Piercing The Fold

by Kimball, Venessa

  Sam softened, seemingly knowing the turmoil Xander was dealing with inside. He ran his hand through his hair. “Look. All I can tell you right now is that you were specifically called for this duty. You are the future of this project, Xander. You have a purpose in the big picture. Can you understand that I can’t reveal too much to you right now?” Sam looked at Xander with pleading eyes and a wrinkled forehead. In that moment, he showed his age.

  Xander folded his arms over his chest. “Yeah. Yes. I understand. When do I leave?”

  When Xander returned from Georgia, Sam was all business with respect to Xander and the clubs. The only conversation about the project was if Xander had done what was asked. Xander did his research in Georgia and reported the findings on the two people. Every time Xander thought about asking why he was sent to Georgia to find two seemingly ordinary people, he was curtailed by marketing and advertising projects to bring in more revenue for the clubs. Nothing more had been said about his duty in Georgia, and it had already been a few weeks since his return.

  Daniel calls from the balcony, “Mr. Crest. Your guests have arrived.”

  Xander snaps out of his deep thought to acknowledge the announcement. “Thanks, Daniel. Send them down to the basketball court, please.”

  Having a few minutes to himself before putting business out of his mind, he thinks. Who were these people in Georgia? What did they have to do with our corporation? What is this secretive project Sam can’t give details on? Everything is so elusive.

  He can’t deny that his curiosity has been piqued again.

  Chapter 33

  Back in his suite, Sam is lying in bed with his eyes wide open and breathing deeply. He slowly closes his grey eyes. His eyelids begin to move from the movement of his eyes beneath. The ethereal realm begins to seep into Sam’s mind as his lucid dream becomes vivid.

  * * *

  A dimly lit lounge and soft music playing in the background, Sam walks into the room toward Balthazar.

  “Everything is in motion.”

  Sam continues toward the two chairs facing the elaborate mantle and fireplace; one is already occupied by Balthazar. “Thank you, Balthazar. Alexander is unaware of the details, but he is loyal and trustworthy. He will do as I ask.”

  Balthazar turns his ageless face to Sam. “Are you certain he is not going to pursue learning any more than you have given him?”

  Sam sits for a moment and looks at his hands. “I can hold him off.”

  “Good. Telling him about his purpose, his influence, and the gifts he can wield can backfire and turn against all of us.”

  Sam looks up at Balthazar. “Yes, I am aware of that.”

  Balthazar speaks more aggressively. “Telling him of his lineage as a guardian will need to be revealed soon. It is inevitable obviously.”

  Balthazar pauses and looks at the fire embers in the hearth. “They are in route. It could affect what we are doing here in Miami.”

  That gets Sam’s attention. “When will they be here? How do you know they have found us?”

  Balthazar looks at Sam and raises his voice. “I know!”

  Sam shifts his gaze back to the fire. “Ezra?”

  “Yes. And her.”

  There is silence between the two.

  “Alexander will inquire of his parents, Sam. It is undeniable that as his purpose unfolds, he will learn of their tragedy.”

  Sam scoffs and begins the tragic story. “Yes. The two Dobrian guardians. Paul and Rebekah Sera. Murdered by the Sondian guardians and survived by a child. A boy, Alexander.”

  Balthazar takes his half-smoked cigar and plants it into Sam’s arm. Sam winces and tries to shift his arm away, but Balthazar grabs him and holds him still.

  “Don’t mock the situation. You may have the assurance of our golden boy right now. But your upper hand can easily be replaced. You can be replaced. Don’t undermine me, Samson. Your salvation, the power that you so desperately desire and hold dear, can be gone in an instant.”

  Sam is hyperventilating from the pain. He answers through gritted teeth, keeping his eyes on Balthazar’s. “Yes. Yes, I understand.”

  Balthazar releases his arm and stares back into the glowing orange flames of the fireplace.

  Sam holds his injured arm close to his body as he quiets his rapid breathing.

  Balthazar seethes through gritted teeth. “Feed him the story we discussed.”

  Sam turns to him, perplexed by Balthazar’s words. “What? You just said—”

  “I know what I just said!” Balthazar turns his eyes to Sam. “Plans have changed. Tell him that he has been chosen as a guardian for Sonde. Tell him of Sonde and the guardians involved in its protection and progress. But as I said before, do not reveal his parents’ lineage.”

  Sam becomes angered. “Why now? He could hardly be ready to handle the weight of all of it.”

  “Don’t underestimate your boy, Sam. You may know him now. He may seem pliable now. It will not always be so. He will learn certain things along the way, and he will choose what to believe. Then, will you have his unfaltering loyalty? His trust? Will you be allies or enemies fighting a battle?”

  Sam focuses on Balthazar’s words and answers flatly with no emotion. “I will tell him. And I will have his unconditional loyalty, Balthazar. If he chooses wrong, then he will be eliminated. The same way I eliminated his parents.”

  Sam stands up with his eyes on Balthazar. “Don’t underestimate my loyalty.”

  Chapter 34

  I am running in the facility. It is so much like the first run I had there. The sound of treading on dirt and rock echoing through the caverns. Then there is a second set of feet. Dense in sound and out of sync with mine. I want to turn and look, but I can’t. My body won’t let me. My pace picks up; that is the only thing I can control. The heavy weight of humidity whirls around me. Then my speed begins to slow, like I am running through snow. I press on with fear being the stem of my adrenaline.

  A tall, muscular man in a hood comes alongside me. He does not look at me, just keeps the pace. The hooded sweatshirt he wears is familiar. I can see the steam from his quick exhaled breath.

  Where have I seen that sweater? Then, it clicks. The sweatshirt. On campus in Georgia.

  The memory floods back into my mind like a dam being released.

  Those addicting green eyes.

  The concern about me. “Are you okay?”

  Even though I am in a dream state, I somehow control my body enough to grab his arm and turn him toward me. It was him. The guy from campus.

  Breathlessly I ask, “What are you doing here? Why are you following me?”

  He smiles, then flips his hood off. His face shifts and contorts into someone inhuman and unrecognizable. He grabs both of my arms. I push him away from me, but he holds on to me tightly. I am standing close to a very steep drop off. He is trying to push me off. My footing starts to fail; he is too strong. I look up at his face. He looks terrifying. The bone structure around his eyes is protruding. His mouth has widened like a jack-o-lantern.

  As quick as his face contorted, it shifts back to the comforting, human form. Then he shifts again. His smile is sinister, like the sides of his mouth are being stretched beyond normalcy. The color of his skin is lifeless. His appearance takes my breath away, and I feel my body weaken from fear. In the midst of my shock and trying to hold my ground from his strong pushing arms, he throws me back like a ragdoll into a free-fall over the ledge.

  I feel myself trying to yell and scream, but only a whimper comes.

  I feel my body pull out of the dream with force in the passenger’s seat next to Ezra.

  Ezra hastily pulls off the road, obviously taken aback by my response. I am crouched with my feet on the seat, hands on the ceiling, and my back against the passenger’s window.

  Putting the car into park, Ezra turns to me and begins yelling. “Jes! Jes! You are okay! You’re in the car! Here, roll down your window and get some fresh air!”

  I am breathi
ng rapidly and staring at him, catatonic and frozen. I don’t move my body.

  He looks at me strangely.

  I whisper, “I…I can’t move, Ezra.”

  Ezra looks both frustrated and confused. “What?”

  I am trying to slow my breathing and produce saliva. My mouth is so dry. I close my eyes, feeling irritated by his response and whisper again, “I can’t move. Damn it!”

  He realizes why I can’t move. “Oh.”

  He runs his hand through his dark brown and silver peppered hair. He sighs nervously. “Your mind is trying to get back to your body right now. Either you initiated the separation or someone else did. Most likely the latter. Someone is targeting you, us, again.”

  Ezra begins to mumble to himself. I am able to move my hands off the ceiling. He is gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles are white.

  We just left the facility.

  I shift my body, and Ezra’s eyes shoot over to me.

  I reassure him, “It’s fine. The practice has made it easier. See?” I am able enough to sit back down in the seat.

  Ezra speaks, “It didn’t take them long to find us.” Ezra becomes angry and wells up.

  I put my hand on his shoulder. “Did you just hear what I said, Ezra? The practice is being used. I am fine.” I put my hands up to either side of my head and made moose ears at him. “See? Look!”

  I smile at Ezra trying desperately not to let my own fear come through. “I just didn’t realize I was going to experience that right out of the facility. Now that I’m aware, my guard is up. You have prepared me, Ezra.”

  Ezra’s wrinkle in the middle of his forehead starts to subside. A half smile surfaces on his face.

  Just that half smile sets me at ease.

  Instantly Ezra calms his expression. For his or my sake, I wasn’t completely sure.

  He blocked me.

  He shifts into drive, and we pull off the shoulder of the road.

  “More practice, Jes. You need to put yourself into the meditative state and begin controlling the lucid dreams regularly. Now is the perfect time to practice jumping, while we drive.”

  I think for a minute. Not sure of what he means. Then I sense his thoughts.

  The lucid dreams. The humming. The vibration. “Jump” while we are driving.

  “You’re right. I can feel everything that was gone at the facility coming back, like a slow leak at first. The sound of the humming is barely audible. The vibration is streaming in now that I’m aware of it.”

  Ezra says, “If it makes you feel better, my demons have been attacking too.”

  I wonder what demons those would be for Ezra. He starts in quick to dodge my approaching question.

  “Let’s get started, then. I don’t need my guardian being out less than a week and dying on me. That would really tarnish my reputation.” Ezra winks at me.

  I give him a small smile. “All right. I’m ready.”

  The next two days of travel are filled with more self-induced lucid dreaming and jumping. I become a pro at putting myself in the dream state through deep meditation within a couple of minutes. Taking myself out of the lucid dream state is tedious. Every so often, I feel a presence break in and shift the path of the dream state. The more this happens, the faster I develop getting out and giving the presence ‘the slip’.

  The dreams become a game. Talk about bizarre road-trip games; this one topped them all.

  As we passed landmarks, I would set the lucid dream into motion, targeting the landmark. Then I would project there, separating my mind from my body. Interaction with objects in the dream is easy. Knocking over a salt and pepper shaker at a roadside diner. Opening a front porch door. Public interaction, not so much. I can’t interact with beings that don’t have the mental capacity and open mind.

  For instance, I can interact with one or two, maybe three people out of a crowded restaurant. I wonder if this is what it is like to be a ghost. Maybe lucid dreaming is equivalent to a spirit’s state of mind. Actually, it is equivalent to a spirit without a body. Death is only material and irrelevant to the presence a strong spirit can maintain here on earth.

  It seems the longer or deeper I am involved in the setting of the dream, the jump, the more accessible I am to the presence attacking me.

  Ezra reminds me to be cautious. The Sondian guardian may be more experienced than I am, easily over taking my control of the jump and creating a diversion and keeping me from getting back to my body. I am a little intimidated by that. Maybe that is what the dark aura in my dreams in Georgia was meant to do, be a diversion of fear to catch me off guard. Having me use my life force to protect myself, while the real attack was looming. It was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

  Chapter 35

  The sun seems so much brighter here. The special sunglasses from Siobhan came off a day ago. It really is stunning. We arrive around five in the evening. The sun is casting shadows on the sidewalks that are lined with palm trees and beautiful brightly colored hibiscus flowers. We have the windows down.

  The term “sea breeze” is something I never understood until I actually experienced it driving alongside the ocean. I look over at Ezra with a smile on my face. He gives me a conservative smile and winks at me.

  Ezra’s mood had changed immediately upon crossing the Florida state line. He is more reserved and quiet than usual. He keeps checking his side and rearview mirrors for anyone that could be trailing us.

  I keep quiet, knowing that he has his way of being a guardian. And if I didn’t respect that and let him be, then how could I expect the same from him.

  “So, did you get in touch with the connection in the file about our digs?”

  This distracts Ezra enough to break his stare.

  “We are staying near Coral Gables at Coconut Grove.”

  Ezra is scrolling through his iPhone and quickly changes the subject. “This car will not suit us any longer. We are set to stop at a dealership and swap cars. My connection there has everything prepared for us.”

  “Us. Wait. I’m getting a car?”

  “Miami is not like Marietta, Jesca. You are not in Georgia anymore.”

  Ezra saying that is intended to strike a chord of seriousness.

  No, I’m not in Marietta anymore. I am in an unfamiliar environment both in the physical and metaphysical sense. I have an intimidating purpose ahead of me. Why me? Why ask? It just is. All I know is that I am a puzzle and the pieces of me have been disconnected. For the life of me, I am hastily doing all I can to reconnect the pieces before I enter the lion’s den.

  * * *

  We pull up to a BMW dealership. I give Ezra a sideways glance.

  “Yes, Jesca. You and I are getting BMWs, a superior automobile.”

  Thirty minutes later, I am in my fully equipped 5 series BMW following Ezra. He is in his fully equipped 7 series. We are heading to our villa. I hear a phone ring. It sounds like it is coming from all around me. I look in the center console, nothing. It keeps ringing, then stops. The ringing starts up again.

  Who would be calling?

  Ezra.

  Damn it, Ezra! Where is the phone?

  I move my right hand hastily under the front car seat, no. In the glove compartment, no. The ringing stops again. I refocus on the road.

  Once again, the ringing starts.

  Ah! Ezra. Enough! Why don’t you just tell me where it is!

  I pound the steering wheel, and a loud chime sounds in the car just then. “Phone. Answer or Ignore call.”

  I cautiously respond to the soft female voice. “Answer.”

  Ezra speaks over the car speakers. “Well, it’s about time!”

  “Sorry, you could have used your abilities you know!”

  “Check under the passenger seat. You should find what you’ve been looking for.”

  I reach under and pick up a white iPhone.

  “I have taken the liberty of programming in some numbers for you. Jim, from the dealership programmed everything in
your car.”

  I scroll through the contacts. Sera, Roan (Delilah). Sera, Bethany. How did he do this so quickly?

  “Thank you, Ezra.”

  “You should give them a call. Let them know that you are safe.”

  “Is there anything I shouldn’t tell them?”

  “No. They are your parents.”

  There is a long pause.

  He continues, “Talk to them. If you are worried that it might put them in danger, don’t worry. Sebastian has sleepers in place around your family, as well as us for that matter. We will be to the house in fifteen minutes or so. Enjoy some time talking with them before we get there.”

  I push the button on my steering wheel that has a picture of a phone on it.

  (Chime.) “Phone.”

  I smile. “Dial Roan Sera.”

  (Chime.) “Dialing Roan and Delilah Sera.”

  On the third ring, Dad picks up. “Hello?”

  A knot forms in my throat instantly. “Dad. It’s me, Jes.”

  It is wonderful to hear their voices. They say they are settled into a beautiful cottage-like home in Boulder, Colorado. Bethany will be attending the University of Colorado in the fall. I am so tempted to tell them I miss them. I know that I can’t, though. They would worry, especially Mom. She cries the entire time we are on the call as it is.

  “Can we visit you soon? Can you come visit us?”

  I stumble over Mom’s questions. “Uh. I’m not sure when that will happen.”

  I really hadn’t talked with Ezra about all that. I didn’t want to make any false promises to Mom, Dad, or myself for that matter.

  “Lilah. She is a guardian now. It wasn’t that long ago for you and I, remember. Jes, sweetheart, you have a duty ahead of you no matter how much I want to protect you. We won’t see you for a while. I’m sure Ezra and you will discuss these things as they come up. That’s Ezra’s way.”

  Dad is right.

  “Yeah. Mom, you know that we can talk on the phone. It will be just like back home in Marietta. I have always been independent, Mom. It’s just you are a little further away now. That’s all.”