The Revelation Chronicles

  “I know you didn’t ask for my opinion, but I’m going to give it to you anyway.”

  It was Freddy. He must have followed me from my room. And apparently, he had something to say.

  “I know Charlie can defeat this guy. Over the last few days, he’s turned into someone I don’t even recognize anymore. I’ve been around him since before I can remember, and I’ve never seen him so focused and driven. And…I’m so confident of that fact, and I believe in my best friend so much, I will be there to witness it in person. I will be right there by his side when he meets this Vicktor face to face one last time.”

  I’ve never been more proud to call Freddy my friend than at that moment. I’d never heard him speak so passionate about anything before. Even Robert seemed amusingly surprised at Freddy’s outburst; he smiled fervently, nodding his head in approval. Then, he said something I wasn’t expecting to hear.

  “Well, I’m convinced.”

  He grinned and slapped me on the back.

  Chapter 50

  After the Oscar-worthy performance by Freddy, we headed off to the kitchen for some much needed refueling. He was feeling a bit hungry, and I had to admit, so was I. I’d skipped out on breakfast when Kara came to retrieve me earlier in the morning, and now I was famished. My stomach was making me pay for the neglect, turning in painful knots and sounding like a pissed off Rottweiler. Everyone else was busy elsewhere throughout the mansion, so we had the entire kitchen to ourselves.

  “Let’s see what we have in here,” said Freddy. He yanked open both doors of the massive stainless steel refrigerator. It was one of those snazzy ones with a built-in LCD screen that displayed the weather and all sorts of cool apps and information. Freddy noisily opened each drawer. Then, frustrated by not finding anything to his liking, he promptly slammed them back into place. He finally settled on two large grapefruits near the bottom shelf and tossed them clumsily over his shoulder to me. I had to make a considerable effort to catch the second grapefruit before it crashed into the decorative tulip arrangement, which was mixed with green snowball viburnums, large, single-petaled peonies and scented geraniums at the center of the kitchen table. Don’t ask how I know all that. I have a secret fetish for beautiful flowers. The crystal vase that enclosed them probably cost more than both our college tuitions combined.

  “Can you be a little more careful?” I warned.

  “Can you learn to relax a little?”

  Freddy pushed the large refrigerator doors shut and moved to the cupboards, loudly searching each shelf. It was like watching a home invasion in progress. He found a jar of peanut butter and pulled it down from the shelf. Satisfied, he closed the cupboards and opened the fridge again.

  “Can’t have peanut butter without jelly,” he said with a hint of glee, grabbing the jar from the middle shelf and bumping the refrigerator door closed with his hip. The bread was on top of the refrigerator in a wicker basket, so he reached up with a mammoth paw and plucked the loaf down around the neck, much like a farmer with a chicken on its way to the slaughter. Watching Freddy sometimes was just shy of comical, but he was my best bud. And I loved him like a brother.

  “Do you know which drawer the silverware is in?” he asked. He pulled one drawer after another in the kitchen and then slammed it shut impatiently.

  “Try the one next to the fridge.”

  He turned to check the drawer and smiled broadly.

  “I knew there was a reason I kept you around. Now, can you rustle up some plates?”

  I walked over to the cabinet I’d seen Ms. Parkman grab dishware from before and removed two plates and two saucers. I set them on the black granite-topped kitchen island in front of Freddy. He removed a knife from the silverware drawer and began to slice the grapefruits in half.

  “So...I guess we need to figure out a way to contact this Vicktor guy, huh?

  “Yeah. I’ve been thinking about that. Maybe it has something to do with my abilities.”

  “You mean like the one you share with the hottie? What’s up with that anyway?”

  “I don’t know, but I think she does. I could sense she was hiding something.”

  “I personally think if you guys ever hook up that would make for a pretty strange relationship. I mean, how would you ever surprise each other? Kinda takes the fun out of certain things if you know what I mean.”

  Freddy gave me a wink as he opened the bread loaf and pulled three pieces out, stacking one on top of the other. Freddy loved what he called affectionately the triple-decker peanut butter and jelly sandwich: one slice of peanut butter, two slices of jelly. I have to admit, he even had me sold, and I really savored them.

  “Yes, I can only imagine what you mean. And no, I don’t think there’s even the slightest chance of us getting together. Did you forget about Allison already? Because I haven’t.”

  His face turned instantly like hardened stone, and he dropped the spoon he was using to spread the jelly on the counter.

  “That’s not cool. How can you ask me that? She’s my friend too. I was the one here who couldn’t protect her when your absentee pops broke in and kidnapped her. So, I think I deserve a little slack. I was just trying to lighten the mood and get your mind off all the negative stuff, like I always do,” he said. His nostrils flared from anger, and his breathing increased. Then he calmed a little and picked up the spoon once more.

  “And, you can’t tell me you don’t have a thing for Kara. Heck, she’s supermodel hot. Any guy with a beating pulse would die for a shot at her. I know I would.”

  He was right, but I wasn’t about to admit it. We’d known each other way too long for me to hide anything from him, so I avoided the topic. He didn’t need superpowers like Kara to read me. He was just that good. I would try and figure out what was really going on between her and me later, once Allison was safe.

  “All I can think about right now is rescuing Allison, Freddy. Nothing else matters.”

  “OK, I’ll back off,” he said calmly. He went back to his sandwich making.

  “So you saw your mom last night, too? That had to be insane. And she’s in some type of alternate dimension or universe? You know I know all about that stuff. There was even an episode about it on The Outer Limits.”

  “Yeah, something like that. It was emotional to say the least. I wish you could meet her,” I said as I I thumbed the pendant underneath my shirt to ensure it was still there.

  “Me too,” he said and slid a plate and saucer toward me. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a side of grapefruit. Breakfast of champions.

  “You want sugar for yours?” he asked. He used a spoon to scoop heaps of sugar on top of his grapefruit.

  “No thanks.”

  I liked my grapefruit plain.

  “I think you should see her again. Maybe she knows how you can contact Vicktor,” he offered. He took a hefty bite of his grapefruit. As he chewed and smacked, I noticed the ring of sugar around his lips resembling a margarita glass, and I smiled.

  “I think that’s a good idea, buddy.”

  I smiled and took a delicious bite of my triple-decker PB&J sandwich.

  Chapter 51

  Following the hearty lunch with Freddy, I headed back to my room. He was right about one thing. I needed to see my mom again. Perhaps she would know something that could help me. Also, it gave me an excuse to see her again.

  I stood next to the edge of my bed and pulled the pendant from beneath my blue polo shirt. I took a deep breath and clutched it firmly in my grasp. Just as before, I felt an instant whoosh, and I was there in the cloudy haze again. This time, I noticed my mom a short distance away, sitting on a white chair in front of a large mirror and combing her hair.

  I walked over to her. She didn’t seem to notice me until I was almost standing beside her.

  “Charlie! You frightened me, dear! I didn’t notice you enter this time. I was just trying to look nice for the next time I got to see you, and ‘lo and behold, here you are!”

  She sat the c
omb down and reached up to me, extending a warm and heartfelt embrace.

  “How long has it been in Earth time since your last visit?”

  “It’s been about twelve or thirteen hours,” I said.

  She smiled. “It’s just as I told you. It has only been mere moments here. It feels as though you just left.”

  We walked around talking for a while, and I began to notice the place wasn’t entirely just a cloudy haze. Off in the distance was a stunning white structure whose foundation appeared to be built of solid rock upon a rugged cliff. Crystal clear water cascaded from a large opening in the cliff and poured down below into the seamless beyond. Large white birds, similar to an eagle, but much larger, floated up above.

  “What is that?” I asked in awe.

  “That is my home. It is where I rest, although I spend most my time down here, eagerly awaiting your return.”

  I instantly felt sad for her. She had made the ultimate sacrifice so we could one day stand here face to face, but this place resembled more of a prison with no one else to talk to and nowhere to go. It had to be torture sitting there day after day waiting for a son that may or may not show.

  “Don’t feel sorry for me, my son. It is a choice I made and a choice I would gladly make a thousand times over.”

  I froze in my tracks. Did she just read my thoughts?

  “No, I simply heard your thoughts; there’s a difference.”

  “Bu—but how?” I stuttered. I was barely able to get the words out.

  “Because I am your mother. Each family on Etheus shared this special bond with each other that could be felt and experienced at great distances. But, a select few from our planet possessed an even greater ability to read other’s thoughts and even to manipulate them.

  “Wait,” I said. I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer to my next question, but I asked anyway. “So, every family member can hear each other’s thoughts and communicate telepathically?”

  “That is correct, to a certain degree.”

  “So that’s it,” I said. The pieces to the puzzle were starting to come together for me. I looked off in the distance. “That’s what Vicktor meant when he said I would know how to contact him when the time came.”

  “Yes,” she replied softly. “He is your father, and unfortunately, you share that bond. It is a bond that cannot be broken.”

  “So why have I not heard him or sensed him before?”

  “Because you were not ready to. Now that you know he is your father and have broken through that mental barrier, you are ready. You can now reach out to him anytime you want.”

  “So, it’s that simple?”

  “Clear your mind and call to him. That’s all it takes.”

  “Can I do the same to you now as well?” I asked, hopeful.

  “Unfortunately, no. Even though I am always near you in spirit, I am too far away to hear your thoughts. I exist in a place that cannot easily be quantified.”

  I frowned. And then it hit me.

  Kara.

  Did this mean we were family, maybe even siblings? I didn’t understand how that could be, considering she’d mentioned her dad being the only other person who could ever hear her thoughts. Maybe my mother would know something and help to clear up this mystery that had been nagging me for a while. If she was family, at least that would mean I’d have someone living and breathing on planet Earth who wasn’t a total psycho to invite to Thanksgiving dinner.

  “Mom, there’s something else I need to ask you.”

  “Oh?” she said, giving me her undivided attention. I wondered if she knew already what I was going to ask, but didn’t want to be rude because she knew how difficult it was for me to bring up in the first place. Moms are wonderful.

  “There is this girl…,” I began.

  “There always is,” she said with a delicate smile. “I’m sorry dear, continue.”

  “This particular girl, I can hear her thoughts, and she can hear mine as well. Sometimes we can even sense each other’s emotions as well. Does this mean we are related in some way?”

  Her eyes widened, and she gasped as if she’d seen a ghost.

  “No, Charlie. It means you have met your Daelin. It means you have met your future wife.”

  Chapter 52

  I couldn’t have heard what I thought I had just heard, right? My head felt as if it was stuck underwater, and I couldn’t breathe.

  “You want to repeat that? Because, for a second there I thought you mentioned something about a future wife,” I chuckled nervously. I hoped she would laugh along with me and maybe punch me on the arm while telling me it was just an elaborate prank she’d thought up in her free time here on Planet Boring.

  “Yes, Charlie,” she said calmly. “Your future wife.”

  I was demoralized. Not that Kara wasn’t beautiful. And of course I was attracted to her. But what about Allison? And things were going so well…

  “The only time another being outside your immediate family can hear your thoughts or communicate with you is when you have met your Daelin, or soul mate.”

  “What do you mean soul mate? I thought that stuff was only in the movies?” I asked, not that my mother had any idea what a movie was. I just wasn’t feeling very receptive to the whole notion.

  “You are not from Earth, Charlie. Do not forget that. You are a descendant of Etheus, and things are much different now than the life you’ve grown accustomed to.

  “But, what if I don’t feel that way about her? What if there is another?”

  “A human? Nonsense. With your own kind is where you belong now, my son. Besides, once you become aware of each other, there is nothing that can keep you apart. Nothing.”

  Why did it always seem that when things are going so great, something always happens that completely derails everything? I had finally gotten close to Allison and felt that things were finally about to take off. Then I discover that I’m betrothed to a girl I barely know. Life can be so unfair.

  “Life is what you make of it, Charlie.”

  “Well, then I choose Allison,” I said defiantly.

  “It is not that simple, I’m afraid. Daelin are a rare occurrence on Etheus; maybe once in a millennium. I understand it’s hard for you to accept, but the implications are enormous. Your union is key to saving our race from possible extinction.”

  Chapter 53

  I didn’t stay with my mom very long after our conversation. Frankly, I couldn’t stomach much more of what she had to say, so I conveniently fabricated a lie about having to get back and prepare for our upcoming mission and hightailed it out of there.

  I kept thinking back to a few days earlier when things were much simpler. A struggling college student with zero love life and facing the possible end to my college experience after losing my scholarship. That I could deal with. Savior from a distant planet with extraordinary abilities destined to save the world with his predestined wife? Not so much. But, what option did I have? None that I could see in the immediate future. I was at a crossroads with no idea which way to go.

  Just then, the door to my room swung open and in sauntered Freddy, enjoying a stick of cherry flavored licorice.

  “You’re back,” he said, and fell back lazily on the bed.

  I wish I possessed such a happy-go-lucky attitude. Nothing ever seemed to bring him down. Except for maybe when the refrigerator was empty. Then, he’s as mad as a honey badger.

  “So did you find out anything helpful?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “What do you mean ‘you guess’?” he asked, taking another bite of licorice.

  “I don’t know if you’ll believe what I was just told because I’m having a hard time believing it myself.”

  “Try me.”

  I recounted the conversation with my mom.

  “Get out of here!” Freddy exclaimed after I had finished and gave me a gentle tap on the arm. “That’s crazy man. So you and the supermodel chick are soul mates? Wow,” he said, shaking his head i
n wonderment. He pulled another licorice stick from his back pocket, unwrapped it, and took a bite.

  “Yeah, I don’t know what I’m going to do about it.”

  “What do you mean do about it? You accept it. Just as you’ve accepted everything else, that’s what. You’ve got awesome powers and a smoking hot babe. I wish I was so unfortunate.”

  “I didn’t ask for any of this.”

  “But, this is who you are now, buddy. I didn’t ask to be this handsome either, but look at me. A few days ago, I would have laughed this whole thing off; but not anymore. Not after what I’ve seen. And not after what I’ve witnessed you become.”

  Once again, Freddy was right. I think it was my Earth experiences and my life here that I was so desperately hanging on to. I didn’t want to let go and accept my fate. Maybe because I didn’t really believe in fate or destiny. I believe that each person chooses their own path in life. There are no predestined outcomes. If only that were actually true in my case.

  “You know, either way, I’m in your corner,” promised Freddy.

  “Yeah, I know,” I said with a sigh of relief. Then I smiled. “Thanks for being a great friend.”

  “You’re welcome. Now, let’s go save the world.”

  “Are you sure you want to come along?” I asked.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t miss this for all the pizza in Italy.”

  Chapter 54

  I decided to change my clothes and put on something a little more comfortable. I chose a pair of loose fitting jeans with a gray hooded sweater underneath my dark brown leather jacket. Then, I slipped on my black Harley Davidson boots with the silver tips. Guess I wasn’t going for comfort as much as for style after all. If I was supposed to be such a tough guy, I at least wanted to look the part.

  As I finished zipping up my boots, I heard a soft rap on the door. I opened it to find Kara standing there, both arms folded and an irritated look on her face. I have to admit, I was kind of taken aback because I wasn’t expecting her.

  “You going somewhere?” she asked. She looked past me to my backpack on the bed. She sounded slightly agitated.

  I turned my back to her and walked to the bed. I grabbed the pack and checked its contents: flashlight, binoculars, some rope. You know, the basics of breaking and entering.