by Summer Lee
Perhaps it was time to return to Bethlehem, where she spent much of her childhood. She was strongest in spirit when she was there.
It may have been more than her feelings for Sam that got in the way of her meditation this time. She opened one eye and looked around. Then, as the second eye opened, she felt something impure in the Garden. Something that should have never been in the fragrant Flora. She stood, using only her leg muscles and pressed her back against the olive tree. She needed no surprises. “Come out, whoever you are. All are welcome in the Garden.”
Her eyes darted to each nearby tree with hopes that she would see something or someone trying to stay hidden. “I am one with Israel! I cannot be defeated here!” She remained patient as she stepped out from the protection of the tree.
Wearing beige sweatpants with a matching long sleeve thermal top would take suspicion off her. She wore no socks or shoes, so she could feel the earth beneath her with her feet. Her long black hair was flowing loose in the current of air. She grabbed her hair and quickly tied it into a ponytail. She then tilted her head from side to side, listening. All she heard was the sound of her neck bones cracking. She was certain the sound carried throughout the Garden. Beginning to move, she stretched out one of her long legs and flexed her toes, then repeated the process with the other leg.
Achsah showed no fear. She wanted whoever was sneaking around to know that she was serious about making contact.
“No need for the theatrics, my dear.” The raspy voice was that of an older man, yet still recognizable to Achava. She smiled and nodded.
“Itai Malka,” she said as she lowered her guard. “It’s been not long enough.”
Itai laughed. “You have picked up too much nonsense from Americans, Achava. Have you lost your way?”
She looked up to Itai, who was six feet tall. His short hair was now graying. He had a long salt and pepper beard with the matching mustache. He had on loose-fitting slacks and soft loafers with no socks. He also had a loose-fitting white shirt with a scarf draped around his neck that hung free over his chest. Oddly, he had a cloth wrapped around each wrist. His stare intensified as his smile widened. “I am not here as an enemy, Achava. I am here as a friend. A friend who is warning another friend.”
Something was wrong with that statement. Achava’s guard went back up and her eyes checked the area for an ambush. “I don’t respond well to some warnings, Itai.” She tightened her lips. “State your business.”
“Why, my dearest of the dears, Achava,” he responded with a hint of condescension. “I am not here for you. What fool do you take me for, to attack you where you are strongest? Do you think me a fool, girl?” His tone became more disciplined and less patient.
She relaxed her stance to show him that she wasn’t afraid of him. “I don’t like riddles, Itai. Either speak or leave me to my meditations. I cannot concentrate on both.”
“I don’t like to be ordered around, Achava.” His tone turned threatening. “Especially now that there is a new order among us.”
Achava gritted her teeth. “I care not for you or your order. I will not repeat myself, Itai. I will have my time of meditation without you in my ear like a wasp. You may stay if you wish. If that’s your choice, I do not want to remain here.” She turned her back and started to walk away.
“Even if it concerns Samuel Godfrey?” he asked nonchalantly.
Achava stopped in her tracks. What did he know? She thought about all of the ways that Itai could find out about Sam. She had to pretend that it didn’t matter and would not affect her. “Sam? I haven’t heard that name in a while.” She turned to face Itai. “What does he have to do with me?”
“Oh, dearest Achava!” Itai exclaimed triumphantly. “If he meant nothing to you, you would not have turned to continue our discussion! Hah! Always the predictable woman! You should praise your God for the fact that I am even talking with you!” He took out a cell phone and muttered something into it. It appeared that there had been someone on the other line the entire time they talked. He then closed the phone and looked into her eyes, a Cheshire smile on his face. “Please, feel free to go back to your meditations. While you are at it, I would suggest that you say some prayers for Samuel Godfrey. You told me everything I needed to know with your body language. I see how, if nothing else, you are still an ignorant savage of a woman, who can easily be tricked into anything. Farewell, Achava. I have no more need of you.”
Achava felt instant rage as she lost her cool. She didn’t have time to figure out what Itai was going to do with Sam. She had to act. She rushed at Itai with full force and pushed her elbow into his neck, wrestling him to the ground. “Your fight is with me, monster! No one else.”
Itai laughed a haunting pitch.
She hated to see him laughing at her in spite of the fact that she had him dead to rights. The pressure on his neck caused him to have trouble swallowing, but he still managed a few choked out words. “You… fail to see… the larger picture… as usual. Samuel is but the means to an end. Bravo to you though! You show violence in your precious Garden! Hah! Will you… never cease to tickle my wit!”
He threw his head back and laughed again.
Achava backed off and stepped away from Itai. She knew he liked to play games. He wasn’t happy until he confused everyone around him with his twisted sense of humor. There was a problem. It usually meant that someone was about to die.
“I’m done here,” she said in disgust. She turned to walk away again.
“How do the Americans say it, Achava?” he asked as he managed to stand on his feet. “I believe the phrase is… tick tock. Time is running out, my dear. It may have already run out.”
Achava had to know the truth. Thinking about the times she had spent alone with Sam stirred passion in her heart. She had been close to Sam and would do whatever had to be done to keep him alive. She knew that she wouldn’t get any answers from Itai, so she had to take matters into her own hands.
She turned to face him.
Chapter the Third
THERE WAS A LOUD CRASH coming from the kitchen. Sam sat up in bed almost as if it was an automatic movement for him. His weary head turned to the alarm clock. 3:13am.
He listened intently to see if the noise was just a figment of his imagination or more serious.
Bam! Glass was shattering.
Another sound of glass breaking was enough to convince him that burglars were probably in the house. He wasn’t dreaming for sure. He heard several sets of footsteps run through his house and down the hallway. He quietly got out of his bed and opened the nightstand by his bed. Pulling out a .22 caliber handgun, Sam checked to make sure that it was loaded.
He put on some sweat pants and a sweat shirt and then bounced up and down on the floor to limber up in case he had to use his martial arts. With his heart racing, he slowly opened the bedroom door an inch or so. It creaked loudly. That was all it took.
The door was hit hard by someone.
Sam was thrown backward as the door was forced open all of the way. He fell back onto the floor and lost his grip on the .22. He saw the intruder standing in the doorway. The clothes were dark green and baggy. It was almost like something out of Ali Baba and the forty thieves. The head of the intruder was also covered except for one aspect. The eyes.
The long eyelashes and the heavy mascara told Sam everything he needed to know. “You’re a girl?” That was all he could mutter. He saw her move quicker than anyone he had ever seen before—except, of course, for Achava. The intruder was fluid and graceful as she did a cartwheel into the room. He tried to move out of the way as she kicked him in the chest. Although the contact was not as hard as he might have expected, his chest started to burn immediately. He tried to get his breath, but could not breathe deeply. He found that it was getting harder to breathe with every breath. What the hell did she do?
He looked in the face of the girl. The intruder was staring at him. She watched Sam for a moment, like she expected him to retaliate. She mut
tered that he was disoriented and left the room. Sam sat, stunned, until he realized that whatever she had done to him was starting to wear off. When he managed to get to his feet, he realized that all of his martial arts training seemed to be for nothing. He desperately needed his inhaler because of the asthma.
The noise started up again, so he had to check it out. It sounded like his house was being ransacked. He took a deep breath, grabbed his .22 and his inhaler, and headed straight toward the noise and into battle. He made his way slowly down the hallway as the pressure in his chest started to fade. One woman could not make that much noise. He knew that at least one was a female warrior, but he had no idea what kind of friends she brought with her. Not wanting to shoot a woman, he tried to remember his training. Sam hadn’t actually used his Jeet Kune Do on anyone that he had to protect himself from. He really didn’t want to hit a woman, either, but she was making a mess of his house.
He made his way slowly down the hallway as the pressure in his chest started to fade. No one was in the living room, but the furniture had been turned over. He reached his hand around the doorway into the kitchen and flipped on the light.
As he entered the well-lit room, he saw three mysterious women in green, which looked just like the first one. He also noticed that they had sufficiently trashed his kitchen. “What the hell are you doing to my kitchen?” he yelled in frustration.
He pointed the gun at one of them, which may have been his biggest mistake he committed during that early morning hour. The one he aimed his .22 at spun in an inhuman way and then simply disappeared. One of the remaining two stood about ten feet away from him one second, and then she was right next to him the next moment. Before his mind had a chance to comprehend what had just happened, she took the gun from his hand and threw it against the wall. It shattered to pieces. He watched her intently as she held her hand out toward his face with her palm open. She blew softly, and a powdery substance flew into his face. It was a lime green dust that seemed to surround Sam’s head. He started to cough uncontrollably as he reached feebly for his inhaler. Inhaling deeply, he hoped to stay alive.
“Where is the sword?” The words were soft, soothing, and flowed through his mind as if the woman who was in front of him shared a telepathic link.
“What sword?” His coughing started to slow down, but he felt nauseous. As his body began to shake, he dropped to his knees. His entire body felt as though he had been awake for weeks. His muscles ached and he saw the room spin around several times before he closed his eyes and collapsed.
He heard a female voice inquire about the sword again. This time it sounded like Achava. But that was not possible. She was in Israel. The last picture he had in his mind before passing out was of Achava. He missed that girl and wished she were here.
Chapter the Fourth
ACHAVA HELD HER BREATH and concentrated on the situation.
Itai was gone, but far from forgotten. His last words were threatening. She knew that she had to attempt something she never tried before. Those in her bloodline had an unusual power, but it was a risky maneuver. The good thing was that she could check on Samuel. The bad thing was that she had to hold her breath through the entire process and run the risk of dying.
First, she closed her eyes to become one with the Garden of Gethsemane. She could feel her essence flow throughout the Garden as she allowed herself to be released into the earth below her feet. Her physical form started to become non-corporeal as she felt every molecule merge with her homeland of Israel. Her thoughts embraced creation. She could feel her union with the planet itself as she allowed her mind to retain its faculties. She could picture the entire world, the moon and the stars. She held her breath for about six minutes.
This was more than an out of body experience. She was near death. If anyone was to witness what she experienced, they would see her slowly fade from existence. In actuality, her essence was becoming one with the earth by accepting everything around her as a part of her own soul. It was a complicated process that her mother called the Soul Merge.
Achava had watched Aviela go into trances like this, and she had always been afraid that her mother would not come back. She had never been encouraged to do it herself. But now was an exception. Samuel was in serious danger.
Within her lifetime, she had studied about Algonquian groups of Native American believing in what they called a Manitou. It is their spiritual and fundamental life-force that is believed to be omnipresent and is supposed to manifest everywhere. Every organism, event, and even the environment, had a Manitou, or spirit. Since Achava knew that God created everything, it was easy for her to assume that everything had a connection with God residing within—even if on the other side of the earth. The Soul Merge was hard enough to try with a single human being, but to try with the entire planet was another thing altogether. If anyone could do it, she could. She had the faith and she had the abilities passed on from Achsah and through Aviela.
As Achava believed she was one with the earth, she continued to hold her breath. Making an attempt to pick any destination that she wanted, Achava relaxed into the moment. She had held her breath for twelve minutes up to that point. She had almost reached the point of no return as it felt like her mind separated from her brain. The longest she had held her breath before was 17 minutes. She already felt the burning in her lungs, but she kept her focus.
She was moving rapidly now, and she dared not open her eyes. The last person that she heard of who opened their eyes during a Soul Merge went insane by what they saw. She still never found out exactly what it was that was seen, but she believed it was evil, and she got chills every time she thought about it.
Her mind raced along the recognizable locations on earth. She imagined flying past tall pine trees and dry desert plants. There were small farms and large cities. She crossed the ocean and rocky mountains.
She had to stay focused on the areas she was familiar with, so she wouldn’t get overwhelmed and lose her way. Her thoughts were only of Sam Godfrey, and her need to get to his side. As the world spun around her, it was if she had entered some sort of psychic peak of emotions, sights, and sounds. Floating became easy. The strangest part is that this was not an out of body experience. She was actually flying.
Arriving in the United States, she zeroed in on the Oak Cliff area in Dallas, Texas. She was soon able to see Sam’s house clearly. When her feet touched down, she could see she had landed on his front porch. That was when she exhaled. That was also when she saw that he had visitors.
Chapter the Fifth
INSIDE THE HOUSE, SAM STAGGERED to his feet. Two remaining green clad women stood by his front door, whispering. They whispered so low that he couldn’t understand what they were saying, but one of them glanced in his direction every so often. What they were saying included him?
He continued to cough. Every time he coughed, green dust came out of his mouth. His lungs burned like they were on fire. He had to know why the strange warriors were in his house, and he planned to get the information in any way he could. He crept over and jumped one of the women, pinning her down. His mind couldn’t comprehend why they were there and what they were after. But he was going to find out. “Who are you?”
Suddenly, the other female pointed out the door, chattering in a foreign language. The one Sam was holding slipped out of his arms, speaking the same language. They acted like they saw someone or something in the sky.
Almost as if on cue, something crashed through his front door. Whatever it was, it blew his whole door into splinters, as well as knocking the surprised intruders into the living room and almost unconscious. He backed up into the kitchen, then looked into the rubble to see if he could make out what it was that gave him a breather.
Then he saw that it was not an ‘it’ at all. It was a ‘who’. His eyes widened as he was filled with a mixture of surprise, elation, and fear all at once. Of all people, it was Achava. She was collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily. He watched as she slowly made her way t
o her feet, holding her head. “Hello Samuel Godfrey.” She moved slower than normal. He was so wrapped in the fact that she was there, that he just stood there with his mouth hanging open. He forgot to give her a helping hand or any kind of greeting.
Before he could say a word, one of the intruders leaped toward Achava. Sam moved into action to help her when he saw the other woman coming straight toward him. He ducked right as Achava stepped to his side. Bam! She was pushed outside through the portal where there was once a door.
The other woman suddenly tackled him from the back. She reached one arm around him and pulled it tight around his neck. Sam tried to catch his breath, but could not. She had amazing strength. He then remembered something of utmost importance. Realizing that as long as she had him immobilized, she was open to be attacked. He closed his eyes and cleared his thoughts, which was nearly impossible considering he could barely breathe. He then placed his right foot back around her ankle and pulled forward while he threw his weight backward.
She gritted her teeth as if concentrating on subduing him. She did not appear worried about defending herself. So Sam had the advantage as they both fell onto the floor. His full weight landed on top of her. She gasped and turned him loose.
It was Sam’s turn. He had the upper hand, but this woman was like no other. He realized that with her strength, she could easily kill him.
He slammed his back against her face, which in turn slammed her onto the hard tile floor. He felt sick about hitting a woman, but he knew what would happen to him if he didn’t.
He rolled off of her and jumped to his feet. She was disoriented and her nose was bleeding profusely. He felt a sense of pride and shame at the same time. The intruder tried to stagger to her feet, but he had to make sure that didn’t happen. He pushed her back down. She bit Sam’s ankle, and he kicked her away. She bit him again, so he hit her with a barrage of kicks to the gut. She fell motionless against the floor.