Surfacing the Rim (Piercing The Fold)

by Kimball, Venessa

  “It’s Sebastian and Balthazar.”

  With his hands on his hips, Ezra walks to the window, waiting for them to approach.

  I ask, “Why would they come here?”

  Ezra doesn’t answer.

  Louder, I say, “Ezra!”

  Ezra mumbles, “Something has changed. They have come to tell us something has happened.”

  Chapter 28

  Jesca

  Ezra stands at the window, waiting for them to pull up. Xander, Nate, and I are too anxious to sit while we anticipate an explanation as to why Sebastian and Balthazar are here.

  I hear their footsteps on the porch before Ezra opens the door. The wind gusts into the cabin, blowing in from behind the two men. Both are wearing hooded parkas. Ezra forces the door closed after letting them enter the cabin. Sebastian and Balthazar pull back their hoods and take off their coats.

  It’s strange to see Sebastian and Balthazar in person. The only times I have seen them is when they have projected themselves into my dreams. Sebastian’s hair is slicked back and peppered with more gray than black. Balthazar looks like a younger version of his father. His hair is a very dark brown.

  I study them both, looking for similarities in their features. I wonder if my mother or I share any of their likeness since we are family. I’m bewildered that my great uncle and second cousin are in this very room with me.

  We are all standing, watching the two men take off their gloves.

  Ezra introduces us. “Sebastian and Balthazar, this is Nathaniel Sera, Alexander—”

  Xander interrupts briefly, “Sera.”

  Xander and Nate exchange a knowing glance and nod. They are accepting each other. Instantly, I feel more at ease with our connection and am optimistic about the possibility of Xander and Nate getting along with each other.

  Ezra continues, “And, this is Jesca Gershon-Sera.”

  Both men look at me. I move toward them, putting my hand out to Sebastian first. As soon as his hand touches mine, I feel at peace.

  Sebastian says, “Jesca, I have been eager to meet you in person.”

  I nod, smile, and release his hand. I turn to Balthazar, and he puts out his hand. When I look into his eyes, I see sadness.

  As he shakes my hand, he says, “Forgive me. I couldn’t remember your mother until I saw you just now.”

  I realize that I must look enough like my mother if my appearance can affect a cousin that hasn’t seen her in years. I feel a knot developing in my throat, but I choke it back. I pull my hand away and sit in a nearby chair.

  Balthazar wipes his eyes with his free hand and clears his throat. “I’m sure you’re wondering why we have come.”

  Sebastian breaks in, “We have gotten important intelligence about Japan.”

  Ezra herds us into the living room to sit. “Here, have a seat, and I will get us some coffee.”

  Nate tends to the fading fire by adding a few more logs in the fireplace. Xander and I sit across from Sebastian and Balthazar on the sofa.

  I wait until Ezra gets back to the sofa, and then I say, “We are going to Japan. That is where we need to be to stop Sam and close the wormhole, right?”

  Ezra interrupts, speaking to Sebastian and Balthazar, “Jesca has the strongest abilities. If she and Nate combine their abilities, shutting the wormhole quickly is possible.”

  Balthazar says, “We know how strong she is. And, yes, you—all of you—will be going to Japan.”

  Balthazar sighs, glancing at Sebastian, and then he looks back at me. “Jesca, you are a part of a legacy that needs protection. We need to keep our guardianship alive in order to keep humanity alive. The more forces we have there to back you, the better off we will be.”

  Sebastian puts his arm on his son’s shoulder, and then he looks at each of us. “We conceived what started as a theory, searching for something more in our universe. We wanted to learn from it. We did not intend to cause any harm.” Sebastian looks down and shakes his head. “Unfortunately, it has fallen into the corrupt and greedy hands of Michael Sanderson.”

  Balthazar looks at us. “At first, we thought that our travels to Dobria and Sonde were causing the extreme gravitational pull between our galaxy and Andromeda.”

  Sebastian nods in agreement with this.

  Balthazar continues, “Michael Sanderson knew that this was not the case long before we did. The Sondian executive board knew that the implantation of Copulas was attracting something from within Andromeda.”

  Ezra interrupts, “Have you gotten any closer to discovering what it is? What is this something or this force? The gravitational pull within the Andromeda galaxy is pulling it with great force toward the Milky Way galaxy.”

  Sebastian breathes out loudly. “We are getting closer. It seems that the gravitational pull and magnetic radiation stemming from Andromeda is becoming more intense as the galaxy approaches ours. Two days ago, a patterned spike of gamma rays emanated from the Andromeda galaxy to ours. The pattern has not stopped. We have a team targeting where in the galaxy this spike is coming from.”

  Xander asks, “When will we know?”

  Balthazar answers, “Hopefully within days.”

  Sebastian interrupts, “But, this also means that whatever is coming here is speeding the event of our two galaxies intersecting.”

  Anxiety builds in me. “That means that the intersection is coming sooner than we thought.”

  Ezra and I look at each other briefly, and then I look back at Balthazar and Sebastian.

  Sebastian says, “Yes.”

  Nate moves from the fireplace, pacing nervously. I feel the tension rise in the men around me. Knowing that they are just as nervous and worried as I am doesn’t bring me any comfort.

  Balthazar breaks the stressful silence. “We are here, Jesca, because you are our family. We will not let you go into this without us. We started this. We have laid this legacy in your lap. We will not let you bear the burden alone.” Balthazar looks at each of us. “We won’t let any of you bear this alone.”

  Sebastian adds, “We need you to pack. We need to get to New York quickly. The rest of our team will be meeting us at the safe house, so we can all be briefed on the plan for Japan. We leave tonight.”

  I’m speechless. I look at Nate. He looks like he’s holding his breath. I glance toward Xander, and his eyes are nervously searching the floorboards a few inches in front of him.

  Ezra starts to talk with Sebastian and Balthazar about the force from within Andromeda. He wants to know exactly what the physicists and scientists are looking for.

  I zone out and start to walk up the stairs. We are going into an unknown war, and the fear shakes me to the core as I move numbly. There is something else within me though, and I don’t have a clue as to why it is there. Even though I am scared, I feel the deep calling and desire to protect and guard those that can’t protect themselves. I wonder if this is what a soldier feels when they are called to war.

  I hear footsteps behind me as I climb the stairs. It is Xander heading up from behind me. I’m sure he’s off to pack.

  When I reach my door, I feel Xander’s hand touch mine softly. I don’t pull away. I intertwine my fingers with his. When I turn to look at him, I see the worry in his eyes. When I try to read his thoughts, I can’t. He has that immense wall up, keeping me away from what he is thinking and feeling. I feel the urge to touch him and to let him know that I’m worried, too. I gently place my hand on his cheek.

  Without hesitation, he pulls me into my room. As soon as he shuts the door, he lets go of my hand and walks to the middle of the room. “Jesca, I need to know something.”

  Seeing Xander standing there with a look of desperation makes my mouth go dry. I have no idea what he’s about to ask me, and it scares me.

  Xander moves toward me stealthily. “I need to know what you want.”

  Not quite understanding what he is saying, I ask, “What?”

  He is standing inches from me now, making me feel both addicted
to him and anxious from his closeness. Xander’s eyes are searching mine. He takes hold of my hand and places it over his heart.

  Then, I feel his immense wall crumble. The way he looks at me fills me with a hope that I haven’t felt since the night he kissed me. I look down at his chest and feel what I have done to that pounding heart.

  I close my eyes and listen, really listen, to his heart. It isn’t just the sound of it so much. It’s rather what I hear it saying. It isn’t just a physical feeling. It is a strong emotion that courses through him and into me.

  I open my eyes just as he says, “Before we go, I need to know if you—”

  Before he has time to finish, my lips find his. Obviously taken by my reaction, Xander breathes in deeply through his nose. The surprise doesn’t last though. His hands eagerly encircle my waist, and he pulls me toward him so that every part of his body is touching mine.

  The kiss is tender and slow, but it’s full of want. My mouth parts, giving him permission to deepen our kiss. We both groan when our tongues meet. My hand is still resting on his chest over his heart while the other is wrapped in his dark wavy hair, pulling him to me.

  Xander pulls back just a little, still peppering my lips with soft kisses. “I love you, Jesca.”

  I run my hand in his hair and place my other hand on his cheek. God, I do know that I love him. Every part of my heart, soul, and body knows that this is how pure love feels.

  But, I can’t tell him. I won’t. If I tell him that I love him before we go into this battle, then he will fight for me and not for himself or others. If he were to die because of me, I would never forgive myself.

  I kiss him again, my lips lingering on his, and then I pull him into an embrace. I quickly bury my face in his shoulders, hiding my fallen tears.

  Chapter 29

  Jesca

  It doesn’t take us long to pack up the car and get on the road. Nate is really quiet in the car. I put my hand on his shoulder once to see if he is alright. He doesn’t turn to look at me. He just places his hand on mine and squeezes.

  I know Xander sees our interaction. I look at him, hoping he’ll understand that I care about Nate as my partner and as my friend. Xander smiles softly at me, and then he looks out the window into the darkness.

  We get to the airport, and Sebastian and Balthazar pull up next to us. Ezra begins to help Balthazar unload their truck while Xander and Nate unpack ours.

  Sebastian leads me toward the jet. It’s the same one we took here.

  I ask, “Is this your jet?”

  He answers, “Yes and no.”

  I scoff, remembering Ezra’s similar way of dodging a question. “Can anyone give me straight answers anymore?”

  Sebastian smiles. “Yes, it is mine now. It was given to me.”

  I shake my head at the use of his ability to get this plane. “Ushering, huh?”

  Sebastian doesn’t say a word. He just nods.

  * * *

  The plane ride is very rocky. The arc lightning has intensified. It’s more blinding and constant than it was at the cabin. I shut the window covering and try to distract myself with the conversation in the plane.

  Sebastian and Balthazar are talking to Ezra. They say that they have already informed guardian leaders worldwide to be prepared sooner rather than later for the intersection.

  Every guardian is part of a team, a cell. Globally, the Dobrian guardian cells are already in place and ready for instructions to move in on the Sondian cells. Balthazar says that the Dobrian cells have been successfully acquiring intelligence from the Sondian cells within their territories for weeks now. They’ve gathered intelligence regarding safe house locations and potential wormhole sites. The plan for those Dobrian cells is to systematically take out the Sondian cells before the intersection to prevent a global invasion on Earth.

  Our plan is not as systematic. Too many variables make our plan much more volatile than any other. I think about all of the variables—saving Corinna, shutting the wormhole, eliminating Sam before he can get to me. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

  Underlying variables include the vendetta Sam has against my father, stemming back to my mother; the worry of failing to close the wormhole; and the premonition that something might happen to my father, Nate, Xander, or all of us.

  Ezra unbuckles his seat belt and walks back to the chair next to mine. “Can I sit here?”

  I look at him oddly, and then I realize he’s not going to go back to his seat. “Sure.”

  He sits down, buckles his seat belt, and puts his hands in his lap.

  I keep staring at him, thinking he’s going to say something, but he doesn’t. He closes his eyes and leans his head back. I also lean back, closing my eyes.

  As soon as I do, Ezra whispers, “You did the right thing, Jes.”

  I open my eyes and glance at him, feeling deflated from my thoughts. “What did I do?”

  I hear Ezra think now, Not telling Xander and Nate how you feel. His brown eyes are full of sadness as he continues thinking, I wasn’t strong enough to do that with your mother. He looks down and away from me.

  I feel a lump threatening to develop in my throat, so I quickly put my hand on my father’s and squeeze it gently before I lose myself. I think, I love you, Dad.

  He gazes back at me and thinks, Whatever happens, Jes, I will always be with you.

  Still holding his hand, I quickly turn away from him, hiding my tears. I pull open the cover to the window and let the amber glow of the lightning cover me.

  * * *

  A couple of hours later, we land at JFK International Airport in New York City.

  When the hatch of the plane opens, the air feels warm and muggy. I quickly shed my heavy jacket. The fierceness of the lightning is synonymous with what I witnessed on the plane.

  We all exit the plane quickly and hustle to the waiting SUV. Halfway to the car, I feel the humming and the vibration start within me.

  I hear sirens, and I turn in the direction of the sound. I see four police cars barreling down toward us. Ezra, Sebastian, and Balthazar tell Nate, Xander, and me to get in the car.

  We get inside the car just as the police cars screech to a halt, yards away from us. The policemen hop out of their vehicles and pull out their guns. They shout, “Put your hands where we can see them!”

  Xander tries to open the door, but it doesn’t budge. He yells, “What the hell?”

  Nate and I try our door handles, but they don’t open either. I pull up on the lock, and nothing happens.

  Nate screams, “Shit! Let us out! Ezra!”

  I hear a whisper, but I can’t make it out because Nate and Xander are still yelling.

  I holler, “Quiet! I hear someone!”

  It’s Ezra. He thinks, They are Sondians. Quick, send us your energy.

  I yell at Nate and Xander, “They are Sondians. We need to send our energy to Ezra, Sebastian, and Balthazar.”

  I focus on the three of them and imagine my energy leaving my body to fill Ezra, Sebastian, and Balthazar.

  The gunshots that come startle me, but I quickly look to see that Ezra, Sebastian, and Balthazar are still standing, unscathed. I lean over the front seat, trying to see what just transpired.

  Panicking, I yell at Xander who has a better view of them, “Where are the bullets?”

  Xander mumbles, staring ahead at the three of them, “They stopped every single bullet.”

  A few feet in front of Ezra, I see at least two handfuls of torpedo-shaped metal hovering midair. As soon as my eye catches them, I hear a zinging noise. Multiple bullets are ricocheting around. Like dominoes, the police officers drop to the ground. They’ve each been hit in the forehead by the bullets.

  I can’t pull my eyes away from them.

  They were just human officers. Then, they were taken, implanted with Sondian Copulas, and turned into warped, corrupted, and twisted beings—not quite alien, but not completely inhuman.

  Ezra, Sebastian, and Balthazar run back to the t
ruck. Balthazar gets into the driver’s seat and puts it in reverse.

  My voice cracks with disgust as I yell, “They had lives, relatives, mothers, and fathers before they were taken and turned into that.”

  The car remains silent. The faintest sounds are our fast breaths, caused by the adrenaline coursing through each of us.

  In pure frustration, I yell, “How did they know we were coming?”

  Still breathless, Ezra responds, “Someone is always watching.” Then, he yells at Balthazar, “Get us out of here!”

  Balthazar whips the steering wheel and guns the engine, jolting me back against the seat. I turn my head briefly and see at least a half dozen more police cars hauling down from around a hangar.

  I warn Balthazar, “More are coming!”

  Balthazar floors it. We pull off the tarmac and onto a frontage road. I’m still eyeing the six police cars that are barreling up on us.

  Nate shouts out, “They are gaining on us!”

  Balthazar yells at his father, “Sebastian, they are Sondians. They are going to kill us. Do it!”

  I look to the front seat at the two of them. Their hands are tightly clasped. Just about then, out of the corner of my eye, I see a bright, blinding light. I turn back around, and the six cars are bursting into flames.

  Sebastian has Pyro kinesis, the ability to control fire with his mind. Balthazar and Sebastian combine their abilities. They intensely stare at each other.

  I see just how much Balthazar and Sebastian trust in one another now, and it makes me feel that Balthazar is completely dedicated to our fellowship. I look at Ezra. He witnesses their exchange before he gazes back out through his side window.

  I can only partially wrap my mind around the fact that, in a matter of minutes, over a dozen beings were just killed. They were once average human officers of the law, but they were turned into something possessed with warped evil. Yes, they were trying to kill us because of what the Sondian fellowship had done to them, but when they were killed, their human part was killed also. It’s almost too much for me to bear. I begin quietly crying for their souls.

  * * *