Rushing forward and hugging him tightly she announced, “You’re the best brother ever! Does this mean you want to go?”
“Sure, why not? It’d sure beat sitting around the house for the next two weeks. Besides, you never know when our abilities will be needed.”
“Hopefully never while we’re here on Earth. That’s another thing: Willian seems to think we’ll eventually be moving back to Tuala permanently. Do you think we will?”
“There’s always that possibility. I’d be willing to if that’s where Juila wants to live. From what I witnessed between you and Willian, I’d also dare to guess you’d go as well.”
“I don’t know…” Valentina answered uncertainly. “What about our parents? We can’t just disappear from their lives. That would definitely not be a good way to repay them for all of the time, effort, and love they’ve poured into our lives growing up.”
“You’re right, but there’s nothing saying we wouldn’t be able to come and go like Juila’s parents do.”
“True,” Valentina agreed, starting to warm to the idea. When her brother spoke about it that way, it did seem less daunting and final. Maybe she would be able to work something out in a future which included Willian after all. “I told Willian I’d call him back tonight about our decision whether or not to train with him tomorrow. Do you think you could talk to Jon right now?”
“Sure.” Behn threw his feet over the edge of the mattress and hopped off of the bed. “I’ll be right back!” he said as he confidently strode out of his room.
Valentina sat anxiously on his bed anticipating a shouting match from down the hall. She breathed quietly, hoping to catch any of the conversations, but never heard anything. When Behn came back a few minutes later, she thought maybe he had not even discussed it with their brother.
“We’re in,” he announced triumphantly.
“What? Just like that, he said he’d go?” Valentina was trying to figure out what the catch was to this turn of events.
“Sure. I just told Jon the sooner he learned everything about using his crystal, the faster he could know how to hurt Willian if he ever attempted anything untoward to you again.”
“You didn’t!” Valentina’s hand covered her mouth in shock at what Jon might accomplish if he had more training.
“Nah, I’m kidding. I just reminded him we are really behind in our training and we wouldn’t want to have our mom blamed for the lack.”
“Gah, Behn that was terrible!” She scrambled off of the bed and advanced on her brother who was still standing in the middle of his room with a goofy grin on his face. She noticed with satisfaction that he registered fear as he saw her scowl the closer she came to him. With lightning speed, her hand shot out and delivered a punch to his arm as she passed him and continued out the door, across the hall, and into her own bedroom.
She sat at her small desk and picked up the phone receiver.
Willian picked up after only the first ring.
Valentina smiled at the thought of Willian sitting near the phone anticipating her call. She almost forgot about how their last call ended until Willian spoke.
“Is everything okay, Val?”
“Yeah, I was just calling to see if the offer to teach us still stands for tomorrow.”
“Absolutely. I’m available whenever you can get over here. Are both your brothers coming?”
“Surprisingly, yes, they are.”
“I’ll be sure to be on my best behavior for Jon. He packs a mean punch, you know!”
“I’m really sorry about that, Willian. Jon shouldn’t have done that to you.”
“Yes, he should have, Val. I would have done the same thing in his place. It’s his job to protect you; I totally get it.”
“I’m glad you understand. It must be a guy thing.”
“Probably.” Willian could not help but chuckle at Valentina’s tone.
Without having anything further to discuss, Valentina said, “We’ll call you when we’re leaving the house. Will that give you enough time?”
“Sure. I can’t wait to see you, all of you, I mean.”
“I’m looking forward to it myself. See you tomorrow.” Valentina hurriedly disconnected the call and realized it was another awkward ending to their discussion. She did not understand why every encounter she had ever had with Willian ended strangely. Surely, it would have to get more comfortable…eventually.
Chapter Fourteen
AMANDA HAD ALWAYS had a hard time sitting idle when she thought there was something which needed to be done. Unfortunately, there was nothing to do until the next day when the museum opened. Of course, she could probably drive over to where Shemalla’s house had been in her dream, but she thought that might not be prudent since she had never actually met the woman in real life. She could hardly be expected to go up to her front door and introduce herself as the person who dreamt about her while she was in a coma. It sounded nuts even to herself, and she had lived it.
The previous day had been filled with air travel, rental cars, and eventually checking into their hotel. Coincidentally, it was the same hotel as the one from Amanda’s dream. She did not mention the detail to her father, but she got the distinct impression he already knew based on the sly looks he gave her as they had checked in.
Amanda was most worried about her mother since she seemed on the verge of tears almost all of the time. They were going to visit the jail on Monday when visitors were allowed, but until then they were going to see if Shemalla really did work at the museum. Amanda and her father both hoped the quest to find Shemalla would help to distract Diane from her preoccupation with Carrie’s situation.
As a mother herself, Amanda knew it was a futile effort. She would be just as upset if one of her daughters were in jail with nobody to be able to see her. It still boggled her mind even to imagine how things could have devolved so far that her eldest sister would even end up in jail. Worse yet, they had no idea where her children had been taken, other than knowing they had been put into foster care.
A knock on her door interrupted her musings. She got off of the bed and opened the flimsy excuse for a security door.
“We’re heading over to the restaurant for dinner. Do you want to join us?” Chris asked.
“Sure, let me get my jacket. It’s pretty cold here, or maybe I’m just too acclimated to the Florida sun,” she teased as she left the door open to retrieve her coat from the back of the chair next to the bed. Amanda joined her father and carefully shut her door behind them. They walked down the hall where Chris used his room key to open his own room.
“Ready?” he called into the room.
Diane appeared almost immediately; together, they all headed downstairs to eat. After their orders had been placed, Diane asked, “What time does the museum open tomorrow?”
“The desk clerk seemed to think it opened at noon on Sundays. I guess that means we can all sleep in,” Chris answered brightly.
“That’s too bad. I’d hoped they’d be open earlier so we could at least get one mystery solved quickly.” Diane frowned in disappointment.
“I wouldn’t exactly say anything would be solved, Mom. In actuality, it would only be the start of a new mystery. We don’t know why Shemalla was even a part of my dream. We never came here before to elicit her help, so there’s a lot we still need to figure out.”
“I suppose,” Diane muttered.
“I think it’s all exciting!” Chris announced brightly.
“You would,” Diane and Amanda said in unison which caused them all to start laughing. It was the first genuine laugh Amanda had heard from her mom since they had learned about Carrie’s predicament. Amanda was grateful for the release of tension her mother had been harboring.
Their conversation ceased as the waitress brought their meals. They each focused on eating. Amanda’s mind raced with different scenarios which might play out at the museum the next day. She desperately hoped they would get some answers.
This trip would be very d
epressing if nothing came of it except a visit to the jail. There was nothing they could do for her sister except be there to show support, but it hardly seemed enough to erase the pain the family would be enduring as the drama of the trial unfolded. They had a long road ahead of them where this matter was concerned.
Because the conversation was so strained, nobody wanted to continue to sit and attempt it any longer than necessary, and they all returned to their rooms for the night. Amanda sat on the only chair in her room and opened up her cell phone. She missed Riccan terribly, but she was unsure whether or not she wanted to answer his questions about their progress. There really was nothing to report, yet she wanted to hear her husband’s voice. She hit the programmed button and held the phone to her ear.
Riccan answered on the second ring. “Hello.”
“Hi, honey,” she sighed. “It’s good to hear your voice.”
“I take it you haven’t gotten anywhere yet. It’s okay; I know tomorrow will be different. You know, as soon as you told me about your plan to go to Roswell, I couldn’t help but feel stupid for not suggesting the same thing sooner. I’m just sorry for the other reason you’re actually there. Have you heard anything about your sister yet?”
“Nothing. Mom’s really upset that the jail she’s in doesn’t allow visitors on the weekends. It seems stupid to me, too. Most people would have the weekends free, but I guess it’s because she’s in the county hold and not in the prison. I guess we can be glad for that, right?”
“That’s for sure. Do you think it would help if I made a few phone calls? Maybe I could bargain for her release,” Riccan suggested hopefully, wanting to give his wife renewed hope.
“Let’s just see what happens. I don’t know how things work here, and I wouldn’t want our interference to cause more problems for her. Carrie has enough wrong right now.
“We’re going to visit the museum tomorrow. I guess they open at noon.”
“I wish I were there with you. Maybe I should fly over there and go with you. What do you think?”
“As much as I’d love that, it didn’t happen that way in my dream. I think we should try to be as accurate to the original accounting as we can be.”
“How’s that going to work? You don’t exactly have a broken arm, do you? One of the things Shemalla did in your dream was to heal you before she sent you to Tuala.”
“True,” Amanda mused. She wondered if she were reading more into the dream than she should. It would be nice to have Riccan with her. She shook her head and said, “I think we should leave it the way it is for now. If I need you, then I know you’ll be here in a heartbeat.”
“Damn straight! I’d bring the telepod if you needed me immediately. I’m pretty sure the people there in Roswell wouldn’t think twice to see another spaceship in their midst. Can you imagine it? I might just come if only to see their reactions!”
Amanda burst out laughing at her husband’s absurd comment. “You’d better not, mister! I like my life with you just fine, and I don’t want to jeopardize anything just for your amusement.”
Pleased with his ability to make Amanda laugh, he relented easily. “If you insist! I’ll be a good boy.”
“Good boys are often rewarded,” she replied with a lowered tone in her attempt at being seductive.
“Grrr, I’ll be verrry good!”
Amanda chuckled again and then asked, “Have you heard anything from the girls?”
“Not a word. I’m sure my mother has been thrilled to pieces to have them stay at their house. If there were any problem, though, they’d be certain to get ahold of me.”
“Well, I guess that’s all I got. How about you? What have you been up to?”
“Nothing important really. I spent the day reading through some of the ancient text in the samara room. I was hoping to find another new entry, like the one you discovered. Unfortunately, I came up empty-handed. Really, I spent most of the day moping around the house wishing I could have come with you. I love you, Amanda. I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. Hopefully, we’ll be able to come home by the middle of the week. Dad wasn’t able to get too much time off of work, but we need to see what we can do about getting Carrie’s kids moved into my parent’s house.”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks! I feel like this is going to be an uphill battle. I’ll call you tomorrow after we’re done at the museum to let you know how it went.”
“Cool, I’ll look forward to it. Good-night.”
“Good-night.” Amanda shut her phone and set it on the nightstand. Without anything else to do, Amanda undressed and got into her bed. She picked up the remote and turned on the television. She flipped through the channels until she came to a program called ‘History’s Mysteries’ and decided to watch it to hear what they had to say about the other worlds which she now knew something about personally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daven rushed back to his Residence and found the girls had abandoned their post in the library for a walk on the garden paths near the landing field. They rushed toward him as he set the telepod down on the ground and exited the vehicle. It warmed his heart to see their excitement to see him. He realized he had not received such a warm reception since the days when Riccan had been young enough to do it himself.
“How did it go, Grandpa?” Juila asked as they came close enough, even as she stepped closer to give him a warm hug of welcome. She moved to the side so Jena could also greet him.
“It was an interesting case, to be sure. Let’s go inside, and I can tell you all about it with Nena there as well. From the impression I got, I think this situation involves all of us somehow.”
Their grandfather’s statement was sufficiently cryptic enough to pique their interest and keep them from asking questions until they were inside the privacy of Daven’s study. Nena had been found in her own office and summoned on their way past.
“Please shut the door, Nena,” Daven asked politely as his wife entered his office last.
More than a little puzzled by his request, she complied and immediately took a seat next to him as the girls had already occupied the chairs across the desk from him. “What’s going on Daven?”
Daven spent the next few minutes sharing the story of the illness in the town and how he had come to realize the means for the spread of the sickness. “I’m afraid the man who came to town to sell bread and who happened to leave town just as I got there may have been sent by Lucinden. There was a strange darkness to the infected cells, the like of which I’ve never encountered before. Girls, do you know anything from your healing classes about this?”
The girls looked at one another for only an instant before Jena answered, “No, nothing. How strange.”
“Strange indeed, and scary as well!” Nena agreed wholeheartedly. She did not like the implications of this new threat to the people of Tuala. She knew Lucinden was willing to go to any extreme, but she never guessed he would go so far. Nena shivered in fear of what was to come next.
“We’re on to him now. I’ll be sure to let the other Elders know what I’ve discovered. Lucinden won’t be able to use this tactic again and be very successful. Forewarned is forearmed.”
“That’s true, but what will he do next? What will we have to discover next?” Nena asked.
“We’ll have to trust Jehoban will give us insight and protect us; it’s really all we can do right now.” Daven leaned forward and gently patted his wife’s knee, glad for the ability to have her near.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Figuring out how to get transportation to New York City proved more complicated than Petre had first imagined. Eventually, he had been able to use enough elemy to create the proper documentation he had seen the other passengers using to be granted access to the bus. Apparently, since they were crossing over into another country, he needed something called a passport.
After befriending another passenger while sitting on the bench in the terminal, Petre was able to inspect one of the infamous docu
ments in enough detail to create one for himself. He was disgusted with how easy it was to fool the officials at the ticket booth even as he congratulated himself for succeeding.
He had been riding on the large, noisy, smelly bus for over twenty-four hours and he was weary of the tedious travel methods of Earth. If he were back home, he could have been in Manzanit in a matter of seconds instead of days. Of course, if he were back home, he would probably be drunk in a bar somewhere. Instead, he was on an important mission for Lucinden, and he did not plan on disappointing him again.
The plan seemed simple enough; he had to meet with a man named Stephen Gascon. How that was to come about was up to his own ingenuity. It seemed pretty straightforward enough to Petre’s mind, and he planned on getting home before the end of the week. That part of the plan was still a little sketchy since he was uncertain how he would be getting back to Tuala unless he were to travel all the way back to Winnipeg. He shook his head in denial of that option as taking too long. He would figure out another way, something more expeditious.
One good thing about the long trip to New York, Petre did not have to try to figure out sleeping accommodations since he merely slept in his seat. When he did finally reach his destination, he was going to have to find this unknown man. Really, how hard could it be?
Surely the people of the town would be able to direct him to Stephen Gascon. Every town he had ever encountered was well able at least to be civil enough to direct him to the right house, not that they were always civil to Petre because of his reputation. At least he would not have to worry about his reputation preceding him on Earth.
His travels thus far had not disabused him of this notion. He began looking forward to completing his mission and returning triumphantly to Lucinden. He was certain there would be a great reward for him in the end. With this pleasant thought in mind, Petre rested his head against the cold window, closed his eyes, and fell fast asleep.
Chapter Fifteen
Ascension Vision- The Levels of Ascension Box Set Page 38
