Awakening - Book of Fire (Blood Heritage #1) (43 page)

Stepping into the shower and allowing the warm water to release her mind, she laughs as Allie bats the splashing droplets on the bathroom floor. She is home, in her safe world and she can simply stay here for a while and let the rest of the puzzle figure itself out. She will wait until she sees a clear plan of action, until she knows what her heart tells her to do. She can't rush into things, risk becoming the cause for the destruction of humanity. Though a far-fetched thought under the circumstances it seems to be a real possibility. Is she going crazy, creating all of this in her head? How self-important could she be, thinking she is necessary to save humanity in any way? She is only what she has always been, a misfit, an orphan, someone who doesn't fit anywhere. Amber is the unwanted, how can it be her responsibility?

She closes the door allowing the music to take her away to the world where it no longer matters who she is, only the euphoria of the art matters. She revels in the sweat pouring off her skin and the pain building in her muscles. As she continues to dance the sun goes down, the world continues to spin and creatures everywhere continue to breathe.

When Amber hears his key in the door, she collapses in exhaustion and agony on the floor. James walks in to find her in distress, running to her he holds her in his arms and it is then the tears came, they well up in her eyes and won't stop until she has released them all.

Her passion and emotion pouring out of her without restraint. She has held the pain inside for so many years that once the dam breaks the onslaught is tremendous and he can do nothing but hold her through it. Once the tears run dry, her anger bubbles to the surface and she beats her fists into him, he continues holding her close despite the pummeling he takes, she screams and struggles and still he refuses to let her go. Together, he promises, we will weather the storm. "
I am here for you baby, I'm not going anywhere".
James
strokes her hair as she trembles and shakes with all the emotion she has finally allowed to escape.

She feels the weight of all her experiences leaving her body. She lets every pain she has ever known wriggle out of her, she feels them escape from her with overwhelming nausea, the dry heaving purging her of the last bits of suffering that holds onto her. The last bits of tragedy clinging to her evaporating and she clings to him like her salvation, her oxygen. She holds him close refusing to let him go. He feels her sadness overwhelming and stifling and he feels fear for what she is going through. They have been through so much in their short time together.

When she regains her focus, she decides it's time to take a break, she needs a rest. She wants to see new things, to enjoy a vacation with him. She wants to get out of this place.

"Take me away she says...somewhere nice, we can escape from this whole thing. I need some time to pretend I'm normal.... we are normal. Let’s find some sandy beaches and fresh seafood. Lets go somewhere"!

He looks at her, trying to measure what she's going through. He carefully gauges his response before saying it. He knows it's not what she's asking for, but he does feel what he has in mind is the right thing for them to do. "Amber...
Joanna and Tanner are going to meet with the manager of the orphanage this weekend, it looks like the girls are there and we plan to bring them back to the US. I know it's not what you really need..but you will know your a part of ensuring these girls don't suffer anymore."

I don't know if you're up for a mission of mercy, but I know we don't want these little girls winding up in the wrong environment. They're in a very poor area and children die in the orphanage all the time. There are nearly a hundred children being held in this one small location. The sooner we get them out of there, the better. Then we have to figure out why all of the children associated with the case end up going through these channels. We don't know who is sending them there, and how it is determined what families will be given an opportunity to bring them back. It's a pretty complicated way to erase the records of their births.

Amber already has an idea, thinking it smells like the interference of the circle; the elders seem to think children of the bloodlines should not be raised by those who know who and what they are. Those who would raise them with the knowledge and understanding of all they are going through. How terrible it would be to give them the information and protection they need. The anger again shows its face within her, she doesn't like any of them, with their holier-than-thou attitudes and all-knowing assumptions. They were wrong, she would have been better off with her grandmother. She could have grown up happy and healthy.

"
Okay.. your right.. we can call it a working vacation," She says,
Anything to make sure these children don't see what she has seen, don't suffer the same fate, lost in the mix and forgotten in the darkness
. "So then let's go to Brazil!...
Not what I originally had in mind.
"
Excitement grows within her every second. Something waits for her out there
.

"Amber you're such a wonderful woman! I know this is hard for you... hell, i'm ready to run away myself. Thank you for being so amazingly strong and for putting the needs of these children above your own. I could let them go alone, but I feel strongly we should be there in case things go awry. Thanks for making the best of this horrible situation, You're truly unbelievable. can you have Rissa come by and check on Allie? Maybe she can even stay at the house while we're gone?"

"I'll check with her
, "Amber says, knowing she won't have a problem taking care of things. Rissa and Amber haven't spoken of the accident, or the meeting with the elders, they both act as if nothing has happened. The girls are friends, stuck in a world they don't understand and neither is comfortable enough with the way things are going to try and flesh out anything other than day-to-day survival. Amber believes Rissa is truly her friend, and her instincts are the only thing she has much faith in right now.

Joanna gets the tickets for the four of them and registers for four nights in a spectacular resort hotel. They will see the orphanage on their first day, and process the paperwork over the following days. If all goes well they will bring the girls back with them on their flight home. They will remain local and James, Amber and Rissa will be able to keep an eye on them. The couples will attempt to salvage the idea of a vacation while ensuring a better life for those they can actually help. This should be a weekend of celebration, a reminder of the darkness that surrounds them, but a celebration, none the less. James hopes the beauty of the country will also be a sufficient distraction. Maybe he can provide Amber a sense of escape after all.

They pack for the weekend, Ambers heart beating rapidly in her chest, a new adventure, a new place to explore. She has been here in dreams, darkly bloody terrifying dreams... beyond that, she believes she has been here in reality... when she was young, before the darkness. She thinks Aria was there with her running from the dark place… pieces are sliding into place. Her past, the nightmares, and the terrifying visions. There is something important about this location, the cities and the temples of this wild country. The past is coming full circle with the present.

In this moment she can only think of the temple of blood, the man standing at its peak, pouring the precious life upon the steps, the man she was so close to at the shop; his eyes flashing and changing, a luminescent blue showing around the edges of the brown that is not his own. The visage of humanity slipping from his body, his true form, full of light and beauty revealed to her at last. Standing there, shining glorious and terrifying. Huge wings of silver steel, talons flashing in the glistening daylight, eyes shining ethereal blue with flecks of gold. The head of a Jackal, the god Ra of Ancient Egypt, the snake of the Old Testament, wriggling down the crimson stained steps, the dragon raining fire down on the earth. He is all these things. Powerful and dangerous, beautiful and terrifying. He is what is and is to come, the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. The Father and the Son, he is what man has claimed as his God, his savior. The cause and effect in all things. The creator and the destroyer. He is beautiful and terrible and she can't help loving him despite her fear and discomfort at all the evil he has done. His blood lives within her.

James wakes Amber as the plane is landing. He hadn't expected her to sleep so soundly, she must have truly needed the rest. She smiles at him as her vision clears. She smiles at him for she has seen something more, something she isn't ready yet to share with them. James is really happy to see her smiling and kisses her as they prepare to get off the plane. The warmth sweeping over them in a sickly thick blanket that cannot be discarded. No matter how hard you want to get it off, it sticks to your body, filling your pores, not allowing the sweat to relieve the miserable nature of it.

Boarding a smaller plane they travel to the more remote community where they are scheduled to visit the children. The air is strange in this world, and the dry earth walkways make the area seem somehow lost to time. Even the airport is little more than a strip of dirt and an open field. Once they get away from the major city there are no cars, only motorcycles and bicycles. The roads are little more than pathways winding through the wilds of the jungle. Amber feels comfortable here, she actually senses an energy drawing her deeper into this natural environment. She knows the jungle, can feel everything dwelling within it's dark protection. She feels the power within the trees, and the vines hanging from every branch. She can smell the warmth, the rot, and the blood that has made this land flourish. This is the center of it all, the place where it all begins. The home away from home where the Others don't feel out of place. This is where the ship landed so long ago, where the temple guards the secrets he doesn't want exposed. This is the origination, the beginning of all that has occurred in her world.

So much has happened here changing the course of the world, of human development. This is one of the birthplaces of evolution. One of his gifts for us, his twisted contribution to our development. The ability for all species to adapt to their surroundings, slowly learning to survive any barrier placed in front of them. The ability to change and to succeed as climates and food sources fluctuate. The ability to kill or be killed, to survive because there is no other reason for our existence. The desire so great within each creature to live, and to fight to the death when that life is put to the test. He has done his best to prepare us for the inevitable end that will come, not at the hand of invaders, but of our own design. He has given us precious gifts to ensure our survival through whatever darkness is coming.

Amber is beginning to see a bigger picture, but there are many ends she cannot tighten and pieces that she can't seem to make fit. She feels something starting to clarify, but can't really wrap her mind around it. This place holds more answers than just the girls they are here to pick up. This place is a very large piece of the puzzle. They may need to spend more time here, she has the desire to explore, to feel and to know the rhythm of this place. There is an amazing energy just beneath the surface of the senses. Everyone feels it, some with discomfort and others with a kind of reverence. This place is truly special.

The orphanage is as dank and horrible as they imagined, and even worse. The children are crowded into small cribs, even the older children are just lying there. There is no place for them to walk, run or play and those that have spent much time here are unable to walk, their muscles lack the development for normal movement. There is no laughter or any other sounds you might expect in a place full of children. There are too few workers and the babies cry and wriggle in waste that can't be removed fast enough to keep them from suffering terrible sores. There is little hope many of these children will make it beyond a year or two and no one wants them even if they do survive. This is a sad house of death and sickening neglect.

The workers know exactly where to take these visitors, for they are Americans. There are special children for the Americans. The beautiful babies with their bright eyes and fancy clothes. These babies are cared for as much as possible under the circumstances and they are kept aside from the others. The dirt floor and stench of the building is not avoidable and sadness hangs in the air as James and Amber walk through the door first. Joanna is distracted walking through the other room with the horrific need some of the children have for medical care. She wants to help, to offer something, but knows it is a lost cause.

When Amber's eyes fall on the girl sitting there so tiny and perfect, all she can see are the piercing blue eyes. The eyes seeing into her soul that know something most others can't know. The girl smiles waving her arms, eager to be touched, and Amber reaches for her on instinct. The man standing nearby swats her hands away and James nearly knocks him over. "The money first," he says matter of factly. "No baby without money." The men walk into the other room leaving the girls with the children. Amber again reaches for the girl and this time the connection is made. She can't put her down. There are three other beautiful babies there they are bringing home, but only this one bonds with Amber, only this one looks at her with knowing eyes. This one will be called Emily.