by R G Peterson
Andy rushed into the room and started screaming. “What’s going on in here?” He saw the wall and rushed toward Terry who was cowering in the corner. The nine-year-old Nick jumped out of his chair and tried to stop his dad from hitting his brother. For his trouble he received a backhand, sending him sprawling to the floor. Andy turned his attention back to Terry and stood there with his hand raised high above him.
Val entered the room and yelled, “Andy, stop. Please, stop.”
Andy glared at Val. His anger and rage instantly directed at her. He took a sudden, menacing step toward Val. With great effort he stopped and began to shake as he fought his emotions.
“Please,” Val pleaded.
Andy pivoted and stormed out of the room. Val rushed over and gathered Nick in her arms, comforting him. The young Terry looked on, his face slowly changed to show his jealousy, then a hint of hatred creased his face.
Once more the scene changed. They now witnessed Val and Andy in their bedroom. It appeared to be late at night.
“I’m so sorry. I hate it when I get like that, but I can’t stop it no matter how hard I try. It’s like I’m someone else. Why can’t they find a way to control this? They can transplant organs, but they can’t figure out how to fix what’s wrong with me?” Tears streamed down Andy’s cheeks.
Val held Andy in her arms, trying to comfort him, much like she had comforted Nick earlier.
“We’ll find a way. I’ll make another trip to the archives. There has to be something there, we just haven’t found it yet.”
Andy broke down and cried, “I love you and the kids so much, but I can’t stand when I get like this. I can’t help but feel you’d be better off without me around.”
“Don’t say that. We’re a family. We’ll find a cure.”
The scene changed for a fourth time. The boys were thirteen. Nick was once more at the desk reading. Terry walked into the room and, as he walked past Nick, slapped him on the back of his head.
“Hey, knock it off,” Nick said as his hand flew up to the spot where Terry had hit him.
“What’s the matter, mama’s boy? Can’t handle a tiny tap on the head?”
“Just stop doing that, would ya?”
“You’re such a nerd. Man, I can’t stand it. Do me a favor and disappear when my friends come over.”
The thirteen-year-old Nick ignored him and went back to his book. Terry motioned to the glass of soda Nick had sitting on the desk. The contents shot out of the glass toward Nick. Without missing a beat Nick held up his hand and the soda returned to the glass without spilling a drop.
Val walked into the room and went to Nick and tried to fix his hair, brushing a lock from off his forehead, reminiscent of the way GG and Grace often did. Terry shot daggers at his brother and stormed out of the room. As he walked into the kitchen his dad looked up from the table where he was fixing a small appliance.
“Hey, buddy, what’s happening?”
“Nothing,” Terry said with a pout.
Andy reached over and grabbed hold of his arm and pulled Terry toward him. “You and Nick fighting again?” Andy asked with a hint of humor.
“Nah, not really.”
“But?”
“He’s always got his nose in a book. He’s boring. No fun to play with.”
Andy stood up and put his arm around Terry. “Nick’s a little different. He likes to read and discover things. He’s a lot like your mother when she was young. Give him a break. Besides, you’re a talented athlete. Looking forward to baseball tryouts next week?”
“Yeah.”
“So how do you think you’ll do?” Andy asked with warmth the teens had not seen earlier.
Terry’s face twisted in anger, “How should I know? You and mom stop bugging me. Okay.”
He yanked open the backdoor and slammed it after he rushed outside. Andy’s eyes took on a sadness, conveying the hurt he felt for Terry and what he was going through.
The mist came and went. The teens now stood in the front room. The paramedics were placing a body in a body bag on a stretcher and rolling it out of the room. Andy sat on the couch being interviewed by a couple of detectives.
“I found her like that. I don’t know what happened. I came home and she was just…lying there. You have to believe me.”
“Mr. Jensen, isn’t it true you have a history of violence? You’ve lost one job after another because of your temper?”
“Yes, but I love her. I’d never harm her.”
“That’s not what your neighbors have said.”
“No, no. I’m telling you, I’d never hurt her. Never.”
“Come on. You can tell us. We know how women can be. She disrespected you, and before you knew it, you hit her. Right?”
Andy flushed with anger and jumped to his feet. “You’re not listening. I didn’t do this,” he screamed at the officers.
The scene changed one more time. The boys were sixteen and living in a foster home.
As the two of them sat in the living room of their new home their foster dad said, “There’s a rich gentleman coming to meet you. His name is Tristan Warrington. You will listen to what he has to say. And you will do whatever he wants. Do you understand?”
The boys nodded.
There was a knock on the door and Tristan Warrington entered the room with his pompous, smug manner.
“Hello, there.”
He dismissed the foster dad with a wave of his hand. “And close the door,” he commanded. The foster father reached back and did as he was told. Warrington turned his attention to the twins. “I am Tristan Warrington. I will be mentoring the two of you for the next few years. I have so much to teach you.”
When the boys seemed unimpressed, Warrington added, “I know you are Elements and that you both possess Water, Wind and Fire. I will teach you how to use those powers. One of you will be the most powerful person the world has ever known.”
Nick shrank farther into the couch. Terry sat forward, his full attention on Tristan Warrington.
The mist rose and fell and the teenagers were back in the conference room in the mansion. They looked around the room and at one another in disbelief. Terry was the lone exception. He focused on Gabriella. “Are you telling us, that is what would have happened if our parents had lived?”
Gabriella nodded.
“What happened to our dad?” Nick asked
“He was imprisoned for the murder of your mother.”
Terry and Nick looked at each other then dropped their eyes to the tabletop.
“Well, did he?” AJ questioned.
The twins looked at Gabriella expectantly. She slowly shook her head.
“But then who?” Maddy asked.
“Warrington,” Nick said. “My dad,” Terry said at the same time.
They sat in silence for a minute.
A thought occurred to AJ. “Where were the rest of us?”
“You never became friends. Nicholas never skipped a grade. Your parents wanted to keep the twins together. Grace was a grade ahead of the twins, so when she came to Manitowoc she made different friends. Her parents moved in down the street from Gayle and Henry not near where the two of you lived. Besides, the need never arose for Slate to test Nicholas, so the incident at the lake never happened.
“The Inner Sanctum was never formed and Madeline never left Ireland. Anthony’s dad stayed in Minnesota because there was no need for Warrington to murder Theodore Davis. And to this day, Anthony would have remained in his wheelchair. And, because there was no Clan and no Inner Sanctum, Miriam never came to Manitowoc much less make friends with Grace and Madeline. And Arthur, you were above hanging around with an awkward, bookish person like Nicholas. You and Terrence remained bitter athletic rivals. By the way, you struggled in school without Nicholas’s help, so there were periods where you were not eligible to play sports.
“Furthermore, if both of your parents had not been bipolar, your mother never would have searched for the cure. She would not have found
the archives, or written about it in her diary. She would not have left clues for the two of you to discover your true natures. As much as your current situations have been traumatic for you both, it was indeed necessary.”
Nick and Terry sat stone still as they contemplated Gabriella’s words.
“What about what just happened to Nick? Was that necessary?” AJ asked accusingly. Gabriella gave AJ an ambiguous stare.
They held each other’s gaze for a moment and when AJ realized he could never win, asked, “But you haven’t answered the original question, what is your part in all of this?”
“I was given the task to watch and observe. My charge was to make sure Terrence and Nicholas were kept safe. I was also instructed to do the bidding of both Warrington and Thanatos as long as it meant bringing no harm, physically or spiritually, to either twin.”
“And us?” Miriam asked.
“I was given no such directive. Just the twins.”
“So you would let us die?” AJ shouted.
Gabriella gave a slight nod of her head.
“But all of those times the two of them were in danger, especially Nick being attacked by Terry’s old posse?” AJ half-shouted, not willing to let go of the memory of Nick being hurt and nearly dying.
“I was given the vision of what would happen. I knew Nicholas would come out unharmed, saved by his friends. And more enlightened than ever.”
“That seems so…harsh.” Maddy said.
“You are all so sure you know what is best for all. But you cannot see beyond today or the results of each event in your lives and how they play in making you the persons you have become.”
“So when have you saved Terry or Nick?” Anthony asked.
“There are too many times to count. Nick may remember the time Slate confronted him when he and Grace were skiing.”
“But I was the one who saved him,” Grace argued.
“Yes. But I was the one who made you realize you could. Up until then you were unaware that you possessed an element?”
“No. The thought just popped into my head when I saw Nick in danger.”
Gabriella stared at Grace until the realization hit her.
“You did that? You put the thought in my head?”
Gabriella gave a slight nod.
“What other times?” AJ asked, now more curious then challenging.
“Terrence when he was five and learning to ride a bike.”
Terry sat up straighter. “I remember that. I was headed for the street, out of control, when suddenly I regained control and was able to turn before I would have been hit by a car.”
“And Nicholas when he was about the same age and decided he could fly like Superman. He was all set to jump off the upstairs porch, but I was able to convince him to go back inside and run around the house instead.”
Nick’s eyes went wide, “That was you?”
Focusing on Nick, Gabriella said, “I have also been with you when you fought against Slate in High Point State Park. And it was I who placed the idea in your mind to unfreeze the lake by turning the sun’s ray into a laser.”
Terry shot her a look of loathing, which she chose to ignore.
“I was with the two of you when Terrence wanted to drop that tree limb on you. I slowed him down and helped you see what was about to happen. I was also the one who helped you envision your most recent incident with Terry’s old friends.”
“So my visions are because of you?”
“Yes and no.”
“Yes and no?”
“The majority of your visions are your own.”
“But how come Nick has them and the rest of us don’t?” Terry asked with a decided edge in his voice.
Gabriella appeared to give a quick shake of her head although there was no visible movement. “It is hereditary. He got it from your mother.”
“But…how come I didn’t?” Terry asked not trying to hide his frustration.
“Not every child receives every trait from either their father or their mother. Nick received more of his mother and you received more of your father as is evident by your physical appearance.”
“But when I asked Grandma Gayle if anyone else has the ability to see into the near future, she told me no,” Nick said as he swept his eyes toward his brother to make sure Terry knew Nick wasn’t holding anything back.
“Gayle is mistaken. She has the ability, but it manifests itself in her dreams. She had numerous visions prior to your mother’s death, but since then has tried to suppress both her ability and her dreams.”
“But how come I wasn’t able to do anything like that until I was thirteen?”
“Psychic visions often need a life changing event before they manifest themselves in a person. You and your mother both experienced that when you turned thirteen and also acquired your first element. Still, as I said, there have been occasions when it was necessary to prompt them. Just like all of you.”
“All o’ us?” Maddy asked.
“Yes. We are tasked with the job of being what you refer to as your sixth sense. All of you have experienced a tiny voice in your heads expressing to you which decision you should make. You have the choice to listen to it or ignore it. It is your free will. You might also say we are your conscience. When you do something that goes against your true nature, you often feel guilty. That is our way of trying to make sure you learn from what you did and make better decisions in the future.”
She turned her attention to Terry who looked away shamefaced.
“Yet, there are times when the chemical make-up of your human form is out of balance. It can sometimes make you do things despite knowing better. Fortunately, the three of you found a solution to help Terrence control his disorder. Having been around Terrence most of his life, I am certain if his body chemistry would not have been the way it was, he would have been able to much better control his actions. But even this was necessary.”
“Why?” Terry and Nick asked together.
“If you had grown up in the same household, you would have been around dysfunctional parents and grown to dislike each other. Jealousy would have played a major factor in your lives; Terrence jealous of Nicholas in school and his mother’s attentions toward him, while Nicholas would have been subtly envious of Terrence’s athletic abilities and their father taking great pride in his sports accomplishments. Instead, where you were once rivals, you have now become allies.”
“Will we remain so?” Terry asked. Realizing the implications of what he asked, he scanned the others to see how they would react, but everyone was locked on Gabriella waiting to hear her reply.
“It is unknown. As I said, you have free will. You can choose to stay as you are or you can once again become bitter rivals and deadly enemies. Only you can decide.”
The room went quiet.
AJ finally broke the silence, “How do we fit in?”
“Just as you do. I can tell you about the past, but the future is up to each one of you. How you will decide to act, I cannot tell you.”
“But you can see it? Right?” Grace asked.
Gabriella looked long and hard at Grace. “Yes, I can see much of the future, but I also see both possibilities. When an event takes place, I can see two possible outcomes for each. But I cannot see which path either twin will take. I can try to influence them, but the final decision is always theirs to make.”
Everyone pondered Gabriella’s words. Once more AJ broke the reverie. “So what am I going to have for dinner tonight?”
Gabrielle seemed to smile once more. “Your mother is making chicken. Whether you decide to eat it or not is entirely up to you.”
No one laughed.
“So, you were sent to protect us. To keep us safe and alive,” Nick asked.
Gabriella looked from one twin to the other. “At least until the prophecy has been fulfilled. One more thing. Your mother used to have a book. It is the complete Voynich manuscript.”
“But Thanatos already gave us one of those,” Nic
k answered.
“No, his is not the complete book. It is nearly so, but it has a number of sections missing. Your mother possessed the only complete copy of this book.”
“Where is it?” Terry asked.
Gabriella gave an almost imperceptible shrug of her shoulders, glided to the farthest and darkest corner of the room and vanished.
Chapter 22
“At the first sign of resistance eliminate them…all.”
Later that same night Thanatos arranged to meet with the remaining members of Warrington’s old Inner Sanctum in an empty city hall. At one time the Inner Sanctum was made up of three of each of the Elements and equal parts men and women. They included the mayor, the chief of police and his assistant, the fire chief, the county exec, the chief coroner for the county (Mei Huang, Miriam’s mother), Calvin Robinson (Anthony’s father, who ran most of the car dealerships in the area), Daniel Clearwater (Maddy’s father, the CEO of the yacht company) and other prominent people in the greater Manitowoc area.
Three members had died over the last two years. Clearwater and Robinson had replaced two of them, while Red was no longer a part of the Inner Sanctum after Thanatos tortured him when he wouldn’t give up the twins’ plans as they sought the buried Templar treasure a few months earlier. That left the ten members Thanatos met with in the city council chambers.
Sitting at the head table, hands folded and unwilling to meet any of the attendees eyes was Ligeia. Thanatos took his place and acknowledged her when she glanced up at him. She gave a slight bow of her head and stared once more at the tabletop. Gabriella also attended and hovered near the entrance insuring no one else would disturb the proceedings.
“Thank you all for coming,” Thanatos began, though everyone knew their attendance was not optional. They gave respectful nods acknowledging him.
“The time is near. What has been predicted for six millennia is about to come to fruition. I sense it will not be easy. I am meeting a bit of resistance from the One Spoken of in the Prophecy. I just came from meeting with him. I believe I am – as the Americans say – winning him over. I have shared with him our vision for the future of our planet. It made quite an impression on him. A few more sessions and I know he will side with us. When he does, we must be ready to strike. Our world is falling apart. We will pick up the mantle our ancestors laid out thousands of years ago and take our place as the rightful caretakers of this world.
