Ascension Watchers

by Amy Proebstel

  Not wanting to be dismissed so lightly, Debbon persisted, “Did your visit pertain to District issues?”

  Senjin’s face showed relief as he answered, “No, First, it did not.”

  “So, it was a personal matter then?”

  “Yes, quite personal. I’m sorry, that’s all I feel comfortable revealing without Rasa’s permission. I hope you understand.”

  “Absolutely. I’m sure Rasa appreciates your friendship as well as your discretion. Thank you for your time.” Debbon deactivated the call and sat staring at the blank screen, no more enlightened than before.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Dr. Gascon stood at the door of his office, where he had been barred from entering as the men from the AFOSI team tore his room apart. They claimed to be able to seize anything relating to the patient who had been residing in Room 426 declaring she had been a national security risk. He seethed at their disregard for decades of research as they haphazardly scattered documents during their search.

  He had no idea who these government men were, but he was certainly going to find out so he could be sure to get them fired for their violation of doctor-patient confidentiality. “Hey, you can’t take that! It has private and confidential records!” he yelled out over the burly man’s arm as they packed up his laptop computer in one of the storage boxes they had hauled into the room.

  The men ignored him completely as they finished their task in silence. “I think we’ve got everything we came for,” the lead man announced. “Take these boxes through the service elevator to minimize our involvement.” As the team leader passed Dr. Gascon, he held out a business card to him and said, “Thank you for your cooperation. We’ll be in touch for your debriefing.”

  “My debriefing…” he sputtered as he automatically took the card from the other man. Never before had he been as furious as to be rendered speechless. He watched in mute silence as the men left his outer office and disappeared around the corner. He angrily looked down at the card in his hand and read: Air Force Office of Special Investigations. “Well, at least I know who to start calling! What the hell does the Air Force have to do with that woman? More importantly, how did they even know she was here, let alone what room she was in?”

  He crossed into his office, slipping on loose papers on the floor as he went. The mess only proved his point that the people he had been researching really were important. Even the government was interested in what they had to offer. Dr. Gascon sat in his chair, surveying the destruction around him. He chuckled as he patted his pocket.

  Luckily he had been in his office when the front receptionist had called to warn him of the unwelcome visitors. He had had just enough time to get everything locked up, including erasing the files from his computer before the men had come barging in demanding his records. Everything he had ever worked on concerning his special patients had been stored in a secret compartment hidden within the walls of his bookcase. He pulled the special key out and held it up in front of him like he had won the best prize of all.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Amanda was both relieved and slightly miffed that Vinia had opted to go home to Roanoke rather than return to Earth to comfort her three children who had been so worried. Of course, she understood Vinia’s desire to reunite with her toddler, who would have been more confused about her mother’s absence than her teenage children. Still, Amanda felt like she had missed out on being able to see her sister for the first time, with the knowledge that she was her sister and not just some woman who strangely resembled her.

  With the crisis over, Amanda had time to contemplate how she would break the terrible news to Juila about Behn actually being her first-cousin. She hated knowing her news would shatter her daughter’s happiness, yet there was no other choice; the kids’ romantic relationship had to come to an end before it went any further. Although Amanda worried something might have already transpired between the two teenagers, she was not about to pry into the details for fear of hearing what she already suspected.

  After several hours of contemplation on the matter, Riccan finally confronted her.

  “What is rolling through that head of yours?” His tone, slightly playful, masking his serious question.

  “I found something out today, which is going to create a huge ripple effect. I don’t know what I should do, but I’ll have to deal with it very soon.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” He wondered why she had not already come to him to discuss whatever bothered her.

  She turned to look at him intently, realizing he seemed slightly sad. “Of course! I always tell you everything!”

  “Okay, I’m listening.”

  Amanda settled herself more comfortably in the crook of his arm while they lounged on the couch in the living room. She was glad to be facing away from him for the time being since she just wanted to tell her story without seeing any judgment on his face. Stalling for a little more time, Amanda said, “This isn’t something I want to have to tell more than once. Maybe we should have the girls here to hear it as well.”

  “Alright. Do you want me to yell for them to come down?”

  “Sure.” Amanda felt her heart begin to beat faster in anticipation of having to break her daughter’s heart. This was the moment she had dreaded all day, which felt more like a lifetime than only several hours. Earlier, she had been relieved when Juila had insisted on going with her father to Manzanit since it meant another delay in sharing her news. With that excuse gone, Amanda no longer had any valid reasons to keep the information to herself.

  “Girls! Come to the living room!” Riccan’s voice boomed as he tipped his head backward to project his call toward the foyer.

  Immediately they could hear the commotion of a door opening and two sets of footsteps jogging along the hallway, down the stairs, and through the foyer. “What’s going on? Has something else happened?”

  “Come sit, your mother has something she’d like to talk about.”

  Cocking their heads in exactly the same manner, they complied with their father’s request and sat in the loveseat across from their parents. Both of them were old enough, and well-trained by Jehoban, to keep their counsel until they heard what their mother had to say.

  Clearing her throat, Amanda avoided eye contact with Juila and felt like a coward for it. “I found out something pretty amazing today. Unfortunately, not everyone here will regard it as good news.” She took another calming breath before recounting the conversation she had had with Copa. She could tell the exact moment when Riccan realized the implications of the relationship by the stiffening of his core, where she leaned against him.

  Only after she finished all of the details did she chance a glance over to Juila. Just as she had suspected, Juila’s features were frozen in a horrified state of shock. She had to say something to soothe her daughter, so she spoke quietly, “I’m sorry, Juila. I never meant for any of this to hurt you.”

  “This can’t be true! Not after…NO!” she shook her head, feeling tears begin to course down her cheeks.

  Riccan frowned at what had been left unsaid. He wondered what Juila had been keeping from them and asked, “Not after what, Juila?”

  As Juila remained silent, Jena decided to answer for her. “Juila figured out how Willian and Val’s life-lines were linked, and she did the same thing for herself and Behn. They are now tied together to their very core.”

  Riccan’s eyes grew round with astonishment at what his daughter had accomplished, feeling even worse as he understood how dire the situation had just become. “We’ll have to figure out a way to break the link then.”

  “No, no, NO!” Juila jumped up from the couch and stomped her foot childishly. “I don’t care if Behn and I are first-cousins! I love him, and we’re going to get married. We’re destined to be together and nothing, not even this news, is going to tear us apart!” She ran from the room, trying to hold back the wracking sobs which threatened to take away her breath, thinking this had to be a nightmare from which she would aw
ake.

  “I’m sorry, Jena,” Amanda whispered. Juila had taken the news just exactly as she had imagined. Now it was up to all of them to convince Juila to break things off with Behn for everyone’s well-being. “Can you talk to her, Jena? Try to make her see reason.”

  One of Jena’s eyebrows quirked up as she tilted her head slightly. “I don’t think she wants to see reason. She loves Behn.” Without saying anything else, Jena stood up and left the room, slower than her sister, but ending up in the same place.

  “Well, that went well,” Amanda murmured sarcastically.

  “How are you doing with this, Amanda? I don’t mean about Juila, I mean about you and Vinia being sisters.”

  “It still feels unreal.” She lifted one shoulder in confusion. “On the one hand, it goes a long way toward explaining why my dreams were of Vinia’s life while I was in the coma. Apparently, we share some sort of link, like our twins, for me to have shared so many intimate details of her life. On the other hand, it creates so many complications and wrinkles in our lives that I’m not sure it’s worth it.”

  “Maybe your parents will feel differently when they find out. After all, they’ve mourned her loss for your entire lifetime.”

  Amanda groaned with dismay. “That’s just it, Riccan! How do I tell my parents the truth? Well, I guess they’d be okay with the actual truth given their history with me, but what about my sisters? They have no idea what we’ve been through! How’re they supposed to suddenly accept Vinia as their sister when she’s clearly ten years, or more, older than me? Don’t you think they’d have questions which we’d be unable to answer easily?”

  “I see what you’re saying, honey, but don’t you think you owe it to your parents to tell them the truth?”

  “I know, I know!” Amanda threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. “I just didn’t want to have all of these problems! When is our life supposed to be simple…boring even? Aren’t you ready for boring yet?”

  Riccan chuckled while putting his arms around his wife’s torso. “Life with you hasn’t been boring since the moment we met! We’ll get through all of this together.” He kissed the back of her head while continuing to hug her closer to him. He wished he could make all of her troubles disappear, but it was a fantasy to think it might be possible. Instead, he would do his best to support her and stay by her side through everything. “When do you want to tell your parents?”

  “I think I’ll wait until I’ve had a chance to discuss this with Vinia. After all, what if she doesn’t want to pursue it? Then it would just tear my parents’ hearts out to know their other daughter doesn’t want a relationship with them.”

  “Even though I think you’re stalling, you do have a point. We can talk it all over with Vinia and then go from there.”

  “Yeah, then go from there,” she echoed less enthusiastically. “Do you think we should check on Juila?”

  “No, Jena’s going to keep watch on her. Let’s give her some time to process what she’s learned.”

  Amanda nodded, her heart aching for her daughter’s pain and feeling like the worst mother ever.

  Chapter Six

  BEHN HUNG UP the phone, feeling anxious for his girlfriend. He had called to find out if there were any further updates on his mother after learning she had been rescued and taken home, only to discover something terrible had happened to upset Juila so. Unfortunately, Jena’s answer and tone were curt as she tried to keep Behn from hearing Juila’s wracking sobs in the background before she had hung up unexpectedly.

  “What’s with your expression?” Valentina asked from his bedroom doorway.

  “Juila’s really upset about something, but I couldn’t even ask to talk to her before Jena hung up on me.”

  “That’s not good. Are you going to go over there?” Valentina crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.

  “I don’t know. Do you think I should? Maybe it’s too late to go tonight.”

  “Coward! Of course you should go! What kind of a boyfriend would you be to leave her alone when she’s obviously hurting?” Valentina rolled her eyes at how obtuse her brother could sometimes be. “Besides, it’s not that late, it’s only nine o’clock.”

  “On a school night,” Behn added, trying to convince himself to let it go. He did not like confrontation or crying girls. Somehow it felt as if he were setting himself up to be in front of a firing squad, and he did not feel equipped to handle the situation.

  “Oh brother, how old are you? Ten? Get going before I have to haul you out of here myself!” Valentina shoved herself away from the door and began to walk toward her brother, threateningly.

  “All right, all right! I’m going,” he spoke hastily and jumped up from his bed. He grabbed his jacket and car keys from his desk and almost jogged past his sister, who still advanced toward him.

  Several minutes later, he found himself outside of the estate, waiting for the gates to open far enough for him to drive through. “This is a bad idea,” he murmured to himself. He accelerated along the paved road and then pulled to a stop in the curve just beyond the front door. Behn got out of the car and stood to stare up at the lit windows of the second floor. He felt as though he were dragging his feet toward the front entrance, every fiber of his being wanting to run in the opposite direction. Somehow, he found the nerve to knock on the door.

  Riccan appeared in the doorway. “Hey, Behn. Did Juila ask you over?”

  “No, I tried talking with her on the phone, but Jena hung up on me before I could find out why she was crying. I thought I’d come and check to see if everything’s okay. May I come in?”

  “Sure, sorry, Behn. It’s probably a good thing you did come over. Juila’s pretty upset, and she’s going to have to work some things out with you.”

  “Is she mad at me? What did I do?”

  “No, it’s nothing you did. I’ll let her explain it. Go on upstairs. She’s in Jena’s room, I think.” Riccan patted Behn’s shoulder before turning and walking away toward the living room.

  “Okay,” Behn said to nobody in particular. They’re all acting strange, he thought as he turned to the left and began taking the stairs up to what was certain to be a difficult conversation. He tapped lightly on Jena’s bedroom door and waited. If nobody answered, he already decided he was going to turn around and head straight home.

  Jena opened the door, eyes widening in surprise before she ushered him into the room. “I’m glad you’re here.” She pointed to Juila and gave him a small push in her direction.

  Behn looked back toward Jena, surprised to see her closing the door behind herself, effectively leaving him alone with the damsel in distress. He certainly did not feel like a knight in shining armor as all he could think about was turning around and bolting for safety. He felt like the worst coward ever until Juila’s eyes lifted and spotted him.

  Nothing else mattered anymore as he could see she clearly wanted him to comfort her. He rushed forward and kneeled on the floor in front of the bed, where she sat on the edge. He put his arms around her, reveling in the feeling of their shared bond strengthening with their physical contact. Elemy coursed through them, exciting all of their nerves.

  Juila leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, igniting an unbridled passion within both of them, releasing their inhibitions. Nothing could have prepared Behn for the onslaught of emotions, which kept pounding through him, making him feel drunk with delight. Then something drastic changed and Behn realized all of the elemy had disappeared as though it had never been there.

  Sense returned to him, and he opened his eyes to see what had stopped Juila from kissing him anymore. “What are you doing, Juila? Why are you shielding yourself from me?”

  “We can’t be together anymore, Behn.”

  Reeling with the effects of her words, Behn pulled his hands out from under her shirt, where they had been kneading her breasts. He had no recollection of how they had gotten there, but it seemed inappropriate for him to be exploring her body after wh
at she had just said. “What? Why? You’re not making any sense. One minute you’re practically making love to me with your mouth, and then in the next instant, you’re breaking up with me. What’s really going on, Juila.”

  “That was a farewell kiss, Behn. I’m sorry I ever created the link with our life-lines. It was irresponsible of me to mess with something I don’t have enough knowledge with, and it was never meant to be for us.” Tears of frustrated rage welled in her eyes, she felt like a traitor for having to say these words to her beloved.

  “What happened, Juila? Start from the beginning, and then I’ll decide if we’re going to break up. Until then, I don’t accept your reason for sending me away.” He pushed himself up from the floor and insolently plunked himself down on the mattress next to her. He crossed his arms, preparing to wait however long it took to get the truth out of her.

  Juila closed her eyes, wishing she were anywhere other than alone in a room with Behn. She wished her mother would deliver the terrible news to him rather than leave her to do the dirty work. None of this would be happening if her mother had not spoken with Copa.

  “I’m waiting, Juila. Start talking.”

  “Fine!” Juila spat out impatiently. She told him the story just as she had been told, knowing with each passing word his world was going to shatter a little more like hers had. Only a couple of minutes had passed, yet both of their lives were forever changed.

  With the first part of Juila’s story, Behn merely humored her dramatics. With each subsequent revelation, he felt pieces of his life begin to crumble and fall into an abyss of misery. By the time she finished, he felt as hurt and angry as Juila had over the phone.

  Unfortunately, his immaturity caused him to direct his anger toward Juila rather than at the circumstances. “And knowing this, you kissed me?” He jumped up from the bed, turned, and glared down at her in disgust, hands fisted tightly at his sides. “That’s just sick, Juila. We’re first-cousins and…ugh…we had sex Juila! We had an incestuous encounter! Several of them, in fact! Could this get any grosser? I’ve gotta go!”