The Prophecy
The Travel

Opening my eyes was all it took topull me away from Michael. That, and a pretty bizarre dream. If only I couldstay in the dream world, then the rest of my life would be perfect. Everythingthat happened just didn’t make sense. Why would I allow myself to fall in lovewith somebody I didn’t know? To be honest, falling in love with somebody whohas somehow known me since I was born is a little creepy. I was still left withthe question: why was Michael brought to me to tell me that?

I wanted to go back to sleep. Mybody told me I was still tired and very confused. The whole experience wasdraining. My dreams must have awoken Alex because he was already talking aboutleaving the house and moving forward on our journey. What time was it anyway?

Alex was standing at the side ofthe bed putting his clothes on and talking about something but I didn’t hearanything except the voices in my head. “We might as well leave now,” he said.“The darkness will shield our escape.”

I turned over to face him. God washe gorgeous. His shirt was off; he only had his jeans on. His chest was strongand defined. I could see every muscle as the moon shone on his porcelain whiteskin. His hair was hanging down behind his ears. I wanted to touch it, feel thesilkiness between my fingers and pull it back behind his ears.

“Why’s that?” I said, hoping hewouldn’t notice that I was staring. He had told me that vampires were better atthe chase at night and I could have endured lying in his arms a little whilelonger.

“We need to get a car and thehumans are sleeping.”

“Ahh, I see.” I shook my head. Istill couldn’t get over calling them humans considering it wasn’t that long agoI was one of them.

He turned his back and walked out ofthe room, leaving me lying in bed alone. I turned onto my back and looked up atthe ceiling, pondering my thoughts. I could fall in love with him. Just asMichael said. The voices in my head said, Iguess it wouldn’t be that hard or that creepy. Just to look at him… Anybodywould fall in love with him.

I didn’t have anything to pack forour trip or journeyso it didn’t take me long to get ready. Ijumped out of bed and put on my ‘fighting’ clothes and pulled back my hair.Man, I could still smell the dirt from when I was knocked to the ground byMary. I needed to go clothes-shopping or at the very least replace a washer anddryer. How could anybody be expected to wear the same clothes day in and dayout? I gave myself one last look in the mirror. Well this will have to do, I thought.

I slowly walked downstairs. Ididn’t want to seem too eager and I thought maybe I might catch them in anotherconversation. Alex was busy gathering swords and blades of different types, andshoving them into a black duffle bag. The others didn’t seem like they werehappy to see us off. The room was silent except for the sound of the bladesclinking together as Alex shoved them into the bag.

I stood at the bottom of the staircase, excitedthat I was actually going somewhere of importance for the first time. The placethat we were headed was going to bring me answers; I was promised that it wouldmake things clearer. I found it hard to stand still while I waited for Alex toget done. It felt like the night before Christmas!

Finally I got tired of waiting andwalked into the living room. I sat down in the chair next to Marcus whileJimmie helped Alex pack. The mood, as always, was tense, but there was moreanger than before. I could feel Marcus’ frustration; he had no problem makingit known he didn’t want Alex and me to leave without him and his men. He toldAlex it would be too dangerous without his presence. But Alex just gave him‘the look’ and nothing else was said. I thought maybe my saying something wouldchange Marcus’ mind.

“Hey, I figured that now that Marywas dead and me on the move… Maybe Daniel won’t be able to locate me. I mean,right? He can’t replace me unless somebody tells him where I’m located. You guysare the only ones that’ll know.” Marcus still didn’t say a word.

For once, Alex agreed with me. I tooksatisfaction in that, considering we never agree on anything. I mean, everytime I had an idea, he always fought against it, even when he would agree to itlater. But this time, finally, I was right.

When Jimmie and Alex were donepacking, they patted each other on the back and joined us in the living room. Ithought it was to say our final goodbyes, but I thought wrong. I just wanted toleave; I wanted to replace out the truth. I wanted to get this done as quickly aspossible.

Alex sat down with a heavy heart.He looked like he was having a problem leaving all his muscle behind, andleaving us vulnerable. I didn’t understand why we couldn’t travel together, butAlex had his reasons. Regardless what I thought or how I felt, when Alex made adecision that was it and there was nothing else to be said on the matter, evenif it didn’t make sense to me.

He rubbed his hands together andlet out a sigh. “We will meet in ––– outside of –––– in seven days. Are we agreed?”Marcus hesitantly nodded his head in agreement; but he had anger in his eyes.

For some reason, I had troublehearing some of what Alex said which struck me as strange. I could hear thingsmiles upon miles away – I should be able to hear all the more clearer a fewfeet away. What was wrong with me? Was I losing my ‘Super Woman’ hearing? Wasit only good when I really needed it? I tried to disguise my confusion andstrained to hear better, hoping I wouldn’t be noticed. Alex looked over at me,but I just looked away.

At that moment, it occurred to methat Alex had said it would take sevendays for us to get there. Where were we going? Wherever it was, they weremaking damn sure I couldn’t hear them talk about it. I tried harder to hearthem but everything they were saying was foggy. I rubbed my ears, thinking itwould help. But nothing worked. What the hell was wrong with me?

“Where are we going that could takethat long?” I was tired of being silent.

“Trinity.” Alex paused. “It’sbetter if you don’t know. You said it yourself: if Daniel doesn’t know whereyou are, he can’t link himself to your mind.”

“But…” I tried to say.

He stood up. “If there’s a smallchance that he’s still connected to you, then if you know where we’re going, itwill make it faster and easier for him to kill you. I can’t protect you underthose circumstances.”

“All the more reason we should go,”Marcus mumbled under his breath.

“Marcus, we’ve had thisdiscussion,” Alex argued.

“Yeah. And I think it needs to bediscussed further.” Marcus stood up.

I suppressed my curiosity, I didn’twant to be involved with the argument that was about to take place. Even I knewI didn’t want to be in the middle of the two men. I couldn’t say or do anythingbut agree – Alex, as always, was right. Before an all-out war between Alex andMarcus could start, Alex sent Jimmie and me outside to wait, probably so thathe and Marcus could throw blows at each other or maybe plan things while I wasout of sight.

I walked outside, hoping I mightcatch some of the conversation, but I couldn’t hear a thing. The night air wasfresh and breezy. And the sounds around me – the whistling of the trees blowingin the wind, and the crickets chirping – could be heard for miles. The cloudshad already formed in the sky, making shadows on the ground all around us,while the moon tried to peak out through them. I could smell the imminent rain,but it was waiting for just the right time to fall.

“You’ll be okay,” Jimmie said,trying to assure me.

I let out a sigh and looked up atthe clouds. “I hope so.” I tried to sound genuine but deep in my thoughts Ididn’t know what lay ahead of my journey, what I would replace out when I gotthere, or how I would feel once I discovered it. I wanted to know the truth butdid I really want to listen to it?

“Not everything is as it seems,”Jimmie mumbled.

I didn’t want to respond. I stared,motionless, looking up at the sky for I don’t know how long, when Alex walkedout of the house with Marcus. They weren’t talking or laughing, just casuallyshaking each other’s hand. You could see the distressed look on Marcus’s face;I guessed Alex didn’t make him feel any better. I knew how that felt. I wishedAlex would tell me why it wasn’t a good idea that they go with us.

Marcus walked up to me and shook myhand firmly. “We’ll be seeing you later, Trinity. Until then, please becareful.”

“I’ll try.” I smiled. I said mygoodbyes to the four vampires – my teachers – hoping that I would see themagain.

Alex took my hand and we startedrunning. For the most part we ran in silence. Alex seemed deep in thought and Ididn’t want to break his concentration. I, too, had a lot on my mind. I didn’tknow where I was running to and I had no clue what I was going to replace there. Ihad been brought up with a family whose morals and beliefs were completelydifferent than what I was being taught now. My adopted mother would roll overin her grave if she knew I was being trained to kill. Occasionally, I would askAlex a stupid random question that he couldn’t or wouldn’t answer; he justsmiled and kept on track.

We sped through the darkness likeghosts, ones that couldn’t be seen, just barely heard. The trees swayed fromour passing; our feet hardly hit the ground. We gradually slowed down as we cameinto a town. The winds seemed calmer than when we started. Alex released hisgrip and started to sniff his way through the streets. I found it quitehumorous: watching him curl his nose up and try and smell. He smelled for thebeating hearts that were still awake and the frozen hearts of the undead. Everynow and then he could hear a faint laugh coming from me and in turn he couldn’thelp but laugh back.

“Do you even realize how funny youlook when you do that?” I asked. “You look like a bloodhound trackingsomebody.” I laughed.

“I know it seems funny but this iswhat we have to do.” He smiled.

The town was deserted; you couldhear the weak wind and see the evidence in the flags that blew in the breezeover head. The few streetlights that were scattered around were still on. Hewas right: even the drunks that usually occupied the only bar around for miles,were all nestled in bed somewhere. Only empty cars in parking lots could befound. At least we would have our pick. I would have chosen the 99’ Mustang.Not just because it was a sporty car but because it was a convertible. I alwayswanted to ride in one but never had the opportunity before. It was pretty too.It was black with Spy black gloss rims and it shined brightly when the lightfrom the streetlamp hit it.

Alex looked over at me and shookhis head in disapproval. “Wait here.” Alex pointed at the spot where I wasstanding.

“Right here?” I mocked him. He justlooked at me with a frown and ran off into the shadows leaving me under thestreet light in the middle of town.

I didn’t want to be left alone, notin a place that I didn’t know. But as I stood there, I focused on beingcompletely aware of my surroundings. I heard the screen on the window of thehardware store was banging three buildings down. I listened to the swingswaying in the breeze at the school yard a half mile down the road. And thetrash that danced through the streets. I listened for footsteps hinting at asudden attack that might be made on my life, whether they be mortal or immortal.Nothing was coming. I let out a sigh of relief. I stood there for a few minutestapping my foot as I got more and more annoyed that Alex was taking so long.

But then, out of nowhere, arumbling noise broke the silence, getting louder as it got closer. It revved upevery couple of seconds and as it turned corners I could hear screeching tires.Somebody was coming but I didn’t know if it was Alex or somebody out there whosaw a lonely woman standing alone in the darkness. I panicked. I walked over toa broken streetlight, hoping that nobody could see my shadow. I wanted to hidefrom whatever was approaching.

Alex pulled up next to me on alarge motorcycle with his duffle bag on his back trying to look suave, andpulling it off impeccably. I had to stand back and look at him, looking like hewas born to sit on a bike, and I had to take a long look at the bike. It wasall black and chrome with a raked front end, a ‘fists in the wind’ ridingposition and a low seat. It was fuel-injected with chrome dual exhaust. It hada wide 300 series rear tire and a chopper-inspired 21-inch front wheel.

Michael loved bikes and made melearn as much as I could about them so when he talked about them I wouldunderstand. But this bike was better than anything I had seen before. For amotorcycle, it was beautiful.

“Let’s go,” he demanded, like agreaser from some ’50s movie.

“Are you sure this is what you wantto drive for our escape?” I askedsarcastically.

“What?” He asked, confused.

“I just… Never mind.” I didn’t wantto ruin his excitement.

Although I knew a lot aboutmotorcycles, I had never been on one, and I had often warned Sierra never toget on one. I’d seen too many accidents that killed people and I always thoughtthey were dangerous. But seeing Alex on this beautiful machine, I couldn’t helpbut want to sit behind him and wrap my arms around him. Besides, I didn’t thinkan accident would kill me at this point.

I got on the back of the bike,scooted closer to him and wrapped my arms around his waist tightly. He revvedthe motor, startling me at first, but it just made me aware that I had to holdon tighter. He held down the clutch firmly as he twisted the throttle, revvingthe motor even more. He released the clutch and we squealed out of the parkinglot, leaving a tire mark behind us.

I felt the roar of the bikeunderneath me, vibrating my legs. We took off faster than I had anticipated.The wind blew hard against my face pulling back my cheeks and my hair flowed inthe breeze like a careless flag in the sky. The landscape passed by us soquickly it was just a blur of colors. I just closed my eyes and laid my headagainst his back while holding on for dear life.

The vibration must have put me tosleep – a dreamless sleep – but a sleep nonetheless, because I was awakened bythe sudden stop of vibration. I opened my eyes slowly, still feeling thepulsating in my legs from the now motionless bike.

The sun was rising and I could feelthe warmth of my energy returning. I heard the sound of airplanes rumble theearth beneath me from planes landing somewhere nearby. I looked around and sawparking lots full of empty cars and hundreds of people with luggage goingsomewhere. We were at an airport.

I looked over at Alex, lifting aneyebrow, surprised at where we were. He got off the bike quickly andflawlessly. “Hey.” Alex shrugged his shoulders. “It’s cheaper than driving.” Heknew exactly what I was thinking. He brushed my hair off my surprised face andI could only smile at his touch. “And also easier to acquire clothing.” Helifted an eye brow and looked down on my clothes.

“What?” I said, trying to see whathe was looking at. I got off the bike hoping I wouldn’t knock it down. “Am Inot dressed accordingly for a flight?” I had a bit of sarcasm in my voice.

“Not where we’re going,” he saidwith a smile. “You’re going to need to act cold if you’re going to try to blendin.”

Cold.A clue, I thought. Sounds like we were going someplace cold, someplace too farto drive or run. Not a good enough clue to guess precisely where we wereheaded, but a clue nonetheless.

We left the bike in a parking spacefar from the airport entrance. I hoped that the person who owned it would beable to get it back. It was a reallynice bike. Somebody put a lot of love into it and I knew they would be veryupset knowing it was gone. Hopefully they would get it back.

We walked hand in hand through thesliding doors, pushing ourselves through the throng of agitated travelers. Manyseemed angry because their flight was running late or maybe their ride hadn’tshown up. I had no idea what state or which airport we were in. It wasn’t theairport I was familiar with – Sky Harbor – so I knew we weren’t in Phoenix.

We walked slowly by the luggagecarousel. It was full of bags going around in circles, waiting for their ownersto grab them. And still, Alex told me to wait. At least I had things and peopleto look at. At least I was in a crowded place and nobody could just jump out atme. It gave me a peaceful feeling.

I looked at the families gettingready to take their vacations, holding hands and smiling, lovers on their wayto their honeymoons, sneaking a kiss when nobody was looking. There werebusinessmen waiting in the lounge, drinking their last shot before theirflight. There were hostesses walking around asking if anybody needed help withanything before they boarded their flight. Nobody seemed to have a care in theworld or at least no one seemed to have one greater than mine.

I looked at these people – theseinnocent people – around me, appearing so free and unaware of the things thatwere happening beneath their noses. They weren’t going to have to face what Iwas about to. They didn’t know the things I knew. To them, vampires werefantasies that Hollywoodmade up for box office hits, and portrayed as loveable, beautiful creatures.They did not see the reality: that they can be lethal.I stood in the middle of this airport watching them, unaware that it was goingto be me that would save them.

I walked over to a small officethat blended in with its surroundings. If it wasn’t for the little paper signthat said ‘Baggage Claim’ hanging on the side of the open door, I would havethought it was a waiting area. There was a lonely chair sitting next to thedoor waiting for somebody to occupy it. It just so happened that that personwould be me.

I sat down heavily trying to putthe puzzle pieces together in my head. I thought about the things that hadalready happened and the things that were about to happen. I thought about thethings I already knew about my past, along with the clues that Alex had slippedup about. This was just too much for one person to handle in such a shortamount of time. I started biting my nails in anticipation of what laid ahead ofme, when I noticed two feet standing next to my chair.

I immediately stopped biting mynails and looked over and saw a pair of calf-length blue socks covered in brownsandals. I looked up slowly and saw a short, over-weight old man wearing aflowered button-down shirt with a boarding ticket hanging out of its shirtpocket, a pair of brown khaki shorts, and a brown straw hat. He looked like hewas on his way to some tropic island on the opposite end of the world fromwhere I am going.

“Are you okay, Miss?” His voice wasworn and tired but his eyes were kind.

Before I could answer him, afamiliar voice answered for me. “She’s fine.” Alex put his hand on my shoulder.He had returned with baggage of his own.

I loved how protective he was ofme. He took pride being with me and you would be damned if you messed with me.I’d been told that he has been protecting me my whole life and now I get to seehim in action. I felt loved.

“I’m sorry – I think I asked her,young man.” The old man knelt down to my eye level. “Are you okay?” He asked meagain, smiling gently.

I wanted to laugh at the thoughtthat this kind and gentle, grey-haired old man thought that I might be introuble and he was the one who would try and protect me, when in reality theman beside me and I would end up protecting him against creatures he couldnever dream actually existed. I looked at the older man. “Yes, I’m fine. Thankyou.” I tried to sound sincere. I hoped he would believe that I was reallyokay.

He got up, almost falling at first,and walked away, but not before turning back and smiling. Maybe he thought Imight signal him somehow, asking for help. Honestly, I won’t ever want someoneto take me away from Alex. When I am with him I feel completely safe. Andthat’s how I always want to feel.

Alex took my hand and led me to theelevators. “I can’t leave you alone for a second, can I?” He laughed.

“Can I help it if I look like alost puppy?”

When the doors to the elevatorsclosed, he pressed the button to take us to the fifth floor. Geesh. How manyfloors are there to this airport? It was the biggest airport I had ever seen.

“What’s with the luggage?” I nudgedhis arm. The ground shook a little as the elevator went up. It told me that itmust be old and need some work. I hated being in elevators. I always thoughtthat I would get stuck in one. And after watching the movie Speed I thought I might fall to my deathin one. But again, I guessed I didn’t have to worry about that kind of deathanymore either.

Alex looked at me and smiled. “Well,it’s ours now. We’ll need to change.” He smiled. “We don’t look liketravelers.” He shrugged.

The elevator doors opened slowly.People walked into us to get into the elevator. It didn’t seem to bother Alexas much as it bothered me. He just smiled and stepped to the side. I, on theother hand, wanted to tell them how rude they were. But I knew Alex didn’t wantus to bring attention to ourselves, so I let it go.

I followed Alex to Terminal Nine. Asign hung overhead. As we got closer to it, I could read what it said: ToGreece. Finally, I knew where we were going. What could be waiting for me in Greece?Why would any of my family put something for me there?

Alex gave me a Louis Vuitton Keepall bag and told me to change beforewe boarded our flight. He pointed to the woman’s bathroom and said he wouldwait for me across the hall. I grabbed my bag reluctantly and walked toward thebathroom. When I walked in, it was crowded and noisy. Women talked about wherethey were going and what they would do when they got there. How excited theywere to get away from their everyday life and relax.

One girl said to another that shewas using the poor man she was with just for his money. He was taking her tothe Bahamasand they were going to stay at a five star hotel. And when they got back, shemight think about letting him go. I wanted to replace the man she was talkingabout and inform him of what she was doing but I knew I didn’t have time.Hopefully, he would replace out before she could take all of his money. I almostlaughed, thinking about when Michael and I talked about taking Sierra away to abeach or amusement park, and here I was traveling with a vampire, not to getaway and have fun, but to learn about my past.

I found an open stall, closed thedoor quickly and locked it behind me. The bag wasn’t very big. It was brown andgold with the unmistakable LVwritten everywhere and a cowhide trim.For its size, it was very full and would have easily been heavy to lift formost people. I put the bag on the floor and opened it slowly. Clothes poppedout from being smashed into it.

I looked through my new belongingsand found a pair of dark brown leather pants, a cream, tight fitting,long-sleeve blouse, and a pair of brown leather biker boots to go with it. Butjudging from the type of bag and the clothes, this woman wouldn’t miss itanyway. I changed my clothes as quickly as I could, hoping everything was onright. I didn’t know when my flight would leave.

I walked out of the stall and stoodin front of the mirror to make sure everything was on right. Of course it was.When I bent down to close the bag I noticed something furry still in it. Igrabbed it and pulled it out. It was along, heavy brown jacket with a fur collar. I swung it around and slipped myarms into it, grabbed my now empty bag and threw it in the trash and walkedout, leaving the gossip of the other girls behind me.

I found Alex leaning against thewall next to the airline gate with one knee up, tapping it against the wallalmost impatiently. I couldn’t have been in the bathroom that long. He had on apair of blue jeans and a black pullover shirt, black boots, and a black leatherjacket. He had pulled his hair back into a low ponytail, letting everybody seehis facial features. I stood back and stared. He was more beautiful thanbefore. He looked like a model waiting to take the runway, and he was all mine.

I walked up to him and we shared asmile. There was silence between us for a brief moment while we stared at eachother, admiring one another’s beauty. Nothing was happening around us, all ofthe people might as well have disappeared. I didn’t hear the chattering or thewalking and I didn’t see the neon colors of signs, it was just him and me. Thensuddenly the voice of the flight clerk broke through the silence announcingthat it was time to board our flight.

Alex grabbed my hand and held ittight as we walked up to the boarding counter as if we were a newly marriedcouple taking our honeymoon. When we approached the counter, he released myhand, put his arm around my neck, leaned in and kissed my cheek. He took me bysurprise, but I didn’t complain. Alex handed the woman our tickets but keptlooking at me. The flight clerk brushed her hair behind her ears and smiledwarmly at Alex, trying to catch his eye.

She checked our tickets, but didn’tbother to look at me. She shuffled through the tickets slowly, stalling, so shecould stare at Alex some more. Of course, I couldn’t blame her. But Alex keptlooking at me, unimpressed at her attempts. He even went as far as to bring upmy hand and kiss it. She handed the tickets back to Alex, disappointed,pointing us to the gate and turned to the next passenger in line.

We boarded our flight; it was myfirst time sitting in first class. I felt like royalty. We were the only onesthere, which was a relief. I didn’t think I would have been able to handlepeople staring or commenting about us. We just didn’t look like a normalcouple. At least, I didn’t feel like I looked like a normal passenger. My nervesfelt like they showed through my skin and I was naked for all to see.

I had only been seated on the planefor a moment, but I was already anxious. The flight attendant walked up anddown the aisles, helping the coach passengers put away their bags and tellingthem how to put their seatbelts on. But Alex and I just sat there holdinghands, not speaking. The plane was idling, waiting for its clearance. Finally,after about ten minutes, the captain’s voice came on the intercom to leteveryone know we would be on our way. Those felt like the longest ten minutes Iever had to sit through.

The plane accelerated slowly,gradually gaining speed. My head bounced with its movements. With Alex sittingnext to me, I had forgotten that I was afraid of flying. Last time I rode in anairplane, I remember my stomach dropping to my feet when the airplane took off,like it did on some carnival ride. But this time I felt nothing. We floatedthrough the air like a feather in the breeze, shooting through the clouds smoothly.The seat belt sign turned off and we were free to walk about the plane asneeded.

After a few minutes in the air Ilooked over through the windows to see what was outside. At that time the worldbelow us seemed so small, like a miniature Barbie play set. I wished that’s howlife really was. That way I would be able to fight Daniel easily and the stresswould be off my shoulders. Until Alex put his hands on mine I didn’t noticethat I was clinching the armrest with my hands so tight that if he hadn’t grabbedmy fingers, they would have ripped it off.

“Something troubling you?” Alexturned his body in his chair to look at me.

“Huh, oh…err…I’m just nervous aboutflying.” I said reluctantly. I didn’t want him to know my true thoughts.

“No. Something else. Somethingthat’s been troubling you since we left the house.”

“I don’t know what you mean?” Itried to act ignorant in the face of his question.

“I think you completely understandwhat I mean.”

I sighed. “Oh, yeah, well I’ve beenthinking about a dream I had.” I lied about my real fear. He was right it hadnothing to do with flying but I didn’t want him to know how scared I was to landin a place that I’ve never been to and replace out answers to things that mighthurt me. So I thought this would be a good time to question him about mydreams.

“Tell me about it. Really. I wantto know,” he said, persisting.

I hesitated telling him about thelast dream I had considering it had to do with him and I would likely feel alittle embarrassed. But if I didn’t talk to him, who would I talk to? He hadnow not only taken on the role of my protector, but of my best friend. “It wasof Michael…” My sentence trailed off.

“Oh.” He looked down, disappointed.

“He told me to move on.”

I saw his eyes light up. “Moveon?”

“But what’s bothering me is that hetold me to move on – with you.” I said trying to distract him from whatever Isaid that left him frowning.

He suddenly looked up at me. “Hedid?” His eyes narrowed.

I realized that I was leaningtowards him now. “Is that true? Is there something that I don’t know?”

“Yes.” He said without hesitation.I don’t think he meant to say that but now he had to proceed.

I looked intensely at him as hespoke. “Go on.”

“Well, things happen for a reason.”He cleared his throat. “I was meant to deliver you that night, Trinity. I wasmeant to be your protector, and above all else I was meant to love you. It’s assimple as that.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Why didn’t you say anything then?I mean why all the secrets? Why didn’t you replace me before I met Michael and hada daughter?” I didn’t want to show him I was angry at this new information. Butit was hard for me to understand why, if he loved me so much, he let me lovesomeone else. Why put me through having a daughter, and then losing her and myhusband? All of this could have been stopped if he had told me the truth.

“I think you know why.” He let goof my hand. “You needed to have a life outside of this. Remember, this wasn’tsupposed to happen to you. Besides, would you have believed me if I told youright away? Or would you have just dismissed me as some lunatic off thestreet?” He slowly folded his pale hands together and placed them on his lap.His eyes sparkled up at me with a hint of a smirk on his face.

“So if none of this happened wouldyou have kept on loving me from afar? Hiding in my shadows?” I now knew howdeep his love really was for me.

A flight attendant interrupted ourconversation, asking us if we wanted a beverage.

“Yes, two champagnes, please.” Hesaid, without looking away from me. I looked up at the flight attendant and shesmiled a crooked smile.

My eyes must have shown confusionat the thought of drinking champagne, because Alex spoke without hesitation.“We can still taste, Trinity. We just can’t survive on it. You have a lot tolearn.” A side grin spread across his lips.

“Well all that’s interesting, butyou didn’t answer my question, Alex.” I needed to know the truth.

He let out a long breath. “Yes.”His eyes were strained. “I would have loved you from afar. I would have noright to break what you had.”

“That would have been torture foryou, you know that, right?” I was sincere.

“But that’s the way it is,Trinity.”

The flight attendant hurried backwith our drinks. Condensation was dripping from the chilled champagne glasses.The flight attendant paused a second at Alex’s side, waiting for him to look upat her, with no luck. He took my hand in his and told her that that would beall. She frowned and walked away.

I brought the glass up to my lipsand took a small sip, not knowing how it would taste. As bad as it sounds, Ithirsted for blood not champagne. He was right, yet again. I could still taste,but it was bland and unrefreshing, just liquid going down my throat. It wasn’thow I remembered champagne tasting. I put the glass down and moved it to theside of my opened tray.

“Why am I having these dreams?Every time I close my eyes there’s something new, something to help me on thisjourney, or something to confuse me.” I reached out and unintentionally touchedhis hand.

He seemed indecisive, torn by someproblem he didn’t want to share with me. He looked at me deeply. I guessed hewas deciding whether to tell me the truth or something else to bide his time.“You want to know about this last the dream you had or about all of them?”

How did I guess he would answer aquestion with a question? “All of them,Alexander!” I knew that by speaking his full name I would get a betterreaction.

“Have you ever had a dream that wasso realistic that you woke up and thought it actually happened? That’s what’shappening to you now. You’re crossing from the dream world to reality. Youthink it’s a dream but it’s not.

“You have powers that areunimaginable because of your bloodline. You have the power to speak to theheavens and command the devil himself if you chose to. Anybody can get intocontact with you; it just depends on who desires your company.”

“That’s still not a good enoughanswer.”

“Again, you’ll understand it allthe more when we reach our destination.”

My eyes were heavy. “And my answersare waiting for me in Greece?”

His smile widened. “Yes. It’s along flight and you need to sleep.” I laid my head on his shoulder and closedmy eyes.

The plane was shaking and I couldhear the wheels bearing down on the ground below me. We were there, already? Islept the whole way? I didn’t dream! It was nice to have a dreamless sleep foronce.

I felt Alex grab my arm and lead meoff the plane. My body was tired and weak, and my veins were throbbing. It washard to keep my eyes open as I walked out of the terminal. I could see mysurroundings but it was like looking through a cloud of smoke; everything wasfoggy. And my usually-clear hearing was muffled; everything just echoed.

My arm draped over Alex’s shoulderas he walked me through the airport; I was tripping over my own feet. I don’tremember much of those moments that led me to the stolen car I was now sittingin. I don’t remember walking through the airport or out the doors, I don’tremember waiting for Alex to steal a car or getting into it. I wanted to takein all the beauty that Greecehad to offer, but all I could do was close my eyes and sleep. The last thing Iremember was Alex leaning toward me, telling me that I would be okay, that Iwas drugged, and just to close my eyes.

Rain was falling hard all aroundme, but I was untouched. The trees blew in the breeze but my loose hair laystill. Leaves flew around my feet but they never touched me. There was a housein front of me. It was old and worn but not falling apart yet. The red paintlooked new as did the steps I was walking up. Fresh flowers were everywhere andbeautiful green grass glistened from the rain. Although there was nothingcovering the windows, I couldn’t see inside.

I heard thunder crack in the sky. Wasit a sign for me not to go in? I didn’t care. I looked to my left and sawnothing and nobody while everything to the right of me looked deserted.Ididn’t feel any danger. I walked into the doorless entry. I stood under the evefor a minute waiting for something to jump out at me, but nothing happened. Thesingle story house was empty; I saw no possessions or furniture. The windowshad soft white curtains that reached the floor and flew in the breeze from thewind. Why was I in an empty house?

The thunder clapped again, shakingthe house and making me jump. That’s when I became scared, more scared than Iever was. The house was dark and gloomy with a cold feel to it. There wassomething different about this house though; there was something differentabout this dream.

Lightning struck and lit up theinside of the house, giving me a second to glimpse the things around me. I sawsomeone walking slowly toward me. It was a woman with a slender frame andmedium-length brown hair. She was glowing a luminous white that seemed tofollow her as she walked. She looked like an angel without wings or halo. Was Idead? Was this my angel to finally come and take me away? I couldn’t take myeyes off of her.

I started to feel a sense ofserenity run through me. It calmed my pulsating veins and put me at ease. I juggledthoughts in my mind, trying to distract myself from her beauty, but nothingseemed to work.

“Don’t be scared, my darling.” Hervoice was musical.

She looked at me anxiously and Irealized my body had frozen. I tried to speak but the words didn’t want to comeout. What could you say to an angel?

“I don’t have a lot of time, but Ihad to see you. I had to hear your voice in person.”

“Wh…who are you?” I said quietly,hoping she would hear me across the distance between us. I was dazed; mythoughts were incoherent.

She smiled. Even her smile wasangelic. “You don’t see the resemblance?” She looked down on herself.

I gasped and took a step back inshock. “You…you’re my…my Mother!?” It couldn’t have been her!

Her smiled widened. “Yes.” She tooktwo graceful steps forward.

“But…” She didn’t let mefinish.

“I had to see you, talk to you,remember you.” Her voice lowered as she got closer. I could see her whole beingand she took my breath away.

She was tall and thin, with thick,flowing brown hair. I would have mistaken her for somebody famous if I had justseen her on the street somewhere. She was more beautiful than Alex haddescribed.

“All these years, why haven’t youcome to me before? Maybe warned me?” I took a step toward her.

“Would you have believed yourdream? Or would you have forgotten about it or blamed your subconscious?” Shetilted her head questioning me.

“Alex and you think the same way.But you know what? At least it would have given me something to think about.”

“Perhaps.” She smiled again.

“Perhaps.” I mumbled under mybreath.

There was a short silence. Shelooked at me, taking in all she could in what little time she had. I tried todo the same. This was the first time I had seen my mother. Even when I askedMother Rose about her, she never told what she looked like. I never had eventhe slightest image to go on and now she was right here in front of me.

“I came here to apologize to you.”

I was confused. “For what?” Iraised an eyebrow.

“For leaving you all these years. Inever meant for all this to happen to you. I wanted to shield you from all thischaos. Your father and I wanted you to live a mortal life.”

She paused thoughtfully, letting mecomprehend all she was saying. “That didn’t work out too well, did it?” I saidsarcastically.

“No. But I have learned, as you canso painfully see, that you can’t change what has been written. Do you understand?”

“What do you want me to say? Thatit’s alright? That I’ll adapt? I don’t think I can.”

“Trinity, you have the fire in you.It burns with rage within your veins, and it’s in your blood. You’re like me. Ididn’t think I could adapt either and then I saw you and my thinking changed.”

“I don’t have someone to change mythinking, not like you did. You were prepared for this. You had your familywith you. I had nothing.”

She stepped closer to me. Closeenough to raise her hands to my cheeks. “You can do anything you set your mindto.” She lowered her hands to her side. “You were a born fighter; it’s in yourblood line. You will win this battle and you will win it for all that camebefore you.”

I looked down in despair. “I’mscared… Mom.” That was the first time I had said Mom.

She pressed your lips and smiled.“If you weren’t scared, you wouldn’t be normal, or as normal as can beexpected. But you have to remember that you’re special. You have what none ofthe other women in our family have: something we only dreamt of having.” Sheturned to the side.

“And what is that?” My eyes lit up.

She looked over her shoulder.“You’ll have to replace that out on your own.” I heard the sadness in her voice.

“Another challenge.” I looked away.

“Not so much. You just have to lookwithin yourself.”

I was afraid that I would neverhave this opportunity with her again. I found myself walking closer to her, buther words stopped me.

“I have to go my darling.”

“No, please don’t go. There’s somuch I want to know from you first.” I said, frantically.

She smiled. “I have to. You’ll replaceout everything you need to. I promise.” She paused and wrapped her arms aroundme. “I’m so very proud of you.” She leaned in and whispered in my ear. “I’mwatching over you every day. I love you.”

She let go of me and turned away.My feet wouldn’t move. I wanted to run after her, to embrace her for a littlewhile longer. I wanted to say more to her. I wanted to say that even though Ididn’t know her I still loved her too. I wanted to say that I would try andfight like I was born to do, but I never had the chance. The glow that seemedto follow her was beginning to fade. Then all of a sudden I was alone. Thelightning stopped and all was black.