Underworld (Dark Passage) (16 page)
Read Underworld (Dark Passage) Online
Authors: M.L. Woolley
Before I have time to think the front door opens and a
girl my age comes running down the steps of the
porch. Her shock of blond hair is tied back in a ponytail and the blue T-shirt she is wearing matches her
eyes. She is not as tall as me but heavier and very
pretty.
Out of the corner of my eye I see the woman that was
in the window coming out the door. She stops at the
top of the stairs and then makes her way over to us.
She rests a hand on Rachel and smiles warmly at me
but wears a curious expression.
“Will you tell me what happened? How did you get
here?” The woman’s blue eyes searches mine for a
moment.
A blast of fierce wind came out of nowhere. I can’t
help but wonder if I will end up dead in a ditch
somewhere as food for the crows. There seems to be
nothing out of the ordinary about these people- well
other than the fact that they don’t live in the same
dimension as I do. Yesterday I would have thought
this was a delectable adventure if not for the fact that
I don’t know how to get back home. My family
won’t notice that I’m gone but I hate to let Thomas
and Elizabeth down. I don’t like letting people I care
about down.
I eye the people in front of me cautiously. You can
never be too careful around strangers, although, I
always throw caution to the wind. Jen would have a
heart attack if she knew what had happened to me. I
can almost hear her telling me not to talk to strangers.
Jen is always the voice of reason. I never let on that I
know she is right. Why give her a big head? I can’t
help but smile thinking about Jen. She’s all the good
things that a girl should be and yet she chose me to be
her BFF.
For a moment I was tempted to ask Rachel and her
mother what they are doing here but I figured it best
to play dumb. It always takes me a few minutes to
size people up and decide what they are about. If I
have learned anything in lifeit’s that people can be
unpredictable and a girl has to watch her back. I’d be
willing to bet that these two know more than they are
letting on.
I put on my best smile and decide to be as honest as
possible. Stretching thetruth won’t work. Not here.
It’s clear that these women know that I came through
a portal and probably are aware that I don’t have a
clue about how to get back. No. The truth is my only
way back.
how to get home”. There. I had said it.
alone”? She said with a kind of awe in her voice.
Rachel’s mom ga
ve her a disapproving glance, and
thenlooked back at me. “Perhaps we can help you.
Why don’t you come inside and get something to eat.
You look like you can use a meal and some rest”.
She turned toward the house and then as an
afterthought turned back to me. “You can call me
Maggie”.
Rachel walked alongside me. She looked at me with
wonder but said nothing. When she had closed the
door behind me Maggie gestured for me to follow her
into the kitchen.
“Tell me about it. How did you get here”? S
aid
Maggie.
Without hesitation I spilled the story to Maggie and
Rachel. Maggie nodded as though it was the most
natural thing in the world to be caught in another
dimension. She waited patiently as I told her
everything and then gazed at me for a moment.
“Well, we need to get you back home. Your family
will be missing you about now and I imagine your
school is running scared about now.
“Rachel”. Said Maggie. “That’s not funny. Those
poor people are probablyworried sick”. With that
Maggie gave me a wink and held back a smile.
come down so hard on a student”.
“So, what shall we do with you Ivy? Tell you what.
Why don’t you finish your lunch and then we will go
about getting you home”. Said Maggie with a smile
I finished eating, and rinsed of my plate. Maggie and
Rachel took me into the living room and I sat down in
an oversized chair. The light of the late afternoon
shone through the window and I couldn’t help but
wonder what it would be like to live here. It was
frightening and yet beautiful. It seemed to have a life
all its own and I wanted to stay.
I sit here lost in my
thoughts and wonder if I have any real obligation to
anyone at home.
I feel confused about what I should do. At that
moment Maggie gave me a wistful smile. She looked
as if she was considering my thoughts and had finally
come to a decision.“You must go back. It’s not safe
for you here. Your safety depends on you going
back”.
disturbs me. I am not fooled. They want to get rid of
me.
“My
dear girl. You are a treasure and we would like
nothing better than to keep you here with us”.
Maggie hesitated and studied me carefully. “I must
say I was skeptical when Elizabeth told us you were
coming. She said you may want to stay and that I
must insist you return. We would much prefer if you
stayed but there is much for you to do on the other
side”.
The shock of hearing
Elizabeth’s name lasted only a
moment. I had the strong impression that there is
more to the story than Maggie is letting on. Maggie
narrowed her eyes as though deep in thought. Her
gaze stirred something deep inside me. There was
pain in her eyes. She must have known I suspected
something was off for she avoided my eyes and
changed the subject.
Rachel shot me a watchful glance then looked at
Maggie with the oddest expression. I watched them
and found myself wondering what they were holding
back from me. I had an overwhelming desire to ask
them to tell me what they were hiding. Bending my
head I smooth imaginary wrinkles out of my T-shirt.
go back”?
Maggie pulled her chair close to mine and leaned
slightly forward. I figure I am in for a lecture for
leaving home and not wanting to go back.
potential”.
I roll my eyes and
sigh. “Me full potential? All that
I’ve learned is anger, sadness, death and hatred for
other people. I’ve learned how cruel people are, how
selfish they can be and how they care only for
themselves”.
Maggie gave me a wistful smile.
“Yes. That’s partly
true. However, you have also learned to be kind, care
for others and how to be humble. The person you are
becoming is in part due to the things you have
experienced. You have learned what it is to suffer, be
treated with hatred and to lose those you most love.
The journey you are on is cultivating your gifts and
helping you to understand yourself. You have a great
capacity to protect others, care about people and
understand their problems. You can be a light to
others and show them the way. To be a leader one
must often times to walk alone. It’s no accident that
things have unfolded like they have. When the time
is right you will understand the interconnection
between the realms. By the time that happens you
will be able to discern good from evil and follow your
inner light. That light will take you to the next phase
of your journey and then you will have the wisdom to
manage great strength.”
My trips to the void come back to me in bits and
pieces. There are flashes of Maggie sitting in her
living room with Rachel or the smell of home baked
bread from a village. My best memories consist of
nothing I can put my finger on. It’s more the way the
people made me feel. The people who lived in the
other dimensions were attuned to their true selves and
did not have any hidden agendas.
I learned to keep the visions to myself and tucked my
memories of the other side deep inside my
subconscious. They were precious to me and I didn’t
want to give them up, not exactly, but I also didn’t
want to be labeled a freak.
I didn’t realize it at the time
, but my life was
unfolding according to prophesy; written in the
journals that had been long ago hidden by a
frightened young woman. Maggie put her own needs
last and decided to sacrifice herself. She wanted to
somehow make right the evil that her father had done
to so many innocent souls. Beautiful Maggie gave
her all and eventually found her way to the light. Her
life started the moment she crossed over into the
otherworld.
I awoke about 7 am drenched in sweat. I look around
at the cave walls and things start to come back to me.
I remember being in a passage, hearing voices and
then everything went black.
I don’t recall the door I used to get back all those
years ago. The day I hid in the basement of the
school is a complete blackout. Everything about the
otherworld was hazy until I turned 18. It was then
that I was considered an adult and stopped taking
medications. Then the past hit me like a ton of
bricks. Phantom images seemed to press in from all
sides and I started looking for answers. The answers
came in Bill’s ancient house when the Shining Ones
came to me.
You can probably guess I did some research on the
Shining Ones. Some resources said they were angels
and others said they were humans with supernatural
gifts that live on the other side. Then I found a book
that said they were related to the Knights Templar
and yet another that said they were Extra-Terrestrial
beings. The most general understanding I could find
was that they were beings from the Otherworld that
are set apart. They were said to be champions of
truth, filled with wisdom and operate in the realm of
supernatural gifts.
The knife I was given by Tom is called Anathema
which means set apart. Could it be that it is an
ancient weapon from the time of the Shining Ones?
Why would Tom give something so valuable to me?
I can’t help but wonder if it will find its way back to
its true owner. I pull out Anathema and pay attention
to every detail. It is a work of art with the tiny,
lifelike horses carved into the ivory handle and the
detail of a tree winding its branches around the
handle. As I take in every detail I remember a class I
took in school that studied root words in Latin and
Greek. “Ana” means to set apart or was it to set apart
as sacred? I can recall seeing that word in that class.
Anathema. Anathema. I think it means set apart for
destruction. It’s all guesswork but these days that’s
the only thing I have to go on.
I guess it doesn’t matter what it is designed to do. It’s
mine now to do with as I feel appropriate. It looks
like a sword from the handle but is too short to be
one. The blade is razor sharp and if I could get close
enough to an enemy to cut them it would be ideal. It
doesn’t make sense why something so carefully
forged would have such limited span. I hold my arm
as far as I can and move it counterclockwise to get a
feel for the weight. The metal begins to emit a white
glow the faster I rotate my arm. I rotate faster and
mist comes off the blade. After a few rotations there
is a defined circle that is glowing white hot and mist
begins to form in the middle of the circle.
I step back and the mist turns from white to grey and
then turns clear. Inside the circle I can see people
sitting around a table holding hands. When the mist
clears the mist clears one of the men stands up and
looks right at me. I step back quickly until I am
against the wall of the cave. I know instinctively that
he can see me. He has dark hair and blazing eyes that
seem to burn into me. He stares at me for a moment
and then smiles while reaching out his arm.
“Come Ivy. We have been waiting for you”. As he
speaks he is gesturing for me to come through the
portal.
gaze. He continued to gesture to me to come.
“Bring your horse too Ivy” he says
. His lips
tightened for a moment and a flicker of anger flashed
across his face.
I don’t know what to do but if I don’t do something
fast he may come through and take me. I jump
forward to cut the circle and white flame shoots out
from Anathema and I am encompassed in the light. It
moves around me and I feel as though I have become
one with it. An emotion that I can only describe as
sacred is flowing through me. I am aware that there
is a person in the light but I cannot see anyone. I
know instinctively that I am on the precipice of a
doorway. A mist filled doorway to the otherworld
and a presence that knows me intimately.
Then I have the feeling of being alone again. The
circle turns to mist and then fades away. The knife is
now extended four plus feet and is emitting a light
unlike anything I have seen before. It is searing hot
but also cool to the touch. I pull my arm back and the
flame retracts and disappears. Reality shifted in a
matter of seconds and I was between worlds.
Something in the mist embraced me with a peace I
have only felt once before in the white light from my
locket. The light had held me in what felt like pure
love and gave me a rush of happiness. It was a living
light and something dwelled just inside its mist. A
fountain of energy sprang up in the center of my
reality and now that it’s gone I feel a sense of
longing- to be part of the spirit realm.
In the past few months I have had an almost
overwhelming desire to do something meaningful
with my life. I wanted to make a difference in the
world-even if in a small way. Fear of failure or the
humiliation of rejection kept me from doing the
things I wanted to do. That old childhood insecurity
was a difficult persona to shrug off. Life had changed
so much that none of that matters anymore.
It’s funny. I don’t really like
Lisa or David but if it
hadn’t been for them I would never have met Tom,
found Jast or been given Anathema. For the first
time, I allow myself to think about the possibility that
I may have a destiny. Something more than the
daughter of the town drunk or the girl who always
ends up in various kinds of trouble. No more of that
for me. That was never who I was but the idea that I
may be something more; more than what I am, well
thatkind of scares me. I don’t want to face any more
disappointments. Every time I have allowed myself to
truly think about the possibility that I could be happy
then something happens. I guess all I can do is take it
as it comes. For now, I need to break down camp and
do what I came to do here.
Once I roll up my sleeping bag and tie it behind the
saddle my mood shifts to serious. The man in the
portal most likely has an idea where I am hiding and I
sense that someone will be coming for me. I am not
only the hunter but also the hunted. I feel like I am a
kid again sneaking into neighbor’s house to find food.