“So I should go find Cyril, right?” He grinned his glorious grin, which made me quiver to my knees. I grabbed him and brought him back to me. He was mine.
I reached around his neck, kissing him uncontrollably. He had ignited the spark yet again. There was nothing I wanted to do more than lay with him, feel his breath over every inch of me. His hands began running through my hair as his lips began running over my neck. My knees began trembling and, as if on cue, he caught me and laid me up against a fallen tree. I was hoping with all hope that this moment would be the one I was waiting for. I knew Cyril and Arie were around, but my hunch was that Arie had him on a goose chase. We had to have at least enough time for something. Athen’s breath quickened as he rested me up against the tree. I pulled at his shirt trying to unbutton it as quickly as I could, but he stopped me.
“Just kiss me. It won’t be long, I promise. I guarantee you they aren’t very far away.”
“Are you sure of that?” I asked unsure.
“Yah, hollering distance. I swear.”
My body went limp in his arms. I began laughing hysterically because crying wasn’t very festive. I couldn’t stop.
“Go ahead then. Let them know we found a tree.” I hissed at him, shaking my head. I couldn’t get the huge smile off my face, hoping at some point we would get to the next level.
“We will. I promise.” He whispered back at me before yelling out to Arie and Cyril.
The branches started snapping, and for once I was relieved that I listened to Athen after all.
“You certainly were right. That could have been embarrassing.” I said getting up, brushing myself off.
“Cyril is armed and ready.” I heard Arie hollering through the tree.
“Awesome! Because I found the perfect tree. Well, Athen found it, but I think there isn’t one finer around.”
*****
We all were snuggly in the car with the tree fastened down tightly on top with countless yards of twine. I snacked on another set of cookies I snagged from the office when we paid, while everyone buckled in and got situated.
“So are we off to dinner?” Cyril asked as he adjusted the rearview mirror. Athen grabbed my hand. I looked over at him filling up with gratitude at his level of understanding.
“Yah, sounds good to us. We need a beer for our troubles.” Athen responded as lightly as he could along with the much needed hand squeeze I got.
“Thank you.” I mouthed to Athen.
“That’s what I’m here for, sweetheart. I will always protect you.” I looked at him realizing his mouth was not moving. A chill went through my body. Did I actually hear his thought? An entire thought? Not just a word? I didn’t know what to make of it. I didn’t want to ask him in case I imagined it.
I was staring intently at Athen’s face apparently trying to read it for some sign when he winked at me, letting me know that it did just happen.
“You heard correctly. You heard my thought.” Athen was looking for a reaction. I couldn’t give him that yet. I wasn’t sure what I was feeling, fear or excitement. It was all kind of running together at this point. Then I realized just how clearly he could hear my thoughts, all of them. My blood ran cold as I thought of his demise and serpent eyes. I wondered what he had pried from my mind so far.
“Wow.” Was all that came out.
We drove to the pub in silence. I was staring out the window in awe wondering what was going to happen next with my abilities or lack of them, at this point.
“When will I be able to help people?” I blurted out.
Cyril looked at me in the rearview mirror, and Arie turned around in her seat.
“It won’t be long, sweetie.” Athen replied tentatively.” We will start small after you see some of what we do. Maybe next time we are up in Whistler?”
“Ok. I was only wondering.”
“No, I get it entirely.” He squeezed my hand as we pulled into the parking lot. As if on cue my stomach growled. I was thankful at the thought of a beer and a good old-fashioned cheeseburger.
We all got settled into the booth near the corner window, which was a nice view. The twinkling lights outside made the place even more festive and reminded me a bit of Whistler. I started to miss Whistler a little bit but was thankful to be here with my family.
CHAPTER 21
I woke up from a wonderful sleep; no visitors, no catastrophes. I hadn’t felt this rested in a long time. I looked at the end of my bed and saw Matilda snuggled in as usual, completely melting my heart. I looked around the room taking in how breathtaking the setting was. I understood why this location was chosen for a home. The sheer curtains let the intense sparkle from the sun reflecting off the Sound into my bedroom. It was an astounding sight with the fir trees towering over the house canopying the perfect tunnel to look out through. I left my window open for the breeze, not realizing how cold it would get in the room. The hovering fir trees out back were providing enough shade to make the breeze blowing into the room a bit icy, but the view was worth it. I took a deep breath in, feeling the fresh air fill every cell of my body. Now if I could only get enough courage to grab a robe and brave the cold air in my room. I wouldn’t be leaving the window open again. I was debating how best to shoot out of bed when the patio door opened, and Athen stood there proudly. Thank God!
“Is my timing impeccable or what?” He asked his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Yeah, it’s pretty good. Have you been waiting?”
“I went downstairs and made some coffee and was drinking it up here on the patio. I have a thermos waiting for you too. It was so relaxing you know, enjoying the view… Thanking the skies above for your return.” His eyes gleamed as I noticed that the chair was pulled up to the French doors. I knew he wasn’t referring to the view of the Puget Sound. I immediately blushed.
“Wow, well thanks. I could use something to warm up. It didn’t occur to me how cold it could get.” I spoke as he went to the window to shut it on his way to the bed.
“Well, hopefully this will warm you up. There is another pot brewing downstairs too. Since it’s Thanksgiving, we have to keep a pot on all morning to keep Arie going.”
“Oh no! Is she down there? I don’t want to make her do all the work.” I almost jumped out of the bed until the blast of cold air hit me.
“No, she hasn’t made it down there yet. Cyril went for a walk and said she was still sleeping. You’ve got some time.”
“Phew. Thanks for this.” I said moving my mug up towards him. I took a few sips, thinking I would bring up the demon that is apparently dashing around the property.
“Is that creature still out there?” I took Athen by surprise, but I generally got the most information when that happened so I didn’t mind.
“No, not directly. I don’t think we should let our guard down, though. We are keeping our eyes out for sure. We will keep you safe. We will bring him down. Hopefully, he doesn’t have any minions though. If he does, we will have to take care of those too.”
“Minions?” I asked blankly. “Doesn’t sound as romantic as Shakespeare’s reference.”
“Yeah, no minions of the moon here. You are right about that one. Minions, in this instance, are juvenile demons that tend to an older more mature demon’s needs. Sometimes the more seasoned demon will send a minion or minions to test out the waters, a sort of judge for the battle kind of thing.”
“Ah, great. Good to know.” I said shaking my head, “You know I think I’m set. I’m going to enjoy cooking the turkey today and put all this stuff out of my head.”
He reached over and kissed my forehead.
“Good idea. Need a refill?”
I looked down to see my cup already empty.
“Nah, not yet. It warmed me up enough to hop in the shower. I’ll grab some more downstairs.”
“Sounds perfect. I’ll let Matilda out while you get ready.”
“I could get used to this you know.” I said as he was ushering Matilda through the door.
/> “Music to my ears.” He said, closing the door.
I climbed down the stairs thankful for my fuzzy, white cashmere sweater when the wonderful smell of sautéing onions in butter hit me. Arie must have somehow beaten me to the kitchen. I scurried that much faster down the hall only to be welcomed by a wonderful sight in the kitchen of Cyril, Athen, and Arie all in aprons working together preparing the bird. Athen grabbed an apron and dangled it for me.
“Your turn. Come on. We’ve got a cutting board waiting for you.” Arie sounded so excited. It got me thrilled to chop celery.
“After we get the bird in and then some of the sides started, we can start the decorating!” Arie exclaimed. I honestly thought I saw her lift off the ground with excitement.
“So chop faster is what you are telling me.” I chipped in.
“Yeah, basically.”
I was chopping the celery as fast as I could all the while enjoying the view out the window. The sun was out which isn’t as much of a novelty in the NW as some claim. The rays were bouncing off of the Sound, all the while the ferry was chugging off in the distance. It was like a painting.
“It’s still kind of chilly down here isn’t it?” Cyril asked, reaching for the fire remote before any of us could answer.
“That’s great. Thanks, Cyril.” I said relieved. I didn’t want to be the chicken who mentioned I was turning into an icicle.
The guys were slicing a variety of meats, cheeses, and veggies for what I was assuming were snacks while we decorated. There were all sorts of empty puff pastries that looked like they were waiting to be filled. Cyril went to the fridge to grab something, and I saw how many trays of food existed in there already.
“Holy smokes! How did you get so many trays done so quickly?” I asked genuinely perplexed.
“Oh, I started last night. I couldn’t sleep right away so I thought I would get a head start.” Arie piped up rather quickly. Everything about the holidays oozed happiness through her.
“You were on watch duty the first part of the night, and then Athen was the second. Got it.” I said smiling. “It’s ok to tell me like it is, guys. Actually, it is preferred. I swear.”
“Sorry, Ana. We didn’t want to freak you out any more than we had.” Cyril tried to assure me. “It seems to be a theme.”
“I appreciate that. I do, but I would prefer to know. If that’s alright with you.” I looked around the kitchen at each of them and got a slow nod of agreement.
“Thanks! Now back to chopping. I have got to see what all Arie has planned for decorating.”
*****
Cyril lugged the last box of decorations into the family room, and Arie was quickly opening up each box. I had never seen so many decorations before, at least for a private residence, maybe for a hotel. There was one box with red satin covers spilling out from it along with silver rope. I had no idea what that was for. The next box had an assortment of at least 40 different angels of various sizes and colors. Kind of ironic, I thought. The next box that was intriguing had items in it that looked like nothing but Christmas candy and cookies, but that couldn’t be. There were pinwheels, gingerbread men, and gingerbread houses all glistening with rays of light bouncing in every direction. I walked over closer so that I could get a better look. What I saw was mesmerizing. What looked like actual cookies and candies were hundreds of hand blown glass ornaments with red tissue surrounding them all. Tiny specks of crystal representing sugar were sprinkled all over the tiny little glass ornaments. The sunlight coming in through all of the windows caught the glass in such a way that they all sparkled with a great intensity; it was like a fairyland. These were definitely my favorite decorations so far. I didn’t want to put them back down. They seemed so familiar. The room became very silent. I wasn’t sure why. I looked up and began to back away from the box. Everyone’s eyes were filled with tears.
“What’s up, guys?” I asked hesitantly.
I saw Athen move towards me with his eyes pushing back tears, a huge smile appearing.
“Those were yours.” He told me.
“These were my favorite even back then too?” I asked.
“Kind of. You actually created those. You made all of those ornaments.”
I was completely shocked. I had no idea that I ever had a talent like this. I wonder if I could still pick it up. The delicate glass in front of me was so gorgeous. It was hard to believe that I had anything to do with creating something so intricate. I walked back over to the box, picking up the gingerbread and sure enough I saw my initials on it. My body went numb. I placed the ornament gently back in the box so nothing happened to it. My body slumped to the floor with the realization of an entire life that I was still learning to relive was further away than I thought. I had no recollection of making these. No memories were flooding into my memory as in times before. I felt desperate for answers that I was not getting. I hoped I would be able to remember creating these. Athen came up behind me, touching my shoulders gingerly.
“You’ll remember in time, Ana. You will. It takes time.”
I couldn’t reply. I hoped he was right. I had to trust. Something I wasn’t used to doing in my most recent of existences. I leaned back against him, admiring the tremendous view outside, which brought an overwhelming amount of tranquility.
“I’m so glad we are here for the holiday. It’s the perfect place to be.” I said looking at everybody.
“It does have that effect.” Arie said as she patted Cyril’s knee. Everyone had repositioned themselves in the family room. Cyril was sitting on the sectional. Arie was on the floor in front of him. Probably because they weren’t sure what my reaction to the ornaments would be. I certainly had a lot of learning to do about my past, but it was refreshing to know that I had a family here to support me. The stone fireplace continued to throw off a nice amount of warmth, which Matilda found sometime during the process of bringing in all of the decorations. She was snoring hard so I knew she was at home. Cyril got up heading for the kitchen, rustling around. I was wondering what he was up to.
“Time to start the mulled cider. Don’t you think? We’ve got a good thing we can add into it later if we need.”
I looked around the room and saw the fluffy, green tree placed in between the corner windows. The boxes scattered everywhere exploding with tissue paper and ornaments added a sense of urgency. Unfortunately, the floor pillows looked so welcoming. I wondered why I was getting so tired all of a sudden. I glanced up at the wooden, framed clock that hung near the kitchen. It was a quarter to 11. I had only been up a couple of hours. I wondered if more memories were trying to make their way back in or not. I figured I had a little time before the cider was going to be ready so I reached out for one of the extra-large red, velour pillows and wrapped my arms around it. I settled into my comfort only to match my breathing to that of Matilda’s heading into a sleep far away from anything that I could relate to.
The imagery that was infiltrating every crevice of my mind was overwhelming. The memories were coming in faster than I had ever experienced before. I saw flashes of a stone building with what looked like a stone furnace. Then there was a field with a large home on it with a wraparound porch, with a bench. I saw several animals off in the fields, but I couldn’t recognize what they were. I saw a flash of a horse carriage coming down a gravel road. A pain was surfacing similar to the one from the initial reintroduction process. It was gone in an instant. I saw Arie cooking in a kitchen that looked as if it was from the 40s. I couldn’t understand why the different eras were being brought in so jumbled. I saw Arie collapsing in tears. Then the images went away. My mind went blank. I could feel Athen’s hand caressing my hair, helping to wake me up gently.
My eyes were opening to awake my senses to the sweetness of mulled apple cider drifting in. Matilda was laying next to me on the floor. I began to feel very sheepish as it became apparent what must have happened. I saw Arie, Cyril, and Athen all on the sectional waiting. I thought I had been out at least an hour, which mad
e me feel even worse for taking time away from the planned decorating.
“Hey, sleepyhead.” Athen said, “How are you doing?”
“How long was I out? It felt like ages.”
“Actually, only about 20 minutes,” Cyril replied looking at his watch, “Barely enough time to let the cider warm up.”
“Wow, that was intense.” I said as I tried to get back up without waking up Matilda again, “Believe it or not, I’m ready to keep on trucking. I’m so sorry about that guys. I don’t know where that came from.”
“Don’t apologize, Ana. This process isn’t an overnight one. We know what to expect. We want to help you along the way.”
“Well, thanks. It’s a little embarrassing. Let’s move on for now. I’m ready to get back at it.”
“Are you sure? It’s no big deal. We can wait.” Arie promised.
“No, really. I think I’m ok, but I would like a cup of that awesome smelling cider now.”
All three of them jumped off the sectional, making me laugh pretty hard. I began going through the boxes again, hoping not to find such a poignant treasure like before -enough surprises for the day. Cyril went into the kitchen to grab a mug of cider for me, while Arie went over to the stereo to plug in her i-tunes with a pre-populated Christmas playlist no doubt. Athen began rearranging some of the boxes, but he certainly was staying very close to me, which I appreciated deep inside.
The wonderfully delicious smell of the turkey roasting reached every corner of the house, as did the Christmas music that Arie had picked out so carefully. Between the smells and the sounds, I couldn’t wait for Thanksgiving dinner and was in awe at how much decorating we had accomplished in the short amount of time. Any surface that was bare now had a Christmas Angel, Nutcracker or Snowman on it. I was amazed at the several different types of table arrangements she had. Some were on the breakfast bar, end tables, and bookshelves. Pine garlands were thrown everywhere with little red berries peaking out from in between the branches. Even Scrooge would have had to come around to the Christmas spirit with Arie around. I was also informed that she had equally as many decorations awaiting us in Whistler.
Awakening Page 19
