The woman’s sunshine eyes continued to stare at me as Shaul spoke.
“We’re selling virtual mind dreams.”
She paid no attention at all.
“Shaul continued, “May we come in and show you a presentation of our luxurious offerings?”
She shook her head briefly and responded with a start, “Oh, I’m sorry.” She looked at Shaul apologetically, “Yes, please come in.”
We stepped into the entryway. “Wait here. I’ll be right back with some treats.” She rushed away on her tippy toes to the kitchen. I presumed.
The entryway was dim and windy with prisms of rainbow light everywhere from the dark crystal reflections of the house’s structure. I was surprised how spooky it felt inside. Lots of shadows and casts of light.
With the dark feel to the house, I found it odd that she had numerous framed pictures of a happy baby girl all over the walls. I think this made the place seem even scarier. On top of a silver chest of drawers, there was a movie frame playing footage of the tiny girl flying and dancing in the air just above the flower garden. The child’s laughter was a creepy contrast to the dark feel of the home. In the center of the room was a hologram of a large gothic looking cross.
“I’m back,” she almost sang the words. In her hands she carried a silver platter of treats. “Come, come. Join me in the fancy room.”
“We’d be delighted,” Shaul said as he smiled crookedly at me.
I wondered what he was up to. My mind was spinning with all sorts of thoughts and conclusions. As much as I should have wanted to leave this house, I found myself very curious about this finely featured woman. I hadn’t expected a faerie to live in such a spooky home.
The breeze followed us into the fancy room like a ghost chasing after us. The faerie gestured for us to sit down on her unusual sofa. It was big and looked like three gigantic venus fly traps lined up side by side. When I sat down between the green flexible teeth onto the red padded cushion, I sank into the flowers surprisingly comfortably, but a part of me was a little frightened that the mouth of the couch might swallow me up whole like a fly. The floral, airy scent of the fancy room helped me to relax.
Shaul didn’t appear worried at all. He sat down within the mouth of the flower without any qualm at all. His expression conveyed absolute serenity.
With Shaul at my side, the woman served us. “These are the most delicious pixie pears and mallow fruit you’ve ever tasted.”
“I’ve never actually had those before,” I said excitedly, longing to enjoy the precious fruits. I reached out to take some, but Shaul took my hand and set it on his knee.
“We’re not hungry,” Shaul said in his charming silky voice that everyone found irresistible except for this woman who frowned as he spoke and except for me right now because I was hungry.
“Oh, but you must try my jam and cakes with cream.” Her voice was even sweeter than Shaul’s.
My mouth watered as I gazed at the homemade delicacies.
Shaul raised an eyebrow. “They look scrumptious, but we are fasting today.”
“Fasting?” The woman’s yellow eyes widened almost as big as the sun itself. “Why?” she asked, her expression filled with wonder.
“Fasting takes us out of the physical world and connects us more to the spiritual.” He tilted his head and looked at her curiously. “Fasting makes us more like angels which gives us more power.”
“Angels fast?” she asked as she scooted a pansy shaped chair so close to us that she nearly touched her knees against ours. Apparently, she was interested in what Shaul had to say.
Shaul nodded serenely. “Angels don’t fast per say. They just don’t eat.” He chuckled lightly, apparently amused with himself.
Personally, I was confused and found his conversation odd, but the woman was highly intrigued.
I noticed the fancy room, as she called it, also displayed on the dark crystal walls several framed pictures of the same baby girl that was in the entry. The baby was wearing cute little flower costumes of varying colors. I was afraid the strange baby might jump out of the walls and kill us with an axe.
“We’re preparing ourselves for taking a virtual mind dream later this afternoon.” Shaul grinned. “Fasting makes the experience more ethereal.”
“How intriguing.” Her eyes sparkled with interest as she ran her delicate fingers through her long shiny hair.
“The greatest pleasure comes the more closely connected you are to the spiritual.”
“Oh, you are right. We faeries know that better than anyone.” She smiled comfortably at Shaul and then turned suddenly to me, her eyes piercing. “What is a virtual mind dream?”
My eyes widened involuntarily because I had no idea whatsoever what it was and it made me uncomfortable that she was looking at me so intensely.
Luckily, Shaul intervened swiftly. “A virtual mind dream is bliss.” With a glint in his eyes, he pulled a glass ball out of his briefcase. “All you have to do is look at this crystal ball…”
She turned to him excitedly. “Crystal ball?”
“Yes.” He looked around the room. I assumed he must have been well aware that she loved everything to do with crystal which may have been the reason he chose to peek her interest with a ball of it. “Just concentrate on the ball until your mind shifts to your desired experience.”
“Are you saying I can have any experience I want by just staring into the crystal ball you sell?”
His expression was serious now. “That’s what I’m saying, Mrs....” he paused. “May I ask your name?”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She blushed, her eyes twinkling in excitement like yellow diamonds. “I’m Telly Belle.”
“Ha!” Shaul laughed. “Related to Tinker Bell, are you?”
Telly laughed too. “I’ve heard of her. Ancient mythology.” She looked pleased. “I’m surprised you know about Tinker Bell. But, no—no relation.”
“So, tell me your deepest desire and I’ll help you experience it. The first time is free.”
She hunched down and got even closer to us. “I want to see my daughter again.” Looking away, she pointed at the pictures on the crystal walls. “There was this young woman that used to live by the big lake below the forest’s cliff. She used to ride her horse in the valleys and swim in our lake.
“One day I was crying beside the waters because my husband was taken away and forced to live without me in Azkelon. The girl snuck up on me and put daffodils and pansies in my long black hair.
“From that day on, we became friends. But, I made a mistake.” She seemed tormented by her memories.
“What mistake was that?” I asked, though her story frightened me.
“I let her into my home. Every day she came here to play with my sweet baby. Then I told her the prophesy of my child.”
My eyes widened. “What was that?” I asked anxiously.
“I told her that my baby was half air faerie and half siren and the reincarnation of the first woman, Eve. I explained that she would join with Lucifer to reattach the original apple to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. After they accomplished that, there would be peace on Earth.”
I felt my stomach twisting in knots.
“My friend became very upset when I told her this prophesy. She said she heard the same prophesy about a josephine which was an original creature who was half faerie and half mermaid, but she was told the serpent would trick Eve and not put the apple back, but instead he would eat from the Tree of Life causing him and his demon race to rule the world forever bringing forth hell on Earth instead.
“We had a terrible argument that night and she left my house in a rage. The next morning when I awoke, my baby was gone. I searched and searched, but I never found Cordellia and I never saw my friend again.
A rush of adrenaline shot through my body.
“So, what I want more than anything is to see my daughter and to know if she is safe.”
I didn’t know what to say. The pieces started coming together. I just didn�
�t know what to say. This brokenhearted woman sitting before me, in her beauty and elegance, was my mother—my real mother. Mom had stolen me from this woman.
4
“I’m feeling a little dizzy right now,” I whispered. “Maybe we should go.”
“Oh, dear,” Telly responded with reservation in her soft voice. “You look a little green in the face.”
Shaul looked at me with concern. “Are you Ok, Cordellia?” He asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.
The woman’s head jutted up. “Cordellia?” she asked with surprise.
Apparently realizing his mistake in calling me by name, Shaul also looked surprised and maybe even a little frightened that I might be upset with him. “I’m sorry,” he said to me, worry in his expression.
But, I was almost relieved that the truth was surfacing before all of us. I had been determined to run away, but now Telly seemed to be figuring out that I was her daughter on her own. Cordellia was a very uncommon name and she would likely have suspicions of any girl with the same name as her daughter.
The woman’s eyes welled up as she looked at me. “Cordellia?” she asked.
“Yes,” I managed to choke out of my tight throat.
“How did you find me?” Tears streamed down her face as she touched my cheek.
“The music called me here, but I didn’t know you were my mother until now. After hearing your story and putting all the pieces together I realized.
“The music?” Her eyes were wide with wonder. “That must be the lake music. Your father is calling you from Azkelon!”
She took me into her arms and hugged me for a very long time. My emotions were so mixed up that I didn’t really know what I felt.
On one hand, I felt that Mom had robbed me of my birthright by stealing me away from Telly, but on the other hand, I felt relieved that I was learning the truth. I had always felt like an outsider in Los Angeles and now I understood why. I didn’t belong there.
While Telly was hugging me, I looked into Shaul’s uneasy eyes and smiled softly at him. He returned the smile and the tension he had been storing within left. I took his hand and squeezed it.
When Telly released me from the hug, I was still holding Shaul’s hand. His lips turned up on one side in that charming crooked grin and he looked at Telly. “I guess I can put my crystal ball away.” The tone of his voice was ironic.
Telly was smiling from ear to ear. “This is so much better than a virtual dream. In fact…” she nodded her head as she wiped away tears from her face, “…this is the best day of my life.”
Then I started to wonder if Shaul had set up the salesman scenario of the crystal ball to lead the conversation in the direction it went. I looked closely at his gorgeous face as he spoke with Telly. There was a wicked glint in his eyes that told me that he had anticipated her reactions to his enticing sale’s pitch and directed the unfolding of information that led to the final epiphany. He was the devil after all! I really didn’t mind though and was actually quite impressed with his skills.
Then Telly paused in her conversation with Shaul. She looked at him curiously.
He continued to speak, but she didn’t respond. “Mrs. Belle?” Shaul glanced at me.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Telly, are you Ok?”
She shook her head side to side like she was waking herself up. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She turned to Shaul. “Are you Lucifer?”
He laughed, his face lit with surprise. “Certainly not!” He turned to me, chuckling lightly now.
I laughed too, trying to cover for him. “You don’t really believe that prophesy. Do you?” I rolled my eyes.
“Yes, I do,” she said seriously. “You should too, Cordellia.”
I shrugged again. “Well, you don’t have to worry about Shaul. Lucifer would never have a biblical name.”
“Shaul was a Hebrew king in the bible,” he added, still smiling.
“He disobeyed God,” she said, her tone lightening. “Didn’t he?”
“I don’t know,” Shaul responded, apparently lying as he was an expert on the bible.
Telly continued, “He was supposed to kill the Amalek people which was the same as basically eradicating a lot of evil from the world, but he did not obey.”
My eyes widened. When I realized my expression, I tried to make a blank face. “We’re not much into religious stuff,” I said as I twisted a strand of my hair between my fingers nervously.
“Well, I’m just a regular ol’ faerie,” Shaul smiled wryly. His silver eyes were playful. “I may have a bag of tricks up my sleeve, but I’m no demon.” He chuckled again.
“Well, Shaul…” she frowned, “I hate to say it, but you may have some competition for Cordellia’s heart sometime soon.”
He laughed. “Nobody’s going to take my girl away from me.”
I liked the way he said that.
“Fate will be what it will be, so I surrender.” She looked at me and put her hand on my arm. “I’m just so glad to have my baby back.” She started to cry, but then stopped herself. A smile spread on her face as she touched my cheek.
We spent the next couple of hours talking with Telly. Mostly Telly and I told each other about our lives since we were apart. Both of us felt sad that we hadn’t experienced the time together. But, I had mixed feelings. Even though, I felt that I should have been with Telly, I wouldn’t trade my past with my mother.
I loved my mom even with all her flaws and even with her betrayals. I knew my mother was only doing what she thought was best. She was dogmatic about her beliefs and she truly believed that if she left me with Telly, I would be the catalyst in bringing forth hell on Earth. With that belief, which in all honesty, could be true, my mother displayed true heroism.
But, I would prove my mother wrong. Shaul and I would never take a chance in bringing a baby into the world. We would never make love. And, with that, the world would never change for better or worse. Planet Earth would remain the same, a balance between good and evil.
“Now that we’ve found each other,” Telly said, “…we’ll have to decorate your bedroom just the way you like it.”
“What!” I said more as a statement than as a question.
“You’re only sixteen, Cordellia. You have to live with your mother.” She stared at me with a confused expression on her face. “You do want to live with me—don’t you?”
I started to panic. “I’ve never thought about it.” I looked at Shaul. He looked as surprised as me. “I mean, I’ve lived a whole other life and to just move in here would be so strange after everything I’ve been through.”
Her expression saddened. “Oh.” She gazed at the baby pictures on the crystal wall. “Patravia really did ruin my life.”
“Look,” Shaul said to Telly. “You said so yourself that Cordellia’s father is calling her to Azkelon…”
“Yes.”
“Well, why doesn’t Cordellia go to Azkelon to see her father and then come back to you afterward?”
Her eyes lifted. “Oh?” she mumbled. Her cheeks were flush.
“The trip will give her more time to get used to the idea of living with you. After all, she had no idea Patravia wasn’t her real mother. She needs time to adjust to the new information.”
She smiled lightly. “You’re right.” She set her hand on my knee. “It would be good for you to meet your father.”
I think she must have kissed me a thousand times before we left. My mind was so mixed up that I didn’t know what to feel.
“Come on,” Shaul said as he pulled me up into the sky. Silver faerie wings fluttered from his back. My wings were extended too as we soared hand in hand in the sky. Though I was awkward in my flight, I was starting to get the hang of it.
We flew through a group of young faeries playing a game of soccer in the sky. Sparkly seahorse creatures with wings held up goals made of bamboo and phosphorescent ribbons. The faerie boys and girls dribbled a ball across the blue-grey expanse and a girl with many braids in her hair and
magenta wings that fluttered very fast scored. The ball shot through the goal just as we passed. Cheers and laughter filled the sky.
Suddenly, we were greeted by one of the mechanical unicorns we saw earlier when we first entered Aurora Springs. I was surprised to see that in addition to his prominent horn in the center of his forehead, this unicorn had huge white feathered wings extending from his back.
“Well, hello there,” the unicorn said in a dopey, masculine voice. His legs reared up with a screech of metal against metal.
We stopped midair, surprised by its greeting.
“Oh, sorry about my squeaky, squawky joints. I need a good oiling.” He laughed and snorted air out of his wide nostrils.
“No problem,” Shaul lifted an eyebrow as he smiled wryly. I could tell he found the creature absurdly humorous.
“You can’t leave the faeries without a fanciful thought to decorate your mind.” His wings were so huge that every time they waved in the air, wind rushed against our bodies and we were blown backwards.
“All right then,” Shaul squeezed my hand. “Shoot.” Our wings were fluttering fast to hold our positions in the sky.
“Well,” the lovely creature tilted its head up and over to the side in thought. “Hmm…”
After sometime, I crossed my arms impatiently and Shaul chuckled lightly.
“I, uh…” The mechanical unicorn looked at us inquisitively. “That’s strange—I can’t think of anything to say.”
We laughed.
“Must be a programming glitch.” We heard the high pitch sound of light reeling backward as the animal reprogrammed.
To our surprise, a soft feminine voice now came out of the unicorn. “Dreamy, the mechanical unicorn, is sleeping.” The creature coughed as it rolled onto its back. Its wings continued to wave upside down as if on automatic pilot.
“Be cautioned,” the womanly voice said. “Intruders have breached the border of Aurora Springs. Strict caution is advised.”
Shaul and I looked at each other with glints of confusion in our eyes. The unicorn looked ridiculous suspended midair with its hooves sticking strait above its belly as it snored.
“Caution, caution, caution…” The voice proceeded. An alarm began to sound out of the unicorn.
Girl Enchanted (Book 2 of The Girl Trilogy) Page 3