"Rissa, you look stunning today"! Amber says, giving the girl a huge hug.
Rissa smiles and laughs. "Thank you my dear, you look pretty wonderful yourself, what got the blush up so fully in your cheeks?"
"Oh, we just took my grandmother's car out and ran amuck for a while..I know, I'm a terrible influence taking an officer of the law out in a car he can't possible keep under the speed limit. But it was so much fun"!
"Shall we re-organize the shelves a bit today and create some kind of special for the garden, how about we gather all of the garden fairy stuff, the spells and candles for life and growth and some herb garden kits and create an outdoor display. The beauty of the day just can't be ignored"!
Rissa agrees and the two girls create a wonderful and charming tiered shelving unit outside of the store. Rissa volunteers to keep an eye on it throughout the day, she wants to soak up the sun. Amber giggles, It is a wonderful day! Rissa never seemed so impressed with the weather before, in fact Amber can't recall her every just hanging out near the windows soaking up the warmth as she seems to be doing now. Something is definitely out of the norm.
Rissa is glad for the opportunity to take on some warmth. The sun makes her feel like she used to. The cold within her is easily broken by the rays that her body draws inside. She has to be careful as she retains the energy for a while and doesn't want to become too hot. She laughs at the stories of her youth, stories of vampires and sunlight killing them in flurries of ash and flame. She dwells on the idea of a stake through the heart-doesn't that approach kill anyone? The idea makes her cringe. The sun will only burn her if she absorbs too much of its energy and that would take a really intense day of sunshine and a really stupid child of the blood. She knows the tales are loosely based on the line of her father, that much is clear, but they are so poorly understood that what history exists appears to be nearly useless. It is a good sign that the blood line successfully blends into society with only a few mishaps and discoveries turning into these stories and legends.
The writers have it all wrong on many levels and she finds it very amusing as she learns how to live her new life and to satiate the hunger inside her. She is not a blood-sucking demon with fangs that grow out of thin air when she needs them to kill. She is simply a woman tied to the energy of all living things. She feeds on sunlight, on the vibrations of plants, on the life force of animals and humans and on the force within the earth itself in areas that are healthy and flourishing. Dead earth and creatures offer no sustenance. She is not a killer, though she easily can be, there is no necessity in it for her survival. Her body will survive as long as she gives it the energy it needs to function, and when she fails to do so, it will end as all things end and return to the universe, releasing what energy remains within it.
She has released the burden of her human body, the hollowness of its limiting functions, and become light, unburdened by the weakness of chemical reactions, weak respiration, diseased organs… And without these hinderances, she can run forever, she can take her body to it's maximum without any oxygenation restrictions. She has unlimited work potential with none of the negatives associated with being human.
She will tire only when she needs more energy, but the energy is everywhere for her to bathe in. She can feel it all around her glowing with succulent life. Amber is a source of phenomenal currents of energy, and she recognizes her own blood within her. Amber is like her, but not like her. She carries both blood lines within her and when she opens herself to her destiny completely, she will be something spectacular.
Rissa still knows which side of the war she is on, and has no desire to become a pawn of her father. She will be there beside Amber when the battle begins, and hopefully she will stand with her over the drained and broken body of her father. Rissa knows Amber is noticing the changes in her and is determined to explain it to her when the time feels right...sooner rather than later. She wants to be sure Amber understands the full implications of the change in herself before attempting to explain it to others. She wants Amber to continue trusting her, and she's not willing to risk the friendship. Though the most intense of her emotions have been dulled, Rissa still feels. The pain of her friend’s death still burns like an aching hole within her, but it doesn't overwhelm her, and does not detract from her ability to function as it would have done her weaker human mind.
Rissa basks in the glory of the day with Amber watching her with interest. Rissa seems much more appreciative of the small things. Watching as a butterfly lands on her shoulder and flits away onto a nearby leaf. Rissa smiles at the contact and her smile is full of warmth. She opens her arms wide, and with closed eyes looks up at the sun, the full radiance of it washing over her. For a moment Amber sees the bright golden fingers of it washing over her, and into her as if she truly is drinking it. It has only been there a moment, but Amber knows it is the truth. Something has definitely changed within Rissa. She is so stunningly beautiful, so pure and so natural standing there with the sun coursing into her. She is a beautiful Venus Flytrap drawing her nearer and nearer so that it can feed on her. She feels a warning go off inside, she must not get too close when Rissa is feeding.
Suddenly it all becomes clear, a word pops into her mind, and she has to laugh. Vampire... the closest thing she knows, but completely inappropriate. Rissa hears Amber whisper it, understanding immediately the time for talk has come. She has all she can take for now anyway and feels a rush of power warm within her. She is glowing with the energy inside her and she is an incredible sight to behold. Beautiful from within, this power will make it difficult for anyone to resist her. Amber watches her move with admiration, fear and curiosity.
"What happened?" she asks, already knowing the answer. Rissa has been awakened. The book talks of it as a kind of coming of age, or coming into your power incident. The awakening only happens when you truly have let all that is attached to the human body go. This is what happened during the crucifixion, the rebirth. Rissa is a daughter of Christ. Though it makes sense with the knowledge she has gained, it still seems so impossible. Though she knows the truth, she has not realized exactly what this all means.
Wait, how has Rissa let her humanity go, was there some kind of accident, had someone taken it from her, or had she taken it herself? The truth hits her like a slap across the face. It must have been about Dawn, whatever happened was after Dawn died. If Dawn died then she too should would have had her awakening, she is a child of the Father, she must have been reborn into her power. Maybe like the crucifixion it will take a while. Maybe if the body is destroyed the child cannot be reborn, but Amber knows Dawn is not dead, somewhere inside she knows Dawn is out there somewhere, watching and waiting. Though the connection has been lost and she can no longer sense anything related to either woman, she knows.
Amber must speak to Rissa about this, must find out how much she knows. Something is really wrong, but she doesn't understand it fully yet. She thinks about fire, and the possibility that it causes a true death, there are stories of the vampire that say fire can kill them permanently, is there a grain of truth in that? Or perhaps it's a mistake, and is written about the shifters instead. Perhaps it is the reason animals are all instinctually afraid of fire.
Amber is not afraid of her friend as Rissa feared she would be, she understands; she only wants to know how it all happened. Rissa walks her through the events of that night, her agony, her suicide, the way everything in her world changed. She never actually meant to end everything, she felt heart and soul it was time but she wasn't sure what it was time for. She felt no fear and understood what she was doing. She felt guidance through the process. The instructions had been encoded into her DNA. Amber told her about the passages in the book about her and Dawn, about her theory that Dawn must be alive and awakened somewhere, and that her gifts would be different. She explained the story of the crucifixion and the rising, as well as the golden light that people saw around him as he exited the tomb. She explained that it was the same way that Rissa looked with the
sunshine filling her outside the store. The idea that Dawn could be alive fills Rissa with hope, she truly wants the emptiness to be filled with the beauty of her lover's smile. She does not know what Dawn's awakening might look like, that side of the gift seems to be much more deeply cloaked in secrecy and mystery, but if Dawn is still alive, she must find her.
Amber invites Rissa over so they can discuss the details of the strange book that seems to have found a way to define their lives. Rissa agrees they should delve into it as soon as possible. There is still something keeping Amber from allowing the book to leave the protection of the house. The girls spend the afternoon in intimate conversation and by the end of the day are back to their usual closeness. Amber is relieved she now understands what is going on with her friend and Rissa is thankful she still has a friend she can talk to about anything and everything.
The afternoon takes an exciting turn when the man who once came to see Rissa about his wife shows up. It seems as if that situation occurred so long ago, so much has happened since that horrible vision. Amber can't look him in the eyes as he asks in a gruff and angry tone to speak with Rissa. He is here to place blame on the local witch for killing his wife, he has made himself believe it was the amulet and not his own actions that killed her. He believes Rissa poisoned his wife. He's angry and he's going to make her pay for her part of things. Amber feels his intentions, his guilt and his rage eating away at him. Rissa walks out of her office placing a reassuring hand on Amber's shoulder. "Don't worry, I will see him."
The angry man follows Rissa back into the room. There isn't a sound to be heard, no screaming or yelling. Amber wants to be a fly on the wall for this conversation and the curiosity is eating her up inside. Rissa however has no intention of showing Amber this side of her power any time soon. The man begins spouting his words of blame and Rissa quietly and calmly looks him in the eyes. She barely has to push his mind and his story changes. He has to tell the truth, the veils have been removed from his eyes, he can no longer protect himself with lies. He can see every horrible thing he has done to her, in vibrant detail. He can feel the pain he inflicted on her. He can feel her despair, her conflicting emotions of love and hate for him and he knows now what he has done. The burden of his guilt, her suffering and the knowledge that she truly loved him even after all he had done to her. He can no longer pretend she asked for the beatings, that she was cheating behind his back. He knows without any doubt that she was true, faithful and devoted to her very last breath.
When he walks out of the store, he is a different man, defeated, broken and alone. He walks the streets to his home, where he goes directly into his bedroom and pulls out the handgun he keeps beside the bed. He slowly loads the weapon and intentionally prolongs his suffering by turning on the video of their wedding. He watches as she smiles and laughs and as tears of joy roll down her face. He sees himself watching her, sees the seeds of doubt and insecurity swirling behind his eyes as he realizes how beautiful she is, how everyone looks upon her with love, she is so special and so perfect and he has crushed this beautiful flower beneath his heel. He puts the pistol in his mouth and pulls the trigger. The back of his head cracking as the bullet impacts deep into his brain. Blood and brain matter on the wall are the final mess he makes of this life. He is no longer anyone else's problem. His son will be adopted and he will never be able to hurt anyone again. Rissa sighs as he takes his final breathe knowing the world now holds just a bit less darkness.
Amber sees his end clearly, she feels relief. The world seems as if there is some kind of justice to be found. One murderer meeting his end, and no one else had to dirty their hands on him. He punished himself by his own guilt and remorse. That is justice. That is balance. That is the way things should be. He is every man that ever laid a hand on her, that hurt her, and her soul rejoices at his removal from this life. The visions feel so natural now, the discomfort and fear that used to accompany them are fading as her understanding grows. She enjoys this one a bit more than she feels comfortable with. Shouldn't she feel some sadness or guilt as she watches a man suffer and die, as if she might reach out and take the gun from his hand. She smells the blood and the hot metal, she feels the reverberation of the shot echo through her.
She feels the stirrings of her power, of her desire to make things right. She feels the warrior within straining at the boundaries of her humanity, and she pushes it inside. She is not ready to release that part of herself for fear she will lose all she has so recently gained. Humanity is precious to her now, love has made it so. She would have gladly embraced power over emotion before she met him, but now she is not willing to take the risk. She has to keep that part of herself hidden, she is not ready to lose herself. She is not ready for the fight, though she knows someday she will have no choice. She will hold onto each precious moment and treasure it for what it is. She will never take his love for granted as she knows how fleeting their time together may be.
Shots Fired
James gets the call when reports start coming in of shots fired in a downtown apartment. There was one shot heard, and as no one has seen or heard anything else, the overriding presumption is that of a suicide or murder. James directs the team to be prepared for his call if he needs forensics and coroner services. The EMT has already been sent to meet him at the site.
When he arrives at the apartment he knocks hard announcing his presence. There is no answer and he has confirmation from the neighbors on both sides that this is where the shot came from. He instructs the neighbors to go downstairs and wait in the lobby as he kicks the door in. He is ready for whatever may come at him from the other side of the door, his partner covers him from slightly down the hall. There is not a sound. He walks through the living room, feeling the stab of fear as he notices the photos of a pretty couple on the walls. There are a variety of baby items still in their boxes in the corner of the room. He believes the wife must be pregnant and gunshots associated with a pregnant wife never end up pretty.
He makes his way through the apartment, carefully pushing open doors and looking for any signs of trouble. The first door on his right is a nursery, the walls painted a lively blue, the baby is going to be a boy. Sailboats and starfish are painted on the crib and the wall. Someone has taken a great deal of time and care to prepare this room.
The bathroom on the left is empty, clean and organized. Definitely the hand of a woman has decorated and immaculately maintained this residence. The level of cleanliness and perfection set his mind buzzing. He senses the underlying chaos of this home from a mile away. This is the residence of a control freak, an abuser, and he would place a major bet on it. He is pretty sure that he will find the husband with a gun in his hand staring at the body of his dead wife. He can only hope he has not actually managed to kill her. There has only been one shot fired giving him some small chance of a possible happy ending.
When he pushes in the bedroom door, he is shocked, and a bit taken off guard when he finds the man alone in the room. The woman is nowhere to be found. A video of his wedding is still playing on the television. He was watching it when he fired the gun. The suicide is clear as day, there will be no need for any major investigation. The gun is still in his hand, the bullet trajectory consistent with the proper angle of penetration. The splatter on the wall behind him evidence that he died very quickly. Something must have happened to his wife and child. This was a suicide born of loss. James feels a little sorry for the man..just a little, he hasn't forgotten the signs he noticed earlier.
He sends word to Joanna and the EMT crew leaves without even checking vitals. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that this man is dead. As soon as Joanna arrives, James and his partner prepare to leave. Joanna actually recognizes the woman in the photos and fills them in on the rest of the story. It was a wonder he wasn't arrested after the death of his wife. When she had came to the hospital there was no question in anyone's minds he had hurt her, but she refused to corroborate their suspicions. He claimed she had fallen against the corner o
f the coffee table, of her own clumsiness and he had simply rushed her to the emergency room. The appearance of huge bruises on her side led Joanna to believe otherwise but there was not enough to press charges against him for her murder. The autopsy had been a roadmap of abuse spanning the course of many years, in her mind the end had been inevitable.
Now no one will have to worry about it. The mood of the crew is one of relaxed finality. This is one case that has ended without any loopholes or bad judgement calls in the courtroom. This is the kind of justice James likes the best. Clean, final and without complications. He opens the door to the nursery one last time thinking a few words of respect for the loving woman that would never get to share this beautiful space with her child.
As he drives back to the office to write up the reports and prepares to go home, he wonders how the contractor is doing with the back room. He has given explicit instructions to ensure the place is spotless before they return and not to forget to close the door again so she won't see the work in progress. He really wants it to be a surprise only when it has been completed. He wants to unveil it in all of its glory for her, especially after she made his day by revealing the stunning automobile he now gets to drive home. He had no idea how much fun it would be to have a girlfriend sharing all of his craziness. He can do or say anything around her, she just gets him.. understands him on every level.
Awakening - Book of Fire (Blood Heritage #1) Page 23
