Beyond the Stars: INEO (26 page)

We all looked at him without saying a word.

“Wait a minute. It can’t be. You mean it’s real? The Farni told you how to get an Ineo?” Urit’s lips parted slightly, looking stunned.

Feeling afraid to explain, I glanced away. Urit came closer and looked at me intently, needing an answer. He probably thought I’d be more willing to share than the others. I remained quiet—too quiet.

“Jeez, why did I even bother with this? They gave you an Ineo. Didn’t they?” He let his arms fall limply to his sides.

I couldn’t keep it from him. “No,” I frankly replied. “Apparently, I already had it. It’s in me.”

Tyden rolled his eyes and let out a huff.

“Oh my goodness—the solar flare. Sam, I’m so sorry. I never put the facts together until now. Hey, now we know what was wrong with you. Why you saw Jack—” Urit said carelessly.

“Not now,” I whispered, and gave Urit a threatening glare to keep quiet about our previous discussion.

Gaelan huffed. “He knows about Jack?”

“Yes, and I only told him because of something I saw.”

Gaelan’s body stiffened.
“What
else did you see?”

“It was nothing,” I muttered, not wanting to discuss it here.

Urit ignored our bickering and gripped my forearms in his excitement. “Wow, I always thought it was folklore. I can’t believe the stories are real. Do you know what this means. You can do almost anything, Sam. You can bring Nia back. You can even bring my wife Nadia back. You can rewrite history.”

Gaelan nudged my shoulder with his. “Do you see what we mean about not telling anyone?” His voice was tinged with disapproval.

For a moment my thoughts drifted to the possibility of having the ability to recreate my life. I never imagined I’d have the power to choose what I wanted. I always went with the flow and took what was given to me. Now, I had the rare opportunity to ask for my heart’s desire and the real possibility of possessing it. I felt powerful. I could change my life. What did I really want?
To go back and change the past?
Would I even want to return to a previous period of my life?
Erase my painful memories?

Urit shifted his body anxiously.

“Oh, Sam, please forgive me,” Urit begged. “You know I would never ask you to abuse it.”

“Of course you wouldn’t,” I said to appease him while I suppressed my own selfish daydream.

“We should get a move on it,” Urit said, acknowledging our Farni guide patiently waiting beside us.

We quickly started walking back towards our transport vehicle. Gaelan let Urit’s comment slide about knowing something had been wrong with me, for now—he had heard more than enough. It wouldn’t be long before he would prod me for answers. I realized I was left with no choice. I had to confess about my visual hallucinations.

CHAPTER 18

CONFESSION

It was all of five minutes before I was put on the spot. Tyden and Gaelan led me to the starship’s conference room as soon as we returned and asked me to have a seat. When Urit tried to join us, Tyden said to him in a cold, reprimanding voice, “I’ll speak with you later—alone.” He ushered him out and shut the door behind him. “He’s in a vulnerable state,” he said, looking at Gaelan.

“Yes, on the verge of being desperate,” Gaelan agreed.

It was obvious they didn’t want Urit to take advantage of my newfound abilities.

“Samantha,” Tyden said in a direct manner, pacing the floor beside me. “Would you care to explain as to what the Farni were referring? I couldn’t help notice how you were not very surprised by their accusation of you having received an Ineo and all of its power. And Urit seemed to know something was happening to you, further verifying their claim.”

I knew I had no choice but to come clean. “I’ve been having some strange experiences lately—ever since that solar flare. I’m having visions. Hearing and seeing people I shouldn’t. It’s random. They not only intrude my dreams, it happens when I’m wide awake, too. And I’ve seen places that aren’t possible, like the Dreons’ ship,” I confessed.

Gaelan stood beside me, looking down at my face with an intense stare. I couldn’t tell if he was mad or hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He turned his palms upward.

“I started to—”

“You’ve said some odd stuff—I thought you were just thinking about these things, not
living
them.”

“I was worried that you would think I’m delusional. I felt embarrassed. I don’t feel like myself. I’m getting paranoid, jumpy, and afraid to be alone because I’m fearful that something might pop out at me without warning. Sometimes I can make it go away, but it usually has a mind of its own. And forget about sleep. Aside from the strange things I see when I’m awake, I wake up every night after having bizarre dreams. I hoped you wouldn’t notice.”

Gaelan’s jaw tightened. He sat down partially on the edge of the conference table facing me. He and Tyden exchanged disturbed glances. I could tell they were upset with me and prayed they would be understanding and find a way to forgive me.

“Samantha,” Tyden intervened as he took the seat next to me, “we know very little about the Ineo or what they are capable of, so I am asking you to not take this responsibility lightly. The Farni seem to believe it gives you the power to not only change the sequence of your life, but transform your entire reality … and they stated that you could influence our lives as well.”

He seemed as anxious about me possessing the Ineo, or the Ineo possessing me, as I did.

“I couldn’t agree more, but I have no control over it. I’m petrified by the strange things that are happening to me. This force comes out of me and seems to take over when I least expect it. It feels as though I’m being possessed. It creates an altered reality around me that feels incredibly real at the time. The visions are lifelike.”

“And that could be dangerous to us all,” Gaelan said warily. “We could end up in another dimension and be trapped like our people who went through Black Port.”

I gulped and sunk down in my chair. There was no way I’d ever want to be trapped in an unknown region of the galaxy, or worse, distant part of the universe, forever.

Gaelan rubbed his chin in thought. “Well … what do we know? First and foremost, you’re still you. This Ineo doesn’t seem interested in taking over your body, so I’m guessing you control it more than it controls you. The Farni called it the eyes of the universe. It’s powerful. And Urit believes the Ineo create some sort of magical force.”

“I don’t believe in magic,” I replied sharply.

Gaelan gave me an empathetic look. “Sami, putting superstition aside, just because you can’t see something, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

Tyden cleared his throat. “Perhaps magic is the wrong word. The Farni claim the Ineo gives you the ability to alter your future reality. They said using it correctly was up to you. It takes your participation. That’s why I don’t want Urit to coerce you into doing something foolish.” He paused for a moment, bringing his hand to his mouth as he thought. “Maybe we should put you two on opposite ends of the ship,” he muttered under his breath before bringing his eyes to mine. “Sami, you really need to find out how this Ineo operates to avoid creating anything catastrophic. Promise me you won’t do anything to alter our natural course until we learn more …
including
taking yourself home. If you make a decision in haste, you could alter our entire existence.”

I knew he was right. After hearing the Farni Being of Light say I had the ability to change the world around me, I was equally fearful of creating a real-life nightmare for us all. It made me want to examine my entire life with a scrutinizing eye. Is there anything I would change? No. I had no major regrets. Everything I did, whether it was a good or bad, had led me here.

“I hate this. Why did this happen to me? Can’t you make it go away? Try to extract it?”

Tyden bit his lip. “My guess is no,” he said, followed by a hopeless look, suggesting my request was in vain. “However, you don’t have to deal with this alone. You are part of our crew, and we will help you manage this. You will become my student and learn the Katarian art of meditation. It will strengthen your mind.”

Gaelan nodded in agreement. “Sami, you’ll be learning from the best. If anyone can help you …”

“Thank you. I’ll try anything,” I said, despite not knowing what I was signing up for.

I put my trust in them. I had no doubts Gaelan was right. With Tyden being over three hundred years old and regimentally disciplined, he must have had plenty of time to master the practice. He was my best chance in learning how to control my thoughts.

“Good. I will meet you in the café in one hour. And, Samantha, Gaelan, let’s keep this to ourselves until we can learn more.”

“Of course,” we both agreed.

* * *

I met Tyden, per his request, on the ship’s ground floor. When I arrived, he led me to a hidden room behind the giant falls beside the café. A revolving door pivoted open with a secret lever that was as well camouflaged as the opening. The room had a high ceiling and was furnished with square red, purple and green pillows situated in the center of the shiny white floor. The pelting sound of the waterfall was slightly muted by the walls, but still present.

“Have a seat, Samantha, and make yourself comfortable,” Tyden said in a composed voice. He lowered himself to the ground and sat down one of the cushions with a bit of effort.

I followed his lead and took a seat on the pillow facing him.

“Today you will learn why Katarians find it imperative to learn how to control one’s thoughts and emotions, instead of the other way around. We Katarians believe that our consciousness directly determines what we experience in life. Every decision we make in our mind will affect our reality. So I believe this can help you to manage the Ineo and everything you do.”

“Sounds great. Let’s do this.”

He took a slow deep breath and exhaled, holding his eyes to mine, so I would copy him.

“Program three,” Tyden called out, causing the room around us to morph into a virtual beach with pale sand. An ocean with gentle waves drifted into the shore on my left and two seagulls flew playfully in the sunny blue sky above.

“This is nice.”

“Yes,” he said flatly, his eyes remaining focused. “I want you to command your mind to bring forth the Ineo. The trick is in getting your brain to obey.”

“Thanks.” I held in a laugh at the apparent difficulty of the task.

My joking only made him act more intense. “I want you to clear your mind and let go of any assumptions you may have about the world we live in. You exist as pure energy and are not defined by worldly boundaries such as a body or mind. You just are. Be one with the universe. Imagine you have the power to see and do anything you so desire. Remember, you have been granted a gift—the Ineo can help you to create your ultimate reality. Allow it to come forth.”

“Yes, and I don’t even understand what that is—”

“Stop trying to explain it,” he interrupted. “Embrace it. Become aware of life itself. Connect with the pulse of the universe. Imagine there is no such thing as sequence. Allow every time and place to exist at once. Be present.”

He took my hands in his. I looked down at the stark contrast between my pale, cool fingers and his black, warm hands. His skin was soft, and he held onto me with such care.

“I’m afraid,” I admitted. “The Farni said I was being tested. What if I fail?” I said, unable to maintain my concentration.

“Samantha, you have misconstrued their message. Your participation is optional. You have only been given access to the ability. How you choose to use it is up to you. You have to believe in yourself. I think if you learn to utilize it correctly, you are apt to discover something magnificent. Now, relax. I want you to allow the Ineo to take over.”

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to mirror Tyden’s. Suddenly, I felt a jolt of energy pass through my body, stiffening my spine as a warm commanding force came over me. I imagined a strong aqua light shining down on top of my head. It was new. It had to be Tyden’s doing. He had awakened the Ineo inside me by calling it forth. I allowed myself to bask in the comforting sensation.

“What do you want?” Tyden asked me quietly in a steady voice.