Revelations (The Revelations Series Book 1) (21 page)

“I’m sorry, I can’t tell you that.” Her mom let go of her hand, leaned forward and looked at her intently. “Jenna, I must warn you, you are being deceived. You need to be aware of everything and everyone around you.”

The thunder crackled again and a tall powerful looking man dressed in a white suit appeared before them. Jenna couldn’t help but stare at the man for a moment as the porch lamp reflected light on him and glimmered over his handsome face.

“You’ve said enough, Erin. It’s time to go,” he instructed.

“Wait,” Jenna exclaimed jumping up. “Please let her stay longer. We’re not done.”

The man smiled as he looked at Jenna. “Jenna, my name is Peter. It’s nice to meet you. I am an angel of God. I know this is hard for you, but it is something you must do on your own. Your mom has said too much, and it’s essential that you create your own future from your own decisions. If your mother says anymore it will surly cause you to sway from your own choices. But, I do have to stress that she is right. It’s important that you be aware of those around you. Trust in your feelings, for it is those feelings that will guide you to happiness.”

Erin stood up and hugged Jenna tight. She smiled as a white rose materialized in her hand. She handed it to Jenna, and then joined Peter. “We’ll be watching you, honey. Remember, keep your father’s book close, and believe in yourself. We love you.” And, with that, they were gone.

Jenna bolted upright, waking from a sound sleep. In lightning-fast movements, she leapt out of bed and ran out of her room racing down the stairs so quickly she missed the last step and almost fell when she got to the bottom. She flung the front door open and burst onto the front porch.

“Mom,” she called frantically when she saw no one was sitting on the swing. “Mom, where are you?” she called again running off the porch her bare feet refusing to slow down even as the cold hard ground assaulted them. She quickly looked all around; her heart sinking as she realized no one was there.
Had it all been a dream?
she thought as she scanned the front yard again still hoping to see her mom.

Finally, having to admit she was alone; Jenna hung her head low and made her way back onto the porch. She glanced at the swing and froze. A white rose lay on the seat. She was sure it hadn’t been there a moment ago. No, if it had she would have surely seen it.

She slowly made her way over to the swing, pausing as she stared down at the rose. She glanced around the yard again before she carefully picked it up and brought it to her nose taking in its scent. But, the scent that came from the rose wasn’t that of a rose. It was of her mom’s perfume. Tears spilled from her eyes as she inhaled the scent again and walked back into the house.

She quietly closed the door and made her way back up to her room collapsing on her bed. If it had all been a dream then how had the rose appeared on the swing? Had her mom somehow managed to come to her in a dream and she’d left the rose as a reminder to remember their talk? She thought back to the conversation she had with her mother. Why was it so important that she allow herself to find love? And, most importantly, what did she mean by she was being deceived? She had so many questions she could barely think straight. She kept replaying the dream over and over again in her head until the weight of her eyelids could no longer be ignored.

AS
tired as she was, Jenna was up as soon as the morning sun peeked through the clouds. The dream still fresh in her mind, she climbed out of bed and got dressed. She had a lot to think about and decided that taking a hike was the best way to clear her head. She quickly brushed her teeth and hair and went down stairs to get something to eat. When she walked into the kitchen, she saw Alex sitting at the table.

“Wow, you’re up early,” he said as she headed for the cupboard for a glass.

“I couldn’t sleep. Why are you up?” Jenna opened the fridge, grabbed the juice and poured some in her cup.

“I’m always up this early.”

“Really?” Jenna couldn’t believe that after living with Alex all these months she didn’t know he was such an early riser.

“Yeah, it used to drive my mom crazy when I was younger. Even on her days off she had to get up early because I would get up.”

Jenna laughed. “I bet she was happy when you got old enough to watch yourself.”

Alex grinned. “She sure was.”

“What are you doing today? I’m going to hit the hiking trails. Want to join me?”

“You know, I think I will. I found the perfect place the other day for us to be able to practice our abilities. I’ll show it to you.”

Jenna sighed and shook her head. Training was the last thing she wanted to do today. “Do we really have to train today?”

Alex stood up. “No, no training anymore. You’ve already proven you can defend yourself. But, it’s important you use your abilities so you don’t lose focus. That’s what this place is, a private spot where you can go to keep in touch with your Nephilim side.”

“That I don’t mind doing. I’ll leave Arlene a note so she doesn’t worry.” Jenna grabbed the notepad off the counter and wrote the note, then followed Alex out the door towards the trails behind the barn.

“So, how do you like it here so far?” Alex asked as they started up the trail.

“It’s not so bad.” Jenna kicked a stone on the dusty path. “Well, except that Sandra girl. I mean, what the heck is up with her?”

Alex laughed. “Yeah, she is a little unhinged, isn’t she?”

“A little? The girl needs a total attitude check. I saw her in the store yesterday and she was telling some girl I was the bitch Dylan was dating.”

“Did she know you heard her?”

Jenna nodded and smiled remembering what she had done. “I couldn’t help myself; I told her I kissed Dylan.” Jenna laughed a little. “You should have seen her face. I wish I had a camera.”

Alex turned onto a small path that was almost hidden by the brush around it. “Look at you starting trouble already. And we just moved here,” Alex joked.

Jenna pushed a tree limb out of the way and followed Alex. “The only problem is now I have to tell Dylan what I said. I hope he doesn’t get too mad.”

“I doubt he’ll be upset. He’ll probably think it’s funny.”

Jenna didn’t respond. After last night, the last thing she wanted to do was tell Dylan what she had done. She felt guilty for leaving the way she had and knew she needed to apologize for that. It was just that she wasn’t looking forward to it. She followed Alex a little ways more until they came to the end of the path, then thick bushes seemed to block their path on all sides.

“Are you sure this is the right path?” she asked as she stared at the trees that were surrounded by brush.

“That’s what makes this place perfect.” He raised his hand and two of the bushes separated making a path for them. After they both walked through, the bushes moved back into place leaving no sign of ever being disturbed.

“How did you find this place?” Jenna asked as she looked around the clearing they just stepped into it. “You’re right; it’s the perfect place for us to practice. No one could see us in here if they happened to be on that path.

“I didn’t really find it. I made it. This is where I’ve been the last couple of days. It has all the elements you’ll need. Earth and wind were the easy ones. For water, there’s a stream on the other side of those trees; and for fire, I built a fire pit. We’ll have to be careful with that one until you learn how to control it.”

“Wow, you’ve thought of everything.” Jenna walked over and looked around the trees to see the stream trickling down a rocky slope in the mountain. “I could have helped if you would have asked.”

“I know. But I knew how hard this move was for you and I didn’t want to push you to start practicing again until you had time to settle in.”

“Thanks,” Jenna said turning around. She pointed the palm of her hand at the ground and watched as a small funnel of dirt rose up and formed a small twister. She smiled, and had to admit that she liked being able to control the elements. She raised her hand and the twister grew larger until it started to attract debris.

“I wish I had that ability,” Alex said coming up beside her.

Jenna dropped her hand and the twister lost its energy and collapsed to the ground. “It is cool, isn’t it? But, I have to admit that the telekinesis is my favorite.” Jenna looked at a stone that lay on the ground near her foot, a mere second later it was flying across the clearing.

“Holy crap!” Alex exclaimed. “How did you do that without pointing your hand at it?”

Jenna shook her head. “I don’t know, I just thought about what I wanted the rock to do and it did it. Can’t you do that?”

“No. I have to use the energy from my hand. Man, Sandra better not piss you off anymore.”

Jenna laughed and then her face grew serious. “I know she deserved it, but it was a mistake to use my abilities against her the other day.”

“Listen, Jenna, I know you think it was wrong, but she deserved it. Don’t beat yourself up over it. I would suggest doing something less out of the ordinary next time though.” Alex raised his hand and aimed it at a tree branch above their heads.

Jenna couldn’t believe Alex was suggesting she use her abilities to get revenge. She couldn’t help but think about what her mom told her in the dream about being careful of those who would lead her astray. Could she have meant Alex? Jenna pushed the thought out of her head. No, that wasn’t possible. If her mom thought Alex was a bad influence, she would never have allowed him to stay with them. She was sure it had just been a joke. A loud crack above them snapped Jenna out her thoughts. She looked up to see a large branch coming straight at her. She quickly raised her hand and the branch splintered into hundreds of pieces. She covered her head as they fell all around them.

“Are you crazy!” she screamed at Alex. “That could have hit me.”

Alex shrugged dismissively. “Calm down, I had it under control. Your reflexes are extraordinary. You didn’t even flinch before you destroyed that branch.”

Jenna glared at him. “You’re a jerk.” She spun on her heels and headed for the path leading back to the house. “Practice over,” she yelled over her shoulder.

“Jenna, wait.” Alex ran after her and grabbed her arm. “I want you to try something before you go.”

Jenna yanked her arm out of Alex’s grasp. “What,” she snapped.

“I want you to try to summon fire.” He walked over to the fire pit and tossed in some branches from the tree limb that Jenna just destroyed.

“Alex, we both know I can’t do that.”

“Come on. At least give it a try.”

Jenna stared at Alex for a moment. She was still furious about what he had done, but knew he wouldn’t leave her alone until she at least tried. She stomped over to where he stood, put her hand over the pit and tried to call to the element of fire. Nothing happened.

“See, I told you, I can’t do it,” she said dropping her arm. “Now, can I go?”

Alex crossed his arms. “Why do you have to be such a baby? You didn’t even really try.”

“I did too! How would you know if I tried or not?” Jenna could feel a rage growing inside her and she tried to keep it under control.

“I bet if it was Sandra that had your abilities she could do it.” Alex taunted as he circled Jenna and the fire pit.

That was it. Jenna had enough. “You know, Alex, I’m so glad you have all your abilities under control. But, I’m telling you, I can’t summon fire!”

Suddenly, the fire roared to life, and Jenna and Alex jumped back away from the pit.

Alex’s face lit up. “I knew it!”

“Knew what?” Jenna asked her eyes glued to the fire.

“That if you were angry; you would be able to summon fire. And, I was right. As soon as you got mad enough you were able to do it.” A momentary look of confusion crossed Alex’s face. “Now, we just have to figure out how to get you to do it while you’re calm.”

Jenna shook her head. She couldn’t believe she’d let Alex play her like that. She had thought that anger was her trigger after what happened at the beach, but wasn’t sure. The only thing she did know for sure was that Alex was right. She needed to learn how to keep it under control before she was around Sandra again or she might seriously hurt the girl.

“Do you think you could teach me how to control it?” she asked Alex.