Lucy Kelly

by HeVans to Becky

  “I think the Convention is a good place to start. This event on Saturday promises to have some prime eye-candy. Tall eye-candy at that,” Sarah said with a wide grin. “If the books are anything to go by, these guys are all supposed to be six-foot-six at a minimum, and most hover around seven feet tall. They’ll make you seem short in comparison. Me - they’ll think I’m a midget.”

  “You’re a beautiful woman, Sarah. Most men prefer their women in small packages. How long will you be staying in this area? Please tell me you’re making a long visit,” Tammy begged.

  “It’s weird. I was just thinking this morning that Chicago feels more like home to me than the San Francisco Bay Area ever did. I’ll miss Jack, of course, but that’s what planes are for, right?

  “I’m not sure, but I think I’d like to settle around here. Maybe not in the City, though, I think I’d like to live in the country,” said Sarah.

  “Now that I’m raising my girls in the City, I see the differences. I had wanted to turn our farm into a B & B, that’s why I studied hotel and restaurant management in school, but I wasn’t able to hold on to it. What about your family?” Tammy asked.

  “I was adopted,” said Sarah. “My parents were great. Then my dad died in a car accident when I was about the same age as your girls. Unfortunately, the man my mother later married was abusive. She put up with his emotional and physical abuse for two years. Then she saw him twist my arm; I had bruises for weeks. That’s when she decided to leave him. She didn’t want to risk me.”

  Sarah had told this story many times over the years when she’d become an advocate for abused women. Still, they were difficult memories. No matter how many times she told it, she always felt the memories and the emotions they engendered pressing down on her.

  “Unfortunately, he kept finding us,” Sarah continued. “Whenever we moved, within six months to a year, he would find us.

  “One day during my junior year of high school, he found us for the last time. He killed my mother and then killed himself. One of our neighbors heard the shots and called the police, so I didn’t have to find the bodies. They came and pulled me out of school.

  “Thank God, Jack was in that class with me. When he heard me cry out in the hallway, he came running and refused to leave my side. I didn’t have any other family. My adoptive parents were only children and both their parents had long since passed away.

  “Fortunately for me, I skipped foster care because my best friend, Jack, convinced his parents to take me in.”

  “Oh, wow - I didn’t realize. I can’t imagine growing up like that. You probably have bigger hang-ups about men than I do,” said Tammy.

  Sarah thought about that for a minute.

  “Actually, after working with abused women for so long, I realized how many good men are out there. There are great men who show women that they shouldn’t give up on the species. I’m looking forward to the dinner show or whatever it is they’ve got planned for us tomorrow night.”

  Laura and Leah came running up to the table, towing a little boy with them.

  “We’ve been playing. This is Jamal. He’s a fireman, like us,” said Leah.

  The little boy turned to them and said, “Tell them they can’t be firemans, cuz they’re girls. They have to be firegirls,” he said.

  “Jamal, you can be anything you want to be, and so can they,” said Tammy.

  “See, I told you,” said Laura, suddenly not so shy.

  The children went back to playing while the women made plans for the next day.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Saturday morning dawned clear and bright. There was a palpable anticipation in the air. Addie turned over in the hotel bed and gave Rune a smile.

  All of a sudden, her eyes went round. Rune knew what that meant. He jumped out of bed and helped Addie get to the bathroom as quickly as possible. They made it just in time. Rune held her hair back as she threw up. When she was finished, he filled a paper cup with water from the tap in the sink so she could rinse out her mouth.

  “I’m so glad all I have to do tonight is show up and give a little speech. It’s great that Becky, Valerie, and Johanna, along with Miranda, are doing the heavy lifting,” said Addie

  “I’ll be glad when this sickness stops. I don’t remember my mother being sick like this when she was pregnant with Kylan,” said Rune.

  Addie walked into the living room of the suite and over to the table and chairs set in front of the hotel room window. There was a tray holding a carafe of water with several glasses.

  “Are you telling me they don’t have morning sickness on HeVan? We could use that as a selling point,” she said with a smile.

  Rune moved over to the phone to call Room Service.

  “What would you like for breakfast?” he asked.

  “I would like sourdough toast, a cheese omelet and cantaloupe, please,” she answered, pouring herself some more water. “Did you put the Ensure in the mini bar?” she asked.

  Right after she would get sick, she always felt super hungry. With all the babies, though, she couldn’t eat large meals, so she stretched out her food intake throughout the day.

  He nodded and after he was off the phone, got her a can. Since she couldn’t eat much, she supplemented with vitamins and Ensure.

  ***

  Becky woke up on Saturday. For the second day in a row, the guys brought her breakfast in bed. She was going to have to start exercising soon if this kept up. As much as she wanted to, she could not wallow in bed all day. There was a lot to do at the Convention Center.

  She also wanted to see how the Nephilim men were doing, walking around pretending to be humans, pretending to be aliens. She quickly ate the bacon and scrambled eggs with country potatoes that Ishme had made this morning. They were delicious.

  “Ishme,” she said, after taking another bite of potatoes, “you are a restaurant-quality cook. These are the best potatoes I’ve ever eaten. How did you learn to cook Earth food? Or is the food on HeVan similar?” she asked.

  “I’m glad you like it. I enjoy cooking. While the food on HeVan is similar because we also have meats, grains, fruits and vegetables, after that, they are different. The tastes and the spices are also different. We do have salt though - that is the same. When I told the Queen that I enjoyed cooking, she showed me the Food Channel on your cable television,” he said.

  “Really, that’s great. Which program did you like the best?” she asked.

  He gave that some thought. “I’m not sure. They all gave me ideas. I think it would be easier to decide if I could taste the food,” he said.

  “I tell you what - let’s get out of the house and go into the City. We can go restaurant hopping. I bet many of the chefs would be willing to talk with you about ingredients, too, at least in the smaller ‘mom and pop’ restaurants. You can taste food from around the world.

  “Then we’ll swing by the bookstore and pick up a bunch of cookbooks. Most of the chefs on the Food Channel have put out cookbooks. We just need to be back here by three, so I can get gussied up for tonight.”

  She turned to where Nyal was sitting on the end of the bed, “Would that be okay with you, Nyal?”

  “I enjoy eating, so visiting restaurants sounds like a good idea. I can stay with you while Ishme speaks with other cooks,” Nyal answered.

  “Good, that’s settled then,” she said, before diving in to finish her breakfast.

  ***

  Miranda Lockwood woke up alone. As she lay in bed, she thought of ways to cheer herself up. Last night’s dinner at the hotel had been great. She was really pleased with Becky’s two guys and had put her seal of approval on the match by giving them her confirmation. Both Ishme and Nyal said they didn’t need it; they were obviously deeply in love with Becky.

  Kai and Ari were another story. They still gave Becky long, confused looks. When she asked them about it, they explained about their dreams. She had gone through her mental file and assured them their Join had been invited.

&n
bsp; How could I have missed that? Miranda thought with a laugh. I am going to have to stick close to Becky; this should be fun. I love surprises! Look, I’m all cheered up!

  It had also been nice to see Catherine warming up to her three Ankida. Initially, she had been against the idea. Then it was discovered that she had contracted a fatal virus while in the Peace Corps and had been keeping it to herself. When she confessed her problem to her Ankida, they were positive that if they could get her up to the ship, she could be cured.

  They hadn’t brought a full Medical Station down to Earth. In Miranda’s opinion, Catherine would soon be choosing to go to HeVan. Something in the way she questioned them incessantly about medical techniques on their planet showed her interest. Now that it appeared as if her health weren’t going to be a stumbling block, she was really warming up to her guys.

  Currently, of the unmatched women, she and Johanna were the only ones opting to stay on Earth. Even the two new women, Natalie and Jennifer, had decided to emigrate. They had proudly introduced her to Natalie’s distant Nephilim cousins, Jaron, Zed, Hakor, and Makor. Their cousins were going to help them get settled on HeVan and then help them find their Joins. Jennifer was looking forward to meeting her own distant relations.

  Miranda continued to mentally go through the faces she had encountered last night, letting them drift through her mind. She upped her powers and then brought in the pictures of the ladies scheduled to be there this evening.

  She didn’t see any that matched with Markus. Too bad - there was a man who really needed a family, if anyone did, she thought.

  Glancing over at the clock on the nightstand, she realized she had dithered around long enough. Big day, lots to do.

  As she showered and dressed, Miranda couldn’t help but think of her parents. They’d had such a happy marriage. They had been so in tune with each other, that they finished each other’s sentences. She wanted that, too.

  All these years, she had been matching other people, and all the while, she’d been alone. She had a hard time dating because she had always known they weren’t the one for her.

  Maybe I’ll go with Addie to HeVan too, she thought. There is nothing holding me here any longer.

  ***

  Johanna had been working in her office for some time when Catherine walked into the room. She was carrying a cup of coffee and a couple of Danish on a plate.

  “Jo…Jo…Johanna,” she said.

  Johanna didn’t respond. When Catherine tapped her on the shoulder with the plate, she nearly came out of her seat. Spinning around, she reached up and removed the earplugs she had been wearing.

  “Don’t scare me like that, Cat,” she said.

  “Sorry. But I said your name several times and you didn’t answer.”

  “No, my bad,” she said.

  She narrowed her eyes, “Actually, it’s really your fault. If you and your Ankida weren’t so loud, I wouldn’t need earplugs. I never realized you were a screamer,” Johanna said with a smirk. “I need to use the ear plugs to be able to concentrate.”

  “You’re just jealous,” Catherine said.

  “Of course, I am. I’ve been working on this project almost from the beginning. I’ve known Miranda the longest, and I’m one of the only ones not getting any,” Johanna pouted.

  “There are a lot of guys to choose from. Why don’t you do some fooling around?” asked Catherine.

  “I don’t know,” said Johanna, before taking a bite of her Danish.

  She rocked from side to side in her chair. “I guess it’s because I know there’s a good possibility I could have an honest-to-goodness soul-mate out there. It keeps me from going after sex just for the sake of getting off. You know what I mean?” asked Johanna.

  “Yeah, I do. And I must say, there is a real difference between just sex and making love with guys who only want to make you happy in any way they can.”

  She had the satisfied smile of a woman who’d had a night full of orgasms. Catherine picked up her coffee mug, took a sip, and then got a thoughtful look on her face.

  “I don’t know, though, it’s also a burden. They place such hopes in you and you have to live up to that faith. It’s a tall order.”

  “Not so tall, if you love them. Do you, Cat? Have you fallen in love with them?” asked Johanna.

  “I have. Crazy, I know, but I have. I’m giving up the idea of starting my own practice, and I’m putting myself in their hands,” Catherine said.

  “I’m still angry at you for not telling me you were sick. You’re the only sister I have and I deserved to know,” said Johanna.

  “I had to deal with my own emotions and feelings before I could unload on someone else. I was going to tell you first, but that Zephyr, he has a way about him,” Catherine mused.

  “I’m so happy they’re going to be able to cure you. It’s our miracle, Cat,” said Johanna, tears gathering in her eyes.

  “None of that - you promised. Everything’s going to be fine,” Catherine said, as she put down her coffee so she could hug her sister.

  After a few minutes, Johanna took a tissue from the holder on her desk and blew her nose. As she did, she noticed the clock on the wall.

  “Look at the time! I’ve got to get going. There’s still a lot to do at the Convention Center. Where are your Ankida, anyway?” asked Johanna.

  “They went over to the hotel to check on Addie. Rune called; he is concerned about her morning sickness. They left me a note. I only woke up about a half hour ago,” Catherine said.

  Johanna just raised an eyebrow. “I wonder why you slept so late.”

  After a second or two, they both burst out laughing.

  ***

  Sarah woke up in her hotel room around ten. She’d stayed up late the night before, talking on the phone with Jack. She confessed to surfing the web a few times in public venues and on her new I-Phone. Overall, she wasn’t missing her computer. It wasn’t the computer, really. It was having all the women asking for help and knowing she was only one person and that she couldn’t help them all.

  Tammy would be coming by soon. They were going to spend the day in the spa downstairs getting buffed and polished. She considered getting that spray-on make-up. It was supposed to look the most natural and give an even skin tone with a healthy glow.

  Sarah turned back the covers and got out of bed. She had put in an order for breakfast the night before and it would be arriving soon. She didn’t want to be caught in her sleep shirt, so she ran into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Twenty minutes later, she was dressed in black Capri pants and a pink short-sleeved T-shirt. She had flip-flops on her feet.

  Since they were going to be in the hotel all day, she didn’t feel it was necessary to dress for Chicago’s October weather. The clothes she was wearing would be easier to work with the salon treatments she had chosen. She went to the door to pick up the newspaper and saw the room-service waiter coming down the hall.

  Perfect timing, she thought, holding the door open for him.

  She’d just finished eating her breakfast and was reading the paper, when there was a knock on the door. Walking over, she checked the peephole and seeing Tammy, opened right up.

  Like Sarah, Tammy was wearing loose, comfortable clothing. She had on a coat in deference to the windy weather.

  “Hey there, come on in. Go ahead and put your dress in the closet,” Sarah said. “Let me just put this tray outside.”

  Coming back in, she added, “Hang up your coat, too. You won’t need it until tonight, when we leave for the Convention Center.”

  Tammy took her suggestion and hung the garment bag she carried into the closet, along with her coat.

  “I actually brought three dresses and three pairs of shoes. I couldn’t decide,” she said.

  “Then we’re in the same boat. I have the dress I brought from home plus I bought two more dresses after I got here,” said Sarah. “We can try everything on and help each other decide.”

  “That would be great. Is
it okay if I pick up the stuff I don’t wear tomorrow?” asked Tammy.

  “Of course, it’s not a problem. You can leave it in the limo. I’m having it drop you off at home because it will be late. You said you were taking transit to get here today, right?” At Tammy’s nod she said, “Now, we better get going. Our first spa service is in fifteen minutes,” said Sarah.

  The two of them left the room and headed downstairs.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Valerie Hudson arrived at the Convention Center early on Saturday. She had pre-signed her books last week for volunteers to sell or give away as prizes, but she wanted to start off the day at her booth and then she had another signing in the afternoon.

  If any women approached her about the event that evening, she had a few questions she could ask to see whether or not they were Nephilim. She herself had not been matched by Miranda to anyone on the crew of the ship that had come to Earth. Miranda had not had time to review all the images before she needed to fly to Florida.

  Valerie hoped that her Ankida would be amongst those on the ship because, for the most part, they were from the geographical area closest to where Addie would be settling. She wanted to be near people she knew until she felt safe and settled.

  She was thinking about lunch while preparing for her signing when a young girl approached her. “Hello, may I help you?” Valerie asked.

  “Hi, my name is Cassie,” she said.

  She was twisting her hands together, she was obviously in some turmoil. Something about her struck a chord; she seemed very familiar.

  “Cassie, you look a little nervous. I’m dying for a latte and a snack. How about we walk over to the café and then we can talk without being interrupted,” said Valerie.

  She saw Cassie’s eyes fill with hope.

  “Sure, thanks for taking the time, Ms. Hudson. I’m a big fan and I’d like to talk to you.”

  Valerie signaled to Natalie, who was running the booth, that she was taking a break before the signing started. Then she walked towards the café, Cassie hurrying alongside her.