“I got it, Mommy!”
Amanda sat back down and smiled at her daughter, “I see that! Thank you.” She was starting to think these new powers could make life very lazy or convenient after a long and tiring day at work.
She had been so excited about the prospect of getting a job she had not truly processed the idea she would now be working in Tuala. She had never had a real job working with other people on Earth. Every tie she made to this world would be one more thing which would keep her from returning to her parents. The thought disturbed her since she knew they would continuously be worried about her. There had to be some way she could get word to them to ease their fears and distress. It was really unfair to keep them guessing as to what was going on in her life. Amanda added this new item to her list of things to talk to Rasa about when they finally met.
Once again she looked at her timepiece, calculating approximately another half an hour before she would have to leave the house. Gathering up the empty plates she walked slowly to the kitchen deep in thought. Without concentrating on the task at hand she washed the plates, dried them off, and placed them in the cupboard. She turned around to go into the living room and stood in stunned silence as she heard Juila having a conversation seemingly with herself.
Rushing into the living room Amanda kneeled beside Juila and asked quietly, “Juila, are you talking with Jena?”
Juila stopped talking, refocusing her eyes on her mother before she replied in an earnest tone, “Yes.”
“Can you ask her what the woman’s name is who you see with her all the time?”
Juila nodded and did as requested. A moment later she answered, “She says her name is Mommy.”
Amanda felt her heart sink. Obviously, Jena would know her as Mommy and nothing else. She would not expect Juila to call her by her given name so why would Jena? Another idea struck her, “What does she call the boy who glares at her?”
A moment later Juila finally had an answer, “She said his name is Willian.”
Finally, an answer which might be helpful! Another thought occurred to her, and she asked, “What does her daddy call her mommy?”
“Honey,” Juila answered with a smile. “That’s a funny name, isn’t it, Mommy?”
“It’s a nickname but, yes, it is silly. Thank you for asking Jena all those questions for me. Tell her I said hello and I miss her.”
Juila returned to her conversation with Jena and Amanda could do nothing more than listen to Juila’s end of the exchange. Naturally, their talk was mostly about kid activities and problems which tended to be nothing major. The talk did not last very long for which Amanda was grateful since they were now going to have to hurry to get to the meeting with Rasa.
While Juila had been conversing with her sister, Amanda had taken the opportunity to send a message to Bryon to let him know she had gotten the job. She asked him to thank Captain Ahn for the letter as it had been instrumental in the success of the interview. Amanda stood up, held out her hand to Juila, and asked, “Are you ready to go meet your cousin?”
Juila nodded her head enthusiastically as she took hold of her mother’s hand.
Heading toward the marketplace, Amanda opted for Juila to walk on her own as she was too heavy to carry in the sultry, motionless heat outside. Moving at a slightly faster pace than sauntering, mother and daughter entered the south end of the marketplace and worked their way through the vendor stalls until they reached the designated rendezvous point. Amanda stopped and looked around expectantly, worrying slightly that something prevented Rasa from coming when she saw the same woman’s face she had seen on the patil waving at her from a bench near a cluster of trees behind the booth.
Amanda maneuvered around the stall and smiled at this cousin whom she had never personally met. She saw Rasa’s expression change to one of astonishment when she saw Juila and the resemblance to herself at the same age. It was the exact same look both Barla and Ahn had shown when they had first seen her as well. Her smile widened and asked, “It’s kind of spooky, isn’t it?”
“I guess! If I needed any further proof, I just got it! It’s just amazing you found my mother! What are the chances you would both come here?” Rasa stood up from the bench and came forward to give Amanda a hug of welcome into the family and noticed they were almost exactly the same height. She had always wanted a relative near her own age, but never thought it was possible since Ahn was an only child and her mother’s family was on Earth. Amanda was the answer to all of her childhood wishes.
“I’m sorry we’re a little bit late. Juila was having a conversation with Jena, and I didn’t want to interrupt them. It was the first time I’ve witnessed them talking.”
“It’s okay; I just got here myself. That’s actually a good sign they are still connected. It might make our task a little bit easier.”
“I’ve been practicing different skills with my crystal with the hope you’d be able to teach me something more advanced to re-link with Jena. Have you thought of something which might work?”
“I’m still working on it, but I’m even more amazed at the fact your own crystal was given by Jehoban Himself. I’m thinking there was more to my assignment of coming here than just learning how to become a wise-woman; I’m certain Jehoban wants me to get to know you and help in finding Jena.”
“It’s what I’ve been praying for as well!” Amanda settled herself more comfortably on the bench before she lifted Juila into her lap and wrapped her arms around her.
“Tell me what you know, and I’ll see what I can do to help further.”
Amanda spent the next twenty minutes going over all of the facts of Jena’s disappearance, also sharing how all of their leads had turned into dead ends. Then she told her about how they had discovered Juila could use her skills because someone was teaching them to Jena even though she was still very young for the training.
Rasa seemed most surprised by this last statement since the training Amanda had spoken of was more advanced than normal parents taught their children. She was starting to get an idea about the people who had Jena, thinking they were probably higher up in society and either had access to the best tutors or were instructors themselves. This complication had her deciding to keep her thoughts to herself until she could verify a few more things.
Tapping her fingertips against lips, Rasa suddenly spoke, “It’s a lot to take in all at once. I’m going to have to go over everything again in my mind to decide which avenue we might take to locate Jena. For right now I’d like to hold Juila if nobody minds.”
Juila had been staring at Rasa and was anxious to get to talk with her, so she held out her arms to be taken. Both Amanda and Rasa laughed at the precocious child’s actions.
“I guess we both have our answer on that count. I don’t mind, either, if it makes any difference!” Amanda laughed as she lifted Juila onto Rasa’s lap.
Rasa leaned forward and whispered in Juila’s ear, “You look exactly like me when I was your age. We’re going to have fun getting to know one another. Someday soon you’re going to have to show me what you’ve learned from Jena. I’m sure it’s been really fun getting to know how to use your powers. Please don’t show anyone outside of the family what you’ve learned or it could get your mommy in trouble, okay?”
“Alena was showing me some new things. Is it okay to show her what I know?” Juila was concerned she may have done something wrong and did not want to disappoint Rasa.
“No, no Alena is fine too. She’s almost like family since you’ve known her your entire life. Just keep it between you and the people you’ve always known, okay?”
Juila smiled really wide since it was what she had already done. She was happy she could keep practicing the new skills because they were a lot of fun. Unfortunately, she would not be able to show her new friends at the daycare, but it was still okay. Besides, she always had her connection with Jena which was the most important.
Juila did not understand that while Rasa had been talking to her, she had al
so been probing her mind for the mental bond with her sister. She had seen Jena in her room sleeping and knew the tie was not only real, but it was strong as well. This was an important factor in re-establishing the link between Amanda and Jena. The child was not lost to the family; however, the link had been severed for some reason.
Rasa gave Juila a light squeeze with her arms wrapped around her and said, “I hate to end this meeting, but I really do have to get back to the dorms and study for tomorrow’s class. I’ll call again when I get the chance so we can set up another meeting, hopefully soon.”
“Oh, about that…I got a job today which starts tomorrow.”
“Really? That’s great! Where at?”
“The Telepod Engineering Company.”
“Wow, how fantastic. I’ve always heard it’s a great place to work. Okay, well I’ll have to call after five or I’ll leave a message knowing I won’t hear back until after work lets out. It’s actually a relief since I’m so crazy busy with these classes; you can’t imagine the piles of books we need to memorize! I was afraid you would be sitting around waiting for me to call. I felt so guilty about not having enough time to devote to this cause.”
“Oh, Rasa, don’t worry about me. I know you’ll do everything possible to help with Jena. I also understand you have your own commitments to take care of as well. We’ll do everything we can to find Jena. At least I know she’s well taken care of in her new home. It’s a relief she’s not still with Petre. I just wish we could find him. He’d certainly be able to answer a lot of unanswered questions about where Jena might be.”
“I hate to say this, but it might be better if you don’t find Petre. What if he found out about Juila? He might start making trouble all over again and then what would happen?”
Amanda just stared at Rasa knowing what she had just said was more than true. She shivered at the idea of Petre wanting shared custody of Juila. The man was so deceptive; he would not think twice about stealing Juila away as he had done with Jena. Amanda looked down at her daughter in Rasa’s lap and just could not imagine her life without this precious little soul in it. “You may be right, Rasa. I’ll have to talk this over with Bryon and Alena and see how they think we should proceed.”
“That’s a good idea. Well, it’s probably good you’ve moved to Durseni and started a life here. Do you anticipate staying once we find Jena or will you be going home?”
“I don’t really know. Shemalla had pointed out their dark crystal assignments might be because I would try to take them home and put them in danger. I’m really torn between going or staying. My family still doesn’t know what’s happened to me and I hate the idea of putting my mom through the torture of the unknown like she already went through with Barla. It’s just not fair. Can you think of any way I can get a message to my parents to let them know I’m safe?”
“I believe the danger of going through the veil would be lessened if you used a sanctioned Gate. I’ll have to think about the best possibility for communicating with your parents. I don’t want to put Shemalla in any danger, but there might be another way. Have you heard of distance communication?”
Amanda nodded since she had just read about the skill on the list Alena had put together to test them against.
“I might be able to send them a message, but I’ve never tried it at the distance we’re talking about. It might be possible. Let me work on it okay? Go ahead and write up what you want them to know and instant message it to me once you’ve got it done. If I can get it to work, I’ll send it right away.”
Amanda leaned forward and hugged Rasa with happy relief. “This would mean so much to me. I’ve worried every day about my mom. She really didn’t want me to make this trip because she was afraid of losing me again. Now she can know I’m okay! Oh, I’m so excited! Thank you!”
“Don’t get too eager, Amanda. I said I would try; I didn’t say it would work.”
“I believe in you, Rasa. You will make this work; I just know it!”
Rasa just shook her head and smiled at her cousin’s blind faith. Amanda would hardly know how nearly impossible the task was she was asking. Jehoban had seen something in her skills, and she had always tried to please Him, maybe if it could be done, then she would be the one to make it happen. Anything was possible especially if Jehoban wanted it to happen.
She stood up and returned Juila to the now standing Amanda. “I really do have to get going. Thanks for meeting with me. It’s exciting to finally have a relative near my own age. I want us to get to know one another really well, especially if you’re planning on heading home soon. I don’t want to miss out on anything!”
Amanda rushed forward and hugged Rasa. “I’m really happy, too. I felt a connection between us from the moment I saw your picture in Barla’s hallway. I didn’t know then we were family, yet I still felt the association. I’ll send the message for my parents tonight if I have to burn the midnight oil to put it together!”
“Don’t stay up too late, you have work first thing in the morning,” Rasa admonished playfully even as she thought Amanda’s expression was strange. She had to imagine it must be a common term on Earth; something she would have known about had her own mother remained on Earth and raised her there.
“Yes, mother! I’ll be a good girl. Hopefully, we can talk again tomorrow evening. Have a good night.”
“You too. See you tomorrow!”
They parted ways and walked back through the marketplace to return to their separate houses. Thoughts were whirling about what would happen next. Everything depended upon Rasa’s skill and Amanda’s ability to execute any directions. A lot or nothing could happen in a very short time, but neither wanted to think on the latter possibility. This was going to have to work!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everyone who had a grudge against Elder Debbon or his wife had gathered at Rualin’s request. He still was not sure why exactly he was doing this favor for Petre. He just felt an overwhelming desire to get it done. He cleared his throat, and every eye turned to him, and the last of the conversations stopped so they could hear him.
“Thank you all for coming, I know everybody is busy. A matter has come to my attention which cannot be ignored regarding the Honorable Elder Debbon. I’m sure each of you has had some sort of issue with him or his wife in the past, and I want you to know we are now able to do something about those problems. Are you all willing to help?”
There was a unanimous roar of assent which pleased Rualin immensely. “First of all, I would like to take a few minutes for everyone to share with your neighbors here in the room what has transpired between you and the Elder.” The volume in the room raised to a roar as each person began to share tales with one another. It was Rualin’s intention to get everybody riled up enough so they would not question the ethics of the plan he had put together.
Once he felt everyone was sufficiently upset, he clapped his hands loudly several times to regain their attention before detailing the plan he and Petre had concocted. After about an hour of questions, assurances, and answers he felt certain everybody was clear on their part in the plot. He raised his voice to the crowd and said, “Okay, everybody, it’s time we made the Elder feel the same pain his unwarranted attention has brought on our people. Go out now and do your part so we can make him pay!”
The conversation once again rose in volume as each man cheered and stood up. They began milling around the room and walking out toward the dock. When the last man finally left, Rualin felt all of the energy drain from him, and all he wanted to do was take a nice long nap. It did not matter that it was the middle of the day, he was too tired to even think about staying awake. Maybe tomorrow he would concentrate on what he could do to help advance Petre’s plan, but today he was going to go to sleep.
Chapter Fourteen
DEBBON WAS PLEASED with the progress of his students after the first day of teaching. He thought this session might not last as long as some of the others had in the past. Each woman possessed skills in her own
right, with the exception of Rasa. She might actually be the sticking point in his goal of going home soon. Maybe I could continue her training at my home, he thought and then immediately dismissed the idea of taking Jehoban’s student home to his Jena.
He missed Jena something terrible. Guilt mixed with sadness immediately overtook him since he never felt that way about his son. Willian just had never seemed interested in learning to use his ability until Jena started getting all of the attention. Now it appeared as if a battle for attention among the three of them had begun which was not at all what Debbon wanted to happen between his first-daughter and his son. They were supposed to be growing up loving one another, but he felt as though just the opposite were happening. He was going to have to start devoting more time to his son if he wanted the relationship between the children to get better.
Since he had worked out what he would do when he got home, he turned his attention to the incoming class of students. He would be covering life-lines today. This was always one of his favorite lessons since it dealt with the inner workings of elemy in the body. So much could be done to heal the body by accessing the life-line.
This also happened to be one of the more difficult subjects to learn as it was not a physical thing they were searching for in the body, merely an element of vitality which could only be felt with the mind. Once the students learned the skill, their abilities would increase ten-fold without having to enhance any skill levels. He enjoyed watching the students’ initial struggle before he could physically see a change in their expressions when they finally figured it out.
He smiled at the waiting class and began. “Today’s lesson will be on finding and using a person’s life-line. Has anyone had any experience accessing it themselves? Or has anyone had yours used by a healer?” He looked around the room at the three hands which were lifted at his two questions. He pointed to the first woman to raise her hand and asked, “Which one was it for you?”
Ascension Discovery Page 69