by Inelia Benz
“Yes, well, I have to make sure you are not one of them.”
“One of whom?”
“The Shadow Ones, they are people with great power who use that power for personal gain without a thought to the rest of humanity. They have come for me once already, tried to stop my investigations into secret cults in government agencies. Nasty lot. ”
A thought was nagging Jennifer’s mind. It felt like something she couldn’t remember. Something on the tip of her tongue. Something important. Something that could save her life.
“Has your daughter inherited any of your gifts Jennifer?”
“Daughter? I don’t have any children, I’m not married,” she answered leaving the memories of her baby somewhere in the future, something dreamed for the future when she would marry and have children.
“I thought you said you had a daughter.”
“Me, no. I never said that. What other things can you do David?” She asked, concentrating very hard on him, wondering about his life and his story.
“A bit of telekinesis, projection of thought, that kind of thing.”
“How come Katrina didn’t spot it on you?”
“I guess I am better at hiding it, experience has shown me that our gifts are not something to advertise. She’s very sensitive, can spot one of us a mile away, I don’t know how she does it.”
He seemed sincere, he seemed truthful and good, a good person, he could be trusted. Jennifer became frightened, “don’t do that,” she said.
“Do what?”
“That…” she was going to say the hypnosis thing, but she knew it wasn’t him, there was something else, something hiding behind his mind, another presence.
He wasn’t doing anything. He was completely innocent, and not at all as gifted as Jennifer was. It only took a little poking into his mind to see that. He was harmless.
“Forget it, it’s nothing, I have to get back home, my mom is waiting for me.”
“I can drop you off on the way to the office if you like, it will give us a chance to talk about this, don’t worry, I won’t publish anything about you, our kind has to stick together.”
“Our kind?”
“I believe we are the next stage of evolution, we are humanity’s future. But if the common man finds out about us they will destroy us, like they burned our kind in the middle ages,”
“Witches?”
“That’s one of the labels they put on us, they called others saints.”
“How many are there like us?”
“Oh, I reckon about two million worldwide, give or take a few thousands. Most people keep it secret.”
“Do you know any others?”
“Yes, I am in touch with about two hundred individuals.”
“How can you identify them?”
“Well, certain people have a kind of light, something about them. Others, like you and me are completely normal, but can do certain things. Out of the body experiences, prophetic dreams, telepathy, telekinesis, to name but a few. I can only identify them if they use their abilities, like I did you when you projected the image of that young man to Katrina. Most think they are absolutely alone in the world and a lot of them have mental breakdowns because of it, others join groups and religions and call themselves Pagan or Witches.”
“What type are you?”
“I am into UFOs. I think there is a link. The hybrid theory is a good one and I’ve been investigating it for a few years now.”
“What will you do with the information?”
“If we know what is going on we can do something about it, I guess I will share the information with the others. Give me your address, I’ll drive you home,” he said getting up.
There it was again, Jennifer thought, that other presence. This time it left her feeling sick.
“Just leave me in the city centre, I have some things to take care of,” she answered.
Jennifer had never been followed before, she knew she was being followed but didn’t know by whom. David Andrews had dropped her off near Oxford Street, “I have to get some clothes,” she had told him as an excuse, it was far enough from Oak Place to put him off track. She went into a few shops, tried on some clothes, had a burger, went into a bookshop, and ran for the bus. Still she felt followed. At one point she thought a blond woman was the one following her but after going into Underground and coming out again the woman was no longer there.
I have to make myself invisible, she thought to herself wondering how one could do such a thing, easy, displace your mind and focus on your absence, she replied in her mind. If it weren’t for the fact that she was trying to lose whoever was following her she would have had time to worry about her new ability to have mental conversations with herself about things she knew nothing about.
It was dark by the time she made it home. Her mother was worried sick, but as Jennifer pointed out, if she had bothered to get a mobile phone she would have been able to warn her she would be late.
“There is something evil after us mom,” she said after they finished arguing.
“David Andrews, the reporter, he sometimes radiates an evil presence, not all the time, and I don’t think he is even aware of it.”
Esther knew that there was a mental condition where people felt persecuted, “schizophrenia,” she thought, it was time to take Jennifer to the doctor.
“Please mom, I am not schizophrenic. See? How would I have known what you were thinking if it wasn’t for the fact that I am telling the truth.”
“Coincidence?” answered Esther, rather impressed.
Jennifer told her mother about the meeting with Katrina and the conversation she’d had with David. Now it was not mere conjecture, there were definitely others involved. Esther wondered if her daughter had been brainwashed but she knew it took more than a day to brainwash someone, besides, Jennifer was now making the sugar bowl float in the air, and also read her mind.
“We have to take steps to hide Heather, they are after her. For some reason I don’t think they can locate her, she seems to be protected somehow. But I don’t think we can go back to Skerries yet.”
“If what you are saying is true then we have to stay here, but what about my shop?”
Esther had fantasized about living at Oak Place, but one thing was fantasy and another was reality, and reality dictated that she had to go back to her shop and earn a living.
“All I have to do is accept Harry Johnson’s offer, the monthly pension is more than we earn in the shop, besides, there is no reason why you can’t open another shop here.”
Esther was surprised her plan had worked so quickly, in fact she hadn’t actually thought it would, it had just been a bit of fanciful thinking on her part. Although life was very comfortable at Oak Place.
“I guess a few more days won’t hurt the shop.”
“I’ll go and pick up a few things over the weekend,” said Jennifer, “I know how to lose the people who follow me. You stay here with Heather and don’t let anyone into the house. When you take her out for her walk wrap her up in the pink shawl. There is something special about that shawl.”
Jennifer wasn’t going back for their things, she knew whomever it was that was after them would be watching their house in Skerries, she also believed they wouldn’t harm her as long as they didn’t find Heather, but if she confronted them then maybe they would lead her to Sean.
Something inside her was trying to change her mind. Self-preservation, she thought, it was amazing what the mind and body would do to stay safe and sound.
The executive flight arrived at Dublin airport at eight on the dot. Jennifer walked to the roundabout outside the airport and took the number 33 bus to Skerries. Her plan was a simple one. She would go home and wait around until someone turned up. If no one turned up she would visit Sinead to ask about her abduction. It wasn’t an overly complicated plan, but she couldn’t think of anything else she could do. She had thought of going back to David Andrews but he was too close to Heather and her mother, it had
been difficult enough losing her tail the last time around and she was sure David Andrews had something to do with it.
“Jennifer,” said a familiar voice as she put the key into her front door.
“Sean!” she shouted, but when she turned everything stopped. There was a bright light. A blinding light. She couldn’t feel her heart or her breathing.
She felt someone take her hand, “Jennifer,” she wanted to answer but she couldn’t speak, she couldn’t move a muscle. Was it Sean? She wondered, or Owen?
“Don’t try to move your body, think beyond the body, think with your imagination, imagine you have eyes and open them.”
She opened her eyes and looked into the eyes of her love, her imaginary heart leaped and tears rolled down the cheeks that were not there.
“Oh Sean,” she said and burst into a sob.
They held each other close, kissing and looking at each other with owe, “I love you so much,” she said. She had forgotten how much until now, now he was here, she could touch him, smell his scent, if only it could last forever.
“We don’t have much time, you have to leave here, take our baby away. If they get hold of her they will kill you both.”
“Who will kill us?”
“The Others, the Masters.”
Jennifer looked into his life, he was a slave.
“No, not a slave, just part of the hive. But I saw you. I saw you in my dreams and looked for you. As part human I can sometimes look into your world. That’s how the Mages saw me. They made a deal, a few months to be with you on this earth as long as they could have our baby afterward. Heather will be safe with them. They can protect her against the Masters.”
Jennifer listened feeling her heart break into a million pieces.
“Take her to the Mages, they promised to protect you both,” he added.
“You…” she began, “you came to me, to earth, to make me pregnant and to give our child away?”
“No, I came to be with you, to love you. But there is a price for our love.”
“A price? You bought a few months on earth with the life of your child? With my broken heart? Did you not think of how this would affect me?”
“Please Jennifer. I would do anything to be with you. Anything,” he looked around. “Someone has felt the bridge, they are coming over. This is not allowed here. Direct communication with humans is not allowed. I have to go. A couple will come over to you today. I have told them you are here. They will take Heather and you to a safe house until the Others stop looking. Then you will be free to go.”
“And Heather?”
“Heather is one of them. She will be safe with them.”
“You expect me to give my baby away?” She said pulling away.
“Please Jennifer, do as I say, you might be killed otherwise, you might be both killed.”
Jennifer felt a stone cold feeling fill her heart.
“No, don’t do that. Don’t cut me off, please Jennifer. If you cut me off I will die, the only thing that makes my life bearable is knowing you are here, on the other side of this door. Do you remember our meetings? I was surprised the first time you came to me, I didn’t think humans could do that.”
The dreams, thought Jennifer.
“Yes, the dreams. You were actually with me, in my private space. Some of us here, some of us who are part human, are finding a way to go back to earth permanently. In a few months maybe, the same technology used to take me to you for those months. If only I had been strong enough to stay there, to fight them. To protect you. But I am tagged, the Old Ones can locate me wherever I am, they would have found you and Heather. Heather is very special, they wouldn’t want someone that special on earth, or here.”
“But how did you manage to stay here for four months without them knowing?”
“The Mages, they created an illusion of my presence in my world. We half humans often retreat to our private space, for months sometimes. As long as they can feel us here they leave us alone. They also covered the tag, the chip, with a protective shell.”
“Why can’t they do that now?”
“It takes a lot of energy for them to do it, they can’t do it permanently. Once they found out you were pregnant they told me to go back, they took away their protective shell and my replacement presence in the Old Ones place.”
He looked behind him, “please do as I say. I don’t want anything to happen to you, please Jennifer.”
“How did they know I was pregnant?”
The light began to fade.
“How did they find out I was pregnant Sean?”
“They were tapped into me, I saw the change in you, saw our baby being conceived.”
His voice sounded distant.
“Another part of the deal I guess, huh? You shared our love making with a bunch of perverts?” she thought, but could no longer be heard. She felt dizzy, held on to the door, turned the key and fell into the hallway.
She lay on the floor for an eternity, kicked the door closed and stared at the ceiling. “What was the point in getting up?” She thought. “Bastard.”
Coward, you are in love with a coward, an egotistical spineless complete bastard. She also thought in a louder voice, an angry voice.
Silence.
“But Sean truly thought he was doing the right thing, really believed those four months of love were worth a baby’s life. Why? Maybe he didn’t know what having a baby meant.” Of course he knew, any fool knows that. Forget him, he’s not worth it. He used you for his own satisfaction, didn’t even trust you enough to tell you the truth when you were together.”
"He didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth," Jennifer thought again, "then abandoned me without an explanation. I suppose it was to keep me ignorant. Ignorant so that those Mages would come and take my baby.”
The Shadow Mages.
“The shadow mages.”
“What about Owen?” She wondered, “was he part of this too?”
He couldn’t possibly be, he had every opportunity to steal Heather after she was born and he didn’t. He was genuine.
“But why did he leave?”
Because he loved you too much not to show it, and you were in love with someone else.
“Okay, that’s enough. Who the hell are you!?”
Me? Your inner voice of course, another trait of being a mage, your inner wisdom.
“Get the fuck out of my mind! I know you are not me, you don’t even speak like me.”
There was a knock at the door.
Hide!
“Fuck with hiding, fuck with running away, fuck with you! I can tell you are in there you little bastard, or bitch, or whatever. I thought there was something strange in my mind, I should have realized straight away, what with that funny accent.”
“Is there anyone home? Jennifer? Are you in there dear?”
It’s Aeoife.
“It’s Mrs. Crow, not Aeoife! Owen? It’s you isn’t it you little shite! When I get my hands on you, you bastard, you and your brother, I am going to kill you both!”
Somewhere in Rio, Owen began to choke. Something was strangling him, something very powerful.
“Is that you Jennifer dear?”
“Yes Mrs. Crow, I’ll be there in a second,” Jennifer said getting up off the floor and letting the old lady into the house.
“What’s wrong dear? Why are you looking at me that way?”
Chapter 12
Owen hadn’t stayed alive for hundreds of years for lack of self-preservation skills. It had been a close call, and an unexpected one, but he had taken control of his senses and stopped the choking before losing consciousness.
It was amazing really, the way the girl was advancing. Having grown up a mortal had freed her from all preconceived ideas of what she could or could not do. He felt sorry for Aeoife. He’d had a glimpse of Jennifer’s thoughts just before he was thrust out of her mind.
He drank a glass of water and rubbed his neck, it was bruised. There were finger marks all aroun
d it. He smiled to himself, “that’s my girl,” he said to no one in particular and sat down to wait.
The voice came a few hours later, it was weak at first, hardly noticeable, but it made him proud.
“Owen? Are you alright? I’m really sorry, please answer if you are there.”
Yes! he thought. Jennifer was an utter genius. She only had to feel something once and she could work out how to replicate it.
“Owen, oh God, please be alive.”
He waited for as long as he could before answering, it wasn’t right to show too much enthusiasm to someone who had tried to kill him.
“What are you doing in my head Jennifer?”
“Oh Jesus, Owen!”
Owen tried to connect back to her, but she was unreachable. Good, he thought, although he had got used to her, being with her, sharing her experiences. He’d miss her.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. A bit bruised, that’s all. You have to learn to control that temper of yours.”
What he had been doing was completely unethical of course, against the rules. Something only the Shadow would have the nerve to do. Borrowing into someone’s mind was a violation of their inner self. It also meant the person had access to the one doing the borrowing, if only they knew how to tap into that access.
“How is Aeoife?”
“Aeoife? She’s fine, why?”
“Oh, just wondering, I thought you might have attacked her as well.”
“Aeoife? No way, for a second I thought it was those people Sean mentioned, pretending to be Aeoife, but as soon as I saw her I knew she had nothing to do with it. I can feel them you know.”
“Yes, I know.”
That was something unique about Jennifer. She could feel the vibration level of a mage with her body. He had clearly detected a pain on her right side and a bitter taste in her mouth when the Shadow made a presence through the reporter she had visited. It must be a human thing he hadn’t inherited, he thought.
“Do you really think so? I just felt sick, didn’t notice the pain, but now that you mention it…”
Enough was enough, he thought, “bye Jennifer.”
