Ascension Vision- The Levels of Ascension Box Set

by Amy Proebstel

  “Is that what you’ve done, Val? Have you dated lots of guys? Have you had sex? Is that what you’re really trying to tell me?” Willian was becoming more upset as what she had said started to register in his brain.

  “No, yes, no! I don’t know what I’m saying right now!” She stomped her foot in her exasperation.

  “I just want to know the answer to one question then: have you had sex with anyone?” Willian’s tone made it clear he would get his answer.

  Valentina simply stared at him, not wanting to answer at all, but more embarrassed than anything that he had even had the audacity to ask in the first place.

  “It’s a simple question, Val. Yes or no?” Willian pushed for an answer even as he started to dread hearing the truth and wishing once again that he had kept his mouth shut.

  Valentina’s arms crossed over her chest as she instantly relived the horror she had endured. She turned away and whispered, “Not willingly.”

  Her reaction was not at all what he expected. She looked so vulnerable, and his immediate instinct was to try to protect her and keep her safe. He hesitantly touched her shoulder and felt her violently flinch at his touch. Instantly he knew something terrible had happened to her, and he had inadvertently opened a wound with his crass demand to get answers.

  Desperate to fix the situation, he gently turned her around to face him and folded his arms around her rigid body. He pulled elemy from the earth and wrapped its healing energy around both of them. As soon as he felt her muscles relax, he tipped his head down and kissed her tenderly, pouring every ounce of his love into her so she would no longer feel any pain.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Juila sat in the pilot’s seat while Daven let her navigate their way to the Roanoke Colony. Each trip made her feel more competent as a pilot, and each new destination enriched her skills for navigation. She landed the telepod perfectly in the sand and powered down the unit.

  Her confidence wavered slightly as she stepped out of the craft and recalled the reason for their visit. The last time she had seen Ozias, he had practically hung on her every word, making his interest in her very apparent. It would be interesting to see if any of that would change now that he had professed his love for Vinia. She hoped Ozias was not simply an opportunist, mostly because she really liked Vinia and did not want her to get hurt.

  Jena came up beside her sister. She knew what she was thinking and sympathized with her. She leaned her shoulder into her and whispered, “I know it was flattering for Ozias to hang on your every word, are you going to be okay if his feelings for Vinia are real?”

  “Absolutely!” Juila’s response was slightly too enthusiastic.

  “Liar,” Jena teased.

  “Okay, it was nice to know he liked me, but I’m already involved with Behn. I’d be thankful to know there won’t be a problem with him later. You know what I mean.”

  “I do.” She sent warm feelings of love to her sister through their mind link all the while wishing she had such a clear path with Willian. Even though he had professed his desire to work things out with her, she still felt there was a tough road ahead and a lot of concessions to make before they would be in a place they could both live with, let alone love one another.

  Juila grunted sarcastically and raised her eyebrows at her sister’s thoughts, thinking it would take a lot more than that to satisfy herself where he was concerned.

  “Sometimes it’s not very fun to share every thought,” Jena mused, even as she knew she would not have it any other way. The sounds of the ocean could no longer be heard behind them as they continued following their grandfather up the path. From their previous trips, they knew there was only one more corner to turn before they would be entering the village.

  Daven set a brisk pace as he wanted to talk with Vinia before the rest of the villagers took notice of him arriving. He had told the girls there would only be a few minutes of private time before the others would be looking to him for supplies or advice. By the time they were within view of the cabin, their grandfather was already walking inside the house.

  The girls paused to give him a moment of privacy before they went inside. They looked around the area and noticed there were only a few people outside. The last time they had been there, it had been deserted and looking forlorn. It was amazing how much had changed with the reunion of the people to their homes.

  Juila pointed to a couple in the distance and said, “It looks like the people here are all starting to move on with mending their relationships.”

  Jena smiled in agreement. “This place has seen hard enough times. Hopefully, with Vinia leading them, they will be able to find peace and happiness from now on. Do you feel the difference here? It’s amazing.” Even as she was finishing her thought, the kissing couple moved apart from one another, and the girl turned toward them. The distance was not great enough to disguise the look of shock which registered on Valentina’s face.

  “Hey, that’s Valentina!” Juila exclaimed and wondered who she had been kissing. With the traumatic experience on the spaceship, she never expected her friend to be intimate so soon. A moment later, Juila was the one to be goggling as she saw Willian turn to face them. His suddenly ashen expression told her he knew he was in trouble. “Oh, no!” Juila gasped as she felt the anger rising in her sister.

  Anger was not the word Jena would have used for the instant betrayal she felt from the two people she least expected to conspire against her. She could not decide if she should march over there and tear into them for their actions, or if she should turn around and go back to the telepod. Instead, she remained rooted to where she was standing, no longer seeing reality, but rather replaying the scene of the couple kissing.

  Willian grabbed Valentina’s hand and began pulling her toward the twins. He needed to start talking before Jena could be hurt any further. Already, this situation was less than ideal, and he had no idea how he could fix it. When he came closer, he realized he should not have held onto Valentina’s hand since it was another sign of betrayal in Jena’s eyes. Now within easy speaking distance, Willian said, “Let me explain, Jena.”

  “I don’t think that’s necessary anymore; it’s pretty obvious I’ve been replaced.” Jena dismissed Willian easily and turned her attention to her supposed friend, “How could you do this to me, Val? After everything, I never would have expected this from you!”

  Valentina could not look at the hurt expression on Jena’s face without tears springing to her eyes. She pulled her hand free from Willian and covered her face in shame. She should have controlled her feelings and not allowed Willian to draw her into his delusions.

  “Don’t do this, Jena. Valentina didn’t do anything wrong. If you want to be angry, then blame me.” Willian tried to insert himself between Jena and Valentina to draw attention away from her.

  “Are you kidding me right now?” Jena screamed, finally at the end of her patience. “Just a few days ago you professed your love for me and told me you’d had a change of heart. You said you wanted to do whatever you could to prove yourself to me and be worthy of me!

  “Is this what you had in mind? You go and make out with my best friend! Juila was right about you all along, wasn’t she? You never loved me; you were only using me as a means to your end. Guess what, Willian? You’ve found your end. I’m done with you!” She spun around, ready to flee back onto the path to the beach.

  Willian was fast. He grabbed her arm and spun her back around. There was no anger in his expression since he needed Jena to hear what he had to say. “Jena, you have to listen to me. This isn’t what you’re thinking. Please!”

  Jena’s eyes grew wide, and her face began to turn a bright shade of red as she looked down on his hand where it held her arm. She could feel the call of elemy coming from inside her without her conscious thought. Not sure what she planned to do with it when it was ready, she felt more powerful than ever before.

  Willian also felt the shift in energy and instantly let her go. Never in his life had he
witnessed Jena’s wrath, and it scared him more than a little. He stepped back and glanced pleadingly over to Juila to intervene. “Please,” he whispered to Juila, “keep her from doing something we will all regret.”

  “I wouldn’t regret it,” Juila retorted, but immediately began to calm her sister. She sighed with relief when she felt the elemy dissipate.

  Nobody had noticed when Valentina had left, but they were all startled when she returned with Elder Daven running beside her. He had felt the surge of power and recognized the trouble just as Valentina arrived at the cabin door. Not knowing what the problem was, he was prepared to do battle, if necessary.

  “What happened? What’s wrong?” he asked as he looked around for any signs of danger. He looked at his granddaughters and belatedly noticed Willian standing with them. “Willian? What are you doing here?”

  The people of the village were gathering around the strange scene. Everyone wanted to know what had happened which would cause the Elder to be running out of Vinia’s house. Their whispers were getting louder as speculation rose.

  “I think we should take this discussion into Vinia’s house.” Elder Daven used a compulsion command to get everyone to do his bidding without any hesitation. Something was definitely afoot, but it seemed like it was not meant to be aired in public based on the stony expressions of the people present at the edge of the clearing.

  The crowd parted for the quiet group. Valentina was the first to enter the house and immediately began crying uncontrollably. Vinia went to her daughter and tried to soothe her even though she had no idea what the problem could possibly be. Next came Willian, followed by Juila and Jena.

  Elder Daven entered last, and he shut the door, effectively blocking the scene inside from prying eyes. Simultaneously, Daven created spheres of light throughout the room as well as made a shield surrounding the house to keep anyone from hearing or seeing the spectacle inside. “Who wants to go first?”

  Willian stepped forward and said, “I do. I want to start by saying none of this was planned. Jena, you have to believe me.” He looked over and saw her hard expression and then decided it was probably best to keep his gaze fixed on Elder Daven to plead his case. “I literally ran into Valentina at school on Friday, and something happened which I never knew existed. I was going to talk to Jena about it when she got back, but then she came here, and now I’ve made a mess of everything.”

  Daven was more confused than he cared to admit. None of what Willian said made any sense, but he could see it had made Jena more furious, so he began to suspect some indiscretion had been discovered. By looking at how upset Valentina had become, it started to dawn on him that a love triangle was probably to blame. “Start explaining Willian.”

  “I can probably demonstrate it better than any words,” he said as he walked over to Valentina and pulled her away from her mother and brought her in front of Elder Daven. He kept his hand in hers and said, “Touch me and tell me what you feel?”

  Daven saw Valentina’s shoulders shaking with her sobs and was curious as to what Willian could possibly be trying to prove. Hoping to put a quick end to this drama, he did as Willian asked and placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder. The current of electricity raced through him, unlike anything he had ever experienced. His eyes grew wide, and he knew beyond words, Willian had been right to use this method to explain. He withdrew his hand and simply said, “I see.” He turned his head to Jena and said, “Come over here, Jena.”

  She looked defiant, almost as if she meant to refuse his command. Clearly, she was angry, and she had every right to feel that way, but she needed to know what had changed. This was not something which could be ignored or even controlled. This was beyond anyone’s power, and it was not to be denied.

  Jena stepped to her grandfather’s side and looked up at him angrily. She felt betrayed all over again when she felt as though he were siding with Willian in this matter.

  “Jena, you have been trained by Jehoban Himself. I want you to use that training to do as I ask and to keep your mind impartial even though every fiber in you tells you not to. Can you trust me in this?”

  Surprised by his request, her thoughts shifted as she was sure he had intended. “I’ll try. What is your request?”

  “Put your hand on Willian’s arm and tell me what you experience.”

  She sighed deeply, wishing he had asked anything other than that, she reluctantly put her hand out and then gasped even before physical contact had been made. Her forward motion brought her fingers to his skin, and she measured the intensity against the emotions which coursed through and around her.

  Instantly, she understood Willian’s dilemma and wished she had not reacted as she had in the clearing. This had not been planned, nor was it able to be reined in. For the first time in her life, she felt the perfect connection of two souls. With great reluctance, she withdrew her hand and began crying.

  Seeing and feeling everything along with Jena, Juila rushed forward and embraced her sister. She was thankful her sister was finally free of Willian, but she also felt her heart breaking for the complete loss of the relationship. There had to be something she could do to help ease the pain, yet she could not think outside of Jena’s tumultuous thoughts.

  “What’s going on?” Vinia asked, unable to bear the strange actions of her guests any longer.

  “Something I’ve never witnessed before,” Elder Daven replied. He sat down on the bench as he composed his explanation. “It appears as though Willian and Valentina are soul-mates. When they bumped into one another at school, their life-lines fused together, and now they are bound together for eternity.”

  Valentina seemed stricken with fear at Elder Daven’s proclamation. The way he said it sounded so final, almost like a death sentence. She wanted to have some say in her future, but this changed everything. Her choice was now taken from her all because of a chance meeting in the hall at school.

  Using his powers to read her thoughts, Daven reassured her by saying, “It will always feel like a blessing because you will never have to question his devotion to you. Likewise, he will know your heart toward him. Be at ease, Valentina.”

  She remained mostly unconvinced as she continued to feel sorry for herself. She could not bear to look at Jena or Juila for fear of the rejection she was certain they would have for her friendship. More than anything, she wished she had remained at home and this day had never happened.

  Daven was still connected with her thoughts, as it was his duty to arbitrate arguments within his District. He pulled Jena to the side and whispered, “Are you still blaming the two of them even after you have felt the power pulling them together?”

  Jena wanted to nurse the anger longer, but she knew it would serve no purpose. She glanced over at her friend, still holding Willian’s hand, and then looked her grandfather in the eyes. The lesson he had wanted her to learn was complete; she felt peace in her heart first, and now it was also in her mind. “No.”

  He nodded his approval and then suggested, “Make your thoughts known to Valentina and restore your friendship. It’s the most important thing you could do right now.”

  She pursed her lips and gave a quick nod of her head in acknowledgment. She moved away from her grandfather and stepped up next to Valentina. “I understand, Val. I promise I’m not angry with either one of you.”

  With a brief look of hope, Valentina glanced up from staring at the floor. “Are you serious?”

  To make her point, she reached out and touched Valentina’s arm, resisting the urge to pull away as she felt the electrical current caused by Willian’s proximity. “I’ve never been more serious in my life. We should sit down and discuss everything together.” She pulled slightly for emphasis and then took a step toward the table.

  Daven liked the way his granddaughter was handling the situation and approved of her idea to sit together to find out all of the details. What he had witnessed between the young couple was rare and needed investigation. If they could find out h
ow it happened, they could possibly replicate it to make better matches for the citizens.

  “I still don’t understand what is happening,” Vinia complained as everyone began sitting down around the table.

  Willian looked over at the woman who would eventually be his mother-in-law and said, “Your daughter and I have discovered we are bound together by our life-lines. I wasn’t sure what to make of any of this since I went to Earth to work things out with Jena.” He looked over at her with an expression which pled with her to understand his original intention.

  “I know that now, Willian. Don’t worry about what used to be right now; tell us what happened.”

  He winced slightly at the finality of Jena’s tone, but also felt immense relief. Nodding acceptance to her statement, he proceeded to tell everyone present what had been happening up to the moment Jena confronted them. “I’m sorry it worked out this way, Jena. I really did want to talk to you before it went anywhere else.”

  “I understand, Willian, I really do. I have to admit it hurt deeply until I found out neither of you had a choice in the matter. If either of you had been involved for any of the normal reasons, this would be a very different conversation. As it stands,” Jena turned to Daven with a formal tone, “Elder Daven, will you permit the betrothal between myself and Willian to be dissolved without fault or blemish on either part?”

  Daven shifted his gaze to Willian and asked, “Is this also your wish, Willian?”