Underworld (Dark Passage) (22 page)

“What is it?” I said trying to keep myself on topic.

“They told me that you were from the otherworld.
They said that you were here to lead a rebellion and
unite the people with the light”.

My eyes grew incredulous. “How did they know
that?” I said in a whisper.

Tyler met my eyes before going on.
“They told me
that they were going to kill you. They said that you
would destroy my family and anyone who stands in
your way.

I looked at him with surprise. “Why would they think
I wanted to destroy your family?”

He ran his fingers through his hair hesitantly.
“You
are from the light and we are from the darkness.
Prophesy said that you would destroy my family as a
result of bringing the light”.

“What do you mean your family is from the
darkness? Why in the world would they think I had
the ability to destroy anyone? I am the daughter of a
drunken father and a mentally ill mother. I am
nobody and have no special powers. I couldn’t even
save my baby brother or sister from my father”. I
trailed off as tears collected in my eyes threatening to
spill out.

Tyler placed his hand over mine and gave a gentle
squeeze. I held back a sob and brushed the tears with
the back of my hand.

“I know you don’t believe it”. He said gently “but
you are the girl that the prophesy spoke of in the
diaries”.

“You know about the diaries? How
do you know?” I
said quietly.
He nodded his head and held my gaze.“There’s
more”. He said.

“You were the one that held the key to the light. At
first they wanted Jen’s husband to kill you but they
didn’t figure on Bill getting involved.”

“Bill is involved in all this?” I said with surprise and
Tyler nodded his head.

 

“So then Jen’s husband, John, was involved as well?”

 

“Yes. He was sent to marry Jen so that he could get
to you”.

 

“Poor Jen. He never did love her then”. I said
absently

 

Tyler shrugged.

“He didn’
t at first but I think toward the end he
realized what he had found in her but it was too late.
The marriage was over at that point and Jen was
being protected by the guardiansin Bill’s house”.

I didn’t say anything for a moment. I just took in
what he said.“Bill is a Shining One then?”

Tyler took a deep breath.
“Bill’s mother was adopted
by the same family as Lisa’s mother. They were a
type of host family and took children and raised them
as their own”. Tyler looked uncomfortable and
hesitated before going on.

“You see. Everyone has a free choice to choose their
destiny. Many are called but few are actually chosen.
It is a decision that is made on the individual level.
You as well as Bill’s parent’s chose to leave the high
realm to come here to keep the balance. Bill didn’t
have a choice until he was in the hospital and learned
the truth and then he chose his destiny”.

I closed my eyes for a moment to stop my mind from
spinning.“So Bill learned at that time that he was the
son of a chosen couple? Then he helped Jen and me
by protecting the house?”

Tyler looked away. His expression looked tense.
“Jen
was protected so that you would not be destroyed by
her death. She was meant to be a sacrifice to open the
veil so the darkness could be released. You see,
everything bad that has happened to you was a result
of interference by the dark side”.

My mind reeled from what I was hearing. All these
years I have lived under the shadow of the dark side?
Why had I been raised by such a violent family?

I brushed away a tear with the back of my hand and
pulled tissue out of my jean pocket to blow my nose.
“Tyler? Why did the Shining Ones leave me with
such a violent family?

He gave me a sad smile and touched my arm. You
were supposed to be raised by June. When her
husband was killed unexpectedly she was unable to
adopt you. Back in those days it was not possible for
a single black woman to adopt a white child. Instead
she moved to your neighborhood and cared for you as
best she could”.

The tears I had been holding back came with full
force. I was always meant to be with gramma June.
Somehow I knew it all along. She was the one who
loved me to the end.

Tyler rubbed my back until my tears subsided. “Ivy.
If you hadn’t been with the family you were with
your sister and brother would have suffered even
more”.

Tears slid down my face. “How could they have
suffered more than they did? They both died terrible
deaths and I didn’t help them”.

Tyler moved closer to me and held me close. I cried
silently until no more tears would come. When I
could cry no more he wiped my face with the sleeve
of his shirt and kissed my forehead.
“You brought happiness into their lives and they
eventually found the light. If you hadn’t come along
they would have gone over to the dark side. They
would have been condemned to eternal damnation in
this very place. They were born to parents of
darkness and it was only a matter of time before they
turned. So you see, in a way you did save them.
Everything eventually worked out in the end”.

Tyler pulled back from me and touched my cheek.
“That night at Fred Meyer’s I decided to pull away
from you. I knew that bad things were going to
happen and I didn’t want to be involved. That night
in the study, when I overheard my parents talking, I
learned you were going to be killed”.

I tried to say something but he put a finger up to my
lips and continued.“The boys that followed you from
school to the woods were supposed to kill you”.

I raised my head slightly and blurted out. “How could
you let that happen to me Tyler? I trusted you. I
thought you loved me.” My words trailed off.

He shook his head slightly and met my gaze.
“I told
my parents that if the boys assaulted you that would
be good enough. I assured them that you would be no
danger to us and I agreed to not see you anymore if
they would let you live. I know now I should have
fought for you that night but I was afraid. Afraid for
what would happen to my family and afraid of putting
things into motion so soon”.

My face flu
shed and I clenched my jaw. “So instead
you let them rape me? You figured that would be
better than letting them kill me? Do you know I
wanted to die after that night? I didn’t care what
happened to me and even hoped someone would kill
me? Did you know that one night I hitchhiked home
from Saltys at 2 am and was picked up by a demon?
If it hadn’t been for the light that appeared in the
SUV I couldhave been killed.”

Tyler shook his head slowly. He brushed the back of
his hand over his eyes to wipe away tears that had
formed. “If I could do it all over again I would.
Please believe me that I have regretted that decision.
Not a day went by that I didn’t wish to be with you
again. A part of me died when you went out of my
life. At the time it seemed the only way for you to be
ableto live”.

I said nothing and rested a hand on Tyler’s shoulder.
I couldn’t hate him for what he had done. We have
all made bad decisions that have impacted others.

A tear slid down his face.
“There is more Ivy. I
wouldn’t blame you if you never want to see me
again”.

I squeezed him gently with my hand and encouraged
him to continue. “I went to the old house to find Jen
and Bill. I was supposed to lead them to the lower
realm and find a way to get you to come to them.
They are in the procession that is passing us now”.
Tyler hung his head and said nothing.
My hand flew to my mouth and I gasped. I blinked
back tears and peered out to watch the demons that
were approaching. Somewhere out there was Jen and
Bill. So many thoughts are passing through my mind
that I don’t know what to think. If they are being
taken to the lower realm then it means they are alive.
My heart skipped a beat with the realization that I
wasn’t too late. Beside me I felt Tyler push himself
backwards to leave the safety of the hiding place.

“Wait Tyler”.
Our gazes locked and the anguish I saw
in his eyes made me reach for his hand. He stopped
and shook his head.

“I’m no good for you
or anyone elseIvy. Can’t you
see what I am? I let you down when you needed me
and have even tricked your friends into looking for
you. Now they have been caught and will be tortured
and executed”.

“No Tyler. You’re not a bad person. You didn’t
have to tell me all of this and could have turned me
over to the demons. We all make decisions and do
things we regret. It’s what we do in the end that
matters”.

“How can you ever trust me again?” He said shaking
his head

I held his hand tightly in my own. Tyler had given me
a peace that I have never known before. The
memories I have carried all these years have been
only half truths shrouded in lies. Now I am free from
their hold. The weight I have carried on my
shoulders is gone and the future seems to hold
promise. I can finally let the bad memories go and
see the truth for what it is.

“What are you thinking Ivy?” Tyler asked quietly.

 

I gave him a soft smile and moved closer. The
warmth of his body next to me felt right. My lip

quivered slightly as I spoke.
“I feel free Tyler”.
Tyler drew back so he could look into my eyes. His
hand caressed my face and the years we were apart
were stripped away. I can hear his soft intake of
breath and the steady pace of his heart. A strange
calm came over me and I no longer fear the future.

“We will go and find them together Ivy. It’s the right
thing to do and I want to be with you until the end. I
love you ivy”.

Tyler drew me close and stroked my hair. I breathe
deeply, barely able to believe that we are together
again. My entire life has led up to this day and now I
won’t have to face it alone. I never feared going into
the lower realm but I didn’t savor going in alone.
Tom had assured me that I would be safe. His words
echo in my mind even now.

Don’t worry for your life Ivy. You a
re protected and
your death can only come from the source that is
leading you.
Despite Tom’s words, I sense a sudden panic rise
inside me. It’s the first time I have felt the blackness
of hell rising and it is taking every ounce of effort
inside me not to let my fear show. The evil here can
smell my self-doubt like a predator smells fear.
Taking a deep breath, I resign myself to embrace the
edge of darkness. I can feel the whip of the wind on
my cheek, and in the far distance, I hear the sound of
a dull explosion.

I squeeze my eyes shut to block out all fear. Inside
my chest, I can feel something exploding inside me.
My insides burn white hot and power rages through
me. I focus with all that I am to control it and slowly
it backs off. When I open my eyes I am shining with
a translucent light.

Tyler had let go of me the moment the light filled my
mind. He stood several feet away looking at me
solemnly. I focus on his face and see apprehension
and am startled by the empty darkness in his eyes.
Something in them is oddly chilling and deep inside I
can see dancing tongues of flame. The silhouette of a
dark creature merges with the flames and Tyler’s
irises dance. I have seen this once before. The tall
woman, dressed all in black, with a rope in her hand.

Chapter 14

I flinch slightly as I gaze at Tyler
. I could have
killed him easily with the raging power. I know that
something inside me was triggered when I saw the
procession pass by me but I had somehow controlled
it. I feel tormented and confused even. The light is
woven in the very fiber of my soul, and I feel that
should it be released; it will destroy me. I am myself-I
know I am myself but I am also something more.
Something that is hard to grasp.

I remember the acute awareness of the moment and
the fury that I repressed. There seemed to be an
indignant rage when I looked in Tyler’s eyes. His
face seemed to change for a moment and I felt his
own light fade. There was a subtle flash that he was
not himself. An alarm went off in my head but I can’t
let my own paranoia take root.

My paranoid thoughts are nothing unusual and given
the stress of the day I must be seeing things that are
not really there.
But what if? What if I did see
something in his eyes? The energy of the shift in his
persona was like a vortex. He had not been there for
a moment but something else came through. But
don’t most of us hide or suppress something inside of
us? Who we are in private is not the same as the face
we show to the world.

Tyler had been my friend when I needed someone. I
suspect it had been difficult to befriend a girl that
everyone at school thought was sketch. In a way he
had saved me. Saved me from myself, and for a few
years, I had been accepted. It’s difficult for people to
understand how much those looking from the outside
in just want to appear normal. There is something
pure about someone who takes a risk to accept and
make an outcast part of their circle of friends. I had
cherished those years and wanted desperately to be
something more than who I was back then.

There is absolutely no room for me to doubt him
now. I need himand won’t let my paranoia destroy
what we have had all along. Jen always told me I
deserved good things because inside I was a good
person. I almost choked on the thoughts. I wish I
could have been there when she needed me.

Tyler looks at me silently and I reflect. He seems to
be staring right into my soul. I shivered. How can I
ever trust him again? But then again how can I walk
away and forget him- My face heats up as I recall his
arms around me just hours ago. I have a way of
obscuring things that mean something to me. Maybe
what he did or rather didn’t do that awful night in the
woods
wasn’t his fault
and I should let it go- I can’t
make eye contact with him- not now- with the last
chain of events fresh on my mind.