my authority.”

  With blood dripping from his face, Clint got back up to his feet.

  “Maybe I am,” he said, and swooped towards Sarah.

  In an instant, I jumped out of the SUV and rushed towards Clint. Before he could strike her, I punched him in the nose, knocking him back to the ground.

  “Let’s get out of here,” I said.

  Before Clint could get up, Sarah and I were back in the SUV and Sarah took off at high speed.

  “You shouldn't have done that,” Sarah said. “I have to fight my own battles.”

  “I had to,” I said. “I wasn't going to let some punk attack my mom.”

  Silence filled the van for several moments.

  “Look, Eli,” Sarah said. “I love you, and I know you meant well. But you don't understand vampire society. Everyone has to know that if they defy my authority, that I’ll personally be the one they have to deal with. If I’m defended by you, it will indicate weakness on my part, and word of that will get around our community.”

  Before long, we were on I-16 heading west towards Macon. While driving, Sarah spent a good bit of time on her cell phone alerting various people about what had happened. She called Ruby and warned her that Albert's family may end up being a problem.

  As Sarah was talking to Ruby I felt my cell phone buzz -- I had a text message from my mother.

  When am I going to hear more about your girlfriend?

  “Who is it?” Cathy asked.

  “It's my mom,” I said. “My human mom. She wants to know when she’ll hear more about you.”

  “Where does your mom live?” Cathy asked.

  “In McDonough,” I said.

  “That's on our way,” Cathy said. “Sarah, could we go and visit Eli’s mother? It wouldn't take long.”

  I looked at Sarah, and she looked back at me.

  “Sure,” she said. “But we can't stay long
.”

  Cathy grabbed the phone from me and called my mother.

  “Hello.” I could hear my mother clearly.

  “Hi, Mrs. Smith, it's me, Cathy -- your son's fiancé.”

  “Is Eli alright?”

  “Yes, everything is fine. I just wanted to ask if we could stop by tonight. We’re on the way to Atlanta and I’d love to meet you.”

  “Wonderful! That would be great,” my mother said. “I'll make a dinner for us.”

  “You don't have to do that,” Cathy said.

  “No, I want to,” my mother stated. “It's the least I can do. What time will you be arriving?”

  “I'm guessing maybe around six or seven tonight,” Cathy said.

  “Perfect. It’ll give me just enough time.”

  Cathy then looked at Sarah.

  “Do you mind if I bring my cousin Sarah along too? She’s driving us.” Cathy asked.

  “No, it’s no problem at all. Tell Eli that I'm looking forward to seeing him.”

  “I'll do that,” she said.

  “It’s nice talking to you, Cathy – I can’t wait to meet you. Drive carefully.”

  “We will,” Cathy said, and hung up.

  “I can't wait to meet your mom,” Cathy said.

  “I hope you two get along well,” I said.

  “I'm sure we will,” Cathy said. “Why do you say that?”

  “Well, she can be a little erratic at times. Don't get me wrong; she’s been a great mother. But she can be a little grating at times,” I said.

  I turned to Sarah.

  “Do I have your permission to tell her about, well, what I’ve become?” I asked.

  “She’s your mother, and I wouldn’t forbid you from telling her anything,” Sarah said. “But do you think she can handle it?”

  I paused for a moment.

  “I hope so.” I said.

  Suddenly there was a loud pop, and the SUV started shaking – it was obvious that a tire had blown out. Sarah pulled over to the side of the road and we all got out. The front right tire was in shreds.

  “Do you have a spare?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Sarah said. “A full sized one in the back.”

  “I'll get it,” Cathy said.

  A few seconds later, Cathy returned carrying a large, new tire.

  “Where’s the jack?” I asked.

  Cathy and Sarah both looked at me as if I’d said something really odd.

  Sarah bent down and lifted up the van with one hand and started to unscrew the lug nuts with her bare fingers. As soon as the old tire was removed, Cathy put on the new one and Sarah tightened the nuts with her hands.

  “No jack needed,” Cathy said, smiling.

  I felt profoundly stupid.

  With cars zipping by us at high speed, we all climbed back into the vehicle.

  “Would you like to drive the rest of the way, Eli?” Sarah asked.

  “Sure,” I said.

  Sarah and I switched places and a moment later we were cruising at 70 mph along the interstate.

  It was the first time I’d driven since becoming a vampire and it was a unique experience. I could see everything more clearly due to my enhanced vision, and with my enhanced reflexes, I felt more comfortable driving in heavy traffic. Cathy and Sarah soon switched places. It felt good to have Cathy by my side. As we drove, we talked about a number of different topics, including my mother. She wanted to know as much as possible about her – I told her everything I could.

  After about an hour of driving, the flow of traffic began to slow, and ahead of us I could see flashing lights – there had been an accident. A couple of minutes later traffic came to a complete standstill.

  I had an idea.

  “You know,” I said. “I could probably fly this van all the way to my mother's place.”

  “Don't even think about that,” Sarah said. “We can't go around doing things that would draw attention to us.”

  “Well, so what if someone saw us?” I said. “If someone goes online and claims they saw a flying car who would believe them? And if someone takes a video of us, everyone will just claim it's faked.”

  Cathy looked at me.

  “Do you really want to try?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Sarah, please could we do this, just once?” Cathy asked.

  “Alright,” Sarah said. “But just get us out of this traffic. Don't fly us the whole way.”

  I let go of the steering wheel and turned off the engine. Pressing my hands against the dashboard, I summoned the power of the hex. A white aura started to form around me.

  “Do you need some help?” Cathy asked.

  “No,” I said, trying to dig as deep as I could in the well of power written into my DNA. I wrapped my mind around the vehicle and it began slowly to lift off the ground.

  “You’re doing it,” Cathy said.

  I carefully guided the vehicle into the air. Before long, we were hundreds of feet above the traffic. Focusing even harder, I accelerated the vehicle forward and soon were racing through the air.

  “We must be going eighty miles an hour,” Cathy said.

  “I can go faster,” I said.

  Scanning the horizon to make sure there were no obstacles, I increased the speed and we found ourselves zipping over the landscape, the traffic jam far behind us.

  “This is so cool,” Cathy said. “I've made a vehicle go faster before, but I've never made one fly.”

  The look of excitement on her face made me want to fly faster.

  I continued to scan the area ahead of us for radio towers or anything we could run into. Eventually, I could see the outskirts of Macon in the distance, and I changed direction. The level of control I had over the vehicle was amazing. Due to the bubble of force wrapped around it, there was no wind resistance to hinder fast turns.

  Showing off a little, I made sure we were all secured by our seatbelts and made the SUV van do a couple loops in the sky. Cathy screamed and laughed as if we were on a rollercoaster. Cathy didn’t seem very amused.

  “Okay, you’ve had your fun, Eli,” Sarah said. “Now, please find a place to set us down.”

  “Can I try one more thing?”

  “Okay, but please hurry,” she said. “I don't want the Department of Homeland Security sending fighter jets after us.”

  I called forth more power and my aura started to change from white to golden. It suddenly became easier to propel the van. Making sure I had a clear path, I made the van zip ahead even faster.

  “We must be going three hundred miles per hour,” Cathy said.

  “Now it’s your turn,” I told Cathy.

  “I don't know if I can,” she said, looking a little fearful.

  “Put your hands on the dashboard,” I told her. “Wrap your mind around it, and control the vehicle.”

  She placed her hands on the dashboard; I could feel her power.

  I slowed down the van so that it was barely moving.

  “Just take over,” I said.

  I could feel us moving under her power.

  “You’re doing great,” I said. “Now, I’m going to let go. You just fly the van to a road where we can park.”

  I let go of the dashboard, and the car began to slowly fall downwards.

  “I can't do it,” Cathy said.

  “Yes you can,” I said. “Go ahead and transform.”

  Her skin turned white, her fangs emerged, and I could see her claws. I looked into her black eyes, and I put my hand on her cheek.

  “You can do it,” I said.

  Suddenly, the vehicle stopped descending and was moving forward again.

  “Hey, this isn't too hard,” Cathy said.

  “Put us down over there in that parking lot,” I said.

  A few moments later, Cathy had set down the van in the parking lot of a grocery store.

  “That was awesome,” Cathy said, wrapping her arms around me.