Lucy Kelly (24 page)

Valerie then stood back up.

“Okay.  I’m sure a lot of you have questions.  If you’ll raise your hand, either I or one of the women and men behind me will answer them.  Before we take the first question, I’m going to jump in here and answer one of them right off the bat.” 

Valerie then pointed to Miranda sitting at the head table.

“This lady is Miranda Lockwood.  I’m sure many of you have heard of her.  She uses the slogan,
Unlock your heart with Lockwood Matchmaking
.  She is this area’s premier matchmaker.  Not one of her matches has ever ended in divorce in the eleven years she’s been in business.

“There is a reason for that.  Like all of us, Miranda has a gift.  Miranda is an image-matcher, or vision-matcher, as she’s called in Book Five,
Match Made in HeVan
, so you’re all aware of her abilities. 

“Those of you named as
winners
upon arriving here tonight and given escorts - well, let’s just say that Miranda had a hand in the seating assignments.  You’ve been matched, ladies, and these gentlemen have been waiting for you for anywhere from three to seven hundred years.” 

At that point, many of the women looked at their escorts with new eyes.  The flirtatious joking of earlier was now interpreted in a new light.

“Will you let your chance at true love pass you by?” asked Valerie.

The questions started, then.  Most of the people present still believed this was some kind of show.  However, a few of them were starting to wonder and giving looks to the men sitting beside them - men to whom they were highly attracted.

At the back table in the far corner, Ishme and Nyal were worried.  Becky had not returned to the table and they had seen Jalen come back just in time to start the memory crystal projectors.

They were going to excuse themselves, when Sarah spoke up, “I have a question.  What exactly is going on here?  Is this an elaborate show to promote Valerie’s books or something else?” she asked.

For a moment, no one said anything until Markus spoke up.  “Every word you heard spoken tonight is truth.  Kai and Ari, here, are your destiny, if you choose to accept it.  They will not pressure you.  Just as Tammy, here, is my perfect match,” he concluded and Tammy gasped in surprise.

“I need to find Becky,” said Ishme.  He and Nyal got up to find Jalen and speak with him.

“Are they…?” Sarah asked, pointing to Ishme and Nyal as they walked away.

“Yes, they are Becky’s destiny,” answered Markus.

Minutes later, they all heard an anguished cry coming from the hallway.  Ishme and Nyal returned back to the room, hollow-eyed. 

Markus walked over to them to find out what was the matter.  “What’s wrong, my friends?” he asked.

Ishme handed Markus the note from Becky.  After reading it, he thought for a long time.  Then, coming up with an idea, he headed back to the table.

“What’s wrong,” asked Sarah right away.  “Is something wrong with Becky?  What’s in the note?”

“The note is not important right now.  Tell me, Sarah, and forgive me if I am rude - I do not mean to be.  If someone knew of your business successes but did not know you personally, would they know of your personal tragedies?” he asked.

“What’s that got to do with Becky?” she asked.

“Bear with me for just a moment and answer the question,” said Markus.

“No, I only told people who needed to know.  I changed my name again before graduating high school.  The newspapers wouldn’t leave me alone.  I actually borrowed a friend’s background so anyone digging would find hers instead of mine because we share the same birthday.  That’s how we met,” said Sarah.

“Ah, it becomes clearer.  Becky, like you, did not have a happy childhood.  Unlike you, she did not have a friend like Jack or have a parent, even one, who loved her.  More than that is Becky’s story to tell.  What I can tell you, from being a guest in her home, is that even though she is brilliant, she thinks of herself as not being smart enough.

“She longs for home and family and yet believes that she does not deserve one.  She meets a beautiful, successful sister and does not see her own beauty reflected there.

“So she has pushed away the men she loves hoping they will find someone who, as she puts it in her note, fits the mold,” Markus said.

“Are you saying that it’s my fault she split?” asked Sarah.

“Not at all ? she has been heading for an epiphany of self-realization for some time.  Arjun warned me of it.  This is one of the reasons I made myself her guest.  The Queen is very close to Becky and she is worried about how she will cope staying here on Earth when they all leave.”

“If they’re so close - why is she staying?” asked Tammy, finding her voice for the first time.

“She is the only one with the skills and the contacts to make the identifications we need so we can visit Earth without fear of arrest or imprisonment.  She purchased all of our clothing and suitcases.  She thought of everything and didn’t miss a step. 

“She developed backgrounds going back three generations for over a hundred men in under three months, and went on to implant the necessary documentation to support them,” said Markus.

“And she’s jealous of me?  I couldn’t have accomplished all that,” said Sarah.

“As I said, she does not recognize and acknowledge her own worth.  She focuses on trivial matters, like her inability to cook a gourmet meal or sew a dress.  She seems obsessed with a woman named June Cleaver,” he said, and both Tammy and Sarah gave small laughs at the reference.

“We have purchased a large tract of land north of here in Wisconsin.  Becky is planning to remain our main contact here on Earth. 

“First, she is going to continue to supply identities for Nephilim coming down for shore leave and hoping to meet their destiny. 

“Second, she is going to find another Nephilim female, who wishes to remain, to work the land, and open a retreat for women and children.  The abuse of women and children is unheard of on HeVan.  Therefore, we would like to do what we can to help the women here.  And if any would like to leave, even if it is only as far as the space station, we will be happy to help them.”

“But what shall we do now?  Our wings will emerge in less than a week,” said Nyal, speaking for the first time.

“You will do as she asks.  Addie is leaving on a shuttle to the space station later tonight.  Her house requires repairs from the attack on Tuesday night. 

“Go there.  I will wait and speak with Becky when she returns.  She gave me some plain speaking once and set me on the path to my destiny.  The least I can do is to return the favor. 

“Even now, her own intelligence could be overcoming her insecurities.  She could be headed back to you right this minute.  Have patience, it will all work out.”

***

At the other end of the room, Addie was having a quiet conversation with Cassandra and her father.

“Cassie deserves to know the truth.  The dreams she’s been having - they are visions of possible futures.  They can be very frightening.  Now she’ll be able to cope because she knows what they are.”

“You’re not taking her away from her family,” he said belligerently.  “I’m her father.”

“We have no intention of doing anything to her.  We only wanted you to have this information.  Also, so Cassie would know that she wasn’t crazy or in need of medication.  I lost my parents at a very young age; my Grandparents raised my sister and me.  We understand and value families,” said Addie.

“We’ve given you information that no other non-Nephilim has, to help you understand your daughter.  No more, no less,” said Arjun.

Cassandra turned to her father, “Daddy, I’ve been dreaming about Addie and Grace and the others since I was little.  It was such a relief to me to find out they were real.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?  Your mom and I would have understood.”

“I know you would have listened, both of you always listen to me.  But you still might have thought I was a schizoid or something,” she said.

“Well, maybe…”

“Da-ad”

“So, where do we go from here?” Cassie’s father asked.

“We don’t go anywhere you and your wife don’t want to,” said Addie.  “I’m sure you’ve heard the reports of the wave of fertility that’s been hitting the land.  Well, I’m the cause of that.  Therefore, I only stayed long enough to appear here tonight.  As I stated earlier, I’m headed up to the station tonight and will remain there until it’s time to leave for HeVan.”

Addie would have continued but at that moment Cassie slumped over on her father’s shoulder in a daze.

“Does this happen to her a lot?” asked Addie.

“No.  I mean, she’s always been a day dreamer, but this, where she’s completely out of it, this is new,” he said.

“Most likely it’s the presence of so many new Nephilim and the high emotions and energy that are flowing in this room.  There are so many lives at a crossroads.  We’re hoping some of the descendants will want to take the adventure of a lifetime, come to HeVan with me, and be part of saving a planet and an ancient civilization. 

“Anyone wishing to emigrate will be welcome.  I don’t know if you’ve read the books, but at last count, the population of HeVan, a planet larger than Earth, is less than twenty million.

“I’m offering the same deal the Federal Government offered the early settlers here in America.  You can emigrate and acquire farmland in the country or have a business in one of the cities. 

“If people choose to stay here, we will be farming up in Wisconsin to raise supplies and fresh food for the Far Star Space Station, currently sitting at the edge of our solar system.  In addition, we’re opening a retreat for abused women and their children. 

“My job is to rebuild a world and we want to do it without exposing the Nephilim to the vagaries of world politics and various government agencies.  You could say it’s my version of the Prime Directive.  I guess I
am
asking for something.  I’m asking for you to keep our secret.”

“We’ll keep your secret.  As for the rest, I’ll speak to her mother.  I’ve read enough science fiction to know that having someone like Cassandra around would be a big deal for you,” he said.

“I don’t believe in sacrificing the needs of one for the needs of the many.  I won’t ever ask someone to do something I wouldn’t do myself if I could.  It would be wrong even to ask, as that in itself is a burden.  Your choices, your wife’s choices and Cassandra’s choices must be your own.”

She took a minute to gather her thoughts.  Reaching forward, Addie put her hand over his. 

“These subjects are heavy.  They have consequences.  These decisions shouldn’t be made quickly, but with deliberation.  And in your family’s case, they should be unanimous.  I wouldn’t want to harm your family harmony.  I can tell that you’re all very close.”

Cassie began to stir.  All at once she came awake with a gasp, clutching at Addie’s hand as she spoke.  “The lady, she was in the line, she’s going to be hurt.  You have to tell her not to go into that place,” she said desperately.

“Slow down, Cassie, it will be alright.  First, tell me what the lady looks like, what she is wearing?” asked Addie.

“She has blonde hair and she’s my height, I’m five-foot-three.  Umm - she’s wearing a black dress.  It’s short.  The hem is above the knee and it had those folds - you know how they do…here,” she said, gesturing to her hip area.

“Umm - she’s a little curvier than I am…Oh, and they pulled her out of the line.”

“What do you mean by pulled her out?” asked her father.

“I mean, she didn’t go up to the table right away.  Some of the men - I think three of them - came and took her and a friend away.  Just a minute,” she said.  Holding on to her father’s shoulder, she climbed up on a chair and started to look around the room. 

“There she is!  She’s sitting at that table in the back by itself.  Only her hair is different.  Tell her that after she cuts her hair and colors it like Marilyn Monroe, she has to stay home.  No traveling to foreign countries or she’s going to be kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped!  Did you see anything else?” asked Addie in a worried voice, because now she knew who they were talking about.

“I’m sorry.  I only know they’re going to hurt her really bad if they get her.  I think she gets away but it would be better if she didn’t go.”

“I know who you’re talking about.  The other lady in the corner is her twin sister.  I have to try to find her.  I’ll leave you now.  Here is a number you can call if you have any more questions. 

“Johanna, Miranda, and Becky, the woman Cassie just saw in her vision will all be staying here on Earth.  Not everyone is leaving. 

“And of course, you’re welcome to pay a visit to the space station if you’d like,” said Addie, before getting up to find Grace.  Grace had her cell phone with her.

“I hope she finds her.  Can we go home now?” she asked her father.

“Sure, sweetie.  Your mom’s probably wondering what’s become of us.  It looks like we need to have a family conference.  We have a lot to talk about.”

***

Becky stopped off in a ladies room one floor down when she realized people were looking at her strangely.  After splashing cold water on her face, she headed back out to get a cab.  As she was crossing the convention floor, she saw two familiar faces coming towards her.

She realized, in a moment of clarity, what a complete idiot she had been. She was a fighter.  Besides, they were hers.  So what if she couldn’t cook, all her plants died and she was allergic to dogs and cats?  That didn’t mean she couldn’t be a great wife and mother. 

Suddenly the future looked a hell of a lot brighter.  She sent a quick text to Grace
— I have to go out and play.  Too bad, I just realized I’m an idiot.  Tell them I love them. 

She hit send just as the men reached her.  Grace was the only one that knew she worked for the CIA and
‘going out to play’
was the phrase she used to tell Grace she had an assignment. 

I hope Grace tells the guys that I came to my senses before I even left the building,
thought Becky.