Sing A Twist

by Brooke T. Mays

  “The Vision meant for me to help Evenfall. He was reaching out to me, even that first time when he was in the parking lot, with colors. I didn’t act on any of his ‘calls,’ or at least not effectively. I failed him, and he died,” she ended with her voice full of regret.

  Her father pulled her into his arms. “I know you are hurting. I wish I could kiss that hurt and make it go away. But the past can not be changed. This unfortunate young man has lost his life,” the cadence of his voice along with the warmth of his embrace softened the words. “That is tragic. Though this Vision may have started with him, it did not end with him.” Now he stood back with his arms on her shoulders, so he could look her straight in the eye. “Whoever is responsible for his death, she, if you are correct, now has her sights on you. That is what your mother was just saying. The Vision shifted to center on you. You are now the one facing danger. That is what we all must focus on.” He stopped talking while he guided her to the chair. “Now, we sent Aiden to help you. What did he learn?”

  Elena was confused. Quickly, she thought back on the conversation with the Speaker. “The Speaker said that since he was in my area, you sent him to inform me about the echo. That was it,” she said with a shrug. She clearly remembered the relief she had felt when she realized the Speaker was only acting as a message deliverer the last time they met.

  “That was the first time,” her mother said intently. She paused expectantly for a second, but Elena could only look back at her blankly, slightly shaking her head no to indicate there had been no second time. Her mother’s voice began to rise as she continued, “I sent him to help you after the Vision changed and focused on you. Surely, you did not think that I saw your death and did nothing?” Now there was open anger in her voice, although Elena knew the anger was actually rooted in fear. “The only reason your father and I did not come ourselves was my Vision,” abruptly she cut off, unable to continue speaking.

  Elena felt her own eyes swell with tears. Her mother was crying again. And the anguish. As a child, Elena had often thought of how wondrous it would be to know the future. To her young eyes, it had often made her mother appear so powerful. As she grew older and a bit wiser, she began to appreciate the burden that a Vision could bring. One could not choose what was Seen, or choose to See only the good. The bad, the horrific, and the even-worse came as well. Even now, as experienced as her mother was, nightmares could still be a problem. She joined her father in a group hug, even though their emotions were so strong, it hurt to touch them.

  Elena wanted to ask what her mother had Seen. Clearly she had wanted to do more than just send the Speaker. Elena wondered what had stayed her mother’s hand. She couldn’t bring herself to ask just now, not with what she was Sensing. Instead, she offered some information. “He was at the bar, I think, the Speaker, the night before I heard the song giving me the message to come home. My roommate, Jacob, described him. I think the Speaker was with Detective Talbot the night before the detective decided that Evenfall’s murder case was at a dead end. Some information was missing in the case, as well. A photo. Some security tapes damaged. He didn’t seem to question too much what happened to the evidence. That makes more sense if Voice was used. But why? How on earth would sabotaging this case help? How would letting a murderer go free be helpful?” Elena’s voice demanded.

  Her mother, as always so trusting of the Speaker’s motives, surprised her. “It certainly isn’t! Especially if he has now led the murderer straight to you! He should have done as he was told and gone directly to you. He was not to leave your side,” she practically spat.

  “Now, Lilliana, my love, let us think this through,” her father cut in. “You know we do not dictate courses of action. We each have our skill sets and use them to the best of our ability.” He held his hands up defensively as two sets of glaring eyes shifted his way. “Now hear me out. I am angry, as well. I have only been able to sleep at night by thinking that Aidan was with Elena protecting her.” At the thought of that, Elena felt as if she might vomit. But she wasn’t able to find her voice, and her father continued. “That he was not, angers me and frightens me,” his teeth and fists were clenched. “But we must think clearly. Something must have happened to change his plan.” He drew a deep breath and made a remarkable effort to calm himself. Elena was impressed with how he was able to reign in his emotions. “We are also assuming that time has not worked against us. It seems unlikely, but it is not impossible, for Aiden to have missed Elena while she was travelling here. He was here so briefly before we sent him back to help Elena. And you said, Elena, that you think he was there at the bar. You are not certain,” his voice became thoughtful. “Now, if Voice was used, that certainly further points towards Aiden.”

  Elena’s head snapped up. “Maybe not. I didn’t tell you before because I couldn’t see how it mattered. And perhaps it doesn’t,” she said doubtfully. At the impatient look on her parents’ faces, she quickly continued. “One of the bartenders has some talent with Voice. His name is Nathaniel. I trust him, but even people you trust don’t always tell you the truth.” Her parents knew enough of the use of Voice to recognize the strategy she was using. “I don’t think he is trained or naturally very strong. I think ‘trust me’ is his only reliable use of Voice. There were a couple of incidences,” she explained, “where my roommates were showing signs -anger, fatigue, lethargy - that I believe were connected with Nathaniel.”

  Her mother broke in, her voice still hard, “That may, or may not, lead suspicion away from Aiden. It does not explain why he did not go straight to Elena. And I, for one, do not believe that this discrepancy in his behavior can be explained away by timing alone. He has much to answer for.” Elena couldn’t stop the childish, petty thought that finally her mother didn’t like the Speaker more than her. It wasn’t ever true and Elena knew that, even growing up she knew. Her mother trusted his abilities more, especially when Elena was only a child just learning control. Both her parents had trusted him enough to help Elena train and learn to control her abilities. Elena never could quite get past that childish resentment. “Elena, I am having trouble keeping all these people straight. Who is Nathaniel, and how is he connected?” she asked.

  “I don’t know if he actually is. He started working at the bar this past semester. I know he uses Voice, however inexpertly,” Elena frowned. She didn’t think Nathaniel was very skilled in his use of Voice. “I don’t think that Detective Talbot would easily be turned from this case. He is a very dedicated man. It would take more than ‘trust me’ to explain away the loss of police evidence.” Which led them back to the Speaker. “The Speaker did mention to me that he was investigating something in my area regarding small crimes, I think he said, and the use of Talent. He thought it might even have been a group. Unless either of you know more of that, though, I don’t see how that is helpful.” Elena was getting frustrated. Time was ticking by so slowly here, but she could feel it flying by outside the Twist.

  Neither knew any further details of the Speaker’s work. It seemed a dead end, and the three of them spent a moment in silence, each of them frustrated. Her father brought them back on track. “Whatever Aiden’s motives for changing his plan can not be known to us now. Your mother alluded to this but did not fully explain. I know, my love,” he said in a placating manner to Lilliana as she started to protest, “I know this to be difficult in the extreme, but she needs to know.”

  Elena watched her mother look away. Her arms were crossed, and her whole body shouted reluctance. But she nodded her head in acceptance. So her father continued, “We did not come to you in person when the Vision showed your mother. . .” He stopped, fighting back his emotions, and then tried again. “When it showed the absolute worst outcome imaginable for you, both of us, of course, wanted to go directly to you. When we made the decision to leave and began packing immediately, your mother had another Vision. If we went to you, we all would have died,” he finished filling the room with pain and guilt. “If we could have been successful,
if we could have saved you, we would have gone anyway. You must believe we would not have stayed away,” he began but her mother interrupted.

  “I could See Aiden. He was standing beside you, and he could save you. So we sent him,” her voice broke. “It was the hardest thing I have ever faced.”

  Her father broke in, “That we have ever faced. You are not alone in this, my love,” he said fiercely. He looked back to Elena, “To know you were in danger and to stay, to continue on day to day. Surely, you must think us cruel. I hope you can forgive us,” he said to his daughter as he held tightly to his wife.

  “One day, we might even forgive ourselves,” she said bitterly.

  Elena was too much of an Empath to let this continue. “You did the right thing. I do not blame you, or think you are cruel to trust your Visions.” She went to them and hugged them both. “And I certainly would not want you sacrificing yourselves for me. Especially in a lost cause. You were smart and brave to not rush back as your instincts must have been telling you to do.”

  “Well, that is a parent’s prerogative. If it meant saving you, we would gladly sacrifice ourselves.” Her mother’s voice said the words, but her father was nodding in agreement.

  The words were horrible enough. The picture they painted was all too clear to Elena. What she was Sensing now, the guilt, the fatigue from constant worry and fear, filled in any gaps that might have been left. She suspected something more, as well. But she knew she needed to do something first before she asked. Elena let gold fill the room. She took each by the hand and Projected. After a moment, rejuvenated by their love for each other, they were all okay to move on.

  “How bad was it? When you had the Vision when you started packing? How badly were you hurt, mom?” she asked gently, but firmly. She needed to know.

  Her mother shrugged her shoulders in a noncommittal gesture, but her father answered truthfully. “We both lost consciousness. I recovered quickly, but it took your mother some time.”

  The worst then. That is how bad it was. Only one other time in Elena’s life had that happened to both of them. It was a harsh reminder to Elena that when one died, she would lose them both. The silence stretched out. Elena broke it by hugging them both again and quietly speaking, “Thank you. Thank you for being my parents through the good and the bad. Thank you for teaching me to not give up.” She looked at them with determination. “Now, I need to figure out my next step. I really need to figure out if my friends are safe now that I am gone.” Even saying the words hurt.

  “To me, the next step is very simple. We wait for Aiden to return, and then we get some answers,” her mother’s tone was hard enough to make Elena feel sorry for the Speaker. Almost.

  “I am not certain we have that luxury,” her father’s voice slid in like a brook bubbling over stones. He made Elena feel calm. To her mother, he was a balm, dousing her fire and healing her burns, if what Elena was Sensing was true. “It is uncertain when Aiden will return.”

  “Your right, dad. I can’t just wait. I do need to go back,” Elena started, but her mother broke in.

  “I am not going to just allow you to rush back, blindly in to danger.” She stood proud. Her father was beside her. They were united. Elena could see their colors, an exact match. Her parents had come to some silent agreement. Elena turned her head away, embarrassed, as they embraced in a passionate kiss. They lingered, for a moment, and then her mother walked to the couch with her father following. Elena trailed behind them, uncertain of this turn of events.

  Her mother made herself comfortable on the couch. Her father remained nearby but did not touch her. Now Elena understood. She watched, worried for her mother, as the Seer prepared.

  Long moments passed in which her mother remained still, and Elena and her father held hands and impotently waited. One moment, her mother was perfectly still seemingly asleep, the next, Lilliana’s eyes were open.

  “What did you See, my love?” her father asked, still careful not to touch her.

  “I could See the easy smile slide from his face. I could See the bold flower wilt. I could See the guitar sink, forever, into the murky water,” her mother’s eyes were shadowed as she looked at Elena while saying the words.

  Elena felt her breath rush out of her lungs. Her mouth hung open and she actually had to think, twice, on how to close it. It was her roommates, she was certain. Jacob and his easy smile. Monica so strong, yet so delicate, like the pattern on the wristlet Elena had chosen for her. And Phillip. The worst of all. Phillip.

  “I have to go back. Now.” Elena fought her tears. She had no time for them. She desperately needed to think, but she seemed to have forgotten how. What did she need to do first? She was unable to move from her spot.

  “Elena, more than ever, I am sure, we can not allow you to leave now!” her mother protested. “I have Seen so much danger. I think I can guess who these people are that this danger is now centered around. I know you love your roommates, but you can’t endanger yourself in this manner. We must hear from Aiden. Surely he has information that is vital for your safety” she continued desperately, “and perhaps, even, he can handle this while you stay here. Where it is safe,” she began to babble. “I know you can’t stay forever, but for now at least, until it is safe. The resonance is not so bad, is it, that you can not wait until this danger has passed?” she continued to ramble on.

  Elena was prepared to argue. She feared for her roommates enough that she was not even affected by her mother’s near panic, but her father intervened before she could formulate any words. “Lilliana, my love,” was all he said. Somehow those few words snapped her mother out of her rambling.

  To her father she spoke, “But I don’t want her to have to face this. It is too dangerous.”

  Her father did not break eye contact with her mother, but he spoke to his daughter. “How long ago was it, Elena? How long ago did you have this nightmare?” his voice was calm, but he was intense.

  Elena felt as if she was in a fog. Her father seemed to be jumping around to different topics. Why was he asking her that, now? She struggled to find the answer. “At the very end of Spring,” she said remembering the picnic that next day and the phone’s voice mail notifying her of Evenfall’s message as they were nearly at her car. “It was mid-Summer when I travelled here. Why? Is it important when it happened?”

  He took a moment to answer, nodding his head slowly before finding his voice. “Elena, for me to be able to hear his Song as strongly as I am, you are nearly bound.”

  Elena could hear her mother’s voice. It seemed so far away, and yet, somehow, it echoed all around her. “Then she has no choice. She must return to face this. Now.”

  Chapter 28

  Quietly, they began packing. Her father packed for both himself and his wife, while her mother left to make arrangements ‘should Aiden return.’ She still seemed angry at the Speaker, but her trust was not completely shaken in him. Elena, however, did not share that trust. She had a hard time believing that Nathaniel could have used Voice so effectively on Detective Talbot. She had an even harder time understanding why the Speaker would help to hide a murderer without some nefarious reason. Elena had to admit to herself, it made her feel less afraid knowing her parents were going with her, she thought as she finished the last of her packing. Her necklace was still on, of course, but she made sure to slip the bracelet and the ring into her pocket. Her guilt weighed heavily on her. She remembered the fear that spiked in the room when her mother had announced that this time, they would go with her. Both her parents had held their breath, waiting she supposed, for her mother’s Vision to hit her. Nothing had happened. Although that provided a measure of relief, none of them were giving voice to the elephant in the room. It hung over them like a headsman’s ax. Elena could already be too late. The time to act may already have passed, or it could pass while they were travelling in the Twist. Elena would survive even if the worst were to happen to Phillip. But she would be changed, diminished, a part of her would be forev
er lost.

  Nothing she could do now would change any of that, so she did her best to shake off her worries, to move beyond it. Elena stole a moment for herself and stepped outside. She drew in some deep breaths and worked on committing what she saw to memory. She did love the land, the way the homes blended into the countryside, the way the plants helped to weave it all together. But that wasn’t precisely what she would miss most. She focused on cementing her childhood memories, all the small moments of laughter and love. Days of playing games, making dinner, painting the fences around the yard, practicing her skills so she could exist around people. And so many more, every day, small memories that built her childhood, a lifetime. She had been taught that life was in the small moments. Though it was a lesson that she learned time and time again, it never failed to amaze her – how true it really was.

  A memory surfaced of a neighbor, a Naturalist, from when Elena was very young. Ms. Lanna had tried to explain to Elena what it meant to be a Naturalist. She had told Elena how beautiful it was when she could see how all of life fit together. How magnificent were the ever-changing patterns that life made. It was not just nature, the flowers and the trees, she had said, but the people and the connections that were made with each little interaction. Elena had not truly understood it. Not the way that the Naturalist actually saw it, Elena was sure, but she had done her best to learn, and Ms. Lanna had done her best to explain. She had also told Elena of her husband, Mr. Thomas. He was one who Sought, she had explained. That wasn’t a Talent, she remembered telling the elderly lady. With a laugh, Ms. Lanna had responded that there were many wonders of the world waiting to be discovered by little girls- that the endless discoveries were the greatest wonder of all, even for old ladies. So Elena had asked what it meant to be one who Sought. She told her Mr. Thomas could recognize talent and was drawn to it. She had winked at Elena saying it had led him to her. That he had Sought and so found the Twist, and brought the two of them here to live.