“I can do this,” I tell myself blotting my brow with some tissue I keep stored in the glove compartment. The woman in my vision has haunted me for years, beginning in my teens and continuing into my adult years. Only strong pain meds kept them at bay, stopping them even for a little while. But it looks like, all of that has returned. I slide out of my car, making sure that all of the windows had been rolled up before grabbing my oversized purse and closing the door.
The hard clicking of my heels against the pavement echoes onto the street, and I am met with an eerie sensation that I am being watched. I turn around to check if there is anyone behind me, just to discover that I am alone. Just the sound of the heels clicking followed by the dial tone of the keypad that opens the electronic door after inputting the security code. The door slides open, and I quickly turn to scan the parameter behind me once again, and still nothing but palm trees and parked cars that line my vision.
“I am seriously losing it,” I murmur to myself as I enter the building.
****
Somehow, I manage to pull in a full eight hours without pain, nausea or the impromptu visions. When it is time to leave, I wave to my coworkers, wishing them a goodnight and head for the door. I barely make it to the car when searing pain strips me of reason. Half blind with tears, I struggle to locate my keys which thankfully are stored in the side pocket of my bag. I fumble with the keys, cursing and crying, but I successfully unlock my door and collapse inside, not even bothering to close the door. The only thing I can do is fall back against my seat as another wave of white-hot pain slices through my brain. More images, visions of people I have never seen before, becomes a kaleidoscope of memories that threaten to overload my mental space.
But just as quickly as it happens, the pain disappears, leaving me as a breathless, nauseated, sobbing mess. Vertigo sets in and it is impossible for me to just raise my head even slightly. Bile builds up into my throat, and instinct forces me to lean out of the car as I heave what remains of my late lunch, out onto the pavement.
Yeah. It sucks to be me right now. I do not even know how I am going to make it through the next few minutes let alone home.
“Hey Destiny!”
I hear my name being shouted off in the distance, but as my belly continues to empty itself of everything that I ate within the last few hours, there is nothing I can do to respond.
“Damn girl,” Erick said as he rushed over. “What the hell? Did you sneak and go to happy hour and have one drink too many during lunch?”
I stop puking long enough to suck in a deep breath. I start to speak, but more gastro fluids come out. After a few more gargled coughs, it’s over as is my life. Erick was never supposed to see me like this. But here we are.
“I’m okay,” I wheeze, wiping my mouth with a tissue I grabbed from my glove compartment. “I’m good.”
“No you are not,” Erick protested, ignoring the mess I made on the sidewalk. He rounded my car and slid in to the passenger’s side. “You need to go to the hospital.”
I wave him off and recline my seat. “I just need a few minutes.”
“Are you pregnant or something?”
I whip my head around and send a heat seeking glare in Erick’s direction. Dark green eyes stare back at me, and if I am not mistaken, even in my current condition, I detect a hint of disappointment in his handsome face.
“You gotta have sex to get pregnant,” I quip. “So no.”
Erick offers me a sheepish grin. “Mary didn’t…”
“Well I’m not the Virgin…”
Erick chuckles and it is music to my ears. I’ve had the hots for this man since I started working at this agency.
“Food poisoning then?”
I shake my head. “I suffer from really bad migraines. This one just came on suddenly.”
Erick offers me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry. Migraines are a bitch. Let me drive you home.”
“No…I will be fine. Really.” I sit up, but the dizziness sends me right back down. Dammit.
“Yeah right. You can barely sit up,” Erick stated. “You aren’t leaving this parking lot in your condition.”
“But what about you? You can’t leave your car here…”
“My car is already at the auto shop for the next few days,” Erick admitted. “I ubered to work.”
“Oh.”
“Besides, you have to pick up your daughter, don’t you? I don’t mind. Really.”
He offers me a reassuring shoulder massage and the next thing I know I am rattling off my address, and he hoists me up from the driver’s seat and into the back seat, before settling behind the wheel.
“You know I am an excellent driver,” he boasts as he adjusts my rearview mirror.
“Really now,” I mumble from the backseat. I curl into fetal position and rest my head on top of my bag.
“Yes. So just sit back and relax. We will be on and off that 605 freeway in no time.”
There is nothing else for me to do but lay down, try to relax and mentally cope with the fact that this tall drink of Canadian water is in my car, driving me home. And whodathunk that he would live just minutes away from my neighborhood? Not only does he prove to be an excellent driver, but we pull up to the children’s center that my daughter attends after school. It’s just next door to the Presbyterian Church that my friend Marie insists I should visit with her one Sunday, on time. The forty-five-minute drive allowed me the time to recover just enough to where I could stand on my own without the overwhelming sense of the ground disappearing beneath my feet.
With Summer hanging close behind me, going on a long tangent about her day, we are in and out in less than two minutes. Of course, she spots Erick in the driver’s seat and she offers me a curious look.
“Oh, hush Summer,” I whisper to her just before she yanks open the door to the backseat. “He is just a friend from work.”
She doesn’t say anything. She just maintains that wide, bug-eyed look she always gives when she has something on her mind.
I hop in the front and turn to face Erick. “I honestly can’t thank you enough,” I say sincerely. “Seriously. You are my hero.”
“Aww shucks.” He smiles and runs a palm over his closely shaven head. “No worries. You didn’t look too good and I couldn’t leave you like that.”
“Well, we can drop you off at your place and just call me in the morning so we can ride together,” I offer.
“Cool. I will drive. You look like you still could use the break,” Erick says, still smiling. “And since you obviously puked up your breakfast, lunch and dinner, how about you let me take you to all three?”
I can feel Summer cringing from the backseat, but I pay her no mind. This is the moment I have waited for. This man has already earned a million brownie points in my book.
“Sure,” I say hoping that I do not sound as eager and as excited as I feel. “Just tell me when.”
“Cool.” He sneaks a glance at Summer from the rearview mirror. “You okay with that Summer? Can I take your mom on a date?”
Summer fights off a smirk and shrugs. “I don’t care. Just bring her back safely.”
The three of us laugh as he pulls off, and once we pull up to the front of his condo, he waves us off, and I watch all six feet of him saunter off down the man-made pathway until he disappears behind the gate. For all of the strange things that have happened to me throughout my life, being asked out on a date by a man as fine as Erick has indeed made the list of stranger things still happening.
Chapter Three
Destiny
I rip open the packet I spent almost three hundred bucks for all in the name of a fifth-grade project to see our results. For six weeks we waited. Six long weeks. Six weeks of all of our free time combing through libraries and the net to find traces of our roots. My mother says we have Black Foot and traces of Irish in our blood, but that is just on her side of the DNA pool. My father disappeared a few years after I was born, and all that I could find about him were j
ust the names of his biological parents. He had been adopted. But the names of his adoptive parents were nowhere to be found. It’s almost as if they too disappeared just like him. Dizziness still has me feeling a bit light on my feet as I drop my bag on the coffee-colored table and pull out the form.
“Is that it?” Summer asks and her big brown eyes wide with excitement. “Can I read it?”
I continue to examine the form, silently and to be honest I am not sure what to make of it. I place it down on the table, next to my bag and kick my shoes off. How is this even possible?
Summer does not wait for me to respond as she reaches for the form and takes a look at it herself.
“Mom, it says ‘inconclusive’ results,” she says with a frown. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know but that is three hundred dollars down the drain,” I say with a sigh. “I should have known better than to trust those stupid DNA things.”
“What am I going to do about my report?”
I can feel the migraine slowly creeping back into my awareness. Massaging my temples, I say, “We will just have to take what we have and work with that. I did everything the kit instructed. Maybe I will just give them a call in the morning and see what the deal is.”
“But my report!” Summer’s shriek slices through me, triggering a fresh onslaught of pain.
“Arrrrgh!” I say grabbing my head as I collapse.
“Mommy!” Summer rushes to my side as I writhe in agony.
“Get my ph-ph-phone,” I spit out. A new wave of nausea claims me, but there is nothing in my stomach to upchuck. “Oh God…”
I dial the last number I called and place the call on speaker phone just as it’s a light’s out for me.
Erick
I cannot hide the smile of sweet victory as I step out the shower. I think I have found her and as soon as she fully awakens to her power, the reward I am going to claim will be nothing short of phenomenal. And to think, I almost missed my chance by writing her off as another ordinary human. But the magic that shielded her lifted, giving her away instantly. Surely enough, it made her sick as a dog and will continue to do so until it is completely gone, but that is of little concern. I just hit the biggest jackpot of my life! I almost break out into a dance when my phone buzzes and I look to see who could be calling. My smile widens when I see her name pop up on my screen.
“Hey…”
“Uh Erick?” Came a small child’s voice that I instantly recognize.
“Hey Summer. Is everything okay?” I ask, concern clouding my recent joy.
“My mom she…” the child begins to cry, her soft whimpers echoing through the speaker. My heart sinks. I will not be able to receive my reward if she is dead.
“What’s wrong with your mom?”
“She’s passed out on the floor. Her headache came back.”
“I will be right there. Stay with her…”
“I am going to call 9-1-1,” Summer announced, her voice juggling between calm and panic.
“Wait no! I will be-”
The child disconnected the call a little too quickly for my liking. Dammit. Destiny is in the process of Awakening, and a visit to the hospital will not help. I rush to my drawer and slip on a pair of black sweats and a white tank. I’m so excited I trip over my own sneaker.
“Goddammit,” I shout as I stub my toe on the railing of my bed.
This is it for me. Once she is returned to the kingdom, I am free. My magic will be returned to me and I will no longer have to reside in this realm, on this part of the globe amongst the weakest beings ever created: humans. Stuffing my foot into a pair of sneakers that cost more than what they are worth, I grab a small yet incredibly sharp knife that folds into itself like a switchblade. This is my last magical object of protection, and I am going to need this once I have Destiny in my grasp. I also reach for my black pouch I keep ready that carries the last of my healing herbs which she will need to complete the transition.
I am not the only one who has been searching for her, and I will be damned if anyone thinks they are going to claim and collect on my hard-earned bounty. I have searched for this woman for almost fifteen years—fifteen long years. She is my ticket to freedom. I reach for my phone and tap on the Uber app, which is embarrassing. With my magic I could teleport myself anywhere with ease. Now, I have to rely on human technology to get from point A to point B and I hate it. My thoughts return to Destiny and a new smile creeps along my face. I cannot wait to get my magic back. And when I do, all bets are off.
****
Demetrius
The crisp night air filled Demetrius’ lungs as he stepped out on the edge of the rooftop and wiped his blade. Another one of Karrine’s minions was spotted just beyond the outskirts of Los Angeles. Time was running out. The Queen’s forces were increasing in numbers, while their kingdom lost more of its power. By the next full moon, many of the weaker Mercurians would be unable to wield any of their power. The Light benders would be unable to harness the power of the sun to guard the spiritual gates, and if that were to happen…
Demetrius shuddered. There were already multiple wars taking place within the boundaries of the kingdom. He did not want to think about what would happen when Darkness settled. He stared out into the night sky, idly losing himself to its majesty when he felt the shift in the atmosphere. It was subtle, like a simple nudge to his senses. Had he totally lost himself in his thoughts, he would have missed it. Cecilia and Agatha rose from their respective posts and met his gaze.
“Could it be?” Cecilia gasped. “Has she fully Awakened?”
“The magic isn’t strong enough just yet,” Agatha stated after a sharp inhale. “But when it does…”
“I sense it coming from the eastern most direction,” Demetrius announced, pushing back a stray dark lock.
“We must hurry,” Agatha urged, sheathing her short dagger into her thigh high boot. “If we can detect it, then Karrine’s minions have too.”
“What are we going to tell her? That she is Mercury’s heir and the key to a kingdom she knows nothing about?” Cecilia asked, placing a hand on her curvy hip.
“We tell her the truth” Drakus declared as if the answer was just that simple. The two women stared at him, while Demetrius looked away.
“She has to know, one way or another,” Demetrius mumbled. He surveyed the one-thousand-foot drop and the small crowd of humans that gathered just beneath. He scowled and looked away. “We need her magic. Plain and simple, and if we have to drag her kicking and screaming, that’s what we will do.”
Cecilia and Agatha exchanged nervous glances but say nothing. Demetrius waits until the crowd dissipates before taking a plunging leap onto the pavement, hopeful that soon all of this will be over, and then he will be able to return home and never have to leave the protective walls again. He lands with the stealth and accuracy of a cat on his feet, with Agatha, Cecilia and Drakus behind him. By dawn, he planned to have the heir to the Mercurian throne delivered to his mother’s people if it was the last thing he ever did.
Chapter Four
Erick
The Uber driver pulls up in front of Destiny’s house in time for me to see an ambulance parked with flashing lights, just outside her driveway. Her door is wide open, which works for me. I thank the human driver for her time and hop out of the compact car and race across the lawn. No, no, no, I think to myself as I press forward. Please do not take her to a human hospital. I hop up the porch steps, two at a time and to my relief, Destiny is conscious, seated on her couch talking to a medic. She has her palm over her forehead as she is describing in detail what has been happening to her. Summer sits across from her in the recliner, gripping a doll, but saying nothing.
Your magic is Awakening! I want to scream. That’s why you are suffering from these attacks. But these episodes will pass soon once your magic settles.
All eyes are on me as I enter her living room. “Hey Destiny,” I say calmly. “I told Summer I was on my way.”
Destiny smiles and continues talking to the medic while I take a seat on the arm of the recliner next to Summer. “Thanks for calling me kid,” I say to her. She looks at me, her eyes wide as saucers and shrugs. I like the kid.
“Your daughter did the right thing ma’am,” the medic tells her as he jots down final notes. “These black outs of yours and the headaches need to be monitored by a physician. Your blood pressure is a little high, but nonetheless everything looks okay. If I were you, I would take it easy from work for the next couple of days.” The stout, robust medic glances over at Summer and smiles. “I think the little lady here would like that.”
Destiny nods. “She is my little hero. I will call in tomorrow and let my employer know. Thank you guys so much.”
The two medics murmur their replies and turn to head out. The two men nod in my direction and then disappear out the door. Summer jumps up to close the door while I scan Destiny for any more signs of discomfort.
“That’s twice in one day,” She groans as she leans back against the couch. “I need to make an appointment.”
“I think you need to get some rest,” I say, rising to my feet.
“Thanks for coming to help,” Destiny continues. “Although I guess there is not much you can do, I appreciate the fact that you still showed up.”
“Hey,” I say softly. “It’s all good. You did right.”
“I feel bad because I feel like I am intruding on your life,” She says with a wince.
“Naaaaaahhhh. I didn’t have anything to do anyways. How do you feel?”
“Drained. A little queasy but better than what I felt earlier,” she tells me.
“Why don’t you get Summer and yourself ready for bed. I can order a pizza for her and for you I have this tea that is an old family recipe for headaches. You will feel much better in the morning.”
“Aw that is so sweet of you,” She says, fighting back a huge grin. “Thanks.”
The Lost Queen- Mercury's Heir Page 2