The Heart-Shaped Emblor (The Ewlishash Series) (15 page)

The girl was my first love. Her name was Yasmine. From the very first moment I saw her, I knew I loved her. She was perfect in every way, and she always treated me with kindness and compassion. Yasmine was my everything, but it took us many years of friendship before we finally dated.

All was going well. Our families liked each other, we got along flawlessly, and our desires in life were exactly the same. So I proposed, and she said yes.

The wedding was all planned, down to every minute detail. We were young, yet we knew what we wanted. Two days before the wedding, she went to sleep and didn’t wake up. I was devastated. For days, I couldn’t even breathe. I wanted to die. I wished for it.

The strangest thing was that I could already change at that point. But even in my changed state, I could not see her to tell her goodbye or that I would always love her.

Later, I will explain more about the deceased, and you will understand why it was so strange that even moments after her death, she wasn’t there for me to talk with.

For the last couple of years, I have shied away from everyone. I didn’t even want to be too close to friends. I never wanted to hurt like that again. Recently, I got lonely. I wanted to meet someone like Yasmine, only different. That way, I wouldn’t be replacing one love with another. I could move on without feeling like I’d betrayed her. So I asked for help.

The next morning, I woke up to find a business card for a temp agency. I had been looking for a job, so I called the number. Within days, I began work at your college.

As soon as I saw you, I knew that you were the reason for my employment. I could feel it. My guides confirmed that you were my next assignment, and more.

But after being angry and bitter over the loss of Yasmine, I did not want to accept that I was being led to you. I kept trying to write things off. Like my guides were wrong, or my prayer wasn’t really answered. I didn’t want to accept that, maybe, I hadn’t been meant to be with Yasmine in the first place. Those thoughts just made me even more angry.

It wasn’t until our talk, when you mentioned dreaming of her, that I finally KNEW that my prayer had been answered. You’d said you dreamed about me for years. Long before I even lost her. I can no longer deny that fate brought me to you.

I am sorry if all of this is too overwhelming. I just wanted you to understand where I am coming from. Please enjoy your gift, and I will call you as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Sincerely yours,

Alexander,

Part of me wanted to panic, but a much larger part of me felt ecstatic. Like everything was coming together. I decided quickly, maybe too quickly, that rather than row upstream, I would ride the current. Since my dreams of Alexander began, I’d yearned to meet him in person. To have him be my knight in shining armor, and now he was.

I pulled the tissue off the item in the bottom of the box. My heart began to rush as I saw the Celtic heart jewelry from the store, the thousand-dollar set, resting gently in a nest of padding. I pulled the pieces out one by one, and put them on.

They were heavy on my body, like weights holding me to earth. But I could feel something else about them, a memory… I tried not to think about their cost as I looked in the rearview mirror. They truly were beautiful pieces. Handmade and one of a kind, no doubt about it.

I put the empty box in my pocket and surveyed the letter again. Seeing Yasmine’s name made me shudder. My dream of her in a coffin flashed back into my head. She still looked so young. Had she been sick? Did someone hurt her? Images of her twirled in my head, leaving more questions than answers.

I pictured her in my mind, her whole body. So sleek and soft… Yasmine reminded me of a butterfly. But nothing looked wrong, nothing out of place. As my eyes ventured up to her face, I remembered.

Her eyes… There had been a sadness too them, a sadness that even in my mental image of her, I could still see. What made her so sad? It was like looking at someone who had lost a limb but didn’t know it. Part of her seemed to be in this world, part of her in another. It seemed that Yasmine longed for that part of her to reconnect to the part in this world. Was that why she died? Some crucial part of her was somewhere else?

I shook my head, feeling silly. I didn’t even know this woman, and yet I kept drawing conclusions. Maybe she had simply died in her sleep, as Alexander said. I tried to push her from my mind.

Scooting into the driver’s seat, I started the car. Snow had begun to fall again, and I wanted to get up the hill before too much stuck to the road. When I pulled into the driveway, a red car occupied my usual spot. The mystery car held no passengers.

Seeing movement in the living-room window worried me—the bodies appeared solid, not ethereal. I grabbed my cell phone to call the authorities. Thankfully, before I could hit send, a familiar face popped up. It was my dad. He waved.

After gathering my things, I rushed to greet them on the stairs. Too much time had passed since I last saw my parents. My dad held his arms out, and my mother did the same.

“Dad! Mom! What are you doing here? I’m so happy to see you!”

“We came to see you.” Dad laughed. “Why else would we come? I must admit, we didn’t think you’d be home until tomorrow. We came early to get the new washer and dryer installed, and Mel let us in. She said you were gone, and we assumed you went on the trip. Did you come back early?”

“I had an interview this morning, so I stayed behind.”

“Oh! That’s great, dear!” Mom clapped her hands together. “Did you get the job?”

“I’m not sure yet,” I lied.

Mom’s soft blond curls fell to her shoulders, waving gently as she spoke. “I’m sure you did just fine. Now let’s get inside, out of the snow.” Mom wrapped her arm around me, and we walked inside.

TAKEN

M
om and Dad must have arrived a couple of hours before me. Dad already had a crackling fire going, and Mom was baking a pie. Having them in the house and smelling Mom’s food sent me back to the simpler days of childhood.

“So, dear,” Mom mumbled as she tasted the piecrust. “Did something happen between you and Cooper?”

Mom’s question caught me off guard, and I almost blurted, “Where did that come from?”

“Well,” she admitted. “I thought you two were headed up to Whistler together. But he showed up here about an hour ago, said he has been trying to reach you. He didn’t seem to know where you were.”

“Cooper showed up here?” My pulse quickened with irritation. “Why?”

Mom shrugged. “I have no idea. He refused to tell me. He seemed upset. I got concerned when he refused to tell me what was going on.”

“Huh,” I breathed, shrugging my shoulders. “I wonder what his deal is?” I stopped to think for a minute, but came up with nothing. “Oh well… Maybe I’ll call him later.”

“Maybe? Are you two fighting?” Mom’s tentacles of probing were already latching on to me. I would have to tell her.

“We broke up, Mom. He kind of cheated on me. But that’s okay.” Mom didn’t need to worry.

“Oh! I’m glad I didn’t know that when he got here. I might have told him to take a leap from a moving vehicle!” Mom teased, but turned serious. “But maybe it would be a good idea to call. He did seem…” Mom screwed up her face and looked around, “scared, almost. I’ve never seen him like that.”

“Yeah, maybe.” I toyed with some flour on the counter.

Mom changed the subject. “Are you hungry?”

“Actually, I am,” I confessed with a growling stomach. “When will the pie be done?”

“In about half an hour. Let me make you a sandwich. I so rarely get to cook for you nowadays. I have to get in my Mom time before we head back to Nebraska.” Mom smiled, but her mouth quickly dropped to a frown. “Where did you get that?” She pointed to my necklace. Her voice sounded shaken.

“I got this at the new Celtic store in town just a bit ago,” I answered, leaving out the fact that Alexander bought it for me at the hefty cost of a grand. “Why? Do you like it?”

Mom didn’t answer. She turned away from me when her eyes began to mist.

“Mom? What’s the matter? Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” she squeaked. “I’m okay. I cut some onions earlier and must have gotten a whiff of them. Go ahead and go downstairs. I’ll bring your sandwich down soon.”

I didn’t want to walk away, but I felt I should. Mom’s reaction wasn’t right. There were no onions in sight, and my necklace seemed to have set her off.

“Okay, Mom.” I walked downstairs and found my dad. He was tinkering in the garage, as usual, even though Evan’s tools occupied it instead of his own.

“Dad, there’s something wrong with Mom,” I explained. “We were talking, and she saw my necklace and I think she might be crying, but she won’t tell me why. Will you go check on her?”

Dad set his tools down and headed for the door. “Yes, I’ll check on her.”

I walked across the hall to my room, completely and utterly dumbfounded as to what had upset Mom so much. Then again, I was tired. Maybe I had overreacted and nothing was amiss at all.

After clearing off my futon, I pulled my comforter up around my neck, leaving only my head exposed. The heat felt nice, and slowly my eyes began to close. The faint voices of my parents upstairs relaxed me and my thoughts faded into slumber.

***

I floated, not touching the ground. Alexander stayed next to me, but I couldn’t see him. I could feel him there, my support, my protection, my partner.

We were hovering over a girl with highlighted hair. It was Jaden. She stood inside a flat circle on the floor. The circle had no cover, yet it didn’t appear that she could step outside of it. With her wide eyes and creased forehead, fear appeared to be her only emotion.

I began to survey the room. It seemed round, like a dome. There were no windows, only black, blue, and white designs. Looking at it from the top, it appeared that the circle Jaden stood in had points of color coming out of it. The blue, black, and white shot out from the circle like sunrays, making a gigantic star shape. Had the room not been holding Jaden captive, I would have been able to appreciate the beauty of it.

Some men walked into the room, seeming smug and laughing at Jaden. As soon as she saw them, she shrank back into the center of the circle and slumped down, pulling her legs into her and wrapping her arms around them.

The men approached. “Have you decided to cooperate?” The man’s voice felt like daggers stabbing me in my gut.

“I already told you! I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Jaden screamed back to him, shaking violently as she spoke.

“But you are friends, no?” Another man added. He looked taller, and I could see something silver and sharp hanging from his belt.

“We were,” she cried. “But I hurt her. Now she wants nothing to do with me. Why don’t you believe me?” Jaden buried her face in her knees, looking more terrified than I had ever seen her.

The man with the weapon grimaced, infuriated with Jaden. “Well, if you can’t tell us anything, maybe you will serve as a lure. We will get what we want. Make no mistake about that!” His words would have made me shake, had I been in a body. I could feel the man’s hatred and fury, like my fibers, or little tiny balls of me had floated toward the men and gone into them. Collecting all the data I needed about them, without them even knowing I was there.

I wanted to rescue Jaden from her kidnappers, however, I knew now would not be the right time. Without hesitation, Alexander flew through the walls of the odd round building. I followed.

The moment we were outside, I could see an old white building with peeling paint and a broken windmill. I’d seen it before—years ago—with my parents. Before I could search the location any longer, however, Alexander left, pulling me along with him. When we were far enough away, he changed into his solid form.

***

I woke up breathing much too hard. Sweat beaded off my face, and my pulse raced. I sat up and tried to force my mind to think about something else,
anything else
.

The trees outside brushed against each other in the light breeze. I focused on them. Watching their every detail, every move. Back in fifth grade, my teacher told us that trees talked. They talked and hugged by touching one another. I focused on that now, trying to see their branches touching. I wanted that dream far from my mind.

As I woke a bit more, I could hear raised voices upstairs. How long had I been asleep? Just minutes? It felt like hours, but Mom surely couldn’t have been upset for that long. Had she even brought down a sandwich?

The thought of my necklace came back to me. Why had it upset her? Did she know how expensive it was? Could that be the problem? Did she think I stole it? Damn! Why hadn’t I taken it off? Frustration circled my head as I clenched the necklace in my hand.

I wanted to smooth things over, assure my mom that I had not stolen the jewelry. Opening the door quietly, I snuck into the hall, staying out of sight. My ears tuned in to what Mom and Dad were discussing, and I waited for the right time to head up.

“It’s just too soon. I’m not ready to give her up yet. I want more time,” Mom admitted.

“I know, dear, but that was part of the deal. We have to. We promised. This is why we came. Seeing the necklace is just another reminder that we must honor our word.” Dad spoke gently to her, but I could tell he felt differently than she did about something big.

“I know, I know! But I’m not ready! What if she leaves?” Mom’s voice sounded hoarse.

“Then that is something we will have to deal with at that time. We can’t keep this from her anymore. Not after what’s been happening. We must honor our word. If we don’t, she is going to find out on her own. Then she really may never come back.”

What on earth were they talking about? My gut told me they were discussing me, but what about me? Why had my necklace spawned such a reaction?

Then it hit me. The lady in the store told me I had to be Irish. She said that I could only be in possession of one of those boxes, the Emblors, if I was at least half Irish, as well as Grams. What had my parents not told me? Were we Irish? And what had been the purpose of keeping that from me? Did they know what I would become? Was that why they always downplayed my gifts?

“How are we going to tell her?” Mom mumbled.

“I don’t know yet, but we’ll think of something. Maybe it’s time to take her back,” he suggested. “We do have a vacation to plan.”

“No,” Mom blurted. “Please, no! What if she decides to stay?”

“Then we will support her decision.” Dad came off very stern. I could tell that he wasn’t giving Mom an option. They were going to tell me something she desperately didn’t want me to know, and that had been the true reason for their visit.

I didn’t go upstairs yet. I wanted to stomp up and demand them to tell me what they were discussing, but I didn’t. If I gave Mom time to adjust to whatever they needed to share with me, then she would approach me.

I snuck back into my room. My head dropped, and my throat ached. For the first time, my parents had made me feel empty inside.

I walked to the window, looking out at the trees again. Hoping for comfort, but not receiving any. The snowfall was turning to rain, adding to my depression.

When I couldn’t take any more of the rain, I paced over to my computer. It had been almost a month since I’d checked my email. There were probably a thousand junk emails in my inbox, but at least it would be a distraction.

As I opened the emails, I realized that the first ten or so were marked as urgent, and they were from Cooper. I opened the first one.

Aislinn, please, why haven’t you called me? I’m desperate. Please help me.

Cooper

I read the email again, but it made no sense. Scrolling down, I found the first one.

Aislinn,

Sorry to bother you, but I need your help. Last night, Jaden and I went on a date. Afterwards, I dropped her off at her place and went home. The next day, when I called, she didn’t answer. At first, I thought she was just sleeping in or something. No big deal. But as the day wore on, and she still hadn’t returned any of my phone calls, I knew something was wrong. It didn’t feel right in the pit of my stomach.

By Sunday, she still hadn’t called. I checked her apartment, and her car was gone. I tried her parents’ place, and Jaden’s car was there, but her parents assured me that she wasn’t. They said she must have dropped off her car while on vacation or something, so it wouldn’t be stolen. They didn’t seem to care at all where Jaden had gone.

I even tried the police, but Jaden’s parents said she does this all the time. The police don’t want to put in a missing persons report. This doesn’t make any sense, and I’m freaking out. You don’t think she would’ve thought about suicide again, do you? Please, I can’t sleep or eat. Call me right away. Thanks.

Cooper

I stopped there, not needing to read any further. I closed out the computer. The fact that she seemed to be missing only added to the horror of my dream. Everyone kept telling me my dreams were real, and now the idea overwhelmed me completely.

I tried Jaden’s place first. No answer, of course. Then I called Cooper.

“Aislinn?” He sounded winded.

“Yes,” I replied. “It’s me.”

“Thank God! Where have you been?” His voice trembled.

“On an interview, and I had my cell off for a while—sorry—you should have called me right away.”

“I’m not thinking clearly.” He calmed himself down enough to talk to me. “So, did you read my emails?”

“Only two,” I responded quickly. “Has she shown up yet?”

“No.” His words were cool, I could tell he had passed the panic point and entered terror.

“To answer your question in the email, no, I don’t think she would take her own life at this point. I suspect there is something more going on. Have you been successful at putting in a missing persons report yet? Enough time should have passed by now.”

“No…” Cooper’s voice trailed off. “They refuse to. But her parents aren’t trustworthy. Jaden planned to report them for what they did to her. I’ve been helping her build a case against them, but we still need proof. The police won’t take my word for it. For the time being, they’re listening to her parents’ explanation. What if they hurt her? To keep her mouth shut?”

“I don’t think so.” My gut told me that my dream showed me the truth, which meant she was missing because of
me
. “I’ll see what I can do, but I need some time. Try not to worry too much. I’m sure we’ll find her. I need to go for now, okay?”

“I guess I don’t have a choice.”

“Remember how I told you about my dreams, Cooper? Or rather, Jaden told you.”

“Yes,” he replied solemnly.

“I had a dream about her just half an hour ago. She’s physically fine, but being held captive. I need to speak with some people about this because I’m not sure what to do. For now, keep looking for her and let me know if she turns up. I’ll keep you posted on what I find out.” I hung up before he got the opportunity to ask me any more about my dream. I didn’t have time to explain.

I sat back, trying to determine what to do. In the dream, I’d been in my changed state. Alexander had told me I had to will my change, force my mind to accept it. Shoving all worry over my parents aside, I sat in the center of my room and focused as hard as I could.

Energy felt like it was surging through me, causing my skin to prickle every time the electric waves passed over a limb, but nothing came of it. Every time I opened my eyes, it was just me, sitting on my bedroom floor.

Irritation clouded my mind. What was wrong with me? My dream was real. Everyone kept telling me that. I had to be able to change.

Again, I forced my thoughts on Jaden. I tried with every fiber to reach her, but still, nothing. I needed to be in a changed state, like in my dream.