by M. Street
This book is dedicated to you, the reader that loves to feel
Dares to dream big and imagines wild
Thank you for sharing this with me
Not often do worlds align and serendipity happens
Sincere and heartfelt gratitude to someone who has made me better
Thank you, Cindy
To the people that I am honored to call friend
I treasure you more than you know
I really love you
To my beginning and end,
The one that holds me together
Calm in the chaos
Thank you for making forever fun
Love, Love, and Love
Love always, Mitchel
Published by Mitchel Street
© Copyright 2018
www.mitchelstreet.com
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
The Mitosis Series
Book two
Metaphase
Beauty in the Chaos
M. Street
Published by Mitchel Street Productions
www.mitchelstreet.com
Copyright @ 2018 by Mitchel Street
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or
by any means, electronical or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system
without permission in writing.
Inquiries should be addressed to:
[email protected]
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used
fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons,
living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ISBN-978-0-9915543-2-4 eBook
Cover and book paintings, John Robert
Cover and book design, John Robert
Editing, Cindy Jewkes at Good Tales Editing
All rights reserved
Request for permission to reproduce any or all parts at:
[email protected]
CONTENTS
III METAPHASE
Chapter 1 - Treacherous Trails
Chapter 2 - Bronze
~Eqquian~
Chapter 3 - The Art
~Baobab~
Chapter 4 - I’m Not a Lady
Chapter 5 - Another Broken Cosmic Law
Chapter 6 - Connections
Chapter 7 - Mirror, Mirror
Chapter 8 - Junjari
~Clams~
Chapter 9 - More Questions than Answers
Chapter 10 - Avian Nest
Chapter 11 - The Vampacoti Queen
Chapter 12 - A Dangerous Kiss
Chapter 13 - Nickel
~Bamboo Forest~
Chapter 14 - The Red Fox
~Fish Bowl~
Chapter 15 - Red Light, Green Light
Chapter 16 - Having a Breakdown
Chapter 17 - The Glorious Results of a Broken Rule
Chapter 18 - Adhering to the Plan
Chapter 19 - Black Beauty
Chapter 20 - Chromatic DNA
Chapter 21 - League of Eleven
Chapter 22 - Best Laid Plans
Chapter 23 - Anything is better than Worrying
~Santa Cruz~
Chapter 24 - Go, Go, Go
Chapter 25 - Auntie
Chapter 26 - In the Valley of Giants
~Redwood Love~
Chapter 27 - Parts of Me
Chapter 28 - Beautiful Mistake
~Neighborhood~
Chapter 29 - Forever Changing Me
Chapter 30 - Laces of Emerald and Violet
~TCR~
Chapter 31 - A Mother’s Sacrifice
Chapter 32 - Sam and the Cat Sanctuary
Chapter 33 - Future, Present, and Past
~Orca Eye~
Chapter 34 - The Blue Whale
Chapter 35 - A Full Glass of Upset
Chapter 36 - Into Something Different
~Sunset~
Chapter 37 - Different Sides of the Same Truth
Chapter 38 - Beauty in the Chaos
Epilogue
The world so Far
Mature Realm:
Guardians – The most powerful beings in the mature world. They reside in the platinum valence of the metallic rainbow and have green backlit eyes. They are capable of commanding energy, pose telekinetic abilities, can fly by manipulating gravity, and can travel through the fourth dimension. They are connected to all the universal energies. Most of the Guardians blindly follow Eli and his twisted monarchy. The race rules by sheer strength.
Esther and Cal: Piper’s biological mom and dad. Esther was queen.
Eli, prince and self-professed king. Piper’s thousand-year-old biological brother.
Olo, nicknamed Safe, Esther’s envoy until he was banished by Eli. He was forever loyal to his queen.
Arbitri, Eli’s most loyal Guardians. A very powerful cult.
Avians – Formulated race that is grafted with Aves. They reside in the golden valence of the metallic rainbow and have blue backlit eyes. They are capable of shape-shifting into birds of prey and can cast spells over the physical body. The race rules the skies, soaring at sonic speeds. The Avians were loyal to Esther.
Sabina, queen
Ozwald, prince
Luja, chief scientist
Canites – Formulated race that is grafted with canines. They reside in the copper valence of the metallic rainbow and have orange backlit eyes. They are capable of shape-shifting into wolves and casting spells over emotions. The packs coordinate brute strength into an unstoppable force. The Canites were loyal to Esther and suffer the most under the oppression of Eli and the Arbitri.
Jeremiah, king
Raven, Jeremiah’s daughter, princess
Miguel, King Jeremiah’s protector
Haruz, Princess Raven’s protector
Vampacoti – Formulated race that is grafted with Panthera genus. They reside in the silver valence of the metallic rainbow and have violet backlit eyes. They are capable of shape-shifting into big cats and cast spells over the mind and mental energies. The prides are stealthy and deadly, making them the top predators. Most are solitary, but Eli has a large following aiding and abetting the Arbitri.
Dev, price. He was in hiding for centuries, secretly aiding Esther and an in-utero, spell-frozen Piper.
Valbeth, loyal to Dev.
Infant Realm:
Piper’s infant family –
Stacy, mom, died of breast cancer shortly after Piper’s little brother was born.
Rob, dad
Charlie, brother
Piper’s friends –
Lisa, popular, best friend since kindergarten.
Josh, friend since junior high and Lisa’s boyfriend. Along with Lisa and Chris, Piper’s ex, they form the band ‘The Coat Tails’
III
Metaphase
The stage of mitosis in which the cell’s chromosomes align
themselves along the equatorial plate of the cell through a cellular tug-of-war. The parent chromosomes, which have been replicated and are called sister chromatids, remain joined at a central point called the centromere.
1
Treacherous Trails
*
Eighteen years, five months, and three days ago *
T
rembling, I waited eagerly at the front door. Excitement and trepidation twisted wildly inside me, pulling my emotions in opposite directions. I was taking a gigantic risk, but could not help myself. I could feel my sweet baby approaching with each successive step. Her heartbeat climbed, becoming louder in my ears. It had been two months, seventeen days, and thirteen hours since I had been alone with my precious miracle. Keeping her hidden from mortal danger consumed my every thought and deed but did little to curb my painful emptiness. My son, Eli, could never know of his sister. Only she could dethrone him, restoring balance to a faulting world. A gentle knock at my front door whisked me out of memory lane. Letting out a brooding breath, I opened the door to the last trickles of a midsummer’s evening sun shower.
“Hi, Esther. Thank you so much,” Stacy said.
“Please, thank you,” I said.
Stacy’s infant aura trumpeted arrays of bright colors, but her guilt putrefied the air around her. “I haven’t left her side yet.” The new mom cradled her baby with both arms. Beautifully lit and made up, she was torn between a romantic first night out after the arrival of her baby and the agonizing struggle of leaving a huge, defenseless part of her in another’s care.
“Piper will be fine, I promise,” I kindly reassured her. Any time away from her child would feel like an eternity. I knew all too well the excruciating longing that inevitably bled into an insatiable hurt. I had experienced it every day since Piper was born. However, seeing her smiling face momentarily lifted away the world and histories of ache.
“I very much appreciate you watching her. I wouldn’t trust her with anyone else. Plus Piper just adores you.” Her aura shined graciously sincere. “You must become her grandma. Rob and I have no family.”
“Oh, that would be an honor. She is a pure joy to these ancient eyes.” I spoke truthfully, feeding the hardest, most ravenous secret of my life. Stacy shined a delicate pink-laced light over the baby girl. “She will be in good hands. You and Rob need a break. It’s been over two months since she arrived,” I said, beaming tranquil greens and blues from my glittering platinum aura. Stacy eased and the baby cooed, bathed in my subliminal maternal vibrations.
Seeing Piper’s promising green eyes pushed me into a free fall. Aches from missing her rained down behind my phony, but pleasant, old face. Every second away from her was forever lost.
“Yes. I love Piper as though she were …” Stacy stopped, attempting to formulate a profound matter of the heart. Her rolling emotions powered her aura, beaming a motherly grandness. “She is truly my daughter. Love is thicker than blood—I know that now.” She softly kissed Piper’s forehead.
“Listen to me.” I touched her, amplifying my heart for her infant deafness. “You are her mother.” Looking into her unwavering eyes, I framed the moment. “All things happen for a reason, my dear,” I said, knowing the exact cause. The most important and unique Guardian princess that had ever been born was in the care of these modest infants. Stacy and Rob Walker of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, were the perfect unassuming couple to raise my daughter. She was hidden in their vulnerability of everyday infant life. Piper’s aura would stay infant until she reached maturity. On that day, her truth would be revealed.
It had been a while since I was paid a visit, but I knew I was under arrest. My every move was watched and scrutinized by my son’s legions. I had been able to hide my pregnancy from mature eyes by staying sequestered. Any inkling of Piper’s existence would have resulted in an instant end. Only her protector and I knew that I had not been laid barren by a golden Avian spell. My womb was frozen in pregnancy for centuries. Not feeling her inside me still felt horribly empty.
“Hey,” Rob greeted us, taking the porch in one jump. He hauled a huge bag of baby gear, stocked for a week’s worth of care. The eager father beamed an exquisite pink for his wife and child. “She is already daddy’s little girl,” he boasted affectionately.
Rob would be the only father she would know and Stacy would be the mother I could not be. He wrapped his protective arm around his wife and child. Knowing that Piper was surrounded with loving care loosened my concerns into gratefulness. My child would know family love and connection that I could not give her.
“Stacy hasn’t left Piper’s side since she arrived,” Rob said. His joy for his family was pure, beaming summer sunshine.
“Well of course not. She is so very precious.” I put my old spotted and wrinkled hand against her smooth cheek. Piper smiled, giggling bubbles.
“She sure lights up when she sees you,” Stacy remarked happily.
“Me too.” I pushed back tears, casting fireworks of sparkling platinum.
A lynx point Siamese took advantage of the open door, darting into the house. “Your cat spends more time in our yard than yours. He uses our bushes as a bathroom,” Rob joked in his complaint.
“Rob, please.” Stacy chuckled. “Jazz is gorgeous. He sleeps in the old oak just outside Piper’s window.”
“He is protecting her,” I said openly, nodding at Rob. They had no idea of Jazz’s hidden identity. He kept watch over Piper faithfully. He was fueled by a perpetual fire, trying to right a staining regret he could never undo, a tragic choice that would haunt him for the rest of his life. It had set the course for his unwavering devotion to Piper. His top-notch predator senses and powerful spells sealed our safety.
“Go have a wonderful and romantic night out. Piper will be more than fine with us.” It took another twenty minutes for Stacy to go over all the items in the baby tote. She could never fathom that the child was being babysat by her birth mother, the second-most powerful being on the planet. Only Piper’s brother could get through me to harm this most special princess.
“Here is the number of the restaurant. Don’t hesitate to call for any reason,” Stacy said, slightly lightening into the acceptance of the night.
Stacy gingerly placed Piper into my arms. Touching Piper drew chills, eliciting tears in my eyes. I clenched my jaw, fighting my body’s urge to grow young. Hesitation crept into Stacy and Rob. The act of leaving Piper sobered the gleeful anticipation of a rare night out.
“Of course.” I filled the room with buoyant peachy yellows, numbing their mounting jitters.
I stood at the door with Piper in my arms, watching Rob open the car door for his lady. We stayed outside under the songs of the stars until they drove off. Shuffling through the door, I closed the outside world behind. I pulled the curtains closed with strands of light from my fingertips. Releasing the tight grip on my body, I dropped decades in years, coming to rest in my late twenties. Piper fussed, rooting at my breast. Her innocence made her clairvoyant to the truth.
“Please make sure we are not disturbed,” I said to the ever-attentive cat. Jazz meowed loudly, skirting through the cat door. I rested in my rocking chair, willing my glands into production. Piper fed, perfectly oblivious to the high stake pinned to her life. “There is so much you need to learn.” I fluffed her strawberry curls.
“A brilliant world more beautiful than your dreams awaits your reign. Magical beings of every metallic color grace the land, sea, and sky, possessing incredible talents. When you mature, your talents will rival fantasy. You will command energy, travel without time, and fly along with gravity. Your very thoughts and emotions will unleash enormous power.”
Piper’s bright white baby aura seamlessly wove into my platinum, generating gorgeous harmonics and crystal flakes. “Your light is not deviated like your brother’s. You will connect all things, bridging the fractured races. Your empathy will allow you to walk in another’s soul. It will dissolve the illusion of division that is damning life, and unity will return once again.”
Gently rocking, I sighed in the precious joy of the moment. “The time will come when your eyes open and you will begin your perilous journey to restore the balance to the world.” Piper’s heavy eyes fluttered shut from a full stomach of mother’s milk. “On t
hat day I will call you my daughter, and you will know I am your mother.”
I studied every feature of her tiny face. “And when you fall in love, your brother’s false and presumptuous reign will come to an end.” I kissed her delicate face repeatedly, drinking in her perfumed scent. “Until then, my sweet princess, your protector and I will make certain you are kept safe, oblivious of your true destiny.”
Piper smiled, involuntarily fluttering her immaculate aura.
“Sleep, child, treacherous trails you must travel.”
2
Bronze
* Present day *
H
urt freight-trained through my heart and head, causing me to tremble. A rising clarity sharpened my newfound awareness, induced from a catastrophic change that had slipped by my stunned eyes in under a second. My freshly found Mom was gone. I breathed heavy from the leap, the loss, and a virginal love that was pristine yet wonderfully familiar. Most everything I called home was torn from my greased grip. No more living as an infant, dipping in the mature, metallic world of light. Living among the innocence was over. My heart cracked, never to heal. A cosmic-sized collision sent me out of the world of the color-blind, cannonballing into the depths of my gorgeous new world of auras, powers, and impending annihilation.
The getaway leap to stop my brother, Eli, and his Arbitri from vaporizing Dev and me into light and dust was one-way. We would never be going back again. With the permanence of death, everything familiar was cast away. Every one of my thoughts ended badly.
Leaving my baby brother stung, pulsing with increasing potency. Charlie had been my first cause since my infant mom had died. It was all I knew. Riding shotgun in Lisa’s classic Firebird, practicing songs with The Tail Coats would be no more. My best friend since kindergarten would forever wonder what happened to me. The thought of her trauma scraped my bones. All communication to Lisa or anyone infant was forever severed. The bridge between my old and new world was destroyed. Oak Creek was forbidden, forever lost to the Arbitri.