Power (5 page)
Authors: Theresa Jones
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #romance, #Paranormal, #Teen & Young Adult, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Fantasy, #Angels, #Paranormal & Urban
The tears started flowing again, just enough to annoy me. So I would have to leave my family behind if I wanted to keep them safe and alive. Would this nightmare never end? David inched closer to me again to place his hand on my shoulder in a feeble attempt to comfort me, but this time I pushed away from him. I didn’t want to like him.
“Why is this happening to me? What did I do so wrong that I have to lose everyone I love all at once? I don’t want this power, I want my damn life back.” After looking at me for a full three minutes, he stood up and walked back to that ugly chair. He sat there, just staring at me some more. He looked like he wanted to say something, but either did not know how, or did not want to upset me more, so he said nothing at all. I just stared back at him, hoping he would understand I meant it. I didn’t want to be a part of any of this.
Eventually he picked up his phone, stood up again, and walked to the curtain. “Will you excuse me for a minute? I will see if there is anything at all I can do for you.” And with a nod of my head, he was gone.
Finally I could cry freely without the unspoken judgments of people around me watching. In no time at all I was crying so hard the bed was trembling under me and my lap was starting to soak. I could no longer deny that David was right. I had seen amazing power, but more importantly, I had felt it. And I could never knowingly risk my family to that pain. But how could I ever leave my Sam behind, not knowing if she was safe or happy, sick or well? How could they ever ask a mother to leave her child?
Chapter 5
Goodbyes
After waking again I gave my premeditated and memorized statement to the police. David had written out my statement for me to memorize and it was the same as both his and Rick’s.
We had been having a friendly gathering in the park, the mugger had come and attacked us, and with Alex’s heart problems (which Alex honestly did have) he had a heart attack, and I had a panic attack that led to me passing out. The next thing I remembered was waking up in the hospital. (That part was also true.) David had not mentioned another word about leaving my family behind except to say, “Rick is going to do everything he can for you. Let him work on it. As soon as he gets back to me, I will let you know.” So that was that. But before I could go home, I had to prepare myself for the worst case scenario. If it came down to it, I would have to leave both Sam and Mom behind for their own good. I had to figure out what I would say, how I would tell them good bye. Obviously, I would spend as much time with them before I had to go, and I would impress upon them as much as I could how much they meant to me.
I considered myself a strong person, but I couldn’t imagine actually going through with this. It would be the hardest thing I would ever have to do.
***
Even though Sam and Mom had come to see me in the hospital, they had always come while I was asleep, so I felt like I hadn’t seen them in years. I was finally on my way back home and it seemed like the world was falling apart.
David had stayed with me for the rest of my time in the hospital and was kind enough to give me a ride home. Having been raised by a single mother, and now being one myself, we always had very modest accommodations. So not even in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would ride in an Audi 2015 A10, that retailed at least at $250,000. It was smooth and fast, sleek and beautiful and to say it was awe-inspiring would not even do it justice. Of course the car was a rental, and I honestly didn’t even want to like the man sitting next to me, but the ride home was intense.
David seemed to notice my sudden change in mood, “You like the car, I see?” He said it like a question, but he already knew my answer.
‘Like’ did not even begin to cover the way I felt about this car. “It is amazing! I didn’t even know that people could rent out cars like this.”
“Well, only to those who have the credit and ability to put the rather large deposit down,” he answered, a mischievous grin emerging onto his handsome face.
It wasn’t until that moment that I realized how very attractive he was. His eyes were a light honey colored brown mixed with shades of emerald green. His warm brown hair was slightly tousled and disheveled, the lack of a decent bed and place to shower clearly showing, but complimented the shade of his eyes perfectly. He had an open and engaging smile, his white teeth peeking out from behind full pink lips. High cheek bones and a pronounced jaw brought everything together to make him look like a roman god. His was a face you could imagine being engraved in gold coins from centuries ago.
His chiseled body topped the whole thing off. Catching myself examining him, I turned away quickly. He was about 6’3 or 6’4 and maybe 200 pounds. “Wow,” I murmured under my breath. Hopefully he would think I was still talking about the car.
Getting my thoughts back in order, I managed to get out a question I actually feared the answer to. “How much does my mom know?” I looked at him intently, not really wanting the answer, or rather, not knowing what answer I wanted. I could never keep secrets from my mother very well, and I didn’t like to. But on the other hand I honestly didn’t want her to know the truth – that I was a freak of nature and people wanted to kill me for it. Not only me of course, but my entire family as well.
After taking a deep breath, he answered, “She knows more than the police, but not all of it.”
That was it? He didn’t continue, didn’t offer any more, just continued on driving. Confused, I probed, “I think I need to know what I can and cannot say to her.”
“Yes, I suppose you do. But I did not want to be the one to tell you. I was hoping that Rick would be back by now.” And yet again, he paused, as if that was all he needed to say. As I was about to push him again, he continued, “She knows that the ‘mugger’ was there targeting you, but she doesn’t know why. We told her that there were just some things she could not have the answers to.”
Hmmm… Perfect middle ground. What a diplomatic answer. I liked it though. It was the truth, just not the worst part of the truth. “And she was ok with that? Not having the rest of the answers?” We pulled onto my mother’s street, and I knew our conversation would be ending soon.
“She didn’t really have much of a choice.”
And with that, the conversation ended.
***Rick***
“Rick, did you find her?” Christopher asked. Christopher was one of my oldest friends and was the third council member I had called today. Apparently he was the only one that could answer my question.
“Of course I found her, but I was nearly too late.” I quickly explained that Damien had also found her and had killed her fiancé. “I believe she will come with me now.”
“That’s good, though I am sorry for her loss.”
“Christopher I am calling for a specific purpose.” I paused, not sure how to explain the rest. Though I knew I could trust him, I still feared speaking the words out loud. I feared what it could mean for us.
“What is it, friend?” I could hear the curiosity in his voice.
I took a deep breath, “I need to know if children can enter the Compound.” At first he didn’t understand my question. Why would a child ever need to come? We bind them when they are young, so there would be no use for them. It would also be risky and dangerous to everyone that lived there. I, more than most due to my extensive research on this subject, understood why we do not bring children, but in this case, I needed to know if it was even possible.
“Why do you ask?”
“She has a child, Christopher.” I paused as I heard his gasp. “You must push the Council to search her genealogy as soon as possible, but that doesn’t matter right now. She will not come without her daughter, and she must come.”
I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head as he tried to piece together what I had told him. I heard him sigh before he answered, “If she has a child, how can she be the one?”
This was the very question I continued to ask myself. How
could
she be the one? But every indication was that it was her. It had to be her. She was our last hope. Without her, Damien would succeed in his mission to open the Seals. He had already begun; the first two horsemen had been released.
I tried to remain patient. “I do not know the answers to these questions. I just need to know if she can bring her child. We will figure everything out when we get there.”
He sighed again and answered my question. If only he could answer all my questions…
***Allison***
When we arrived home, I jumped out of the car. Somehow they must have heard us coming because before I could reach the door they were there. I could no longer contain myself and sprinted across the sidewalk to pick Sam up. I swung her around and then pulled her close. Her legs wrapped around me instinctively, and her arms went straight up around my neck, holding me tighter than I would have thought possible. It took all the strength I could muster to hold myself back from blubbering all over the place.
Too soon for my liking she started pulling away, just to cup my face in between her fragile hands and whisper, “I missed you so much, Mommy. I love you!” Of course I could not control myself then, and the tears started streaming. She was truly my gift from God. I squeezed her tighter to whisper back that I loved her too.
We were entering the living room, the first room through the back door, as David’s phone began ringing. Could it be Rick? Would he have good news? Was there any way I could bring my family with me? So many questions were running through my mind at once, and I wanted to shout every single one at him before he even knew who was calling.
After he looked at his phone, he looked straight at me. It was Rick. “Please excuse me for a moment; I have to take this call.”
I heard my mom telling him something along the lines of, “No problem, take your time,” and I tried hard not to think about what was coming from the other end of the phone. Sam and I sat curled into each other, snuggling on the couch. I had to stay focused. If Rick was telling David that I would have to leave my family behind, I had to spend what time I could with them.
As always, Sam wanted to be read a book. As we all three went to sit on the nearest couch, I said, “Pick whichever one you like, however many you want. I’ll read them all to you if you want.” And I meant it. I would stay and read every single one of the hundreds of books she had before I left her.
After she climbed back up beside me with five books in her hands, we started reading her first choice, “Ivy and Bean Break the Fossil Record”. Before we got too far I stopped and looked at her. Pulling her tighter to me I told her, “I really love you more than anything in the whole world, my Sammy girl!”
She looked up at me and said, “I know Mommy. I’m glad you are back now.” Tears sprang into my eyes again, and I looked away so she would not see me at my weakest and continued reading. Though I was back right now, I wasn’t sure how long I would be able to stay. The thought terrified me and I shivered.
After reading three of the five books she picked out, David walked back in, bringing reality back into focus. He sat straight across from me, looking at me as he said to my mother, “Sorry for my absence, Ms. Stevens.” Then to Sam, “Samantha, do you mind if I borrow your mother for a minute?” As he talked to everyone else, I tried to read his expression. Was he going to tell me good news?
Samantha looked at me as if for approval, and I said to her, “I will be right back, I promise!” and I meant it.
I walked through the house to my bedroom and he closed the door behind us, blocking me out from the rest of my life. Any other woman’s heart would have been racing from the very idea of being alone in a bedroom with this man, but my heart was racing for a much different reason.
“Okay, I know you want to know everything. So before you ask anything, just let me tell you what I can.” I nodded once and he continued. “Rick is on his way. His plane just landed at the airport, he’ll be here in about 40 minutes. He talked to the Council,” at that he paused. Seeing my confused reaction, he explained briefly, “The people in charge of the Order. They are the most powerful force of good, and are all gathered together at the Compound.”
I nodded once. The explanation was extremely to brief for my liking, and brought up more questions than answers, but I was more interested in the rest of what he had to say. “So, Rick talked to the Council, and you will be happy to know that you can bring Sam with you. She has the potential to be powerful, coming from you. And without her there, your training would be futile considering how much she is a part of you. Plus, Rick found out that all children can enter the Compound, because of how innocent they are. They only need to be with someone with power to enter, which shouldn’t be a problem here.” With my elated expression materializing, he quickly added, “However, your mother cannot come. I am sorry, but she is powerless and thus would not be able to enter the compound.” My happiness faded, just as fast as fast as it had appeared.
There was one thing I had to know though, “Will I be able to have any contact with her at all?” I could live without seeing my mom every day if I knew that she was safe. But I also knew that Sam and I were all that my mom had now. She had some friends and co-workers she got along with, but I knew that losing us like this would break her heart.
Thankfully his face was kind and his eyes serene. I knew what his answer would be. “Yes. You will be able to call her, write notes, everything other than coming here to see her.”
The thought of losing both my mother and my daughter had been ravaging my insides for so long. The knowledge that I would be able to keep Sam with me and still contact my mom was like walking through the gates of Paradise! I could not willfully dislike the bearer of such news if I tried. With one step I threw my arms around his neck and brought him into a strong embrace. “Thank you so much, David,” I murmured.
Pulling away a little shocked, he mumbled, “Thank Rick. I did nothing here.” But seeing the look of disapproval flooding my features, he surrendered with, “You’re welcome, Allison.”
And with that, I had made peace with leaving my home behind. But then another thought entered my mind. I was leaving my mother in the care of some ‘shields’ I knew nothing about “What if the war spreads here to Texas? Will this shield you mentioned protect her from that?” I knew that it wasn’t likely there would be fighting here, but she couldn’t protect herself if the riots continued to grow and people started coming this way.
“The shield will only hide her from others with power. It will mask your essence in this house and blur your connection to her. But it isn’t physical. It’s not a bubble that she can hide under. The war…” He looked down and shook his head. Maybe he was as terrified as I was. “Hopefully we can stop the war. Hopefully now is not the time for the end of the world. But if those things should happen here, the shield will not protect her from the powerless. And if we cannot stop it, I fear there will be no safe place left.”
So, finding a crazed killer and saving my family from him wouldn’t be enough. Now I had to figure out a way to stop World War III too. Great.
Chapter 6
Airplane
“Mom, can I talk to you?” She had looked more angry than hurt when Rick showed up and I took him aside to chat, but now I had to talk to her and tell her only what was allowed. Every step of this got harder. And here I was, not only leaving her alone, but not even being able to tell her the whole truth. After a loud sigh, she nodded and followed me into her bedroom, the place we always had our little talks.
Not wanting to look her in the eyes, I sat on the bed and stared at the floor. When I finally looked up, before I could even get a word in, she started throwing questions at me. “What the hell is Rick doing here? Is he involved in all this? Tell me what the hell is going on, Allison.” Well, not exactly what I was expecting, but understandable nonetheless.
“Rick approached me last Sunday.” I wanted to stop there and leave it at that. I did not want her to know the truth about me.
“Did he hurt you, Allison? I asked him, no, I demanded that he never return!” She shook her head and muttered, I just cannot believe that he came back after all these years.”
“Of course he didn’t hurt me, Mom, why would you ask that? You told him to never come back? Why? I thought he just disappeared one day.”
“On your sixth birthday something happened to you. It was just after midnight sometime, and you woke up screaming bloody murder, like you were some horrible pain. The only thing you would say was ‘Rick, Rick.’ I could do nothing for you. You were begging for Rick, so I called him and asked him to come. At the time, I was almost jealous, thinking that you wanted him to comfort you instead of me. He got there in less than 10 minutes, which I thought was odd, saying he was still in town from earlier business. He held you in his arms as you cried and screamed…” She shuddered at the traumatizing memory. “He asked me to get something out of the bathroom, and when I returned you were quiet. I thought you had died. I grabbed you from him and could tell you were still breathing, but you felt so lifeless. There was this purple stuff all over you. I mean, it scared the hell out of me, Allison. Rick was talking about some old Indian remedy or something, as if that was why you were all purple or something. It never made sense to me.” She paused, trying to regain composure, and then continued, “You were scared of him after that. You begged me not to let him come over. You didn’t want to go to church because you thought he would be there. Do you really not remember that?”
Everything I remembered about Rick was good though: playing together in Fiesta Park, day trips to National Parks and zoos, and the childlike knowledge that I was completely safe when he was around. “Not even vaguely,” I answered, shaking my head as I spoke. But none of the past mattered now, I would ask Rick about it later. I had come in here for one reason and one reason only.
“Mom, I don’t know about everything that happened back then, but I do know about now. That man from the park was trying to kill me.” She nodded. David said she already knew that much, so I went on, “He won’t stop until I am dead. Please don’t ask me why, just believe me. And what’s worse, he would kill you and Sam too.” I stopped, letting her take that information in. I knew she wanted to protest, but I started talking again before she could, “I am leaving, Mom. You will be safe if I am not around, but I am taking Sam with me.” With that, she looked heartbroken. Her body hunched over and her eyes filled with tears.
Expecting a tirade of objections, I was shocked when she nodded. “I knew this day would come. I hoped and prayed that she was wrong, but she never was. After all these years, I was actually starting to believe it though, that she could possibly be wrong, at least once.” Her tears ran freely now. She got up from the chair across from me and sat down on the bed placing her hand in mine.
“Who, Mom? What are you talking about?”
“My grandmother, my mother’s mother. The day after my birthday, when I was still very young… maybe 5 or 6, she took me into her room and told me that my daughter would be different. That part has always been very evident.”
Smiling at me, I had to smile back, knowing it would be the last time I would see her smile for a very long time. “But then she said that because you were different, special, you would have to leave me one day. That it would be painful for me, but that I had to let you go. She said you would have a very unique gift and a very precise destiny.” She paused, breathing slowly in an attempt to stop crying.
“Now, at the time I had no idea what she was talking about, but she wrote those words all over my things – in my diary, on pictures of the two of us, and in my favorite books. Not to mention, she instructed my mother to never let me forget.” We sat there quietly; holding each other, wishing things could be different. “I can’t explain the things happening, or how she could have known, but I believe that you do have to go. I support you in this, as I have supported you in all your endeavors. But I have to ask you, please let me know how you are doing, where you go, and all that.”
With that, I smiled. I knew I could promise her at least that. “Of course, Mom. I’m not sure where we are going, but I will let you know once we get there. And Sam and I will call you as often as we can!” With that, we sat there in a long, strong embrace. Neither of us wanted to let go, but I knew I had to. “I love you, Mom. You are the best mother anyone could ever ask for and I am thankful every day for you.”
She looked at me, hugged me, and said, “Allison, you are the light of my life, and I would never trade you for anything. You be safe, and keep Sam safe too!”
I nodded. “I will. No matter what else happens, I will keep her safe.”
***
It was somewhat unbelievable, but at the age of 21 I had never been on an airplane. The closest I had come was when I was 17 and picked my mom up from the airport after she had flown back from visiting my aunt in Kansas.
So if David and Rick had not been leading the way when we entered the terminal, I would have gotten lost in a matter of minutes. After getting our tickets and dropping off our baggage, we walked through the metal detectors, and went to the boarding gate. As we walked around, Sam was just as in awe from the spectacle as I was. I gripped her hand tighter; the thought of letting her go now scared me more than anything. If I could see myself getting lost here, how would a 5 year old fend?
“Mom, are you okay?”
I was blinking back tears again. It was so hard to leave my mother behind. Not to mention, I hadn’t even begun to deal with what Alex’s death meant for us. He was the only man I had ever loved, and he was Sam’s father. Even though I really wasn’t sure I had wanted to marry him anymore, he had been a big part of my life for so long and now he was gone.
I looked down at her and smiled. “Yes, Sammy, I am.” I was scared, yes, but I had hope and faith that things would turn out right, whatever right was. I knew that Sam would be safe with us, and my mom would be safe also.
We finally boarded the plane at 9 pm. Sam sat next to me with Rick and David a few rows behind us. I let Sam sit in the window seat and she had fallen asleep about 30 minutes after we took off, which left me to my thoughts. Remembering what my mom had told me, I wondered if perhaps I got this power from my great-grandmother. Maybe her predictions came from power too.
I looked behind me and saw an empty seat next to David and Rick. Rick was in the window seat, David was in the middle seat, and no one sat next to David. I kissed Sam’s forehead and squeezed past the lady to walk back to them. I still had not had a chance to talk to Rick about what had happened when I turned six and this way he couldn’t escape.
I sat down and made sure I could still see Sam from their seats. Happy that I could, I leant around David to speak to Rick, trying to ignore the microscopic sparks of fire that burst between us every time I was near him.
“Can I ask you about something my mom told me just before we left?” I said to Rick.
To my satisfaction, he nodded, “Sure. Ask away.” He always seemed too chipper for my liking, like he missed the part about my impending death or the destruction of the world.
“Okay, well…” Suddenly unsure of how to word my question, I paused. “Umm, I always thought that you left of your own volition, but Mom said that she asked you to leave.” I figured I should straighten this out. If there was no reason for me to hate him, then I probably shouldn’t.
With a questioning look on his face he stated, “That is not a question, darling. But yes, that is true.”
Annoyed at Rick’s observation, I added, “Well, why? You told me at church that you had business to take care of. But she asked you to leave, that’s not business. And, I don’t remember anything about waking up in the middle of the night, in pain, and screaming for you.”
After that, David stood up and offered me his seat. I guess he was tired of me leaning over him, or maybe he was just trying to be a gentleman. Either way, I was grateful that I would no longer have to talk around him. This wasn’t a conversation I wanted to share with the whole plane. I accepted his offer and moved to sit in between the two of them. As David took my seat his arm brushed across mine and those tiny, fiery sparks ignited up my arm. I tried to ignore it, but when I looked at him I thought I saw confusion flash across his face. He must feel it too.
Trying to distract myself, I turned back to Rick. “Please explain these things to me.” Sitting back, I leaned into the seat preparing myself for information that I was not really sure I wanted but knew that I needed.
“Where would you like me to start?”
“Preferably from the beginning.”
“On your sixth birthday you received your power. That is the pain your mother remembered you feeling. I bound your powers, which is what we have been doing to all powerful children for years. We come into their lives so that when they obtain their power, they call for us, and we can bind them.”
Well, that made sense. I remembered all too well the pain I felt over the last couple of days, and I could only imagine a six year old feeling that. And the purple ‘Indian remedy’ must have been the same purple I saw around me the two times I felt my power recently.
“If everything works out well with Sam being at the Compound, we may consider doing something different with her, but that’s a different story. The business I spoke of was taking care of you, which I did. You took that as why I left, but I meant it as why I had appeared in the first place.”
Ouch!
That hurt. He only came to take care of business, which happened to be me.
Apparently my face showed the hurt I felt and he added, “Not that you were just business, darling. I came to love you as if you were my own daughter.”
Again, not the best thing to say to me. “Not that I could ever replace your father,” he blundered on. Sighing deeply, he rephrased his last statements, “It was my task to bind your powers, yes. But I did feel love for you, dear. I have never been blessed with children of my own, and for me you were the closest thing to that I have ever felt. I know that your father was an amazing man. I hope that clarifies it a little for you.”
“Okay, one other thing. I am not sure if it will make sense, but I’m going to ask you anyway.” After a nod of approval, I continued, “My great-grandmother told my mom that this would happen. That I would have to leave someday, and that I had a special gift. Does that mean that she had powers too?”
Smiling, “First of all, we call it ‘power,’ as in, a singular word. To answer your other question, yes. It would be safe to assume that she did.”
