by Yvi Valentin
“Okay…so…should I try to go to sleep right now and see what happens?” I asked.
“Yeah, the only way you’ll be able to do it is if you practice. If you want, I can try to control your dream and you can try to stop me.”
“Alright, let’s do this.” Part of me was excited but at the same time I was scared Lucifer was waiting for me and I wasn’t going to be able to get him out of my head. I didn’t want him to find me; I couldn’t go back to running. I didn’t have the energy for it anymore. I rested my head back on the pillow and waited for sleep to consume me.
“Aimee!” I heard Andy calling my name.
I didn’t want to shut him out but knew I had to try. I focused on making it impossible for him to control my dream as I kept myself asleep. I realized I was left in complete darkness. I didn’t see or hear Andy and knew my efforts paid off. I decided to try controlling my own dream and transported myself to a beautiful mountain top. It was a breathtaking view and I felt amazing standing on top of the mountain looking at all of the other mountains in the distance and the trees below. It was a feeling I remember well from when I used to hike up mountains. It was the best I’ve ever felt in my life.
“Aimee!” It was Lucifer.
I quickly forced him out of my head and went back to taking in the amazing view before me. I didn’t see or hear him again as I was dreaming about standing on the mountaintop. After I had my fill of being on top of the mountain, I decided to see if I could control my dream even more.
Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the Great Pyramid in Giza. It was the one place I always wanted to visit. I took in the scene in front of me and was amazed by the pure beauty of the pyramids. I always loved learning about ancient Egyptian history and mythology. I felt an unfamiliar energy pulsating throughout my body. I looked down to see my Eye of Horus tattoo glow a faint white color. Despite my confusion at the experience, I was happy to be there…even if it was only in my dream. I hoped one day I could make it a reality. I wished Andy was there to enjoy the scene with me and decided it was time to wake up to give him an update.
I woke up peacefully for the first time in a long time. I looked to my right to see Andy staring at me with a huge smile on his face. “What’s the smile for?”
“Come on, you know why.” I had a feeling but I wanted him to confirm what I already knew. “You were able to keep me from controlling your dream.”
“Not just you,” I said with a smile as big as Andy’s.
“What do you mean?” He asked excitedly, knowing what I was about to say.
“Lucifer tried to invade my brain but I kicked him out.”
“That’s amazing!” Andy yelled. I was just as excited as he was. “We need to celebrate!”
“I know! I’m just glad I was able to get a good amount of sleep for once. I feel so much better,” I replied.
“I’m glad. Come on, I’m going to make you a special breakfast.”
“Hey kiddo,” Brian greeted as Andy and I walked down the stairs.
“What’s going on?” I asked, more cheerful than I’ve been in a while.
“What happened to you?” He asked. “I haven’t seen you this peppy in a long time.”
“I got some sleep,” I cheerfully answered.
“Without anyone poking around in your head?” I didn’t blame him for being so surprised.
“I blocked him out.”
“Jen and I were going to go out to eat do you two want to join us?” Brian asked.
“Sounds good,” I answered.
“Yeah, we have to celebrate,” Andy said.
“What are we celebrating?” Jen asked as she entered the room.
“I finally got some sleep!” I answered excitedly.
“Plus the fact that we got rid of the traitors and we know what Lucifer is planning,” Andy added. “Why not celebrate the small wins?”
“Where are we going to eat?” I asked.
“I figured we could just explore and see what’s around,” Jen suggested.
“I like that idea.” I was excited to spend some time not worrying about everything. I wanted to be able to enjoy the moment and relax. “Oh! Can we go shopping? I could use some new clothes.”
“There’s the Aimee we know and love,” Andy laughed.
“She hasn’t looked in her closet yet?” Jen asked.
I started up the stairs. “No I went straight to bed when we got here.”
“The room we were in earlier is our room,” Andy called as I reached the top of the stairs.
I ran into the room and threw open the closet door. It was a huge walk in closet and I was wondering if it was supposed to be another bedroom. There were shelves filled with all sorts of shoes from flats to heels to flip flops, there were racks filled with dresses and blouses, skirts and pants. I was in fashion heaven. I realized there was no need to go shopping just yet and wondered who picked out the clothes for me. I pulled on a black pencil skirt and a white blouse with black polka dots. I looked at the wall of shoes and decided to wear a pair of bright red flats. I knew my hair was a mess but decided to just brush it and pull it into a low side ponytail. In a few short moments I was on my way.
“I guess you approve of your new wardrobe,” Brian teased.
“Yes I do,” I replied, very pleased with myself.
“Good because I picked it out,” Jen said.
“You know me so well,” I laughed while giving her a huge hug. “Where are we going first?”
“I figured we could go to New York,” Brian answered.
Jen and I stared at each other with eyes wide. It had always been a dream of ours to explore New York City. “Let’s go!” Jen and I exclaimed at the same time. We immediately walked out the door and into the car. We could hardly wait to visit the city we were dying to see most. The guys laughed as they got in the car.
“You two are beyond excited,” Brian teased.
“Of course we are!” I said.
“We’ve been dying to go to NYC since we were little,” Jen chimed in.
The car ride to New York was fun. We laughed and it seemed like everything was back to normal. I hoped I was right. I knew I was being impatient but it felt like the ride over took longer than it should have. When the city was finally in sight, Jen and I must have looked like little kids glued to the window. I looked in every direction, trying to fully appreciate the beautiful skyline. It was even better up close than I could have ever imagined.
“Aren’t they cute?” Andy teased.
“You’re just jealous,” Jen laughed.
“Of what? That you two have childlike qualities?” Brian chimed in.
“Yeah because you two act like old farts,” I added. Everyone burst out laughing. We all knew it was the beginning of a great and stress free day.
It took us a while to find a place to park which was expected. After we found a parking spot, we started walking aimlessly. Jen and I were looking every which way, in awe of the fact that we were finally in the city we’ve wanted to visit for so long. I was completely aware that we looked like stereotypical tourists and didn’t care the slightest bit.
I noticed down the street there was a crowd standing around and looking up at a building. The four of us wondered what was going on and stopped to look at what might have been worth staring up at the skyscraper. We saw high up on the ledge of the building stood a large group of people. I read the mind of one of the people up there and found out they were planning on jumping to their deaths.
“We have to keep these people from jumping.” I was so panicked that I was practically yelling.
“Do you think Lucifer has anything to do with this?” Andy asked.
“It’s a huge group of people trying to commit suicide, the exact thing Michael said to watch out for. Of course he’s behind this,” I replied.
“Right,” Andy said.
“How are we going to save them?” Jen asked. “There are too many people around here.”
“I think you’re
going to have to control them Aimee,” Brian suggested.
“There has to be another way,” I protested. “Controlling people causes them to black out, I don’t want to do that to them.”
“We don’t have any other choice, there are too many people around,” Jen pointed out.
“You need to make them go back inside before they jump, Aimee,” Andy said. “Once they jump, there’s nothing we can do without everyone out here seeing us.”
“Damn, you’re right,” I whispered.
I focused on making the entire group reenter the building and go on with their lives without ever thinking about committing suicide again. I hoped that last part would stick. In seconds, the mob went back inside the building. The crowd on the ground cheered as they witnessed the scene. I felt horrible about controlling innocent people but knew it had to be done in order to derail Lucifer’s plan to get the apocalypse started and not to mention, save their lives.
“Crisis averted,” Brian said. “Good job Aims.”
“I don’t think Lucifer is going to give up easily,” I pointed out. “He’s going to try something else; it’s just a matter of time.”
“Do you think this is just his attempt to lure you out?” Andy asked.
“How could he have known I would be here today?” I asked. “I think it was just his attempt to start the apocalypse. But now he knows I’m nearby, there’s no way he’s not going to try to lure me out.”
“We should probably get out of here then,” Brian said. “He’s got to be close.”
“I’m not running anymore,” I argued. “If he’s close, he’s probably going to keep trying to get people to kill themselves or each other. We have to stop him.” A feeling of dread shot through me. I realized he was closer than I thought. He may have been watching me and trying to figure out how to get me back. “Guys, he’s close.”
“Yeah, Aims, we already know that,” Brian said.
“No I mean he’s really close, I can feel his energy,” I clarified.
“Then we should leave…now.” I felt Andy’s level of fear rise.
“If we leave, he’ll succeed in killing a massive amount of people and starting the apocalypse,” Jen pointed out.
“Jen’s right,” Brian agreed. “We can’t let innocent people die.”
“Come on, he’s going this way,” I said as I followed Lucifer’s energy. I wasn’t sure where he was going but I hoped it wasn’t a trap. I made sure to stay far enough away so he couldn’t catch me, but I had a feeling he sensed my energy just as I sensed his.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Andy asked.
“It’s the only thing we can do right now,” I responded. “How else are we going to find out which group Lucifer is going to target next?”
“You’re right, I just don’t like putting you in danger,” Andy said.
“I know, but we knew this was going to be dangerous from the beginning,” I pointed out.
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Andy complained.
I continued following the devil’s energy through the streets of New York. I didn’t know where it was going to lead me, but I knew I had to keep following for the sake of anyone who might get caught in his crosshairs.
“Are you sure we’re going in the right direction?” Brian asked.
“Yeah, I can still feel his energy,” I answered. “It’s getting stronger so either we’re gaining on him or he stopped.”
“We can’t get too close to him,” Andy declared.
“I know, we’ll just get close enough to be able to see what he’s trying to do,” I said.
It wasn’t long before I heard screams of horror from a countless number of people down the block. We ran over to see what was going on and saw a mob of onlookers. I wondered if there was a way to find out what was going on in the center. I had a feeling whatever was going on was another attempt by Lucifer. I worked my way through the crowd as Andy, Brian and Jen followed close behind. Once we reached the front of the crowd, I saw the police barricade. They were surrounding a bank where a man held many hostages.
Andy squeezed my hand. “Aimee you have to do something.”
“I know,” I replied.
Without any hesitation, I focused on making the gunman stop what he was doing. I made him let the hostages go without doing any harm to them. I planted a thought in his mind. I had him go on living his life without ever wanting to hurt anyone again. I hoped it would hold. As I focused on these things, the door to the bank opened and out ran the hostages. A few police officers ran into the building and brought out the gunman. An expression of remorse for what he did read across his face.
“How long do you think this is going to go on for?” Jen asked.
“I don’t know, but we’re going to have to keep following Lucifer to make sure he doesn’t get what he wants,” I said.
“We can’t follow him forever,” Brian pointed out.
“I know, but what other choice do we have?” I asked. “We can’t let him start the apocalypse.”
“What if he has other people trying to get people to kill themselves or each other?” Andy asked. “We can’t stop them all.”
“Aimee, you’re the only one who has the ability to stop everyone from doing any damage.” Brian scratched the back of his head. That’s what he always did whenever he was uncomfortable.
“Alright, so what’s the plan?” I asked.
“I think we should talk to Michael and see what he wants us to do,” Andy suggested.
“I can tell you right now all he’s going to say is for us to stop Lucifer from causing any massive amounts of bloodshed. That’s what he told me before,” I assumed.
“I understand, but now that it’s happening he might want to change the plan,” Andy countered.
“If Lucifer succeeds in killing a lot of people, the apocalypse is going to start and he’s going to try harder than ever to get me to work with him. He won’t hold back.” I started to freak out at the thought of having to run again.
“What if Brian and I go talk to Michael and you two keep following Lucifer,” Jen suggested.
“That works for me,” I answered. “I don’t want to let Lucifer get his way on this.”
“Alright,” Andy sighed. “I guess I can get on board with this.” I knew he wasn’t happy with the plan but he wasn’t about to let me follow Lucifer on my own and he knew I wasn’t going to back down. “You guys take the car, I’m pretty sure we’ll be walking for a while.”
Jen gave me a hug before leaving. “Stay safe.”
Andy and I looked back at Brian and Jen as they walked away towards the car. I hoped they would find out something new. I hoped I wouldn’t have to run again. I sensed Lucifer’s energy again and starting walking towards him. I wasn’t sure how, but I was able to tell he was livid. He knew I was behind his hindered plans.
“Are you sure this isn’t a trap?” Andy asked.
“No, but we can’t risk him killing a lot of innocent people,” I replied.
“What if he captures you?”
“We’ll fight and even if he does take me back to wherever he’s staying now, there’s no way he’s ever going to get me to do anything.”
“This is a bad idea. Maybe we should go catch up with Brian and Jen.”
“No, we can’t let him win.” I understood he was scared of putting me in danger, but it meant he was willing to put so many people in harm’s way and that went against our mission as star children.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I just can’t stand the thought of anything bad happening to you again.”
“I know, but we can’t let bad things happen to the very people we’re here to protect. We have to help them Andy, even if that means putting me in danger.”
“Okay, let’s keep going,” he said. “Why can you sense his energy but no one else can?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because I was stuck with him for a while or maybe it has something to do with the fact that we share DNA.”
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“That makes sense.”
We continued following Lucifer’s energy and I had a feeling something really bad was going to happen. The energy got intense and I knew he was close. I stopped in my tracks and looked around to see where he was hiding.
“He’s close. Keep an eye out for him,” I said while looking all over.
“How can you tell?”
“The same way you can tell when I’m close.”
“Oh, that makes sense,” he replied. “So what do we do now?”
“We find him and follow him while making sure we’re not seen.”
We looked everywhere for any sign of Lucifer’s presence. He must have been well hidden because neither of us saw him anywhere. I didn’t want to get any closer and risk being seen but I figured that was part of his plan. I was going to have to play into it if I wanted to stop him.
“I don’t see him anywhere, do you?” Andy asked.
“No, we’re going to have to get closer,” I answered.
“You don’t want to do that do you?”
“No, I think he wants me to get closer to him.”
“We can’t give him what he wants.” Andy started to panic.
“Calm down,” I said while wrapping my arms around him. “No matter what happens…Lucifer is not going to win in the end. We’ll just get a little closer so we can see him and once we have eyes on him, we’ll keep our distance.”
“Alright, but we stay together.”
“I never suggested splitting up, only that we get close enough to see him.” I followed his energy and it got more and more intense with each step. I’ve never felt this amount of energy before, not even when in direct contact with Andy. I wondered if it was because he was the devil and if it was his way of keeping unwanted people from getting too close to him. Eventually I saw him and he locked eyes with me. “Crap, he saw me.”
“What do we do?” Andy asked. He was so worried about what might happen to me that he wasn’t thinking clearly. I felt like the roles had been reversed. I had gone from the one who didn’t know what to do to the one who called the shots and he went from the one calling all the shots to the clueless one. It was a strange turn of events, but I couldn’t let that delay what had to be done.