Immortals- The Complete Real Illusions Series

by Tanya R. Taylor

  Little Foster started to cry again and Trent fed him his bottle.

  "Are you sure it's all right?" He asked Tina.

  "Yes. I'll apply some cream to it and it will heal in no time. No worries."

  8

  Threatening

  "I don't get why they're taking so long to release the body," Tina was leaning backwards against the kitchen counter. "It's been four days already! Don't they think the family wants to bury their loved one?"

  "These things take time," Trent said, pouring out a glass of milk. "Dan seems quite patient."

  "He thinks that Taylor was murdered, but I believe it was an accident and the person who hit her, panicked and took off. They may have been drinking or high on drugs. It's terrible, but I truly believe that's what happened."

  "We'll soon find out."

  "Our wedding was already postponed after all the craziness was happening, but I just don't feel right moving ahead with it until Taylor is laid to rest. You know what I mean?"

  Trent leaned in and kissed her. "I totally understand."

  "What did Will say when you told him the wedding would be postponed?"

  Trent took a sip of his milk. "I told him that you were not well and that I'd let him know when we set another date. Simple. He had no problem with it. I didn't get into any deep explanation and of course, he didn't delve, so that's the long and short of it."

  "You know… you never finished telling me about this Deed guy— how you met and how he knows what he knows about our son," Tina said.

  "I guess I forgot. Since you came back home, it's been so nice and peaceful these last few days."

  "Well?"

  Trent drank the whole glass of milk; the white ring rested perfectly around his lips before he wiped it. "Didn’t you say you have to meet my sister at the house in a bit?"

  Tina stared at him.

  "I promise I will tell you everything when you get back."

  Tina studied him some more. "Okay. We'll talk as soon as I get back. It's quiet right now, yeah, but we don't know for how long. I can't afford to be left in the dark, Trent… no matter what."

  She picked up her purse and left.

  * * *

  As soon as Tina pulled up in front of the house, Solange ran out to meet her. She was dressed in faded blue jeans, a blue sleeveless shirt and a red headcloth was tied around her head.

  "I'm so glad you came!' Solange said, hugging her. "I really missed you while you were away."

  "I'm glad to be home again. Life has been like an out-of-control roller coaster ride for me lately," Tina replied.

  "I can imagine. Anyway, that's all over now," Solange said happily. "We have a lot of catching up to do. I could really use your advice on a couple of things inside."

  "My, oh my, this place is coming along quite well. What a huge difference from just a few weeks ago," Tina commented, gazing up at the massive two-storey, brown structure. The house was a colonial style mansion with tall, white columns attached in front. Under the eaves were rows of cypress wood glazed with a clear, shiny stain as well as some wild bees that had boldly nested in a few places. Men were busy refurbishing the roof with brand new shingles.

  The women started toward the house.

  "I still think it's way too big and a huge waste of money," Solange said. "I should've never let Trent convince me to buy such a large house. I don't have a husband, children, any pets—I'll be living here all alone."

  "You can always get a roommate until you meet that special guy that'll sweep you off your feet," Tina replied. "You're a beautiful girl, Solange. I don't understand how come you're even single anyway. Too picky. Is that it?"

  Solange shrugged. "I don't think I'm picky. I just want to focus on myself for a while. I hope that doesn't sound selfish."

  "Actually, it does—just a little bit." Tina said carefully.

  "I don't know. I feel like having a man in my life would only complicate things for me right now."

  Tina looked at her curiously. "In what way? You have everything going for you. Now is the perfect time to settle down with someone, but that's just my opinion. To each his own, huh?"

  Solange smiled. "Come on in! There's so much I want to show you!"

  They moved throughout the house and Solange pointed out a number of things to Tina. Although Tina, in turn, made several suggestions, Solange could tell that she was a little pre-occupied.

  "I heard about your friend. I'm really sorry," Solange said as they stood at the top of the staircase.

  Tina's arms were folded. "Thanks."

  "How are you holding up? I know you two were very close."

  "It's hard not to think about her throughout the day." Tina sighed. "As much as I try not to—just to have a little peace of mind—I can't. She's always in my thoughts. Taylor was like a sister to me; we confided in each other about everything."

  Solange looked on sympathetically.

  "When I was in the hospital, she called every day to check up on me. It pained her to know that I was in there like that, and whenever I heard from her—the times they actually put her call through—I felt so much better afterwards. I'm really gonna miss her. I feel like a part of me died with her."

  Solange held her hand. "I know I can't take your friend's place and neither would I try, but I'm here for you anytime you want a listening ear."

  "Thank you," Tina whispered.

  They descended the stairway together.

  "Thanks so much for coming out," Solange said. "You gave me lots of ideas and I can't wait to explore them."

  "I'm happy to help. We'll get together for lunch soon?" Tina asked.

  "That will be great."

  Solange walked her to her car.

  "I have to pick up a few groceries, then I'm heading back home to the boys." Tina got inside the car. "What's your plan for the weekend?"

  "This... mainly," Solange looked back at the house. "I might go and see a movie later this afternoon though."

  "By yourself?"

  "Yes. I actually enjoy the picture more when I go alone," Solange replied.

  "Okay. Well, have fun," Tina said. "I'll see you later."

  * * *

  Tina grabbed one of the carts lined up in front of the store and headed inside.

  While browsing through the aisles, she had the uncanny feeling that someone was watching her, but each time she turned around, no one stood out. Everyone seemed like legitimate shoppers minding their own business.

  The cashier was ringing up the items and as Tina waited, she felt quite uneasy and anxious to leave.

  "Are you okay, ma'am?" the young African-American cashier asked her.

  "Yes. I'm fine," Tina told her. She opened her purse and handed her the credit card.

  As the young lady waited for approval, Tina scanned the store for the final time. She was relieved when the cashier handed the card back to her."

  "Your signature please."

  "Sure," Tina said, quickly signing the receipt.

  "Have a good day now."

  "Thanks. You too." Tina picked up her grocery bags and headed out to the parking lot. She squinted the instant the sun hit her face.

  After raising the trunk of the car, she started placing the bags inside.

  "Surrender the child or more will die." A man in a gray hoodie and blue jeans brushed past her. He was unlike the hooded figures she had seen all along. She could see that he was an actual human being and not ghostly at all. However, she did not catch his face as he walked by.

  "What do you want with my son?" She demanded. "Why don't you all leave us alone—whoever you are?!"

  The man stopped and turned around. Tina could see his long, narrow face, high cheek bones and the pure blackness of his eyes.

  "Ask the one you live with," he said before walking off again.

  "Ask him what?" She shouted behind him, but to no avail. She watched as he stood several yards away. He was looking at a young man who had just mounted his motorbike and was putting on his helmet. A
s the man rode off toward the main road, the stranger in the hoodie raised his hand and pointed at the young man. He glanced at Tina as she steadily watched what was going on. The young man on the bike took a slight detour seemingly at the last minute before leaving the parking lot and with incredible speed headed straight into the ten-foot tall concrete wall along the southern perimeter of the lot. He was thrown off the bike on impact and hit the pavement hard. Horrified, Tina glanced at the strange man who was just lowering his arm. He walked away and didn’t look back.

  She ran over to the young man who had crashed as other frantic shoppers had done. Tina knew the man in the hoodie had everything to do with the accident and was sure he was sending her a message.

  The young man was sprawled on the pavement, gurgling as the blood drained out of his mouth. He was severely injured and from the sight of him, Tina held no optimism for his survival. Nonetheless, she quietly prayed as the man didn't seem a day older than twenty.

  She remained there until the ambulance arrived. Up to that time, the young man still had a pulse and Tina could only hope that by some miracle he would survive.

  9

  A Chilling Revelation

  She threw her keys onto the table and marched upstairs to the bedroom.

  Trent was sitting in bed playing with the baby.

  "Tell me what's going on!" Tina charged.

  Trent could tell from the look on her face that she meant business. Tina picked up the child and took him to his crib. She switched on the mounted television to a cartoon channel, then returned to their bedroom.

  "I ask you again… What is going on? A young man might have lost his life today because of the drama that's going on with us!" She exclaimed.

  "What are you talking about?" Trent was concerned. "What happened?"

  Tina told him everything and his heart sank.

  He took her hand. "I need you to sit down." Trent knew the time had finally come; he could hold out no longer.

  She sat next to him.

  "Tina, please promise me that whatever I say to you… you would try your best to remain calm. I'm thinking about the baby," he said.

  "Okay. I am too."

  Looking into her eyes, he earnestly hoped that the way she looked at him would not change after he revealed the truth. He sighed heavily, then said: "I wanted to tell you something ever since we got serious, but I couldn't bring myself to. At one point before the baby came, I thought I would have to tell you what I'm about to tell you now, then things settled down and… I thought I was off the hook. I realized lately that I was wrong. I just didn't want to burden you with the things that have burdened me all my life."

  Tina looked at him with a serious gaze. "Before the baby? All your life? What is it, Trent? What don't I know?"

  Trent hesitated. He got up and sauntered over to the window. "I can't. I can't do this."

  "Trent?" Tina hadn't moved from her spot, figuring that the gravity of what was concealed had the potential of making her weak at the knees. "Come back and sit down. Whatever it is, you have to get it out. That's the only way we can move forward."

  He shook his head. "You're not going to love me anymore."

  "How can you say that, honey? Don't you remember what I said after we left the hospital—that nothing can ever destroy our love?" She reminded him.

  He turned and looked at her; eyes welled with tears. "This can, Tina. This can."

  This was the first time Tina had ever seen him quite like this. She took a chance and stood up, quickly making her way over to him. She held his face like he had done hers many times before. "Nothing you can say to me would ever change the way I feel about you. My love is unconditional, Trent Matheson. When I agreed to marry you, never for a moment did I think that my love and commitment to you would be based on how I felt or what happened from day to day. I am ready to say for better or worse. If this is worse right now, even though we haven't yet tied the knot, it will prove to both of us if we were meant to be together—if our love is strong enough to survive the storm." She wiped the tears that were now streaming down his cheeks. "Let's sit down. You'll tell me what's on your mind and I'll listen. Don't hold anything back, honey. I'm a big girl. I can handle it, okay?"

  Trent humbly nodded his head. As they walked back over to the bed, he hoped that Tina sincerely meant every word and was ready to hear the truth.

  He cleared his throat. "My grandfather once told me some disturbing things about my family line. I'm not who you think I am. You may find this difficult or even impossible to believe, but… I'm not completely human like you are."

  Tina was quiet.

  "I came through a lineage that goes as far back as the beginning of the world—actually beyond that." He took a moment to study her expression, but Tina purposely showed no reaction.

  "I have certain bestial characteristics, the knowledge of which I struggled with for years. There were times when I craved raw meat and flesh instead of normal human food. I tried so hard to keep myself in check as I didn't want to act like the savage I knew I really was. My deceased father helped me subdue the part of me that was gaining leverage, but it took defeating the dark entity that had something to do with it surfacing the way it did."

  Tina couldn't believe her ears, but she listened attentively and tried not to grab the phone and call Palenski—this time—for Trent.

  "Up until that time, I didn't know everything about my lineage. It wasn't until I met Deed—the guy I told you about—that the final pieces of the puzzle fell into place. I got to know Deed through Peter," he explained.

  "Peter who?"

  "Our Peter," Trent said.

  "There's no way. Peter's dead!"

  "Yes, but he came to me one night, stood in this very room and pretty much told me to contact Deed Grumbley. That's how I met the man. I know this sounds weird, Tina, but every word of it is true. He knew who I was before I met him in person and I was amazed by what he had told me."

  Trent filled her in on what he had found out. "I am a descendant of fallen angels… demons."

  Tina's jaw dropped.

  "I'm not proud of that at all. I feel like a freak, but I can't change who I am; I wish I could. But I want you to know with every fiber of my being that I'm a fairly decent person—I'm nothing like them. My mother was completely human, so I've gotten some good from her. I want you to believe me." He spoke passionately. "Tina, because I am who I am, that's why our baby is growing the way he is—because he's not fully human either."

  Just then, Tina had to react. "Trent, this can't be real! None of this can be real! Are you sure you're not the one who's delusional and totally out of your mind?"

  "Think about it," Trent challenged her. "You know there's very little right now that is normal about our child. I only allowed Amina to take him for the check-up because she suggested it, but I already knew why his growth was accelerated. I couldn't let on to her that I knew."

  "Let me make sure I've got this. You're saying to me that our child is a demon?" Tina asked.

  "No… not exactly. I'm saying that he is a product of them just as I am. The biggest difference between him and me is that he has a sinister mission that has been set in stone, so to speak, because of the day he was born. He is the leader of this so-called tribe of devil-worshipping foot soldiers according to Deed and that's why they want him. The key is for us to hand him over to them. Otherwise, they can't have him. "

  Tina got up and started pacing the floor. "Do you know how this sounds, Trent?"

  He nodded.

  "This sounds like utter foolishness. Am I seriously supposed to believe all these things?"

  "Unfortunately."

  She finally sat down again. "How does this Deed guy know all of this—the reason they're after our son?"

  "Because Peter knows and he's been communicating with Deed ever since he died," Trent replied.

  "My goodness…" She rubbed her forehead. "If all of this is real like you say, they're going to harm innocent people in order to forc
e our hand to give up our child?"

  "Yes. That's their plan."

  He told her about the vision of Taylor the night she was killed.

  Tina cupped her face in her hands. "They killed Taylor?"

  Trent rubbed her back. "I believe they did."

  "You believe? You already said you saw her before it happened. It had to be a sign!"

  "Even so, it's best to wait for the autopsy results before we arrive at any conclusions."

  Tina tried to gather herself. "So how can we stop them?" she asked.

  "That's the million dollar question."

  "Doesn't this Deed guy know?"

  "He doesn't," Trent answered. "But we're going to figure it out. I'm really sorry I caused you all this pain."

  Tina sat quietly for a moment, trying to digest everything she heard. "You can't control who you are," she said. "You didn't have anything to do with the manner in which you were born."

  Trent was shocked by her perspective. "You really believe that?"

  "I do because it's true. Am I supposed to get up and walk out on you and our son now? Am I supposed to just turn my back because this situation is like the worst situation in the world to have to deal with? Well, not a chance in Hell!" Tina exclaimed. "When I said I loved you unconditionally I meant it and I love our son in spite of who they think he is. Someway, somehow, we will get through this, but I think the first thing we need to do at this point is get Little Foster baptized. I think that's the first step we need to take, especially since we know this evil wants to claim him."

  Trent agreed.

  "Does your sister share your same traits?"

  He knew what she meant. "No, she doesn't. We have different fathers, remember? So, fortunately for her, she doesn't share my awful secret."

  "I wish you would've told me all this sooner." Tina shook her head.

  "Do you really think you would have been able to handle it sooner?" Trent asked. "What if I told you all this and the baby wasn't here for you to see even the slightest proof that what I was saying was true… do you think you would have believed me?"