Chapter Seventy One
The Vaydem Arboretum is enormous! When we drove into the parking lot I looked at it in shock and amazement. I saw a forest growing just beyond the glass – complete with 5-story tall trees. The well-lit, sheltered forest looked like a fairy tale encased inside of a snowglobe. I knew a charity event was taking place in it tonight, but I was going to beg someone to bring me back tomorrow for a better look. I desperately wanted to check out that snowglobe forest.
I felt so drawn to be inside its walls…surrounded by my very own woods…
Tray had turned on the air conditioner, so it was the perfect temperature inside the car. We parked and suddenly, I remembered why we came here. My anxiety level increased in response, but I couldn’t do anything to keep this from happening. Then, my psychotic need renewed. Holding the fabric against my skin, I looked around in a panic.
I formulated a quick plan because I couldn’t tolerate the thought of taking off this vestment right now. I decided to throw a huge fit about something loony. Then, I would tell them that Celeste couldn’t possibly see me in this insane state. I would demand to go back to Sunridge and that would buy me some more time to wear it. Just when I prepared to start screaming like a maniac, it was like Tray suddenly read my mind somehow.
“We have to go in, Little Girl. We drove here to see Celeste and she’s seen you at your worst before, so that isn’t gonna fly. Comon’ let’s go inside to meet her…”
I was stunned, but then I decided I was just reading too much into what my brother had just said. I decided to switch tactics anyway…
“Do you think she’ll let me wear the vestment for a while longer? I don’t wanna take it off for some reason. I’m even willing to hold off on dinner. Rave said we have an open reservation…” I begged and my inner fire warmed the ribbons.
I’ll even let you spoon feed me…
“I won’t have to spoon feed you. I’m sure she’ll let you keep wearing it…” Tray stated as he turned off the car’s engine.
I started to immediately feel guilty. Then suddenly, I realized what he just said…
No way could I have heard that right!
“Yes, you heard me correctly and there’s no need to feel guilty. Let’s just go inside, find Celeste and tell her that you wanna wear it for a while longer. You know that she’ll get scared if we just ‘no-show.’ Once we talk to her, then we’ll do anything you want to do. We can even stay until all the people leave. That way you can go inside the Arboretum snowglobe and check it out.”
Holy Creator – heaven help me! Tray can read my mind!!!!!
I felt dizzy from his new found skill set and promptly started to turn psychotic – if he could read my thoughts all the time…
“I can’t read your thoughts all the time – chill out right now…” Tray ordered me.
He turned around in his seat and looked at me intently. I tried to clear my thoughts and make my mind go blank, but that’s much easier said than done.
“It’s impossible to stop all forms of thought, Little Girl and you don’t have to…so just calm down…”
“I…I…don’t know what’s happening…”
“I’m getting ready to explain it to you if you’ll concentrate on my words and not on your racing thoughts. It’ll be much easier to understand that way…”
I inhaled and waited for the other shoe to drop. A gentle breeze could have knocked me over…
“Your vestment has a ribbon woven through it called cunning. It allows me to channel my obliteration skill through it in order to protect you – kinda like when you were channeling to command the flames tonight. Willow incorporated the cunning ribbon into the vestment because she felt like you might need my assistance with navigating through the unfamiliar channel and other stuff. Can you feel what I’m channeling through the ribbon right now?”
Yes!
“You need to use your voice – Willow can’t hear your thoughts too.”
Sorry…
“Yes.”
“I was standing in the Uphold position of the Vaydem spiritual circle. My position permanently binds this cunning ribbon between you and me. It only works while you wear the ribbon around you and the ends are touching.
“I need you to hear me Ember. I will respect your private thoughts and will ignore them to the best of my ability. I’ve been reading your thoughts on the ride over, so I could prove that your internal world will always belong to you. I demonstrated how the cunning ribbon works only on the thoughts that you would’ve voiced anyway. I promise I will never speak one single thought you’ve had to anyone – ever. I would never betray your trust…”
“I know that…”
“So you know how the cunning ribbon works, who placed it inside the vestment and now, you have a choice to make. You can ask Celeste to remove it immediately or you can wear it for a while longer. If you wanna keep wearing it though, I need you to give me permission to channel through it, use my obliteration skill and read your thoughts until the vestment is removed.”
“I trust you, completely…”
“I just never thought I’d have to share my mind with you…good luck with that little venture, brother dear…I can’t figure me out, so I know you won’t either…”
“I need your verbal permission, Little Girl. Willow needs to hear it for her own peace of mind…”
“You have my permission to use all your gifts and read my mind until I choose to take the vestment off. However Tray, I feel it’s only fair to warn you from the beginning – that might end up being never. So you’ll be the one that has to deal with being stuck inside my mind…” I stated with authority because it was the truth.
“I feel totally safe…I mean it…I might never take it off…”
“Trust me Ember, you’ll take it off, but I wish you didn’t have to…”
I hugged Willow and thanked her for the cunning ribbon. No wonder I felt so safe, my brother had helped me control the fire around the ring. His aura was literally wrapped around me, courtesy of Willow’s ribbon.
Feeling so safe, I started to worry that my brother might end up being locked inside ‘psychotic-Ember-world’ forever. I had to bite down on my lower lip to keep from crying. He deserves to have a life of his own. That’s what I’ve always felt guilty about. Suddenly, here I am struggling with holding him as my life-time mental hostage because I feel more secure than I’ve ever felt. I shoved that thought aside fast, feeling like I was going to lose it.
Tray was walking behind me and he squeezed my shoulders. This was our sign that everything was going to be fine.
As I relaxed slightly, I started to test his ability to ignore what I was thinking about. I thought of all kinds of strange, bizarre and brotherly terrifying things – like dating a burly twenty something year old guy with facial tattoos. My brother didn’t flinch or say anything, passing with flying colors. I didn’t envy his journey through the commotion that frequently consumes my mind though.
It occurred to me that he knows about my inner fire and hadn’t said a single word about it. I don’t know why that surprises me because I don’t even know what it is. I wish I could read his thoughts too. Then, I would know all about Willow and I would force him to think about how much money he makes. It’s been driving me crazy.
“Where did all the money go?”
I looked inside the classrooms along the corridor and watched the moonlight follow us through the narrow windows. I wished my Boo-bear had been right. I would love to be the moon. It seemed so serene floating around in the sky, without a care in the world.
My longing to be gypsy-free renewed. I wanted Tray to take us somewhere because my heart sometimes screamed to hit the road on a new adventure. I wanted to see an ocean and confirm the fact that he really has eyes colored like sea. I would miss Willow, Boo, Krista, Celeste, Rave…so many people – oh my heavens that would be the world’s shortest trip…
If my ridiculous
spirit would have just cooperated and released, I could’ve flown last night. My wanderlust would have surely disappeared. I thought about the way I felt when I flew through the forest, imagining everything I had seen along my path. I wanted Tray to see and feel it with me…
While we waited in a classroom for Celeste to join us, I took off Tray’s coat and spun around in the vestment. I still wished I could remove my leggings though – I’m scorching hot in here! Tray quickly shot me a disapproving look.
“Hey, you promised…”
Celeste rushed inside and apologized for the delay. She looked curiously at my brother when he announced loudly that it was my exclusive choice about whether to leave on the vestment or take it off.
“This is meant for you, Tray – how rude, it’s her gift and she might want me to take it off! What on earth’s going on with you tonight?! Have you totally lost it???”
He gave me the most innocent look he could muster and shrugged his shoulders.
“Bah, I’ve driven you over the brink. You’ve never been rude a day in your life to a lady…”
“Ah, okay – Ember, would you like me to remove the vestment now or not?” Celeste asked tentatively and looked terrified, for some unknown reason.
“Let me apologize for my bossy brother. Seems I’ve driven him to a new form of rude-hysteria or something. You can remove the vestment…”
Three sets of wide-eyes stared back, unreadable to me.
“Maybe I’ll have her put the dress on you…”
Tray burst into laughter!
“What he was trying to say was that I’d appreciate the opportunity to wear it a little longer. I understand though if it’s only for ceremonies and won’t get upset if you need me to take it off…”
I heard the words come out and they sounded sincere enough. My inner fire flamed wickedly hot though – knowing they were a lie. I desperately wanted to keep the vestment on. My hand went instinctively to the heat and I held my breath to await my fate.
“It’s your birthday gift, honey – wear it with my blessings…”
I hugged Celeste and thanked her again. I would have offered to not eat in it, but I was hungry all of a sudden.
“Would you mind if I just peeked inside the Arboretum? I promise I won’t disturb anyone…” I pressed my luck.
“One tiny peek won’t hurt a thing…”
“Thanks!” I exclaimed.
I couldn’t wait to see it – I was so excited.
“You must remember always that the Vaydem Arboretum is hallowed ground because it holds all the elements inside something as fragile as glass – earth, wind, fire and water. Once you step inside the forest, you are required to have only pure thoughts. Also, you have to remove your shoes because you have on rubber soles,” Celeste informed me.
I started to take off my shoes.
“Not down here, Sweetie there’s a resting place for them outside each entrance. Follow me…” Celeste said and led me toward my destiny.
We walked down the darkest corridor I could ever remember being in – not even the school basement was so dimly lit. Tray put his arms around me, kind of like the way he did when he helped me channel the dance. He held my arms locked tightly against my chest. I didn’t think it was possible to feel any more secure, but somehow he managed to do it.
“I am also burning, scorching hot, but you’d better not move away from me for any reason…”
The darkness felt strange and alive somehow – I found myself shivering although I didn’t know why…
“Oh, I forgot something. You kids go on without me. Once you open those double doors in front of you, then it will give us all some light,” Celeste stated.
I wanted Tray to run down that darkened hall and open those doors immediately. My spirit light responded to my urgent request by trying to lift, but it was still trapped inside the ribbons of my dress.
Although I knew my brother had heard my thoughts perfectly, he seemed to slow down. Huh?! So I started pulling him along and it was like he fought me every step of the way. I need to be in the light – I can’t tolerate this darkness. Just before I pushed that door open though, Tray pulled me against his body so tightly that I almost lost my breath.
“Surprise!!!!” everyone shouted at one time!
I immediately felt my spirit light spin wildly out of control. It hit the containment ribbon of the dress like a liquid bullet fired from a shotgun.
The light perceived eminent danger in every direction imaginable…
The dress recoiled like a snake as the containment ribbon held its ground. My spirit light vaulted frantically towards the sky. My head swam in frenzied circles and I saw sparks fly mentally, as it shot like a freight train through my brain. It was prevented passage though, and the light dove and rocketed straight down through my torso in response. It needed a path of escape! I had this mind numbing sensation as I thought how this cycle might continue forever. My knees buckled for a flash of a second, but Tray held me firmly.
The turbulent light would have continued its crazed-filled journey, but as it passed through the inner fire, I started to regain a tiny bit of control. The fire seemed to super heat the light and forced it to slow down.
I felt Tray channel something through me and I was thoroughly amazed that he could even function. He was experiencing this madness right along with me. I sensed if I couldn’t get this under control that he was going to rip the vestment off of my body. Then, mass devastation would definitely ensue because I couldn’t control the release.
“NO DON’T DO IT! I’LL GET IT UNDER CONTROL!! GIMME A MINUTE, PLEASE TRAY!!” I shouted in my head.
I called to my internal fire to help me, although I had never been able to command it before. My inner fire seemed to obey the frantic request and pursued the spirit light. They combined into one. I willed them to return to their resting places. They each fought desperately for control and churned furiously. I called out to my spirit light…RETREAT…die down…now fade…
The light spun around inside the inner fire like water going down a drain. With one final flicker, my spirit light faded back into its resting place. The crowd had no clue how dangerously close they were to disaster. They continued to applaud and shout my name – making a huge commotion. For a micro-second I wanted to rip the vestment away myself, vault my spirit light right into the middle of their ridiculously loud chaos and force them into total submission.
“I could do it too – that’ll shut them up for sure!!!!”
Tray had a death grip on me. So when he burst out laughing, I could barely breathe.
“I need air…”
He didn’t release his hold, but he did ease up some. I inhaled audibly and I looked around at the massive crowd of people…
“Creator, just take me now…”
“I’d rather you stay with me, please…” Tray whispered and continued to laugh.
“Shut it or I’ll throw us both to this pack of hungry jackals…”
Ember Rising Light (Book One) Page 75
