"Don't worry about it," Charlotte tells her, "I've come to grips with what happened and I'd do it all over again if I had to."
"Man, girl, you're awesome!" says Olivia knowing she has found a new friend, "Yeah I just had the unfortunate car accident, nothing as heroic as you."
"I love the look you're rockin' by the way."
"You do? Thanks," O tells her a little about her interest. "It's a cool look; back in the day I would go to conventions and even went on a cruise with others who love the steampunk style." The two look off into the distance and see the sky darken more and more. The storm and winds seem to be getting worse with every passing hour.
"Do you know what they are talking about over there?" Charlotte asks her.
"I'm still pretty new here myself, but Aireal was talking about some key or pieces of a key," O shakes her head, "I can't really remember, but I have a feeling we're gonna find out." The two finally rejoin the others and Jake appears to be coming to a close in his conversation with Aireal.
"This is not being taken lightly," Jake tells her, "The Rogers woman told me New York is where she is taking it; my bet is that's where Mack is going. I don't know how long we have until he tries for her himself, but he is going to go after her, and by the looks of everything around us I will have to say it will be soon.
With all in fairyland on board to take on the dark spirits and their plans to destroy the 1st Realm, Jake and Charlotte soar off to Muir Woods to the home of the tree people and the spritely centaurs. Before they do so, they inform the fairies to meet them at Delphi. They will gather there before the Council to hear the battle plan.
The two then extend their wings and begin their trip across the Pacific Ocean to a patch of woods just north of the city of San Francisco. As the two come closer to the city by the bay, Jake looks down to see how the weather is being affected. The Golden Gate Bridge is swaying its massive form almost like a snake. The change bucket from a Salvation Army Santa Claus flies uncontrollably behind him, smashing into a building wall, spilling change everywhere. There are many people venturing out finishing their Christmas shopping, despite the fact that it has become weather you stay home in.
When entering Muir Woods, they see that it is still even a busy day for the tourists who have come to admire the massive trees. The gift shop is bustling with people getting that last minute souvenir. Charlotte gives a big smile when she sees all the families enjoying the great outdoors. She thinks back on the time that she went there with her brother, mother and stepfather. She sees people taking pictures of their friends standing in front of the gigantic trees. She thinks back to when her brother and she had their picture taken posing in a yoga position in the tree branches and how they wanted to take the long trail for more of a challenge.
"There is Birch!" Jake points out to Charlotte as they are soaring closer to the treetops. The stately looking white birch tree spirit is in the company of fellow tree spirits. There is Willow, a beautiful lady weeping willow, and also their good friend Mr. Oakhurst, an oak tree.
"If only the tourists could see what I'm seeing!" Charlotte says in amazement.
The two take their place before the towering tree people. Jake informs them of how they have been sent by the Council and that the fairies have enlisted their army and are on the way to Delphi. He then says to Birch, the leader of the tree men, "We could use the strength and stamina of your band of men to stop the dark ones plans. I know you are an honorable man and only want what's just and right. So what do you say, will you join us?'
The stately looking Birch with his branches gracefully swaying looks Jake in the eyes and says, "This is a cause that we support and you can count on our backing."
While they are talking over the importance of combining forces, Peggy the Pegasus and Rohanna the Centaur make their way over to see what all the commotion is about. The gathering of the tree people has begun and more are coming forward to offer their aid. The Centaur and Pegasus know that something big is about to happen and that this is not something that they normally would see while enjoying this peaceful place. With the masses of exceptionally tall trees stomping about as they gather together, the tourists start to notice that the sky is getting darker and there is a little thunder. Peggy and Rohanna tell the forces that after hearing the urgency of this unification, they too will fight and will give the message to others to meet together at Delphi.
Chapter 19
Keeping Up Appearances
Today is a stressful day for Mandolyn. Even though Paul is there in spirit, she knows that she's going to need to play the part of a grieving fiancé because she is expecting a visit from Paul's parents. She had spoken with them briefly on the phone last night and they were taking the first flight out to take care of arrangements. She gets out of bed and slips into her plush winter robe with little goats dressed in Santa hats. She doesn't smell the scent of fresh brewed coffee or mouthwatering French toast. She looks up into the skylight and doesn't see Charlotte or Jake. As a matter of fact, she doesn't even see Nick. He knew that Paul would be sleeping next to his girl and wanted to respect their privacy. He has stationed himself near the front door and is enjoying a spiritual smoke. He's there when the paperboy delivers the newspaper and it's thrown straight through Nick, landing in front of the door on the mosaic brick entrance.
Mandolyn makes her way downstairs to brew some coffee and toast a bagel. She looks to see where Paul might be, but he's not in the kitchen waiting for her to rise and shine. She hears a faint whistle of a favorite Christmas song and recognizes it to be her man. She walks to where the sound is coming from. It is taking her to the living room where Paul is in front of the tree just staring at the recent gift exchange of the dream catcher ornament.
"Is everything ok baby? Mandolyn asks when she sees that he's in deep thought.
"I watched you as you were sleeping and all I wanted to do was just hold you close and make love. Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy that we're able to see each other and interact, but you have to understand that it hurts to not be able to have the closeness we had. You have been and will always be my dream."
Tears swell up in Mandolyn's eyes and her voice begins to crack when she replies, "As long as we're together I will be forever grateful."
The phone rings and its Tom and Darcy, Paul's parents.
"We're about five minutes from your home, we should be pulling up soon in a yellow cab with the big ABC Cab Company sign on top," says Darcy, always making sure to give exact details.
"Ok, I'll be here waiting, the door is unlocked, just come on in," Mandolyn tells the mother in-law that could have been hers.
"Oh no honey, I'll ring the bell so you can look through the peephole to make sure it's us. Never leave your door open; you never know what might happen."
She gets off the phone and just moments later the ABC Cab pulls up in front of the duplex just as Marcy had said. Tom tips the driver and then puts his arm around his wife as they make their way to the door. They can see the insane weather has knocked down all of the outside ornaments and decorations; they themselves are bundled pretty tight with wind blowing fairly hard. Tom slams his hand on the top of his head as his blue trim fedora was about to blow away.
"They put up a Christmas tree," says Darcy when she notices the tree all lit up in front of the picture window. She starts to cry a little and then asks her husband for a tissue to blow her nose.
The doorbell is rung and Mandolyn ushers in the two most important people in Paul's life besides her. This is a situation any human being dreads and then you add in the factor that she must behave in a way that portrays that Paul's gone for good even though he spent the night in their bed, watching her sleep.
"Honey, I see that the two of you put up a tree, my boy always loved Christmas," Darcy says as she walks over to inspect all the decorations. She sees the samurai figurine and pulls it into her hand as she looks at all the vivid colors. "Did you know he loved the old kung Fu movies?" That's what she called them as she reflec
ts back on his childhood days. She fumbles though the ornaments with glassy eyes, trying to not let the waterworks flow.
"Samurai movies mom," Paul says as he stands with his mother in front of the tree.
Seeing that his wife is in a trance like state, just staring at the garland and lights; he comes to her in a calm manner and suggests that she take a seat on the sofa. They have many important issues to talk over and she needs to get her head straight. Paul is just standing next to Mandolyn taking in his parent's reaction to his death .This is something he never imagined to happen and the closest he'd ever been was reading it in a science fiction story. He watches as his father consoles his grief-stricken mother who looks like she may not pull out of this. Paul was their only son among six daughters. He was an unexpected baby that came when Darcy thought she was in menopause.
The down-trodden woman says something that was never talked about, "Did you know that Paul had a twin brother?"
Tom immediately knows that the cat is out of the bag on a sore subject that they promised to never bring up. "Please my love, we must not dwell upon that now. There was nothing we could have done to save him."
"His name is Michael; don't disrespect our child by not calling him by his name."
"I'm sorry, I loved him too even though his time with us was so short," Tom says to his grieving wife.
"I didn't know," was all Mandolyn could say.
Paul is shocked at what he just heard. He now understands why his mother was always overly protective with him. He never knew he had a brother let alone that he was a twin. His mother continues to relive the terrible event of how Michael was the second born of the twins and that the umbilical cord strangled him. She starts sobbing uncontrollably, going through a pack of tissue, blowing her nose and wiping her tears. With her mascara now running down her face, she looks at Mandolyn and says, "I was looking forward to the grandchildren that my son and you would have given me."
The three discuss the funeral arrangements with Tom and Mandolyn making the plans since Darcy isn't in a good state of mind. She keeps stalling on the preparations by wanting to tell childhood stories of the son she just lost. They are interrupted by the doorbell when a neighbor stops by to drop off a plate of fresh baked breads and pastries. It's a welcome surprise that will go well with the pot of fresh brewed coffee they are enjoying.
Two hours have passed and Paul's parents have said their goodbyes. The funeral will be in three weeks, just after Christmas. Mandolyn has to take the artifact containing the prized key to New York City where it will be locked in a vault, safe from those who want to use it for their selfish pleasures. She packs a small bag with a change of clothes for the overnight trip. Paul and Nick will be making the drive with her, keeping a close eye on the key and Mandolyn's safety. As they leave their home to get into the car, a neighbor across the street is putting up Christmas lights that had been blown down by the hard wind; he also plans to add more to the already overdone North Pole imagination land that was portrayed on his roof. Only now the remainder of it sits on his front yard after he traveled all the way down the block to retrieve them. He is hoping to win the annual parade of lights home show this year, if the weather ever clears. He came in second place the year before, trailing closely behind Mrs. Tinkerman's fine display.
"I think you may take the prize, Randy!" says Mandolyn as she drives by with words of encouragement.
Chapter 20
Back at Sutton Hoo
The dark spirits are basking in the glory of their victory in overpowering the light and retrieving two pieces of the key. They make their way to Mack at Sutton Hoo, and because the two pieces have been disturbed, chaos is starting to develop. In the 1st Realm however, the land of the living is just seeing it as earthquakes and unusual weather. Brutal now arrives with his portion first; followed by a changeling in the form of Hades, with the other fragment. They make their way past the powerful looking guards to hand the pieces over. The Shape Shifters from Down Under were a great aid to the darkness and will continue to fight side by side with them to retrieve the final piece and bask in the pleasure of the flesh. When both fragments are in Mack's hands, thunder and lightning come blasting through; shaking The Ripper's Manor; As if the gods of all faiths are infuriated that he has these two pieces of the ancient artifact. The ground starts shaking; causing large chunks of dirt with grass and trees still in place, to now float in the air without coming down.
When the servants arrive in the deep chambers where their leader is waiting, they see that Mack is in the company of the queen of persuasion, Pearl. The couple's sick form of flirtatious banter is interrupted when they catch sight of the gargoyle looking Brutal and the cold and calculating Hades. "Just when I was getting started," Pearl begins to say as she runs her hand up Mack's thigh, "We'll just have to pick up where we left off," she gives a little squeeze to his groin and then saunters off with a devious grin.
The men are all captivated and intrigued by the sexy dark elf but there is business at hand. Pearl and her brood will be a great asset to the dark side's cause with her power of persuasion and hard-core antics but they must not let her womanly ways distract them while business is discussed. Mack lets his soldiers know that these two pieces are not good enough. "We now need the Rogers woman and her final portion. He sends forces to find the archaeologist and to get the key that he believes belongs to him.
Chapter 21
Flora and the Puppet Master
With all the chaos taking place, the puppet master is taking full advantage of the situation. He has been craving to get very close to the children and not in a good way. Flora had built this massive structure to house all of the orphans, and she chose to locate the retreat above Marine World theme park so they could watch families have fun. This time there is chaos happening at the pleasant waterpark. There is a disruption in the pools of water and it has become like a whirlpool. People are starting to panic and begin to leave the park. Flora is gathering the children together because of the turbulence in the energy field and trying to get them in a safe spot.
She collects the youngsters together and they make their way to a courtyard where she takes a headcount to see if all are there. "Maggie, Stewie and Riley are not here," says Flora in a panic.
"I'll watch over the others mother," says the eldest boy named Carl. He was her first to ever care for and she trust that the younger ones will be safe under his cautious watch while she searches for the three stragglers'.
She makes her way through the corridors calling out to the three. "Maggie, Stewie, Riley!" shouts the desperate caregiver.
The puppet master has spied the trio of lost children and makes his way to them. As he gets closer, he pulls out the entire lure them in tricks. He is in full clown puppet attire showing them some magic stunts. "There is more fun and games, come with me little kiddies to a magical place that I call Puppet Land" says the twisted marionette with evil thoughts.
Flora catches sight of the infamous pedophile; pissed off and ready to kill the creepy bastard, the pretty blue house dress she always wears changes into more comfortable fighting attire, this time she plans on ending this piece of shit once and for all. "You will not touch my children, you filth." She says to him with weapons out and hatred in her voice. This normally loving and caring woman has none of that for this creature. The children are frightened as the two battles on. The intensity of their warring is being felt in the 1st Realm; the amusement park down the hill is beginning to crumble. The mother figure manifests a construct of a wand and fires her energy attack at the creepy puppet. The fiend leaps into the air over her and comes down with an attack of his own. Flora uses her power to push the three children out of the way, and then moves out in time herself. When she turns to look, the creep is already coming for her, so she puts up a shield wall to stop his attack. When the wall comes down it is followed by a large axe meant for the child killer. She sees that he rolls out of the way and comes down again, hoping to turn him into dust.
He
slings a number of strings at her and they grip around her wrists and ankles, he gives a tug on them and she falls to the grass. He then leaps into the air pulling her up with him then sends her slamming to the floor causing the ground to rumble. The people along the San Andreas Fault line are used to earthquakes, but this is looking to be a big one, and it won't be the only. Storm clouds are forming like the unnatural weather and people are starting to take a little bit of notice. Flora is once again lifted into the air by a floating Puppet Master, and then thrown down for an enormous impact; another rattle shutters across expansive hills of the bay. This time when The Puppet Master gives a pull up, he is met with some resistance; Flora does not come up with his pull. She launches up past him taking him by his strings higher into the air.
Flora comes to a complete stop and waits for him to reach her. She forms a giant sledge hammer, and then with all of her strength and the momentum of her target, she slams down so hard that the Puppet Master crashes into the ground, sending chunks of earth flying everywhere. She comes to the ground and looks at the damage that not only her battle is causing, but the world all around. She knows what is happening and can see the disturbance getting stronger. With the pieces of key being close together the earth all around begins to shake and tremble. Everything begins to crumble, not just the theme park. Houses across the highway start to slide down the hill. Flora sees the people inside fall to their deaths and turn to black ash. With the destruction she knows she needs to get the kids to safety fast. But first this spiritual piece of waste needs to go, and she knows it. She conjures a staff and gives charge at The Puppet Master. She will not stop her attack until he is gone. She starts with a blast from the top of her staff. When he moves out of the way she swings her rod, knocking him to the ground. He leaps up from the floor like a frog straight at her, forcing her to duck under. The marionette man forms a tommy gun and begins to fire at her. She blocks the energy bullets with her staff and flies into the air, coming down hard with her pole but he again avoids the end. She knows it will have to be a close encounter strike to get the crafty mover. She keeps moving forward on him with a swing of her staff from the right then the left, hoping the blitz will keep him on the defensive.
The 2nd Realm Book One (The 2nd Realm Trilogy 1) Page 10