“Certainly. I’ll just sit here and enjoy the view.” He smiled up at Elder Daven, wondering how he could ever have thought him to be a spiteful and pompous man. He was startled when a glass of iced steena tea appeared on the table in front of him.
“I thought you might like a refreshing drink while you waited,” Daven said with a grin just before he turned to enter the Residence to get to his office.
“Thanks,” Petre said as he picked up the glass and made a mock toast in his direction before sipping the minty beverage.
Daven set a brisk pace for himself as he returned to his office and quietly shut the door behind him. He immediately sat at his desk and accessed Petre’s records on the patil. He skimmed through the numerous pages of his indiscretions until he reached the lottery assignment date.
The records made his mouth drop open in amazement, and he wondered if there had been some mistake in the entry. After digging through several other layers of documents, he came to the same answer he had received before: Petre was one of the rare people who had received a lifetime pass on a work assignment. He printed it out and folded it carefully in half.
He stood up, with paper in hand, and left his office. The only problem he could see with this whole thing would be Petre’s reaction. Petre had lived a life filled with consequences. How would he deal with the idea he had cheated himself out of a life of leisure in his attempt to avoid the perceived responsibility?
Petre watched Elder Daven return and wondered what his expression could mean. He took another sip of the tea just before the older man came close to the table. Hurriedly, Petre stood up to offer respect for the Elder and waited to sit down until his host did first. “Is everything okay?”
“What? Oh, yes, thank you for asking.” He fiddled with the corners of the paper and smiled slightly at how he would give Petre the news. “What type of assignment did you suppose you would receive? Did you have any specialty in school? Any areas of interest?”
“I had no idea, which scared me the most. My teachers didn’t particularly care for me since I was continually using my deception skills to get out of most things. I guess it probably would have been something menial or belittling just to satisfy their desire to get even with me.”
“Well, I took the liberty of looking up your lottery assignment. I have it printed out here if you would like to begin your task immediately.” He held out the paper until he realized Petre was reluctant to take it from him. He placed it on the table directly ahead of where his hand was already resting. “May I remind you that you came to me about getting this situation resolved? I have your answer literally at hand.” He smiled a little at his pun, trying to tease Petre into reading the paper.
Taking the bait, Petre pulled the paper across the table with his index finger and let it rest under his palm as he tried to calm his nerves. After all, he had asked for this. His life would never be satisfying knowing this had been left undone. He flipped open the flap of paper and scanned the page. His eyes narrowed slightly in accusation as he looked back up to Elder Daven as he asked, “Is this some kind of a sick joke?”
“No, I promise this is what I found in your graduation file. Either you must have impressed someone, or you are very blessed. I think it was probably a bit of both.” Elder Daven smiled sincerely at Petre trying to encourage him to believe his sincerity.
“Is this paper really telling me I was running from my ultimate freedom? All those anons I was thinking I was rebelling against the system, and I was really just making a fool of myself!”
“I don’t think you’ve fully grasped one other thing about what this assignment means.”
“What’s that?”
“The retirement money which comes along with it.”
“You mean the money I forfeited by not showing up?”
“No, I mean the money you are still entitled to, as well as all of the back pay. This assignment doesn’t have any contingency clauses. You should take the paper and go see Elder Rylon to receive your back pay as well as make arrangements for your monthly stipend.”
“I’m still waiting for you to tell me this isn’t real. I’ve never been this lucky. Surely there’s some mistake.” Petre’s hands shook as he started to feel strong emotions rippling through him. This paper meant he could begin his future with Tirsha as soon as she was ready. He did not have to try to juggle a job and family life as so many others had. This day was ranking right up there with one of his best ever, and he owed it all to Elder Daven for sharing it with him. Another thought struck him, and he asked, “How many others have accessed this record?”
“None. Not even Elder Rylon has opened it; I was the first to break the assignment seal. There hasn’t been any conspiracy in this Petre. It was always up to you to go and get this; it just took you a few more anons than it should have. Besides, I think you are ready for the blessing now more than you would have been back then. Don’t you agree?”
“Absolutely!” Petre jumped up from the table, eager to get his future going again on the right track this time. “I’m going to go to Menad immediately!” His eager expression changed almost instantly to one of confusion.
“What is it, Petre?”
“I don’t have any money to get me there. I spent my last shillings on the transport here, and I don’t even have my water craft nearby in order to sail there myself.” He scoffed at his situation and said, “It just figures. I get the best news ever, and I can’t even get myself there! When is this endless cycle going to stop, Elder Daven?”
“I’d say right now,” he replied, and he gathered elemy and translated Petre immediately to the Residence in Menad. With a satisfied grin, Daven picked up Petre’s glass from the table and whistled a jaunty tune as he walked back into his Residence.
Chapter Twenty-Six
JUILA INVITED BEHN into the living room and sat next to him on the couch. She had her back to her sister, who was still out on the patio outside with Luke. Her mind link kept her informed as to what was going on, so she felt no need to watch them as well.
“I see Luke and Jena have managed to patch things up already,” he said with a silly grin. He watched the pair outside for little longer before he turned his attention back to Juila. With his hand resting on her leg, he imagined how it would have felt had he been beside her while she was bathing. His imagination began to run away with him, and he had to clear his throat and look away from her in embarrassment.
“What were you thinking just now?”
“What? You mean you weren’t reading my mind?”
“No! I would never be so rude!” She scowled at his accusation. “Tell me what you were thinking; you had a strange expression on your face.”
Behn scuffed his shoe on the carpet, wishing she had not asked him. Part of what he liked about their relationship was their complete honesty. “I imagined what your leg would have felt like while you were in the bath.”
Juila smiled, “Oh yeah? It must have been good.” She pulled up her skirt until her flesh was bared. “What about now? How does it feel?”
Her skin was smooth and warm under his fingertips. With a groan of pleasure, he laid his hand flat on her thigh and gently squeezed it. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips as his hand continued to massage her flesh. He had not realized how muscular her legs were which made it even more exciting. Her lips tasted of strawberries, and it made him hungry for more of her.
Before long he had managed to have her lying on the couch underneath him. His hand had wandered higher, and of their own volition, his fingers explored her curves. He could tell she was enjoying herself by her gyrations and moans as she kissed him even more urgently than before. His other hand had found its way up her shirt and was cupping her breast, squeezing gently.
“Jeez, you two, get a room!” Luke admonished as he reached over the back of the couch and pushed Behn’s head playfully.
The two burst apart guiltily, and Juila pulled her clothes back down to cover her exposed flesh. They both lookup up at
Luke who remained standing behind them smiling from ear to ear.
“I’ll remember this the next time I catch you in a compromising situation,” Behn accused, knowing his cheeks were burning red with embarrassment.
“What’s this about compromising situations?” Jena asked as she walked through the patio doors and looked at each person in the room, deciphering accurately what had just happened. She burst out laughing. “You should see the looks on your faces!”
“I’d rather not,” Juila mumbled, causing them all to laugh harder.
“Come on, Luke, we’ve teased them enough. Let’s get something to eat,” Jena said as she pulled on his arm to get him turned around and give her sister some privacy.
“Why didn’t you warn me about them coming back inside?” Behn whispered hoarsely.
“I was a little preoccupied!” Juila shot back in a softer whisper.
“What about your mind link? I thought you always knew what she was thinking!”
“As I said, I was distracted. I’m pretty sure you had a little something to do about it.”
“I’m sorry, Juila. I’m not mad at you, just embarrassed at being caught in such a compromising position. Besides I don’t know what came over me, attacking you in such a way.” He shook his head in dismay. Never before had he been so brazen with another girl and he wondered if it were because of their common heritage which made them more compatible.
“I wouldn’t say you were attacking me. As you could see, I never discouraged any of it. Next time we’ll have to plan ahead a little better.” She smiled at his incredulous expression. Her statement had managed to surprise him, and she enjoyed keeping him on his toes.
Glad to hear she wanted there to be a next time, with a wicked grin on his face Behn asked, “When?”
Juila playfully slapped his arm and said, “Let’s see what Jena is making. I’m ravenously hungry.” She stood up and adjusted her skirt even more as she could see it had been twisted sideways.
“Me, too,” Behn agreed as he pinched her butt as she passed by him. He chuckled as she tried to keep her squeal of surprise from being too loud.
“Stop it!” She glared down at him and stalked away toward the kitchen.
He watched her go, thinking about what would happen the ‘next time’ as she had promised. There were places he had heard about where they could park in his car. Maybe they could see what happened when they remained uninterrupted. He had to adjust his pants as he stood up and pretend to be interested in something across the room until he became less aroused before he was willing to join the group in the kitchen.
“Where are your parents?” Luke asked from where he sat on the stool at the kitchen island.
“Dad’s at work. We’re not sure where Mom went, she was gone already when we got home,” Jena answered. She was struggling to cut the block of cheese for their grilled cheese sandwiches. “Why do they make this stuff so hard to cut?” she said as she pushed down on the knife harder. In an instant, the knife slipped off the edge of the block and cut through the skin on two of her fingers. “Ouch!” she cried out and immediately cupped her hand to keep Luke from seeing what she had done.
“Did you cut yourself?” Luke asked in alarm. He began to get off his chair.
“No, I’m fine. Stay where you are, I just knocked my fingers hard onto the countertop,” she replied hastily. Even as she spoke, she began pulling elemy up from the earth and used it to begin knitting her flesh back together. Once she finished, she went to the sink and washed the blood which had pooled in her palm down the drain.
Knowing it was all better, she lifted her hand facing it toward Luke and said, “See? No problem.” She grabbed the knife from the counter and washed it thoroughly before drying everything off. “I wish they made an easier way to cut this,” she complained as she contemplated whether or not she had already cut enough.
“Here, let me show you how I do it,” Luke said as he jumped off his stool and took the knife from her unresisting hand when he got beside her. He expertly carved off several more slices before he said, “My family uses a wire slicer, but this works pretty well, too.”
“A wire slicer sounds easier,” Jena she agreed even as she thought to herself, safer, too!
“Sit down, and I’ll finish this up. I’m pretty much an expert at this type of sandwich since I make them for myself every day after school.” Luke began buttering the bread and positioning the eight slices in the grill top. “I wish my parents had a cooktop like this; it sure is cool.”
Jena could only think it would have been so much faster if she had been able to simply use the elemy to create the meal without all of the fuss of preparing it. They could have already eaten and been back outside talking again in the time it had taken her to cut the cheese. She rubbed her thumb over where she had healed the deep cuts. Not even a mark remained, her healing ability had seen to it as well.
Juila leaned into her side, commiserating with her over her injury. She had felt the exact moment when the knife had cut her sister as if it had been her own hand. There really had not been anything to get excited about, knowing her sister was an accomplished healer in her own right. If it had been too much, she would have stepped in to assist.
I wish we could tell Luke the truth about us, Jena spoke in her mind link to Juila.
It is pretty nice not having to hide anything, Juila agreed.
I think you should be hiding a bit more from Behn. What were you thinking? What would have happened if Luke and I hadn’t walked in to stop you? It looked like you had lost control. You certainly weren’t hearing anything from me, that’s for sure.
I don’t know what happened. I guess I let it get out of hand. She stifled a giggle and amended, or a little too much was in Behn’s hand.
How far did you let him go? Jena asked even as she saw the details flash through her sister’s thoughts. Juila! What were you thinking?
It’s pretty evident I stopped thinking the moment we started kissing.
Maybe you should do like Val did and keep a chaperone with you at all times.
I don’t think that’ll be necessary.
“Lunch is served,” Luke announced happily as he flipped the last sandwich onto a plate and began placing them in front of the three others sitting at the island. He walked around to take his place in the chair next to Jena. She had been awfully quiet the past few minutes, and he hoped she was not regretting letting him come over.
Jena and Juila both bowed their heads to pray while the boys did not waste any time getting started on the sandwiches. It was only a few minutes later before all of them were finished with the light meal. Jena gathered the dishes and stuck them in the dishwasher they never had to use. Once Luke went home, Jena would use her crystal skills to take care of them.
“Thanks for making lunch, Luke,” Jena said.
“Yes, thank you,” Juila added.
“Thanks, Luke,” Behn chimed in last.
“I should probably be heading out. My mom wants me to run some errands for her before it gets too late since I took her car to get over here,” Luke said as he glanced at his watch.
“I’ll walk you out,” Jena offered hurriedly. She jumped down from her chair and walked beside Luke. “Thanks for taking my call today. It’s been a relief getting things straight between us.”
“Yeah, I’m glad Sofia told me what was going on ahead of time. It really gave me some time to think things through. I’ve discovered a lot about how I feel.”
“Really? How do you feel?”
Instead of speaking, Luke curled his fingers around Jena’s and gave her hand a slight squeeze while they continued slowly walking through the foyer. He opened the front door for her, and they left the house and the other occupants behind them when he closed the door. He leaned against his mother’s car and pulled Jena close until her body was leaning against his own.
“You know, I was pretty jealous of Behn back there when we came in from outside. I imagined how it would be if that were you be
neath myself. I want that for us, I want there to be an us,” Luke said. His eyes searched Jena’s intensely as he spoke.
“I want it, too,” she whispered back, not trusting her voice to speak any louder.
Her consent was what he had been waiting for. He tipped his head down and softly kissed her lips. His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her even closer. Mindful of where they were, he ended the kiss with several small nips at her bottom lip. “Call me tonight.”
“I will.”
He gave her another quick peck on the lips and then pushed himself away from the vehicle. Keeping his arm around her shoulders, he walked around his car with her and opened the driver’s side door. “I hate leaving you.”
“You gotta keep your mom happy if you plan on borrowing her car again to come over,” Jena teased.
“When are you going to get a car?”
“I’d have to get my driver’s license first.” She chuckled at Luke’s dismayed expression. “What? Don’t look at me like that! I haven’t gotten enough practice to warrant taking the test yet!”
“You’re birthday was months ago! What have you been doing all of this time?” He tipped his head as he considered his own question. “I think you’re scared!”
“So what if I am? After all, I haven’t been in this country for very long, and I’m not used to all the rules of the road. I don’t want to take any unnecessary chances.”
“Okay, I’ll give you a pass on that one. Maybe I could give you some lessons.”
“Why? Because you’ve been driving for so long?” she teased.
“Clearly longer than you, so I guess so. What do you say about it?”
“It would certainly give us an excuse to see one another.”
“Oh, so now you need an excuse?”
“Keep it up and I will!”
“Fine, fine. I better leave before this gets any worse for me. I’ll talk to you tonight.” He gave her one more kiss. He meant for it to be quick, but his mind had other ideas as he pulled her close again and kissed her deeply and thoroughly until they were both breathless.
Ascension Vision- The Levels of Ascension Box Set Page 75
