Hope (Other World Protection Agency Book 1) (16 page)

Was she dead? She opened her eyes
to find Raimel standing over her. She looked around with difficulty to see both
her mother and Paul still standing frozen. Seems she was not dead. The question
was why not?

Not too far away she noticed the
figure of Amanda. How had Amanda managed to get there? That was the voice she
had heard before she passed out.

Wondering if her death wish had
returned, she taunted Raimel. “I am touched, Raimel couldn’t kill me I see.”
She watched as the anger took him over. This was it, she was so sure. Then the
look on his faced changed to one of fondness. She must be going crazy.

Turning, she tried to get up to
run only to see Charon kneeling beside her. Her gaze was caught by his. She
tried to shake her head as if sensing doom. “No Charon, please.”

“Taraja, remember.” His voice was
commanding, brooking no resistance.

She tried to resist and then a
scene came to mind, one she had buried long ago. He had caught up with her. She
had been running and was outside in a forest. She hadn’t really slept in days
and was so hungry she would have given anything to be able to kill a rabbit and
eat it. That’s when she had heard it, a branch moving in a way that seemed
suspicious.

Then he had been there again.
Sword out this time.

“It’s time to die.”

She had gotten over his physical
charms long ago, so she didn’t care that she looked like hell.

“Kill me.” She simply wanted it
to be over. How many kids lived like she did? The self-pity and self-loathing
had taken over. “Just kill me and get it over with.”

She had dropped to her knees and
let her head hang with shame. She wasn’t Hope. She was just a dirty kid who
wished she could go home. She stayed like that for a long time, before looking
up to see why she was still alive. There before her was a banquet. She hadn’t
eaten in forever.

“Every warrior should die on a
full stomach. Eat.”

She had grabbed the food and ate.
For once she didn’t care. She would decide whether to die or fight later. He
had just sat there watching her as she ate the food and then stored the rest
for later just in case she was still alive.

“Tara, I am not here to kill you.
I am here to train you. I am and always will be your teacher.” His voice had
changed as he talked, reminding her of a voice she knew when she was a toddler,
bringing back memories of happier times

He had come close to her, to
finish the job she thought. Instead he had touched her. “Sleep Tara and
forget.”

She shook her head in confusion
leaving the past to stare at Raimel and Charon. “Teacher?” 

 “Did you know this?” She pointed
at Charon.

“Guilty as charged.” She wondered
if that was guilt she saw in Charon’s eyes. “You refused to be taught, Tara.
You were so sure we were wrong. By the time you knew we were right, you would
have been dead.” He held up a hand to stop her from speaking. “I know the tale,
you die and everything resets. You know better. Did anything reset when the
galaxy thought you were dead or at least dying? No? There you go. Nothing
resets, at least not where you or Paul are concerned. So if making you fear for
your life was the only way to train you,” he looked at her and shrugged again.
Understand this Tara, I took a calculated risk, one that paid off, but it was
still a risk.

Charon stood and reached down to
help Tara stand.

“So let me get this straight.”
Tara pointed to Raimel. “All of this,” She spread her hands wide, “was a
training exercise? You don’t really hate me?”

Tara needed help fast and she
knew it. She still wanted to kill Raimel. It may have been that buried memory
of him that had stilled her hand more than once, but now that she knew about it,
her lust for blood had returned with a vengeance.

“I. Hate. You.” The venom coming from
his voice comforted her. “I have been teaching you with one purpose. To learn
to protect your life.” The sound of his voice changed again confusing her. “I
am proud of you. You have learned well.”

Tara looked down. Did she have
the option of beating her head against the concrete? She backed up, putting
room between her and both Charon and Raimel. She was beginning to feel like a
pawn in a very deadly game.

“What now?” Her question came out
as a demand for an answer.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder,
she saw that Paul had finally been released and was now giving her his support.
“Did you hear all of that?” He shook his head, yes.

“You must continue to learn. The
whole galaxy is coming for you and you had better be ready.” This had come from
Raimel. This was the Raimel she was beginning to fear, the one that said he
liked her. “Tara, the scariest thing in the galaxy is me.” His voice was hard
with bitterness and hatred. “Some days I despise you, Tara. I want more than
anything to see your head displayed outside my home as a warning to all who
knock on my door. Other days, I know I am your teacher and all I want is to
train you.”

Having heard enough, she pulled a
weapon. She was insane to fight hand to hand with him. He had years of training
on her. The next time they fought, she would put him out of his misery.

“Tara, here is the part that
should make you shake. You will never know how I am feeling on any given day. I
never know how I feel about you until the fight breaks out. Always think to
yourself ‘he wants me dead.’ If you ever hesitate like you did today, I promise
whomever you are fighting will kill you.

Raimel turned to Amanda and held
out his hand. “Come.”

“No.” Paul called out. “You don’t
have to go with him. We can protect you.”

“I want to go.”

“No, you don’t. You simply have
Stockholm syndrome.”

“Paul’s right Amanda, you don’t
have to go.” Tara waved her over. “Don’t let him threaten you. You heard him,
he’s a cold-blooded killer.”

“That’s the thing Tara, he’s not what
you think he is.”

While Tara and Paul argued with
Amanda, Charon took the time to throw Raimel a broad smile. Raimel returned the
smile with a nod of his head. As Tara turned to raise her weapon at him, he
disappeared taking Amanda with him.

They had all walked back to the
warehouse in silence. Now they were seated in the living room, each wrapped up
in their own thoughts. The feeling of disbelief was still riding Tara hard. How
could she have not known? Would Amanda pay for Tara’s ignorance with her life?
She was a whirlwind of questions, with no answers anywhere in sight.

“When do we go after them?” Paul
asked, looking at Charon.

“We don’t. She made her choice.”

“Cold-blooded Charon.” Tara
taunted. “Are you taking a calculated risk with Amanda’s life also? What
happens when you’re wrong Charon? Is there a cemetery filled with the bodies of
your calculated risks gone wrong? Were you figuring out the odds of us walking
out that night club when you sent us in? Good thing we walked out. I wouldn’t
want to be in your personal cemetery.”

Charon disappeared.

Tara gave a bitter laugh. Of
course he disappeared. Dora got up and walked away, leaving them alone.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“She’s my mother Paul, but I
don’t understand her any better than you do.”

“What do we do next, Tara?”

“I wish I knew. Amanda going off
with Raimel was such a kick in the face. Raimel, being my teacher who hates me,
except on certain days, was unexpected.” Tara slumped in her chair reluctantly
tuning to see the television.

Paul moved to the couch and
patted the space next to him with a smile on his lips. Tara moved to sit next
to him, sliding into his arms, as if she was meant to be there. They snuggled
close and watched the life of others as they struggled on.

“Hi.” A soft voice broke into
their tranquility.

“Hi.” Tara responded softly, not
wanting to scare her away. “We are watching the news of all things. Would you
like to join us?”

Tara heard the soft sound of feet
approaching and resisted the urge to turn and look.

“Yes, thank you.”

Turning her head to the side she
saw a beautiful brown-skinned teenager standing by the chair she had just
vacated.

“Have a seat.” Tara waved towards
the chair. “What’s your name?”

“Jazz.” The teenager said
sitting.

“Nice to meet you, Jazz. My name
is Tara and this is Paul. Do you remember helping us?”

Jazz shook her head before she
said anything. “Yes.”

“We are happy you took the risk
to help. How are you liking our home?”

This time when Jazz smiled it
reached her eyes. “This is so epic. You live in a warehouse.”

Tara turned and winked at Paul.
“I agree, Jazz. Living in a warehouse is epic.”

Jazz curled her body onto itself,
managing to make her look much younger than she was. Paul and Tara settled back
on the couch again, watching television.

This is nice, Tara found herself
thinking. She liked the feel of being beside Paul on the couch. Although she
wasn’t old enough to be Jazzi’s mother, she could be a big sister. She smiled
even wider for just a minute, life was good.

The sound on the television
became all wonky before settling on something new. “This broadcast is being
interrupt to bring you breaking news.”

Tara felt as if a dark and
sinister voice had just raked its claws up her back. Tensing she looked from
Paul to Jazz. Sure enough they had both heard the voice. Judging from the way
their backs were arched, it had the same effect on them.

“Paul?”

“I heard it too, Tara.”

Tara waited for the next move
with her eyes glued to the screen. Tayrel’s flickering image came on over the
broadcast. She could still see the brightly animated newscasters having a
conversation, but she could not hear them. Imposed over them was Tayrel, still
dressed in his Godfather gear, though the suit was different today.

Tara took a moment to address her
fears. If he knew where she was he would be here and not on her television.
Although Raimel hated her with a passion, she was sure he would not tell Tayrel
where to find her. Besides, the one thing she was sure of was that nothing
uninvited could get in here. She was positive she had Charon to thank for that
one. So, even though she wanted to run out screaming, the sky was falling, she
was going to resist.

“Tara.” Tayrel’s voice was now as
smooth as silk and as sweet as honey. “I know you are there. I just wanted to
drop in and see my favorite gateway. You are not just a mere doorway, but the
coveted gateway. This is too sweet. Look over your shoulder, Tara. Turn around
when the shadows grow long, because I will be there. You can’t hope to beat me
without the other two gifts and I will be looking for them harder than you. Set
your watch Tara, because the race is on. Soon I will own your planet, your
timeline and you.”

Tara listened to Tayrel’s evil
laugh before he finally disappeared.

Raising her voice, Tara screamed.
“Charon!”

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A Parallel World Novel – Book One

Chapter One

Thea knew she was being followed and hated it.
Sighing she decided it was time to run again. She was tired of running and
hiding. If only she knew what those government guys wanted. Giving her best
fake smile she waited while the cashier rang up her purchases. This was one of
her favorite shoe stores and she refused to be blacklisted from it, so they
would have to wait for her to get outside to run.

“Those shoes are some of my favorites,” the cashier
stated making idle conversation as she rang.

Giving her a good once over, Thea once again decided
the cashier was not stalling. “I couldn’t resist them. It was almost as if they
were calling my name.”

“I know what you mean, but I wondered where would I
wear them?” The cashier smiled at her then lowered her voice. “I hate to admit
it, but I rarely go out anymore.”

Thea nodded her head in sympathy. She shared the
cashiers feeling. Although she loved shoes she rarely bought any hating to
leave them behind when she had to run. Grabbing the bags she said a quick bye
and headed out the door. It was much later than she had thought. Where had the
time gone? She took several steps away from the shoe store and stopped, tensing
she waited. When nothing happened, she decided she must just be getting
paranoid in her advanced age, she would turn twenty five soon. Although, this
city hadn’t won any awards for its nightlife, she had grown to love it. Maybe
now she would not have to leave. Giving a happy sigh she approached her car
thinking it would all be ok.

“Excuse me miss do you have any spare change?”

Thea, controlled the urge to jump as a man peeled
himself off a wall. How had she missed him? “Sorry, no change.” Slipping her
hands into her pocket she palmed her key fob and silently opened the door of
her modified car. There were no clicks to let someone know the lock had been
disengaged and the lights never flickered. She had been called paranoid more
than once, but she simply thought life was worth living.

“Anything you have miss would be appreciated.”

Thea noticed that he seemed to be advancing on her.
She bit her lip briefly as she realized he was gaining ground. She started
walking backwards, keeping her eyes on him. She watched as his smile changed
from harmless to predatory. That’s when she dropped her bags, turned around and
started to run. Elbows down she thought, forearms out and hands straight, this
was her version of a sprinter running for her life. Panting she scolded herself
for not working out harder. Not daring to look behind her, she kept running
until she reached her car. She opened the door and slipped in thinking she had
made it.

She heard the loud thump and saw the heavy weight
land on the hood of her car. It was the man who wanted her to think he was
homeless. Not looking at him she slid her keys into the ignition, she started
the car not thinking about the crazed man on her hood. She winced as he started
beating her front window in an attempt to break the glass and grab her. She
stomped on the gas and threw the car into gear driving blindly. She was
thankful for the lateness of the hour her chance of hitting someone had
dramatically decreased. She drove straight ahead and then did a U-turn that she
was sure was straight out of the ‘so you want to go directly to prison’
handbook, but it did the trick.

Thea watched as the large enraged man on her car
went flying off the hood with screams of pain as he landed. She high tailed it
out of there not stopping to ask if he was ok. She came to a red light and
stopped like the law abiding citizen she was. She tapped her fingers on the
wheel and watched as a black on black sports car came up behind her. Sighing
she knew she had been right, not only had they made her, but that big lump on
her car had marked it. She hated when they did that. Now she would have to
ditch her car and steal another until she could get herself one. She pulled out
slowly like she had no cares in the world when the light changed.

She glanced at her mirrors wondering how many of
them were on her. She took her time and drove around as if she was lost until
the second one pulled in front of her. Smiling, she was ready to play. She
could tell both of them had tricked out cars so that would make this more of an
even exchange, besides she was sure theirs did not compare to hers. She
frowned, she had just realized she was going to have to run again. This time
she would pick a bigger city. Playing nice she stopped at all the lights like
nothing was amiss as she aimed for Oakland and lots of college age students.

She loved Oakland with the various colleges in such
close proximity to each other. She was hoping to lose herself in the college
crowd and if that didn’t happen she would make another plan. Oakland was dead
when she got there. She laughed, thinking that maybe someone had warned them
she was coming before she got there.

Grinning evilly she hit the gas pedal testing out
what they had under their hoods. They kept up with her a little too easily.
Damn! This was going to be more of a challenge than she had bargained for.
Going a little faster, she started to look for someplace to disappear, she
found herself downtown

Pushing the gas pedal down she gave it all she had
as she raced along the mostly deserted streets. She was close enough to where
she lived that if she could shake them, she should be able to get home and gone
before anyone noticed. She looked at the rearview mirror and saw they were on
her heels, but she was not worried. She waited until they got closer and then
did an illegal U-turn. At 130mph her car went up on two wheels and to her
surprise made the turn.  She laughed with pride, she had made those
modifications.

She knew that was why those government boys wanted
her. She functioned in a way that other humans didn’t. She saw circuits, wires
and whatever else she needed in front of her. She didn’t know why, but she
always knew what she should do with what she was seeing. Did the government
guys tell her good job? No! Instead of rewarding her with a great job and a
high paying salary they hunted her like she was a criminal. She was sure they
wanted to interrogate her then dissect her, or at least use her for their own
gain. Where was the fun in that? She was tired of running true, but running had
its own thrill.

She checked out the damage behind her. One car had
spun out and hit a wall, but the other had slowed down enough to make the turn.
She raced off, looking for a place to ditch her car. She knew getting to her
apartment would be the priority after the car. She was still going at an insane
speed when she saw the perfect spot. Using all the skill she had developed she
pulled in and brought the car to a stop. She would laugh if her heart was not
in her throat, but she had done it, more importantly her car had done it.

Saying goodbye to her car she hit the button that
would change the color, camouflaging it. She knew it was just an illusion, but
it was an effective one. By the time they found her car, every electronic
circuit would have burned itself out starting with the transmitter they had
placed on her car. She had designed that one too, but had anyone congratulated
her on her brilliance. She had seen the fear in their eyes as they whispered
she needed to be contained. Fighting the urge to throw the middle finger, she
reached for a different jacket.

Shrugging out of her nice bright coat, the one she
had worn so everyone could spot her, she grabbed a nice black jacket and walked
away, leaving her life without a thought. She slipped into a crowd of people
laughing as they came out of the theatre and walked with them blending in.

“Hey where did you come from?” This came from a
young man in the crowd who spotted her immediately.

“I just came out the theatre.” She gave him a smile.
“Where are all of you on your way too?” She liked the looks of him. He was tall
and slender and friendly looking. His looks would make her want to get to know
him better any other time.

“They.” He indicated his group of friends with a
wave of his hand. “Want to go to Cheese Cellar. I guess that’s where we will
go. Why? Were you thinking of someplace else?” He gave her a genuine smile.

She suddenly felt alone and tired the desire to have
someone special to spend her life with was already becoming a dream.

“Unfortunately I won’t be able to tag along. I’m
just ducking some over needy acquaintances.” Turning to face him she gave a
sudden laugh, then stepped into his arms planting a kiss on him.

She watched out the corner of her eyes as the car
that had come to a stop picked up speed. It left not finding her and she knew
it was time to go. She pulled out of his embrace and smiled.

“Wow that was hot.’ He was grinning at her.

“And it was also goodbye. Sorry we met my last night
in town.” With a sad smile she walked away with him calling out. “At least tell
me your name.” She kept walking.

Thea made a mental apology to whoever owned the nice
car she was stealing, she jumped in and headed to her apartment one last time.
She stopped two blocks away and walked, making sure it was not being watched
before going in. She slipped into her first floor apartment thinking about how
it was important for a woman on the go to be on the ground level.

She took her time to look around. She had been in
her apartment longer than most of the other places she had lived. She knew it
was not saying much, but this was the closest thing she had had to a home ever
since her mother passed away. Her home actually had detail this time. Her white
walls were lined with pictures of exotic lands and faraway galaxies. They made
her feel good when she looked at them. She would have to leave her favorite
picture behind. She had bought it from an artist on the street. The guy had
said he dreamed about the place and thought she should have it. It was of a big
palace on an obviously alien planet. It called to her. She had lost hours just
staring at it.

Shaking her head she hit the bedroom running,
knowing her time was short. She grabbed a large gym bag and packed her on the
run clothes, emergency cash and the one thing she knew she couldn’t leave
behind. It was a gift from her mother that she always kept close. She walked
into the living room just as a man materialized before her.

Biting her tongue to keep from screaming she ran
through her escape scenarios, but stopped to wonder how a man could materialize
in her apartment. Even she couldn’t do that.

“Finally I found you, we have to go now.” Thea just
stood still. “What’s your problem?”

She looked at him mouth hanging open for a minute.
“You. You’re my problem. You just pop into my living room and tell me we have
to go? Who are you? What do you want with me? How did you get into my living
room? She thought about telling him there was no way she would go with him.
Taking a good look at him she decided against it and backed away. She just
needed time to make sense of what was happening.

“Here are your two options.” She was startled out of
her thoughts of escape by the sound of his voice. “You can trust the government
guys that are closing in on you or you can trust me. I am on the retrieval team
from the planet you should have been born on.”

Thea took a minute to laugh at him. “Really, what
drugs are you taking and can I have some? Your world seems even more
fascinating and twisted than the one I live in.” She grabbed her bag and made
for her bedroom hoping she could get out of the window, before he tried to kill
her.

“Why do they always send me after the less
intelligent ones?” She heard him say aloud. “Just once couldn’t I retrieve a
gifted one?”

She
was no longer paying attention because her apartment was being surrounded with
guys in black suits. Seriously, it was like a bad movie version of Men in Black
without the humor.

“Ready
to listen,” the invader asked, as she came back into the living room. “There’s
no time for the version of this where you ask all the questions and I get to
enjoy the very clean air here.” Nodding she needed a better alternative to what
was shaking up outside.

“Here’s
the quick and dirty synopsis. You were born here but conceived on a different
planet, on a parallel world. Don’t know how and I can’t answer that question, I
am not a doctor or scientist, I just know it happens. The government here wants
to study you and maybe use you if you have gifts or talents. Your world wants
you back because we cannot survive without you and yes there are more like you
here. We need everyone.”

She
felt the building shaking as if it was being invaded. Alien’s maybe? Wait was
that a battering ram against her door?

“Times
up, I won’t force you but you have to choose now!” Doing something with his
hand he opened a hole or a portal. Whatever it was, he was standing there with
his hand outstretched. Acting braver than she felt, she took that hand and went
forward. She had been in the hands of the government types outside before and
it wasn’t nice.