Keith didn’t believe his own words. He knew the real reason Ina had gone off to California. She had gone to finally confront Jenna. Margie didn’t know all that had really happened between Jenna, Keith, and Ina. He wasn’t about to explain either, for it would only make matters worse.
A week had already gone by, and Ina hadn’t called or been seen by anyone since the first day she’d arrived in California. The last time Ina had been seen was at the bar where she ran into Jenna. Keith and Marjorie both called Jenna at different times, begging for her to make sure to check the hotel over and over again.
The hotel wouldn’t give any information until Ina was finally reported missing and an official police investigation was done. Inanna was nowhere to be found. She never even checked into her hotel the evening she arrived in California.
Of course, no one knew she was actually trapped in a completely different solar system, on a faraway planet called Cova.
“Do you know that nursing student I’m talking about?” Marjorie asked again.
“I’m sorry, I don’t,” Keith said.
Keith knew Ina had acquaintances, but she never made any close friends. The only friends she had were Brooke and Jenna, and Brooke hadn’t heard from Ina either since the day she left for California.
“God…help me,” Marjorie dropped to the couch and dropped her head into her hands in agony. “What about her job? You think she could have called them? Or anyone else you can think of?”
Ina was a part-time nanny for one of the neighbors.
“I called them – they haven’t heard from her. And, I’ve thought of everyone. You know Ina – she has no friends – she – she only has us,” Keith said.
“I know. I guess I’m just trying to think of someone who might know where she is; her phone is dead because it keeps going to voicemail. The police can’t even track it,” Marjorie let out a long breath of frustration.
“She would’ve called by now.” Keith started to feel his worry turn into a gut-wrenching pain, and he finally sat down.
“All we can do is pray and wait,” Marjorie said.
Past: Akeena and Atum Captured
A keena, Atum, and the babies were taken back to Cova. Kah dragged Akeena by a single rope that restrained both her wrists. Atum watched in agony as Akeena was swept across the unforgiving ground. It killed him inside that he was unable to protect her. He had already used up all his powers saving her at childbirth. Akeena cried as her limp body tore at every rock and thorn in Cova’s Dark Forest.
“Pathetic fools!” Kah stopped and tied Akeena to a tree.
Akeena cried, her face disfigured. Kah backhanded her, sending teeth flying from her bloody mouth.
“Shut up!” he yelled.
“Stooooooopp!” Atum begged in despair. “Please, take me instead - you can kill me - beat me - whatever you want from me - but please spare her. It’s not her fault. It’s me you want!”
Atum had nothing left in him after saving Akeena in childbirth. He had depleted his energy.
“I’m going to watch you writhe in agony. You think you can just abandon everything and ruin me? My pathetic sister should have known better than to marry your father - look where it has gotten us. You have been nothing but a traitor to your people. I knew from day one that your father would be the demise of our people. To think Lana felt that he would be a better ruler over Euron, instead of me!? She betrayed her own blood! And so - did - you.”
“Believe what you want Kah, but please spare Akeena…” Atum said.
“Believe what I want?” Kah laughed condescendingly. “It was me all along who was more powerful and you know it. Your father was weak.”
“My father had the best interest of the people.”
“Did he now? Then why didn’t he try to save his own wife, instead of blaming me for her illness.”
“It was you that poisoned her!” Atum yelled.
“A mere mistake. A plan gone wrong; I’ll admit.”
“What bothers you more - that you’re still not ruler over Cova, or that my father was more powerful than you’ll ever be.”
“More powerful than me?” Kah paused and looked around as if to speak to the surrounding audience.
“If your father was so powerful then he should have saved your mother. Don’t you think that if your father had the best interest of the people - as you say he did - that he would have been more focused on saving the queen rather than fighting me? He left me no choice but to retaliate.”
“You’re evil.” said Atum.
“We aren’t that different, you and I,” Kah said.
“I am nothing like you,” Atum responded.
“We’re more alike than you’ll ever admit. In the end, this is all your fault. You could have very easily saved your mother and taken your father’s place, yet you abandoned your “so called” people in order to make a life for yourself elsewhere.”
Atum stared into Kah’s eyes with clenched fists and gritted teeth.
“You see, Atum, we’re not that different at all, my nephew. After all, we both sought out our own selfish destinies. And here we arrre...”
Kah spat on the ground and circled around Atum.
“I am the rightful leader of Cova!” Kah yelled.
The guards held up the swords and armor as to salute and agree.
“Did you think you would get away with this, Atum? Abandoning your nation – your own mother!?” Kah seethed through his teeth as he kicked Atum once more in the pit of his stomach.
“It will only be a matter of time before every being on this planet worships me like a god. No one will even look for you – no one even knows you’re alive. But first, I will kill everyone you love...starting with your sweet Akeena.”
“Please, I’ll do anything. What do you want from me?” Atum said trying to choke back the blood that was filling his throat.
Atum remained on his knees, both hands tied behind his back and his legs shackled. His face, covered in bruises, his mouth filled with blood. He watched Akeena desperately gasping for air - like a pitiful dying fish.
“Everything.” He said with a sinister smile. “I will kill you, of course - eventually. But not yet. You’re weak and pathetic at the moment, but when you regain your strength, I will take all of your powers. I will even be father to your beloved daughters. They’ll never know you even existed. I will soon rule all of Cova, the way it should have been from the start.”
Atum wriggled and fought, trying to break free from the guard’s grip and the shackles. It was useless.
Kah let out a triumphant guffaw. In an instant, Kah was serious again.
“Finish her,” he said to the guards.
“No! No, please! I beg you!” Atum pleaded and cried. “I’ll be your servant - I’ll do whatever. Please...”
Kah looked back and nodded to confirm the execution. The guards slashed Akeena’s throat as Atum dropped to the ground again in distraught.
“Nooooooo!!!” he cried.
“Take him to the bunker,” Kah ordered.
The men took Atum to a bunker not too far from where they were, on the outskirts of Kahnroch. Atum tried his best to remember his surroundings as they dragged him to his horrific destination. Between the emotions of losing Akeena and not knowing where the babies were, he began to feel hopeless. The soldiers covered his head with a cloth bag halfway through the trail so he was unable to see where he was going.
Kah stayed behind, commanding the men to tell all of the soldiers to surround the perimeter of Kahnroch.
“The princesses will stay in my kingdom,” he commanded. “We can’t risk anyone finding them. When the time is right, I will make an announcement that the daughters of Atum were saved, that he is dead, and that I will raise the princesses in the Kingdom of Kahnroch as my own. The dead child shall be burned, leaving no trace of evidence left behind.”
Present: Liam
“I nanna has disappeared,” said the agent.
“What? How do you know this?” a
sked Liam.
“It’s also all over the news.”
Liam’s head dropped into his hands.
“Do you they think she’s alive?” Liam inquired, hopeful.
“There’s no trace of her.”
“This would have never happened if I’d still been home.”
“We had no choice. Our orders by ENSA was to have you relocated. It’s better this way for everyone.”
“How is this better? Ina is missing,” Liam answered. “Any leads on who is responsible for this? Human or alien? She could be in danger.”
“It has been reported that an unknown visitor had been seeing your daughter. A young man by the name of Zech,” answered the agent.
“Human?”
“We have reason to believe this young man is a spy - unsure if alien or human. ENSA won’t release any more information, but they seem to believe he is dangerous. We tried investigating but he has no records.”
“Will I be able to see Margie? She must be going through hell. First, I disappear, and now Ina.”
“Let me remind you, Liam, that although you’ve grown fond of the girl - we must obey ENSA’s orders. We don’t know the dangers these Covian people could pose on our planet if we don’t comply. They ordered for you to stay in relocation. We advise you follow orders.”
“This is my family you’re talking about! Before Ina, I had a normal life! Although I didn’t ask for this, I love Ina and she is my daughter - like it or not. These were the cards I was dealt. I need to be there for Marjorie right now.”
“Liam, I’ve worked with you for many years, and I consider you a friend. I’ve seen people go against the agency, later to be found mysteriously dead or missing. Please, just stay put.”
Liam sat quietly, but he knew what he had to do.
Past: Heron and Kah Talk
T he two full moons of Cova hung low above the trees. The night was filled with sounds in the Dark Forest, as Kah anxiously awaited at the border for Heron. He had been told that Heron had wanted to meet urgently.
“Kah!” called out a man from the dark.
Kah’s men immediately pulled out their weapons and pointed them towards the direction of the man who could not be seen in the shadows of the dark forest.
“Show yourself,” Kah demanded.
Out came King Heron, King Euron’s younger brother. He had taken over the Euron nation after Queen Lana and King Euron’s death. A group of armed soldiers from Euron stood surrounding him with drawn laser guns pointing towards Kah and his men.
“Lower your weapons,” Heron ordered his soldiers. “Kah, I’ve come to talk, not to fight.”
Kah ordered his men to lower their weapons in Covian. They obeyed.
“I understand you wanted to meet regarding an urgent matter?” said King Kah.
“Word has been given that you have succeeded in finding the daughters of Atum. We have come to discuss this and hopefully come to an agreement as to where the princesses belong.” said King Heron.
The guards shuffled uncomfortably.
“That is not a matter we are willing to discuss with your nation. Is that all you came for?” said Kah.
“A young witch had a vision - a fuzzy one at best - but she confirmed two Covian Princesses have been brought from Earth. If this is true, it could confirm the early prophecy.”
“And what are you going to do about it?” threatened Kah.
“Despite what you think Kah, we can work together and make this right.”
“I will never work with you, Heron,” Kah said flatly.
“We know what you’ve done, Kah,” Heron began. “You killed your own sister, Queen Lana – then you killed King Euron. You’ve taken every ill minded criminal and creature from Euron to build your own kingdom, and you will destroy all of Cova if you don’t stop and rethink your plan. You know about the prophecy – you can’t ignore it,” said King Heron.
“I just saved your dear nieces from their father who held them hostage on a primitive planet. Something your own men could never accomplish. If you’d been interested in saving them, you would have sent your men and saved them yourself.”
“You know very well we’ve tried, but we have no fuel for our ships to leave Cova. You have taken all of our resources.” said Heron.
“Maybe you should trust that the ones with the resources will do the right thing. Perhaps we are fighting for the very same thing, Heron,” Kah retorted.
“I doubt that. Atum is the rightful King of Euron, and you know it. His daughters are the princesses of our nation - and if the prophecy is true…” Heron thought for a moment, “you know they belong with us.”
“They belong with their new king, the one who saved them. Not a coward prince who abandoned his people instead of taking the throne.”
“They’re captives in your hands. The princesses deserve a better life than to be confined to the walls of your Kingdom.”
“We are done here.” Kah said as he turned and began walking away.
“Kah!” Heron called out. “If you are unwilling to discuss the whereabouts of the princesses, can you at least tell us about Atum and the mother of the children?”
“She was a useless human. As for Atum, he is dead.”
With that, Heron had a sinking feeling. He needed a different plan. Kah was never going to cooperate.
Present: Floating in Nothingness
I am floating on thin air.
It’s as if I am floating in the nothingness of outer space. I’m in an unconscious world where time does not exist. In moments I seem to realize who I am, and then in others I seem to be in a deep, dark sleep. I wonder why the butterflies continue to land on my floating body - they are the only light in the room.
A mirror image surrounds me, and I watch myself multiply by the millions in the distance. Suddenly it’s black again, the butterflies are gone, and I am asleep.
Past: Meretseger Thinks
M eretseger paced her cave thinking to herself.
“I can’t get involved - I will only make things worse. If only there was a way that Heron could trust me again - only then could we attempt to rescue the princesses.”
Meretseger’s visions were more vivid than ever. She knew if she didn’t act soon, it would be the end of Cova for sure. It was only a matter of time before Kah destroyed the entire planet. Capturing the princesses was her only hope.
The question was how was she going to do it.
Present: News in the USA
K eith flipped through the channels as he tried downing his bowl of Chinese noodles. Ever since Ina’s disappearance, he really had no appetite. He stopped on a channel just as the news anchor began talking.
“Welcome back to the show. This is Lacey Grace, telling a story tonight that has made top headlines across the US. The mysterious disappearance of Florida woman, Inanna Ruthe Preston, who left to visit a friend in California and suddenly went missing. Her boyfriend, or ex-fiancé rather, Keith Merritt, mysteriously traveled to California, too – without telling anyone! I mean, c’mon people. And not only does he not tell anyone, he claims he was just casually having a drink while his ex-girlfriend somehow disappeared,” she said making air quotes.
“Now, interestingly enough, the taxi driver was killed in an alley where they found the cab that she was riding in. There is solid proof that Inanna Ruthe Preston was in that car. If you ask me, the killer probably did this to cover his or her tracks and any witnesses that may want to speak out against him, or her, in court. I do believe in due process, but in this case, I believe there may be enough evidence to convict the ex-fiancé, Keith Merritt, of at least the murder of that poor taxi driver, Mr. Chen Ho. Tonight, we have Steven Rodriguez and Armando Perez who were the first responders on the scene of this horrific event. Officers, thank you for your service and thank you for being here. Now, tell us what you think? We already know what happened – but who do you believe could have committed the horrendous murder of Chen Ho, and potential murder of Inanna Preston?”
“Well, due to the sensitivity of this case, there are things we can’t discuss. But as the public knows, there was a gun registered to Keith Merritt, which is believed to be the same gun that killed Chen Ho, who was the taxi driver of where Inanna Preston was last believed to be seen,” said Steven.
“The taxi driver – right. Okay, but what about Miss Preston? What are investigators saying about her whereabouts?” Lacey pressed.
“Well at this time, we cannot confirm that she was in fact in that vehicle. There -” said Armando.
“Wait a minute – now I read the report – and it clearly states that Inanna Preston’s DNA, along with Keith Merritt’s DNA was found in that taxicab. Am I right?”
“Well, technically yes…but we don’t have definitive proof that Inanna or Keith were in fact in that car. Keith Merritt has an alibi as well,” Armando confirmed.
“But he doesn’t? Who has confirmed this supposed alibi?” retorted Lacey.
“Like I said, there are details we can’t say at this time. We also don’t have everything confirmed by the forensics team,” said Steven.
“Listen, the gun that was used to murder that innocent taxi driver was registered under Keith Merritt’s name! How does a gun, magically go from Florida to California? The other question you should be asking is how the hell that gun made it through airport security? This should be a TSA concern as well. I mean, how do you explain it? I want to know what our viewers think. Tell us what you think about this on our page, because I certainly feel that the family of Chen Ho and missing woman, Inanna deserve justice for their loved ones. I’m a mother of twins, and if I was that poor mother, I would want justice for my daughter! And the driver is survived by his wife and two children – they have to live with this for the rest of their lives!”
“The investigators are doing everything they can to solve this case. If anyone has information, please contact the California Police Department. Keith may be a suspect, but he has cooperated with law enforcement up to this point,” said Steven.
Beyond the Stars- Awakened Page 4