Ascension Vision- The Levels of Ascension Box Set

by Amy Proebstel

  Valentina had looked at Behn before she leaned forward to resume eye contact with Willian. “We had some trouble in our village, and our mom somehow sent us here. For her, it was only a year ago, but for us, it was eight years ago.”

  Willian’s eyes widened. He realized at that moment how lucky he had been to only lose a couple of weeks when he traveled to Earth without the proper guidance. He could have been as unlucky as these teens who had lost out on so much more time with their mother. “What about your father? Where is he?”

  A significant look had passed between the brother and sister before Behn answered, “We don’t know who our father is.” He spoke with such finality in his tone that he hoped Willian would get the idea to leave the subject alone.

  Willian was about to pursue the line of questioning further when he saw how uncomfortable Valentina looked. He sighed and answered, “I see. So this problem you were having, has it been resolved?”

  Valentina flinched visibly.

  Willian wondered what could have caused her reaction and wished he would have read her thoughts just then. It was at that moment he realized he had not tried to read anybody’s mind since arriving on Earth. Back in Tuala, it was frowned upon, yet almost everyone did it at some point during the day. It made discussions much more productive when you knew exactly where everyone stood on the matter.

  Behn had missed his sister’s reaction as he had been facing Willian with his back to her. He answered, “Yes. Our mother is now the leader of the community, and the problem has been taken care of.”

  “If it’s been resolved, then why don’t you go back home to her?”

  “It’s a long story, but suffice it to say, it was only resolved just this week,” Behn said curtly.

  “Besides,” Valentina added with more tact, “we owe our lives to the family who we live with now. Without their love and support, I doubt Jon would still be alive. He was very sick when we first came over here. The Wilson’s have been wonderful parents to us. How could we repay them by abandoning them as if their love weren’t enough for us?”

  “What about your mother? Don’t you think she needs you, too?”

  “We’ve only just found our mother. We’re still getting to know her, and she’s still adjusting to the idea that we’re almost all grown up. She didn’t even have a house of her own until this week, so we really didn’t have much to consider up until now. She understands we want to stay here on Earth until we’re done with school. It’s not too much longer, and it would be expected for us to branch out on our own at that point.”

  Selfishly, Willian hated the idea of Valentina remaining even one more day on Earth. With the betrothal customs as they were on Tuala, she would not have continued living with her mother. He would much rather she come home and live with him and his parents as would have been the case if they were betrothed.

  Another fluttery feeling appeared in his stomach at the idea of Valentina sleeping in the room across from his own. His thoughts swiftly turned the idea further, and he wondered if Valentina may have a good point in wanting to remain on Earth. He did not want to shame his family with behavior out of their control, even if the feelings were mutual. There were protocols to be followed, after all.

  The siblings took Willian’s silence as assent. Behn cleared his throat and said, “I think we should get going.”

  Willian’s hand clenched on Pesi’s fur making her growl with displeasure. He immediately uncurled his fingers and patted the spot to relax her again.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Petre was uncertain how much time had passed; mostly he recalled the bartender’s face as he handed over one bruskin after another. One day ran into another; only the drink had changed to something stronger, something which would help him forget the fact that he had lost Jinya yet again. There had been a time when he had only wanted her because she was beautiful. As time moved on, he realized he really did have genuine feelings for her. He really wanted to be able to apologize to her and see if he could make an honest go of having a relationship with her.

  It seemed as though this were an impossibility since he had no way of tracking her down. Sure, he could approach Captain Ahn and see if he would tell him anything, yet the likelihood of that happening was slim to none. The Harbor Master hated him with a passion which he could hardily understand. No, he was destined to be alone and miserable. Every time he tried to find happiness for himself, he always found a way to mess things up. He picked up his glass, glared at the amber-colored liquor as if it were to blame before he silently toasted to his misery, and he downed the foul liquid with a grimace of distaste. He had changed to the cheaper stuff as he got drunker since he was in no mood to appreciate a finer vintage. This liquor almost tasted like cleaning fluid, and it burned all the way down to his gut.

  He set the glass down with a loud bang and raised a finger to the bartender, asking for another round. He stared in disbelief as the man simply shook his head and refused to move. “Get me another drink,” he slurred loudly.

  “You’ve had enough.” The man moved out from behind the bar, grabbed a towel, and began wiping down the tables in the restaurant. He wished Petre would take his business elsewhere. Ever since the man had taken a seat at the bar, his regular customers refused to stay for very long.

  “I don’t have to take this! I’m a paying customer! I want another drink!” Petre pounded his fist on the bar top with each statement.

  “You won’t get another drink from me, Petre. You should go back to your water craft and sober up. Whoever the woman is, she’s long gone. You should look for her elsewhere.”

  “You know what? You’re right. I’m going to go look for her. Thanks for the suggestion, man.” Petre slid off of the bar stool and stumbled slightly as the floor was further down than he had guessed. He bounced off of a couple of tables as he wove his way across the room to the entrance. He held onto the doorframe as the bright sunlight suddenly blinded him. Rubbing the moisture from his eyes, he stumbled the rest of the way through the door and ran right into a man who was standing in front of him. “Sorry,” he mumbled as he made to walk around the unmoving man.

  “Come with me, Petre, there’s someone who wants to speak with you,” he said as he grabbed Petre’s arm and practically hauled him along with him.

  “Who are you? Who wants to see me? Why are you walking so fast? Hey, let go of me and start answering my questions!” Petre attempted to stand his ground and found himself propelled forward against his wishes.

  “Shut up, you drunk fool. All of your questions will be answered in due time.” He paused to open the side door of a transport, and then he shoved Petre inside. He stepped inside and over Petre’s body where he had fallen on his way in. After shutting the door, he called up to the pilot, “We’re ready to go back.”

  He brushed his hands down his thighs as he took his own seat and fastened his seatbelt. His hands felt dirty after having touched Petre. It was obvious the man had not taken a bath in who knew how long and he smelled abominable. The sooner this assignment was complete, the happier he would be.

  Chapter Six

  JON STORMED BACK into his room, unable to believe what had just happened in his own home with his sister. The nerve of Willian, coming to their house without an invitation and then taking advantage of Valentina. When Jena came home, he was going to let her know what kind of a boy she was betrothed to. Hopefully, by the time he was done with him, Willian would be returning to Tuala without anyone still wanting to be with him.

  After slamming his door and pacing across his room several times, he picked up the phone and called the only person he knew he could count on to take his side. Besides, Sofia was the only other person on Earth who knew who they all were so he could be completely candid and not worry about revealing their truth. With the phone ringing, he continued to stomp through his room from one side and back to the other.

  “Hello?” Sofia answered.

  “Hey, Sofia, it’s Jon. Can you talk?”

  �
�Sure! Let me go to my bedroom, just a sec.” She almost ran to her room in her haste to hear whatever had just happened. From the sound of Jon’s voice, it must be something big. She shut her door and leaned back against it. “Okay. Are you okay? What’s going on?”

  “You’re never going to believe who I just punched!”

  “Who?”

  “Willian!”

  “What? Where?”

  “In my sister’s bedroom!”

  “What was Willian doing in Val’s room?”

  “He was practically having sex with her, that’s what! He was lying on top of her, and they were kissing. All I could see was red, and I grabbed him by his shirt, pulled him off of her, and punched him in the gut. He’s such a wuss; he crumpled to the ground in a heap.”

  “Jon, you’re not making any sense. What was Willian even doing at your house? Besides, I thought he was betrothed to Jena. Why would he be making out with Val?”

  “That’s what I said! Willian came over to talk with Val. She asked him to leave and went to her room. He followed her in and then practically attacked her. I should have done more to him, but Val screamed for me to stop. I shouldn’t have listened to her.”

  “Where’s Val now? Is she okay? Does she need me to come over?” Sofia was more than a little confused by Jon’s explanation of what had happened.

  “I left her in her room with Behn. For some reason, Behn isn’t nearly as upset about this whole thing as I am. Can you believe the nerve of Willian? What’s Jena going to say about this?”

  “For sure. Wow. This is turning into quite the mess. Do you think Jena and Juila are already gone? Maybe we should try to call over to their house.”

  “No, I’m sure they’re gone. Juila said they were leaving as soon as they got home from school.”

  “Oh,” she replied lamely. “I’m sure there’s more to this story which we don’t know yet. I’m going to come over, okay?”

  “Sure, go ahead. I’ll see you in a couple of minutes then.” Without waiting for any further conversation, Jon hung up the phone and dropped it back onto his desk. He flopped backward onto his bed and sighed deeply with exacerbation. It was a good idea for Sofia to come over, maybe she could talk some sense into Val.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Petre felt himself being roughly handled again. He felt sickness rise through him as he was picked up from his prone position into a standing one. He turned his head just in time for all of the liquid contents of his stomach to rise and come out of his mouth and nose with explosive force. He heard a gagging sound beside him as the ground quickly rose to meet his body.

  Only then did he realize he had been released from being held and he had fallen back to the ground. It was a strange sensation since he could hardly feel his body. Surely the fall should have hurt, yet somehow it had not. His gaze fixated on a bit of pretzel swimming in the pool of liquid next to his face. He had no idea where he was, nor any recollection of getting to wherever he was.

  “Take it easy!” Petre slurred as he felt someone grab the back of his shirt and haul him back to his feet. The sudden motion caused him to be sick again, yet, this time, he managed to remain standing while he bent over and heaved several times and spat the foul taste out of his mouth.

  “If you’re quite through, we need to get going. You are so disgusting, Petre! How can you stand your own stench?” The man turned his head away from Petre as he kept his fist holding his shirt to keep him as upright as possible. He could hardly wait to see what was in store for Petre at this meeting. As soon as Petre seemed okay to begin walking, he hauled him forward and kept up a brisk pace despite Petre’s continual stumbling and complaining.

  They marched down several long corridors before turning into a darkened chamber. Petre had been scrupulously watching his feet to keep from falling flat on his face again. He looked around curiously when they finally came to a stop. Instantly, the fog lifted from his brain as he realized who had summoned him.

  “Lucinden!” Petre swallowed hard before continuing, “How may I serve you?”

  “Petre,” Lucinden drawled. “It’s nice to know that even in your debilitated state, you recall where your loyalties should lie.” He shifted his gaze to the man who still had his hand on Petre’s shirt and stated, “Leave us.”

  The man reluctantly let go of Petre and bowed his head in submission. “As you wish, Master.” He backed out of the room and shut the double doors as he moved past them. He dared not let Lucinden see how much he wished to remain in the reception room.

  Lucinden waited another few seconds before he spoke again. “How the mighty have fallen. Petre, aren’t you ashamed of how you’ve let yourself go? Look at yourself!”

  Petre stupidly looked down at his own body and registered how disheveled and unclean his clothes appeared. He plucked at the front of his shirt with his thumb and index finger and replied, “I guess I have.”

  “Well, if you aren’t going to do anything about it, then I guess that leaves me.” An instant later, Petre’s clothes were replaced with clean, beige robes. Lucinden smiled as Petre’s shock was apparent. He still did not know why he put so much energy into this man who was obviously a lack-wit. He did have his uses, which brought his mind back to the point of this meeting. The time for fun and games were over; it was time to get down to serious business.

  “You asked me how you can serve me. I’ve requested your presence to help me retrieve something which I have placed on Earth.”

  Petre gulped. “You want me to go to Earth? Why can’t you just snap your fingers and bring it to you?”

  “Be careful, Petre. Don’t forget who you’re addressing. Given the fact that you lost your samara, you should be grateful I’m even willing to allow you to remain alive, let alone giving you another assignment.” He looked at him scathingly and sneered, “Maybe my trust is misplaced to believe you could accomplish this simple task. You may leave now.”

  “Wait!” Petre wished he would have kept his mouth shut. He hastily rethought his next sentence as he saw Lucinden scowl at being abruptly addressed. “I’m sorry, Master. I spoke out of turn. Please believe I will do whatever it is you ask of me.”

  “This I already know about you, Petre. Your tenacity is the reason I thought of you in the first place.” He tapped his fingers rhythmically on the arm of his chair as he let the silence draw out uncomfortably in the room. He liked keeping Petre nervous and on edge.

  “Please, Master, tell me the task so I can prove myself to you again.” Petre would have thrown himself down on the floor and begged if he thought it might make a difference. He could see Lucinden considering his request, and he almost cried out in relief when he saw the slightest nod of his Master’s head.

  “Very well, Petre. I require you to go to a place called New York City. Here in Tuala, it is known as Manzanit. Obviously, you will not be able to use the Ascension Gate in Manzanit as it is held by Elder Wilken who is a devout follower or Jehoban. You will have to travel to Genip where Elder Olguin owes me a favor. You will be able to use his Gate to transfer to Earth. From there you will travel across land and water to get to your destination.”

  Petre nodded as he took in all of the details. He fervently wished he had been brave enough to go to Earth when he was a teenager to prove his rights of passage. This would be his first trip, and he hated to admit, even to himself, that he was terrified of the prospect. Not only would he have to go to Earth, but he would also have to stay there for an unspecified period of time. Then, if the task were not hard enough already, he would have to work out a plan for getting back to Tuala on his own.

  The task sounded nearly impossible, yet he was not about to tell Lucinden he had picked the wrong man for the job. He would go to Earth and complete the task, or he would die trying. He was done being a loser; he was going to prove to himself and Lucinden that he was a man of his word; he could be trusted with the most sensitive assignment. He was going to make a name for himself.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  A
manda wandered around the empty house and grounds wondering what she should do to fill her time. She knew it was important for her to work on finding the next samara, yet the timing did not feel right. Somehow, it felt as though she would be spinning her wheels if she were to force it to happen, so she had to concentrate on something else.

  Her mind kept wandering back to Roswell, New Mexico. For some reason, her dreams had led her to find Shemalla, yet in real life, she had never met her. The discrepancy began to become an obsession with her.

  After her fifth circuit around the garden paths, Amanda gave up fighting the idea and decided to go inside and call her father. In her dream, he had been the one to get the ball rolling in the direction of traveling to the southwest. Maybe he would have some insight as to what she should do next.

  With the cordless phone in her left hand, Amanda sat down at the kitchen island with a pad of paper in front of her and a pen in her right hand. Using her thumb, she dialed her parents’ number and impatiently waited for someone to answer. Her impatience began to simmer when an automated voice picked up her call rather than either of her parents. When had they gotten an answering machine? Amanda thought angrily.

  “Leave a message at the beep.”

  With a sigh of resignation, Amanda spoke into the machine, “Hi, Mom and Dad, this is Amanda. I had hoped to talk with Dad to run something by him…I’ll call back later.” Amanda was in the process of ending the call when she heard her mother’s breathless voice call out.

  “Amanda!? Are you still there?”

  Amanda raised the phone back to her ear and asked, “Mom? Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, yes. I just had to run to catch your call before you hung up. This stupid answering machine only gives me three rings.”