~~~~~~~~~~~~
They ended up taking both telepods to deliver the people back to the Roanoke colony. Riccan had insisted on making sure the people would be secured in seats rather than standing. Amanda had piloted her own telepod and Riccan, the other. Rasa had stayed behind with Gevena to talk to her about their plans for bringing her back to Manzanit with her.
Ozias again sat in the co-pilot’s seat and watched in wonder as they easily maneuvered to land on the sandy beach in Tuala. The other passengers also stared out the windows as they landed. Never had they imagined they would see their home land again and they were eager to return to their familiar lives.
After he watched Amanda land her telepod ahead of him, Riccan opened the side door and announced, “It’s safe for everyone to unbuckle their belts and leave the telepod.” He saw the passengers leaving the other aircraft. He would have expected them to rush back to their homes, and was surprised to see they seemed hesitant to go until all of them had reassembled from both telepods.
As they had been coming in for their landings, Riccan had seen his father’s telepod in the clearing. He hoped he had been able to get wise-woman Copa to come with him. Knowing his father, he would have made sure of it, even if he had been forced to time their arrival to get there ahead of them.
Nobody needed to lead the residents back to their village as they were all intimately familiar with the area. Amanda and Riccan lagged behind so the homecoming could happen as naturally as possible. When they rounded the last corner, they could see everyone had gathered in the middle of the town.
Vinia, with Danika on her hip, stood in the center of the people along with Daven and Copa. She spoke louder than usual to address the group, “I’d like to thank you all for giving me the opportunity to lead this colony. I will do everything I can to make sure we all prosper and remain safe from harm with the best care possible.” She gestured to Elder Daven and wise-woman Copa as she spoke of their safety and well-being.
“I know we’ve always been told to shun outsiders and to keep to ourselves and that way of thinking has not served us well. Elder Daven has agreed to make sure we will have access to everything we need including education for every one of us, young and old alike. It’s never too late to learn how to read and write.
“Wise-woman Copa has also agreed to look after all of our health concerns. She has been brought into our community in the past with the old leader’s blessing, so we should continue to seek her guidance whenever we have any troubles. We will no longer need to remain apart from other people; we’ve seen what can happen when we do.” Vinia took a step back and tilted her head down modestly to let the people know she was not going to be a tyrant like Grobin had been.
Elder Daven cleared his throat and spoke, “I’ve often been concerned with your community since you’ve never sought any assistance even when you were entitled to it. I want to make sure you all know what your rights and privileges are as citizens of Tuala. I will personally speak to Jehoban on your behalf to find out what He wants to do for your community since you have been burdened with a selfish and uneducated leader for so long. We want to correct this error and return to you all of your natural blessings.”
“Jehoban is evil,” someone muttered from the crowd. “We don’t need anything from Him!”
“We’ll have a long way to go, I see,” Elder Daven spoke softly and sadly. “We will go at a pace where you will learn to appreciate the beauty and bounty of Tuala.”
“You said we were entitled to money. Why? Who would want to give us money?” another woman asked.
“I am the one responsible for paying you. It is the way our leadership is set up. Each citizen is entitled to a retirement fund until they are eligible to work according to the lottery. This is usually assigned after the completion of school. Since none of you has ever had an opportunity to attend school, special dispensations will have to be made until we can rectify the situation.”
“Are you implying we are a situation?” a woman called out.
“I’m saying the circumstances in which you were brought up is a situation which is not the same as how other Tualan citizens have been raised. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you to find out what interests you and how you want to shape your futures. I will do everything in my power to make sure you are given every opportunity to thrive and be happy.”
“You have all had an eventful time these past few days, maybe even weeks. Please go to your homes and get yourself settled back in. Copa and I will visit with each one of you to find out what your immediate needs are so you can begin getting your life back in order. Consider what food, utensils, clothing, linen, and any other necessities you’ll need, and we will make sure you have them.”
“We don’t take charity,” the same woman sneered.
Several women began to nod while others seemed to like the idea of finally having the things they needed. Many were tired of always having to go without while Grobin had everything. It would be a nice change to be comfortable.
As the crowd disbursed, Amanda and Riccan moved forward to speak with Vinia. Amanda reached her first and held out her hands to hold Danika. Vinia gave her over with a sigh of relief.
Riccan spoke first, “You said just the right things. I’m sure the people will come to you as long as you remember they agreed to this. This isn’t going to be like before where they shunned you. Even now, everyone listened when you spoke; nobody said anything against what you promised for them.”
“They sure did with Elder Daven. I hope he doesn’t change his mind,” she replied with a shake of her head.
“Let’s go back to your place,” Amanda offered.
Riccan walked beside Vinia and spoke quietly, “My Dad has wanted to help your people for as long as I can remember. He’s a very patient man, and he will continue to do everything to make sure your village prospers.”
“Do you really think so?” Vinia looked up at him with wonder in her eyes. She would be so proud to lead her community to prosperity. If only her parents were still alive to witness the changes taking place, they would have been so proud.
They entered Vinia’s house and sat on the benches around the wooden table. Amanda settled Danika on her knee and jiggled her up and down to make her laugh. She had missed all of this with her own daughters. Thinking of the lost time made her think about Vinia’s other children.
“Now that you have your home back, what do you want to do about arranging visits with your other kids?” Amanda asked.
“I don’t really know; I’m too afraid to think that far ahead. Everything has happened so fast I feel like my head is spinning. What would you suggest? I don’t have my own telepod or any way to get to Earth on my own, so I guess it’ll come down to your schedule.”
Amanda nodded agreement and wished there were another way to make it easier. Of course, if her children decided to return to Tuala, then they could be reunited permanently. She understood why they would want to remain on Earth with their adoptive family, yet it still seemed like a bad situation for Vinia.
“We don’t have to decide right now,” Amanda said. “Let’s give you a few days to get settled into a new routine, and we’ll check in with you. I’ll tell your kids what’s going on and I’m sure they’ll understand.”
“Thank you, Amanda,” Vinia said. “I think it’s almost time for someone’s nap.” She held out her hands to Danika, and the little girl eagerly raised her arms to be picked up by her mother.
Vinia hugged her to her chest as she walked over to a bed she never thought she would be able to use again. She sat down on the edge and placed Danika in the center of the straw-filled mattress. She rubbed the little girl’s back soothingly until Danika’s eyes began to droop. Vinia bent over and kissed her sleep-dampened forehead before standing up and returning to her company.
“We’re going to head home now. If you need anything, my father will let you know how to get in touch with him,” Riccan assured her.
“
I sure don’t see how,” Vinia replied skeptically.
“He’s going to set up a patil here in your house before he leaves today. He’ll make sure you understand how to use the communication programs,” Amanda assured her.
“Thank you for thinking of everything.” Vinia gave both of them a hug and walked with them to the door. She was saying her farewells when Daven came around the corner and began angling his way over to her house. She could see the satchel he carried and knew it contained the device which would forever change their village. They would no longer be forgotten.
Riccan patted his father’s shoulder as they passed him. “Good luck, Dad. We’re heading home.”
“Safe travels, my boy. It was good seeing you again, Amanda,” he said as he continued to walk over to Vinia’s house. He began to pull the bag around to the front of him as he neared the dwelling.
Amanda grinned over to Vinia and waved encouragingly before she turned and ran to catch up with Riccan. She grabbed his elbow and pulled herself close to him in her excitement. “This worked out so well, didn’t it?”
“Yes, my love. You did good! I’m glad you thought of the patil; otherwise I think everything would have returned to the old ways if nothing different had been brought in to change the status quo.”
“I’m hoping the people will start to appreciate the speed of communication when they have a problem which needs immediate attention.”
“True. That one woman was rather pregnant, so she’ll probably feel better knowing wise-woman Copa can be contacted in a matter of minutes rather than hours.”
Amanda nodded knowingly. Amanda suddenly looked around them and in a panicked tone asked, “Where’s Ozias?”
“He’s looking around the beach. My dad is going to take him home with him.”
“Seriously? When did that come about?”
“I talked with him about it through messaging today while I was at work. Ozias had seemed receptive to the idea, for which I was grateful because I’d already made the arrangements before I talked to him about it. I think my dad will be able to help him get home to his own world using the Ascension Gate.”
“Really? That’d be pretty amazing.” She wondered if that meant the people from Heliok would be able to return to Tuala through the Gate. If that were the case, then would Grobin be able to somehow get back to the Roanoke Colony to create more havoc? She voiced her concerns to Riccan and was thankful he actually took her worry seriously.
“I’ll talk to Dad about it,” he assured her. “I don’t think it’s possible without my father’s permission, but he can also take extra precautions when he gets ready to send Ozias home just to make doubly sure nobody can reverse the crossing path.”
“That’s good. Let’s hurry up and get out of here. I don’t know what it is about this place, but I don’t’ like it.”
They reached the telepods, and Riccan held Amanda’s hand as she climbed up into hers. He palmed the control to close the door before he turned to go back to his own aircraft. His wife wasted no time starting up her telepod, rising, and blinking out of existence. He chuckled at her wariness of this location even if he did not share her unease.
He looked around the clearing expecting to see Ozias nearby. Frowning slightly, Riccan boarded his telepod and closed the door. He ran through the startup procedure and then switched to manual control. Instead of immediately activating a flight plan, Riccan flew up and down the coast line to see if he could spot Ozias.
Without finding him, Riccan had to assume he had decided to wait for Daven in his father’s telepod. Satisfied he had done everything he could, he tapped on the glass panel the destination he wanted and then hit the activation button. His view of the majestic coastline disappeared in an instant as he began his journey home to Earth.
Chapter Thirty-Five
HIS THIRD SCHOOL day was almost over, and Willian was becoming desperate to find Jena. He had decided this was going to be the day he let her know he was around. There were only two more classes until everyone would be leaving to go home. He left The Commons and kept searching the crowd for any sign of Jena.
Inspiration struck as he saw the boy he had met on his first day. Luke’s head was above everyone else’s since he was so tall. He wove his way through the crowd until he came to where he’d last seen him and was disappointed when he found he had moved. Again he scanned the crowd and saw him walking away.
He pushed rudely past several groups of teenagers and caught up to him. He watched as Luke turned to face him as he bent forward and kissed the lips of the girl he had been walking with. It embarrassed Willian to interrupt, so he waited. Finally, the kiss ended, and Luke spotted him and smiled in greeting.
“Hi Luke, I was wondering if you could help me find a girl named Jena,” he asked and watched in horror as the girl who had been kissed turned around. Jena’s eyes were huge as she spotted him standing right in front of her.
Instantly Willian felt a rage of anger and jealousy boil up inside him, and he immediately sought out the elemy to help him kill the boy who dared to touch his betrothed. He felt the elemy all around him and yet it seemed to slip around his grasp. Unable to use his preferred means of revenge, Willian opted for the more primal energy as he threw himself at Luke with his fist connecting with his face.
Almost in slow motion, he felt the impact through his knuckles, wrist, arm, and shoulder. Luke fell back in surprise and immediately took a fighter’s stance to counter any further attack. The element of surprise was gone, and Willian could see he was no match for Luke. He yelled, “Don’t you ever touch my betrothed again or I’ll kill you!”
Luke’s expression changed from anger to confusion as he glanced quickly over at Jena to see what she was making of this strange claim. The look on her face told him there was some truth in it and he put his hands down. “It sounds as though you have some unfinished business to attend to,” Luke spoke softly before turning and parting the crowd which had gathered around them and walking away.
Jena finally found her voice as she leaned closer to Willian and whispered, “You have no right, Willian, not after what you wrote to me! You and I will never be together! Never!” She turned and ran away before Willian could even react.
He watched her go with a stunned expression on his face. Jena had never spoken to him in anger before; she had always been so eager to please him. He hastily looked around at the faces of the kids still staring at him. “The show’s over!” he yelled and then pushed rudely past them to get to his next class.
Willian realized he had finally found Jena. Unfortunately, the meeting could not have gone worse, and he was unsure what he was going to do to fix the situation. He could hardly blame her for looking to someone else for comfort after what he had done. The only problem was the Jena he knew never would have done it.
He continued to stalk through the hall until he reached his classroom. The last thing on his mind was US History as he sat down in his assigned seat and tried to ignore the whispers of the kids around him. They had seen his embarrassing display of emotions. If only he could have used the elemy.
His rage immediately disappeared as he realized the elemy had not worked for him and it scared him to the core. There had to be an explanation he reasoned with himself. Surely he had not lost the ability since he had healed the dog only a couple of days before. He could not be his father’s successor if he lost his ability to access the elemy to help the people. His mind swirled with different reasons for the unthinkable, yet he never came close to realizing his father had restricted the use of his powers while he was angry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
What happened Jena? Juila asked as her sister sat down next to her in English class. She had seen her sister rush into the classroom, immediately sit in her chair, and put her head down in her folded arms on top of the desk. She could hear the soft sobbing noises coming from her and could not make sense of the scenes she could see in her mind.
Finally, Jena lifted her head and sniffled softly as she
wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked over to her sister and distinctly thought, Willian is here at school and he saw Luke kissing me. Willian told everyone that I was his betrothed and he threatened to kill Luke if he ever touched me again. Of course, this was after Willian punched Luke in the face without any warning at all. Do you think this could get any worse?
Juila’s eyes grew round as she saw the scene play out in Jena’s mind. She immediately wondered how Willian had come to be at the school in the first place. Something was definitely going on, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. She was not going to sit by and watch her sister be hurt by Willian yet again, especially now that she had found happiness in her relationship with Luke.
Juila worried over Jena for the rest of school and wondered if they would see Willian again before they rode home. Now that they knew he was there, they no longer felt the ease of laughter and friendship as they continued to search all of the faces in the crowd, anticipating a new confrontation.
Just as they left the building to get a ride home from Behn, Sofia ran up to them and stopped in front of them. “Is it true?” she demanded of Jena.
“Is what true?” Jena decided to play dumb just in case Sofia knew something else.
“Did your boyfriend from Tuala really punch Luke in the hall?”
Jena groaned as she realized the story must have traveled through the entire student body for Sofia to have heard about it. She closed her eyes in dismay and nodded.
“Why is he here? Where is he now?” Sofia asked as she began looking around them as if she knew what he looked like.
“I don’t know where he is, and I’m hoping it stays that way. It was mortifying enough to have Willian attack Luke, the last thing I need is for another brawl out here in the parking lot.”
Ascension Vision- The Levels of Ascension Box Set Page 21