by Deandre Dean
Ginger gasps and asks, “Did you say love?”
Frost chuckles and replies, “Yeah I think I am in love.”
She bit her tongue and just listened. Sure Crystal’s siren fairy heritage was somehow influencing him, but if his reasonable parents had no problems with this arrangement, then neither did she.
Ginger wished him good luck before handing up. She quickly writes this in her journal, brushed her teeth and headed to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a wild day as is. She needed every hour of sleep to continue her journey of investigation.
She sighed, as she laid her head on the pillow and crashed.
Chapter Sixteen:
The morning seemed to fly by in a rush of little details that slipped along. Before she knew it, it was three minutes until eleven am. She finished training with Stacey and was going upstairs to shower and change.
When Ginger comes downstairs, Stacey is fully dressed in a simple black tee and jeans. Kara Townsend, Kyle Cromwell, Jordan Lensherr, Penny Belkins, and Jurnee Hillrender were waiting in the kitchen. It was time to get some answers.
Kara says, “Who wants to do the honors?”
Kyle responds, “Let me.”
Kyle closes his eyes and raises his arms. The room begins to spin and a flash of red lifts them off the ground and then places them on the ground to another world.
Ginger asks, “Are we in Paris?”
Jordan smiles and replies, “Yeap, where the world is hidden.”
Stacey says, “Being special has its advantages.”
The sparkling city lights of Paris makes the smile on Ginger’s face glow. She had never been outside of California before all this craziness and now she was hopping from place to place. Her life had taken a turn and she loved the adventure.
Their small group went to the Eiffel Tower. On the elevator ride up, Kara said the spell that transported them from earth to a totally different world. The witch kingdom is Tamroot Magic Temples, a place where anybody with witch DNA was welcomed.
Sure normal humans who knew about this place were allowed a home. Ginger looked around the high rise mountains to the east, and the sliding slops of a giant hill to the west.
In the north was buildings looks like any other city. That was were they were going. They were in the center of the road between each direction. To the south was a rode that was titled Magic Prislein Timeless Freelands.
Ginger asked, “Where does that road lead?”
Jurnee says, “That is the road to the vampire land.”
Stacey gasps and responds, “What? Are you certain?”
Jurnee replies, “Yes, like I told Ginger here. I started to go there over three hundred years ago when I was first turned, but refused.”
Ginger felt Stacey enter her mind and saying, “We have to go there before we leave here.”
The way Stacey said that Ginger knew it wasn’t a request, but a declaration. She planned to go, and now the question were was Ginger coming with her.
Chapter Seventeen:
The twenty minutes walk north in silence to the high reaching buildings was filled with tension. Ginger had so many questions, but needed to concentrate on one task at a time.
Once at a huge hotel building, Kara was greeted by a man like royalty.
Ginger thought, “Pays to know the queen.”
The seven of them were ushered up to the roof, where Ginger saw a few women laying by a gigantic pool. One of them was the Queen. Destiny Sawyer is in a bikini with bodyguards at all the exits.
Stacey tells her telepathically, “The brunette in her late forties is Trinity Simone Barlett, another elder you haven’t met.”
Ginger responds mentally, “I don’t remember seeing her at the meeting.”
Stacey answers with her mind, “Not all elders go to the board meetings.”
Ginger nods.
Stacey says mentally, “That is Tara Maeve Denvers, another elder and mother to an indigo.”
Ginger responds telepathically, “She is the one we need to be asking questions to. A guarded mother might let certain details slip.”
Kyle chimes in, “Destiny. Can we have a word?”
Destiny answers, “If you must disturb me.”
Jordan smiles and says, “Your majesty. We have brought royalty.”
Destiny stirs from lying out and sits upright.
She asks, “Where?”
Penny states, “Me. The former queen gave me her powers. I am the rightful empress.”
Silence!
Ginger thinks, “Oh shit.”
Destiny replies, “And what proof do you have?”
Stacey responds, “Her blood. Have your bodyguard check.”
Destiny frowns. A tall 6’4 man in shades and slacks is motioned over to join them. He is a light skinned African American male mixed with Irish. He is strikingly handsome, his big brown eyes honed into Ginger. She felt her heart quickly beat. It hit her sudden, as she licked her lips.
Heat flushed her skin. Desire cursed through her body.
Ginger wondered, “Who is this man?”
Stacey answers mentally, “Mark Liam GrimJones, head of security to the queen and a witch indigo.”
Ginger turns her eyes back to stare at him and wonders, “He is delectable.”
Chapter Eighteen:
Destiny is sipping a Margarita when Mark stands tall like a wall before her.
Mark asks, “What can I do for you my queen?”
Destiny speaks, “Use your skills to verify her story.”
He nods.
Ginger wonders, “Is he going to use magic?”
Mark walks smoothly to Penny who doesn’t back down to his tall, brooding presence. It is Jurnee that shows her fangs, which makes Ginger step back even if that threat wasn’t aimed at her.
Jurnee was like a sentry, ready to protect what was hers’ with her life. The fierce, protective look in her eyes, made Ginger long to have Diego back. That level of loyalty can not be faked, or copied.
Mark states, “It won’t hurt. I promise. Just need to take her hand. If you’d like you can read my mind.”
Ginger steps up and looks at Jurnee, “You can trust him.”
Jurnee asks, “You sure?”
Ginger loos up at a grinning Mark and says, “If he lies. I’ll use my special powers to torture him if necessary.”
Mark chuckles. Jurnee rolls her eyes.
Penny says, “Whatever. Let’s get this over with.”
Penny walks up to Mark, takes his hand and closes her eyes. Ginger could see his telepathy was downloading her memories like a computer program. All of Penny’s past was now his as well.
Ginger says, “Wow.”
Stacey asks, “What did you see?”
Jordan speaks, “His gift, one of them at least.”
Ginger states, “He’s unique.”
Kyle responds, “Aren’t we all.”
Mark laughs and replies, “You can say that again.”
Penny lets go slowly opens her eyes with a grin on her face. She falls into Jurnee’s arms and passes out.
Jurnee yells, “What did you do to her?”
Mark says, “Unlocked her past, all of them.”
Jurnee gasps and says, “No! You can’t do that.”
Kyle answers, “Seems like too late for that.”
Stacey asks, “So she remembers all her past lives?”
Mark nods and tells them, “Every last detail.”
He turns to Destiny and Ginger can practically see the wave length of them communicating telepathically. It is like a shinning arc of colors.
Destiny says, “You can go now.”
She leaves before anyone can say anything, she just teleported away.
Kara asks, “What just happened?”
Kyle snarls, “We were dismissed.”
Stacey sighs, and Ginger feels she isn’t the only one with disappointment.
Chapter Nineteen:
It took five minutes, but finally Penny was awake. She seem
ed the same, except now she was cuddly with Jurnee. To see the transformation without knowing why was astounding.
It was like a curtain had been lifted from her mind. In a sense it had, giving both women a second chance at happiness. Ginger smiled at them as she sat next to Kara on the chair that Destiny vacated.
Kara says, “We were so close.”
Ginger responds, “I wouldn’t be so certain about that.”
She gets up and moves close to Trinity. The forty five year old brunette is 5’6. She has green eyes and is a powerful demon/witch hybrid.
Ginger asks, “Can I speak with you a second?”
Trinity says, “Sure. What can I do for you dear?”
Ginger responds, “What can you tell me about the former queen?”
Trinity smiles and replies, “The kindest soul alive, always helping others and my goodness she talked Alkmene and Shalice into joining PHD,”
Ginger looks confused and wonders, “What is that? It sounds vaguely familiar. Jensen had mentioned it before she bailed.”
She asks, “What is PHD and why does it sound familiar?”
Trinity frowns and tells her, “Project Human Development. I believe it sounds familiar because your parents worked on special projects. A lot of families did over the decades.”
Tara calls Trinity ending any further questions.
Ginger wonders, “Did things just get weird or what? This doesn’t make any sense and keeps getting weirder. Like only half truths and pieces to an entire puzzle.”
Chapter Twenty:
That was a huge waste of time. As their group prepared to leave this world. Stacey kept glancing over at her. It was now or never. They were almost in the center where they first began this journey.
Ginger mentally tells Stacey, “Let me handle this.”
She walks besides a giddy Jurnee and a happily Penny, pulled them back from the others and with that touched described her plan. Jurnee nods her understanding and Penny is still smiling.
Penny says, “Oh can I see it.”
Everyone stops and stares at her.
Jurnee asks, “See what my delightful princess?”
Penny answers, “The vampire empire.”
Kyle gasps, as Kara seems shocked.
Jordan states, “You two going alone?”
Stacey chimes in, “We can go with them.”
Ginger frowns but agrees. The plan was executed perfectly. Kara, Jordan, and Kyle leave them to go back home.
Stacey says, “That was quick thinking.”
Ginger smiles and replies, “All my training with brilliant Caleb paid off.”
Penny answers, “I’ll say.”
Jurnee responds, “Very masterfully performance. I got to keep an eye on you.”
That comment worried Ginger that perhaps; she was too good at lying. Pushing that thought aside to wonder how going to a vampire den was a good idea.
Following the poise Jurnee, the girls were on the road from Tamroot to Magic Prislein. The road was not cheer like in the wizard of oz; it was one long dirt road with a Forrest that seemed foreboding.
The deeper they went Stacey was feeling a little scared which wasn’t her usual calm self. Jurnee lead the way, always with purpose and determination. Penny on the other hand seemed to have done a complete 360.
She was the same person Ginger grew to know, yet at the same time she seemed more confident. The vibes that Ginger was picking up was clarity of mind and ambitious to be forgiven. Her eyes had changed, all the past years of wisdom stared by at Ginger.
It was a bite unnerving, as if years of mistakes needed redemption. Sure Penny was an amazingly kind woman now, why else would Dani have chosen her.
The past has a way of influencing the future. Things would never be the same, and losing her parents made Ginger hold life more precious. She smiled to herself, and looked up to see a huge tower. It was like a scene out of Lord of the Rings.
It also looked like a mixture of a lighthouse. The top was spinning slowly but counterclockwise.
A curse!
Ginger didn’t know how she knew, but somehow she knew a curse had been placed on this place.
She wonders, “Is that why vampires feed off blood? Are these people cursed?”
Chapter Twenty-One:
Jurnee felt it safest if she goes first to inquire about speaking to the vampire lord. She could regenerate if attacked or hurt and Penny seemed ready to use her magic if they were attacked. Rolan had invited them here, but he wasn’t their personal escort so who knew if they’d be let in.
Jurnee used her super speed to check doors and windows to try and get inside. All were locked, which Ginger knew after reading her mind to relay to the others.
Penny asked, “Should I use a spell?”
Stacey answers “Wait a second.”
Ginger replies, “Wait into necessary. We don’t know what we are facing, and like Feltus are magic may be blocked.”
Penny nods.
Jurnee comes back and says, “I see no way inside.”
Ginger asks, “What do we do now?”
Stacey shrugs.
The four stare back and forth at one another.
Stacey says, “Screw it. I’ll handle this.”
She walks to the big tower, holds her hands out and starts using magic. The bright orange glow and slowly pieces of the tower started to melt to evaporate.
Ginger shouts, “What are you doing?”
Stacey replies, “Using my powers to get someone’s attention.”
Jurnee asks, “Is that a safe idea?”
Before she could answer a door appeared. It was as if there all along. Out steps a pixie girl 5’3 brown hair, fair skinned. She was about 15 by the looks of her, but something about her was different.
The girl smiled and her eyes zeroed in on Ginger as if she knew her thoughts.
Ginger wonders, “What the hell?”
The girl says, “My name is Natalie Abernathy Grayson. Follow me please.”
Jurnee looked at Ginger to Stacey for conformation to go.
Ginger thinks, “I don’t wanna enter her head. Something is off about that girl.”
Stacey says, “Sure thing.”
She follows Natalie with Jurnee and Penny following.
Ginger says, “I have a bad feeling about this.”
Chapter Twenty-Two:
The inside the tower was strange. Everything was modern, and there was nothing but open space. Magic! Ginger could sense it, all around her and lots of it.
Stacey asks, “Where are you taking us?”
Natalie responds, “To see my father.”
Jurnee asks, “Who is that?”
Natalie answers, “The vampire lord Daniel. He is your father as well, no?”
She looks at Jurnee for acknowledgment. Jurnee says nothing as they take long hallways from floor to floor as if the place doesn’t have an elevator.
Ginger says, “An elevator would be convenient.”
Natalie laughs and states, “Why humans are constantly fat! I have lived as a vampire for over seven hundred years so my steady diet and working out. This doesn’t bother me.”
Stacey mumbles, “Lucky you.”
Ginger laughs along with the other girls.
Natalie takes a left on one hallway and opens a door. The plush carpets and all white and green room reminded Ginger of a snowy Forrest.
Penny asks, “Why are we here?”
A deep manly voice answers, “I asked her to bring you.”
Four set of eyes stare up to see Daniel Oris Worthington. The tall 6’5 dark haired beauty was over three millennia old. He was a masterpiece. Ginger gazed at him in wonder.
Of course he was drape in black, so she had no idea his body type. The man was sure to be fit from his strong, rigid jaw-line. Ginger guessed he looked like in his late forties but devastingly handsome none the less.
He stared at each lady for a few seconds to make them feel welcome. When his gaze locked on ginger, she fel
t as if he knew her.
She thought, “OMG. This man knows if they prophecy is about me or Stacey.”
Chapter Twenty-Three:
Daniel asks them to sit at his long mahogany table and each looks at the other. Natalie didn’t leave, so Ginger guess she was staying for this little chat.
Jurnee asks, “Do you know why we are here?”
Daniel chuckles and replies, “I am highly psychic so I can see all.”
Stacey asks, “Why couldn’t you meet us outside of here?”
Daniel sighs and responds, “I am trapped. A curse forces me to live here for eternity. Only one person can release me.”