String of Tears, page 27
She stilled at that. You mean, I need to take control.
You need to take control, yes, he agreed. You can do this. You’ve done it many, many times. You’re incredibly powerful. You’re incredibly capable. This is your creation. Don’t let fear choke you right now, not when you’re on the cusp of finding out exactly what’s going on.
She slowly nodded. I can do this, she said, but it lacked conviction.
You can do this, he repeated, bolstering her up. Close your eyes, take a breath, realize who you are. Claim it. Claim what you can do, what you’ve already done, and take control of this.
She opened her eyes, closed them again, and whispered, I can do this. I can do this. As she repeated it over and over again, it was like a ball of energy building up, higher and higher inside her, getting stronger.
She flung her arms apart, tossing Hurricane’s hand aside, and cried out, I can do this.
A series of explosions came all around her.
Hurricane immediately grabbed her hand, pulled her up tight, and whispered, Hang on, sweetheart. It’ll be a rough ride for a bit.
She was picked up, still in his arms, and the two of them were tossed into the hurricane, flung from side to side, and spun out of control. She screamed and tried to hang on, but his voice guiding her kept her sanity intact.
He whispered, We’re almost through it, just hold tight.
She shuddered, closing her eyes against the maelstrom threatening to completely destroy her, as she clung to him with all her might. A sheer force exploded from her, and suddenly the wind stopped, and the pressure was gone. She lifted her head and looked around and looked up at him.
We’re in the eye of the storm, he noted gently.
She shuddered. You say that as if that’s a good thing.
It is a good thing, he confirmed.
No, it means we still have to get to the other side.
He wrapped his arms around her, leaned down, kissed her gently. Absolutely, and that’s even more important now because we can’t stay here.
Why not? she cried out. We could just stay. It’s perfect. We wouldn’t have to deal with any of this. We wouldn’t have to deal with any of life. We could just be here and exist in this space.
No way, Hurricane argued. I want everything out there available for us to exist in the real world, not like this, not as a fragment of ourselves.
She stared up at him, and he immediately shook his head.
No, we are not cowards. We will not hide in the shadows. We will take control of this and will let it take us to the safe harbor on the other side.
You promise there will be a safe harbor? she murmured.
Oh, I promise. He smiled and immediately stepped her forward into the other side of the hurricane.
Once again, she was buffeted by this world, the storm, the cold, icy shards hitting her constantly. Then suddenly silence came again. She peeked out, and they were in this weird gray world. She looked up at him. Where are we?
He frowned and shook his head. I’m not sure.
At that, she stiffened, looked around, and asked, Are we lost?
No, I think, more to the point, we’re found.
I don’t think I like the sound of that.
No, maybe not, he agreed, his voice cautious. He looked around and said, Call for Maddy.
Maddy, are you there?
Only silence came.
What does that mean? Jewel cried out. Where’s Dr. Maddy? Where’s Stefan?
Oh, they’ll be around here somewhere, but it seems like, for some reason, we’ve been isolated from them.
She shuddered. That’s not good.
No, I don’t think it’s good at all. The better question is, what is so bad about it?
Nothing, a stranger said behind them. It’s a perfect place to stay, and I am so glad you could join us.
*
Hurricane, holding fast to the woman in his arms, turned slowly to stare at another woman in front of him. Rhea, I suppose. He felt more than saw Jewel stiffen in his arms.
Rhea looked at him, then slowly nodded. Oh, this is lovely. You know who I am.
No, not really, Hurricane corrected her. I know of you.
Right, some of those files were a little bit confusing, weren’t they?
More than a little, he replied cautiously. He looked down at Jewel, who stared at the woman. Do you recognize her?
I don’t know, Jewel said hesitantly.
You can do better than that, Rhea replied, with a laugh. I mean, it might take you a little bit to clear the cobwebs out of that brain of yours, but that brain has always been pretty impressive.
Then Hurricane knew, and he stared at her. You’re her mother.
Rhea looked at him intently, and her eyes glowed with an otherworldly knowledge, as she nodded slowly. Wow, I really wasn’t expecting this. Finding out that she could come here is one thing, but finding out that you could come here with her is something completely different. But finding that you know who I am? Rhea stopped and contemplated him. I must think about this.
No time to think, he stated instantly.
Why not? Rhea demanded. It’s not as if you’re going anywhere.
But behind Rhea, Hurricane saw a slight glow of energy. Not true. We won’t be staying.
Yes, you are, Rhea declared, then laughed. Do you really think I would allow you to be here if this wasn’t where I wanted you to be?
Maybe, Hurricane said, but she’s your daughter. Is this really the life you want for her?
Of course. She’s more powerful than I ever was. Rhea shrugged. She just hasn’t come into her full power yet.
Yet that full power is for Jewel to wield, not you.
Rhea glared at him. That’s not true. Out there in the world, we had no power. We were just victims all the time. Victims of men, like you, taking advantage of us. How fair is that world? But here, we are somebody. In here we have something, have everything.
He noted other faces were slowly forming around him.
She nodded. You really don’t know anything.
No, but I’m starting to. They’re your victims, aren’t they?
She stiffened. Like hell, she sneered. Typical male, who thinks he knows everything.
He knew he was close, he just didn’t quite understand it all. Why don’t you explain it to Jewel, give her a choice?
No, because she’s not mine yet. She’s still confused. I need a little more time to convince her of all this. But look at what we’ve created.
He turned to see at least a dozen women, if not twice that, surrounding them. He kept funneling out strong, loving, healing energy, trying to give Stefan and Dr. Maddy a pathway to find him and Jewel. He still held several of their strands of energy as a guide for them to get through this to him, and he could see bits and pieces, but they were being crowded out by all these other energies.
It’s not good enough, Hurricane said. She deserves to live a full life, not this shadow existence.
She doesn’t know what she wants, but what I know is that she is very strong and that she could do all kinds of things for us. And we’re only now understanding how much we can do ourselves. Rhea laughed. We can’t give up that kind of control.
You mean, you won’t, Hurricane argued, his voice harder. They are following you, but maybe you didn’t even give them a choice.
They have no choice here either, she murmured. We are all victims.
Some of you more than others, Hurricane stated, looking at her. Some of them don’t have a clue what happened. Others don’t want to look at what happened.
Rhea burst out laughing. Oh, well done. Don’t you think you’re clever? And she chuckled again. Look. Even my daughter is numb to all this. It’ll take her quite a while, years really, to sort through what’s just happened. We’ll have to work on her, but I’ve already prepped the others that she was coming, and, now that she’s here, we can help her, just like I helped them.
Like you helped them to death, to this existence?
Better than what they had, she murmured. But you wouldn’t understand that. You were part of that world that took advantage of us.
He could only surmise how bad it was from what she said, but obviously it had made quite a difficult life for her. And your daughter? he asked. Is this really what you want for her?
Absolutely, and I didn’t even know it until I felt her energy. We were dormant for so long, and then that fool sent us to her for repairs. The best thing he ever did. Of course I might have had a hand in that, but, hey, he doesn’t know anything about it. He doesn’t have a clue what’s going on, and that’s the way we want to keep it. She’s my daughter. She’s special to me, not to him. He doesn’t get to have her.
So, that’s all you want? Possession? You don’t care about what’s important to her? You just want to make sure that you have what you want, so you can use Jewel’s power? Hurricane asked.
Rhea shrugged. It’s only fair. I didn’t get to raise her. I didn’t get to have all those years with her.
No, she was raised by your sister, wasn’t she?
Rhea sniffed at that. My sister is a mess.
Still, she raised your daughter, doing the best she could.
Sure, but that wasn’t my fault.
Wasn’t it? I mean, the fight, when it happened, your death when it happened, did you not try to grab Jewel to try to save yourself?
Of course I did. Rhea stared at him. Why wouldn’t I?
Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you should have been a real mother and tried to save her, instead of just yourself.
But she was young. I was going to take her with me, Rhea explained, her voice more contemplative than upset.
You would take her with you into death?
Why not? It’s not as if life offered us anything. She gave a hard laugh. And, by the way, all your attempts to drag out the time here isn’t working. We’ll go now, but you on the other hand? You we don’t need. We don’t want you at all.
Why? Because I’m male?
Partly, and also because you’re too strong, and we would never be able to control you. I’m not even sure how you got through all those storms as it is.
Because it’s what I do. It’s who I am.
She stiffened and glared at him. Now we definitely don’t want you.
Too bad because I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere without Jewel.
You can’t take her. She’s my daughter. I have the connection to her, and you don’t.
You’re wrong there, Hurricane argued. She has a connection to me, to her life back there, and we need you to separate, so she can come back and live a normal life. So she is free to rejoice at being good at what she does. She’s a hell of an artist and a jewelry designer. You know that, right?
Of course, she’s my daughter, Rhea replied carelessly.
But you don’t care about her. You only care about gaining her energy and gaining her ability. That’s all you want.
Rhea stiffened and glared at him. That’s why you want her too, she snapped, but she’s my daughter, and she comes with me.
No, I don’t think so. Hurricane already felt energies tugging at the woman in his arms. He whispered to Jewel, Remember. Love is the answer. You cannot fight these women. Hurting people tend to hurt other people. They’re in pain. They’ve suffered a lot. They’re crying out, attracted to the goodness of your energy. She was your mother for a short time, but she’s not anymore. No true mother would do any of this to their child.
He felt Jewel stiffen in his arms, but he stroked her gently, trying to fill her mind with joy and love. You need to get to the other side of that wall and see what’s there. To really see what’s there. She looked up at him, shuddering, her eyes overwhelmed in pain, and he nodded. Let me help you.
He could see the storm, the argument, the fear, and then the acquiescence, and she nodded. Help me, she whispered. Help me now.
Hurricane closed his eyes and thrust the two of them together back into the storm. Almost instantly he heard the screams behind them, as somebody tried to rip Jewel from him. But he bound her as tightly as he could, knowing that Rhea’s dark energy was so strong and had survived for decades, fueled by hate and revenge, just waiting for this opportunity, waiting for the chance to steal Jewel, to deny her a true life.
Just the thought of what Rhea could do, what she had already done, was enough to terrify him.
Energy swirled angrily around them.
Hurricane pushed harder and faster, calling out to Maddy and to Stefan to help get them to the other side of the storm. Hurricane felt dark energy clawing at his back, clawing at Jewel.
He wrapped her up, looked down at her, and whispered, Hold this thought. He lowered his head and kissed her, pouring love and his soul into her being, entwining the two of them so tightly together that they were one, one energy that only something so equally powerful could pull back on. It was one thing to pull a single energy; it was another to pull another one like him, especially as grounded as he was, grounded in the knowledge of all the things he’d seen over the years. Grounded in the knowledge of what souls tried to do, even when there was no reason, no rhyme, and no possibility of success.
The same dark forces screamed at him, and then Jewel did something that warmed his heart. The absolute soul of her, the specialness that made her who she was, suddenly poured upward, kissing him back, filling his body with her soul, filling his soul with her heart and the specialness that made them each so unique in this world.
The two of them wrapped up together were a force to be reckoned with, and then Jewel reached out a hand and whispered, Maddy, Stefan.
Suddenly the four of them were together, and the dark energies screamed with one last powerful push, then drained away.
Jewel stood shuddering in Hurricane’s arms.
And he held her, then whispered, Open your eyes.
She looked around and asked, The storm is over?
We’re on the other side, he told her. We survived that.
She laughed, stepped back slightly, looked up at him, and her eyes twinkled. That was a hell of a storm you created, mister.
I didn’t create it, he replied.
At that, her voice dropped deep, as she whispered, Was that really my mother?
Yes, and you need to turn around and take a look. You’re on the other side of the wall now.
She turned. His arms dropped, as he stepped away to give her a moment. She studied everything around her. What is this? she whispered.
It’s the wall that you put up to save yourself, Maddy explained, as she stepped forward. It’s the wall we were trying to get you to open up so that we could help you.
Jewel looked around and frowned, shaking her head. Are you saying that my mother contacted me? From the dead, … from wherever the hell she is?
Yes, she contacted you, Maddy explained, and you recognized the energy. You didn’t know quite what had happened or how to protect yourself, so you did the best thing you could. You hid.
You created this whole new persona, and you hid, Stefan added.
I don’t understand.
I know, Hurricane spoke for them all. It’s pretty amazing actually, and what you’ve just managed to do is phenomenal.
She stared at him, looked around, and shook her head. You’re standing here in front of me in my living room. That’s phenomenal, but I don’t understand. Could I learn to do this?
You’re already three-quarters of the way there, Stefan declared, gently searching her. How do you feel?
Empty, yet alive and whole in some weird way.
Not quite yet. Hurricane looked around at the living room and at the safe and asked Jewel, And the necklace. How is it to you?
She shrugged. It’s just a necklace now.
Yes. Exactly. It has no power. It has no strength now.
She hesitated, staring at Hurricane, her gaze searching as she whispered, What about my mother?
First, do you see this loft, your studio?
She nodded. Yes, of course I do.
It’s not real.
Her shock was audible.
Stefan reached out a hand and whispered, Hurricane means it. This room is another creation of yours, Jewel.
Chapter 26
Jewel stared at the three of them and shook her head. Then she turned to Hurricane. What do you mean?
All this that has happened over the last few days, everything that’s happened, it’s all been in your mind. Created by you in this gray space of your own, where you get to design everything, all in order to make a world that’s easier than what you had before. And that maze I was caught in? After meeting Rhea, I wondered if it was her trap. But now I know better. It was your security perimeter, guarding your gray space. I got that far. I think I earned your trust that day.
She looked at him in disbelief.
Now I need you to be really brave. I need you to wake up.
When Hurricane held out his hand, she looked at it, looked at the others, and asked, What do you mean?
Try it, grab my hand, and wake up.
She swallowed, slowly put her hand in his, her mind in tumult, as she absorbed some of what he just said.
Almost immediately everything changed.
The smell was different; the feel of her body was different. She opened her eyes and sat upright, and there in front of her was Hurricane, their hands still joined. But, as she looked around, she realized she was in a hospital, lying in a hospital bed. Two glowing orbs were beside him, but they weren’t people.
She stared at them and whispered out loud, “Maddy?” The first orb, almost a white mint green, twinkled.
And then to the golden one, she whispered, “Stefan?” He twinkled back at her.
“Oh my God.” Jewel looked around again at the hospital room. She stared at the sheet covering her and whispered, “What happened?”
“This is where you really are. All the rest, everything—the loft apartment, you being taken out to the highway the second time—are all just creations of your mind,” Hurricane stated, sitting down beside her.
She shook her head. “That’s not possible,” she cried out. “None of that is possible.” She stared at the three energy workers. “How would I have even known who you were or what you were, Hurricane, not to mention how to contact you or what you look like.”
