Ascension Discovery

by Amy Proebstel

  “Do you really promise?” Amanda asked, seeking reassurance.

  “Yes, I promise,” he said solemnly, and then he looked at his wristwatch. He had no idea it had gotten so late, and he said, “You should probably think about going home. If you give me your phone number, and I’ll give you mine, then we can figure out what our next steps will be. I can guarantee it will be the only thing on my mind until I see my father!”

  Amanda grinned and said, “It’s been the only thing on my mind since I woke up. I’m glad to have someone else similarly afflicted; it makes me feel a little less crazy!”

  They laughed together as they left the secret room. Riccan closed it up, so it appeared simply to be a wall of bookshelves. They exchanged numbers before walking to the vehicles out front where Riccan felt the overwhelming need to hug Amanda. Without even pausing to consider it, he pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.

  Amanda burst into tears of joy at finally being back on track in her life. She mumbled into his shirt, “I’m sorry. These are tears of joy, I promise.”

  “It’s okay to feel your emotions, Amanda. Never apologize for that,” he said as he continued to hold her close in his arms. Finally, he pulled her away and looked down into her trusting eyes as he said, “I’ll call you tomorrow. We can plan something from there. Drive carefully. Most likely, I’ll see you soon.”

  “Okay,” she said as she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with the backs of both her hands. “Thanks for believing me, Riccan. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

  “I’m pretty sure I do after all you’ve told me tonight. We’ll figure out what really happened and then we’ll take it from there. Now, it’s time for you to go home before your Mom calls the police on me!”

  Amanda laughed as she got into her car. She thought Riccan might not be too far from the truth when it came to her mother’s worrying nature. She started the car and waved as she drove down the driveway and away from the only other person on Earth who truly understood what she had gone through.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  True to his word, Riccan called her the next day. When Amanda had woken up the next day, she had a hard time believing the events from the previous day had actually been real. It seemed she was just trying to plan a way to meet Riccan when events practically unfolded for her, as if on cue. Maybe she was just playing a part in some grander scheme, but she sure wished someone would clue her in to what she should actually be doing.

  Riccan admitted he had not come up with a good plan yet for Amanda leaving the country, which is how he described it even though it would be a bit more drastic than that. He had learned to use Earth terms when he was on Earth to avoid any unwanted questions.

  Amanda also had to admit she was at a loss. They made arrangements to meet later in the afternoon at his house. She was glad he had picked the location since it would make it infinitely easier to openly discuss their situation. When she hung up the phone with a smile on her face, she noticed her mother had been watching her from the kitchen. She stood up and went in to talk with her.

  “That was my friend on the phone,” she stated simply.

  “So I gathered from the smile on your face,” her mother said without much enthusiasm. “I think you should take your time before you jump into a relationship. You’ve only barely recovered from your ordeal.”

  “Are you sure you aren’t suggesting that you have only just started to recover from my ordeal?” Amanda asked with a teasing gleam in her eyes.

  “I think it’s a mixture of both if you want to know the truth. It scares me to think about you being away from the house. What if something bad happens to you again? I don’t think I could live through it twice!” Her mother turned away and grabbed on to the edge of the sink as she stared out the window into the backyard to control her emotions.

  Amanda took the two steps separating them and hugged her mother from behind and said, “I’m sorry I scared you, Mom. You know I didn’t do it on purpose, but you’re going to have to let me grow up and experience life again. I can’t do that if I never leave this house. It’s not fair to you or to me if that’s your expectation.” She could feel her mother tense underneath her arms and knew she was still unconvinced. “You have grown to accept both of my sisters moving on with their lives. It’s time you did the same for me.”

  “It’s different with your sisters, I’ve never had to watch them die a little every day right before my eyes. I’m sorry, Amanda, I just can’t let you go yet. Give me some time, and I might be able to come to terms with it better.”

  Amanda was thankful her mother was facing away from her since she rolled her eyes in exasperation at her mother’s dramatic speech. This was going to be harder than she had originally hoped. She decided to change the subject with an inspired thought, “Riccan said he knows of a job I might be interested in taking a look at. I think I might take him up on his offer.”

  “What kind of job could you get with your history, Amanda? I don’t mean to be critical, but you’ve never had a job before.” Her mom pulled Amanda’s hands away and then turned around to face her daughter.

  “It’s an analyst position where Riccan works. He said he would be my boss so I could learn at my own pace. He has faith in my ability to learn the ropes. I had thought you would have the same faith in me, but I guess not.” Amanda did not like to put a guilt trip on her mother, but she had to get her to the point where it would be okay to be out of the house for extended periods of time. This was the only option she had come up with thus far.

  As if she were forcing herself to come to terms with her daughter’s desire for independence, she asked, “When will you find out about the job?”

  “Riccan wants to meet in a couple of hours to go over the details. I’m not sure how long I’ll be, but, if I can take your phone again, I’ll call to let you know when I’m on my way home,” Amanda reasoned.

  “I have a better idea,” her mother suddenly spoke up, “let’s go to the phone store to get you your own. I like the idea of you having one no matter where you go, even if I’m not around.”

  “Okay, do you want to leave in about ten minutes? I’m almost ready.”

  “Sure, that sounds perfect.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  With her new phone in her purse, Amanda drove with confidence to Riccan’s house. When she entered the driveway, she pressed the call button on the intercom outside of the gate. Without any words of acknowledgment, the gate began to swing open. Amanda was pleased to know Riccan seemed just as anxious to see her as she was to be with him again.

  She parked in the circular drive and walked up to the front door. Even as she reached up to knock Riccan opened the door with a smile and said, “Come in. For future reference, you don’t need to knock, just come on in, okay?”

  “If you say so,” she replied with a grin of pleasure. Things were definitely looking up in the relationship department.

  “So have you come up with any ideas since we talked this morning?” Riccan got right to the point.

  “Well…in a way, I guess. I told my mom you had a job for me to look into.” She gave him the rest of the details, noticing he seemed pleased with the idea. “I hope it was okay for me to presume upon your generosity.”

  “No presumption necessary, it’s a perfect plan. You can be away from your parents’ house for nine or more hours a day. I think we can make this work. With that idea, you’ve given me an idea of my own.”

  “What’s that?” Amanda was curious to see what he had just thought of.

  “Why don’t we quit standing in the foyer and get more comfortable in the living room?” he suggested as he started to lead the way down the hall.

  Amanda wracked her brain for whatever solution Riccan might have come up with, and just as she was sitting on the couch she snapped her fingers and declared, “You’re going to time travel with me, aren’t you?”

  “You’re quicker than I imagined,” Riccan praised. “I think we can make it
work, for a little while at least. It takes a toll over time, but I think we can manage it until we come up with a better solution. How much time do we have today?”

  “I told my mom I might be rather late tonight. Oh! That reminds me, I got my own phone today!” she announced as she dug into her purse and triumphantly displayed her brand new phone.

  Riccan laughed at her enthusiasm and said, “Perfect! What’s your phone number? At least this way we won’t have to worry about your parents accidentally listening in to our phone conversations.”

  “I don’t think they’d do that,” she defended them even as she began to wonder if her mother would actually eavesdrop and rationalize it with protecting her baby from a predatory stranger. She gave Riccan her new number, and he immediately entered it into the contact information on his phone.

  “Okay,” Riccan announced as he stood up from the couch, “we should get going.”

  “What? Where are we going?” Amanda stared up at Riccan as though he had just lost his mind.

  “We are going to meet with my parents. I don’t think we should wait any longer for this news. Besides, my father may be able to help with your unique situation,” Riccan reasoned even as he was itching to get moving.

  “If you say so,” Amanda agreed reluctantly. She had desperately wanted to meet Elder Daven before, but now that it was an actual reality on her immediate horizon the idea rather intimidated her.

  “Do you still have your journal in your purse?” Riccan suddenly remembered they would need that important piece of information.

  Amanda patted her bag and said, “I don’t leave home without it.”

  Riccan nodded approval with a broad smile on his face. “You sound like an endorsement for American Express,” he teased.

  Amanda cocked her head in confusion.

  Riccan realized she had probably slept through the entire ad campaign and told her about it as they walked through the kitchen and out the side door to the garage. Just as Amanda remembered, the space looked unoccupied, but she knew differently. Riccan led the way and opened the side door to the telepod in the same way he had on their last ill-fated trip.

  She walked up the short ramp and sat down in her seat on the right. Riccan immediately followed and sat on the left.

  “Do you want to practice the start-up procedure you talked about in your journal?” Riccan asked innocently.

  Amanda violently shook her head and said, “Not a chance! The last time I operated this machine we crashed, burned, and most likely died. I do not want a repeat performance! You just do what you normally do. I take that back; you should skip the jump over to the Florida Middle Ground this time since I have a bad feeling about it.”

  “Good idea.” Riccan shuddered at Amanda’s recounting of her final memory with him. He definitely did not want that truth to become a reality. He shut the side door from the control panel and then performed all of the procedures to get them on their way. With Amanda’s premonition in mind, he opted to teleport directly to his parents’ house in Tuala without another Earth stop along the way. It would take a little longer, perhaps another second, but it would give him some peace of mind. Tualan telepods were built with anti-collision equipment so he would not have to worry about their safety in Tuala.

  Within minutes of taking their seats in the telepod, everything went utterly dark and soundless as they teleported between locations. The transfer took the extra second as they moved across the veil out of Earth and into Tuala. They reappeared approximately fifty feet off of the ground at a well-manicured estate even grander than Riccan’s had been on Earth.

  Amanda was impressed as she avidly searched the grounds to familiarize herself with Tuala once more. Naturally, she had never been to this part of Tuala, but it still had the same otherworldly feel she remembered from before. It almost felt as though she were moving through a dream as Riccan set the craft down on the landing pad on the lawn. She could see several people coming out of the back door and lining up on the grand patio to see who had arrived.

  Riccan led the way out of the telepod and across the broad expanse of lawn. He never forgot how good it felt to come home and this time was no different. He saw his father waiting for him next to the railing of the courtyard. Riccan waved as he got close enough. His father returned the wave enthusiastically and turned to someone standing on his right to tell them something. That person swiftly turned and went back into the house.

  Excitement lengthened Riccan’s steps, and he bounded up the stairs three at a time to greet his father in a bear hug. Both men thumped one another on the back, and each stated how good it was to see the other.

  Amanda took her time ascending the steps to allow the father and son to reunite in relative privacy. She had just reached the top step when they parted. His father looked beyond his son and said to Riccan, “Have you finally decided to grant your mother’s dearest wish? Who is this lovely woman you have brought home to meet us?”

  Riccan had the grace to blush as he realized he could probably easily have those types of feelings for Amanda, but he promptly answered with, “Don’t presume too much, Father. Amanda Covington, may I present my father, Elder Daven.”

  The two people put out their hands to shake in greeting. Both said, “Pleased to meet you,” at the same time and laughed at the coincidence.

  “Dad, we have an unusual matter to present to you. Do you have time to meet with us? I’m sorry I didn’t consider your busy schedule when I showed up here so rudely.”

  “Unannounced or not, you are always welcome in this house, Riccan. Your mother will be thrilled. I’m surprised we haven’t heard her squeal with delight upon hearing of your arrival. I sent one of the staff to get her when I saw it was you walking across the lawn. Let’s go inside out of this hot sun,” he said as he put his arm back around Riccan and turned them to enter the house through the back door.

  Chapter Eighteen

  AMANDA STAYED BY Riccan’s side as they went into the grand house. Amanda had wondered what type of living accommodations were made for the Elders. She figured she did not have to wonder anymore.

  “Do you want to meet in here or somewhere more private?” Daven asked his son as he gestured to the enormous living room overlooking the vast estate at the back of the residence.

  “Definitely private,” Riccan said emphatically.

  Daven looked questioningly at his son’s tone but kept his counsel until they could have the privacy his son was requesting. He led the way down several hallways until they came to his private office. He figured his official office would still be a bit too open for Riccan’s discussion based on the serious expression he had seen.

  “Will this do?” he asked his son with a solemn expression. It was not often his son came home, never with a woman, and never with a serious matter to discuss. He was starting to feel a bit apprehensive.

  “This is perfect, Dad. I think we should wait until Mom gets here, so we don’t have to repeat the story.”

  “Are you in trouble, Son?” Daven could not help but prod for some clue as to what was coming.

  “No, it’s nothing like that, but it’s still a pretty serious matter. I think together, you and Mom can piece through the puzzle. We hope you’ll have an answer for our particular situation.” Riccan did not like to be cryptic with his father, but he really did want to have both his parents present before they got into any of the details.

  “Go ahead and sit down and I’ll see what’s keeping your mother,” Daven said, and then he left the room to go search for her himself.

  Amanda turned to Riccan and whispered, “Riccan, I’m really scared. Are you sure this is the right thing to be doing?”

  “Absolutely, Amanda! You have nothing to worry about with my parents. They are uniquely qualified to hear your story and understand the position you have found yourself in. I promise this will work out as it should.” He had planned on saying more, but he caught sight of his parents coming up the hallway, and he hurriedly said, “They’re back
.”

  Amanda swiftly turned around so she could meet Riccan’s mother. She was shocked at how tiny of a woman she actually was, no more than five feet tall if that. Amanda watched her smile radiantly and rush forward to greet her. Amanda held out her hand for a proper greeting but was stunned when the small woman grabbed her into a hug. Awkwardly she hugged her back.

  Riccan smiled at his mother’s enthusiasm and introduced the two of them formally, “Amanda Covington this is my mother, Nena Stel.”

  “It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Stel,” Amanda said very properly.

  Daven and Nena looked at one another with a knowing glance before Nena corrected Amanda by saying, “Please, just call me Nena.”

  Riccan finally caught on and instructed Amanda with, “In Tuala they don’t use the terms ‘mister’ or ‘missus.’ I should have thought to warn you about that before we came.”

  Daven’s curiosity was about to consume him that his son would bring someone from Earth to Tuala. This must be a very fascinating situation for this to have happened. He wanted to get their meeting underway immediately, so he said, “Shall we be seated? Riccan has a matter of some grave importance he wishes to discuss with us.”

  Nena looked at her husband with a look of expectancy. When he just shrugged ignorance of the matter, she glumly sat in the chair next to her husband. She did not like being the last to know something. With a naturally curious nature, she wanted to hear their story in the quickest means possible. “Go ahead; we’re ready, honey.”

  Riccan spoke into the silence and said, “This is really Amanda’s story, but, in the end, I believe it will affect all of us in some way. Amanda? Are you ready?”

  “I’m not sure where to begin,” she looked back at him with fear in her eyes.

  “Why don’t you get out your journal and tell it to them exactly as you did with me yesterday. I think it’s best if they have some history before we get to the part where we’ll need their help.” He smiled to reassure her.