She

Time To Run

She finished eating her food and stared at the tv as the images flashed by her eyes. However, her eyes glazed over as she traveled further into her imagination. She ran as many scenarios as she could think of where Sharon would find her again. She mumbled “She promised” as she passed out on the bed, her body limp from exhaustion.

She felt something prick her side and she jumped up, only to find herself in a forest. Confusion flooded her mind. Did she walk out on her own and get away? Had Galiech brought her here? Galiech... she thought to herself and looked around. However, she found herself alone in the late afternoon in a forest. Tears fell down her face like a river while her tiny hands balled up into fists. That’s when she heard the rustling in the bushes. Instantly she went onto her fighting stance, light on her toes but firm in her stance she mumbled to herself. She prepared herself for the worst as the shaking became more vigorous. Rocking slightly from foot to foot just how Sharon taught her, she pumped herself up. Suddenly, out popped a mess of locs and the little girl swung with all her might. So much so that it sent her flying right to her hands and knees. When she jumped up and turned around, she froze as she found herself face to face with a very silent yet aggravated woman. Afraid to move she whispered “Sharon”

Sharon stopped mid-step out of the bush and looked around. She could have sworn she heard her voice, but it was so damn misty she could barely see. Then she saw her, a shimmering silhouette in the middle of a small clearing within the forest. The little girl stood frozen in place, no longer able to move as tears fell from her eyes like little stars. Sharon dropped the crate that was in her hands, walked up to the little girl, and knelt. She wanted to wrap her arms around her, but she knew it would be futile, as it would pass right through. The astral plane; not one that many could even attempt to get to and here her little girl was doing it without even trying.

“You’re in the astral plane don’t be afraid. I’m right here...I’m always right here” Sharon whispered to the girl as she fought to hold the tears back.

“Now I’m going to walk you through how to wake up.”

“But I don’t want to wake up I want to stay here with you” the little girl interjected.

“But you can’t really be here with me see,” Sharon passed her hand through the little girls shimmering body.

“I just need you to be strong a little longer and follow my instructions. If you can try to do that for me, I promise you, you won’t be alone again. Okay?”

“Okay” the little girl replied

And with that Sharon showed the little girl how to come back from the astral plane after giving her a specific set of instructions. As the little girl started to dissipate Sharon got to work. There wouldn’t be much time to get everything done.

The little girl jumped up, hopping off the bed and grabbed the pen and paper off the nightstand. As quickly as she could she wrote down everything she could remember. She looked over the list one more time:

1. Pack everything...Remember Uncle G has this room for a reason

2. Bring it all to the house a mile out from the hotel back entrance

3. Change

4. Wait below the house

            This would take all her training over the last two years but if it meant being with Sharon again, she had no choice but to believe she could do it. Immediately, she ransacked the room looking into every nook and cranny that she could find. When she was done, she packed everything into a rolling suitcase, a duffle bag, and a backpack. As she walked out the door she hoped with all her heart that the Sharon she met on the astral plane would be waiting for her in this dimension but first, she would have to run.

#

Bashakin went back to his room and set up a double layer barrier. It took him a few hours to get in place because of how complex it was and how many items he needed. With as many sneaky and tricky “coworkers” he had in the company always looking for a leg up it was needed. What put him above just about all the others is his technical abilities and the way he managed to combine the two.

Now it was time to work on his plan and he had been in the business long enough to know that without one death is the best-case scenario. He started running several tracking programs in hopes of finding Galiech but he knew that was a long shot. If there was anybody inside or outside the business that was as skilled or even more skilled it would be Galiech. But he would never admit that to anyone. He set up another program to simultaneously search for the little girl and cross it with any anomalies. Finally, he had the programs send any hits to his phone and locked down his computer.

He pinched the bridge of his nose as the pressure started to build in his head. He shook it off as much as he could and headed out of his room. He closed the door and whispered one more cloaking enchantment that should last minimally for a week. He chuckled at the unfortunate soul that would go into his room unwarranted again. With that, he headed to the research library that was on the lowest floor of the underground levels. The only way to get access was to find your own way in, which was much harder than it looks. Out of the 80 years since the business had relocated here from Culebra Island, only 12 people had access, which included him, Galiech, and Sharon.  The exclusivity was born to keep the information from unworthy souls but despite that something had still gone wrong and many paid the price. That was his opinion but if you believed the word of the now missing elders things were unraveling the way they should.

Trying to shut out his wandering thoughts for fear of prying minds, he focused on his task at hand. He walked down the twelve flights of the third staircase down the right hallway and faced the brick wall on his left. He whispered the enchantment and walked through the wall into a black void. Bashakin quickly took out his mini scrying crystal and twirled it in the air. Focusing on the research library he spoke the words “Come here” in Spanish and with a gust of air he stood in the research library facing Arnie.

“Long time no see BB, my man”

“Ugh Arnie, man please oh please try another nickname” Bashakin grimaced. Paying him no attention Arnie put out his fist and waited.

“So you not going to pick another one…Really… Nothing else?” Bashakin pleaded. With his fist still outstretched he stared blankly at Bashakin. “BB my man or no deal,” he said flatly. Bashakin rolled his eyes “Only because it is you” and fist-bumped Akademsko or as he likes to be called Arnie.

“So what finally brings you down here older brother?”

“You say that like I wasn’t just down here two days ago?”

“Only because Sharon shot you down and you needed somewhere private to nurse your wounds.”

“Well that is where this conversation ends little brother”

“You can’t run away forever, masking it by being a prick is what drove the wedge between you two in the first place…After 8 years hiding from the past and a broken heart, did you really expect her to welcome you with open arms”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now”

“Well I’m here when you need to,” Arnie said while turning around to his piles of paperwork. Bashakin walked further into the library thinking about what his little brother said and how much wiser he had gotten down here surrounded by the knowledge of the elders. Suddenly the pounding in his head came back with a thundering force like waves of pressure hitting him. It became so powerful it forced him to the floor. He rested his back against the shelves with eyes closed and focused all his attention on deep breathing. That’s when he heard her voice like calm to his raging storm, in a way that he hadn’t heard in a long time. It was one statement whispered but after that his life…no the world wouldn’t be the same and he would make sure of it.

#

Sharon dropped to her knees and allowed herself one minute to feel the pain, joy, regret, and anger as this situation tried to close on her. As she stared at the floor the emotions swirled in her head clouding her mind and unwittingly part of her soul reached out in a moment of weakness and touched him. Pouring the briefest moment of powerful unfiltered emotions into him before leaving just as quickly. Before she could figure out entirely what she had done and how she locked everything back up like she was trained. The only thing that mattered at this point was making it back to the sweetest little girl she had ever known before anyone else. Picking herself up off the ground she grabbed the fallen crate from the bushes and placed it in the trunk next to the rest. Sharon ran back to Galieck and the others at the warehouse to rush them but as she got closer she felt a wave of nausea hit her.   She stopped dead in her tracks as her heart started beating faster. This could only mean that He had found them. If the Boss…no she wasn’t part of them anymore…Mark had found them then they had no time left. She turned and ran with all her might back to the car. She hopped in the car and drove off, hoping with all hope Galeick had made it out in time. Dodging trees and holes she drove through the forest until she made it to the road again. The faster she pushed the car the more her heart slowed down until she was calm enough to suppress all her abilities. After driving for a half-hour at top speed she found her self at the start of a long curvy road with sharp turns going up a mountain. She pulled to the side, carefully got out the car, and lowered herself off the side of the hill. She stood on a small ledge clinging to the side of the wall. The view was breathtaking and there was enough sun left in the afternoon sun to warm her almost to her bones. It warded off the chill that came with the dark and twisted energy she had felt at the warehouse. She held on to that warmth for one-second longer before using her levitation to lower her self to the base of the mountain covered with trees. Then mustering up all the energy she could and let off a huge blast all at once. The trees split back and a huge crater formed into the side of the mountain. She sent a few more pulses deeper into the crater and several in different directions. It was like sending out a huge beacon to every being with supernatural abilities that somebody powerful was in the area and not in control of their powers, meaning most likely inexperienced. With the little energy left she basically threw herself up the mountain and into the side of her car. She didn’t want to wait to see which agent came and drove off as fast as she could in the other direction. Hope upon hope she would get there first.