Encompassing Women: Book Four of the Encompassing Series

by Richard Lord

  Adam reaches for her shirt again while answering, “You know why. We’ve had this conversation.”

  Tomorrow lets him pull her top off and then points a finger at the tree where he left the heart with their names in it. “I don’t know which when this is, but at least show my mother this spit someday and have the decency to add her name in your heart.”

  Adam’s face gets a strange look as he tries to hear all of the thoughts in Tomorrow’s mind. He gets up from Tomorrow as he begins to understand her reasoning. He pulls out a knife and walks to the tree.

  “I didn’t mean right this minute, Adam! Way to kill the mood!” Tomorrow looks at him a bit shocked.

  “You’re right. She’s gone and I had no other way to honor her.” Renfield responds as he walks to a different tree.

  Tomorrow clicks next to him to see what he is carving and watches intently. As his hand moves faster than she can understand, Renfield carves out, “Christina was my adventurous wife. She brought me Solstice and Tomorrow. Tomorrow brought me Illumna and Joy. She was the bravest of all of us because she couldn’t just click out of a bad situation, but she went with us into any situation. That’s why I loved Christina and why her daughters loved her too.” Then she watches as he drops the knife and turns to her.

  Tomorrow sits quiet with him for a while. Then she says, “That was a long thing to carve into a tree. Thank you. I wish I could go back and bring her here to see it, but I understand the problems with that. Not to mention this is our spot.”

  Adam lowers his head again. Then he looks up at Tomorrow. “Do you still have that phone?”

  “It’s back at our old house. It doesn’t have power.”

  “Of course it doesn’t, it was plugged into the source when we left.” Adam vanishes and is back in a moment. He pulls out the device and snaps a picture of the tree. Then he looks at Tomorrow.

  She hears his thought. “Adam, you can’t give this to Phillip. You’ll change everything!”

  “No. I won’t. I gave this to Phillip the day I saw him. I put my hand to his chest and slipped it into his pocket because he was a techy and I heard Illumna and all about the plan. I wanted him to have some advantage. I knew I couldn’t change his mind and I damn well know my daughter and that she wouldn’t change hers.”

  “Wait, are you saying you knew that your brother was going to die?” Tomorrow looks at him, rewinding everything she has ever thought.

  “Slow down. Brian knew too. He wanted to be the one to convince him it was a bad idea. That’s what the whole rabbit thing was about. I wasn’t sure Brian could talk him out of it, so I slipped this phone into his pocket so he could reverse engineer it. But he certainly would have looked at what is on it.” Renfield wonders if it helped.

  Tomorrow thinks about this and then says, “Can I leave him a message on it, too?”

  Renfield considers the ramifications, but says, “Okay. But don’t tell him he dies.” He wonders if this is a good idea and then he raises his voice, “And don’t refer to him as they martyr!”

  “How do I do it?” Tomorrow asks.

  “You press this icon and then you talk into it. Don’t talk too long. It needs to have a long enough battery life when I give it to him to last long enough for him to figure out how to get the messages we are leaving and then also to reverse-engineer it.” Renfield looks at her sternly.

  “Ok, shoosh! Away with you. This is private!” Tomorrow looks at him with her eyes showing how serious she is.

  Adam, wanting to keep the peace walks to the river to bath himself. When he returns he can tell she has been crying. “That brought out a lot of emotion in you. I won’t listen to it or your mind. It’s private.”

  “Adam, I thanked him for saving my mother and me.” Tomorrow confesses without being prodded to.

  “Okay. I understand.” Adam sits down next to her, but he begins to question whether or not it’s a good idea to deliver the phone. For a moment, he considers deleting the messages. After some time, he comes to the conclusion he should not affect time so much. At least now he understands why Phillip followed through with the plan he had with Illumna. He still can’t understand why Illumna would do such a thing. She was smart and he knows she could have thought of another way. Adam turns to Tomorrow, “It’s okay. I’ll be right back.”

  “You weren’t thinking quietly. Did I make a mistake?” Tomorrow looks at him with tears still streaming down her face.

  “No more than I did. It happened. You are here. That’s what matters. You’ve done so much for so many, just like he did. Be proud of yourself, Tomorrow.” He looks at her as he considers throwing the phone into the river, but he looks at Tomorrow. It is clear to him that if Phillip doesn’t die, Tomorrow will never be. He doesn’t want to make the decision, but he comes to the conclusion that he shouldn’t change time.

  His mind traverses time as he reaches out to think to Destiny. “Is there a way?”

  He hears her response, “Grandfather, I didn’t know you could do that. No there is no way. You have to choose. If you destroy it, I will never exist. Illumna would not be here. To be honest, if I had a say, I’d say click back as far as you can in time and click yourself into a volcano so none of his exists. I’m not in a good mood. Illumna said I should hang out with you and grandmother. I know you two, that’s not really feasible.”

  “You seem more emotional than the last time I saw you.” Renfield thinks out at her. “You’re with Illumna?” Renfield has a strong reaction to that information.

  “And my mom. Illumna and I have been a lot of strange places following Harmony’s lead. Everything that has happened so far has been pretty bad.” Destiny seems destitute and he notes it.

  “Harmony is Amelia’s daughter. How is Amelia? I’d like to give your grandmother an update on her student.”

  “Amelia is dead. I was in love with her but she’s gone.” Destiny’s tone in her thoughts goes even darker.

  “I’m very sorry to hear that. Please understand I won’t pass that on to your grandmother. I know she doesn’t care that the two of you were in love, but realize that means both of her students have passed. You know where we are headed to, so you know I have to be sure her mind is clear so that she survives.” Renfield tries to explain, but he knows how that sounds. Adam clicks, now knowing where she is.

  Destiny looks up at him. “How did I know you were going to do that?” She runs into his open arms and he holds her tight.

  “It’s not okay Destiny. It’s a horrible thing. You can be upset, but you have to be strong to get to the next thing you are supposed to do.” He rubs her back. His mind wonders what he can do for her.

  “The only thing I’ve ever been good for is keeping my secret and hearing blocked people.” Destiny doesn’t let go of her grandfather, despite the fact that she is feeling a storm of emotions.

  “Dear, you’re my granddaughter. You are a big part of this.” Renfield holds her even tighter to make sure she feels that he means what he is saying.

  “That’s why I hate you!” Destiny says while still holding her arms tightly around him.

  “I know. I don’t mind. I love you. Amelia was the first person who you ever truly opened your heart to and she passed. I understand. You’re still seeing it, so I know what happened. I’m going to guess that Harmony is not doing too well, but I also hear your thought about Joy watching over her. That’s good. Joy can cheer up mud.” Renfield smiles at the thought of his daughter’s way.

  “How do you stay so upbeat and keep going no matter what happens?” Destiny asks.

  “I have Joy. Plus, I’m not always upbeat.” Renfield considers several times he himself was down.

  “Yeah, I’ve heard the stories. Did you really kill that many?” Destiny knows she is pushing a question he doesn’t normally answer, but by asking she also knows he will think about it and then she will have her answer.

  Renfield, understanding her approach simply replies, “Life has been long.”

  Knowing her g
randfather knows her tactic she decides to be more direct with him. “You are thinking about them now. That’s a lot more than they tell the stories about.”

  “Destiny. Life has been long.” Adam puts his hand on her head and tussles her already wild hair. “You know how it ends. I don’t. Hopefully my actions were for the good. You do your best. I know you have a hell of a burden and I understand the gravity of your loss. You will get through it.”

  “Did you ever get over losing Christina?” As Destiny asks, she wonders if she is being too blunt now.

  “No, not completely. You don’t expect you’re going to forget about Amelia, do you?” Renfield looks down into her strange green eyes.

  “How do you deal with it, besides having grandmother?” Destiny looks back into his eyes as she asks. She knows they are extremely dark, but she can see a pattern in them.

  “They’ve changed over the years. Hard to determine a person by their eyes. Strangely people think that’s a good way to read a person, but it’s not.” Renfield motions for her to sit next to him. “Sara was with me even when I was with Christina. It couldn’t have been easy for them. We both felt the loss. Tomorrow was young when I met her. She had a lot of aspirations, but she was in the wrong place to live out any of them. She became a teacher, a hero, a leader and then Sara. She gave me Joy and Joy created you. So I would say you come from a pretty good line.” Adam kisses her on the forehead.

  “Sara. She’s Christina’s daughter. What was Christina like?” Destiny feels a sense of curiosity about the other woman whom her grandfather was so deeply in love with.

  “A lot like your Amelia. Amelia’s namesake was a pilot who was never shy for adventure. Christina was the same way and also a pilot. That’s why I understand what you miss so much right now.” Renfield looked down at the ground with many memories of Christina flooding his mind.

  Destiny hugs her grandfather again as she cries on his shoulder for a moment and then she asks, “Do you want to talk to Illumna?” She turns her head over to the grove Illumna is in and says, “She right over…” Then as she turns back she notices Renfield is gone.

  Next to his wife Renfield says, “I’m getting better at time. I bet you didn’t even know I was gone.”

  “Of course I did, but I’ll admit that was pretty fast.” Tomorrow puts a piece of the meat she is eating into his mouth while looking at their spot. “So how is Destiny?”

  Renfield realizes he didn’t shut his mind out to her. “You already know. I think she’ll be fine.” He notes he wasn’t as quickly timed as he thought. Tomorrow had enough time to click somewhere for meat and be back before him.

  “I think not talking to Illumna was a missed opportunity, Adam. They’re going around to planets we never even knew existed. You may never see her again.” Tomorrow continues to look away from him at what she calls their special spot.

  “She knew I was there.” Renfield replies. “Who do you think was filling me in ono everything while I talked with our granddaughter?”

  Tomorrow smiles, but still doesn’t look at him. “You and your daughters. I suppose they always have your back. So what was Joy thinking to you?”

  “Joy kind of things. Dad, don’t do this, Dad I’ve seen more than you. Tell Mom I love her. The usual.” Adam grins as he turns Tomorrows face to his. He kisses her despite the fact she had a mouth full of meat.

  Tomorrow doesn’t resist and then swallows and says, “That sounds like our daughter.”

  “I’m glad you met yourself.” Renfield says.

  “Why? Tomorrow narrows her eyes at him.

  “Less to explain now.” Renfield grins at her again and then moves in for another kiss. Then he pushes her backwards noting the lack of resistance to his gentle push.

  CHAPTER 17

  “I didn’t know how crazy Destiny was until she saved my life.” – from the Book of Harmony

  “Okay, load up. We’re moving out and this time I choose the destination.” Destiny watched Harmony climb in and turned to kiss her mother goodbye. Then she jumped in after her and moved to the pilot seat. “Illumna do your thing with Harmony but concentrate on my destination. It may take us a few tries, but the one thing I am determined to do is find the person who clicked that Hunter.”

  Illumna responds, “Are you so sure the Hunter couldn’t click itself?”

  “Yup. Even if someone who could click was turned into one of those things. Even if their genes were used to create it, it would not have gone there or then. Hunters are made for the specific purpose of killing or capturing in a specific time, for Stephen’s necessity. There would be no benefit to Stephen to have sent a Hunter to do what happened. There is no gain. Therefore, given a zero sum outcome on that front, there has to be another answer. That answer is, someone clicked it there to take out one or all of us. It can’t be you Illumna. The Hunter was fairly unaware of your presence because it didn’t recognize you as a being. No offense.”

  Harmony is silent during the explanation but decides to make a point, “Stanley told me he had seen one when he was young.”

  “I know, that’s when we are going.” Destiny replies.

  Illumna thinks to them, “That would seriously alter time. I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “No it won’t. It didn’t kill anyone then. My mother, grandmother and grandfather killed it. However, it came in to their house specifically. If it came in, it was outside at one point. We just have to watch who clicked it there that time.” Satisfied with her explanation she sits back and waits for Harmony and Illumna to sync so she can be tugged along into her own mind’s destination.

  Destiny hears Illumna’s thought and Harmony’s. She get sup out of her seat and turn to Harmony, “If you think it was your grandfather, that’s probably a pretty good guess, but let’s be sure.”

  Harmony says, “I don’t know what you will do.”

  “I’m not going to kill him before your mother is born. I really did love her and I am glad to have met her. Now work with me here, Harmony!” Destiny sits back in the seat and thinks to Harmony, “No this is not another ‘out to get the Johnsons’ moment. If he killed your child, your mother and your husband, let’s find out. If it was someone else, let’s find that out. You need to get off the whole family rivalry thing, Harmony. Not everything is about that and you married a Renfield, therefore your child was a Renfield and I’m pretty sure that by law, since you married a Renfield, your last name is now Renfield. Since it is, Mrs. Renfield, will you please assist in finding their murderer?”

  Harmony was trying hard to block her thoughts but it was even harder now that she was starting to realize that Destiny can hear even when she shuts out almost everything. It makes it very difficult for her to think and make any decision.

  Destiny hears Harmony’s thoughts and Illumna’s reactions to what is going on. “Illumna you talk to her. He was your brother!”

  Illumna hears her sister at the same time they all do and opens that hatch.

  Destiny immediately says, “Mom, I understand your concerns. You can’t be touching Illumna when Harmony does the tandem then or you’ll go with us.”

  Joy throws a bag into the hatch. “Those are some of my best weapons. Just in case your plan goes awry.” Then Joy leans and to hand Harmony a ‘to-go’ cup and a bag full of tea. “Sip this. Relax. Destiny is right. You need to do this. You’ll be okay.”

  Harmony looks over at Joy as tears being pouring from her eyes. “Thank you.” Then tasting the tea she leaned back to Joy and said, “My mother always talked about how great a teacher your mother was. She sure did have a kind daughter.”

  Joy and Destiny laugh. Destiny says, “You’ve never seen my mother fight. In battle she’s not nice at all.”

  Harmony smiles. “Okay, well I will learn to be just as tough. Let’s go to battle, Destiny.”

  Destiny looks at her mother, “I love you, Mom.”

  Joy waves as she backs away and they vanish.

  They arrive in the spot tha
t Destiny had in mind. Destiny looks back at that look on Harmony’s face and, being there, she realizes what she might see. Destiny suddenly realizes the reason Harmony had a freak out about coming here. It was because she might see Stanley. He’d be young, but it would still be her husband.

  Harmony says, “So we’re just supposed to let it attack them? What if by coming here we changed something and it kills them this time?”

  Destiny turns to her. “I’m fairly certain we haven’t changed anything. We were most likely here the first time. In other words, yes.”

  Harmony leaps up, “There!”

  Destiny thinks hard to her, “Don’t move!” Then she clicks to the spot they saw the Hunter come from in the trees. She looks around. Nothing. Then she looks down at the ground and finds a piece of leather banding. She thinks to herself, “Renfield. He thought of this before I did.”

  Destiny clicks back inside Illumna. She thinks out to Illumna and Harmony, “Let’s go. Harmony, you choose where.”

  Harmony looks out of the hatch window at the house she knows her husband is in as a child. She wants to see him. To at least say something. She clicks.

  Destiny punches the inside of Illumna. Even knowing she couldn’t feel it, she immediately apologizes to Illumna.

  Illumna responds, “She just clicked to the window. Harmony does listen to you. Perhaps not perfectly, but she understands your points.

  Destiny relaxes a bit, but begins wondering of the effect it will have on Harmony to see her husband, alive as a child. Then Destiny hears Illumna in her mind.

  “This is why traversing time is a bad idea. Almost every time.” Illumna then follows with, “Go get her. We do need to go.”

  Destiny clicks, grabs Harmony’s arm, and clicks back inside Illumna.

  Destiny stands above Harmony and says, “We need to go now!”

  Harmony nods and they are someplace else.

  As she opens the hatch Destiny says, “I’m hoping for something deadly this time. Not a bunch of slimy worm things.”

  Harmony actually giggles as she disembarks behind Destiny. Destiny notes that Harmony is trying to work past the horrible trauma of losing her husband, mother and son all at once. She looks back and grins at Harmony as she puts her hand up over Harmony’s eyes.