I decided to walk home. I hurried through the park so I could get there as fast as possible. Worst idea ever, I thought. It was darker here and all the trees shadowed the dirt path I walked on.
I felt a tingle run down my arms and knew someone was watching me. Unlike the thing in Myra, this felt good, almost too good. My heart pounded for a different reason. As I lifted my eyes, I met intense turquoise ones staring at me. His face stern, his jaw chiseled, and a question in his eyes. I felt exposed, as if he knew all my secrets. I quickly averted my eyes hoping I didn’t hold his gaze too long and he thought it a coincidence. I need to be more careful.
“You’re home early, Amber,” Sarah smiled. She had a book in her hand sitting in a recliner under a comfy blanket. She said, “You look beautiful. Did you have a good time?”
“Thanks, I did but I got a headache, I’m going to bed. Goodnight, Sarah.” I wanted a hot bath and I needed to think.
Chapter Four
Mikal
I opened up the portal and stepped through. My thoughts were churning with the strange events that had been happening, unsure what to make of them. My body responded to the girl I saw in the park, almost like a pull or tug. I felt drawn to her on an intimate level even though it was impossible. My kind never interacted with humans.
Why was the Santiarns searching her out? It was a mystery I was determined to solve. “Commander!” I turned and found my best friend, Lukke standing at attention with his head bowed, as he should be.
“Lieutenant,” I acknowledged. Lukke took a more at-ease stance. He was my second in command and my most trusted friend. In private we could be more relaxed, but out in the open, procedure would be followed. I could not show favoritism or weakness.
With formalities out of the way, Lukke asked, “You’re back early. Did you find him?”
“Yes and no. He keeps hunting this girl and I know she can see us but I don’t understand how.” My warrior brothers and I were from a different realm, known as the Cusasleon and could travel back and forth. We were a peacekeeping race that had protected humans from the Santiarns for thousands of years. We were in the middle of a war that I wasn’t sure we could win.
“What?” He exclaimed. “No human has ever been able to see us before. Surely, you are mistaken.” Was I? Several times her eyes had locked with mine.
“I’m not. What could Ornias want with her?” The Santiarns were an evil race that liked to wreak havoc on unsuspecting humans. They had recently doubled their forces, the tides were turning and now they were winning. Ornias was power hungry and wanted to control all three realms. The Cusas fought the human battle, even as they remained unaware. At least they had no way of getting into our realm. The only ones that could pass through had to carry the blood of the Cusas.
Shaking his head, he said, “It’s puzzling. What will you do?” Although I was the leader of the warriors, I still held council with the elders, seeking their advice before making my final decision. Most of the time, I was easy going and well liked, but the other warriors knew never to cross me. Punishment was swift.
“I will seek the elders counsel.” I needed to stay away from the human. Except for the occasional few throughout the century, humans could not see or detect our presence. They were an inferior species and any warrior caught interacting with humans was greatly punished according to law.
“Are you heading that way right now?” Lukke asked. He walked beside me as we headed to the castle, nodding to the others as we passed.
“No, I told Nanya I’d stop by when I got back.”
“Are you taking her as your mate?” I would be turning one hundred soon, and everyone expected that I would choose a mate by then. Being the leader, I was never lacking for female companionship.
“I haven’t decided.” I knew she would be an excellent choice as she was known for her fighting skills, but I wasn’t ready to make that decision. “I’ll see you later.”
Nanya opened the door of her dwelling before I could even knock. “Mikal, I’m glad you came.” Ushering me inside, she gave me a tumbler filled with ale. “Did you have any luck?” She asked with interest and enthusiasm. Nanya was truly a fighter and fellow warrior. She also wanted me to choose her as my mate and I knew she’d make an excellent partner for me. With her long black hair and brown eyes, she was beautiful. But I had never really felt anything for her emotionally, besides the desire to occasionally ease myself within her, which I enjoyed immensely.
“I found one of them but he had disappeared by the time I arrived.” My voice held an aggravated tone. “They somehow keep evading us and it’s becoming more difficult to find them when they enter a host.”
“How is that possible?” Concern rang in her voice.
“I don’t know. I can sense the general area but somehow they have found a way to mask themselves so I’m unable to pinpoint their exact location. One will blend in with a group of humans and we have no way of identifying the location until it’s too late.” I felt exhausted. I had been hunting the one Santiarn for two days straight and I felt defeated for not finding him. I knew we were losing the war and I worried about how to fix it.
“Come; let me make you feel better.” Nanya took my hand and led me to her bedroom and I willingly followed.
Chapter Five
Amber
As I lay in the soothing water, I tilted by head back to rest on the tub and closed my eyes. I let my thoughts fill with the events of the stupid dance. I felt like I was losing my grip on reality. Why do I keep seeing these things? Are they after me or am I just paranoid? I stayed there soaking up the warmth until my water started to turn cool.
After getting out of my now cooling bath, I dried off and headed for bed. After tossing and turning, I finally drifted off to sleep.
“Where are we going mom?” I asked while hugging my stuffed lamb.
“We’re going somewhere safe baby. Auntie Zira can help us hide if we can get to her in time.” We were driving down an old dirt road in the middle of the night. “If anything ever happens to me honey, you will be taken care of.”
I started crying as I said, “Mommy don’t say that. Nothing ain’t gonna happen to you.”
I woke with a start, tears running down my face, my breathing labored and my heart pounding in my chest. It seemed so real, so vivid, more like a memory. The sun was peeking through the curtains so I threw the covers off, put on my robe, and headed downstairs. It was odd that Sarah wasn’t waiting for me. I wasn’t sure if she was already out for the day or sleeping in, so I made enough coffee for the both of us.
I ate a bowl of cereal and then slowly sipped my coffee as I thought about the dream I had last night. Wonder how hard it would be to find this Aunt Zira? Surely not that hard, with the internet you could find anything. The other question was did I want to? That one I easily answered. I knew I needed help, real help, someone who could explain why I kept seeing things when no one else could. It was worth a try.
Heading back upstairs, I moved to my desk and powered up the computer. While I waited for it to boot up, I tried to remember everything about my dream and the ones I’ve had before. I took a pen and a piece of paper from the drawer and made a note of everything I could remember before turning my attention back to the old computer. Not knowing what that else to try, I typed in Zira.
As I sat there waiting for the information to load, I kept thinking about what I would say to her, if I actually found her that is. I couldn’t exactly say, Hey, did you know my mother? Demon men are after me and some Adonis with a weird looking sword keeps saving me.
Thank God, Zira wasn’t a popular name. I got several hits but not the thousands I’d expected. One in particular caught my attention. Claiming to sell potions and charms, it listed a phone number with a Virginia area code with the name Zira Mayfair. I copied the number along with about 60 others hoping one of them would be right.
While I stared at the numbers, I decided to take a shower first and collect my courage. I wanted to have time
to think about how I would ask someone if they knew me.
I grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom. While undressing, I caught my reflection in the mirror and stopped to stare. As I looked into my own eyes I asked, “Who are you?” I only spent a moment wishing I could remember more before I stepped into the steaming spray.
With all of that finished, I slowly picked up the phone and dialed the number. The first one I tried had been disconnected. The second time a frail sounding man simply said that Zira had passed away. My heart sank and I prayed she wasn’t the Zira I was looking for. After calling twenty more people, I gave up for the awhile and decided to have lunch. Sarah was sitting at the bar having her own sandwich.
“Hi honey. What have you been up to today?” She sounded better, genuine and of course, I knew that she was. I liked talking to her when she was like this… just herself. Deciding to take a chance, I told her the truth.
“I keep having dreams about a woman and I don’t know if it’s just a dream or a memory.” Her eyebrows rose slightly. I knew she never expected an honest answer. Mine were usually vague.
“Dreams can seem real can’t they?” Her mind drifted back to her daughter and I couldn’t take it anymore. I had one week til’ graduation and something was changing, I was changing. I needed to talk to someone before I lost my mind. I had Becky, but at seventeen, she didn’t need my burdens.
“Yes, they can.” I hesitated. “Sarah, can I ask you a question?” I watched a smile spread across her face.
“Of course you can.”
“Why did you take me in?” Her smile faded somewhat.
“I didn’t want to be alone and I didn’t want you to be alone. It hasn’t worked out so great though has it?” Wow, a truly honest answer. I felt I could do no less.
“Actually, it has. You know I’m different don’t you?” Of course, I know there’s something odd about you.
“Honestly?” I shook my head wanting only the truth. She blew out a deep breath, “Yes, I know there’s something different about you. I don’t know exactly what it is but it has strained our relationship. You can tell me anything, Amber. I promise I won’t judge you, I want to help.”
Tears filled her eyes and at that moment, I decided to tell her everything. I wanted help and I needed someone to talk to besides Becky. I loved Becky but she was a teenager and this felt huge, more than she should have to handle.
Taking a deep breath, “I can hear your thoughts, Sarah.” I quietly told her as I averted my eyes and waited for her to call me a liar. When she never said anything, I glanced at her and continued. “That’s why every foster home got rid of me, they suspected when I answered all their questions unaware that they had never actually asked me.” She just stared at me, saying nothing and I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. All of her thoughts were so jumbled; I felt the beginnings of a headache.
“Okay.” She slowly said. “Do you mind if I test you?” The corners of my mouth tipped up a little. At least she didn’t call me a liar or try to get as far away from me as possible.
“Go ahead.” She stared at me. If you can read my mind, say humpty humpty dumpty.
“Humpty, humpty, dumpty, really Sarah? That’s all you came up with?” I chuckled, as her eyes grew wide with surprise.
Say Peter Piper picked a peck of pickles.
With the tension eased somewhat, I laughed, “I think it’s Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, not a peck of pickles.”
“OH MY…! You really can hear what I’m thinking.” I sobered quickly as I watched her mind run though all of her past thoughts. “You know!”
“I do. I’m sorry that my being here has brought you so much pain.” Tears brimmed in my eyes. Sarah was a good person.
She moaned and then pulled me into a tight embrace. “No, No, No, you did NOT bring me pain. The way I feel about my family has nothing to do with you.” She had tears streaming down her face and so did I.
“You wanted to take me shopping and do all kinds of things, but I couldn’t. Too many people around give me a headache. I can’t control who I hear. I’m so sorry.” I have lived with her for four years and this felt so good. Good to hug her, to have an honest conversation and to get this off my chest.
“That’s why you didn’t play sports or go to dances?” I nodded as her mind turned. “You came home early last night.” I waited, “You’re Valedictorian!” I burst out laughing. “And I’ve never seen you pick up a book!” She looked amazed as a smile spread across her face and then she laughed through the tears.
“I know. I guess it’s like cheating, but I can’t keep the answers out of my head.” We both laughed until silence reined once again.
“Tell me about your dreams.” She quietly requested.
“I keep dreaming of my mom. She’s afraid and we’re running from something. In this last dream, she said she was taking me to a woman named Zira so I’d be safe, but we never made it. I looked up the name and found less than a hundred Zira’s on the internet. I’ve been calling them but I’m not having any luck.”
“Anything else?”
I hesitated before finally telling her. “I’ve been seeing things, things other people can’t see and it scares me.” I have to give Sarah credit, she didn’t let many thoughts pass through her mind except ways she could help me.
“I don’t know what to say Amber but I don’t doubt what you say is true. I mean, you hear thoughts! If there’s anything I can do to help you I will, even if it’s just to talk.”
“Thanks.” Hesitating once again, I said, “Sarah, can I suggest something?”
“Sure honey.”
“You need to get counseling.” Her faced closed up but I pressed on, “You are young and beautiful and you still grieve all the time. You need to talk to someone. Just telling you about me and my problems have made me feel so much better and I want you to feel better to.”
She turned sad eyes to me, “Thank you.” Tears fell down her cheeks, “I might just do that. Thank you for telling me what’s been going on and I’m glad you feel better.” I hugged her and she let out a grief-filled sob. A few minutes later, she pulled herself together and gave me a genuine half-smile.
“I think I’m gonna go back upstairs and try a few more numbers. With any luck, I’ll find Zira and some answers.” I stood to leave, grabbing a pack of crackers to take with me since I never did eat lunch.
“If you need to talk, I’m here.” I knew she meant it. Reading her thoughts, she felt relief. She’d always thought our shitty relationship was her fault and had wondered if she would have been a terrible mother to her own daughter.
“Thanks.”
I sat down and stared at the list of contacts. Finally deciding to try the Virginia number, I dialed with shaking hands. One ring, then two and on the third ring I heard, “Hello?” The lady that answered didn’t sound old but she didn’t sound young either.
Taking a deep breath, I asked, “Is this Zira?” I squeezed my eyes shut as I waited for her answer.
“Yes, it is. May I help you?”
My hands started shaking so I gripped the phone a little tighter. “I…” I cleared my throat. “I hope so. I think you might have known my mother. Her name was…was Amaya Winter,” I practically whispered. I would give anything to have some answers about my family, my real family. I barely heard the gasp on the other end of the phone.
“Is this Am…? Amber?” I think she almost used my real name.
“Yeah. So you did know my mom?” With my heart racing, I started pacing the floor.
“Yes, I did. Child, I looked for you when your mother passed away but they had put you in the system and sealed the records. I feared the worst,” she said passionately. I think I affected her as much as she has me. “Your mother had me make something for you. She was bringing you to my place but she never made it here. Are you okay child?”
How much should I tell her? I had just poured my heart out to Sarah, could I do it again and to a complete stran
ger? I paced the room until I finally whispered, “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? Tell me, your mother trusted me and you can to.”
Could I? Could I actually tell her about myself? She was a stranger but what other choice did I have? Deciding to take a leap of faith and without revealing everything, I said, “I see things that shouldn’t be there and they see me.” I hoped she understood because there was no way I would tell her I saw a demon man and a gorgeous warrior with a sword.
“Your mother and I were afraid of that. She contacted me and asked for help right before she passed away. Now tell me where you are and I’ll come to you.”
I hesitated; did I want her to come to me? It only took me a minute to decide that yes I did. I needed help and my mother trusted her so I would too. “I’m in Sanstone, Illinois.”
“Okay, I have to get a few things together and then I’ll pack a bag and call you when I arrive. Is this your cell number?” she asked and I could hear her already moving around.
“Yeah it is. Don’t come here though, I’ll meet you somewhere near Indianapolis.” Until I knew exactly who she was, I wouldn’t bring her to Sarah’s doorstep.
“Okay, I’ll call you when I land. Thank you for calling me and honey...” She hesitated, “please be very careful.” I just stood there with the phone to my ear when I heard the click. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I felt hopeful.
Two hours later, I was back in the kitchen making a sandwich for dinner, nothing special, just turkey on wheat bread. I had just lifted it to my mouth when the phone rang. Pressing talk, I held it up and said, “Hey Becky, what’s up?”
“What happened to you last night?” She sounded odd as if something was wrong.
“I just didn’t feel good. Why? What did I miss?” Talking like this, I couldn’t hear her thoughts so she had me curious.
I Can Hear You Page 4