After jamming his feet into his shoes without bothering to take the time to pull the backs up onto his heels, he grabbed a light jacket and left his room. He hurried down the hall and found Melissa sitting in the front room with Pesi draped across her lap. “I’m going to the park to meet up with Valentina. I’m not sure how long I’ll be.”
“Okay, but be sure to call and let us know where you are if you’re not back by dark.” Melissa smiled at seeing Willian so happy. When he had arrived sixteen days earlier, he had been withdrawn and unsure of himself. His confidence had evidently been restored by whatever had brought him to Earth in the first place.
“Sure, sure,” Willian called back to her as he continued his way through the front door. He heard it slam behind him as he walked briskly down the sidewalk and then along the neighborhood road. The park was only about ten minutes from the house, and Willian knew he would get there well before Valentina did, so he tried to consciously slow his steps. His feet had other ideas, and he found himself almost jogging again in next to no time. Giving in, he ran the rest of the way and only slowed down when his shoe flew off his foot when he stepped on the grass.
Feeling slightly foolish, Willian turned and retrieved his shoe from where it had flown ten feet away from him. He looked around to see if anyone had witnessed his stunt and was pleased to note the park was absent of any onlookers. Willian knelt and jammed his foot back into his shoe, this time taking a moment extra to pull the heels up from under his sole.
While he was just starting to stand, Willian’s gaze was caught by movement. He turned slightly and saw Valentina walking toward the tennis courts. She had not yet noticed him, and he could see her expression was troubled. This momentary glimpse into her mood gave him pause to take things easy with her. She was almost like a spooked animal, ready to flee in an instant.
Even without his conscious knowledge, Willian could feel the elemy begin to gather around him the closer she came to where he was standing. Just her proximity triggered the phenomenon, and he knew when she felt it as well. She suddenly stopped, her expression puzzled, as she looked around her and finally spotted Willian. Her expression cleared when she realized he was the cause, and he saw her lift her hand in greeting. His own arm copied her motion, and he moved toward her as if in a dream.
Time had seemed to slow as he stared at her while he walked up the slight rise in the grass. She had stopped next to the picnic bench and sat waiting for him. With their eyes locked, he had no idea what happened as he suddenly found himself flat on his face in the grass. The breath whooshed out of his lungs at the impact, and he spit grass and dirt out of his mouth in disgust. This was not how he had planned on starting their conversation.
He heard chuckling next to him and then Valentina’s hands were touching his arm. The electricity shot through them both and Willian no longer cared what had happened. He began to laugh along with her, and he rolled over onto his side and looked up into her smiling face. This is how he wanted to always remember her looking: happy and at peace.
“Are you okay?” She had seen what appeared to be a shadow cross behind him right before he fell. Looking around them both, she could now only see the park and nothing unusual at all.
Still chuckling, Willian nodded. “I seem to have two left feet today. Thanks for coming to my rescue!”
Relieved to see he was okay despite the strange incident, Valentina reached forward and plucked a tuft of grass out of his hair. She held it out between them and said, “I think you should leave the grass cutting to the gardeners!”
“I agree! It tastes terrible!”
They continued to laugh at the silliness of the situation as Willian picked himself up from the ground and brushed himself off. They moved over to the bench and sat across from one another. It seemed safer to have the table between them since the pull to be together was stronger than ever. Willian looked over to where he had fallen but could not see any reason for tripping as it was just smooth grass.
He shook his head slightly to dismiss the accident and looked again at Valentina. Her brown eyes were a striking contrast to her blonde hair. She was tall, almost as tall as himself, and he found that aspect of her very appealing as well. They were so well-suited together, and he hoped she felt the same thing toward him. The silence had become awkward, so Willian asked, “What were to talking to Jon about earlier? You mentioned something about Sofia.”
Chapter Eight
VALENTINA WAS MORE than happy to discuss something other than their own relationship. “Yes. Jon was thinking it was unusual for how well Sofia is taking the knowledge of our heritage. What do you think?”
“I don’t know. The family I’m staying with doesn’t seem to have any problem with my being an alien to Earth. I guess it just depends on the person. Not everybody is going to be freaked out by us. I mean, we are just like the people here, after all.”
“Not exactly!” Valentina sputtered. “I don’t see anyone here using elemy to do magic!”
“They could, you know. They just have conditioned themselves to deny that part of their brains. There’s no physiological difference between people from Earth and people from Tuala.”
“I guess. But you have to admit there’s a big difference in the way we think about things. Even though I’ve spent half my life here, I always knew I was different. Only I thought it was because the three of us were adopted. I never imagined it was because I was from Tuala.”
“Maybe you felt the pull of the elemy through your birth crystal, and you didn’t know you should be using it. Or maybe you were using it unconsciously, and it made you feel different.”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Valentina raised her hand to cradle the pendant hanging from around her neck on the leather thong. She had always loved the necklace, knowing it had been given to her by her mother.
As a little girl, she had imagined finding her mother because of the beautiful tree of life pendant. She had never seen anyone other than her brothers wearing such a design, so it had to have been a clue left to them from their mother. Of course, her notion had been disabused when she had seen Juila and Jena wearing the same style of necklace; only theirs were suspended from beautiful, ornate chains.
She looked across at Willian and saw the same chain around his neck whereas the pendant remained hidden underneath his shirt. She wished she could see his pendant to know what color the stones were. “I got a call from Mr. Stel right before I left my house this morning.”
“Yeah? Why was he calling?”
“Apparently Gevena has asked for me to come visit her.”
“Who’s Gevena?”
“Well to make a long story short, she’s one of the girls rescued from Viceroy Blair’s spaceship. When we finally escaped, we brought her home with the rest of the Roanoke Colony survivors. She’s gone to live with Rasa in Manzanit.”
Willian perked up at the mention of Rasa’s name. He really looked up to her and respected her. He was still confused about the situation and asked, “What do you mean by escaped? Who were you with?”
“Juila took Jon and me to where we grew up in Tuala. It’s a place called the Roanoke Colony. Have you ever heard of it?”
“Yes. I’ve always heard they were a private group, not welcoming to any outsiders. How did your visit go? Is it where you ran into trouble.”
“Not exactly. The village had been abandoned.”
“What? Where did they go? I thought you said you found the people.”
“Well, when we left the ocean-side town, Juila’s crystal drive failed in the telepod. We ended up floating in space, unable to get home. I was terrified. We were floating out there for what felt like an eternity and then we were being pulled toward another spacecraft. As it turned out, Viceroy Blair had stolen the spaceship from someone else and didn’t know how to maintain it. Their own crystal drive system had shattered on their way back to their own home planet. They held us hostage, until they found out Juila could repair their power system.”
�
��Okay, then what happened?”
“The three of us were separated. I don’t know what happened with either my brother or with Juila, but I soon found out what happened to the missing people from Roanoke. Most of them were being held as prisoners, to be taken to Heliok to be made slaves. The leader of Roanoke, Grobin, had made some sort of agreement with the Viceroy and he was allowed to wander the ship freely.” Valentina shuddered as she recalled the first time he had seen her being hauled to her own room. His eyes had wandered across her body and remained focused on her breasts. He had smiled sickly before he turned and walked away. She felt fresh tears of rage forming in her eyes.
“When did this happen? I wonder why we never heard about it in Tuala?”
“The villagers left Roanoke almost two months ago when Viceroy Blair promised them a trip to Earth.”
“Why would they want to go to Earth?”
“Apparently Grobin convinced the townspeople they were originally from Earth. They would only feel free from oppression if they were to go back home.”
“I see. How long were you being held hostage?”
“Only two days but it felt like an eternity. Juila managed to get the ship repaired and then made a deal with one of the officers on the ship to help her escape with anyone who wanted to go with us. We brought back all of the women and children. Most of the men stayed behind, thinking they would still be going to Earth.
“Why would Gevena go with Rasa when she could have gone home with the rest of the Roanoke Colony?”
“Oh, she wasn’t from there. She’s from a place called Desio. Her father basically sold her to a man to pay off his gambling debts. He…didn’t treat her very well.” Valentina finished the sentence rapidly, hoping to avoid having to explain the actual events which had happened to Gevena.
Sensing Valentina’s thoughts shift suddenly, Willian realized he needed to tread lightly with his next question. He looked around them to make certain they were alone before he leaned forward and said, “Tell me what happened to her.” To be extra careful and without a conscious thought of his own, he pulled elemy from the earth and created a bubble of privacy around them. He did not want their conversation to be interrupted or overheard.
Valentina shifted uncomfortably, and then her eyes widened as she felt the elemy surrounding her. “What did you just do, Willian?”
“I gave us some privacy. We won’t be seen or overheard by anyone. Please tell me what happened.”
Still looking around nervously, Valentina took some comfort in knowing they could talk freely. “How absolute is this privacy?”
“One hundred percent. I think you’re stalling.”
“Only a little bit. It’s not really my place to talk about Gevena’s story. Can we just leave it with the idea she’s too young for the things the man had in mind for her?”
“How old is she?”
“Sixteen, like us.”
“I think I understand why she wanted to talk to you,” Willian nodded gently. “Something like this has happened to you, too, hasn’t it?”
Color flooded Valentina’s cheeks, and she suddenly could not look anywhere but at her clasped hands in her lap. She did not want to have this conversation with anyone, let alone Willian. What would he think of her? Would he leave and never look back? She had to say something, but the words would not come to her lips. Instead, she simply nodded sharply.
Willian hissed slightly through his teeth with his hastily drawn breath. She had hinted at something about this right before their first kiss, but then they had been interrupted by Jena finding them out. Everything had happened so fast afterward; he had not even had time to process what she had told him before. Valentina looked like she was about ready to bolt as she had started to look around her like she was trying to find an escape route. “Since you don’t feel right telling me what happened to Gevena, will you tell me what happened to you then? I promise to remain calm and quiet.” He saw a tear fall from her left eye, and he struggled to keep himself to his side of the table. “Whatever you tell me, I promise it won’t change how I feel about you.”
“Are you sure? You have no idea what happened. How can you promise such a thing?”
“Because I love you.”
“What? We’ve only known each other for a week. How can you think you love me?”
“I think you know how. Please tell me what happened.”
Valentina covered her face with her hands. She knew she would tell him eventually; she only wished it would be years in the future when the pain had subsided. Not even two weeks had passed since the horrible day when Grobin had violated her body. She still felt shame and disgust because she had not managed to keep him away from her.
Willian reached forward to pull her hands away from her face and was surprised by her violent reaction.
“Don’t touch me!” she screamed as she pulled herself out of his reach.
“I’m sorry, Val. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just want you to talk to me. Tell me what happened to you. It’s apparent you’re still hurting, and it’ll help for you to talk about it. Don’t let it fester inside you. Let it go.”
“I can’t let it go! You have no idea what he did to me! I should have fought harder; I could have stopped him if I hadn’t been so stupid and scared. It’s my fault, don’t you see! I should have stopped him!”
“Tell me what happened. Now!” Willian used more elemy to compel Valentina to begin talking. He hated having to resort to such measures, but he hated seeing the pain she was enduring by keeping this to herself.
“Grobin raped me! He came into the room where I was locked up, and he held me down and…and I let him do whatever he wanted to do! I was powerless to stop him, and he ripped off my clothes, and he raped me over and over!” Valentina could hardly believe the words were falling out of her mouth. Finally, she threw both of her hands over her mouth to keep anything else from escaping. She had never planned on telling anybody what had happened to her and here she was, bearing her soul to Willian.
Willian had linked his mind with hers as she relived the violent scene in her mind. He could see Grobin towering over her, sneering with lust down at her body. The man was easily twice her size, and he effortlessly overpowered her vehement protests. He felt his own anger begin to seethe inside him and he had to consciously control himself since he had promised to remain calm.
Willian stood up and raced to the other side of the table. He sat next to Valentina, pulling her close to him with his arms around her. Immediately, she began to fight him off as she had with Grobin. She had no idea she was hurting Willian, and he did not care what happened to himself as long as he could comfort his soul-mate. He pulled more elemy around them and used it to soothe Valentina’s shattered mind.
He rocked back and forth, rubbing her back and whispering over and over, “It’s okay now. You’re safe. I love you.”
Without any idea how much time had passed in this manner, Valentina eventually calmed down, and her breathing changed from ragged breaths to calm, deep shudders as she came back to her senses. Her momentary relief disappeared as she realized she was being held by Willian, surrounded by electricity and sexuality. She tipped up her chin and leaned forward until her lips were touching Willian’s.
Surprised by the emotion pouring into the kiss, Willian responded immediately by kissing her back. Where his hands had been rubbing her softly, they began to knead her flesh with his need of her. Her own hands were pulling at the cloth of his shirt, ripping the buttons from the front in her eagerness to get it off of him.
Willian knew he should stop her from going further, but he wanted her just as badly. When her palms touched his bare chest, he groaned in pleasure as the electricity between them flared to new levels of pain and pleasure. He had to stop them from making a mistake. Now was not the time for this act of love, not after what they had just experienced in her memories. He would not taint their relationship by letting this go any further.
Chapter Nine
HE PR
OMPTLY PULLED his mouth away from hers, and he took his hands away from her even as he backed out of the reach of her own questing fingers. “You have no idea how much I want to continue this, but I think you can agree this isn’t the right time or place. I’m sorry, Val.”
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for. What was I thinking, attacking you like that? You must think I’m the worst person, especially after what I just told you.” She began to stand up from the bench, intent on leaving as fast as possible to avoid any more embarrassment. “I’d better get home!”
“Val, no! Don’t leave. It’s okay, I understand. What just happened only proves how much we love one another. Here, let me just go back to my side of the table, and we can keep talking. Please, Val, sit down. Don’t go yet.” Willian pleaded with her as he tried to pull his shirt back together. Most of the buttons were missing, and he finally gave up and let it hang open in the front.
Valentina stared in horror at the mess she had made of his shirt. This scene would forever be branded in her mind as the most embarrassing moment of her life. She had lost control…again. Never before had she been so vulnerable and wonton at the same time and it scared her more than a little bit.
Abruptly she sat back down and wondered why she thought it would be a good idea to meet with Willian without one of her brother’s present. Her cheeks flushed brighter as she imagined how this scene would have played out if her brother had heard about what had happened to her while she had been held captive in space. She was certain the scene would have been quite different and even scarier. Both Behn and Jon were quite protective of her, and they would have vowed revenge on Grobin, which was the last thing she wanted. Grobin was not worth it!
Well, she thought to herself, at least I got to see Willian’s pendant. The crystals were a bright green like leaves on a tree. She wondered if the stones had ever changed colors as Jena’s had. Jena’s used to be black as night before they had changed unexpectedly to a dark amethyst. Then after her escapade with Elder Daven, they had changed again to be a light pink tone.
Ascension Vision- The Levels of Ascension Box Set Page 63
