Hope (The Descendant Trilogy Book 2)

by Theresa M. Jones

  I knew that Russia was on the brink of releasing this new biological weapon that they claimed would cause unspeakable devastation to the world. I knew also, that the United States had their own biological weapon to release, if needed. I knew that Germany, Italy, China, who had previously been an ally of the United States, and France wanted to basically send nuclear bombs to both Russia and the United States, so that neither could release these weapons.

  The whole world had gone to shit and back, and I was just sitting buried in a hidden safe house decorating for Christmas, how messed up was that?

  But I also knew that so far, no one had attacked anyone. I think really, everyone was scared of making the first move, because they knew what kind of catastrophic chaos would ensue.

  I knew these things because we had Order Members in the higher up circles of every major country. We had these people in place trying to keep the peace, trying to explain the disastrous destruction of death that would come if anyone acted. And we all hoped and prayed they would be successful.

  In the last two months, we were searching for the Rising, but continued to come up empty. They were blocking us in ways they never had been able to before. But we knew they were behind these biological weapons. We knew that it was the Rising who was trying to cause this real war, the war in the air, the war that no one could escape from.

  It would open the Fifth Seal. See, the first Four Seals, the Four Horsemen were still running wild, they were out there destroying, causing War, Famine, Plague, and Death as they were meant to.

  But they would go away, in time, (probably rather soon, but we aren’t sure. Unfortunately, they-meaning either the angels or the gods- don’t track time the way we do, so we really don’t know the time frames) if our Order Members behind the scenes could be successful. They would close off again, to be hidden from this world to await their true time of arrival, the day God is ready.

  But if the Fifth Seal was opened, which it has never been opened before, then we would be doomed. The Fifth Seal is called the Great Tribulation. It basically guarantees the opening of the other seals. If there is a Great Tribulation, and the Cry of Martyrs opens the Seals, than we would only have two Seals left.

  The Sixth Seal releases physical catastrophes. Earthquakes and tsunamis. Hurricanes and tornadoes. Natural disasters, in unnatural ways. The Sixth Seal would be opened involuntarily once the Martyrs Cry out. Once the Fifth Seal is open, the Sixth follows automatically and there would be nothing anyone on the Earth could do to stop it.

  And I saw, when he had opened the sixth seal, and behold there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair: and the whole moon became as blood:

  And the stars from heaven fell upon the earth, as the fig tree casteth its green figs when it is shaken by a great wind: And the heaven departed as a book folded up: and every mountain, and the islands were moved out of their places.

  And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and tribunes, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of mountains.

  And though the Sixth Seal is scary as heck, it wasn’t even half as bad as the Seventh Seal.

  The final Seal is called the Wrath of God because it releases his Wrath on the Earth in the form of Seven Angels. These aren’t little babies with cute squishy butts and wings that you think of when you think of an angel. These are Powerful strong beings that come as soldiers to destroy the wicked. These are the gods of old. Gods of War and Destruction. Gods of Power and Justice.

  But they wouldn’t only destroy the wicked. They would destroy the Earth.

  See, the first Four Angels will destroy one third of everything. One third of the land will be burned, one third of the Sea will be contaminated, one third of the sky will be blackened, the sun will be destroyed and the moon damaged, one third of everything will be ruined.

  The Fifth Angel would open Hell for the demons to walk freely and destroy at will. This is the part the Rising is looking forward to the most. Then all their fallen comrades, not only the demons who created them, but every Rising member who has died, would come back to walk the Earth.

  Imagine Damien coming back.

  I shuddered at the thought, as if spiders were crawling all over my skin.

  The Sixth Angel would release an army that would destroy one third of all human beings that walk the Earth. I’m pretty sure that our chances of survival would be pretty slim to none at that time. I mean, not only would we have the freakin’ demons and Zombie-ish Rising members chasing us down, but also an army of Angels. Not to mention the still living Rising Members. Really, where could anyone hide then, when you had to hide from both the good guys and bad guys?

  The Seventh Angel signals the End. The end of life as we know it. The end of the Earth. See, the Seventh Angel makes way for someone big. They used to say it would bring forth God, or whoever is the ultimate deity is. Whether Zeus or the god of the Christians, we didn’t know for sure. But now we wonder if the Seventh Angel would bring forth Lucifer. If the Rising have it their way, it would be their deity to come then, not ours.

  So, we had to stop it. We could not let it happen. We could not allow them to win. And I wanted to fight; I wanted to be in the middle of the action. I wanted to find Lilith and the Rising and stop them.

  But I was pregnant and David would never allow it. So I stayed in my hidden Compound, safe from the outside world, readying the next generation for battle. I had to continuously assure myself that it would be enough. That by me staying there, I was doing my part and contributing to our cause. But I still didn’t believe it, even though it was my own voice telling me so.

  Talk about multiple personalities…I couldn’t help but wonder if every pregnant woman felt like this all the time. Confused. Lost. Worried.

  I walked to the children’s area, where Samantha and the other children were, along with Sharon, a few artists and a few teachers. I knew David would be there as well. The room they were in was similar to the Hall, at least in size. It was huge, but it wasn’t empty or plain white, like the Hall was.

  Instead every wall was colored, in several different designs. It was one of the first things the artists and teachers agreed on, allowing the new children to decorate their room. The logic was, if these children were to be brought to this strange new place, far away, then at least allow them to feel comfortable and like they could contribute.

  Already they had been taught the history, as I had been, of where our Power came from, though none of them had any yet, they all knew they would soon. Samantha was the oldest; she would be six in just a few weeks, with Amber being next.

  Amber was Samantha’s new best friend, and the only other girl who was already five. She was like Sam in many ways, they both loved the arts, and spent more time with the artists than the teachers. She also could already read, well beyond what a normal five year old should be able to. And they both hated math, so they had to study that together.

  However, they were opposites in looks. Where Samantha was fair skinned with golden hair and bright blue eyes, Amber was dark skinned, with pitch-black hair and brown eyes. But they complimented each other nicely. Anytime you saw one, the other was sure to follow. And again, I felt that much more sure of my decision to bring them here. It may be a selfish thought, but I was eternally grateful that Samantha could finally have some other children to be around, especially one that she could grow so close to.

  The other child that was five was a boy named Albrecht, though he liked to be called Al. He was from Germany, and he was the one of the few children whose parents allowed him to come. I had gone with David and Rick to fetch him.

  It was surreal, to be on the other side of the fence this time. I was part of them the unwanted people who show up to tell you some crazy news about the end of the world and Power. But it was good, because it was all still so fresh in my mind that I was able to sympathize with the parents.

  They had said that they knew all along h
e was different. Al’s mother died shortly after he was born, and the father was completely Powerless. But he said that the boys’ mother always talked of the angels, and how her son had been kissed by the angels. Most people thought she was odd, and even he thought she was off at times, but he knew she truly believed their son was different. She said it was in his blood, and that he would have a great destiny to fulfill. He was their only child, and though it was heart breaking for the father to let him go, he did.

  Al, Samantha and Amber were now the closest of companions. Al would turn six only 2 weeks after Amber. Within two months, they would all three be six.

  The other eight children were younger. Only three were four, the other five children were between the ages of one year and three. It was a joy to have so many children there, though in reality, eleven children out of the billions on the Earth were not many.

  Still, once I had my baby, I knew he would be surrounded by other children. And what mother wouldn’t want that?

  Once Sharon saw me, she walked over. “How are you feeling?”

  Though we hadn’t told anyone yet, I felt that Sharon knew something was different. It could be a woman’s intuition, or it could be more… Sharon has had visions before.

  “I’m well, thanks. I came to see if there was anything I could help with here. I’m fairly certain I have decorated the entire Compound for Christmas by now, and I really feel like I should be doing something more productive.”

  “Well…what do you want to do? Today Samantha and I were going to be teaching some of the children to dance. You want to join us?”

  “Sure. I would love that.”

  She nodded and called out to the children that wanted to dance. Samantha, Amber, Al, and Josie, a four year old, and I all followed her out and down the hall to her studio. Thankfully, they set up the children’s room fairly close to the artist’s area. It only took us five minutes to walk there.

  Off to the far right in the Artist’s area, the dancers collected. They were constantly learning and creating new dances. Some were for love, some for peace, or knowledge or hope. The dances were not only a glorious sight to witness, but they could affect your mood, they could alter your perception of reality.

  If you thought watching the Russian ballet would bring you to tears at the beauty of it, you should see a dance performed by some of these dancers. Your mind would be blown at the exquisiteness.

  The dancers came to assist, and created a circle, with Sharon and Samantha in the middle, they would take turns with the new children in teaching them new steps. The other 15 dancers who created the circle were moving subtly, gyrating a simple, graceful dance of courage and grace. I had seen them dance this dance before; they do it every time a person wants to learn to dance. It offers support and love. The dance was smooth, yet Powerful, I could smell the scent linger in the air, like the way the smell of my pine Christmas tree brought me a feeling of warmth and family.

  Amber was first. She stood facing Sharon, with Samantha behind her. In the background, I heard the musicians begin a soft melody, something easy for her first time.

  “Amber, today we will teach you a basic dance of joy. It will help you feel happier than you are and those around you as well.”

  Amber nodded.

  “Do you feel happy today, dear?” Sharon called everyone dear.

  Amber nodded again. You could see the excitement in her eyes. She was probably the happiest child in the world right now. In her eyes, we saved her from the orphanage. She was unhappy and alone before, surrounded by people who didn’t understand her. And we gave her purpose, life. We gave her family and love.

  “Wonderful. First, I need you to watch what I do with my arms and legs. Then you and I will do it together, with Samantha behind you to help, okay?”

  Amber nodded and stepped aside so that Sharon could take the floor. Though, she wasn’t alone, Sam joined her. Together they danced a very simple dance, but you could see Sharon’s Power grow up from her finger tips every time she flicked her wrist, and you could see the tips of her hair change to a peach shade, every time they caught the wind. A faint peach glow erupted from around her feet. If she looked you in the eyes, you might think you had transported to the happiest place on the world, wherever that was.

  Sam didn’t have the coloring, or the Power, but it lingered beneath the surface. If ever I had a doubt in my mind that she would inherit the Power, it left in that moment. Her Power shimmered just below her skin, which glistened with anticipation and love.

  My heart pounded and soared with pride. She was my daughter. She was mine.

  Once they finished, Amber joined in, facing Sharon. Samantha helped guide her hands and legs in the right spots, and the right times. And considering it was the first time she had ever danced, she did exceptionally well.

  As I continued to dance within the circle, the dance of courage and support, I realized this was what I was hoping for. A new life for the children. A place they could train without holding back. A safe haven, not only for adult Order Members, but for children as well. A place for family. A place for Hope.

  This was my Hope.

  Chapter 12

  Celebrations

  This time, as I drove to my mother’s house, everything was different. We left the airport and got into a rental car in the middle of San Antonio, Texas, one of the largest cities in the United States, to drive north for about half an hour to get to my Mother’s town.

  Driving down the interstate, there used to be everything around, gas stations, a million car lots, furniture stores, and a mall. But not anymore. Almost everything was empty and deserted, if the building even remained standing at all.

  The sky was the same blue, with zero cloud cover. And the sun was just as hot and the air just as humid. Even though it was December, it was 75 degrees outside. Not like the 20-degree weather up in the mountains at The Compound.

  But everything was empty, and the streets abandoned. It was devastating to look at. Since San Antonio was one of the biggest cities, it was one of the cities that had been hit the hardest. Once the bombings started, people started leaving, and they left quickly.

  We drove in silence, as I looked out the window, seeing and memorizing everything that had changed. This could have easily felt like Déjà vu, driving back to see my mother, with David and Samantha. The last time we did, Damien had attacked at my mother’s house after Sharron’s traitorous brother told him where to find us.

  After our last trip to see her, she had moved, but not very far. Anyways, it couldn’t feel like déjà vu with so many things looking and feeling so different. The life of the city was gone. I held back the tears that threatened to spill over.

  To be honest, being pregnant hadn’t affected me badly at all, other than the constant urge to cry over everything. David says, “I love you.” I cry because I’m so happy.

  Amber dances her first dance, I cry because I’m so happy to see another child happy.

  I hear any news, I cry because I’m either scared, angry, or annoyed.

  I cry at everything.

  I swipe at that lone defector tear that managed to escape before it even slides all the way down my cheek. I would not cry. I couldn’t help what was happening. We were really trying to save the world, but I had been so wrapped up in Christmas I nearly forgot what it was like outside my home within the mountains.

  We pulled up to the apartment complex my mother was staying at. It was much smaller than her home, so different in many ways it didn’t feel like a home at all. But she felt it was safer in an apartment complex than in a suburban neighborhood, where the looters were so willing to vandalize.

  Before we were even stopped completely, Samantha unbuckled her belt and slipped out the door. She ran full speed up to the door she knew my mother was at.

  Mom opened the door just before Sam got there, and pulled her into a hug. I climbed out faster than any human being should be able to, for a moment forgetting where I was and who could be around to witness my
inhuman speed, so that I could get to her that much faster. To her, my mother, my best friend.

  I joined the hug, squeezing them both between my arms. And then I cried. We all cried. Even Sam was crying.

  Christmas with my mom was simple. We each gave small presents; Sam had made several presents for my mother. Some paintings and even a vase she sculpted and painted all on her own.

  The she presented her with a poem and read it aloud for us to hear.

  My Grammy

  My Grammy is my rock.

  She lets me lean on her when I’m afraid of falling.

  She is my cloud, to catch me when I do fall.

  She is my heart, because I love her so much.

  She is my smile.

  Every time I think of her I smile.

  She is my home.

  Wherever she is, I feel at home.

  She is my Grammy.

  Then we all cried again. I could have written that poem to my mother, as I felt the same way about her. She was my rock, my cloud, my smile and my heart, and no matter where she was, that would feel like home.

  Then I opened my presents from my mother. There were a few little things, like a mother/daughter friendship book and a framed picture of the three of us a few days before Rick came into my life, changing it forever. But the last gift she gave me was different.

  I opened up the small box and pulled out a black velvet, draw-string bag. I reached inside; my fingers brushed the softness inside, and pulled out a silver chain. The chain was longer than anything I had every worn and would probably reach down to below my breasts.

  At the end of the chain was a silver pendant. It was oval a little longer than in inch in length and a little less than an inch in width. On the front was engraved a saying, Tu es ma joie de vivre, which I translated in my super human, Power-filled brain to mean: You are the joy of my life.

  I noticed it was a locket, and inside was the same picture she had framed, the three of us together and smiling.