Awakening - Book of Fire (Blood Heritage)

by Krista Gray-Fee

  Amber remains seated for a few minutes holding her head in her hands. Focusing on reigning in her thoughts for the day ahead, Amber struggles to gain control. The past is the past and there’s nothing there she can change, it seems logical that she should find a way to stop dwelling on it. Despite her best efforts, her mind continues to run circles the rest of her can't keep up with. Standing, Amber begins to straighten shelves absent-mindedly, busywork that really doesn't need to be done. Somehow putting things in order soothes her, giving her a sense of control, even though her own mind remains in disarray.

  They received a shipment of new goodies this morning and Amber takes on the project of unpacking and pricing the items with enthusiasm. This will keep her busy for a couple of hours, at least. The coffee stand is slow today and only a few people interrupt her meditation session with the pricing gun. This shipment is full of exotic new jewelry, beautiful gemstone spheres, crystals, and some delicious new candle fragrances. Amber loves each and every piece. The store is growing, and the girls are bringing in a variety of new products that all seem to fly right out the door. Amber and Rissa are an excellent team when it comes to business, and friendship, and now it appears, magic as well.

  Amber is thankful the fates have led her to Rissa, it seems they add much to each others' lives. The two girls chat away the afternoon, neither mentioning the events of the day before. Amber, has a sudden and gripping need to ensure she has a companion by her side all the time, a friend that will always be there to comfort her and keep her company when she can't sleep. Something or someone that can warn her when danger is near. She decides on a trip to the pet shop after work. Not knowing what specifically she is looking for, Amber is determined never to be caught off guard again.

  "Sounds like you’re looking for a dog," Rissa says. Amber is excited, she doesn't know much about having a dog, has never really had a pet at all. A dog sounds perfect since she enjoys taking long walks everyday and can certainly use the company.

  Amber’s not certain what she needs in a dog, so she looks at a variety of books and holds a bunch of adorable and fluffy little baby dogs. Every one of them could easily come home with her. They’re all so cute, but she wants to know everything about them before making a decision. Then; fate steps in, Amber sees the tiny little wiggle of a white and black tail poking out from under a pile of newspapers, she has to see that one, thats the one she wants. "Sir can I see that one, the one hiding in the corner?"

  "Miss, that is an American Bulldog, and not the right dog for someone who has no experience with dogs."

  "Why?" Amber Asks, not the least dissuaded.

  "She’ll be really big when she grows up and they can be very stubborn animals."

  "Hmm. Let me see her please?" Amber feels the rightness of this match with every fiber of her body.

  The store clerk moves the papers aside and the tiny girl hops out and runs toward Amber, jumping into her arms, immediately licking her face and snuggling against her shoulder. Her tiny black nose presses against Amber's cheek in a kind of puppy hug. The clerk knows the battle has been lost and immediately goes to get the travel carrier, a book on training and the proper tools for her. When she checks out Amber has so much stuff she can't possibly walk home with it all. Amber calls a cab, her new baby is already asleep in her arms when it arrives. "You might want to have her professionally trained Miss, here is a card for a great local woman who can help you out when the time comes." The clerk says, still concerned about the future of this match.

  "Thank you," Amber responds politely, already feeling sure she won't need the information. Setting up the kennel in her bedroom, the puppy bed next to hers, and the food and water in the kitchen, Amber intends to let the little one have the run of the house. She already feels they have a connection. This little dog understands her, and they will get along just fine. It’s time for dinner and both are famished by the time she gets everything put away. Amber decides on a salad and fried chicken breast giving the puppy her food at the same time. She watches the little one inhale her food thinking about what she should call her. Seeing the little jaws snapping up the dog-food nuggets, immediately it comes to her. She’s a tiny alligator, this little chomping beast! She will call her Allie, in a kind of nod to her first day here. She can't believe how hungry the girl seems.

  "Didn't they feed you?" She asks taking her out back for a potty break. Looking around the yard she realizes how truly spontaneous this decision has been. She needs to put gates up on both sides of the house to keep her safe. The road in front of the house can be very busy and she doesn't want any squished puppy tragedies.

  Allie sniffs around the yard finding a corner that suits her needs, she looks up at Amber as if to ask permission, and when given the “good girl” nod proceeds with doing her business. Allie will always use this spot now, and Amber simply has to keep it cleaned up for her. The synergy between the two is certain; Amber never should have bothered buying the puppy her own bed, she sleeps beside her from this day on. James will just have to deal with a fluffy little third wheel. Amber realizes with it happening so fast she didn't stop to see if he likes dogs, or has any allergies... Too late now, she thinks to herself as the little one nuzzles against her and snores in her ear.

  Knowing James went in late and will be heading out for the day. She’s not worried that he doesn’t call, she’ll see him tomorrow. Hopefully this trip will help him solve his case; she doesn't like how it’s affecting him. She still doesn't know what he’s working on, but it seems to be pretty bad. His emotions are in turmoil and he can't hide the hurt from her. Closing her eyes she falls asleep listening to the rhythm of the puppy's rapid heartbeat and feeling the warm breath on her cheek.

  How wonderful it is not to feel alone she thinks as darkness falls over her mind. Sleep is much needed and she wakes only when the little one gives a pounce and squeak landing on her face. Apparently it’s time to play! The little one runs for the door and scratches, Amber bolts for the back door, she has to go potty! She almost makes it but Amber is not moving quickly enough and she squats by the door whimpering and trembling as she makes a puddle. Amber knows she’s supposed to chastise the puppy, but decides not to; she knows it is her fault.

  She senses how hard Allie tried, and she opens the door, letting the little one out to finish her necessities. Wiping up the spot so when she lets Allie in it’s good as new, Amber watches her from the doorway. Allie sniffs the spot and waggles her tail. She knows it will be okay. Amber promises she’ll be quicker next time, and thinks how silly it would look if someone saw her talking to her dog as if she understands. Amber can swear that she does actually understand; she can see it in her eyes and her expressions. She feels it, some things you just know.

  This dog is her familiar. Though she doesn't know exactly how it came to be, she is aware how her desire for a companion came on all of a sudden, and despite all warnings to the contrary this puppy was meant for her, she’d practically been hidden at the pet store and she’d known immediately that she had to have her. We are connected, our souls joined, we will protect each other no matter what the cost. Her little Alligator will bite the toes off any bad guy that tries to come near her. She laughs, she really has no idea how big her "little Allie" will get.

  Something Wicked This Way Comes

  James meets with Eileen; Leigha's mother. The woman dresses professionally in a sharp dark suit, practical shoes and a well-kept briefcase. He never would have guessed on first impressions that she is a loony. The original interviewers on the case wrote her up as non-cooperative and likely disturbed. Meeting at a café he’s not familiar with, a bit more upscale than he’s used to, he already feels uncomfortable. She shakes his hand introducing herself, and from there everything goes downhill. She explains to James that it is time for “him” to return, to bring another generation into the world, and somehow "he" is responsible for taking her daughter into outer space.

  "She’s been abducted for an alien breeding program and she will nev
er be allowed to come back," she says showing him a photo of what she claims is an extra-terrestrial ship. The photo is much like any other he has seen of UFO sighting. There is a grouping of lights in the sky that he cannot explain but nothing about them seems extra special. The photo is nearly completely black with nothing he can use as comparative points of reference. Size and distance are impossible to calculate off this one photo and it seems a tremendous leap jumping to these conclusions with so little information. He suspects there is more to what she is believes than what she is telling him. "They took her right out of the car you know, she didn't even open her door. They were still locked. The car engine was still running, and all of the gauges malfunctioned. There wasn't any sign of her because she vanished right off the face of the earth."

  This woman has completely lost her marbles, James thinks to himself. She tells him about her husband a psychic, empath who knew what was happening. "He saw it all in his dreams. He knew she would be taken long before it happened. He chose her for that reason, insisting we travel to Peru of all places, it was our duty to find her and raise her as our own. He said he’d sensed her birth, I thought he was crazy, but who was I to argue I had been asking for a child for years. She was beautiful when we found her, a tiny bundle of perfect little girl curled up in a crib in some godforsaken orphanage. I wanted her so badly, I didn't even consider that he might be right about her, that we would lose her someday if we didn't hide her well enough. He didn't really talk about it much after that so it was all forgotten, put behind us so we could be a family."

  He tried to save her, but he couldn't do it. He didn't really know what he was trying to save her from. He kept running with her, trying to hide somewhere no one would find them, not even me... I found them, and so did he, the one who came for her. He found her...he took her...and then my husband took his own life. They found him sitting at the base of her lilac tree, he cut himself over and over letting himself bleed to death, he died right there beneath the purple flowers. The pain in her voice is thick and James understands completely, this woman has lost everything she truly loved. James feels her pain and despair spreading in the air. "They were her favorite, you know, Lilacs were her favorite," her voice trails off as she just sits there quietly staring at him.

  In that moment had James known what Amber is beginning to understand, he may have had a deeper understanding of Leigha's father and a major piece of the puzzle might have fallen into place for him, but he is still in the dark and the world continues to spin off kilter and out of sync.

  James is struck by the similarities in how the couples adopted their daughters. Out of all the seemingly crazy rambling he senses this is truth. Perhaps there is more to what has been said than it first seems. He asks her if he can keep the photo and her research file so he can review them thoroughly. He recorded their conversation and this too will require some thorough analysis. He realizes he has neglected to ask about the birthmark.

  "I forgot to ask you; did Leigha have any birth marks, anything identifiable that we could use to identify her?"

  "She did, that is how Mark found her, that’s how he knew she was the one he was looking for! They all cry tears of blood, it marks them as his. Their birthright and their curse. The marked will all be taken and so will others who are worthy. There must be seven. Seven churches, seven tribes, seven lambs of God and seven seals. Seven will bring the beginning and the end.....so it is written...and the dead shall walk the earth and the rivers shall run with blood, the blood of the chosen."

  She is trembling and her words rush from her lips uncontrollably as a fire and brimstone preacher shouts the word of God to a terrified congregation. Believing what she’s saying she cries in exasperation and despair. He feels sorry for her pain and anguish, wishing he could say something to ease her burden. He wants to bring her daughter back alive, to show her there is still something worth living for. Though this woman has obviously lost her grip on reality, no one can really blame her under the circumstances. The loss of her daughter and her husband in such a short amount of time... He puts his hand on her shoulder telling her he will do everything he can to find her daughter. She looks him deep in the eyes, and with a sign of resignation says; "you will fail"... she turns and walks away. He is left feeling such a deeply savage desire to fix this for her, his fists clenching in anger, he draws blood on his palms. Coming to his senses he stands and gathers her files, ready to do a thorough re-run of the day's events.

  On his way back to the office, he hears the dispatch. She has driven her car off the road colliding into a concrete barricade at a high rate of speed. Her body has been thrown through the windshield, crushing her skull. They won't be able to save her. Dying at the scene, she succeeded in taking it into her own hands, ending it all, the suffering and the searching. She truly held no hope her daughter would be returned to her. She believed the story she told completely, His sympathy for her compounds into guilt that now he is powerless to help her. He can't understand the intensity of this religious type; at least it sounds like religion… He hasn't been to church since his childhood, but her rantings ring familiar bells within him. Something about an end time, an apocalypse, a second coming of some sort. He will have to look it up when he can get ahold of a bible. Though he is sure the book says nothing about alien breeding programs, he is sure some of what she said comes from religious ideologies. Could she really believe God took her daughter on a space ship intending to breed with her, and if she did believe such a thing wouldn't a religious person think this is a good thing?

  He stops, picking up a burger and fries for dinner, hoping to be home early enough to spend the night with Amber. James is not that lucky. About the time he begins feeling the butterflies of anticipation, the call comes in. The body of an infant has been found, and it is exactly the way the vision said it would be. There’s a small puncture in his neck, the apparent cause of death, but otherwise he is completely perfect, full-term and healthy. The boy was even kept alive for a few weeks after the death of his mother, that is if they are assuming the baby belongs to one of the dead girls, which obviously everyone is assuming since there are no other missing children this young in the area. Joanna wants to get the DNA results back before too much discussion occurs. Despite the obvious, Joanna likes to handle things by the book as much as possible.

  He is so small on her table, his tiny hands partially clenched into fists, his feet perfectly pudgy with all ten tiny toes. He is a beautiful child, and she can't understand how anyone could kill something so precious, so helpless. Knowing there are still two others missing just like him, Joanna takes great care collecting what little evidence there is. Are they already lying somewhere out there discarded like trash, their lives and futures taken before they have even begun to live? Sometimes people can be so ugly, and this, in her mind, is as bad as it can possibly get. The results come back positive, he is the son of one of the dead girls, and will be buried with her by the family. At least they have closure, but it is a finality that won't necessarily bring them any kind of peace. There are still more questions than answers. They no longer have to wonder, but sometimes wondering keeps hope alive, and without hope there is only numbness. The confirmation that the girl's father is also the father of the child only makes the case seem more twisted and disgusting. What kind of man waits for his daughter to become old enough, kidnaps her, gets her pregnant and then kills her, and the child as well?! What possible motive could there be in this situation? They are truly dealing with a psychopathic personality. No one with any level of conscience could be so absolutely cruel. Joanna, for the first time in her career feels helpless, she's in way over her head.

  Among the many questions that remain, Joanna is working on how it is possible to change the surface of the body, bleaching the skin, removing birthmarks and other imperfections. There doesn't seem to be any answer that makes sense but she refuses to stop poking at the mystery. Praying if she gives it enough attention and energy something will unfold for her, Joanna tries everythi
ng she knows and then begins experimenting. Still believing there’s nothing a combination of science and persistence can't solve. She's seen it time and time again, the miraculous way cases can be resolved, even when there seems to be no hope by one tiny fiber. Something inside her recognizes this case won't be solved by science. A tiny and superstitious part of her is opening to the possibility there is something more, something dark and supernatural involved. Though she will never admit it to anyone else, she is beginning to believe something wicked has entered their lives, and they may never be the same again.

  Amber plans on asking Rissa if she can build a kennel for the pup in the back. She wants to walk with her back and forth so she isn't traveling alone. The streets haven't seemed as welcoming and innocent since the attack. She feels someone is watching her and it keeps her just a little edgy. There is plenty of time in her work day to take little Allie out for walks and the fenced space out back is perfect for her to play in when Amber is working. For today, the little one has to stay in her kennel and wait for Amber to come home. Amber takes a moment playing with her and giving her a new toy to keep her entertained while she’s gone. Allie gives her the saddest eyes and the most adorable little whimper she has ever heard as she leaves her. Amber feels guilty for having to leave her alone. The baby has already wriggled her way deep into Amber's heart.

  Walking to work, watching the world continue on as if her nightmares never existed. She sees the beauty in the rays of sunshine touching the pavement, but everything in her world has shifted slightly. Remembering the sense of wonder and wide-eyed curiosity she felt watching these creatures, she feels a sense of loss, disappointment that her innocence has been taken from her again. She has seen there is darkness everywhere, hiding in even the most unexpected places. Amber isn't sure she will ever truly feel safe again. She sees the illusions sometimes hiding so much from our eyes, moments of clarity revealing images of creatures hiding in plain sight. Anxiety rising inside her, she questions her own perceptions, her sanity.