Celtic Rose

by Campbell, Jill

  “I do feel that, William.” It felt as though small strands of hair were pulling out of her hand and flowing into him, or maybe going into her hand and coming from him–she couldn’t tell which. “I can’t tell you that it’s not love. I’m not sure what it is, but I know it is not the same feeling I have for Talus.” She tried to pull away, but he tightened his clutch and held her in place. Talus started forward but Gabriel stopped him.

  “Let her handle this. If you try to stop this, it will end in blood and death. She can end this peaceably,” Gabriel whispered, holding Talus back until he finally surrendered. They stood behind watching the event unfold. Kalan and Ramina were holding each other. Kallisto hadn’t even seen them move. Perhaps the excitement of the meeting made them nervous, or maybe Kalan was worried that, after William finished with Talus, he’d go after Ramina.

  “You can’t tell me that it’s not love, and you admit you don’t know what it might be?”

  Kallisto nodded. “It may be love, William, but even if it is, it changes nothing. If it’s love then it’s different from what I feel for Talus.” She looked away, not wanting to see the hope in his eyes. She wondered what he was hoping for. Did he think her feelings would change and she’d forget Talus and go with him?

  “That settles it then. You do have feelings for me.” He smiled. Kallisto gaped at him with tears in her eyes.

  “How does that settle anything?” The tears flowed down her face. William wiped them away, still beaming.

  “All I needed was for you to acknowledge how you feel about me. I’ll stay.” He kissed her cheek. Her forehead creased with even more confusion.

  “What does that mean?” Kallisto’s voice was impatient. She looked to Gabriel and Talus, and then to Kalan and Ramina. They were just as confused as she was. All of their brows were creased, their eyes were wide, and they were frowning.

  “You want to be with Talus; I won’t stop you. Just knowing that you do feel for me helps, so I will stay with you no matter what. I do love you, Kallisto , and this feeling won’t allow me to leave. I’m here until I die, or at least until you send me away.” His smile was resolved and a little arrogant. Kallisto smiled back slightly, but she felt melancholy. She couldn’t tell William to leave, and if he wanted to stay there with her even though she wanted to be with someone else then she wasn’t going to deny him. She wasn’t sure she could do without him near her any more than he could. And so, their little entourage grew to six.

  Kallisto woke to the sound of the heart monitor beeping. She could feel something on her shoulder and leg. She ran her fingers through the hair of the person on her leg. It had a slight curl to it and felt soft, but slightly stiff from the mousse he used to keep it from frizzing. She could tell by the way it felt that it was William. Happiness ran through her, the same feeling she’d experienced in the dream, as though something flowed through her and into William, forcing her toward him. He shuddered in his sleep and his eyelids fluttered open. With a start, he realized she was awake.

  “Hey, sleepy head. How are you feeling?” William asked, grinning, but his eyes were tight around the edges. He was concerned.

  “Fine. And you?” She kept her hand on his face, feeling the pull. It felt like a river flowing over her body as she floated, or thin strands of hair sliding through her pores.

  Covering her hand with his, his eyes brightened. “Better now. Did you see?”

  “I did.”

  “I guess I kept my promise.” His bright demeanor never faltered, nor did Kallisto’s.

  “Apparently, you keep your word very well.” They laughed quietly, but the vibrations of their laughter woke Talus. He sat up and noticed their smiles; he looked pleased. Kallisto turned to gaze into his blissful face.

  “See, I told you he couldn’t stay away,” Talus said smugly.

  “So you did. Thank you,” she said and turned to William. “And thank you for keeping your promise.” William closed his eyes and bowed his head once in acknowledgment. They were all more confident in what they felt and were set at ease in the knowledge that it was, apparently, the way it was supposed to be. They didn’t speak of it again the rest of the time they were in the hospital. Kalan was released before Kallisto was because his head wound and cuts only needed to be watched for twenty-four hours, but he didn’t leave the hospital–he went to her room. After the dream they had, they weren’t going to take any chances since the visions, or whatever they were, seemed to show them aspects from their past lives. They needed to get back to Oklahoma so they could find out more about what it all meant and why it was happening, but, to Kallisto’s extreme vexation, she had to stay in the hospital another twenty-four hours; not due to her ribs, but due to the fact that the heart monitor went crazy. They were afraid that she might have heart problems and they wanted to keep an eye on her in case of a recurrence.

  Chapter 7

  “Finally, I’m free!” Kallisto shouted when the nurse wheeled her out the door. The young, short, blonde nurse giggled at her joy. Behind them Ramina carried the overnight bag she had packed for Kallisto’s stay. Kallisto heard her cackle and knew she’d be rolling her eyes and smirking. Talus and Kalan had gone to finish packing their belongings at the hotel. William waited out front for them, by the car. He’d heard her little outburst when she came out and was laughing a little harder than was necessary. After the last dream he’d been elated, more so than when they met only four days before. He’d been so ecstatic since he came back that it bubbled over into things that only deserved a little chuckle. It made Kallisto very glad to see him that way.

  “Happy to be out, little one?” William said, still shaking with laughter. Kallisto gave him a glare for the ‘little one’ jab, but he could tell it was mock-rage. She couldn’t keep from grinning, even though she tried. They were both too delighted to even have one hint of true anger seep out at one another. Talus and Kalan trusted William to take care of Kallisto and Ramina without trying to steal them away. The amount of trust the dreams had gained for them in the matter of a few days was amazing.

  When they finally tucked Kallisto safely into the backseat of the car, William drove them to the hotel to meet up with Talus and Kalan. Kallisto knew that the snake had been killed and she’d be safe with everyone there, but she still refused to go into the hotel. The owner had come to the hospital to apologize personally for the incident. He explained that the assailant was dressed as a delivery man and insisted the package had to be delivered into the room since she wasn’t present to receive it in person. The manager had allowed him up against his better judgment. They insisted on giving the money back that they had paid and allowed them to keep their stuff in the room for the duration of Kallisto’s stay in the hospital, free of charge. With the blood from the snake, Kalan, and Ramina all over the place and the broken window, they wouldn’t have been able to rent the room anyway. They didn’t mind waiting a couple more days before starting. The best compensation they’d offered had been the coupons for free stays at any of their hotels around the world. There were enough coupons for the entire year. They’d taken the deal gladly.

  The guys came out of the hotel, interrupting Kallisto’s thoughts. They placed the luggage with theirs on the curb. When William and the girls got there they had unloaded their luggage until it was decided which vehicle they were taking. When they finished getting everything together, Kalan stood there a minute staring at the two cars.

  “What’s on your mind, bro?” Talus tussled Kalan’s hair. Kalan smacked his hand away smiling, and glanced at Kallisto. She sat patiently waiting on a bench, staring at her reflection in the window of the hotel, still wrapped in bandages and a little pale with dark circles under her eyes.

  “I really don’t think we should separate.” Kalan shifted his worried eyes to Talus.

  “That’s fine. Kallisto can ride with you.” Talus gave her a longing gaze, and then turned back to Kalan with a smile. “I should be able to travel fifteen hours without her.” The only problem with Talus’
smile was that it didn’t reach his eyes. Kalan shook his head.

  “When are you going to learn not to lie to us? Haven’t you learned anything from the dreams?” Kalan chuckled. “I didn’t just mean Kallisto and me–I meant all of us. She’s still too weak to be very far away from me. If the dreams have taught me anything it’s that we heal faster when we’re close to each other.” Kalan paused, directing his eyes in Kallisto’s direction again.

  “That doesn’t explain the ‘all of us’ part.” Talus considered Kallisto again and his confusion turned to longing once more.

  “See what I mean? You don’t want to be away from her, either. I don’t want to be away from Ramina, and that leaves William by himself, and I don’t think he could stand being very far from Kallisto either. They seem to have some type of connection between them.” He and Talus watched as William went to Kallisto’s side. William looked strange, almost sickly. He brushed a few strands of hair away from Kallisto’s face; as he did his skin touched hers, he shivered and it was as if the depression melted away. He seemed stronger, and if at all possible, happier.

  “I see what you mean,” Talus said as he watched. He turned to Kalan. “Well...you can leave your car with ours at our friend’s garage. We’ll come back for it another time.” With that said, they were ready to get everything loaded and be on their way.

  After dropping Kalan’s car off, they all piled into Kallisto’s car, the trunk was big enough to hold the entire collection of luggage, although it was a snug fit.

  William drove the first 400 miles. Ramina sat up front with him. Talus and Kalan sat on either side of Kallisto so that she’d be touching Kalan at all times and she wouldn’t be far from Talus. Kallisto lay across them in the seat, her feet in Kalan’s lap and her head against Talus’ stomach, cuddled in his arms. She could still see William through the rear view mirror. After a few hours of driving, William started getting the same look that he had at the hotel. Reaching over his seat, Kallisto placed her hand on his neck, and the feeling of the river flowed through her again. William shivered and the strange look melted away just like before. Kallisto kept her hand there for a while, letting the river flow. Eventually, the effects of the comfort Kallisto felt had taken its toll and she fell into a quick, dreamless sleep.

  When she woke, they were home. Kalan opened her door and helped her out of the car. The pain was gone, as though being near Kalan really had helped heal her wounds. Talus and William met Kalan and Kallisto at the front of the car, Ramina trailing behind. Hope ran out of the house.

  “Kallisto! Are you alright?” She ran up to Kallisto and hugged her neck.

  “I feel much better, Mom.” Kallisto paused as she pulled away and looked in Hope’s eyes. “I believe we have a lot to talk about,” Kallisto said with a weak grin. Hope sighed with relief but there was something more in her eyes, Kallisto couldn’t tell what it was, though.

  “Yes, it seems that we do,” she said, and then looked at Talus as she spoke. There was sadness in her eyes but her lips curved in a pleased smile, as though she was happy to see him. She looked at Kalan then. “There’s my baby boy. I missed you so much,” she said as she hugged him. Hope led them into the house when she pulled away.

  Kallisto settled on the couch between Kalan and Talus. They all got settled around each other in the room; apparently no one wanted to get more than a few feet from the others, but Hope took the chair across from them. She looked at them smiling.

  “It is so good to see you all together again.” They exchanged a confused look before turning their gazes back to her. They figured that she knew, but hearing her say that they were together again was a surprise they weren’t expecting. Kallisto scanned the others and saw similar expressions of what she imagined she looked like. Shocked and awed expressions; most of their eyes were wide and William’s and Kalan’s mouths were open. Talus’, Ramina’s, and Kallisto’s were in a tight line. There was nothing they could say. The new information had them shocked into silence. “Seeing you together again is both a happy and sad occurrence,” she continued.

  “How is it sad, Mom?” Kallisto said through the astonishment.

  “Let me explain a little before I tell you why it’s sad.” Leaning over the arm of the chair, she pulled a box from under the table. “The objects in this box are from some of your previous lives. They were entrusted to my family by you in different lifetimes. Each piece is something you collected to help you remember why you’re here and what you’re supposed to do during the time you have here. I kept this box in storage until you left for Phoenix. The dreams were the first sign. Your eyes were the second. I’ll explain that in a bit. I put this box here and waited for you to come home.” She pulled out the first piece.

  “This is a piece of a tablet that is a clue needed to find some kind of door that you’ll need to open. None of you were certain what type of door or where it led, or even where it was, but you collected several pieces of this tablet. You nearly completed it in your last life. I was a teenager when I saw you the last time. Kalan and Kallisto played the part of my younger siblings, rather than my children back then.” She paused, judging their reactions. Kallisto felt Kalan stiffen at the same time she did. Talus’ arm tightened on her shoulders and William’s hand was rubbing her shin. Ramina’s arm was around Kalan and she tightened her grip on Kallisto’s shoulder. Kallisto felt much love but very claustrophobic at the same time.

  “The rest of the pieces are in here. You can put them together later.” She placed the piece back in the box. After rummaging through the box for a few seconds Hope pulled out a few pages of yellowed paper. “These are explanations of your tattoos. I’m sorry that I had to tell you that we put them on you, but you must understand now that it was necessary to keep that secret until the right time.”

  “We understand Mom, it’s okay,” Kalan said, speaking softly.

  “Thank you.” She smiled lovingly, and focused her attention to the paper in her hand. She flipped the first page around so they could see it. “This is a drawing of Talus and Kallisto’s tattoos. On the bottom it explains what it represents, which I’m sure you’ve already figured that one out through your dreams.” She saw them nod and inclined her head to the page.

  “It also explains what it really means. Yes, it does mean that you complete each other and that you are meant to be together, but it also means that if something happens to one the other will know. You are two pieces of a whole; what happens to one piece will affect the other. I can’t tell you any more than that, but I can tell you that the longer you are together, the stronger this bond will become.” She paused as she flipped to the next paper and showed then a drawing of Kalan’s and William’s tattoos.

  “Before I explain these, I feel that I should explain something else first. Kalan and Kallisto are true full-blood siblings. There was no fabrication to that fact. Your lives are linked together; when one dies, so does the other. There’s no way around this. The only difference between now and then is that you’re able to be apart longer than you ever were before, but in every life being separated for extended periods of time triggers certain abilities. The reason I sent you to your brother so abruptly was because of the dreams. When they started getting more frequent, I knew you would start getting sick soon, and I didn’t want to take the chance of you getting too sick to go. Of course, your brother would’ve come home then, but you would never have met Talus that way. I knew that Kalan had met Talus, because only some connection with Talus can start the dreams. The abilities that I spoke of should’ve already surfaced. Have you noticed anything different?”

  “I take it you are referring to the ability to tell lie from truth, Kalan’s ability to control me, and the ability to read thoughts,” Kallisto said quietly, still in a slight state of shock. Hope’s eyes widened.

  “You already started reading thoughts?” she asked surprised.

  “No; not yet anyway. We’ve seen it in the dreams, but we haven’t tried to do it ourselves; but we do have the gift o
f discernment now. Why? Are we not supposed to read thoughts yet?” Kalan asked. Hopes expression changed to relief.

  “No, it’s not that you’re not supposed to yet, it’s just that you’ve never been able to do it until after Gabriel teaches you how.” She opened her mouth to say more but Kallisto cut her off.

  “Are you telling me that he is alive now, too?” Kallisto thought she should have known but she hadn’t really thought about it. Hope smiled and nodded.

  “Yes, he’s the one who helps you relearn your abilities.”

  “Does he know about everything already, or does he have to relearn with us?” Talus asked.

  “He’s been raised to know these things. He doesn’t have to be present for everything to be set in motion.” Kallisto started to ask another question but Hope stopped her. “He’ll be the one to explain everything else to you on that subject. We don’t have time to go through that now. You need to learn about everything else first, and then you’ll need to find Gabriel.” She looked back at the picture.

  “I’m sure you’re all familiar with the Christian story of Jesus sacrificing himself on the cross for sinners so that they can be cleansed of their sins, and admitted into Heaven?” Seeing their nods, she went on. “The crosses on Kalan and William have much the same type of story, only you won’t go to Heaven for inviting them into your heart,” she said, smiling. “They both loved you and wanted to save you. They died for you in that life and every life after; you have invited them both into your heart and they’re connected to you in important ways.” Most of what she said was directed at Kallisto.

  “Gabriel also has a cross tattoo. He loved you and wanted to save you, and he died for you as well. Gabriel’s cross is bigger than Kalan’s and William’s crosses, and there is one other difference. His tattoo is not just a cross, but a compass as well. The reason for that is because he is your protector and your guide; he always has been your protector, but he became your guide when he was chosen to take this position. You have heard of the angel Gabriel, yes? Right hand of God, and all that?” She paused to wait for an answer, and after they nodded, she continued. “Well, Gabriel is your right hand, your angel, for lack of a better word. Believe me, he’s no angel, but you will find out more about all that later.” She put the page down and grabbed the last.