The Reverence of One: Book Three of the Shadow Series (7 page)

With a quivering voice, Alyssa replied. “I wouldn’t blame you, you know.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

“If you wanted her
—over
me.”

Test took a step towards her, but stopped when she took a step back. “Who are you talking about?”

“Lauren.”

Test began to laugh. “You can’t be serious. Lauren?”

Alyssa instantly went invisible. “I don’t know what’s funny about that
.”

“Oh come on, Alyssa,” he replied, feeling the tug on his chest that told him she still stood before him. “Lauren is—well—to put it bluntly, she’s a bitch. Even my moody ass can’t keep up with her.” Test heard her giggle softly. “The only person I want in this world,” he paused, “or any other for that matter, is you.”

He held out his hand, forcing the pulses to energize a little harder. The light from within shone dimly in the overcast light of the forest. He offered his hand to her, palm up, a warm
red
glow coming from its center. He felt her take it and watched happily as she came into view. With her transition complete, he marveled at how beautiful she was. Her dark skin and
long
sandy blonde
hair looked as perfect as it ever had. He wrapped his hand around hers tightly and pulled her into him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled her head into his chest.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, pulling away just for a moment to kiss his chest.

Test gripped her even more tightly. “Don’t say that. Never in a million lifetimes will you ever have to tell me you’re sorry.”

There was a moment of silence
,
and between the two of them they shared a moment of peace. With a deep cleansing breath, Test asked, “Are you cold?”

She pulled away and looked at him with a crooked smile.

Test rolled his eyes. “Jeeze. That was pretty stupid, huh?”

She nodded her head and gave him a pat on the chest. Stepping to his side, s
he took his right hand into her left
and began to lead him deeper into the woods.

“What are we doing?” asked Test.

She turned back to him and gave his arm a tug. “Nothing. Let’s just be together.”

Placing her face in his free hand, Test leaned down and gently kissed Alyssa’s lips.
With h
er eyes
remaining
closed, the
ir lips
parted slowly. Releasing his hand, she put her arm around his waist and the two of them walked peacefully through the trees.

****

After talking to his father the night before, Thad Johnston had resolved to himself that there was no one that could help him. Earlier in the day, he’d had the vision once more and it stirred even more anxiety within him that he couldn’t explain
or understand
. While experiencing the vision, this time, instead of focusing on the girl and the man, he focused more on the location. He saw a large, faded, dark green sign with dirty white letters that hung on t
he outside of a brick building.

For his entire life, his visions had only been about those close to him, or people that he regularly interacted with. Not only was this vision strange in that it was recurring, he honestly didn’t know either of the people
within it
. In his mind, he walked himself through his day. It was ridiculously routine
; h
e woke up, took a shower, brushed his teeth, got into his car, and then stopped at Harry’s Donut shop on the way to work. Harry’s was a little dive of a shop that was set in a more destitute part of town, but they made the best cinnamon rolls in
Kansas
or
Missouri
. It wasn’t even really on his way to work, but the fifteen minute detour was well worth it. He rarely even told anyone about the place, feeling like he’d found gold and wanted to make sure that his treasure stayed hidden. Thad took a lot of pleasure in the little things.

As he drove his normal morning route, he paid close attention to everything, but nothing he saw had been in the vision.
After driving for nearly an hour, he decided that he’d just retrace his steps backward, and if nothing else, he’d stop at Harry’s.

The return trip revealed nothing new, and he found himself gripping the fat brass handle on the front door to the donut shop. Upon opening the door, the smell of freshly brewed coffee entered his nose and provided a comfort to what had so far been a frustrating morning.

The lights inside were always dim, something that Thad liked about the place. He’d never been a fan of bright lights
,
and the dim lights mounted on the walls with nothing overhead provided a haven for those who felt the same. Though it was a small space, there were several booths on either side of the room along with four tables positioned in the center. The benches and chairs were covered with a dark red vinyl that had seen better days
,
some of them held together with bright silver duct tape. The floor was covered with old tile, every other one chipped in a corner.

Thad stepped up to the glass showcase at the back of the room, taking his place in line while noticing that only one cinnamon roll remained in the case. As childish as it was, a brief moment of panic came over him, fearful that one of the four people in front of him would take his prize.

The customer at the register handed the cashier her money and, after receiving change
,
turned and walked away. Thad glanced behind the glass case, thinking that maybe there was a fresh tray
of rolls
that they hadn’t put out yet, but there were no more
except for
the one. He backed out of line slightly, glancing at those in front of him
,
and the world stopped.

Standing at the register was a young wo
man with long black hair. He watched her intently, hoping for a look at her face. Suddenly the cashier, a white man in his mid-forties, raised his voice.

“Look, I’d like to help you out, but I just can’t be giving things away. Come back this afternoon and maybe you can have some of the left-overs.”

The young woman tucked her hair behind her ears and Thad let out an audible gasp. It was her; the girl from his vision.

“Please,” the girl asked. “I’ll pay you back tomorrow. Can’t I just have some bread or something?”

“Look, missy,” replied the cashier, “I’m trying to be nice her
e
, but you
’
r
e
holding up the line. I told ya, come back after lunch, okay?”

Thad stepped around the portly man that had been in front of him in line and walked to the young woman’s side. “Excuse me,” he said, placing a hand on the woman’s shoulder. She turned towards him defensively and he quickly withdrew his hand. “Whoa there, I’m sorry.” Thad looked to the cashier. “I’d like to buy this
young
lady a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee.” He glanced to the young woman whose face had melted from one of anger to one of confusion. “Is that okay with you?” he asked.

The black haired woman nodded and replied meekly. “Yes, sir. That’d be great. Thank you.”

Thad handed the cashier the money and then watched as the last cinnamon roll was handed to the girl. She thanked him once more and then began to walk away.

“Excuse me, miss?” he said, hesitantly touching her elbow.

She turned back to him.

“Would you care to join me?” he asked, gesturing towards a booth.

She furrowed her brow, casting a suspicious look toward him.

“Please, it’s nothing like that. I just thought it’d be nice to have a conversation with someone for a change. I’m by myself too much.”

The genuine smile on his face made her feel at ease. She couldn’t understand it, but something about this man seemed familiar. Without saying anything, she walked to the booth and took a seat. Thad followed and sat opposite her.

Holding out his hand, he introduced himself. “Well, my name is Thadeus Johnston, but people just call me Thad.”
He watched as s
he cocked her head at an angle in a curious way.
Slowly, she lifted her hand from beneath the table and shook his hand. He noticed the needle marks in her arm.

“Nicole, Nicole Paxton,” she replied.

Trying hard not to show that he’d seen her marks, he answered politely. “Nice to meet you
,
Ms. Paxton.”

Cupping her hands together atop the table, she looked at him through bloodshot eyes. “It’s funny,” she began, stopping to take a sip of her coffee. “You remind me of someone I used to know.”

Thad grinned and took a sip of his own coffee. “Oh yeah, who’s that?”

“You wouldn’t be related to a Cliff Johnston, would you?”

Tha
d
’s heart stopped. He tried to contain himself, the anxiety
and excitement
of the moment nearly overwhelming. He set his cup down softly on the table and stared blankly at the wall.

“You know,” he began, “the world is so big, yet every once in a while we all are reminded that it isn’t
so
big.”

Nicole placed her palms flat on the table, waiting tensely for him to answer her question. “What is
that supposed to mean?
” she asked.

He turned
back to her
and leaned over the table, looking
the pale young girl
square in the eyes. “My grandfather’s name was Clifford T. Johnston.”

He watched as her mood instantly changed and her hands began to tremble. Her jaws clenched tightly and she gripped the edge of the table, pulling herself out of the booth.

As she stood, Thad raised his hands. “Hold on, Nicole. What’s the matter? I’m sorry if I…”

“I don’t want this,” she replied, cutting him off abruptly, her index finger stabbing at him in the air. “I don’t know why you’re here or what you want, but I don’t want it.”

Thad sat stunned in his seat as she walked away.

****

Invisible to
everyone
in the room, Cliff stood behind Thad. His spirit was overwhelmed with emotion at the fact that he’d just discovered his grandson. He studied his every feature; the premature gray in his hair, the wide nose, his small frame; he was amazed that he hadn’t seen
the resemblance
sooner.

Thad stood from the booth, looking around the room and noticing the other patrons staring
at him
. Cliff reached out to him, wanting nothing more than to ta
ke
his grandson
in his arms and hold him, but h
is fingertips slipped through Thad’s shoulder as he began to walk towards the door.
Cliff followed him to the car and placed himself into the back seat. He studied his grandson’s eyes in the rearview mirror, seeing more and more of himself in Thad the longer he looked.

Thad pulled out of the parking space and turned into traffic, talking to himself in a frustrated tone.

“What the hell did I say?” he muttered.

Cliff leaned forward so
as
to hear him better.

“How did she know
Grandpa Cliff
?
” He huffed in anger.
“
None of this makes sense.”

Cliff watched as Thad gripped the steering wheel more tightly. “Dad’s right, these damn vision
s
ain’t a gift, they’re a damned curse!” he shouted, pounding a fist on the dash.

Cliff leaned back aghast. His grandson had the sight. He’d never once considered that his son or one of his descendants would inherit it, even though he knew that his own grandfather had passed it on to him.

The drive went quickly as Cliff’s mind raced to get a handle on his emotions and thoughts. Just as he’d begun to bring his focus around,
Thad pulled into his apartment complex
. Taking the turn at a high rate of speed, and
ignoring the speed bump at the entrance,
he flew into a pa
rking stall. Cliff watched as he flung the door open mindlessly, slamming the edge into the car parked next to him. Thad didn’t even look. Instead, he slammed his car door
shut
and headed for the building.

Cliff followed from a short distance, admiring the complex
,
and
was
pleased that his grandson appeared to be doing okay for himself. He followed Thad into the building and waited by his side as he unlocked the first door on the left.

The two of them entered the room, and after two steps, Cliff froze. Before him was a small wall filled with photographs. In the center
picture was
a man and a woman, both appearing to be in their mid to late fifties.

“Good lord,” he whispered to himself. “
It’s
Elijah.”