Legacy of Judas - Book One

by Aragon, Christian

  We found out later that for the few moments prior to Victoria giving the command for the eleven of them to regroup with her that several of them ended up in some rather precarious predicaments. Two of the men somehow ended up in the same convent in Europe during the evening meal. They were naked in the middle of the dining hall. One of them was atop a long table with nuns staring up at his … well … enlightenment. One of the women found herself standing on top of a car in a busy automobile convention. Another man and one of the women popped up in a high-crime ghetto somewhere on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. The rest of them ended up in relatively quiet places where they weren’t noticed and therefore caused no commotion. But since all of them were now young, attractive, and completely nude, they all quickly remembered what embarrassment felt like until they whisked away after hearing Victoria’s command to regroup at her location. She now has eleven flesh and blood-equipped souls at her command, and she didn't have to sully her coffer in the least to acquire them.

  It was much more obvious that Vic had thought this whole thing out much more thoroughly than we gave her credit for. She had clothing already purchased, washed, and laid out for her new arrivals to don as soon as they arrived. All but one of them. For reasons Vic is refusing to divulge to us and to the eleventh soul from Purgatory, she has no clothing available, though we know she has more clothing since she didn’t know how many souls she’d be able to collect. She requested of the last of the female souls to simply go to the room Victoria had prepared for her and remember what it’s like to have a good night’s sleep. Vic asked the other ten to dress if they liked and go out to see what little of the world they could before she called on them again, or they could get some rest. She left the choice up to them, which is something very different from what any demon ever gave me or those they had in their servitude.

  Amazingly all of them decided that after all their years of aimless wandering they would enjoy a night of pleasant sleep, and so they did.

  Vic’s coffer is clear of any new tainting as she has given eleven souls a reprieve from their past lives’ ignorances and lack of will. She’s happy with this decision, but still carries the guilt of the Sinful Seven.

  Journal entry XXXV

  Today Victoria did something I did not believe I’d see her do for a long time to come, if ever. She called before her the souls of the seven children. She has had complete privacy for some days to contemplate what she was about to do. She even neglected her college studies a bit because of the distraction she’s been ensnared in. It has also been several weeks since Vic and Vin have spoken to each other, and I have some suspicion this is what’s causing her recent melancholy and driving her decision to collect souls, but she hasn’t opened up about it yet.

  We sat quietly as the Sinful Seven gathered before Vic. One by one, over just a few seconds, each of their bright luminescent spheres popped into Victoria’s room akin to popcorn kernels popping over a flame. Then each bright little sphere projected itself into the shapes and naked features of each of the seven children. They were so young. This was the first time since the day Victoria and these seven children signed the contract they’ve all seen each other again. It was so difficult. All of us could feel the tension Vic was throwing off as she sat with her head bowed. She was trying to simply relax before looking upon these seven little souls. For this moment, which was slowly approaching, all of us within the book felt a great humility because of our part in Victoria’s acquisition of these particular souls. We knelt on the floor beside Vic’s feet and did nothing more than stare up at her face and wait for whatever was to happen next. After several very tense and silent moments Cynthia spoke up with such an innocent and beautifully youthful voice.

  “It is good to see you again, Victoria.” We never took our eyes off Vic’s face and by the time Cynthia finished trying to break the tension a single tear rolled down Vic’s cheek, and then dropped and hit the floor.

  Finally Vic opened her eyes and ever so slowly raised her head to look upon the seven little souls. She took several moments to look over each one of them until her gaze fell upon Johnny. She broke out into tears and was completely unable to keep any composure.

  In Hell, more often than not, a keeper of souls would torment any new acquisitions the moment they were acquired. The demons would do this to set the pecking order and show they were to be feared by those bound to them by a blood-signed contract. But now Victoria understands more so than any what these seven are and torment should not be their reward under any circumstance.

  I must admit that for a moment I believed she would release the children from their contracts thereby allowing them to move on. I could see though, that against her urge to do this, she decided to keep them in contract and for the first time she would put souls in active service to her. But first she had to say something to them, something that would never be uttered by any demon who collected souls. One by one, whilst on her knees before them she stared into their eyes …

  “I’m sorry.”

  Once she had said it to each of them, individually, they all looked to one another, and then back to Victoria with sweet little grins on their faces.

  “We forgave you the day our souls left our bodies.” Johnny’s words rang out, in smooth and forgiving inflections, as each of the other six followed and repeated his words. Johnny stepped forward, lifted Vic’s crying face, and looked deep into her eyes.

  “One day, Victoria, you will understand it didn’t matter. We have kept ourselves busy playing and being children until the time you call upon us, and we are glad to be here for you.”

  Even we within the book didn’t know what he meant by it didn’t matter, but each of them agreed and Vic was left with little to say. Johnny then asked what she had summoned them for. It seems each of them knew they were not called before Victoria simply to hear an apology.

  Vic explained the basic details of her relationship with Vincent, which the seven were apparently familiar with. She then explained that for several weeks she had not heard from him and did not want to make it too conspicuous that she wants to know what has happened to him if anything. Victoria has not heard from Vincent’s parents indicating anything is wrong or otherwise, but because of Ms. Johansen, Vic doesn’t want to go to Vincent’s parents and ask as they might tell Ms. Johansen Vic had been asking about Vincent. Victoria, having already explained where Vincent attends school, then brought out from her closet a favorite knit sweater that Vincent use to wear often. Each of the bright-eyed little souls stepped forward and placed one of their hands on the sweater. They each commented they could see the stories of Victoria and Vincent together from each of the times either of them wore the sweater. Beth giggled as a red glowing blush flooded her sweet golden little cheeks. Apparently she saw Vic wearing only the sweater just after her and Vincent had finished making love. Victoria blushed and grinned a bit as well.

  “When the two of you were together you didn’t just make love,” Victoria’s brow raised a bit as she became suddenly curious about Beth’s words, “the two of you made something even greater than love. Even when you were dressed and away from one another, like now, there's a … a … there’s an imperium trying to bring you two together.” At first this seemed ominous and a clue as to what Hell’s intentions with Vic may be, but then the seven of them all giggled sweetly and Victoria hesitantly smiled brightly over the memories.

  “Thank you, young ones. Now, I have one last thing to give each of you before you depart…” With that she once again pricked her finger and let one drop of her blood fall into a palm of each of the young soul’s hands. They absorbed it almost instantly as Vic explained they might need it to make themselves appear as mortals to get information.

  “You know why I need to know what’s happening with him, yes?”

  “We all do. We will find him.” With Johnny's words said as if they were carved in stone the seven little souls all suddenly and quietly popped into small embers of light and quickly rushed off to their mission
.

  “I will set them free one day, Azeeza.”

  “I know, Victoria.”

  The rest of the night was silent yet sleepless for Vic. We couldn’t bring ourselves to press her about all her reasoning for these sudden changes. Leaving it at not hearing from Vincent had to be good enough for now.

  Journal entry XXXVI

  It's been three days and the seven little souls have returned.

  Johnny reported that Vincent was no longer in the school in England. He had taken a vacation, which was apparently planned, but he was now over a week late in returning to his classes. I’m sure I was not the only one wondering why Victoria had not only not heard from Vincent for the better of a month, but also why no one has contacted Victoria to find out whether or not she has heard from him. Johnny had no further news about Vincent other than to say a number of the faculty and student body was very fond of him. They were all concerned and no one there had heard any news as to his whereabouts. Even the authorities were also unaware of where Vincent had disappeared to. That was going to change quickly!

  “Thank you, children. I believe you have told me as much as I need to know. Here is what we are going to do next …”

  Victoria and I were both quite certain Ms. Johansen was aware of what was happening with Vincent, and she was somehow directly involved. Victoria instructed the children to remain completely hidden until certain details were revealed.

  Vic called Vincent’s parents. Before she could tell them who was calling they asked Vic abruptly and in worried tones if she had heard anything about their son. They were completely under the impression that Victoria was aware of the Vincent’s whereabouts and goings on. They even said they were a bit surprised Victoria had not come to visit them after Ms. Johansen contacted Victoria to inform her of Vincent’s disappearance. Now our suspicions were solidified about Ms. Johansen since we knew she in fact had not contacted Victoria. That old cunt!

  Vic was able to calm Vin’s parents as they were also upset over Vic not contacting them sooner. Vic’s emotional intelligence, and control of her own ego, was on full display as she explained she had been too emotional following the news, and had been sorting out what to do. Vincent’s parents were good with this answer and in a short time the three of them were discussing what to do next while intermingling reminiscings about his life and times from their various points of view. Ms. Johansen’s name came up occasionally, but while Vic was careful to get tidbits of information about her, she was also careful to steer the conversation away from Johansen. Vic didn't want Vincent's parents to start suspecting their son’s former high school counselor of having a hand in this. They would just get in the way of whatever is going on.

  It didn't take too much trotting down memory lane for Vincent’s parents finally give up the clue we needed to proceed with finding Vincent. At the high school graduation ceremony all the graduates received a ceremonial diploma with their actual diplomas to be sent to them. However, Ms. Johansen did not send Vincent’s to him but instead she hand delivered it.

  The detail of the diploma triggered the instructions previously given by Victoria. Instantly the young souls appeared for but a split second in secession, and then in reverse order dashed as splinters of crooked light from Vic’s abode. Vic kept Vincent’s parents busy on the phone as the seven little lightning bolts travelled close to the phone lines across the country. They were honed in on the voices carrying through the lines. In seconds they were across the country at the home of Vincent’s parents. As they conversed on the phone with Vic the seven began rushing about the house in search of that diploma. Coleen found it and the rest converged on it with her. Each of them touched the diploma; more specifically, they each touched the inked name of Ms. Johansen on his diploma.

  As Vincent’s high school counselor she was required to sign the document along with the school principal and a couple of other school officials. Each of the seven touched Ms. Johansen’s signature. It’s completely unique to the individual, even beyond what the greatest forgers could hope to create. Johansen’s is scripty and beautiful. It flows, swoops, loops, and dissipates as if written on air. Now that they’ve touched it they’re able to track her more precisely than by simply touching and article of clothing or most other possession. The signed name is a direct extension of the character of the person.

  The children shot out of the house causing a cool draft as they exited. Vic heard Vincent’s mom comment about the chill under her breath. Victoria’s time was drawn short by this new development as she knew the children would not be long in locating Ms. Johansen, but that’s when the fine strings of fate met in tension with the rosined hairs of coincidence and a new note hit a high pitch. Victoria chances bringing up Ms. Johansen one more time. She asked if she still counseled at the high school or if she finally retired. Just then the seven children rejoined Vic at her side and delivered the news in unison with Vincent’s mother.

  “Ms. Johansen moved to New York.”

  “She did?”

  “Yes. Just after graduation.” The children again spoke in unison with Vin’s mother as Vic turned to them and held a finger to her lips asking for their silence.

  “She said she had been offered a great opportunity at one of the private schools earlier in the year, but she wanted to finish out her current school year with the graduation. She said she was very close with numerous students and didn’t feel right with leaving part way through the school year.”

  Victoria began navigating her way to the end of the conversation. After another ten or fifteen minutes passed Victoria was able to exit the call with promises of visiting with Vincent in tow. As expected from such conversations the goodbyes were filled with emotions over Vincent and his parents thanking Victoria for the call.

  Vic stopped to steady herself. She understands the value of not letting any one emotion take complete control. It’s one of her greatest strengths with or without the Unity Command. It’s simply something innate and omnipresent. Once composed to her satisfaction, she gently asked the seven young souls to go locate Ms. Johansen, but under no circumstance should they engage her in even the slightest way. Perhaps their obedience is their single greatest attribute since … well …

  “When you’ve located Ms. Johansen I’d like one of you to come back and get me. Please don’t fight over who comes back.” The children grinned, giggled, and then popped off to their task.

  Not long thereafter Vic was stopping the car and asking the children to tell her what they saw. Apparently their experience in seeing Ms. Johansen was stranger than what I had seen the first time I saw the woman. The seven joined hands in a circle with Victoria completing the circuit. She could see everything they had seen from all seven points of view. I gently rested a hand within Vic’s mind to observe and ward if needed.

  The children entered her home where they did not immediately find Ms. Johansen, but they could feel it was the correct location. The vision of the combined memories, though entirely within Vic’s mind, immersed her in the atmosphere and details of Ms. Johansen’s abode right down to the thirty-seven cents residing in a never-before-used black marble ashtray on an end table. The children’s recollections took us detail for detail throughout the house in the manner they each moved through it, so there were moments when the details and contents of the structure collided within Vic’s mind giving to all manner of strangeness as her mind struggled at moments to maintain what made sense from what didn't.

  One of the children heard someone starting the shower down the hall. They all rushed to the threshold of the doorway just in time to see Ms. Johansen from behind. She was unzipping the back of her conservative dress and slipping out of her shoes. She let loose her dress and it dropped freely to the floor, at which time Johnny remarked at how gross the woman’s body was. Leave it to the youthful to be so direct and honest with their wording, ignorant though it may be.

  Johansen’s body, to the credit of Johnny’s honesty, was quite stricken with mommy marks as well as a c
opious amount of varicose squiggles, swirls, and slender swashes all about her backside and thighs. As so harshly expressed just moments prior, Johansen's body gave the appearance of being very infirm, almost grotesquely so with areas of skin hanging on her like cloth draped loosely on a mannequin. This physiognomy seemed to contradict that of her form while dressed almost too much to seem like it was the same body clothed as when nude. Her skin seemed almost translucent and somewhat pasty to the point of her major veins being nearly visible and almost seeming to lie atop her skin rather than beneath it. All of which, when considered in its entirety with what we saw of that day in her office, lended heavily to a seemingly purposeful attempt at being unattractive.

  The children believe that somehow Ms. Johansen heard or sensed Johnny when he yelled Oh, gross! because Ms. Johansen turned their direction when he said it, but more importantly they saw her eyes, or I should say, her lack of a set of eyes, just as when I first saw her.

  After apparently deciding she was in fact alone she slipped off her knee-highs and stepped into the shower. We saw, as she opened the shower curtain and stepped into the water, her entire form, from hair to heel, suddenly grew young and firm with a total absence of the age and the ravagings of a life lived hard. Her hair relaxed into long, soft spiraling curls of pale blonde twirling to the middle of her back, and then longer as the weight of the water settled in. She turned once more and looked in the direction of Johnny and his gang and her face softened as youth flowed into her skin and overtook the stories of her life presented in her wrinkles, freckles and aged blemishes. Johansen's eyes were as green and bright as emeralds; yes, we could see them. I could see them! Surely this was only because of the dual filter of the children and Vic, but we could see them nonetheless. Johansen also seemed to possess a sort of golden aura, which pulsed like a heartbeat, and seemingly danced all over her now young and perfect flesh like light refracting through water. She grinned slightly looking toward the doorway, seemingly showing off her perfect form completely unabashedly for an audience of no one so far as she seemed to know. Again Johansen turned her attention back to her shower and closed the curtain behind her.