Between ascension, p.17
Between Ascension, page 17
part #9 of Levels of Ascension Series
“I did some research on it before we flew out here. I wanted to know what we were up against.”
Amanda remained quiet in the back seat; her stomach churned in fear for her sister. This problem was suddenly more real and more serious than she had imagined. She wished she could be anywhere other than where she was at the moment. The buildings whizzed by as her father navigated the streets to the county jail. Only a few minutes had passed before they were once again parking and going into another austere-looking building.
This time, when Chris asked to see his daughter, they were directed to a big, open room and told to sit at one of the round tables. A few minutes later, Carrie, dressed in orange coveralls, was escorted over to them by an armed guard.
Diane rose and put out her arms to hug her daughter.
The guard spoke in a clipped voice, “No physical contact is allowed. Please be seated.”
Dejected, Diane seemed to wilt back into her chair, tears forming in her eyes as she stared at her daughter.
Carrie could not bring herself to even look at her mother; she did not want to see the disappointment in her eyes. Instead, she stared at the sister she had believed would never come out of her coma. This was the first time she had seen her in over seven years, and she wondered why she had come. She shifted her gaze to her father and said dully, “Hi, Dad.”
“Hi, honey. Are you doing okay?”
“Does it look like it? I guess I really screwed up this time, didn’t I?” Carrie sat down hard in the chair between her sister and father.
“My husband offered to help. Can you think of anything he can do to get you out of here?” Amanda offered helpfully.
“I’d heard you’d married some rich dude you hardly knew. How’s that going?” Carrie asked rudely.
Amanda blinked at the unexpected attack and remained silent.
Chris cleared his throat and said, “Carrie, be nice. We all want to help. Tell us what we can do?”
“There’s nothing you can do for me, but you can do something for April and Emily. They were taken into foster care, and I’m sure they’re scared. Find them and take them home with you.”
Diane sobbed suddenly and began digging in her pocket for a tissue.
“Jeez, Mom, please stop. I’m not dead; I’m just in jail. Hopefully, I won’t be here long, and then I’ll come and get the kids.”
“Do you really think it’ll work out like that? That you can be out of here soon?” Diane sniffled and dabbed her nose with the tissue.
“Sure, piece of cake.” Carrie leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.
“Carrie? Are you okay? Why are you acting like this?” Amanda asked, hardly recognizing her sister through the harsh mannerisms.
Carrie threw her head back and actually laughed. She plucked at the jumpsuit with both her hands and said, “Does this look okay to you? That’s about the dumbest thing I’ve heard today, Amanda. Why don’t you go home to your rich husband? You’ve done your duty and came and saw me. I don’t need you rubbing in your perfect life to me anymore.” She stood up and turned to the guard, “I’m ready to go back now.”
“Carrie, wait!” Chris stood and willed his daughter to turn around.
Carrie’s shoulders stiffened, but she did not look back. She walked out of the visiting room without even saying goodbye. It was all she could do to keep from crying until after she could turn the corner to go back to her cell.
Diane whimpered and let the sobs begin in earnest. She felt as though she had lost another daughter; only this time she was not dead. There was nothing she could do or say which would make this any better. The whole trip had been a waste of time.
“Let’s go find out what we can do about getting April and Emily,” Chris said quietly.
Amanda put her arm around her mother’s shoulders to help her up out of her chair. “C’mon, Mom. Let’s go.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daven did as much research as he could on Shemalla and found relatively little of interest. He had been surprised to find she was officially an agent of Elder Vargen. The fact that her assignment was based on Earth was also something which had only been discovered when he peeled back several layers of classified clearances.
He wondered if any of the other Elders knew that the museum in Roswell was being run by Elder Vargen. How many other facilities were being run by the Elder on Earth? This was highly unusual and would need further investigation. Maybe a conversation with Elder Debbon would be in order.
After typing up his reply to Riccan’s message, he could not help but think about the prophecy predicting that the Elders would fall. Could Elder Vargen be one who would fall? He never really had liked Vargen’s brash style, nor the way he always sided with the most difficult Elders in any discussion regarding policy. Vargen seemed to be the ringleader of the ornery cronies.
Thinking about the other Elders made him realize it had been several weeks since the convocation voting in Rasa as the successor to Elder Wilken. With how terribly the dissenting Elders had behaved, he was surprised no repercussions had been noted. He would have to check in with Rasa soon to see how she was faring in her new post.
In a way, he was thankful to have Rasa blaze the trail for other women to become Elders. After being with his granddaughters for several days, he could easily see either or both of them becoming an Elder one day. Certainly, they were talented enough, and the fact they had both been selected and trained by Jehoban gave them impeccable credentials.
He leaned back in his chair, musing on the possibilities of their futures. Jena and Juila both possessed their own samaras, something which even he could not claim for himself. Daven wondered if Amanda’s assumption about all of them from Jehoban’s meeting were to get their own samara. So far, each of the known samaras had been claimed by the attendees only.
Thinking about how Captain Ahn had received his, gave him the idea of trying to call his own samara to him. He closed his eyes and tried to visualize the crystal skull resting in his palms. For an instant, he felt as though he could feel a tingling sensation, and he redoubled his efforts. He breathed deeply and focused his thoughts to the exclusion of all else.
Several hours later, a noise startled Daven into opening his eyes and had to laugh at himself because, apparently, he had fallen asleep. Obviously, the idea of calling a samara was more complicated than he had imagined. He stretched the kinks out of his joints and promised himself, one way or another, he would get his own. Right now, however, he had to get ready for lunch, or he was going to be late. His wife hated it when meals were delayed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Freya asked an innocent question to Agetha, “What do you think Ozian means by visiting with Vinia so much?”
“No doubt, he’s after something. She is the only one with a patil in the village. Maybe he’s trying to find a way to get back home since he’s discovered there’s nothing here for him.”
“I don’t think so,” Freya mused quietly to herself. To her mind, it looked like Ozian had found more than enough to keep him around. She had to admit to herself that she was slightly jealous but then chided herself. Vinia had a small child who needed looking after, Ozian would be a good father for her and a helpmate for Vinia.
“What was that?” Agetha asked unkindly.
“Nothing. I was just talking to myself. Do you have enough firewood, or should we go gather more?”
“I’m fine. You should run along home now; it’s getting late.”
Not really appreciating being told what to do, Freya held her tongue as she turned and began walking toward her home and away from the mean and spiteful Agetha. If Agetha were not her nearest neighbor, she probably would not have become friends with her. Freya shrugged and told herself it was best to get along with everyone since the community was so small. They all needed one another to get through the hard times.
Freya turned and saw Agetha had gone into her own house, so she kept walking until she found herself nearing Vinia’s cabin. She really did not have any intention of overhearing Vinia’s conversation, but once she was within range, she found she could not turn away either. Freya covered her mouth to keep from making any noise as she listened intently.
“I really am serious about marrying you, Vinia. Please say you’ll accept,” Ozian pled one more time.
“What would you do if I said yes?” Vinia asked offhandedly, not really believing Ozian would take it as an acceptance.
“Did you just say yes? Oh, I’m the happiest man alive!” He jumped up from the bench and picked up Vinia and turned her in jubilant circles. “We can have the ceremony tonight, or tomorrow, or as soon as it can be arranged. I want you to have everything you’ve ever wanted. Tell me what you want to do?”
Seeing she had made a serious error in her choice of words, Vinia did not have the heart to deny his words. She realized she would like to be with him; she only wished it would have come later when she had more time to mourn the loss of her previous relationship. Ozian did not have to pay for her past, and she owed her daughter a future with a father in it.
“I will make the arrangements,” Vinia spoke with a silly grin on her face.
For the first time, Ozian leaned down and kissed her firmly on the lips. He forgot about everything else, as he lost himself in the feel of her body under his hands. He began pulling on her shirt, and his kisses trailed across her cheek and down her throat.
“No, Ozian, we can’t do this yet,” Vinia said as she finally came to her senses and pushed him away from her. “I want this done properly or not at all. Do you understand?”
Looking slightly downcast at being denied his prize, he suddenly grinned and said, “I’d do anything for you, Vinia. I’m going to go home now before I forget what you asked. I’ll be back tomorrow to help with the planning. I love you, Vinia!” He turned and rushed out of the cabin. He never even saw Freya standing in the shadows near the corner of the house.
She felt tears dropping down her cheeks as she realized Vinia had accepted Ozian’s advances. No longer was it just an idea; it was going to be a reality…and soon. Her hopes for a future with the new man in town were dashed, and she felt herself wilting inside with the loss. She picked up her skirts and ran back to her cabin to cry herself to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Four
THE IDEA OF Ozian wanting to marry her kept Vinia’s mind from being able to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes at a time. It was utterly preposterous for him to be serious, yet every time she tried to deny it, Ozian gave her a look otherwise. Vinia blushed like a schoolgirl when she thought about what would happen if she were to give in to his request, which also made her scoff at herself for her foolishness.
In a daze, she stared at the door where Ozian had just left. Had she really just agreed to get married? Surely not! She could not get married until after she talked it over with her other three children. They were old enough to have an opinion on the matter.
She walked over to the patil and turned it on. She tapped the messaging button and composed a quick note to Riccan to pass along to her children. There was no good way of writing what was happening and she struggled to find the right words. “What a mess!” she said out loud to herself. “This can’t be happening right now!”
Danika began to cry behind her, and she abandoned her message in favor of soothing her daughter. She settled the baby on her lap and offered her breast to Danika, not sure who would be more comforted by the gesture. Peace descended upon them both as the only noises in the room were the suckling sounds and small grunts of pleasure coming from the little girl. Danika had no idea what was going on in her world, and Vinia envied her for it.
It had only been three weeks since Nealan had been forcibly taken from her life. In such a short amount of time, she had gone from being completely dependent on someone for support, to becoming the leader of a community. No longer did she mourn the loss of her three older children, since they had also been restored to her life, although not in the manner she ever imagined.
Danika had fallen asleep, and her lax mouth had lost its grip on her breast. She pulled her away and covered herself, but remained rocking in her chair for a few more minutes, enjoying the serenity of the warm bundle in her arms. Did she want to give up this private time by marrying Ozian? There really was no rush in moving forward.
Maybe she was even making a mistake with Ozian by letting her old fears control her future decisions. She needed to take some time for herself and her daughter before she made life-changing choices like getting married. With a newfound resolve, Vinia decided she would tell Ozian in the morning that she wanted more time to decide, she owed that much to her children.
With a sigh, Vinia stood up and gently placed Danika back in her cradle by the bed. She tucked the covers carefully around her and stared at her for a few more seconds before she straightened up and walked back over to the patil. She resumed her seat and read what she had already written and decided nothing needed to be said at the moment.
Vinia tapped on the delete key, and the whole message disappeared. For some reason, it felt wrong to dismiss the whole thing so easily, so she immediately opened another message and wrote:
Riccan,
It would be great if the kids could spend some time with me while they are on winter break. Do you think something could be arranged?
Thanks,
Vinia.
She hit send before she changed her mind. Then she hit the compose button again and wrote another note:
Elder Daven,
Ozias has asked me to marry him. Please advise me on this matter.
Your humble subject,
Vinia.
There was nothing more she could do for the night, so she turned off the patil and wandered around her empty house, cleaning dusty corners, and straightening the folded linens. Some human interaction would be nice in times like these, she thought to herself. With the fire banked for the night, she stripped off her clothes and got under the covers. Even though it was still rather early in the evening, her mind was tired from all of the turmoil she felt inside. She turned on her side to face the crib, should Danika need anything during the night, and swiftly fell asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Riccan had stayed late at work since there was nobody to come home to anyway. Things had definitely improved on the work front, yet it still was less satisfying than it had been before the blowup with Ela Nena. There had never been an apology from his boss, and he had to come to terms with the idea that there likely never would be.
He sauntered through the kitchen on his way in from the garage. He toyed with the idea of making himself something to eat, yet he was still pretty full from lunch. The place seemed oddly quiet without the girls being home, and he wondered how they were faring at his parents’ house. Thinking there might be some response from his father about Amanda’s question over Shemalla, Riccan strode to his office and uncovered his patil.
Once it was powered up, he discovered he had two unread messages. The first one was from his father letting him know Shemalla was exactly who she claimed to be. He had also written that if Amanda felt compelled to discuss matters with her, then it was probably the right thing to do. Riccan smiled at his dad’s obvious infatuation with his wife, and he was thankful his father thought so highly of his wife’s skill at reading people.
The second message caught him by surprise as he discovered it was from Vinia. His father had been handling the situation involving the Roanoke Colony, so he was curious to see what she would need from him. Surely it would have to do with Jena or Juila; otherwise, she would have contacted his father. He clicked the message open and then sat back in his chair, tapping his finger to his pursed lips, trying to decide what he could do with her request.
Without fully thinking the matter through, Riccan pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and looked up the Wilson’s phone number. Thankfully, the girls spent enough time over at their house to warrant being put into his phone. A male voice answered his call.
“Behn, is that you?” Riccan asked.
“No, this is Jon.”
“Oh, sorry about that Jon. This is Riccan Stel. Do you have a minute?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Are you somewhere private?”
“I can be, just a second.” Jon rapidly moved out of the kitchen where his parents were preparing dinner and through the living room. He gestured at Behn and Valentina to follow him as he moved down the hall and into his bedroom at the other end of the house. He pulled the phone away from his ear and pushed the speaker button so everyone could hear. “Okay, I’m in my room with Behn and Valentina. Is something wrong?”
“I don’t think so, but I just got a message from your mom. She is asking for you to come and see her while you’re on break. Her request is simple enough, but it feels like there’s something she’s not saying. The problem is about how you’d get there. I have to be at work and Amanda is still in New Mexico dealing with her sister.”
“So you don’t think it’s anything urgent?” Behn asked for clarification.
“No, it’s just a feeling I have. I hate to dump this on you and then leave you with no way to get over there to her.”
“There might be a way,” Valentina chimed in. “You still have Mrs. Stel’s telepod in your garage, right?”
“Yes,” Riccan confirmed and then laughed. He had the feeling they were going to say they could fly themselves there. “I know the technology is really advanced, and it almost flies itself, but I can’t in good conscience allow you to try to get yourselves there.”
“No, no!” Valentina denied immediately. “I wasn’t suggesting that at all. What if there were someone who did know how to fly it available. Would you let us borrow it?”
“I’m afraid I’m not following,” Riccan replied, more than a little baffled by what she was suggesting.
