Between Ascension, page 3
part #9 of Levels of Ascension Series
“Is he Jena’s betrothed? Did you say his name was Willian?”
“Yes,” Valentina admitted as she sank onto her bed. She looked up at her brother to see if he had anything good to say about the situation. Behn seemed to be the only one who still seemed calm.
Jon looked from one sibling to the other as he processed this new information. “What do you think you’re doing? Is this how you want to repay Jena for her kindness? I can’t believe you!”
“Hold on a minute, Jon. There are a lot of problems between Jena and Willian. He’s part of the reason they’re living here. I met him a few days ago when I took Jena over to his house. What I don’t understand is that it seemed like he was trying to make amends with Jena. Why would he suddenly start to pursue you instead?” He looked down at his sister as he tried to figure out the strange puzzle.
“Why didn’t you tell me you knew him when you said there was someone here to see me?” Valentina accused.
“I didn’t see him. Mom told me to get you, but he wasn’t in the house yet. I never even imagined it would be him. How could I?”
“I told him to leave. I wanted to talk to Jena before I met with him again. He followed me to my room and saw me crying. He tried to comfort me. I guess I was a bit overwhelmed because I was the one who kissed him. There is something very strange which happens when we touch, almost like an electrical current passing through us.”
“I don’t want to hear about this,” Jon said disgustedly.
“Maybe you should go then,” Behn encouraged. He wanted to hear more about what had transpired between his sister and Willian, and it would certainly be easier without all of Jon’s commentary interrupting.
“Talk some sense into her, if you can, Behn,” Jon advised as he walked across the room, opened the door, and stormed out with the door slamming shut behind him.
“Why do you think he’s so angry?” Valentina asked.
“I don’t know. I want to ask you something without you getting upset with me. Do you promise to really think about your answer before replying?”
Valentina took a deep, calming breath and nodded.
“Do you think it’s possible Willian brainwashed you? Or do you really think there’s something real between the two of you?”
“I know it sounds crazy, and I’ve never felt anything so powerful. I don’t think it’s brainwashing because I was able to walk away from him twice now; once at school and then again here at home. Whatever it is, it is enormously powerful and intoxicating. I’m not sure what would have happened if Jon hadn’t interrupted us. I know I would have let it keep going, and to be honest, it scares me more than a little bit.”
“Why were you crying?”
“Because I was confused. He stirred up feelings in me which I didn’t want to have because I know he’s betrothed to Jena. I guess I was feeling sorry for myself.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I definitely want to talk to Jena about this whole thing. It’s only fair since she has known him for so long and they are supposed to get married in a couple of years.”
“You know the betrothal was arranged by Willian’s father when he was only a little kid. Both Willian and Jena have not had any say in the relationship. It may not be as awkward as you imagine it to be. Granted, Jena did seem hopeful for their relationship after meeting with him, but I doubt if Juila will be heartbroken at all if the betrothal were called off.” He smiled even as he thought about how Juila would react to the news of Willian being interested in someone other than her sister.
“What are you smiling about?” Valentina asked suspiciously.
“I was thinking about Juila.” He waved his hand dismissively and asked, “Do you want to pursue a relationship with Willian or do you want to keep your distance from him?”
“I think I don’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”
“Not this time. Already I feel as though I’m going through withdrawals from him and it has only been a few minutes. I don’t know how I’m going to stay away from him until after Jena gets back from her grandparents’ house so I can talk to her about this. Besides, what would I say to her? I want your fiancé, and I hope you don’t mind.”
“Why don’t we go over to Willian’s house and see what he has in mind?” Behn asked.
“Seriously? You’d do that for me?” Valentina asked in amazement at her brother’s suggestion. The idea of knowing where he lived both intrigued her and terrified her. If she could go see him whenever she wanted, she doubted she would be spending much time at home.
“Absolutely. I think you need a chaperone, though, if the attraction you feel for him is as strong as you seem to believe it is.”
Valentina nodded approval of his admonition. At this point, she would probably agree to almost anything if it meant she would get to see Willian again. She could hardly even recognize herself as she made plans for what she would talk to him about. Her mind was reeling with the possibilities of her future which had seemed so bleak only the day before.
“Let’s go before I change my mind,” Behn’s words broke into Valentina’s thoughts.
She nodded and stood up from the bed. “I’m ready,” she declared and led the way out to Behn’s car.
Valentina had a lot of questions for her brother as they drove. “How do you know where Willian lives?”
“Jena got the address from Rasa. Rasa was the one who helped Willian get here.”
Her brother had anticipated her next question, so she asked another. “Whose house is he staying at?”
“Marcus and Melissa Parker are fostering him until he’s ready to go home.”
“How long did Jena spend talking with Willian?” For some reason, Valentina felt a stab of jealousy because Willian had spent time alone with another girl.
“Only about twenty minutes. He walked her back to the car and opened the door for her. They seemed to be on pretty good terms, and Jena sounded hopeful for their relationship when I drove her home.”
“How come this is the first I’m hearing of this?”
“You weren’t exactly very social earlier this week if you’ll recall. I didn’t want to bother you with someone else’s problems. Besides, how was I to know it would matter?”
“True.” Valentina nodded her head at her brother’s last comment. How would he know it would matter? Why was this happening right now? Was she overcompensating for the traumatic event she had experienced over the last weekend?
Chapter Four
WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING it, Valentina memorized the streets and turns to get to the Parker’s house. She felt a thrill of fear course through her as her brother pulled to a stop in front of the house and turned off the ignition. She asked, “Is this it?”
“Yep.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the driver’s door.
Valentina hurriedly copied him and met him on the sidewalk leading up to the front door. “Do you think he’s at home?”
“There’s only one way to find out. Let’s go.” He walked up the walkway and stepped up onto the front porch. Without waiting for Valentina, he knocked on the door briskly. He heard a dog barking inside and waited to see if anyone answered.
Moments later, the same woman Behn had met before answered the door. She was holding a little, black Pomeranian who seemed to be struggling to get out of her owner’s grasp so she could properly greet the new guests. She smiled in recognition of Behn and said, “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. Who is this?” She turned her attention to the attractive girl beside Behn.
“Hi, Mrs. Parker. This is my sister, Valentina. We were wondering if Willian were home.”
“Sure, come on in.” She stepped back from the door to allow the two to enter the house. She pointed down the hall and continued, “He’s in his bedroom, first door on the left. Feel free to go and visit with him.”
Valentina smiled and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Parker.”
Behn kept in the lead as he nodded his greeting at their host and then walked down to the indicated room. He stood in the doorway and waited for Valentina to catch up with him. Just as they entered the bedroom, he watched as Willian’s gaze met his sister’s and he suddenly felt excluded from the meeting.
It was the weirdest feeling he had ever encountered and immediately knew what his sister was unable to adequately express with mere words. Something about the two of them together was so intense which he had not noticed when Willian had been in close proximity with Jena. Surely this had to mean something significant; he only hoped it would not cause problems between them and the only other people they knew from Tuala.
“I can’t believe you came over,” Willian exclaimed as he jumped up from his bed where he had been thinking about Valentina. She almost seemed like a vision made into reality as she appeared in his room so unexpectedly.
“We need some answers,” Behn interrupted rudely, smoothly intercepting Willian’s attempt to touch his sister.
“Certainly,” Willian replied as he struggled to shift his gaze away from Valentina. “Let’s sit down on the bed.” He led the way across his room. “How do you know Valentina?” he asked Behn.
“She’s my sister.” Behn chose to sit between the two of them so he could make sure they remained as undistracted as possible given the circumstances. Almost beyond belief, Behn thought he could feel the electrical energy passing through him, and it made the hair stand up on his arms. He unconsciously rubbed his forearm with his other hand.
“So then I can assume the guy who punched me in the gut at your house was another brother of yours?” His hand went to his stomach where he could still feel the effects of the hit. He had been completely unprepared for the attack since his mind had been clearly involved in being with Valentina.
“Yes,” Behn answered. “We are triplets.” He saw Willian’s hand move and smirked at how effectively Jon had handled the situation.
Willian’s eyebrows rose at Behn’s announcement of the multiple births. Triplets were very uncommon in Tuala, and it pleased Willian greatly since it was considered a blessing. He wondered briefly if Valentina’s close tie with two other humans was what created the energy pull around her.
They were about to begin their discussion when there was a commotion from outside the room. They could hear a clattering sound and then the little dog came bounding into the room. The noise they had heard was her claws clicking on the hardwood floor as she tried to maintain traction on her forward motion. The ball of fur immediately sniffed and licked Valentina’s feet and then Behn’s before she scampered over to Willian.
She rose up onto her back legs and rested her front paws on Willian’s shins. She made funny growling noises as she leaped up a pitiful inch or two, clearly indicating she wanted to be picked up. Her antics were rewarded as Willian lifted her into his lap and began to pet her chest. She seemed rather pleased with herself as she rolled her eyes toward the guests and lolled her tongue out the side of her mouth.
“This is Pesi,” Willian told his visitors. “She’s a bit spoiled, but she’s a really good dog.”
“I can see she has you well trained,” Valentina teased.
Hearing her made him look down at the dog and smile as he answered, “I guess she does!” The tension in the room seemed to dissipate as they all paid attention to the playfulness of the dog. Whenever Willian’s petting slowed down, Pesi would raise her paws up and down to catch his attention. Willian would immediately renew his petting efforts, and the dog remained content.
Soon enough Pesi sprawled across Willian’s lap and fell asleep. Willian kept his hand on her, occasionally stroking her soft fur. He felt comforted by the little animal’s trust in him.
Behn was the first to speak when he asked, “What are you planning regarding Jena?”
Willian kept his gaze down at the dog on his lap and sighed. His hand on Pesi’s back stilled as he considered what his answer should be. “As I’m sure you know, I came here to try to work things out with Jena. We have had a rocky relationship from the start. I know what was expected of the two of us based on the betrothal agreement my father arranged, but it never felt right. When I was in Tuala, I felt myself being lured to Earth. Initially, I thought it was because Jena was here and I was meant to come here to set things straight. The closer I got to Florida, the stronger the pull became.
“When I started attending your school, I felt like there was something missing. I never felt comfortable, but I attributed it to the new culture and customs. When I finally saw Jena, I thought I would feel a sense of ease because I could finally begin to make amends with her. My energy was better, but by no means at ease.
“Earlier today when I ran into Valentina, and we touched, it’s like everything suddenly made sense. I was certain she was the reason I was brought to Earth and Jena was just the means to get me here. I haven’t been able to talk to Jena yet, but I’m positive she will be relieved to have our relationship annulled so she can move on with Luke.
“I’m sorry I hit him, he actually seems like a nice guy. She seemed genuinely attracted to him, and I became jealous. Mostly because she never looked at me the way she was looking at him. My base instincts kicked in, and my reason abandoned me.”
“So your jealousy would indicate there are still feelings you harbor for Jena,” Behn stated.
“I thought so at the time as well. Right before you got here, I was thinking about everything. At the time I was still under the impression I was supposed to make things work with Jena. I hadn’t had an opportunity to talk with her yet, so I felt she was betraying our relationship by kissing Luke.
“Since connecting with Valentina, I realize what I feel for Jena is more brotherly than husbandly. There has always been a competitive streak between the two of us which would never make a relationship work well. She’s always dreamed of becoming an Elder, even though before Rasa, no woman was ever allowed to hold the office. If she were to become my wife, she would not be able to pursue her dream because I’m destined to be my father’s successor. I think she’s always resented me because of the lost opportunity.”
He held up his hand to forestall Behn’s comment. “I’ve resented Jena much more than she ever did me. I was jealous of how easily she learned new skills with elemy. In my mind, it should have been easier for myself because of who my father was. At that time, we didn’t know who Jena’s father was, nor did we realize she had a mixed heritage which would make her abilities even stronger.”
“So I think we’re agreed we both need to talk to Jena before we let anything more happen between us,” Valentina spoke up for the first time.
Willian nodded reluctantly. His mind was already decided against trying to make anything more happen with Jena; however, he could see it was the right thing to do. More than anything, he wanted to be able to spend more time alone with Valentina and see where the power would take them.
Valentina’s thoughts were mirroring Willian’s even though she did not know it. She shivered with a thrill of anticipation of the day where they could explore their mutual energy. Just the day before she had felt broken and hurt. With a single touch from Willian, it seemed as though all of her pieces had been melded together into a more perfect reflection of herself than she had ever known before.
“I’d like to try an experiment,” Valentina announced into the silence of the room.
“What is it?” Behn asked.
“I want to see if you can feel what is between Willian and myself. If Willian touched one of your arms and I touched your other one, maybe you could become a human conduit.”
Already feeling something, Behn was reluctant to be experimented upon. He changed his mind once he realized this was something important to his sister. He nodded and held up both arms for them to touch.
Willian was first to grasp his forearm and smile at him in anticipation of feeling even a small bit of Valentina’s energy passed through her brother. His eagerness soon turned into wonder as he felt a familiar connection with Behn. Certainly, it was not as intense, nor was it as compelling, yet it was there all the same.
Behn’s gaze suddenly shifted to Willian as he felt the same thing. He was just about to stand up to discontinue the experiment when Valentina reached over and took hold of his other arm. His vision immediately became dazzled by bright white lights everywhere. It was almost as if he had entered a room filled with a million LED light bulbs.
As the initial shock wore off, he could see several people walking ahead of him. He had no idea who they were, but he could see they were each holding a samara in their hands. Joining another group of people, they formed a circle with the samaras almost touching one another, and an old man wearing white robes said, “It’s time.”
The vision vanished in an instant, and Behn found himself kneeling on the floor of Willian’s bedroom. He touched his hands to his scalp and pressed hard to try to contain a massive headache. “What was that?” he groaned as he kept his eyes shut to minimize the brightness of the sun shining through the window onto the floor in front of him.
Valentina slipped off of the bed and put her arm gently around her brother’s shoulders. “Are you okay, Behn? I’m so sorry! I had no idea it would cause any harm. Please tell me you’re okay!”
“I’m fine, Val. Just give me a minute to see if my head will stop pounding.” Abruptly the ache disappeared as though it had never happened. Behn cautiously opened his eyes and turned his head toward Willian. “Did you do that?”
“If you’re talking about your headache, then yes. Since it was my fault you were hurting to begin with, I thought it only right for me to take the pain away. Do you feel well enough to sit back up on the bed and tell us what happened?”
“Didn’t you see the people, too?” He rose slowly from the floor and sank onto the bed as his mind tried to make sense of what he had just witnessed.
Valentina looked across to Willian with a concerned expression. She had no idea what her brother was talking about, and she was afraid for him. What if her experiment had caused irreparable damage to her brother? She would never forgive herself for putting him in a dangerous situation just to satisfy her curious nature.
