by Dawn Carter
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Time stood still while the two stared at one another. Spencer shuffled to her feet and moved toward Claire. She couldn’t remove her eyes from the two pools of liquid onyx. When she finally managed to lower her gaze, she looked down at her hands. Both quivering—not from fear, it was much more; an intense feeling of losing herself. When she looked back up, this time Claire smiled back at her.
Claire broke the silence. “So what should I call you?”
A lump formed in her throat as she extended her shaking limb. “Spencer, my name is Spencer Avery.” When they touched, a strange sensation ran throughout her body, and when she looked down, she could not see where her hand began and Claire’s ended.
“I’m Claire, it’s nice to finally meet you.”
Unaware she had not been breathing, Spencer let out a breath, pulled her hand away, and lowered it to her side—not sure what had actually happened. Before her, the woman she had dreamed about all her life stood, as real as she was, but things were completely different now. Her gaze fell on her hand, and she flexed it again. She could still feel the warmth of Claire’s fingers in her own. Her heart felt ready to climb up into her throat and fly. As much as she wanted to lean closer to Claire, she also wanted to run away.
Claire smiled, and those eyes seemed to sap all reasoning from her. She felt weak near her, yet she felt as if she would fall apart if she were gone. Her hand began to shake, though she didn't notice.
Then the look on Spencer’s face changed. The confusion left her eyes, replaced by uncertainty. She stared at Claire first, and then across the room at the priest. Claire stared back. Their eyes met again and locked, and, for a moment, it was as if she could see something reflecting back, something familiar.
Spencer rubbed her hands some more, trying to gauge Claire’s reaction. She blinked and shook her head, unable to break eye contact. She was transfixed upon her, speechless. Before realizing that her voice was working again, she coughed, clearing her throat, just in case it decided to give out. “Does the name Anai or Yiara mean anything to you?” she stammered, and hated that she did so.
Claire tilted her head just a bit. “Everything has a story; ours, I do believe, has just begun. I’ve dreamed of you all my life.”
“Really?” Spencer shrieked. Very little surprised Spencer, but in that moment, her mind swirled, and she suddenly became dizzy, as she gazed in the direction of the most beautiful woman she had met in real life.
Spencer could see Claire was also nervous, as she rocked back and forth on her heels. Afraid she would pass out, she reached out, grasped her arms, and guided her to a chair. “Here, sit.”
The uncomfortable silence that followed gave her pause. The only thing Spencer could hear for several moments was the faint humming of a machine somewhere within the walls of the temple. The practical part of her mind said to shut up for once—she did and sat forward, waiting for Claire to respond.
The old priest scooted an old parchment across the table. Spencer lowered her eyes and gasped. “Where did you find that?” It was a drawing of Yiara and Anai as children.
“Hemed located it in the great library.”
The picture also took Claire aback. “That girl is me.” She looked to the old priest, then to Spencer, who said nothing. “That is you, or the girl from my dreams. I have uncovered so many artifacts, drawings and scrolls. You and I, we lived before Christ. I can’t begin to understand how, or why we keep coming back, but we do.” Claire traced her finger over the likeness. “I found other pictures, throughout other lifetimes. I’ve got them, but they answered nothing. What I found in the past few weeks has led me to believe we might be in danger.”
“What kind of danger?”
Grimacing, she lowered her gaze at her lap. “I don’t have an answer to that, the message was ambiguous.”
The realization finally set in. For years, Spencer had been preparing herself for this day, but now it was right dead smack in front of her face. It all seemed unreal, and the rational side of her wanted to search for some other explanation. Spencer could not put into words what she felt looking upon the two young faces. “I just can’t believe we’ve come this far, lived all the lives we have, for something bad to happen to us now.”
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Claire looked into the familiar face she had longed for all her life, yet none of it made sense.
“I don’t have the answers, just what I’ve discovered. Firstly, we’ve come back thousands of times, each time dying an unnatural death in all of our lives. It has taken us this long to find each other, and the scroll talks of loss and sacrifice. I’m hoping I’m wrong, but if I’m not, you might want to ask yourself if you are willing to risk dying for the answers.”
“No…Yes…I don’t know.” Spencer stuttered. “Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself.”
“How are you doing that? You and I have not had a choice in this. We were born to live this day, to see this through.” Claire arched her eyebrows as the light shone just right. “Tell me about those.” She pointed at Spencer’s tattoos.
“Oh, these,” she mumbled, tracing her fingers along her arms. “Long story.”
“I have time.”
“Okay, I’ll start from the beginning; at least, what I know of it.” She glanced up at the window as she began to speak. “A while back, I went and saw a therapist because I thought I was out of my God-given mind. After several hypnosis sessions, I discovered that you, I mean, she, was not just a dream. It was a memory.” Lifting her finger, she pointed to her feet, arms and chest. “I’m not sure why I did this. Once I’d got it in my head, I could not stop until they were done.”
Claire said nothing while Spencer spoke. She smiled and nodded. She’d had all the same experiences, and was just as driven to discover the truth. When she’d moved to Cairo, she’d sought the help of a local priest. He had told her it was just a story, imagined from the mind of a young child, and she was living in some psychosis. It made sense, but the rational side of her said she was not crazy. If she had lost her mind, how could she explain the dreams and the artifacts? There was no way any of it was a coincidence, since, prior to the discovery, she’d had no historical knowledge of the two lovers’ real pasts.
“I believe you. I believe what I’ve seen and uncovered; it’s just so surreal now. I’ve also had dreams. Lately, though, it’s been like a message, and I am being told what to do.” Furrowing her brow, Claire thought about what she’d said for a moment. “Over the past few weeks, the visions or dreams came when I was awake; an old gypsy woman told me that the message was coming from another dimension.”
Spencer grimaced. “Another dimension?”
Claire held up her hands—one to silence Spencer for a moment, the other to press a finger to her temple, which was suddenly starting to pound. “What she said was that our counterparts cannot occupy the same space at the same time. So, they enter our subconscious. I thought she was crazy, but now, I’m not so sure. Looking at you, I felt you before I walked into the room.”
“So, if that’s true, they might be on another plane, directing us?”
“I’m not sure. I went to the library here, I found a lot of information. There is a book that mentions alternate realities. It said that the chairs we’re sitting in, someone else could be sitting in, in the exact same spot, and neither realizes the other exists.”
Claire could see Spencer was entertaining the idea. “Anything is possible, but most of my life the dreams didn’t change; then, as I aged, so did they. It was not until I arrived here that they changed.” Spencer acknowledged Claire’s comment, and went on to say she didn’t know what to think.
“The nightly visits were no longer dreams, but messages from the other side, or, as you said, an alternate dimension. Whatever it is, it ends with us. It’s up to you and me to correct the wrong done so long ago. It’s a tragedy that they suffered for so long. I know what they felt from the dreams, the intensity, the love, the desire, and the loss. What I have
felt in my heart over this has been overwhelming.”
Listening to her proclaim the same feelings, and history, Claire looked directly at her. Her stare penetrated into Spencer’s soul. She could feel the love in her heart, the history they’d shared lifetimes ago. She was now faced with two things. Either get up, leave, and reject fate, or embrace it.
Chapter 17
Hemed entered the room with the scroll he’d brought back from Alexandria earlier that day. The hieroglyphics had only partially been translated, and he was stuck. He set it down and looked at Claire. “You understand the old language; I believe there are answers here.”
That was the most Hemed had said to Claire since she had come into contact with him.
“I need better lighting,” she replied.
Spencer scrambled and turned the lamp on the table back on. “How’s that?”
“I need more, some of the markings here have faded.”
“We can go to the room that has all the scrolls in it. The lighting in there is great.” She turned her head to Shamod, as if asking if it was okay.
Shamod waved his hand. “Take them, I will join the two of you soon.”
Claire turned her head left then right, looking between them. “There are more scrolls?”
“Oh yes; he has a room filled with them.”
“What are we waiting for?” The light in Claire’s eyes burned bright. They were on borrowed time, and she knew it.
Spencer hurried from the room to the other library, and began rummaging through the stack of scrolls in which she had found pieces of information. It didn’t take long for Claire to join her, and just as they both settled, sitting side by side, the old priest stepped over to the two and stopped before them. They stared at him. Claire’s smile was more forced now. She was annoyed that he’d held back so much information that could have given her answers long before.
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They read feverishly throughout the night and into the afternoon, stopping only long enough to eat, and to discuss what they were looking at. Claire read aloud at times, and it sounded as if she was talking in riddles.
Putting together all of the information, as much as Claire did not want to admit it, she realized they would have to travel back to the tomb. They would then need to set up an altar by the sarcophagus, thereby disturbing the mummies, by removing the heart amulets from within them, placed where their hearts used to beat. After that, they would have to fill each one with their own blood to prompt the dead to return.
Claire grimaced. Easier said than done! How are we going to know which mummy is whose? She decided to leave that little fact out for now. No need worrying Spencer any more than necessary. After all, this was her job, to study and make the correct observations. She had already packed and shipped the Canopic Jars with both of their organs to the museum in Alexandria, so she prayed they would not need those. She was now relieved she hadn’t already dispatched a team from Alexandria to have the mummified remains removed.
It had been a long night. Both Claire and Spencer were beyond tired. Claire could see that Spencer still had to recuperate from her adventure in the desert.
When Hemed brought lunch, they put away the scroll, and Claire turned her attention to Spencer. She had spent the entire night searching for answers with her, yet she knew nothing about the woman.
“Tell me about yourself.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Where were you raised?”
Enjoying the shift in conversation, Spencer shuffled to her feet and stepped over to the globe. Turning it several times, she placed her finger on the spot.
Game, Claire moved in close, so close, she could feel the heat from Spencer’s body. “What part of the United States?”
Laughing, Spencer placed her hand over her heart. “The land of Lincoln—Illinois.”
“Nice, I have an aunt in Indiana. What part?”
“Oh, I grew up in Cicero, and then we moved to Bolingbrook when I turned thirteen. Once I was out on my own, I moved back to Cicero. I love the rich history of the town.” Smiling, Spencer arched her head to the side. “How about you?”
“I was also born in the United States, but my father was an archeologist, so we traveled all the time. Egypt has been my home away from home, and when I was doing my studies, I moved here.” Lowering her gaze, she paused, becoming serious. “I didn’t know then what it was, but I could feel something pulling me here.”
Neither spoke as they stared into one another’s eyes.
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There was that look, written in those blackish-blue eyes—maybe it was chemistry, a seed of love, or an invitation to learn about the other, but it was there. They stood inches apart, hearts beating all the faster. Spencer smiled, knowing full well that Claire was about to kiss her, and she wanted it. Even before they touched, her hands and lungs expanded with briny air. In one fluid motion, Claire moved into Spencer’s space, her hand clasped around Spencer’s waist. She pulled her closer, pressing in softly. Spencer parted her mouth, allowing access, and fell into Claire’s embrace.
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Between gentle kisses, Claire whispered slowly, prolonging each letter as if to savor it. “I’m sorry I had to do that; I’ve waited all my life, even if it was meant to happen only once.” When Spencer did not pull back, she paused briefly. Claire could easily see how close she was to losing her heart. In her twenty-nine years, never had she felt so complete, so wanted or desired.
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Alone in her chamber, Spencer lay upon the thin mattress and closed her eyes. Rubbing the back of her neck, the image of the kiss burned in her mind. She was tired but unable to sleep. It was hard knowing that somewhere in the temple, Claire was also in a room as bland as hers. Had Claire not kissed her, she would not have agreed to sleep before they traveled to the dig site.
Lying on her left side, she willed her eyes to close, but they wouldn’t. She tossed onto the other side, then back again. Frustrated, she sat up, turned on the light, and dug through the backpack next to her bed. She was grateful it hadn’t got lost in the desert.
“Oh, good,” she said as she pulled out her leather bound book and ran her fingers over the stitching. “Do I have a story to share.”
Dear Diary,
All I can say is “Wow!” Not just wow, but “WOW!” So much has happened. I don’t know where to begin. First, I almost died in the desert, thank God the old priest was worried when he couldn’t find me. He started to ask around and found out that I had gone out on my own to find her. Stupid…stupid! I should never have risked my life like that. But, I couldn’t sit back and do nothing.
I’m writing this, so it all worked out; in fact, even better than I could have imagined. I met her, and she is as beautiful as she is smart. She looks exactly like she does in my dreams, except she’s in modern clothing, of course. It’s amazing, I can’t believe how this all turned out.
If someone had told me this was going to happen last year, I would’ve said they were fucking nuts. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but do any of us know what the next day holds? Now to what I do know; we leave in the middle of the night to go back to the dig. Claire said... Oh what a beautiful name... CLAIRE. Anyway, back on topic. She wants to avoid traveling during the day, and said we can get there faster at night. I’m glad she knows her way. I would never attempt that again by myself.
Okay, so now for the news. I know a girl should never kiss and tell. But, OMG, we kissed. I can’t even describe it. I have never felt so close to anyone in my entire life. When we touched, I felt like we were melting into each other. The kiss only lasted a few minutes, and when it stopped, I’m sure I looked stupid. I didn’t move, and my eyes were still closed. She could have slapped me and I would have still had that grin on my face.
Now, I am worried. Well, worried is not really the word I’m looking for. Okay, a little scared. Why? Because, OMG, I have real feelings for her. I don’t know if it’s because of the dreams. All
I know, if she had asked to make love, I would have told her no. OMG, right? When would I ever turn down a piece of ass? Sure, I could have fallen into bed with her, maybe had the best sex I’d ever had in my life, but I don’t want it to be that easy with her. I never felt like this before. I want to savor everything with her. If we do make love, I want it to be right, not because I’m horny. Well, I know. Ha ha, when am I not horny?
Okay, I know it’s not going to be as easy as I want. Will power, lots of it, or I will have to take up smoking.
Enough about sex. We leave in about six hours. It’s time to help our past selves move on. Then whatever life has in store for us, I’m game. I’m ready to start having new dreams for my future. It’ll be strange once they’re gone; I’ve had them all my life. Anyway, I think I’m finally tired. I’m going to get some sleep. I still feel weak from my act of stupidity. More soon.
It was still dark by the time they reached the corner of the Southwest halls and turned right. Their shoes made soft clacking noises in the looming dimness. They passed one room, and Claire felt her anxiety grow. Had she learned all they needed to know? She could still turn back, proclaiming it all a mistake. “This could all go wrong.”
The old priest frowned, his brow furrowed in confusion. “It’s time you go.”
“Is there a chance something could happen to one or both of us when we do this?”
Claire stopped, looked at Spencer, and whispered, “I was thinking the same thing.” Hearing Spencer say the things she was thinking made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. They only had riddles with partial answers to go on. Not wanting to risk exposure, she called over the shortwave radio and told Sophia to take the team into the city for a few days of R&R. She played it off as if she’d had a change of heart and wanted them to take a break. There was no way she could tell them she had found her dead girlfriend’s doppelganger.