Answering Ascension

by Amy Proebstel

  She moved hurriedly to comply with His request. He perfectly positioned the chair at the table so Amanda could comfortably lean on the table if she had been relaxed enough to consider it. Instead, Amanda sat rigidly straight in anticipation of the interview.

  Jehoban walked a step or two before reaching His own seat and taking a considerable amount of time getting Himself situated. He wanted to give Amanda a few moments to relax before their conversation began. There was much to discuss with her.

  “Again,” Jehoban began, making Amanda jump, “I want to thank you for coming to see me. I have waited a very long time for this meeting to take place.”

  Amanda could not contain her curiosity and asked, “Why have you been expecting me? I’m just a normal human from Earth.” She really could not understand His insistence on her being special somehow.

  “It’s true, you are from Earth, but that is not all you are,” He said carefully. “You are much more than you appear to be, Amanda, much more. Before I tell you anything further, please ask me the questions you have on your mind?”

  The most important question came immediately to mind, “Did I really have twin girls when I was in Tuala?”

  “Yes.”

  Amanda waited for more and realized that was all He was going to say. She scrambled for another question and asked, “Is Barla really my long-lost aunt?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’d like to go and see her. Do you have any objections to my meeting with her as soon as this meeting is done?”

  “Patience, Amanda. Now is not the time for that to be found out by Barla. I will let you know when you may tell her.” Jehoban stopped talking and waited for Amanda to ask the next question.

  She could not understand why she could not start her relationship with her aunt. It seemed cruel to keep her out of the family. Amanda could see how this interview was going to go. She would have to come up with a question which required something other than an answer of yes or no. Since Jehoban seemed to be done with that subject, she moved on and asked, “Why is my meeting with You so important?”

  “Because you are the key to the changes coming to Tuala and Earth. You are the link between the two dimensions.”

  “I don’t understand. There are lots of people who travel between the dimensions. Why am I any different from them?”

  “Because of your heritage. You, alone, are uniquely qualified to make the difference.”

  “The difference to what? Please tell me exactly what about my heritage makes me qualified for your plan?”

  “You are the descendant of one of My own.”

  “What does that mean? Who are your own?” Amanda was starting to feel frustrated with His abbreviated answers which only led to more questions.

  “The angels are My own. You are descended from one of them. Have you never wondered why you have received so many gifts?” Jehoban tilted His head and looked at her curiously.

  Amanda paused to understand this new revelation. She had two sisters. Were they equally qualified? She asked Him.

  “No, your sisters share your same parents, but only you inherited the gifts.”

  Amanda remembered her genetics lessons in high school and realized she had a twenty-five percent chance of getting something different from her sisters. Both she and her oldest sister had brown eyes, whereas their middle sister had green. It had to work in the same manner with the gifts Jehoban was talking about. She nodded her head to indicate she understood.

  She asked the last questions she had wanted to ask. “What really happened to me when I first came to Tuala? Was all of it a dream?”

  Jehoban sat back in His plush chair and considered her questions. “Dreams are an extension of our reality. You have shown a remarkable aptitude for making a reality of your dreams. After all, you are now married to Riccan, right?”

  Amanda touched the two rings on her left finger and smiled before saying, “I am.”

  “Let Me tell you about your time on Tuala. The story is complicated but simple at the same time. You must let go of everything you think you know about your history and open your mind to what I am going to tell you.”

  Amanda was shocked she was actually going to hear about her past. She hoped she was ready for any revelation which Jehoban might reveal. She mentally prepared herself and then nodded twice.

  “Your initial memory of sailing with Nealand was accurate. You were on Earth when the two of you encountered a severe storm at sea. The two of you, as well as the yacht, were transported to Tuala. Petre MacVeen discovered both of you and towed your ship to the nearest Elder who happened to be Elder Vargen.”

  Amanda was starting to see how her version was very different from reality.

  Jehoban stopped to let the truth sink in before He continued. “Elder Vargen confiscated everything from Petre citing his ruling on anything considered old soul is the property of the Elders. Petre was unhappy with the treatment he received and submitted an official complaint to the First Elder Debbon.”

  Amanda was glad to know Elder Debbon was still involved in the story and she had not been completely wrong. “How come I don’t remember any of this?”

  “Petre had drugged both of you with resh until he could try to sell you. Elder Vargen continued to keep you both drugged while he took you both prisoner. He separated you immediately after he read both of your minds. He took Nealand to the research lab where his skills with engineering could be exploited. Nealand never remembered he had lost you. He is now a slave to the drug, resh.”

  “Are you saying Nealand is still here?” Amanda’s heart rushed with excitement. If she could get him back to Earth, his family would finally have some closure. They would not have to believe their son had died at sea. Amanda would no longer have to carry the guilt of his disappearance.

  “Yes, he’s still here. Hear the rest of your story before you make any plans to rescue him.”

  Amanda was properly chastised and tried to set aside her ideas for Neal until she heard Jehoban out.

  “Elder Vargen also read your mind, Amanda. He saw the truth of your ancestry, even if you were unaware of it because it leaves a marker in your subconscious. He wanted to keep you and breed you until he could create his own personal version of the one from the prophecy. Elder Vargen believed if he could train the one from the prophecy from birth then he would have control over the outcome of the world.”

  “Was he right? Would his plan have worked?”

  “No. It is not his place. He will never be successful.”

  “You mean he’s still trying?”

  “Absolutely. He will always seek to be the best, to be First. He will never achieve his goal.”

  “Why don’t you just stop him?”

  “He has his uses. Please listen. Elder Vargen kept you drugged to the point of comatose with the drug resh. Each mesan he tried to impregnate you when you became receptive. Finally, around the seventh mesan, he was successful. He called in a wise-woman to watch over your pregnancy. When she told him you were having twins, he was elated. He believed he would have twice the chance of getting the prophet he desired.”

  “Was the wise-woman Alena?” Amanda hoped it had been her.

  “No, the wise-woman was named Copa.”

  Amanda scanned her memories of anything related to Copa. Finally, she remembered she was the wise-woman who had helped Ninan when he had been bashed on the head by Petre.

  Chapter Two

  “THE MESANS WENT by, and your pregnancy progressed normally. Because you were having twins, your labor came on a mesan earlier than Elder Vargen expected. He did not check up on you anymore because he only wanted your children. He told the wise-woman to tell him when you had delivered the twins.

  “The wise-woman had become sympathetic to your plight over the eight mesans she had sat vigil with you. She decided Elder Vargen would never get his hands on your children. When your labor had progressed to the point where she knew it was going to happen, she teleported you to an abandoned house she k
new of near where she had grown up. She had intended to move you to the new location to prepare you to be sent back to Earth with your twins, but your labor came on faster than she had anticipated.

  “In the end, Copa made the hard decision to keep the children and only send you back to Earth. She could not risk the transfer for the newborns since she wasn’t even certain it would work to send you. She did her best to heal your body of the residual effects of the delivery. She dressed you in the clothes Elder Vargen reserved for his old soul slaves, and she translated you to Earth.

  “As she was afraid of, her skill wasn’t very precise. You ended up arriving on Earth in the ocean. As you were still delirious from the resh, you were tossed by the waves until you were almost drowned. By the time you were rescued you had been dead for almost ten minutes. They revived you and kept you alive with machines, but your mind took much longer to heal.”

  “Yes, seven years actually. I’m surprised I didn’t sustain any permanent brain damage.” Amanda was even more thankful her mother had not given up hope sooner.

  “Yes, seven anons may seem like a long time; however, it also kept you safe from harm from Elder Vargen. Everything happens for a reason.”

  “Are you saying Elder Vargen would have attempted to abduct me to try again?”

  “Yes.”

  “What happened with my children? Did Elder Vargen find Copa and take them back?”

  “No. Copa was very resourceful in keeping the children safe. She met with Captain Issyn to ask for help. He sailed the three of them through the Gulf of Thulen to the Port of Cresdon. During the voyage, Jena became very sick. It wasn’t something Copa had ever seen before, and she was unable to access the child’s life-line in order to heal her. By the time they docked, Jena had slipped into a coma, and Juila was crying continually.

  “Copa took the twins to Barla’s home to figure out what type of help could be procured for the sick child. Barla and her assistant, Alena, doted over the infants and Barla told Copa how these twins looked so much like her own daughter, Rasa.

  “Alena’s boyfriend, Bryon, offered to fly the twins to Elder Debbon’s isle to have him heal Jena of her mysterious illness. Bryon, Alena, and Copa stayed with the twins at Elder Debbon’s Residence since it took him almost a week to determine the cause of Jena’s illness. He discovered that both children were actually sick, but Jena was the only one showing the symptoms. He treated Juila first which made Jena almost immediately better. Next, he treated the residual symptoms of Jena.

  “When the healing was complete, he asked Copa why neither of the children had birth crystals. The power of the crystals would have helped to prevent the children from getting sick in the first place.

  “Copa finally admitted she did not have access to her ceremonial box since she had to leave so precipitously. Elder Debbon took pity on the older wise-woman and performed the ceremony that very evening. It was a small gathering of Bryon, Alena, and Copa.”

  When Jehoban paused to take a breath, Amanda commented, “That sounds quite different from what I remember it being.”

  “Yes, and yet it is the same ceremony you remember. Jena received a black diamond crystal, and Juila received a dark red ruby crystal. It was also during the ceremony that Debbon saw the futures of the two girls and he knew they were special.

  “Once the ceremony was complete, the five people returned to Ahn and Barla’s house. Copa had realized she would not be able to raise the children on her own since she knew Elder Vargen would be keeping tabs on her. She needed to find a safe house for the girls to keep them away from the Elder’s plans.

  “Barla began to make arrangements for the children to be entered into her orphan program. She really had intended to adopt out the girls, but they were so charming and reminded her so much of her own daughter, she decided to raise them herself.

  “As had happened with Rasa, the girls entered school and were tested for their skills. My representatives were contacted, and arrangements were made for the children’s education to be continued on Acaim.

  “The girls were teleported to Acaim two weeks later…”

  Amanda forgot to whom she was speaking and cut Him off by asking, “My children are here with you? Can I meet them?”

  “Patience, Amanda. To answer your question, yes, they are here. Let me finish telling you the history of your children. As I said, your daughters were brought here to be educated by me. I had the perfect person in mind to raise them. I asked Rasa if she would take responsibility for her cousins and she readily agreed.

  “They grew to be inquisitive children and learned quickly and easily the ways of the elemy, just as I had known they would. They were placed in the special studies classes with a few other students. I believe you know about those classes.”

  “Yes, I’m familiar with them,” Amanda spoke quietly, and Jehoban continued.

  “The girls had only been on the island for a few days before I received a visit from Elder Debbon. As he was walking to my reception chamber, he met Jena in the courtyard. Immediately he had a vision of his family and her being joined together. He stopped and talked with her, and the intuition grew stronger. When he finally met with me, he realized what he needed to do.

  “I have always admired Elder Debbon’s ability to read people and know when they would be a good match for one another. When he asked me if he could betroth his son to Jena, I knew it was the right thing to do. As you know, betrothals normally are organized before the children are six mesans old. Jena was clearly older than that so special dispensations had to be made.

  “A deal was made where Elder Debbon would start a school for Elder children where they would all come together for a semester each year. The descendants of the Elders could range in age from six anons to sixty anons. They would be instructed about becoming an Elder which the Elders themselves didn’t have time to teach their kids at home. Mind you, the school was merely supplementary education and not designed as the entire teaching.

  “It was arranged for Jena and Juila to go to the school since they were My students. Jena would be able to be introduced to Willian, the son of Elder Debbon. If they had any chemistry, then the betrothal agreement could be finalized.

  “Another request of mine was for Rasa to be one of the administrators in the school since she was not yet ready to go into active Elder service, but she could keep brushed up in the techniques. Rasa was given a level of authority similar to that of being an Elder. She would also be able to keep an eye on the twins to make sure all of my mandates were being adhered to.

  “In the end, Jena and Willian became good friends, and they were betrothed. She spent several mesans per anon at the Residence of Elder Debbon so she could get to know the family and them to know her. It was the best arrangement to be made.

  “We also discovered the extent of the link between Jena and Juila during their separations. Anything learned or experienced by one of the girls was immediately known by the other. Neither child experienced any loss in education since they learned simultaneously.”

  Amanda thought it odd that she was not disturbed by the idea of her daughter being betrothed. She decided it was because she had already accepted the reality from her dream. She asked the next question which came to mind, “What level have they achieved by now?” Amanda was beyond proud of her children’s accomplishments. She had known they were precocious and she was grateful for Copa, Alena, and Barla’s assistance in getting them the best education possible. She even forgave Copa for not sending her children with her to Earth. Most likely, they would not have survived the journey.

  “They have completed all of the levels. They continually seek new and ingenious ways to use the elemy. I am very proud of them, as you will be, too, when you get to know them.”

  “When will I get to meet them?” Amanda asked again.

  “You already have,” Jehoban replied cryptically.

  “I don’t understand. I’ve only been to Elder Daven’s estate and here. I haven’t seen any girls w
ho are seven anons old. How could I have met them?” Amanda continued to wrack her brain for any chance meetings, but came up completely blank.

  “You are seeking for the wrong thing, Amanda.” He turned to the girls who had sat silently across the table from Amanda during this whole discussion. He gestured toward the girls and said, “I have the honor of presenting your daughters, Jena and Juila.”

  Amanda smiled and believed Jehoban was playing a joke on her. She looked from Jehoban’s serious expression to the two teenage girls. Her initial reaction that they looked like her twins finally hit her: these were her girls. Both girls smiled at her from across the table. Then reality came crashing in and convinced her otherwise, and she argued, “I don’t understand. My girls are only seven. These girls are clearly older than that.”

  She turned to the girls and asked, “How old are you? When is your birthday?”

  Juila answered, “We are fifteen. Our birthday is Tebet 28, 3434.”

  Amanda turned from the girls back to Jehoban and asked, “What date is that in Earth time? How can you explain this?”

  “It is October 28, 1982. You entered Tuala through unusual means. The electrical storm triggered an opening, but it did not have any guidance for time. You were teleported back in time nine anons when Elder Vargen took you hostage. When Copa sent you back to Earth, she did not have the proper means to time your return. She sent you forward in time to Earth, one week, in fact, after you had disappeared in the storm.”

  Amanda tried to do the math in her head, but she finally gave it up for now. She looked at her daughters again without any judgment, and she smiled. The girls continued to grin back at her. “I’ve missed so much of your lives. I can’t wait to make up for lost time.”

  “Mama,” Juila spoke up, “we saw you often.”

  Amanda looked back to Jehoban with a very confused expression.

  Jehoban chuckled and answered the unspoken question. “What Juila is trying to tell you is that I arranged something very special for them while they were dreaming at night. They shared your same memories from when you were in the coma. Everything you remember about them is what they remember about you.”