Jena had done the unthinkable and had read her mind. She whispered to Behn, “She thinks we’re being a tad bit overdramatic.” The idea had heartened her slightly until she saw Willian walking toward her down the very short hallway to the front door. She was unable to see his expression since the corridor was dark, but she could see he still had a confident swagger to his step.
Willian’s gaze immediately locked onto Jena’s face and he could tell she was troubled. She was the very last person he expected to see on his doorstep. It pleased him greatly that she had sought him out rather than remain in hiding until he could find her again. His hopes for a reconciliation rose. He leaned on the doorframe and smiled down at Jena. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Juila’s boyfriend, Behn. He gave me a ride over here. Do you think we could talk?”
“I came a long way so we could talk.” He looked over at Behn and nodded his thanks for bringing Jena to him. “Why don’t you both come inside and sit down?”
“I’ll wait out in the car,” Behn promptly answered as he could see Willian was willing to at least have a cordial conversation.
“Thanks, Behn,” Jena spoke softly. “I don’t think this’ll take too long.”
“Don’t worry about me. Take as much time as you need.” He waved half-heartedly over to Willian as he turned and jogged back to his car to wait.
“That was nice of him to give us some privacy. Will you come inside? We can talk privately in my room.”
Jena was uncertain about the selected location even as she recalled Behn’s advice to take the bull by the horns. She nodded and stepped into the house. She waited in the hall for Willian to shut the door and lead the way. From the short walk, she understood why Willian had picked his bedroom considering how small the house was with very little private space.
As soon as he shut the bedroom door, Jena rounded on him, “What were you thinking when you assaulted Luke at school today? I’m sure your father would be very proud of your behavior.”
“Please leave my father out of this right now, Jena. That wasn’t one of my finest moments. Can we sit down?” He moved over the bed and sat at the farthest edge so Jena would feel comfortable joining him.
Already Jena was off balance as Willian never would have backed down from a confrontation in the past. Maybe Rasa had been right to ask her to listen to him. Maybe he had actually changed. She nodded and stepped across the room to the bed and sat down.
“I’m not proud of my behavior today or in the past. I’ve treated you as if you were my property and I was wrong. I should have been rejoicing with the blessing given to me by Jehoban rather than pit myself against you all the time. I’ve been a complete jerk, and I’d understand if you told me you never wanted to see me again.”
Jena stared in mute confusion wondering where this man had come from because he certainly was not the boy she had left in Tuala.
You aren’t seriously falling for this, are you? Juila’s voice spoke in her head.
I’m going to hear him out, she replied.
I think I’m going to throw up!
Then stop listening! Jena almost shouted back.
“What brought this change about?” she asked Willian.
“A lot has happened since you left, Jena. I’ve discovered several things about myself which I now realize were less than desirable. I’m actually shocked you wanted to come and see me after the stunt I pulled today.”
“Mostly I wanted to avoid any future embarrassment,” she admitted.
“I really am sorry, Jena. I don’t know what came over me, well I do, really. When I saw Luke kissing you, all I could think was that should have been me you were kissing. I took out my own frustration on Luke when I should have kept it for myself. I’m going to apologize to Luke tomorrow.”
“I hope you really mean that about apologizing to Luke,” Jena spoke sternly.
“Absolutely, on Jehoban’s honor,” he promised.
Jehoban’s oath was rarely given so Jena knew Willian would do as he had said. She felt so torn. On the one hand, she had a long-standing agreement with Willian, and on the other hand, she had developed feelings for Luke which would make the other agreement impossible. It was unlikely the two boys would agree to share her, so she was going to have to choose.
As if he had been reading her mind, Willian said, “I don’t expect you to trust me so easily after our past together. I could see you really care for Luke and I think he’s a nice guy as well. Will you promise you will at least spend some time getting to know me again? If you like the changes I’ve made in myself, then you can come back home to Tuala with me. If not, I won’t object to a dissolution of our betrothal. Just give me some time, okay?”
Jena nodded since she could hardly refuse such an honest and heartfelt offer. She especially appreciated the fact that Willian had not discounted the relationship she had created with Luke. Willian was making it hard to remain angry at him, and she was certain that was his intention.
Willian smiled in genuine relief to Jena’s agreement. “I’d like to apologize to your parents and Juila as well.”
Jena’s eyebrows rose nearly to her hairline in astonishment that Willian would want to put himself willingly in the line of fire with Juila.
Willian laughed out loud at Jena’s expression. “I can tell you think that’s a bad idea, but I really feel the need to do it. Please tell me you’ll let me.”
“It’s your neck,” Jena finally answered.
Willian breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you think I could come over sometime this week?”
“I think it’d be better to meet on neutral ground. Maybe we should get together for dinner or something.”
“Whatever you want. I’m willing to do whatever will make you happier.”
“Okay, I’m going to go for now, but I’ll think about what you’ve told me. I’ll call to let you know what night works for all of us. I’m assuming your schedule is pretty open?”
Willian snorted through his nose at Jena’s understatement. “I have absolutely nothing going on! It’ll be a relief to have somewhere to go in the evening. I look forward to hearing from you then. Can I walk you out to the car?”
“Sure,” Jena replied shyly. She had never had him be so polite to her before, and she frankly did not know what to do with it. She kept waiting for something to set him over the edge and cause him to snap at her.
Give him a few more minutes, and you’ll probably see it, Juila sneered.
Jena ignored her sister’s comment and fell into step beside Willian. She noticed he shorted his pace to remain beside her. This was something he had never done before. Maybe there was still hope for their relationship. Jena almost felt as though she were in a dream where everything worked out perfectly for everyone. Unfortunately, there was a third person in the mix, and she somehow doubted Luke would appreciate the competition.
“Thank you for coming over,” Willian said as they neared the car. “Can I give you a hug?”
“Sure,” she replied not knowing how to say anything else without giving unnecessary insult. Willian surprised her again as he put his arm across her shoulder and pulled her into a side hug. She had expected an embarrassing frontal hug where he would press against her suggestively as he had done in the past. Before it had always been a gesture to ensure she knew what to expect in the future after they were married. This embrace had been one of friendship and nothing else.
More flustered than she cared to admit, she reached for the car door at the same time as Willian. Their hands touched, and Jena withdrew hers immediately as though she had been shocked. Willian grinned as he opened the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she replied lamely as she promptly sought refuge inside Behn’s car. Expecting something more, Jena looked out the window to see Willian smiling as he shut the door. He waved and went back into his house.
“I take it the conversation went well,” Behn stated as he started the engine. When Jena still remained sil
ent, he asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I don’t know what I’m going to do, Behn. I think I’m in love with two different men.”
“Hmm, that does make things rather awkward. Is Willian pressuring you to make a choice?”
“Quite the opposite, he said he wanted me to take my time.” Jena turned in her seat to face Behn as she said, “Willian is going to apologize to Luke the next time he sees him.”
“Wow, that’s rather good of him. I hope Luke will let him talk.”
“Me, too. He seemed rather hurt that I’d kept my relationship a secret from him. Do you think I should have told him?”
“That’s not for me to say. Your situation is rather unique, after all. How many other kids in our school are betrothed? You would have had a lot of explaining to do.”
“My life would be easier with Willian since we are both from Tuala. If I decided to stay with Luke, then I’d have to tell him everything. What if he decided I’d lied or omitted too much in our relationship and decided I wasn’t worth it?”
“I don’t think that’s Luke’s style.” Behn checked around the car and pulled out onto the residential street. “So what’s next with you two?”
“He wants to meet with my parents and Juila to apologize to them.”
Behn whistled his appreciation of the situation. “Brave man! Somehow I don’t think Juila will let him finish.” He chuckled at the scene he could easily see in his head.
Truer words have never been spoken, Juila chimed in.
Jena rolled her eyes and remained silent from both Behn and her sister. She had a lot to consider, and both of her choices were hard. At least she no longer had to fear another confrontation at the school. She felt rather pleased with herself for handling the situation as she had and knew Behn had played a significant role in the execution. “Thanks for everything, Behn. I wouldn’t have gone through with this if it weren’t for you pushing me. I would have spent the next few days in fear of what was going to happen next.”
“I think you might still have to worry about that when you get home, and Juila gets ahold of you,” Behn chuckled.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“I THINK I might make it work out, Pesi,” Willian spoke to the dog as though she could understand him. He had returned to his room with a new outlook on the time he would be spending on Earth. As though she had felt his shift in mood, Pesi had wandered into his room and begged at the side of his bed to be brought up.
He laughed as Pesi gave him a small bark because he had paused in his petting of her. She definitely knew what she wanted, and Willian was willing to allow her to call the shots. He realized he was going to have to do the same thing with Jena.
Looking down at Pesi he thought to himself; I wonder if pets are put into people’s lives to make them less selfish. Another bark from the dog made him laugh and focus his attention on pleasing her. The dog rolled over so he could rub the spot on her chest where she liked it the best.
“It’s too bad Juila isn’t as easy to please as you are, Pesi,” Willian said as he kept rubbing her chest. “I’m afraid it’ll be a long time before I win her over.”
“It might not take as long as you think,” Melissa said from his doorway. Pesi immediately rolled over and jumped off of the bed. She licked Melissa’s leg a couple of times and then moved away to get some kibbles of food from the kitchen.
“Jena’s sister really hates me. I can’t really blame her since I’ve earned all of it, unfortunately,” Willian admitted.
“Be patient and give her time to see how you’ve changed,” Melissa encouraged. “Dinner is ready if you’re hungry.” She could tell the discussion had gone well with Jena since Willian was actually seeming upbeat now. She had been worried that he would continue to get surlier the longer he went without speaking to Jena. It had been a relief when the pretty, young girl had appeared on their doorstep.
“I’m famished,” Willian announced with a huge smile. “I can’t recall a time when I felt so good. Thank you for putting up with my deplorable behavior. I’ll try to be better from now on.”
Melissa smiled at his apology. She wished kids from Earth would be so thoughtful. She would be sad to see Willian leave to go back home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jena immediately went upstairs to sit in her room. Her emotions were in turmoil as she tried to reconcile her memories of Willian’s past treatment of her against how he had behaved at his house. An agreement had been forged for her to spend her life with Willian and she had been willing to cast it aside in favor of being with Luke because he treated her the way she felt she deserved to be treated.
The phone on her nightstand rang, and she tried to ignore it. On the third ring, she finally rolled over on her bed and answered the call.
“Is this Jena?” Luke asked.
“Yes,” she answered in a whisper. She could not believe Luke was calling her after what had happened at school earlier in the day. Maybe he wanted to talk it over with her and tell her he was willing to fight for her.
“I know we had made plans to go to the movies tonight…”
“Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”
“Well, I was thinking it might not be the best timing for you. It seems as though you have some unfinished business with Willian and I don’t want to get in the middle of it. I’m sorry, Jena, but I can’t go tonight.”
“What are you saying, Luke?”
“I don’t want to interfere with you and Willian working things out.”
“But what about what I want?”
“You need time to figure that out for yourself. I’m sorry, Jena. I just can’t do this. Bye.” He hung up the phone.
Jena pulled the receiver away from her ear and stared at it, disbelieving he had actually hung up on her. Her mind felt numb as she dropped the phone receiver back onto the charging cradle. It seemed as though Luke had made the decision for her; he did not want to be involved with her. She could not believe he was unwilling to stand by her or even hear what she had to say about the situation with Willian.
She turned on her bed and punched her pillow before she grabbed it and stuffed it against her face as she screamed her frustration into it. Why did boys have to be so complicated? Why did they have to disappoint her? Why did she care so much to allow herself to be hurt by them? Tears of anger overflowed her eyes and dampened the pillowcase.
Her inner turmoil must have alerted her sister because she was suddenly by her side. She felt Juila’s arm draped across her back. She wanted to be able to think everything through, but she was afraid of being alone.
“Luke doesn’t know what he’s saying right now, Jena. I think he was just embarrassed by what happened with Willian. Don’t lose faith in him yet. Give him some time, okay?”
Jena was thankful for their mind link so she would not have to say out loud what Luke had just done. Even thinking about it again felt like a knife stabbing in her heart. She felt so betrayed and abandoned. She wished she had never taken Juila’s advice about dating other boys; then she would not be feeling so torn up inside.
“It wasn’t a mistake, Jena. You learned a great deal about what you want in a man. Luke was always respectful, caring, and kind. He was everything Willian was not, and you needed to see the difference.”
Jena could tell her sister was trying to be helpful, but all her talk only convinced her she had made a mistake in letting Luke get close to her. She had allowed another person to take a piece of her heart and break it like it was worthless. She could only allow that to happen once or twice in her life before she would only feel like a shell of a person.
“Please don’t think like that, Jena. I have a feeling deep within me that things are going to work out just exactly as they should. Have faith that we have been led in the right direction. When you’re older, and you look back on this time, you’ll laugh at how silly you’re being right now.”
“That’s easy for you to say, you still have your boyfriend. Mine just dumped me because of
Willian. Now I don’t know what I’m going to do. What’s going to happen at school? Will Luke stop talking to us? Will he sit at a different table at lunch? I hate this!”
“Luckily there’s only a couple more days of school before the break. I think a little time and space will make Luke think twice about not fighting for you. You’re worth the fight, and if he can’t see that, then he’s not the right man for you.”
Juila spoke with such conviction that it halfway convinced Jena that she may be onto some truth. They would be leaving for Tuala as soon as the break started. She could have some time away from everyone where she could discover what it was that she wanted for herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Behn drove as fast as he dared to get back home after dropping Jena back off at her house. He was glad he had been able to help out the girls with their issue even though he knew Juila was now mad at him. His focus now was finding out how his sister was faring. He could not shake the idea there was something terribly wrong with her. She had not been the same ever since she had returned from the fateful trip back to their old homestead.
Once he was at home, he knocked softly on her bedroom door and was surprised when she told him to enter. He poked his head around the door and asked, “Are you feeling any better?”
“Not really,” she answered even though she never looked up from what she was reading on the desk.
“What are you looking at?” Behn asked as he moved into the room to get a closer look.
“I found this in Grobin’s house in the Roanoke Colony. I was hoping to be able to read it with better lighting, but I think it’s pretty hopeless. The ink is too old and faded to make out more than a few words here and there. Tell me what you think?” She moved off to the side so Behn could lean over her shoulder.
“There’s probably someone who could restore the ink on the page, depending on what it’s made out of. Don’t throw it away. I’ll do some research and get back to you on it.”
Ascension Vision- The Levels of Ascension Box Set Page 23