Fire - Betrayal

by Amelia Grace

  I felt the intense pain as the detective slammed his knuckles into the side of my face, not once but three times, and then violently pinned my head onto the white table, blood dripping from my face, tarnishing the piece of furniture.

  “You were still away the night of the fire. We made sure of it,” the detective said in a quiet threatening voice, calling my bluff on the photos.

  “Yes, I was. But after chasing you down the street that night, and knowing that I would be away from Cate for two weeks, I hired my own private detective to keep a look out for her, and I asked him to photograph any unusual activity around Cate’s house. You should be the one sitting here being questioned over Cate’s murder, not me,” I threatened back, my voice low and rough, not caring whether the detective physically assaulted me again.

  The truth must be told.

  The detective was silent, and highly irritated, and then started to walk towards the door of the interview room.

  I called after him in a calm voice, “If you take me to court and try to convict me of her murder – which I did not do – the tables will turn detective, and you will be under the spot light, not only for this, but also for the many other things that you have done under the guise of an honest and trustworthy policeman serving your country.”

  The detective stopped walking. He did not turn to look at me, but arrogantly left the room.

  I sat, at the white wooden table, silent, and still, with blood dripping from my face from the injuries inflicted by the detective. I was contemplating all that was said, and what I had seen in the detectives head. They were either going to throw the book at me, or release me, uncharged.

  Maybe I had said too much?

  Maybe they would release me and then put a bounty on my head.

  In the long time that I sat at the white wooden table, I planned for the truth to be told, should they decide to kill me, or not. I would set in motion, a series of events that would unfold in the event of my death, or in the event of me leaving for Une Autre Terre, leading to the arrest and conviction of this deceitful, corrupt detective, and anyone else who was involved in his evil schemes. Then justice would be done, and Cate would not have died in vain.

  My beautiful, beautiful Cate. My heart ached.

  After three long hours, the detective re-entered the room.

  “We find you not guilty of the murder of Cate Boswell. You are free to leave, and no conviction will be recorded against your name.”

  Then the detective approached me very closely and talked in a low voice that no one else could hear.

  “I can guarantee your safety, if, and only if, your knowledge is never shared with another human being. Do you understand what I am saying?” The detectives eyebrows were raised. He was threatening me.

  “Yes,” I simply replied, filled with loathing for the detective. I turned my cerulean eyes on him, filling the detective with fear. And then I walked out of the interrogation room, collected my belongings and left the police building.

  I returned to my parent’s house by taxi, feeling intense hatred, full of revenge.

  Chapter 17

  The Portal

  I went to my room. It was a complete utte chaos. Everything had been upturned and strewn around. I found some dark clothes to wear, and some camouflage clothes to walk in. I grabbed my precious bag of opal seeds that I had hidden, a load of sustenance foods, water, my ultra high technology solar energy laptop computer from Earth Sphere, and left under the protection of the night.

  My mother touched the side of my face, examining the damage inflicted by the detective, her eyes full of sadness.

  “I need to get away Ma. I love you.” I said despondently. I hugged her in silence.

  I had had enough of the Earth. My beautiful Cate was no longer here, and I could not bear to be in a world where she was not. It was far too painful, torturous.

  I would go to Une Autre Terre with the opal seeds of The Magnificent Tree, and live amongst my own people.

  I knew that the portal in Grandy’s drawing room had been destroyed, so I could not return to my parallel world through there, besides, I was sure that the detectives would have a watch on Cate’s house, waiting for some action to happen. I must avoid Cate’s house at all costs.

  Thinking with clarity of mind, I decided to return through the portal that I had used when I returned to Cate just recently. It was out of the way, but it was in an unpopulated area. It was concealed in the guise of an old uninhabited farmhouse, which was obscured from the dirt road by overgrown long grasses, and had shelter as well. It had its own water supply and many native foods that could provide sustenance.

  I left through the back door of my parent’s house. I was sure that there would be spies positioned in the street waiting to follow me as soon as I left. I jumped the neighbours fences undetected, until I was two entire streets away from my parent’s house.

  I walked on foot, cloaked in the darkness of the night towards the north, where the portal resided.

  Continuously, I kept an eye out for suspicious activity, people following me, cars following me, detectives dressed in civilian clothes.

  I was pleased to observe that I was totally alone, at this stage. But I could not let my guard down.

  I walked for two hours until I reached a dirt road that led off down a concealed tree lined dirt road. It was pitch black and would have been impossible for me to have been seen. In the darkness I was looking for a sign to turn off the dirt road and then continue cross country towards the ruins of an old two storey stucco house. I had to concentrate intensely on the trees on the right of me, looking for the tree that had been split in two by a lightning strike, forming a very unique shape.

  The moment that I saw it, I veered off the dirt road, and headed through the overgrown waist high golden brown grass, hoping that I was walking in a straight enough line so that I would not over run the old unoccupied house.

  After a nervous hour of walking I saw it. I did not want to enter the ruins of the old house in the dark. It would be better to wait until daylight, so that I could see clearly and be prepared for the unexpected.

  I examined the area around the house as best as I could with my limited vision in the dark, and found a very well hidden place to rest – but not to sleep. Sleep would come later when I was safe. For now, I would wait for the sun to rise.

  And the waiting was the worst part. Without the doing, my mind would wander.

  Wander back to memories of Cate.

  My beautiful, beautiful Cate…

  I could still hear her voice, and see her captivating smile that always touched her soulful brown eyes.

  The smell her sweet scent gutted me as I imagined the feel her gentle touch on me, and heard her playful laughter.

  I squeezed my eyes shut and lifted my head up to the black sky. Agonisingly, I could still feel her body against mine, see her gorgeous flowing locks of hair, and feel her warm, soft luscious lips on mine. I stifled a deep powerful sob.

  My heart ached with pain and my throat choked up. I wanted to scream at the agony I felt deep in my heart. But I couldn’t. So I silently let out more deep, deep, cries of sorrow, and let my tears stream down my face. My heart was broken, and I felt that it would never be repaired again.

  I cried in silence until there were no tears left, and the heaving of the sobbing left my body. I had to be strong now. I had to put her out of my mind, and look forward in my life.

  My new life alone….

  But a life without Cate was darkness. She was the light in my life, and the light was gone. There was nothing. But somehow, I had to go on. And the best place for healing was in my homeland, Une Autre Terre. And there I must go now. Perhaps I could find a glint of happiness there.

  The rising sun was taking a long time to arrive. I felt lonely, so very alone, and my heart was empty. I breathed in deeply, and then exhaled quickly, feeling the emptiness, the nothingness, a void. My mind was numb, and my heart heavy in its emptiness.

  As the sun
finally made its appearance, I swiftly changed into my day camouflage gear, and packed the night camouflage gear into the bag. The colours were perfect. The short sleeved shirt was khaki, and fitted tightly over my chest and arms, defining my muscular build – good for psychological warfare, while my long pants were military woodland design. I wore the khaki cap backwards, as it mostly covered my dark hair, and also streamlined my shape. I now blended in perfectly with the surrounding unused overgrown farming land.

  I watched the old farmhouse ruins for some time, looking for signs of life. I scanned the surrounding terrain for movement. When I made my move, I had to be absolutely sure that I wasn’t being followed.

  I was confident that no other soul was present.

  Cautiously and silently, I walked towards the farmhouse, keeping low.

  As I approached the ruins of the old farmhouse, I took another scan of the farm land terrain, again checking to see if I had been followed. I was relieved to see that I was still alone, but remained guarded, and ready in case the situation changed.

  Entering the doorway I stopped, and looked left and right. The old farmhouse had a very large open living area, but what I was interested in was the disguised portal in one of the back rooms. This portal was always open, and anyone could enter it, or leave from it at anytime. It happened to be extremely advantageous to the Terreans, for those who knew about it, but it also had very undesirable consequences for the people of the Earth if they happened to enter it, intentionally or not.

  My intention was to enter it today, perhaps leaving the Earth for good, never to return.

  My beautiful, beautiful Cate…

  I walked quickly through the open living area and through to the once kitchen and dining area. Off to the left were two rooms, one was very dark and uninviting, while the other was confusing in its layout, giving the illusion of instability. Once you entered that room, you became disorientated and unsure of why you entered the room. Any person who entered that room felt the need to escape it very quickly. It was perfect for the unsecured portal to Une Autre Terre.

  Stalling in the kitchen of the old farmhouse, I realized that I had to set up the information and evidence to send to the higher powers of the police department. The corrupt detective that murdered Cate would not get away with it, or hurt anyone else. I must do this before I enter the portal, and seal the detective’s fate once and for all.

  I removed the ultra high technology solar energy laptop computer from my bag to begin the process of collating the information and pictorial evidence I had collected.

  I turned on the power to the laptop computer and began to enter my username and password, except, I didn’t get that far.

  At first, I thought I was hallucinating. I thought I could hear Cate’s voice.

  But I couldn’t have. She was dead.

  My beautiful, beautiful Cate….

  Maybe someone was playing psychological games with me, determined to break my mind and send me to the nut house, rendering me incapable of anything because I would remain locked in my own torturous world, totally detached from reality.

  “Ben,” called Jack.

  I looked up, tracing where the sound of the voice was coming from. Who would know my name here, in the ruins of this old farmhouse, except detectives that had been following me?

  I quickly closed up the laptop computer and inserted it back into the backpack, securing it all to my back, ready for fight or flight.

  My senses were now on high alert, my escape plan sorted in my head.

  “Ben, it’s Jack. We met you at Cate’s house, remember?” Jack said.

  “Show your face Jack so that I know it is you!” I retorted, my voice harsh.

  Moving slowly and non-threateningly, Jack presented himself to me from the other side of the room. He had been hiding behind a large square timber pillar.

  Using mind communication as a test for Jack’s authenticity, I discovered that he was who he claimed to be. In the very brief mind communication that took place, I found that all six Terreans were there, also wanting to return to the parallel world.

  Then I heard Cate’s voice again, and my face twisted in pain. I lowered my face to the floor and clenched my teeth, fearing that I was indeed going crazy. I closed my eyes gently at first and then squeezed them shut, trying to block out the voice in my mind.

  My beautiful, beautiful Cate…

  I felt the light touch of a hand on my shoulder, expecting it to be Jack, offering his sympathies at the loss of Cate’s life. I opened my eyes keeping them fixated on the stone floor, concentrating on keeping my emotions in check.

  I anticipated seeing the shoes and legs of a man, but instead was greeted with feminine shoes and a light cotton flowing dress. It must have been Julia, Jade or Jazz. I kept my eyes on the floor. I didn’t want them to see my emotional weakness.

  “Ben,” she spoke in a soft voice, “It’s me…. Cate.”

  My heart was pained. I felt hope, but I did not want to give in to it because Cate was dead. She had been murdered. I closed my eyes again.

  She moved her hands to my face, gently.

  “Ben, Look at me. I really am here. I survived the house fire,”she said soothingly.

  I forced my eyes open and then turned to where her voice was coming from.

  My intake of breath was sharp.

  She was standing next to me, in the light cotton flowing dress, and feminine shoes. But I couldn’t believe it was really her. She had died.

  I took a step away from her. I was shocked and confused. I started shaking my head.

  “Ben?” she asked, staring at me with a worried expression on her face.

  “Cate, Ben was led to believe that you had died in the house fire. He has been grieving for you. He has been on an emotional rollercoaster for the past week,” Jack explained to Cate after reading into Ben’s mind.

  Then Jack mind communicated to me.

  “Ben, during the fire, we had no way out of the house. We were certain to die, but Cate saved us. She led us to the portal to ensure our safety, not willing to come herself because she said she was forbidden to enter the parallel world. As she was denying herself the right to live, another massive explosion went off in the house, and Cate was knocked unconscious. I couldn’t leave her there to be incinerated by the fire, so I dragged her by the legs into the portal, unconscious. We weren’t sure if she would live, but we cared for her as best as we could. She still isn’t 100%, but she is here with us…alive.”

  I stared at Cate. I still couldn’t believe that she was standing there breathing the same air as me.

  My beautiful, beautiful Cate…

  She slowly walked over to me again, looking into my eyes.

  She did not speak to me, but lifted her hand up to my face, then put her arms around me to hold me close.

  I slowly wrapped my arms around her, holding her lightly at first, and then as I began to believe that she really was here, I held her more tightly. I breathed in her scent while I whispered her name.

  She looked at my face again, tears rolling down mine. Then I slowly moved my lips to hers and kissed her gently, feeling again her warm, soft lips on mine. I pulled away and looked deeply into her eyes and whispered her name, then I brought my lips urgently back to hers, kissing her deeply. I released from the kiss overcome with emotion, and held her close, crying deeply, this time not with sadness, but with pure happiness. The light in my life was here. I would no longer be surrounded by the darkness.

  I held her in my arms for quite some time, letting the feeling of ecstasy encompass my body. I talked softly in her ear, saying her name over and over again, and moaned as I felt my whole body overcome with my love for her.

  My beautiful, beautiful Cate…

  Then Jack audibly cleared his throat. It was time to move on. He called my name to interrupt my connection with Cate.

  Unwillingly, I pulled away from her, but continued to hold her hand in mine.

  “Ben, we want to return to Une Autre
Terre, even though we have not completed our mission. We have failed, but we are too traumatized to continue on. We are very aware of the consequences, and hang our heads in shame at our failure. We have tried to enter the portal, but it will not allow us through,”Jack explained.

  “Jack, I too am ready to cross over to the parallel world. I have the eggs from The Magnificent Tree that I must return to the safety of our world. Unworthy, untrustworthy men have been experimenting with the seeds. Their greed led them to burning down Cate’s house, not caring whether people were inside when they did it. Murder was of no consequence to them. They tried to frame me for Cate’s murder, but I have evidence proving the detectives guilty. Before I enter the portal, I must consolidate the evidence, prepare it and send it off to the powers to be in the police department. They must pay the consequences for their deceitfulness, their malice, their greed and total disregard for human life. So please, bear with me as I do this task, and then we shall enter the portal together.”

  Jack nodded, agreeing to wait. He also agreed to keep watch in case I had been followed. I was sure that there was a bounty on my head, but I did not want Cate to know.

  Taking my solar laptop computer, I left the farmhouse to a secluded but sunny place near the safety of the building. Solar energy was needed to power the laptop, an ingenious addition to my laptop so that it could be used anywhere. The energy could also be stored, allowing the computer to be used out of the sun, or at night.

  I sat alone to work on the information that I needed to send off to convict the corrupt detectives. I needed to be very clear, precise, factual, accurate and absolute. I needed to be confident that my evidence was water tight. I also wanted to take the spotlight off The Magnificent Tree seeds so that the attention would not be turned entirely to them. If the Earth people became aware of the exceptional properties of the seeds, and the invaluable richness of health benefits, and money to be made from them, then all of my efforts would be in vain, although, I had taken every last seed that was left of The Magnificent Tree, and totally destroyed The Magnificent Tree so that it was beyond recognition visually, biologically and chemically.