Chapter 29
The idea-
Peggy was in good spirits, and we found ourselves out on the reservoir. This time she didn’t wait for her hour of silent time before she talked.
“What a week this has been. Our fortunes are looking good. I can’t explain everything that has happened. It is as if there is some magical being in our home.”
I wouldn’t look at her. I wondered if she was trying to get me to give myself away. I put the fat worm on my hook as its goo squirted under my nails.
Peggy said, “I mean, on Monday, the house was mysteriously cleaned and fixed while we went to Busy Bee. The whole church must have been involved with that, because, that was a month’s worth of work done in a short hour or two. And then there was the TV crew coming to our house and putting me on TV. And then tonight, the pizzas. How does one explain the pizzas? I know I didn’t accidently make four extra pizzas, and even if I had, they all wouldn’t have fit into the oven like they did.”
I cast my line out.
“I sure am going to miss you when you go away,” she said. I didn’t know if I believed her, because she had already withdrew herself from my life once. I wasn’t ready to let her sweet talk her way into my heart again, but then she did something I wasn’t expecting. She reached over and gave me a big hug. Her face was wet with tears.
“Thanks for coming to live with us, even if it was for a short time.”
…
The next morning, I awoke with a strange vibration in my head. It radiated down my jaw bone and into my teeth. It was driving me crazy. I shook my head and ran around the house, trying to get it to stop. When it kept going, I dunked my head in the tub. I tried everything I could, but I couldn’t get it to stop.
Later, Peggy took us to the store in Brigham City to pick out school supplies. I could hardly focus on what I needed since the vibration was still going so strong in my head. It seemed to start in my skull and travel through all my bones. It was driving me crazy. I tried to ignore it while I was looking at folders with Angela. As I did, I could hear a conversation on the other side of the isle. It was between a man and a woman. Their voices were very familiar. As I listened, I suddenly realized they had been speaking in Russian the whole time, and I had understood everything they were saying, what was more, I realized I recognized their voices!
Since my liberation, I hadn’t had too many sure moments in my life, but I was sure beyond a shadow of a doubt the voices I heard belonged to Vyacheslav and Nadezhda; my Russian captures. Hearing them scared me. I thought they had been taken to jail. What were they doing here? In Brigham? I was tempted to peak around the isle and look at them, but I didn’t want them to see me. They would recognize me before I would recognize them. In a panic, I ran from the aisle, leaving Angela behind.
“Where are you going, Alora?” she called rather loudly behind me.
“Shhh,” I said as I left the isle. I madly searched the store for Peggy. It took a long time to locate her. It wasn’t hard running into one of the Sanibels because they seemed to be one of them in every aisle, since there was thirteen of us there, but for the life of me, it felt like I would never located Peggy. Finally after a desperate search, I found her in the cheese section.
“We need to go!” I said out of breath.
“Mercy me, Alora, slow down. What is going on?”
“They are here,” I said panting out of breath.
“Who is here?” she said half listening to me.
“The Russians,” I said back.
“That’s nice,” she said as she read the label on the cheese.
“You don’t understand. These are the people who kept me in the cement room.”
I had her attention. She dropped the cheese on the shelf and looked at me, her eyes filling with concern.
“Alora, the Russians who hurt you were put in jail.”
“Maybe they were, but I guarantee they are here in this store, right now.”
“Did you see them?” she asked. She looked frightened.
“No.”
“Then how do you know they are here?”
“Because I heard them.”
Peggy’s face relaxed. “Honey, you probably heard someone speaking Russian and assumed it was them.”
“No,” I said strongly. “I heard them, and I know it was them. There is no mistake. It was them.”
Peggy looked worried again. “What should we do, Alora?”
“We need to get out of here,” I replied.
Peggy looked at her cart. It was overflowing. “I can’t leave all these things. There is no way I am coming back tonight or Monday. No way, this shopping trip has already stolen an hour of my time.”
“Well, I must go.” My heart was pounding. The Russians could be anywhere in the store. It didn’t help I had no idea what they looked like.
Peggy opened her mammoth purse and sorted through all her belongings. She seemed to take forever at her task. I was ready to run all the way back to Mantua if she didn’t hurry. “Now where are those keys,” she said.
“Will you hurry?” I desperately asked.
“Yes, yes, of course,” she said as she continued to look for her keys. She didn’t act at all like my life was at stake. I couldn’t wait for her. Without saying anything, I ran to the exit.
“Hey Alora!” she called after me. Could she have said it any louder?
I carefully made my way through the store, trying to avoid any couple who was together. Once outside, I ran to the van. I looked around the parking lot to make sure there was no couple in sight. There were only families and teens. I looked at the van and sent my Zen into it and undid the lock. I liked doing that. Again, I looked around then ducked inside the vehicle. I locked the door and lay on the bottom of the van.
Peggy wasn’t true to her word, because she was in the store for another hour. Didn’t she care about my safety? When she and the kids finally returned, they banged on the door of the van.
“Alora, let us in,” they screamed. What where they doing? If the Russian couple was around, then they would hear them. I quickly sat up and unlocked the doors. The family came pouring in with all their loudness. Peggy was left alone to load all the groceries and school supplies into the back of the van. I would have hopped out to help her, but I didn’t want to be seen, so I stayed low to the ground while the bags of merchandise piled around me. Soon everyone was in, and we drove back home.
I didn’t sleep in the shed, but on the floor of my old bedroom. I had a hard time sleeping, for I was sure the Russians had followed us home. Also, the vibration in my head made it hard to sleep.
The next day at church, I was taken aback by the celebrity status I had gained. Everyone came up and congratulated me on being on the news. It was so weird.
I tried to dismiss my fear about the Russians as I slept back in the shed. The vibration in my head never stopped. I had eventually fallen asleep when I was awoken to the mad barking of Taz. He was going crazy, trying to get out of the shed. It was past midnight and, I was in a daze, so I opened the shed door and Taz went barreling out. He ran to the door of the house and clawed and barked at it. It was evident he wanted to get into the house. I wondered if everyone was alright. Maybe there was a fire inside. I had heard a story at school how a dog had saved a family from a fire. I ran to the door to let Taz in. As I reached the door, I noticed a car parked to the side of the house. My heart stopped beating. Was there someone in the house? Suddenly clarity hit me as I thought about the Russian’s from the store. They must have been the reason Taz was barking.
I slowly crawled under the windows and stole glances inside. When I got to the family room window, I could see the family gathered in the room with a couple I didn’t know. They must have been the Russians. The Russians were in my home!
I almost became paralyzed by fear. I had no idea what to do. My logical mind seemed to shut down on me. What should
I do? I could hear Taz tearing at the door, still wanting to be let in. I went over to the side door and let Taz in. I did not follow. If nothing else, maybe he would attack the intruders. I was so scared. Part of me wanted to run and disappear, the other part wanted to go inside and save my family. I knew going in to save them was foolish, for there was nothing I could do.
Looking around the yard for a place to hide, I couldn’t find anything adequate. Finally, I ducked into a bush. That’s when I heard a gunshot go off. My heart felt like it was going to rip out of my chest. I was sick. Who had they shot? Why would they shoot anyone? I no longer felt safe in the bush. I had to get out of there. I looked around for a better hiding spot. At first, I thought about taking cover in the van, but surely they would look in there. I almost decided I would take off in the van, but then I thought against it. What if the Sanibels needed to escape? I didn’t want to take their only vehicle large enough to transport all of them in. Finally, I decided to take the Russians’ car.
I ran to the car and found it locked. I reached my Zen in and unlocked the doors. Once inside, I sat in the driver’s seat, and with my Zen, turned the engine on. I put the gear shift into drive like I had seen Peggy do. The car shot forward, and I found I had no control over it. Peggy had made driving look so easy, but it raced ahead and I couldn’t steady or stop it. The tires skidded as I tried to use the breaks, but since the seat was so far back, I couldn’t really touch the breaks. The car jerked up the street until it crashed it into a tree.
With smoke everywhere, I jumped out of the car, leaving it behind. I ran down the street until I got to the campground. I tried to hide besides someone’s tent, but they had a dog inside and it barked at my presence. In fear, I ran out of the camp ground. I was so scared I didn’t know what to do, or where to go.
I thought about flying to my castle-cave, but the night was pretty chilly, and I wasn’t sure if I had it in me, because I was so frightened. I didn’t want the Russians to get me and put me in a medical coma again. What if they put me in one, and I lost all of my knowledge I had been gaining and never got it back? I didn’t want to lose my memories of the Sanibels and Mantua. There was no way I was going to let them catch me!
I finally decided to fly over to Mandy’s house. It was so dark I wasn’t worried about anyone seeing me fly. It was really late when I got there, and I was scared to wake her. I crawled onto her trampoline and waited the rest of the night out on it.
I must have fallen asleep after the sun had risen, because I woke up to Mandy standing over me. The vibration in my head kept going.
“Alora, what are you doing on my tramp? Does Peggy know you are here?”
“The Russians came to my house last night,” I said. “They broke into it and shot someone. I don’t know who, but I heard the gunshot.”
“What are you talking about?” Mandy asked. She was still in her pajamas. The sun shone bright. I wondered what time it was. My clothes were slightly damp from the dew.
“The Russians, the ones who had kept me in the cement room. They found me and broke into our house last night.”
“I thought they were in jail,” Mandy sounded just like Peggy.
“Obviously, they are not,” I said.
“Have you called the police?” Mandy asked. Her hands flew over her mouth as her eyes looked worried. Her aura was teal while mine was ice-blue.
“No, I didn’t know what to do, so I came here.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Mandy asked. “How long have you been here?”
“Because I was afraid it was too late to knock on your door.”
“That is foolish. You are welcome to knock on my door any hour of the night, especially if there is an emergency.”
Mandy ran to her phone and called 911.
“Yes, this is Mandy Heart, and I have Alora Funk here with me…Yes, the one who was on the news…yes, that is her. She said her home was broken into last night, and the Russians had been keeping her in a cement room had broken in and hurt her family….. No, I don’t think so, let me ask her. Alora, are you hurt?” I shook my head no. “No, she isn’t. But you need to send someone over to her house right away.”
…
Mandy called Child Protective Services and they came and picked me up. They drove me back to their office where I was put in the stale conference room which I despised. I was in there for most of the day. They brought in toys and teddy bears to appease me, and some lady sat with me the whole time, asking me a ton of questions. I was so tired. At some point, I fell asleep. When I woke up, my neck was stiff. The only nice thing, was the vibration in my head had stopped.
Finally, Mr. Cox came into the room.
“Well, Alora, that was pretty scary. We figured the Russians found you by your news program. No one had told us they had escaped jail last week. That would have been good to know.”
“Oh, how stupid of me,” I said. Why had I gone on the news?
“We need to get you some place safe. We can put you in the crisis nursery for a week or two while we find a good placement for you. We are thinking about sending you out of state.”
Crisis Nursery! That was the last place I wanted to go. It had been a great place for me at first, but I felt I was too old to return there, besides, I was going to Harvard. “I will be going to Harvard next week. That is out of state.”
“We are afraid to send you there, because the Russians will know exactly where to find you. You won’t be closely watched at Harvard and it wouldn’t be hard for them to apprehend you.”
I had a hard time comprehending what was being said. Who were these Russians? Why weren’t they in jail? Why did they want me? Who were they working for? Why must my life be stopped because of them? It was all too overwhelming. “What are you saying? I can’t go to Harvard?” I desperately asked.
“At least not until the Russians are back behind bars.”
“Did the police not catch them after we called 911?”
“No, by the time they got there, the Russians were long gone.”
“Did they kill my family?” It was a hard question to ask. I feared what his answer would be.
“No.”
“Well, who did they shoot?”
“They shot the dog.”
“Taz!” I screamed as my hands went across my mouth, and I cried.
“Don’t worry. They said it only hit his left hind leg. He didn’t die.”
I was relieved to hear no one was killed, and Taz was going to be alright.
“I really want to go to Harvard, because they are going to let me earn a Doctorate,” I said. I didn’t think it was fair the Russian’s could stop me from going.
“If they were going to give it to you once, then they will give it to you again.”
I put my head in my hands and sobbed. Every locked-up emotion poured out of me. My body began shaking to my sorrow. Dread and darkness filled my soul. My aura was grey.
I wanted to go to Harvard, and I didn’t. I did want to feel safe. I didn’t want to feel like I was being chased. Why couldn’t the Russians leave me alone?
When I had slowed down, I turned to Mr. Cox. “I don’t want to go back to the crisis nursery. I want to go home to the Sanibels.”
“It is no longer safe for you or them to have you there.”
I put my hands over my face and kept crying. After a few minutes, I sat up again. “Can I go back to the Petersons?”
“Alora, it would be best to place you out of state at this time.”
“Okay, I understand, but can I go there at least until you find me an out of state home? I really don’t want to go back to the crisis nursery.”
“I will see,” Mr. Cox said as he left me.
When he returned, he had a faint smile on his face. “It looks like you can stay with the Petersons until we can place you out of state. But, you must stay low. You can’t go to the store, you can’t go to the park
, and you can’t go to church. Since you now have been on the news a couple of times, people will know your face. You must stay low.”
“Okay.”
…
During the night, I laid in the Petersons’ bedroom and bawled, deep depression spreading through me. I felt completely confused and lost, desperately wanting to be back with the Sanibels. I was glad for Harvard, because I knew I had a very rare opportunity there, but truthfully, I didn’t want it. I just hated the problem with the Russian’s dictating I couldn’t go there. Besides, Harvard was going to force me to grow up way too soon. I just wanted to be a kid, to be like all the other kids I watched in school play together and have a good time. I didn’t want to go to school with a bunch of adults. I wasn’t ready for the massive time-restrictions Harvard would place on me. I wasn’t sure if they would force me into another agenda, or if that was for summer camp. I wanted to be one of the twelve kids at the Sanibel’s, without responsibilities or worries. It wasn’t fair the Russians were taking that from me. Why couldn’t the police throw them back in jail? Then, I could live my life the way I wanted to.
I stayed at the Peterson’s for three weeks. It was the first week in September when Child Protective Services said they had found a placement for me. They apologized it was still going to take two more weeks to secure it. But, they promised I would be very safe.
My time with the Petersons was agonizingly slow and painful. Since I couldn’t go anywhere, I sat inside all day. The Petersons would play card games and board games with me, but that got dull early on. One could only play so many card games. When I had gotten there, they had several stacks of teen books from the library for me. I tried to read a few of them, but they didn’t hold my interest for very long. They were mushy, and I didn’t care for them. I eventually asked if they could pick me up some textbooks. I spent the rest of my time there making mental references to everything I read. The vibration in my head had returned.
…
During the night on September third, I was awoken by an energy field. It was the Russians’ energy field. Back at the Sanibels’, I had become acquainted with the Russian’s pattern of energy, the way it vibrated as I had watched them in the home. Once I knew it, I recognized I knew it well. All energy frequencies were unique. It was very familiar to me. On the third, I could feel them outside the Peterson’s house. I could tell they were at the front door. I panicked. As I look back, I realized I should have used my Zen to reach out to a phone and call 911. But, I didn’t think about it at the time. I was in almost in shock, and I couldn’t think. I knew they would have a gun. So, instead of seeking help, I climbed out of the window and ran off leaving the Peterson’s to fend for their selves. It was a coward thing to do.
The Peterson’s didn’t live too far from my friend London. Keeping to the shadows, I made my way by foot to her house. Remembering Mandy’s advice about walking in during an emergency, I thought London might feel the same, so I tried London’s front door. It was locked. I used my Zen, opening it up and went inside. When I stood in her parlor, I shook. I was so scared to be there. I didn’t dare wake her up. I went to the couch and fell asleep. In the morning, Mr. Bridges found me.
“Get out of my house!” he yelled as he threw a pillow at me. “Did you steal anything?” His aura was icy blue.
I sat up. He obviously had no idea who I was.
“Is London here?” I asked as I dodged another pillow. His face softened when he realized I wasn’t some random teen robbing his house. I somehow had connections to London.
“Oh, you want Sister Bridges?” he asked. His demeanor softened.
“Yes.”
“And you are?”
“Alora Funk.”
His face flashed white. “Oh, you are Alora. Forgive me for throwing pillows at you. I thought you had broken in-and while robbing our house- you fell asleep.”
“LONDON!” he called out. He left the parlor.
London came dragging into the parlor. She had a robe on and her hair pinned up. Her eyes were barely open to slits. When she saw me, they flew open. I couldn’t believe how much she looked like Peggy. I wondered why I hadn’t seen it in the beginning.
“Alora, what are you doing here?”
“They found me again.”
“Again? I thought Child Protective Services had placed you out of state.”
“They were making preparations to do so, but I hadn’t quite made it there. I was staying with the Peterson’s, but then they found me last night.”
“Did they hurt any of you?”
“I don’t know. I climbed out of the window.”
“Well at least you got away.”
I cried and London wrapped me in her arms. Her embrace felt like Peggy’s.
“I don’t want to go back to Child Protective Services,” I said. “I hate it there.”
“I know sweetie, I know.”
“Why can’t I live here?” I asked.
“You already know why.”
“That is a stupid reason,” I replied.
“Nonetheless, it’s the law.”
She held me. “What are we going to do with you?”
“I don’t know, but I do know they keep finding me. I know how they found me at the Sanibels, because I did the stupid TV interview. But, how did they find me at the Petersons?”
“There must be a breach at Child Protective Services. That makes me wonder if it is safe to give you back to them. I would hate for them to place you in another home, only to have the Russians come and get you again because someone in there is giving them information,” London said.
“I know where I can go where they will never find me again,” I said.
“Where is that?”
“A cave.”
“Alora, don’t be ridiculous.”
“No, I am serious.”
“So am I. You can’t live in a cave.”
“Sure I can.”
“How will you eat?” she asked.
“I can make food.”
“How will you stay warm when winter hits?”
“Easy. I will make fire.”
“Alora, you are dreaming.”
“Can I trust you, London?”
“You know you can.”
“I mean really, really trust you. Would you sell me to science?”
“You can trust me, and no, I wouldn’t sell you to anything,” she said as she gave me another hug.
“I think I know why the Russians are after me.”
“Why.”
I picked up one of her pillows. “You see this pillow,” I said holding it up in my hands.
“Yes,” she said.
I levitated the pillow over to her. London’s mouth dropped open.
“What is going on Alora?” she weakly said behind her white face. “I don’t like black magic in my home.”
“This isn’t black magic. Why, this isn’t magic at all. Its science being applied at a level previously not thought possible.”
“How is that science?” she asked as I lowered the pillow into her hands. She seemed frightened of the pillow, and she tossed it to the floor as if it was a serpent wanting to bite her.
“I can connect to energy and manipulate objects and even better.” I took the pillow with my Zen, putting it back in her hand. I rearranged its molecular structure and added elements to it, until London was left holding a loaf of bread. The pillow had turned into bread before her eyes, in her very hands. She screamed and dropped the bread onto the ground.
“That is black magic,” she said as she backed away from the bread.
“No, it is science. It is actually very simple. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Well I can see why the Russians want you,” she said, still slowly backing away. She looked afraid of me. “Did they teach you that?” she asked. She was so nervous. I regretted sharing my secret with her.
“Alora, it is not s
afe to keep you here. If Child Protective Services knows we are friends. What are we going to do?”
“Take me to the cave,” I said.
“Why would you want to live in a cave?” Mr. Bridges asked.
“Because, no one will find me there,” I replied.
“There is a mole at Child Protective Services. The Russians keep just finding her and breaking into her house,” London said as she scratched her nose. “These are houses that CPS place her in. How else would they know where she was at? If we send her back to CPS, then we are just sending her to her death.”
“How about staying at my nephews for a while? He lives in Idaho. I could drive you there. No one would think to look there.” Mr. Bridges said.
“If you snuck a child out of state, wouldn’t it compromise your spot on the force? Besides, she can’t stay with him. That is just a bad idea,” London said.
“He would be a better placement than your sister was,” Mr. Bridges retorted.
“Did you forget what happened in two thousand and eight?”
“Oh, good point. I had forgotten about two thousand and eight. I guess he isn’t a good place for her,” Mr. Bridges looked at his watch. “Oh crap, I am going to be late. I trust you two ladies can figure things out,” he excused himself and left the parlor.
“What happened in two thousand and eight?” I asked.
London looked at me. “It is something I don’t wish to discuss.” She looked at her wall and pondered, “I don’t know what we are going to do with you,” she said.
“Please, give me a chance, take me to the cave.”
“What will you do there?”
“I don’t know, but I can take care of myself.”
It was as at that moment she remembered what I had done to her pillow, for her eyes widened. “Oh yeah. You probably can.”
…
After much begging, London drove me through Logan Canyon and parked at the trail to my cave. She was worried about leaving her car there, so she didn’t want to follow me.
“Come up for a minute,” I said, inviting her to the cave.
She looked up at the steep mountain face. “Alora, I am a big woman. There is no way I can climb up that thing, and neither should you. It doesn’t look safe. This was a bad idea bringing you here. I don’t know why I listened to you.”
“Trust me,” I said. I worked at climbing up the side of the mountain. London was right behind me, but she couldn’t even make it over the first rock. I knew she was going to need some help. I waited until all the cars passed, then I took my Zen and lifted her up in a flying position.
“ALORA WHAT ARE YOU DOING? This is not safe. AAHHHHHHAHHH!” she screamed.
“You are going to be fine,” I said as I flew to her side.
“How are you doing that?” she yelled as we flew up the side of the mountain.
“It is no different than levitating the pillow.”
“What if you drop me?”
“I won’t.”
…
London stayed two nights with me at the cave. I think she was scared to leave a child there all alone. Despite Dr. Moody’s warning, I shared in detail with London my time at Harvard and all I had learned. She saw my cave-furniture, and I told her how I had made it. I created all our dinners. By the third day, I had convinced her I could care for myself.
“Alora, I had a thought,” she said as she was getting ready to leave.
“What is it?” I asked.
“If you are so in-tune with your mind, why don’t you search through it until you find your file.”
“What do you mean, my file?”
“You know, why don’t you figure out who you are? If you can recall all the maps you have ever seen and retain every scrap of learning material, then why can’t you open your mind and review your life; discover who you are? It is in there just like everything else.”
I had spent countless hours trying to discover who I was with my logical mind, but I had never tried using my intellectual mind to open up the secrets of my past. If I could use my Zen to solve complex tests, elevate a large woman, and change matter around with my intellectual mind, surely I could open up lost memories.
…
London had to leave that night. She said she had responsibilities, but she would come and visit me in a day. She really hated to leave me, but I promised her I would be alright. I flew her back to her car.
Once she left, I sat on my rock bed in the cave. Her words echoed in my mind. She was right. If I could control matter, and energy, and I could recall everything I had learned, then why couldn’t I look into my mind and remember who I was?
I went outside and sat on the ground with my legs crossed together. A strong wind blew and it was rather cold outside. The smell of damp dirt and wood carried over to me. I could hear a squirrel gnawing on some bark. I shook from the cold. I used my Zen to create a field around me where the wind could not reach me and distract me. I heated all of my extremities up. An owl hooted in the background. I closed my eyes, and switched into my intellectual mind. I had waited long enough. It was time to open the secret chambers of my mind, and discover Alora Funk!
About the Author
Stephanie Daich loves life, family; learning, dancing, skating, imagining, hiking, camping, fishing, swimming, cannoning, playing music, listening to music, and Writing!!!!!
Other Books written by Stephanie Daich
Amongst the Dragons series:
A Rose Amongst the Dragons I
A Tyrant Amongst the Kingdoms II
A Vigilante Amongst the Foe III
Asp
Alora Funk- The Deliverance: Book 1 Page 30