by Nikki Prince
"Just how I like it. You're going to share with me, right?" She picked up the other fork and handed it to him.
"Of course," he said. Taking the fork from her, he slid it down and into the cheesecake, waiting for her to do the same. She sighed as she took a bit of the cheesecake and put it in her mouth. Her eyes closed in pleasure as she ate the cheesecake. He remembered her having told him the taste of her favorite dessert was like hearing a symphony as it melted on her tongue and exploded against her taste buds.
"Mmm, I swear cheesecake heals all ills." The twinkle in her eyes was endearing. He loved seeing her happy even if it was something as simple as enjoying a piece of dessert she loved with him.
He laughed. "If only." She laughed with him, but then her look turned serious as she asked once more if there was anything she could do to help with lifting the curse.
"As far as the curse goes, Lili, you help me every night when I am in your arms. In your embrace, I feel loved and safe. Other than that, there is nothing that can be done directly by you." He could not reveal more to her, even though it was on the tip of his tongue to do so. To tell all would be to risk all, and he wasn't about to risk the love they had for one another just to get one up on Eva.
"Promise me that you will continue to work on finding a way out from under the curse. I need to be with you, and that need grows day by day." The fear in her eyes made his teeth clench reflexively. His hand moved under the table, and he gave her knee a squeeze to reassure her. He smiled as her hand covered his and the fear he saw in her eyes eased.
"I promise you, baby. I will do all that I can to make sure that happens." Some promises were hard to keep, but the promise he had made Liliana several nights ago was one that he didn't plan to renege on.
Chapter Six
The dreams had intensified and left Liliana feeling that she was supposed to figure something out. Why else would she be having these dreams night after night? It was a puzzle, and she was damned if she was going to not follow through and see where it led. The dreams had Samael in them and even Eva at times. The conclusion she'd reached from that was everything was connected. They were all connected. At first, she'd chalked it up to her just worrying over the small amount of time she had with Samael, but it had to be more than that. She could sense it.
In order to remember everything, she was now journaling it. What better way to make sure she didn't forget the smallest detail? She'd always loved writing down her thoughts and dreams and had been doing so since a young age. Why not continue doing so, especially if it helped her figure out what was happening. The reason she'd stopped was vague to her now.
Settled in the bay window of her living room that looked out to a gorgeous park across the street, she held the black leather bound journal in her lap as she continued to fill the pages with last night’s vision. Her pen moved swiftly across the pages as light from the sun filtered in and placed its life-giving rays along the parchment-like pages. She smiled, turning to glance out the window as she heard several of the neighborhood children run by as they played in the early afternoon heat. Turning back, she began to reread what she had written over the last few days and frowned.
The common elements in her dreams were Eva and Samael along with herself. At first she thought it was just her and Samael throughout history together. Then there was Eva having shown up in almost all of the dreams recently. No matter what name she went by in the story or how she looked, it was Eva. The universal theme with the Evas in those different lives was always that Samael was no good for her. It was seriously like a recording, playing repeatedly. The more she had the dreams, the more she knew this was past lives coming into effect. Her past life, right along with Samael's and Eva's, was in question.
What she didn't get was why she was having the dreams now and what significance they played in the present. What was she to conclude from all of this? She got the fact that it meant she and Samael were connected and had been for a long time. Subsequently, that would also mean the same thing for the relationship with Eva. It all had ties to his curse, she was sure of it.
She let out a breath, closing her eyes tightly. There was no way around it, and the more she thought about it, the more a sickening feeling filled her stomach. Her conclusion led her to believe that Eva was inexplicably involved in the curse. She wanted to consider that Eva had no clue about what was happening. In fact, she had to believe that.
The issue was that she wasn't sure if she should say anything to Eva or if she even wanted to. It felt like she would be opening up an assortment of problems, and she might find out something she didn't want to know. There was the old adage to be careful what one looked for and for some strange reason that is exactly what this felt like. If she looked further, would she find out something she didn't want to learn? The one thing she did know was that the curse had to end. She wanted Samael happy, and he wasn't as content as he could be without the curse in existence.
Her eyes opened slowly. She knew there was no way around it. She would have to find out the truth. Good or bad, she needed to know what it all meant. Who was she? Most importantly, who had she been? She knew what she had to do; she would speak with Eva. That at least would be a starting point. She picked up her cell phone and dialed Eva's number.
"What do you mean you want me to come over right now?"
"What does it sound like I mean, Eva? Right now means right this moment." In her annoyance, she bit the inside of her cheek to hold back from showing her sister how irritated she was. That would only make Eva dig her heels in more and refuse to come over. With the cell phone between her ear and shoulder, she moved about her small home picking up this and that to straighten up. Her older sister loved to nitpick if things weren't cleaned to her specifications.
"Ugh! I am supposed to be meeting up with Clay."
"Um, the very same Clay that you said you couldn't stand?"
"Yes, the very same Clay. Don't you dare say something smartass, Liliana, or I will not come over there." Liliana had to stifle the laugh she felt bubbling up, as she didn’t want to irritate her sister any more than she already sounded.
"Lili, is this truly that important? Clay is going to take me to a Puerto Rican restaurant tonight. I want to try Arroz con Pollo and a few other dishes."
"What time is he coming over to get you?"
"He's supposed to be here at seven."
"Okay, well, it's only four at the moment. That gives us about 2 hours. If you come with your clothing and have him pick you up here, we will have a bit longer. Please, E, I need to talk with you." She pleaded, trying to play on her sister’s sympathies. There was silence on the other end and then she heard her sister sigh, and she knew she would agree to come over.
"Fine, Lili. I'll be over in a few. You'd better be prepared to talk while I get dressed. I don't want to be late; Clay hates it when I keep him waiting."
She grinned from ear to ear even though her sister couldn't see it. Eva really was sprung on Clay, but she wasn't willing to say anything about it. "Thank you, I promise, E. I will talk while you do what you need to do." They’d said their goodbyes and then hung up. Liliana slipped the phone into the pocket of her jeans, and with one last glance around the room, she looked to see if everything looked tidy enough for Eva's standards. Satisfied that it was as good as it was going to get, she went to freshen up before Eva arrived.
****
She'd thought long and hard about what she'd say to Eva as she readied herself. One thing she knew she couldn't do was mention anything about the curse. First, she didn't want to sound crazy, and she knew she'd sound loony if she even mentioned a curse. Next thing she wouldn't mention was the fact that Samael was a demon. It was probably going to sound crazy enough that she was talking reincarnation.
It was such a beautiful day, and she hoped that it wouldn't turn ugly with arguing and fighting when she spoke with Eva. One never knew with Eva what she would get mad at or take offense to.
She smiled as Eva announced she was there
by calling out from downstairs. They both had keys to each other's homes and often just stopped by unannounced. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her nerves just before she went down the stairs to greet Eva in the entryway.
"Eva, thank you for coming on such short notice. I appreciate it."
"Mhmm, if you appreciate it, you will help me take these things upstairs so I can get ready for my date while you tell me what was so important it couldn't wait." Eva held up a red makeup case, heels and garment bag that looked filled to the brim. Liliana chuckled, grabbed the garment bag, and turned to head back up the stairs to the second bedroom.
"Come on, girl. The spare bedroom awaits you." She heard Eva chuckle behind her.
The bedroom door was already open so she moved through easily and hooked the bag on the back of the adjoining bathroom door. Eva entered and placed her shoes down near the small cherry wood makeup table along with her makeup case.
Moving over to the large queen-sized bed with its golden colored comforter and brown throw pillows, she sat on it, curling her legs up under her. Eva slipped out of the jeans and t-shirt she was wearing and in only her red demi-cup bra and matching panties, settled into the chair at the dressing table and began looking through her makeup case.
"Now tell me what was so important, Lil, that you couldn't wait?"
Liliana sighed as she tried to think of what she wanted to say. She had spent all day thinking about it, but now when it came down to it, she couldn't form the words as easily. Eva looked briefly at Liliana then turned back to readying herself.
"Well, lately I've been having dreams. The dreams involve you, Samael and me."
"Okay, why's that significant? Everyone has dreams, Lili, and you're around Samael and me all the time. So you're bound to dream about us both." Eva sounded exasperated.
There was a pregnant pause as Eva, who was involved in putting lotion on her body, looked over at her. “Because the dreams feel real to me, Eva, real as in what I was dreaming happened before. They seem to be snapshots of the past." That was when she heard the laughter from Eva.
"Oh my god, you're serious? You called me over here because you feel like the dreams you're having are real. Basically, you’re saying you believe in the mumbo jumbo called reincarnation?"
Liliana had to hold back the anger she was feeling because Eva was laughing at what she'd said. She had to remind herself that this was something she had expected. Most people would think she was nuts, though it hurt a bit more that it was actually her sister who was laughing in disbelief.
"Eva, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't laugh about this."
"Well shit, you're serious." Eva looked incredulous.
"Yes, Eva. I’m as serious as a heart attack. I wouldn't joke about something like this. It’s taken me a while to come to you. So please, just listen to what I have to say and don't judge me." Her eyes met Eva's in the mirror.
"Okay, I’m sorry, Lili, but do you realize how crazy that sounds? You believe that the dreams you are having are things that happened before?"
"Yes, but hear me out. It started a few weeks ago. At first, it would just be me dreaming as if I were back in time. On the other hand, in the dreams, I honestly knew that the women, even if they didn't look like me, were me. Samael never changed for the most part. I mean you and I went through various name changes, but they were always some form of Eva or Liliana. Our looks changed as well, though that never stopped me from knowing who we were. Samael has always been the same throughout."
"So what is it you want from me, Lili?" Eva had begun to put makeup on while they talked.
"I want to know if you've had dreams like this. If you ever felt you've been somewhere before. I need to know that I have your support no matter what, Eva."
"Lili, I love you. You should know that. You have to understand how crazy this sounds. You shouldn't have to ask if I support you."
"I have to ask because you seem to think I'm joking."
"I'm sorry for laughing. It isn't every day that my sister comes to me to tell me she believes she's reincarnated."
"No, it isn't." Liliana stood and began pacing back and forth.
Turning towards her, Eva put down her makeup brush. "This is really bothering you, isn't it?"
"Yes, Eva. I have always felt I knew Samael before and now with these dreams, I know I wasn't wrong. I do know him, and I feel like I have loved him forever."
"Lili, you know how I feel about him. So trying to convince me otherwise about how right he is for you isn't going to help that." Eva turned back to the mirror and began brushing her long dark locks.
Liliana stopped pacing for a moment, her eyes meeting Eva's in the mirror again. She knew she looked on the verge of tears. "I am done convincing you of that, Eva. I love him, and you can't change that. I'm trying to convince you that there's more happening here. I know we're sisters, but think about our connection. How we've always been there for one another and usually know how the other is feeling. It's almost a twin thing going on. Where we know what the other is feeling and thinking. In the dreams, no matter what era we were in, we were still in each other's lives. I know you're going to ask if we were still sisters. The answer to that is no. We weren't always sisters, but the commonality was that we've always been in each other’s lives."
Seemingly satisfied with her hair now, Eva stood and moved off towards the garment bag. Opening it, she pulled out a red sheath and began dressing. "Lili, even if I wanted to believe we were from some other time, why does it matter now?"
"I don't know about you, but I've always felt a bit empty, like something was missing in my life."
"Everyone feels empty, Lili. It doesn't mean we lived another life."
"I think I am supposed to remember something, Eva. I feel like there is something I've done or something that was done to me, and I need to solve it."
"What do that you want me to say, Lili? Or even do for that matter?" Eva had settled back down on the chair and was slipping into the red stilettos.
"I want you to help me remember. I mean, you know me better than anyone else does, besides Samael. There has to be a reason for all of this."
"All of what, Lili? I mean, you have a few dreams that you think are real and all of a sudden you don't know who you are?"
"Yes, all of this." She gave a wave of her hands then placed them on her hips. "I have to believe I am having the dreams for a reason. The dreams are in a recognizable sequence, so there has to be more to it than just because I've thought a lot about my relationship with Samael."
"I can't help you with these dreams, Lili." She glanced at the bedroom clock and then glanced back at Liliana. "I am going to be late. The only thing I can suggest is that if these dreams bother you, you need to go and see about getting some past life regression therapy or see a psychic."
Her breath caught, and she looked at Eva with a grin, moving over quickly to hug her. "Hey! You're going to smear my makeup and mess up my hair!"
"Why didn't I think of that?" she exclaimed with a grin.
"What, that you're messing up my makeup?"
"No girl, a psychic or the regression!" Eva rolled her eyes and sighed as she began putting her makeup back into the case.
"Hrmph, well at least I could help with something," Eva said.
"Yes, you've helped. Now go ahead and go on your date with Clay. You can pick up everything later if you like."
Eva grinned over at her. "If I have my way that is exactly what's going to happen tonight."
"You look beautiful, sis. Clay is going to go nuts when he sees you."
"Well, that's the plan after all. Glad to know I succeeded."
"And see, I got you out of here earlier than you thought." She winked at Eva as they made their way down to the front door. Holding it open for her, she gave her one more hug and then pushed her out the door.
Chapter Seven
"It's working," Samael said with a satisfied smile as he looked at Remie and Clay. "Her memories have begun to weave the tale
of her past together for her. Every day she wonders more and more about what's happening, and soon she will remember." The other two males nodded in unison, and Remie spoke up.
"Then I suppose the nightly visits are done, eh?" the pale angel asked as they all sat at a table at the bar having a few afternoon beers. The bar wasn't busy, which made it much easier for them to talk freely.
"I think that the nightly visits are done, yes. Even so, that doesn't mean you have to go. She has decided that she'll be going to a past life therapist."
"Ah, yes, if he or she is good enough, they can continue the work I've started. There truly isn't anything for me to stay here for, though I could use a bit of a vacation from everything else." He glanced skyward and gave them a silly grin. All three laughed in unison.
"We would welcome having you here. Besides, you might find something or someone of worth to stay around for," Clay said to Remie. Remie just smiled at that and turned to look at Samael as he spoke to Clay.
"That reminds me, I need to thank you for keeping Eva preoccupied."
"It hasn't been easy, but so worth it. Once this is over, she and I can work on us."
"Even after all this time, you still love her, don't you?" He looked over at Clay.
"Yes, even with everything she has done. I love her. Nevertheless, it'll take some time to convince her. I am prepared. I've had a lot of practice with patience." Clay chuckled.
Remie chimed in. "Others have been making bets on whether this will be a victory or if we go back to the drawing board.”
"I hope this will end well for all concerned," Samael said with a bit of hope.
"Yes, brother, you have to believe that. Otherwise, it will all be for nothing." Clay spoke up quickly as they all thanked the server for the beers she brought them. Silence settled over them as the server cleared their glasses and gave them the drinks. When the woman left, they began talking again. The one thing they didn't wish to do was have someone overhear what they were talking about. They had to blend in with the humans, as their presence, though known by a few, would cause the population as a whole to think the world was ending. It was, but not at this very moment. Secrecy was necessary and always followed at all times unless there was a reason otherwise.
