Stonehenge

by Lisa Graves

  Elliott followed me deeper into the hidden city. The archways were different down here than on the upper level we had just come from. The columns were different.

  “What is this place, Lillianna?”

  “It was a Greek city. Now it’s abandoned.”

  “There is a city under the underground city?”

  I motioned about the mystical ghost town around us. “Looks that way. I found this place the other day and wanted to explore it with you.”

  Our hands rejoined and we walked on into the unknown. It was peaceful and quiet in this deserted place.

  At the same time we both heard it. I looked into his emerald eyes and he looked into my blue. There was a swooshing sound coming from up ahead.

  My hand squeezed his tight, as we walked forward into the unknown.

  The swishing noise got louder.

  Up ahead I started to see a faint glow. It glistened, reflecting on the wet cobblestones. There was a light ahead.

  As we drew near the end of the tunnel, I realized that whatever was producing the light wasn’t a torch. There was no flicker to this light. Just a soft, steady glow. I closed the distance to the opening up ahead, with barely an audible patter. Elliott’s boots sounded in comparison. I took a deep breath of the salty air as we moved through the last archway.

  At first glance, the beauty of my surroundings took my breath away. The dreary, damp, somber stones had somehow led us to a hidden cliff overlooking the water. The sea’s thrashing waves below was the source of the swishing. The steady glow I noticed from within the tunnel had come from the light of the full moon.

  The rhythm of the ocean thrashing against the rocks, over and over, was natural background music of this place. The mysterious perfecting light of the moon, and the smell of the saltwater, was intoxicating.

  It was surreal watching this memory play out. This was the memory of when Elliott and I found the cliffs. The same cliffs that we’d jumped from astrally projected almost three hundred years ago.

  “Wow,” said both the past and present versions of me.

  Elliott sat down the torch and took my face in his hands. “Wow is right.” His mouth found mine. This kiss was rougher than usual. He bit my lip, and I nibbled back on his. It was perfect.

  “I love you, Elliott.”

  “I love you, Lillianna.”

  I sighed as his words fed my soul. The fresh salt water permeated the air.

  I sat down on the rocky cliff and watched the waves try and tear the stones apart far below me. Elliott sat down beside me. A light, salty mist was all that could reach me from the battle that raged below.

  “This place is amazing,” he commented.

  “I’m happy we found it together.”

  He squeezed my hand. “Me too.”

  Letting our legs dangle over the edge, together we laid back with me wrapped in his arms, and watched the clouds as they danced across the bright full moon above us.

  I closed my eyes in my dream and opened them to the same moon above me, but a different set of arms holding me tight.

  It was a very curious sensation. Being in one set of arms one moment, and then seemingly instantly being in another set. Another setting. It was like an alternate universe. What life would be like without Elliott. And in comparison, it was black and white.

  With Elliott I was truly alive. With Elliott, life was a rainbow of colors and experiences. He was my soulmate, now and forever. It was him I was meant to be with.

  And it hurt.

  I lay there in Nicholas’s arms as he slept. The same bright moon overhead that had been over me in another life, a past life. My heart ached at having to let Nicholas go. But I couldn’t be with them both.

  I had to choose. There was never any choice really. But there was pain. I loved Nicholas. He’d carved himself out a place in my heart, and it was there he would have to stay.

  All that was left now, was goodbye.

  I didn’t fall back to sleep. I lay snuggled in Nicholas’s arms, listening to his heartbeat. Smelling his cologne. Taking in as much of him as I could. And the tears just streamed down my cheeks.

  I would have thought I’d run out of water, but drops kept spilling out of my eyes as I tried to blink them back. Nicholas finally woke up well after the sun had come up. The first thing he did was look down and kiss my wet lips.

  He yawned. “Why are you crying?”

  “I…” There was no way I could tell him the truth. I did my best, and tried to lie.

  “I had a bad dream that’s all.”

  “What was it about?”

  The water came faster now. “I can’t really talk about it right now.”

  “It might make you feel better.” He kissed my forehead.

  “Maybe later,” I lied.

  It was time to get up, even though I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to his embrace. I took a deep breath, and tried to get the tears to stop. I really didn’t feel like explaining, or lying rather, to anyone else. I wiped my eyes dry with my sleeve as Nicholas folded up our sleeping bags.

  We started to walk out of the meadow and into the trees before he tried to talk to me again. “Would you like to go out to breakfast? We can go to a waffle house if you want?”

  I tried to smile, but it felt all wrong. “I think I just need a shower and some time alone.”

  “How about dinner then?”

  “Alright,” I nodded as I took my sleeping bag from him and we each went towards our houses.

  I showered quickly, trying not to think of the task that lay ahead.

  But it kept creeping into my thoughts. How do I say goodbye?

  I put on my usual jeans and a tank top, and plopped down on my bed and hid my face in my blanket. This sucked.

  I kept fighting with myself on if I should say goodbye to Nicholas in person or not. There were definite pros and cons to both, but the cons seemed to outweigh the pros. That left our usual way of communicating without speaking, a letter.

  I had to make it special, but what to write was even harder than deciding that a letter would be the best way to go about it. There was no way I could tell him what I was doing. I couldn’t write that I was going to try to astrally project and jump from an imaginary cliff in Italy to be with my soul mate who was technically dead. But then what was left to say?

  Hours went by before I finally decided on:

  I don’t know what my future brings, just know that I love you.

  -Lilly

  I wrote it in lemon juice, folded it fancy, and sealed it shut just like the first secret note he’d given me. My heart raced in my chest, but I was resolved in what I was about to do.

  The seal was barely hard when Nicholas showed up to bring me to dinner. He actually knocked on my window, and came in that way. He hadn’t used that “door” for a long time, since we were officially dating and Meredith was more than happy to have him here at all hours if possible. It hadn’t been necessary.

  “I do miss sneaking into your room, Lil.”

  I laughed.

  “It’s just not the same,” he shook his head. “Ready?”

  “Yep. Where we going?”

  “How does chinese sound?”

  “Works for me.”

  Dinner was really awkward. And it was all my fault. I didn’t know what to say, or how to act, knowing what I was going to attempt in just a few short hours time.

  “Are you sure you’re alright?” Nicholas asked again as the waitress brought us our fortune cookies and the check.

  “Yeah. I just didn’t sleep well last night.”

  “What do you want to do tonight?”

  Jump off a cliff while astrally projected and hopefully not die quickly. “Uhh,” I shrugged. I knew I had to do the jump while a part of me wanted to stay, and part of me definitely wanted to be with Nicholas. And according to Elliott that was key. This sucked. It made the decision to jump that much harder. But I knew deep down that it was time.

  Nicholas took my hand. “How does a movie s
ound?”

  “Maybe. What’s your fortune cookie say?” I asked.

  “You will be surrounded by luxury… in bed.”

  “Oh really?”

  “You’re welcome to find out,” he winked at me.

  I couldn’t help but crack a smile. I broke my cookie in two.

  “What’s yours say, hoe?”

  “You will travel to many exotic places.”

  “In bed.”

  “You wish,” I added.

  Nicholas made a suggestive smile, and raised his eyebrows at me as we made our way to the car.

  “How about we try to sleep in the meadow again tonight?” I asked on the way home.

  “I thought you said you didn’t sleep last night.”

  “I…uhh…maybe I’ll have better luck if we sleep in the little cubby area.”

  Nicholas’s tone changed. “I’d consider that an exotic place, Lil.” He tried to sound seductive.

  “You’d consider the backseat of this car an exotic place.”

  He laughed, but didn’t contradict me. Rather, he leaned over and gave me a kiss when we were stopped at the next red light.

  “I’m down for whatever, Lil. Another starry sleepover sounds good to me. Feel free to wear lacy pajamas this time.”

  “Like I own lacy pajamas.”

  “I can stop at the store if you want?”

  “No. No. I’m good. Ratty old sweats are pretty hot.”

  “Grrrr.”

  We both laughed the rest of the way home.

  When Nicholas had our sleeping bags rigged back together, and me tucked in with him under his arm, I pulled his letter out of my pocket.

  “Nicholas?”

  “Yeah Lil.”

  My hand trembled as I moved the letter closer to his hand at his side. “This is for you, but promise me you won’t open it until morning?”

  “What is it, honey?”

  “Just promise me you’ll wait until morning to read it.”

  “Sure, I guess?”

  “I love you Nitch-o-las.” My head lay on his chest, listening to the beating of his heart.

  “I love you too, Lil,” he sounded confused, but otherwise let it go.

  “Goodnight.”

  “Night, hoe.” He kissed the top of my head.

  I took one more deep breath before closing my eyes and letting my energy, letting my soul, fall through space and time. I hadn’t projected in months now, but I did it effortlessly. This was meant to be. My soul knew where to go. I opened my eyes to the same cliffs from my dream.

  The ocean thrashed and boomed against the rocks down below. The mysterious perfecting light of the moon, and the smell of the saltwater, was enticing. I sat down on the rocky cliff edge and watched the waves try and tear the stones apart. A light salty mist was all that could reach me from the battle that raged below.

  I shut my eyes and let my senses take over. The spray of the ocean on my face. The smell of the sea salt in my nose. Suddenly I felt his energy with me. Something touched my hand.

  I opened my eyes to Elliott. He had come and sat beside me on the rocky cliff. He was who I was waiting for, who I’d always wait for. His hand held mine, and the electricity was tangible. Our eyes met and he cupped my face in his hand and kissed me. “I’ve missed you so much, Lilly.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.”

  Pulling his lips from mine he whispered in my ear, “Are you ready?” His lips brushed my ear and his hot breath sent a shiver down my spine.

  “Yes,” I replied.

  We both stood up on the rocky ledge and inched ourselves closer to the precipice. My toes were flush with the edge of the stone. My heart beat faster.

  “I love you, Miele,” Elliott said to me, taking my right hand in his left.

  “Forever,” I whispered back, clutching his hand tightly.

  He leaned over and gave me one more kiss, and nibbled my bottom lip. “Good luck, mia amore. Remember Nicholas.”

  Ouch! Nicholas. Just thinking his name caused me physical pain. Elliott let go of my hand and I placed it over my heart to help keep it from breaking.

  “I love you, Elliott.” I then spread my arms out wide and jumped from the safe, sturdy cliff to my unknown future below.

  Chapter 23. Atlantis

  I could feel the wind fly past me as I fell towards the waves and rocks below. As I broke the surface of the cold black water, a wave pummeled me and pushed me downwards into the darkness. I was out of breath and unable to find the surface. All I wanted was to see Elliott’s face before I died. There was no question what was happening. I was dying. I tried to fight it. I clawed at the water, trying to get a sense of direction in this gravity-free water world. It didn’t COME.

  The part of my heart that was in love with Nicholas prayed that I was getting closer to the surface, and lifesaving air. The part of my heart that belonged to Elliott hoped I was headed down. Down into the darkness. Down towards the mystery.

  I kept fighting the current as it pushed me this way and that. I still was confused on which part, Nicholas’s or Elliott’s part of my heart, I wanted to win. Memories of my life seemed to flash before me. I saw me and Nicholas on our first date at the waterfall; Elliott and I rowing a boat out into the water; myself alone in the bathtub figuring out my life. It was then that it dawned on me.

  I hadn’t realized it before. But the words were like a shock to my brain. Water is the key. I may only be here in my mind, but I gasped at the thought and water filled my aching lungs. I could feel death creep in.

  All of a sudden the watery world changed to mist around me.

  The texture change of water to white mist of my surroundings was confusing. But then I smelled gardenias.

  I’d made it!

  My senses began to sharpen with every breath I took of the swirling air.

  My heart raced as my senses came into focus. Where was Elliott? The scent of gardenias only seemed to get stronger. He had to be close.

  The fog was so thick. It felt as though it was holding me in its billowy white arms. I felt warm and happy. If I was dead, it wasn’t that bad. I could feel sounds, and see smells. It was as if instead of having separate senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound, they were mixing and cooperating, and I was experiencing what life was meant to be like.

  Atlantis was the same sensory world I’d visited on Halloween. As things slowly began to process in my thoughts, I remembered that my thoughts seemed to materialize the last time I was here. So I thought of Elliott.

  My mind started to focus on Elliott and he became clear. His green eyes. His chocolate brown hair. His perfectly chiseled body. It was heaven, and the smoky mist held us tight together. Our feelings were tangible. I could feel the love, the lust, the longing, the desire, and the happiness Elliott was feeling. And he could feel me.

  “You made it!” I’d never heard someone sound so happy. He picked me up in his arms and the mist swirled around us. It cradled us as he cradled me in his strong arms.

  We breathed each other in deeply. It wasn’t only scents we inhaled, but colors and sounds and the way I felt when we touched. I breathed it all into my soul. His lips found mine. If we weren’t already dead, I might have died of happiness. Every sensation was like a new and exciting experience. Like a blind man seeing the sun. The tingles when we touched were ecstasy. It was intense and climactic. His kiss went down my neck. I shuddered. Ironically, I’d never felt so alive.

  I couldn’t help but jump up and wrap my arms around his neck. Elliott’s euphoria of me making it, of me getting into Atlantis, of us finally being together forever was strong. His arms wrapped around me and twirled me around, again and again. I smiled and Elliott could feel my happiness. He swung me around and up into his waiting arms.

  Elliott then carried me forward into the clouds.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Special thanks to my sisters (especially Alena) and my awesome hubby for all of their love and support on my writing journey.

 
Thanks to my writing group friends, Jake, Pat and Darren. I love bouncing ideas off you guys. Sundays are much better looking with you studs around.

  For more information on Lisa Graves and the secret messages hidden in her books visit www.lisagravesbooks.com