Eternity (Circle of Light) (16 page)

“Sure.”  I replied as I dried off. 

The smell of my banana shampoo filled the foggy bathroom as I got his towel out. With my hand on the shower door, I pulled it open only to see Eric standing there facing me.  I
couldn’t keep from looking at his wonderful body. 

He stood there looking back at me as I scanned over his body.  Water ran down his perfectly sculpted abs.  I tossed the washcloth to him and winked as I closed the door behind me.  He was laughing as I left the bathroom and went into my room to get dressed. 

I hurried to get my bra and panties on because I knew what would happen if I was not dressed when he came into my room.  I really don’t think right now is the time for me to surrender myself to him.  It wasn’t like I didn't want to do that.  Sneaking and doing it, wondering if my parents were going to come home and catch us wasn’t my ideal vision for our first time together. 

Hitting the last hook on the band of my bra, I heard him turn the water off and step out of the shower closing the door behind him.  My heart skipped a beat.  Actually, I think it stopped for a second or two to be truthful.

It didn’t take long for him to come out.  I had already picked out an outfit and was trying to put it on when he looked at it and said, “Wait, I have something you will probably like more than that.”  

“Okay
.” I replied questionably.

He held out his arms and smiled.  A deep red silky blouse appeared in one hand and a black full-length skirt was in the other one.  I had to admit, he was good at picking clothes.

He was attuned to me, which is beyond belief sometimes. I walked over to him and thanked him for the outfit. 

“Can I get you something too?”  I asked. 

“Yeah, but don’t overdo it.” he said watching me smile back at him eagerly. 

I thought that a Royal blue button up and black Carpenter pants would be perfect. As soon as they materialized, I was proud of my decision.

“Thanks.” He said seeming to be impressed.   This will be perfect for where we’re going.  

He took the clothes and put them on.  The whole time he was getting dressed, I wondered what it was that was making him be so secretive. I knew that he was doing something that he didn’t want me to know about.  I just hope that it wasn’t something that was going to make me angry with him.  If that was even possible.

Are you going to get ready? He asked.  Not realizing I was still standing there in my undergarments, I laughed and got the blouse. 

“Yeah.  Sorry.”

I’m still amazed that we can make things appear with our minds. If I concentrate hard enough there is no doubt that I can accomplish anything I set out to do.

After I had put on my outfit, fixed my hair, and put on a little makeup, I asked him what he was up to.

“You‘ll just have to wait and see.” he said taking my hand. 

He explained that he had made reservations for us at the Italian restaurant in town.  That made me a little nervous.  I was thinking that maybe he was just doing it to celebrate our graduation.

“We have to be there in thirty minutes.” he said. “Better hurry.”

“So, how long have you been keeping this a secret?”  I asked.

“For a couple of days.”

“Well, I guess I should be a little more inquiring.”

“I don’t think it will do you much good.  Guessing isn't one of your strong suits.” he laughed.  “Let's go.”

On the way to town, I stared out the window.  Everything's like a fairy tale and I am Cinderella with my prince.  I had the perfect life, the perfect family.  I even had the perfect boyfriend and supernatural powers.  Something was telling me that it was not all good.

I shoved the daunting feeling to the back of my mind.  There was no sense in worrying about things if I didn’t have to.

Eric had a way of making me feel like I was the only person in the world he wanted.  Of course, I knew how much he really cares for me. 

“You are everything to me Bailey.” he said reacting to my thoughts.

“And you’re mine as well
.” I replied feeling like my heart would explode.

At no time in my life did I ever think I would find love with someone like I have with him.  I was truly happy in the moment. 

The restaurant was crowded.  The server showed us to our table.  It was out of the way, which I liked.  Being around a whole crowd of people was not really my favorite thing in the world.  For some reason, I always thought they were all watching me, but they were not.  It makes me, somewhat, uncomfortable. 

Eric took my hand from across the table.  “It’s ok.  It’s just food.”

He can be so silly sometimes, I thought to myself.  He looked at me with a grin and said, “I heard that.”   I couldn’t help but to laugh aloud at him.

That drew a little attention to us.  Some of the people that were sitting at the tables around us looked over and smiled.  I smiled back at them apologetically. 

The server came to take our orders.  Eric said he would order for me, so I really wasn’t paying much attention to what he was telling her.  The thoughts of the other people around us had caught my attention. 

It was fun to look into other people’s minds.  You never know what kind of things they are thinking.  Now I have the power to experience that and I loved it.  And I am not a bit ashamed about prying sometimes.  It is completely harmless and cute at times, depending on the mind.

The woman next to us was thinking about how handsome her husband looked tonight.  I watched as he looked at her with nothing but pure adoration.  He was bragging to himself about how lucky he was to have such a wonderful woman for his wife.   To hear things like that actually spoken aloud made me feel more hope for the whole constitution of love.

I
didn’t stare at them as I listened, even though it was hard not to sneak a glance here and there.  They were such a lovely couple.  I noticed that she was thinking about how he would react when she told him why she had wanted to come here.   I hope he doesn’t knock the table over she thought to herself as she twisted a napkin in her lap.

I could tell she kn
ew he would be excited.  She’s pregnant.  I sensed that they had been trying for a long time to have children.  She could hardly contain herself.

He was wondering why she had been acting so strangely today.  He was thinking that she was going to tell him that she had gotten the promotion she was up for at work.  Boy was he wrong, I thought to myself.

The server placed our food in front of us and I heard the woman thinking about having a pacifier placed under his pasta.  The longer that I listened to her, I noticed that I could feel her emotions. 

“Be careful sweetheart.” Eric whispered to me. 

I nodded my head to acknowledge that I heard him.  Suddenly, I heard a tiny voice say something.  I looked around expecting to see a small child, but there were no children around. 

Listening more carefully, the realization that I was hearing her unborn child slapped me in the face.  Eric noticed the shocked look on my face and instantly asked what it was. 

“Listen.” I directed him to the woman next to us. 

“I don’t believe it.  I can hear the baby.”   

“There’s something else.” he whispered. 

I tuned into the baby’s thoughts.  I could tell the voice was a little girl.  She sounded so beautiful that I could hardly stand to hear her.  “Move over!”  I heard.  It was someone else in there.

A boy.

I gasped.  She was having twins.  

I was having a hard time containing my excitement for the couple.

I watched as the couple’
s server brought their food to them and placed it on the table.  Her husband picked up a fork and began gently stabbing at his pasta.  After a few times, he looked at his wife in confusion. 

“What is it honey?” She asked trying to hide that she knew what was going on. 

“I think there is something in my food.” He replied moving the pasta around in his plate looking more and more confused with each second that passed. 

His wife looked on intently.  He brought his fork up above his plate and from it dangled a pacifier. 

She smiled at him waiting for his reaction.  He jumped up and started yelling, “I’m going to be a daddy!”

Everyone in the room with us stood and applauded.  The man jumped up and down without a care about what the other people would say about the way he was acting.

After a moment passed, he went over and hugged his wife.  I have never seen anyone hug another person like that.  He held her as if he had been away for a long time and was just getting to see her again.  This was pure joy and I was fortunate enough to be able to witness it. 

Tears ran down my face before I could stop them.  Seeing them like that was so moving that it was hard not to be touched by it.  

Eric sat back down in seat.  By now, I was sure our food was cold.  I did not care at all. 

We were caught up in the moment and we had ignored our plates.  When we finally settled back to our seats, I looked at Eric and laughed. 

“I hope that we are that happy when we reach their age.” I said to him picking up my fork to take a bite.  To my surprise, the food was still warm.  I picked around at it, taking a bite here and there.  All the delight from the couple had caused me to forget all about being hungry.

Eric went on eating as if nothing had happened.  It is amazing how people can be about stuff.  It is almost as if they live from minute to minute.  Nevertheless, I know that Eric is not exactly like any other person, but it seems like his stomach was.

I watched him as he ate.  He was finished a few minutes before I was.  My appetite was not very big tonight.  The dark figure from earlier today was still haunting my thoughts.  Why would he want to hurt me?  I was unsure of the reason behind it.  I had not done anything to anyone.

Eric sat there looking at me attentively. 

“Are you ready to go?” he asked. 

I nodded at him as he stood up and held his hand out to help me from my chair.  He always thinks of ways to be courteous.  Every little thing he does still amazes me and makes me feel so loved. 
             

He put his arm around me as we walked out the door together and to the car.  He opened the door and held my hand until I sat down.  I buckled my seatbelt and exhaled deeply.  If only everything could be like it was with us.  The world would be a perfect place.

CHAPTER 9

Months had passed since Eric and I went to the Italian restaurant to eat.  Nothing happened out of the ordinary.  We were still spending every moment together.  Mom and Dad were home more often.  Their schedules had changed to allow them more time together at home.  I was thankful for that. 

My Dad and Eric were inseparable.  They had so much in common.  We were all a big happy family.

Mom would complement me on what great choice I had made picking him as my boyfriend.  If she only knew the truth.  The truth about how we were chosen for each other before we even knew it. 

Time seems to pass so quickly.  Eric and I had been together for a little over seven months now.  Our relationship was as strong as ever. 

He was helping me learn more about my powers.  I hadn’t realized how much I was capable of doing.  It was the most amazing feeling being able to do what we could do.  Without him, I was sure I would still be as lost as I was in the beginning. 

I haven’t had a visit from the Queens in a very long time.  Eric has called on his Kings once or twice, but it wasn’t anything major.  He said he needed some advice about a couple of things.  He said it was nothing that I should concern myself about and that everything was fine.  Therefore, I didn’t.  This was a very big change for me.  Worrying was in my blood.

Out of the window, I gazed at the blanket of snow that had fallen over night.  Just looking at it caused goose bumps to rise all over my body.  I missed the warm breeze, the colors of bloomed flowers, and the smell of fresh cut grass.  I felt like I was being held in my house, against my will, by old man winter. 

The cold is not something that I enjoy very much.  Eric acts like he enjoys it.  Hardly anything seems bothers him and I have come to think that he is not completely human.  That was the truth.  Neither of us are exactly normal.

I got dressed and went downstairs.  Mom was sitting at the table in the kitchen reading the paper. 

“Morning, Mom.”

She looked up and smiled at me as she said, “Good morning sweetie.” 

That was a silly question.  I always slept like a rock.

“Yeah.”  I said answering her generic question. 

“Your dad and Eric should be back anytime now.” 

“Where did they go?”

“They decided earlier this morning that they were going to go get breakfast for us all.” 

They definitely have something up their sleeves, I thought to myself. 

I noticed that Mom had a very sly look on her face.  There was, definitely, something going on.  I’m sure I was going to find out sooner than later.  I hate surprises.  Eric knows that too.

The front door opened and I could hear Dad and Eric chattering to each other.  They sounded like they were abnormally happy. 

I sat down at the table trying to wake up a little more.  I hate mornings.  I don’t think that part of me was ever going to change.

Eric came in the kitchen followed by Dad.  They were carrying a few paper bags.  My guess was they intended to cook for us.  I was expecting fast food.  I was not aware that either of them had any culinary skills at all. 

I watched as they emptied the contents of the bags onto the counter.  They had all the necessary items for a home cooked breakfast.  I was gearing myself up to eat some badly burned eggs. 

I heard Mom giggle quietly as she finished reading the paper. 

“What?”  I asked.  I was sure that I was on the outside of a joke that had been told to everyone else.  Something was going on and I was the only one that was not in on it.

“Anything good in there?”  I asked Mom as she passed the newspaper to me. 

“No. Not really.” She replied with a smile. 
             

The paper was filled with the usual goings on.  Mostly crime reports.  There had been a robbery at the gas station at the end of town.  The robber had gotten away with a few hundred dollars in cash and various items from the store inventory.  No harm came to the cashier, thankfully.  Although, I was certain the whole incident left her forever shaken.

Scanning on down the page, I came to an article about an attempted kidnapping.  A small girl had been playing at the park with her brother.  The article read that a van had pulled up and a man got out and approached her.  He had offered to take her to get ice cream.  The girl was, obviously, not fooled by the stranger’s offer.  She immediately ran from him and told her brother and several of his friends what the man was doing, but before any of them could get back over to the place where she had told them he was, he was gone. 

They reported it to the police.  An investigation was underway, but they really did not have much to go on.  Unfortunately, the little girl could not remember what he
had looked like.  She could only remember what the van looked like.  And that was all the police had to go on.

Several other articles caught my attention, but they didn’t seem as important as the one about the girl.  The thought of someone trying to take a child mortified me.  Instantly, Eric was whispering to me in my head. 

“It’s okay. They will find him and everything will be fine.” 

“I hope you’re right.”
             

I had to stop looking at the paper because I
couldn’t get the thought out of my head of the little girl.  I wondered how long it would be before the kidnapper would be successful in luring a child into his van. 

There is absolutely no reason these things should be going on in this world.  So much evil, and for someone to want to hurt a child or take them away from their parents was just unspeakable.

A sense of panic filled me.  I knew I could help capture him, but I wasn’t sure how to do it.  Letting anyone know what I could do was completely out of the question. 

“Eric.  Do you think we can help?”

It was no time until I heard his reply.

“It might
be possible.  After we eat, we’ll walk down to the park and look around.”

I sat there at the table contemplating a way to find out who and where the man was.  I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn’t realize Eric had already fixed my plate and put it in front of me. 

“Bailey?” he muttered trying to hide his concern from my parents.  I had obviously not heard him call to me in my head. 

I looked up and Eric was sitting beside me at the table. 

“Are you going to eat?”  Dad asked me.               

“Yeah.”  I smiled at him. 

Picking up my fork, I began to eat my breakfast.  Surprisingly, the food was good.  It was better than I had thought it would be.  I was going to have to give them a little credit for it.

After cleaning up from our meal, Eric got our coats and told my parents we were going to take a walk. 

“Make sure you bundle up.  It’s really cold out there.”  Mom told me. 

She was always worrying about something it seemed like.  Although she sometimes took it a little far, I knew it was because she loves me.  I guess that was where I got it.  I came by it honest.

I donned my coat and pulled the hood up onto my head.  Dad smiled at me and said, “You guys have a good time.  Don’t stay out too long.”   Eric nodded in response as he led me to the door.

Halfway to the park, I began shivering.  I had not been aware of exactly how cold it really was outside.  I was guessing it was pretty close to twenty degrees.  That was how cold it felt to me anyway. 

Eric picked up his pace trying to warm up.  I kept pace with him and soon I was a bit warmer than I had been a moment earlier.

He pulled me closer to him as we walked.  “If we work together, we should be able to go back to the time everything happened.”  

I looked at him out of pure confusion.  How could it be possible for us to see what happened?  It had been a day ago since they were here and we had not been anywhere near here.

Eric explained what he was thinking about doing as we reached the spot where the paper said the van was.  It was a genius idea, to say the least. 

Eric told me that we could turn back time and watch as the events of that day unfolded.  The only thing is, is that we could not try to interfere or we would disrupt everything that happened.  If that happens, the police would for sure have a hard time getting any leads in the investigation.  We could not risk that.  The man had to be found before he accomplished what he set out to do.

We came to the general area of where it happened.  I was very familiar with this part of the park.  The spot always gave me the heebie-jeebies.  I understood why he picked this place.  There was so much cover for him to evade being seen by anyone. Anyone except who he wanted to see him, that is. 

Eric looked around trying to find somewhere close but inconspicuous for us to begin our task.  He found a good spot under the cover of the trees and a few bushes. 

“No matter what, you can’t say or do anything but what we have to do to see it.”  Eric demanded. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t.”

Eric took my hands and I could instantly feel our powers coming together.  Unity was the key.  It made us more powerful and I did not question the idea of us being able to do anything we set out to do. 

I could hear Eric thinking about the day it all happened.  I joined him in deep concentration.  Suddenly, the air around us began to become somewhat unstable. It swirled and spun until looked like I was watching something on a television screen. I could see the events of that day unfolding right before my very own eyes.  I was captivated by what I was seeing.  Everything became clearer as I watched. 

The little girl had been playing by herself at the fence when he spotted her.  She had a sad look on her face and that seemed to make him
surer that he could get her to come with him.  He called to her as he leaned up against the fence. 

“Hello, little girl.”  I heard him say to her. 

I watched as she looked up at him unaware of his intentions for her. 

“Hi.”   She said back sounding purely angelic. 

He was pleased by her response and began to ask her questions.  He asked where her parents were and why she was playing all by herself. 

She told him she was there with her brother, but he was too busy to play with her.  He was playing ball with his friends.  The bad thing was that she had actually pointed out her brother and that gave the man the advantage on her.

The man noticed the distance between them and her brother, thinking that he could get her in the van before he even noticed she was gone. 

“Would you like to go get some ice cream?” He asked the girl. 

She stood up with a frightened look on her face and strongly answered against his request.

“I’m not supposed to go with strangers!” She yelled.

Her loudness startled him, causing him to back away from the fence.  He tried to coerce her into believing that he was not a stranger, but she was not going to believe him easily.  Her parents had taught her not to talk to anyone she did not know, no matter what.

Instead of staying, she turned and ran to where her brother and his friends were at, but before she could finish telling them about the man and what he was trying to get her to do, he was gone.  Eric released my hands and broke the connection.

Eric had been paying more attention to the details than I was.  He had managed to get a clear look at the man and his van.  He told me what he looked like and that his van had out of state license plates on it.  The man had been watching the girl for some time.  I just could not understand out why.  I mean, I had a gut feeling why, but the details made no sense to me.  Why would someone even think about harming a child? 

Eric seemed to think that it was one of those black market adoption things. 
“He wasn’t thinking anything outside of getting her into the van and back to the office where a couple was waiting to adopt her.” 

Eric had caught several glimpses of an office building of some sorts from the man s thoughts.  I was so sure he would look like the definition of a dirty old man, but that
wasn’t the case. 

As we hurried back home, Eric gave me a rather detailed description of the man.  He was in his early thirties.  He had dark hair and was worn exceptionally dark sunglasses.  Eric described him as being very clean cut and professionally dressed.  He had been wearing dress slacks and a crisp button down. 

They were going to sell her.

I was absolutely appalled by his claim.  Why would anyone want to make a living by kidnapping ot
her people’s children? The reasoning was completely beyond me.

I was still lost in thought when we reached the sidewalk that lead to my door.  The house looked warm from the outside and I could not wait to go in.  My hands were getting numb from the cold and my nose felt like it wasn’t even on my face anymore.

I could see my mom in the kitchen.  She was watching us from the window.  She gave us a quick wave to come in and went about what she was doing.

We managed to get in the house before we froze to death.  Eric helped me out of my coat and placed them both on the coat rack.  I swear they sounded like they would break if they hit something.