Visions and Dreams

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I spent the next day with Thomas, David and Nicole in briefing after briefing, readying ourselves for the mission ahead. We studied holograms of the temple complex, and tried to find the location of the prince. Apparently, he would be in the dormitory where the novice initiates spent most of their time. The plan was to go in, snatch him and jump back out again. This was going to a stealth mission. We couldn't use our Razor Phones because they might be detected, so only Etheric Knives and Photon Belts would be taken. This was going to be a dangerous mission, but all through our preparation I kept thinking about Carrie. It had been a year since I had seen her last. What would she look like? Would she be dressed in an Orion uniform? I wondered what I would say when I saw her again. I knew I had to control my temper. I could hear Mary's stern words. A Keeper of the Wend must be in control of their emotions at all times.

Finally, we attended our last briefing and were told to get a few hours rest to prepare for the coming mission. There was no time to jump home to Brooklyn so I bunked down with Thomas in the Ranger's lounge. The Ranger's lounge was the section of Blackstone Control where Ranger's could rest, relax, and recharge before and after missions. It was a large garden with a beautiful waterfall and ponds where fish swam. Tables and cots were placed throughout the Gardens. A snack bar was also in the lounge that served green fruit smoothies and green tea. When Thomas and I entered the lounge, I saw a portly looking MechaNect behind the counter of the snack bar. I felt like a smoothie so I got in line with Thomas behind a few other Rangers.

The Rangers in front of us joked around with each while Thomas and I stood silently. We were thinking about the mission that was ahead of us. The tranquil setting of the Garden almost always helped to calm my nerves, and I would often come here by myself to meditate. Mary had taught me to meditate to control the Wend. It was a way to harness and channel my turbulent emotions. A Keeper of the Wend must be in control at all times and meditation was one of the useful practices I employed to help me with that endeavor. Finally, Thomas and I got our green smoothies and walked to a park bench where we sat in silence and drank our smoothies.

Thomas finished his smoothie and put it in the trash. He came back to the bench.

"What are you going to say when you see Carrie again?"

I put my smoothie down on the bench. "I don't know. I'm trying not to think about it."

"I don't see how we can trust her. Not after what she did to us last year."

"I know. Believe, me I think about that night when she attacked me all the time."

"Not to mention what she did at Loch Ness."

I hadn't forgotten about Carrie's control of the dinosaur at Loch Ness. They were testing me all the time. The Orion Empress and her right hand girl, Carrie Brunner. Carrie who always seemed so shy and reserved when all the time she was working against Thomas and me. It still stung almost a year later, now I was going to have to work with her again on a mission where we would risk our lives. Life was strange.

"Someone once told me that we don't choose the cards we're dealt, but we do get to choose how we play them," I said.

"I wish I had your attitude. It doesn't take a bloody psionic to see that this mission is going to be tough. I hope we can trust these Orions," Thomas said.

"We don't have much of a choice. If it was up to me, I'd let that spoiled Orion prince do whatever he wanted to do. It's his life. Let him join the Church of Darwin or whatever it's called. I just want to see, Father K one more time. A nice photon blast to the gut would certainly make me feel a lot better," I said.

Just then Alexis Van Leer and the Miller Twins entered the Garden area and got in line at the snack bar. I immediately tensed up. Thomas saw them too.

"Oh, bloody hell, there's Alexis and the Miller morons again. I wonder what mission they're going on."

Alexis Van Leer and the Millers were some of my least favorite people. Graduates of Bravo Company and winners of the prestigious Golden Dragon last year they never ceased to rub it in that they beat us in the Battalion First Team competition. If it hadn't been for Carrie's betrayal and our disqualification from the competition, I'm sure that Thomas and I would have won the Golden Dragon.

Alexis and the Millers got their smoothies and walked over towards us. I tried to ignore them, but Alexis loomed in front of me.

"Hi, Eliza. It's so good to see you again," Alexis said in a cheerful voice that dripped with sarcasm. The Millers chortled with glee at my obvious discomfort.

"Hello, Alexis. Don't you have some other place to go and play your mind games?" I said.

Alexis looked shocked. She put her hand up to her mouth and gasped, "Mind games. I don't know what you're talking about. I just wanted to come over and wish you good luck on your mission. The word around Control is that you're going to be working with Carrie Brunner again. I hope she doesn't let you down again like she did last year. It would be a shame if we had to come and bail you out again like we did in Tokyo."

Thomas stood up, "Tokyo wasn't our fault, Van Leer. We were doing fine until Count Ramses got involved."

"That's right blame it on Count Ramses. Any decent Ranger worth their salt would have been able to handle him," Alexis said.

"Hey, if we wanted your opinion, Hacker, we'd ask for it," one of the Miller twins sneered.

"Thomas is a Ranger. Not a Hacker. And you've got about twenty seconds to get out of our face and leave us in peace," I said sweetly.

"Or you'll do what. Summon your boyfriend, Agent Ross?" Alexis said.

I didn't know what I was going to do. I could feel the cold chill of the Wend stirring in me. It wasn't pleased and it wanted to be fed. I tried to relax and control my emotions, but Alexis Van Leer knew exactly what to do to push my buttons. Whether it was making fun of me for being a Commoner or losing the Battlion First Team, Alexis and the Millers were always going to be big time thorns in my sides. If there was anyone I wanted to feed to the Wend more than her then I would be hard pressed to find that person. I consoled myself that Father K would be my next victim, and I felt the Wend back down.

I stood up and got right in Alexis's face, "You don't want to know what I'm going to summon, but please keep pushing me."

Alexis blinked and tossed her long blonde hair to the side. "Very well, Grant. Good luck on your mission. I imagine you're going to need every single bit of it. Come on boys let's find some more cheerful company to be around. I can only be in front of two commoners so long before it will rub off on me."

Alexis and the Miller twins walked off to torment some other people and left Thomas and I alone. Thomas watched them go.

"If there's a more entitled person on this planet then those three then I'd like to hear about it. I can't bloody stand them."

"They were abused children," I said and sat back down on the park bench.

"I thought for a second you were going to use your power on them, Eliza," Thomas said.

"I came close, but feeding Alexis Van Leer to the Wend would only make me sick and I'd probably throw up if I took in the energy of the Millers."

"Not much of a meal intellectually are those Miller twins," Thomas said with a snicker.

"Good looking doesn't always equal smart," I said, "If there's two people on the planet that prove than it's Josh and Brad Miller."

Thomas laughed, "And beauty doesn't always equal good. That's certainly the case with Alexis."

"Right. We can't worry about them anymore. Let's get some rest. We've got a busy day, tomorrow," I said.

"Sounds good to me," Thomas said.

Thomas and I found two cots and went to sleep. Darkness came to me as soon as I closed my eyes.

I opened my eyes to find myself in a graveyard. Rows upon rows of tombstones lay out before me. A lone diseased tree with skeletal branches stood in the graveyard while a cold wind blew through and rustled what few leaves clung to the branches. The wind was cold and cut me to the bone. I was dressed in my civilian clothes: jeans and a thin sweatshirt with sneakers. I pulled my arms up around my chest, and wondered where I was.

"Is this a dream?" I said to myself.

"Everything is a dream of sorts, Little Star."

I spun around and found the tall figure of my teacher Mary Ravenwing standing there. She carried her long staff and the wind rustled her purple robes.

"Mary. Why have your brought me here? What is this supposed to be?"

Mary walked ahead of me and I struggled to keep up with her. We walked through the tombstones for at least five minutes. I knew not to ask anything of my teacher. If she was silent it was for a reason. Finally, we came to a large mausoleum. Mary stopped in front of it, and pointed with her staff at the inscription that was carved upon the front of the tomb.

"What does that say, Little Star?"

I read the words out loud. "Ross. So this must be the Ross Family tomb."

"Indeed, it is. Step inside," Mary said.

We opened the door and went inside the crypt. It was cold and damp inside. A black spider scurried under my foot, and I kicked at it without thinking. I looked around at the tombs of the Ross Family. Here is where all the distinguished members of the family were laid to rest. I could see vaults for Angus Ross, Alexander Ross, and finally the newest vault that said simply - David Ross.

I ran my hand over the carved inscription and turned to Mary.

"You told me that I had to make a choice between David and me. Is this the future?"

Mary shifted her staff from one hand to the other. "This is one possible future, Little Star. In this future you have fulfilled your mission."

"But where is Michael Ross. I don't see a vault for him."

"Michael Ross lives still in this version of the future."

"But I don't want David to die. It was Michael Ross that arranged the death of my parents. I've sworn to kill him. Why isn't he here? Have I failed again." I said.

"I told you, little one. A choice is coming for you. You must decide. You or David Ross must die. This is written in the Wend. It will come to pass. You must understand this," Mary said.

I shivered and turned away. I looked at the new vault that held the remains of David Ross. David couldn't die. I wouldn't let him. I turned back to tell Mary my decision but she was gone.

To Be Continued

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