by S. J. West
Aiden phases in with Rafe and Gabe. Rafe is carrying his talisman, Moses’ staff. Gabe doesn’t actually have a talisman per se. Supposedly his is simply any other vessel and when they are all brought together, his power to see into the future is strengthened exponentially.
“Could you go to Mama Lynn’s and get Zack for me?” Jess asks Mason.
Mason phases to get the last vessel we need.
I walk over to Aiden whose eyes have been on me since he phased to Jess’ house. I take one of his hands into mine.
“Hi,” I say, finding it impossible not to smile as I look up at him.
He seems to be having the same problem and breaks out in a beatific smile that literally stops my heart.
“Hi,” he says back. “I have an answer to that question you asked me earlier.”
“Question?” I ask, playing dumb with a head tilt and wide-open eyes. “You’ll have to refresh my memory. I think it’s slipped my mind.”
Aiden’s smile deepens causing slight crinkles at the corners of his eyes. I can tell he likes me teasing him. And, I have to admit I like the fact that he knows I’m teasing him. It shows a developing intimacy between us that I thought would take longer to appear. But everything seems so easy with Aiden that I can’t help but feel as though I can play with him and have him take it in the way it’s intended.
Aiden looks up from my face to the others in the room with us. It’s only then that I notice everyone is watching us, including my Uncle Malcolm and mother.
“If you’ll excuse us,” Aiden says politely to our attentive audience.
He walks toward Jess’ kitchen, gently pulling a willing me behind him.
Once we’re safely on the other side of the wall which divides the living room from the kitchen area, Aiden turns to face me.
“I was referring,” he says, filling the space between us by taking a step closer, “to the question you asked me this afternoon about a certain dance.”
“Oh,” I say drawing the word out as if I am suddenly remembering, “yeah I did ask you that, and you didn’t have an answer for me.”
“I have one now,” he says, lowering his head down next to mine.
I hold my breath, wondering if he’s finally going to kiss me when he shifts his head to the right and whispers in my ear instead.
“I would be happy to act as your escort to the dance, Caylin Rayne Cole,” he says, the warmth of his breath tickling the inside of my ear deliciously.
I smile as Aiden lifts his head to look at me again.
“Good,” I say. “I would hate for the dress JoJo made me to go to waste.”
“What does it look like?”
I realize that’s a very good question.
“You know, I have no idea what it looks like. I just hung it up in my closet and forgot about it.” I pause for a moment before telling Aiden, “There’s something I want to do that night.”
Aiden’s brow lifts in curiosity. “And what would that be?”
I shake my head. “Not until that night. Then I’ll tell you.”
A corner of Aiden’s mouth lifts. “Are you trying to drive me crazy?”
I shake my head. “No, I want you completely sane. But, there’s something I want you to show me.”
“Show you?” he asks, even more confused.
“Yes, show me,” I tell him, refusing to say more.
“I’ll do anything you want, Caylin,” Aiden murmurs, rubbing the pad of his thumb against the top of my hand. “Anything at all.”
I begin to wonder if I should take him up on that offer when we’re interrupted.
“Come on, kiddo,” Jess says, as she peeks her head around the edge of the wall. “We’re ready.”
I swallow hard because I know there are no more delays left. It’s time for me to face my future whether I’m ready to or not.
I’ve always believed that my future would be what I made it, but what if I’m wrong? What if I’m simply supposed to follow the path fate has lain out for me to take?
I tighten my hold on Aiden’s hand and look up at him.
“Ready?” He asks.
“No,” I admit.
He grins. “Smart answer.”
I take in a deep breath and say, “But, let’s go.”
The vessels form a circle in the middle of Jess’ living room. Aiden, my mom, Uncle Malcolm, Mason and I stand in the middle of it in a small circle of our own.
Leah makes a small ball of fire that hovers over her hand. She sees me looking at it.
“It’s dark in there,” she explains. “We’ll need the light until the vision begins to play.”
“Ok, is everyone ready?” Jess asks the other vessels.
Everyone nods or says yes.
Jess looks at me. “Here we go.”
I involuntarily squeeze Aiden’s hand.
“Hey,” he says to me in a whisper as we wait for the vessels to do their job.
I look up at him and am completely amazed by how calm he seems.
“Don’t worry,” he tells me. “Everything will be…”
Aiden doesn’t get to finish his reassuring words to me because he completely vanishes before my eyes just as the darkness of the vessels inner realm envelopes me.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I stand completely still, staring at the empty space Aiden just occupied feeling confused by what just happened. I look over to my mother and see that Uncle Malcolm and Mason are nowhere to be seen either.
“Where did they go?” I ask her.
She shakes her head looking just as confused as me. “I think they’re still at Jess’ house. I get the feeling they weren’t meant to come in here with us.” My mom looks over at Jess. “What do you think?”
“I think you’re right,” Jess says, coming to stand in the space between me and my mom. “It’s pretty much the only explanation because all three of them have been able to come in here before.”
“Maybe God doesn’t want them to see something Gabe is about to show us,” a new voice says.
I look over to the place where Jess was first standing and see a young, handsome man with curly black hair. He’s wearing a white t-shirt with a pair of black angel wings on the front and blue jeans. When he smiles at me, I feel an instant connection to him and know without having to ask that he’s my grandfather.
“Hi, Caylin,” he says, his voice sounding a little uncertain.
I walk over to him and give him a hug. He wraps his arms around me too, and I hear him sigh in relief, as if he wasn’t sure what my reaction to him would be.
“Hi grandpa,” I say, marveling at how real he feels in my arms.
He tightens his hold around me for a few seconds before reluctantly letting me go. When I look into his face, the smile he wears is beaming with pride.
“You look so much like your mother,” he says to me, running the tips of his fingers down the left side of my face in a gentle caress, “so incredibly beautiful, inside and out.”
“Thank you,” I tell him, considering the comparison the best compliment he could have given me.
“Michael,” Jess says, “why wouldn’t God want the guys to see what we will?”
My grandfather looks over at Jess. “I would assume something will be revealed that one or all of them shouldn’t see yet. Maybe after we see Caylin’s future it will become clearer, or not,” my grandfather says with a sardonic grin and shrug. “My father has never been known for his straightforwardness, as you well know.”
“You’re preaching to the choir,” Jess mumbles in a disgruntled fashion.
“So how do we do this?” I say, not seeing any way to get Aiden back if God doesn’t want him here.
“Just ask Gabe to show you your future,” Jess tells me. “And we’ll see what happens.”
As I turn to face Gabe, I’m faintly aware that all of the vessels now have their respective archangels standing by their side. The only one I pay much attention to is Uriel. He and Leah are holding hands, and I wonder how much of an
influence my best friend has had on the archangel who once tried to kill my mother. He doesn’t look like what I thought he would. He’s an older gentleman with white hair and looks more like a kindly grandfather than a cold hearted murderer.
What we’re doing isn’t exactly a social call kind of event so I turn my full attention to Gabe.
“Gabe,” I say, “what happens in the future?”
The darkness surrounding us turns into a bright sunny day.
I see myself dressed in a maroon corduroy jacket with a black knit scarf loosely tied around my neck walking across one of the grassy courtyards at Yale. Aiden is lounged against the trunk of a tree, which is covered in fall colored leaves, reading a book. He looks like any regular college student in his Yale sweatshirt, faded jeans and sneakers. His hair is loose, and I realize it’s similar in fashion and texture to my grandfather’s.
He must sense my approach because he smiles then looks up from the book he’s reading. When I reach him, I drop my messenger bag on the ground and tumble into his arms. He catches me easily and kisses me in such a natural, effortless way that I know it’s something we’ve probably done hundreds of times before this moment. I smile because it gives me hope I won’t have to wait too much longer for our first kiss.
The scene changes to the inside of a library. Aiden and I are seated across from one another at one of the many lacquered wood tables lined up in the room. I look up from the book I’m reading and catch Aiden staring at me. And, it’s not just any stare. His eyes hold a ‘come hither’ quality I haven’t seen yet, and his smile is teasing in a sexy way.
“What?” I whisper in the vision. “Why are you staring at me like some stalker?”
“Because I still can’t believe you’re mine,” he says, his voice full of wonder.
I giggle and immediately get hushed at by one of the librarians shelving some books nearby.
I seem to try to refocus my concentration on the book in front of me but can’t seem to because I know Aiden is still watching me.
I look up at him in mock exasperation and say, “I can’t concentrate with you staring at me like that. If you can’t stop, we might as well leave.”
Aiden was apparently waiting for me to say these words because he instantly stands from his chair with no hesitation in his sudden movement and grabs my left hand off the table. The glitter of a diamond catches my eyes drawing my attention to my ring finger. He walks around the end of the table, deftly pulling me out of my seat and fully up against him.
“Now, how can I argue against that logic,” he whispers to me. “Especially if it means we can go back to your apartment and make out.”
I giggle and get hushed at again by the same librarian.
“Let’s go,” I tell him, “before you get me expelled for disturbing the peace.”
The scene changes as it flashes forward to my wedding day. I see myself walking down the aisle on my father’s arm. We’re in the same church my parents got married in.
“Oh!” I hear JoJo say. “That has to be one of my creations. It’s so beautiful!”
I sigh in relief when I see the scene doesn’t change to a glimpse into my wedding night.
In the next vision, I’m slightly older and sitting in a white painted rocking chair in a nursery holding a baby in my arms. Aiden is kneeling down in front of us smiling with such happiness my heart breaks from the joy on his face.
“Are you happy?” Aiden asks me.
I look up from the child in my arms and smile at Aiden.
“Happier than I’ve ever been in my life,” I tell him.
I stop rocking as he leans in to give me a gentle kiss on the lips.
The scene fades and the next few future moments go by like a blurred movie montage. I can’t really make too many things out clearly. A series of girls appear and disappear, more than I can count. I have no way of knowing who they are or how they are significant to me. At one point, I can’t see much of anything until the scene comes to a complete stop, centering on one girl.
She’s dressed in a sleeveless gown made of light lavender fabric that billows out behind her from a wind I can’t feel. She’s standing on a large stone terrace of a grand home staring out at a castle far in the distance that seems to be built in the clouds. It’s only then that I realize the home she’s standing outside of is also built high in the sky.
She’s beyond beautiful with her chocolate brown eyes and silky, straight brown hair. She barely has any make-up on and her hair hangs on either side of her face in a natural part. Her coral colored full lips stand out against her pale ivory skin.
“A penny for your thoughts,” a young man says behind her. He’s leaned up against one of four white marble pillars, which lead into the room behind her.
He’s handsome in a regular sort of way with short curly blonde hair and mustache. He’s dressed in something that looks like a dress Navy uniform to me but probably isn’t.
The man pushes his shoulder off the pillar and saunters over to the girl as she turns to face him.
“Auggie,” the girl says, “do you think I’ll ever find someone to love me?”
“I love you,” the man replies, smiling at her kindly.
“You love me like a sister,” the girl says, bowing her head looking completely despondent. “That’s not the type of love I’m talking about.”
The man she called Auggie places a gentle hand under her chin and makes her look back up at him.
“He’s out there somewhere, longing to meet you as much as you are him,” he says. “And when you finally find one another, God help anyone who tries to come between the two of you.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because, I know you. You would tear them to pieces if it meant protecting someone you love.”
“I would do anything for him,” she declares wholeheartedly, “and everything.”
The scene changes from day to night, yet, we remain standing on the veranda.
I see the girl holding Jess’ sword in her hands fighting off a man I’ve never seen before wielding a sword of his own.
“That’s Amon,” I hear Jess say beside me. “Why the hell is he fighting her? And why does she have my sword?”
The girl seems to be able to hold her own against Amon. But, he underestimates her strength and she’s allowed an opening to slide the sword straight into his gut. Amon falls to his knees but still tries to slice the girl open with one last desperate swing of his blade. The girl dodges the attack by phasing directly behind Amon. Weakened from the fight, Amon remains on his knees and yanks Jess’ sword out of his gut throwing it aside onto the terrace. He doesn’t seem to realize the girl is behind him until her hands burst into blue flames and she wraps her fingers around Amon’s throat.
The scene changes again and we’re standing inside what looks like a dilapidated barn. The girl is dressed in a white leather outfit that looks familiar to me for some reason. She’s sleeping on a pile of hay covered by a dark green wool blanket. The door to the barn is slung open with a crash and the murky light from the outside world is allowed to stream in. Uncle Malcolm fills the opening dressed in a dark hooded, sleeveless long coat and black leather pants with a sword hanging from his right hip.
“Let’s go,” he says to her gruffly, causing the girl to wake with a start. “They’re waiting for us.”
The girl sits up and stares at Uncle Malcolm. For whatever reason, she looks sad as she peers at my uncle. She nods to him indicating that she understands his request but remains silent. She stands and grabs her blanket off the hay before joining him outside.
The scenes stop playing like someone abruptly shut off a projector, and we’re left in the semi-darkness of the vessel’s inner realm again. Only the flame Leah still holds in the palm of her hand illuminates the space around us.
“Who was she?” I ask, looking at my mom and Jess hoping they have some clue as to the girl’s identity.
“I don’t know,” Jess says, “but I would really lik
e to find out why she had my sword and my outfit.”
And then it dawns on me. “That’s where I’ve seen it before. Those were the clothes you wore in the fight with Lucifer, right?”
Jess nods. “But, how did she get them?”
“Malcolm saves them for her,” a new, yet familiar voice says within the vessels inner realm.
Everyone looks toward God who is standing just outside the circle of vessels. He walks between Rafe and Zack towards the four of us in the middle of their circle.
“Father,” my grandpa says, “just how far into the future did you let us peer?”
“Very far,” God replies.
“Who is the girl?” Jess asks.
“A descendant of Caylin’s,” He tells her, “and a descendant of yours.”
Jess looks confused. “Mine?”
“At some point in time, your two blood lines will cross,” God tells us. “Every first born will be a girl and she will carry with her the same powers Caylin possesses plus your will and determination, Jess. In the future, the girl you saw will come into being.”
“Why is she important?” Jess asks.
“She will play a vital role in stopping something catastrophic from happening here in the Origin,” God says.
“But,” my mom says, “why is Malcolm there with her? You know what his plans are.”
God looks at my mom, and I see pity in His eyes.
“Malcolm will not be granted what he thinks he most desires. You will need to ask him to stay behind until his destiny is fulfilled.”
“After all he’s done,” my mom says almost angry, “you want me to ask him to stay here? How long will he have to wait for her to be born?”
“A long time.”
“That’s not an answer,” my mom says tersely.
“It’s the best I can give you,” God replies, not seeming to take offense to my mother’s harsh tone with Him.
“It’s not fair,” she says, on the verge of tears. “He deserves to decide his own fate.”
“Trust me, Lilly,” God says. “This is his path. It always has been. It’s the one he must go down to finally feel complete. There is a void within Malcolm that not even you can fill.”