

Soulmates

Mindy J. Kincade

Copyright Mindy Kincade 2012

Published at Smashwords

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the author, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or broadcast.

First Edition: March 2012

The character and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author. The picture of the castle was taken at Ha Ha Tonka State Park.

ISBN 978-1470056674

Cover Design: Emily Warner

Photographer: Emily Warner

To order photographs from the book visit:

mindykincade.com

Web Design: Robert Adams

Printed in the United States of America

For my family

Chapter One

Terror coursed through Presley's body as she ran through the dark forest. She sensed an unknown force following closely behind her. As Presley ran, she squinted to see a young girl. The girl was waving her arms emphatically forPresley to follow her. With a black crow leading the way, Presley tried to catch up with the girl, instinctively knowing she could keep her safe. A strong wind blew and thunder roared across the sky as Presley dodged the oncoming trees and branches that stood between her and the mysterious girl. The closer Presley got to the girl, the further away she appeared. Presley fell to the ground, her heart racing; she looked up and saw mystifying girl hide herself behind a tree. The girl screamed, "Presley! Get up! Get up!"

Presley woke to the sound of a blaring alarm clock. She sat straight up in bed and struggled to catch her breath.

"Not again," she mumbled. She took off her sweat soaked t- shirt and threw it to the floor. "It's only a dream," she breathlessly reminded herself as she had done many times before. She leaned over her nightstand to turn off the alarm and noticed that she was going to be late for school once again. As she jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom, she glanced into her mother's room. She saw that her mom wasn't in bed which meant that she had stayed at her boyfriend's house . . . again, or was still out partying from the night before.

Presley Dae was a beautiful girl, though she never saw it. She had long wavy brown hair and bright blue eyes, was above average in height, and had a very spiritual soul. She didn't try to keep up with all of the fashion trends. She thought they were all overrated. She dressed in an inventive fashion, choosing clothing that was reflective of her mood instead of what was in style. She didn't drink or use drugs to deal with her depressing conflicted life. Instead she expressed her feelings and emotions through lyrics. She was a song writer and though extremely talented she didn't share her gift with others. Her music was for her only. Her music was an escape; it had become, subconsciously therapeutic.

Presley took a quick shower and hurriedly dressed for school. She decided on an old pair of naturally distressed jeans and a secondhand, simple white lace top. The shirt had small embroidered flowers entwined into the material. It hugged her in a flattering way around her waist. Her favorite shoes were an old pair of used combat boots which she had recently picked up, once again, after being re-sewn at the local bootery. She ran her fingers through her long brown hair, and then quickly applied a few strokes of mascara and lip gloss before rushing off to school.

≈≈≈≈≈

Shortly after the last bell sounded students flooded the hallway. There were only a couple of weeks left of school and the excitement of the year drawing to an end was apparent by the elevated energy level in the building. Presley weaved in and out of the crowds of students. Some were standing and talking to friends, while others were making a mad dash to the exit. It was finally Friday. Presley stopped at her locker to put her books away and to retrieve her song book.

"Hey, Presley! Are we still on for tonight?" Tyler asked as he stood behind her. With a smile on her face, she turned to her boyfriend as he was admiring his reflection in her locker mirror.

"Yeah, we're still on," she said. Presley had been seeing Tyler for almost six months. All of the girls in school wanted to date him, so she felt lucky to have such a popular boyfriend. She had heard rumors that he had been seen with other girls while they were dating, but Tyler always had a manipulating way of convincing her otherwise. He reassured her daily that he only wanted to be with her and she wanted to believe him. Presley took her song book out of her locker and placed it in her back pocket.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" Presley asked enthusiastically.

"Ryan and I have something planned," Tyler replied with a smirk.

"Ryan?" she repeated a bit confused.

"Yeah," he said, "I talked to Samantha and Ryan, and they want to go out with us tonight. Is that all right?"

Presley hesitated. "Oh . . . yeah . . . sure, it's fine," she mumbled.

Tyler Lee was extremely charming, charismatic, and fun. He was known for his fast cars and motorcycles. He was also known for being a serial dater, and never stayed with one girl for too long. His hair was blond and cut short, and he was tall and nicely built. Tyler had always dated popular good looking girls, the cheerleader type- that is until he began dating Presley Dae. Presley had a crush on him all throughout middle school, but since Tyler was a year older, she thought he'd never notice her, let alone date her. They ran with opposite crowds. He hung out with the football players and cheerleaders, and Presley's group was more a mixture of outcasts. Tyler introduced himself to Presley in study hall earlier in the year. She fell fast for the alluring Tyler Lee.

"Alright then. What are the plans?" Presley inquisitively asked.

"It's a surprise," Tyler smirked as he kissed Presley on the cheek. "I'll pick you up around seven," he said as he strutted off down the hall giving high fives to several of his fellow football teammates.

"Great, another night with Sam and Ryan," Presley mumbled. Presley was a little disappointed because she wanted to spend as much time alone with Tyler as possible. She wanted to get closer to him. She wanted to know him better. Tyler was the life of the party and he seemed to enjoy being the center of attention.

She had learned not to get overly excited about their dates. There had been many nights that Tyler had stood her up. She had spent those nights waiting up for him for hours hoping that he'd show up at her house. Presley overlooked Tyler's flaws even though at times he really hurt her.

As she was walking through the halls, she noticed the typical glares and stares that she had grown accustomed to since dating Tyler. These girls hadn't really ever talked to or acknowledged Presley's existence- until she and Tyler started dating. They hated her. They made that clear. Presley never really wanted to be in a clique; belonging to a group was never important to her.

Presley thought, These girls don't have a brain between them, let alone an original thought. She went out the door to the parking lot. As Presley walked to her car she noticed one of the cheerleaders, Mary, staring at her intensely.

"Presley! Going out with Tyler tonight?" Mary asked with her usual sweet fake tone. Presley looked at her and shook her head, trying her best to ignore her.

"I guess it is your turn since I was with him last night," Mary giggled, along with several of her cheerleader cronies. Presley stopped walking for a brief moment stunned by Mary's comment, and then she rolled her eyes, refusing to give them a dramatic reaction.

"Mary, I'm just curious, do they teach all of you the same obnoxious voice at cheerleading camp?" Presley smirked as she pointed her finger at the group. She got into her old, used red Pontiac and drove way. Instantly, random thoughts began to flood her mind. She talked to herself, as she often did when trying to problem solve, "Was Tyler really with Mary last night? He sent me a text message that said he was at home and he had to study for a test in history. Was he lying? Why would he lie? If he didn't want to be with me then he wouldn't be. Right? He could have any girl in the school. Why is he with me? I'm not a cheerleader and I'm not even popular. It can't be true. If he wanted to date Mary wouldn't he break it off with me first? I can't stand those stupid girls. It's like their sole purpose in life is to cut people down. Okay, Presley, you have to stop over analyzing this."

Presley stopped at a red light, and as she looked to her right she noticed a car full of girls watching her as she talked to herself. Embarrassed, she slowly raised her cell phone to her ear hoping that they would believe that she had been having an intense conversation on her cell rather than with herself.

Presley had always lacked self- esteem. She was beginning to realize that Tyler might be bringing her confidence level down even lower, if possible. Her heart was conflicted because she loved him and wanted so badly to be with him, but internally she felt something was amiss in their relationship. She turned up her radio loudly in attempt to drown out her unrelenting intrusive thoughts.

Presley turned onto her gravel road and crept behind a 4440 John Deere tractor until finally reaching her driveway. She lived in an old farmhouse that was left to her mom, Lisa, when her paternal grandparents had passed away. Presley had moved there with her mom when she was ten. Before that they were shuffled around from one dirty apartment to another. One year, she and her mom had moved six times. Her mom had a hard time keeping a job because of her alcohol addiction and they got evicted when her mom couldn't pay the rent. Although she was sad that her grandparents had passed away she was also thankful that she now had a place to call home.

Presley's grandfather had been a well known farmer in the community, and one of the few farmers that didn't go bankrupt during the farm crisis in the eighties. Presley's grandmother was the brains behind the scene. She was a smart investor and they very rarely ever bought anything on credit. So between the house and farm land and a substantial inheritance, Presley's mother didn't have to work. This allowed her the freedom to be totally irresponsible and enabled her to conveniently ignore any situation that would hold her accountable.

Lisa leased out some of her land to local farmers which brought in a considerable amount of money after harvest. Presley's mom went through money like it was never going to run out.

Presley's father died when she was two. Missouri had several severe storms that year; and Presley was told that a tornado had ended her father's life that dreadful night. Even though Presley had never actually seen a tornado, she was absolutely petrified of them. Strong thunderstorms even frightened her for that matter. She kept a small picture of her father on her nightstand. He was a handsome man and she often wondered how her life would have been different if he hadn't passed away. After her father's death her mother started drinking heavily. She partied all the time and Presley rarely ever saw her mother sober. When she wasn't drunk, she was hung over. Presley made an unspoken promise to herself that she wouldn't end up like her mother and she vowed never to drink. She was embarrassed and ashamed, and she wished for many years that her mother would stop drinking. She finally gave up on that wish.

≈≈≈≈≈

Presley never really fit in with anyone at school. She felt like an outcast. Cheerleading didn't interest her in the least and she wasn't at all competitive, so sports were out of the question. Presley was a song writer, and she felt that there wasn't a course in school that would encourage that. Presley's passion was writing poems and lyrics, and of course, playing her guitar. She always kept her song book with her so she could write whenever she needed to. When she got inspired by a feeling she would translate the emotion into words that she would then form into a song. Although she would sing in front of Samantha and Tyler, the songs she wrote were strictly for her only. She had never trusted anyone enough to share her most vulnerable feelings and thoughts. Not even Tyler.

When Presley got home she sluggishly sat on the couch, picked up her Martin guitar and strummed it softly. As she quietly hummed a promising sad tune; her mind obsessively focused on Tyler again. She took her song book from her back pocket and jotted down a few lines when her cell phone rang, interrupting her free flowing thoughts. Frustrated, she answered.

"Hello," Presley said.

"Hey, I'm almost to your house. Do you know what Tyler and Ryan have planned for tonight?" Samantha asked.

"Not a clue,"

"Okay, see you in a minute."

"Bye." Presley hung up her phone and took her guitar upstairs to her bedroom. She debated asking Tyler about Mary's remark. Once again, Presley began talking out loud to herself.

"Maybe I won't bother him with it tonight. If I do, he'll probably just get mad at me and it will end up ruining our night . . . and our relationship." She walked over to the mirror above her vanity to finish the conversation, "On the other hand, if I don't bring it up then this will eat me up until I do. Maybe I'll wait until the weekend is over," she decided.

The front door flew open and then loudly slammed shut.

"Hey Pres, you have anything to eat?" yelled Samantha from the kitchen.

"Yeah, left over pizza, supreme. It's in the fridge!" Presley shouted back.

Samantha came from an upper middle class family. She was spoiled in a sense but sweet and she cared deeply for Presley. At times she appeared selfish, only because she was used to getting her way. Some might say that her parents were overly protective. And anything Samantha wanted, they made sure she had. She wore only designer clothes, always on trend. Presley was envious of her best friend.

Samantha put the pizza on a paper plate and ran upstairs. She swung Presley's bedroom door open, flopped down on the bed and said between bites, "I hope you know that I'm staying here tonight."

"No, really?" Presley replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, well since you don't have a curfew and mine's midnight, I thought . . ."

Presley, clearly annoyed, interrupted, "You don't have to explain the situation, Samantha. You stay here practically every weekend and I know why. It's because you actually have parents who have rules, they support you, and they love you. So, yeah, lucky me. I don't have a curfew, because to have a curfew would mean that I would have a mother who actually cared about me and where I am and who I'm with. We both know that's not the case. I can't even remember a time when my mom has beat me home on a Friday night. I haven't seen her since yesterday morning! I guess she made up with her loser boyfriend, Bob, again," Presley said as she rolled her eyes.

"Presley, I'm sorry. Do you not want me to stay? Forget it. I don't have to stay. I'll just go home, I mean - "

"No, Sam, I'm just mad . . . and upset . . . confused. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to jump you. It has nothing to do with you. I'm just having a really bad day." Presley looked down as she tried to fight the oncoming tears.

"What's going on? What are you confused about?" Samantha asked empathetically.

"Well, Mary Carlson informed me that she and Tyler were together last night, and I don't know what to believe. What do you think? Do you think that they were together?" she sighed as she picked the green peppers off the pizza.

Samantha silently looked down, knowing that Tyler had never been faithful to any of his girlfriends, including Presley.

"You know, even if it were true . . . let's say that Tyler was seeing other girls behind your back, would it change anything? I mean yeah, you'd get mad at him for awhile but he always sweet talks his way out of anything so what would be the difference this time? Would you break it off with him for good?" Samantha asked softly.

"I don't know. I would like to think that I would. I have never loved a guy this much before," Presley confessed.

"No offense, Presley, but you wouldn't break up with him. Or if you did, it would be for a few days and then you'd be back with him," said Samantha.

Presley just wanted him to love her. She never thought that love or a relationship would be so hard. She had always assumed that it would be effortless, like in the movies. Presley sat down at her vanity that was actually a converted old desk she had picked up at a garage sale a few years back.

Presley diverted the conversation, "So, how are you and Ryan anyway? Anything new with you two?" she asked.

"Actually yeah," said Samantha with a giggle, "we're thinking about taking our relationship to the next level." Presley gently put her make-up down and turned toward Samantha.

"What do you mean next level?" Presley said with a concerned tone.

"We've pretty much covered all of the bases and now I think we're ready for a home run!" she said excitedly.

"Okay, Sam, you don't even like baseball. Has Ryan been trying to talk you into this?"

"Okay, Presley, so you are telling me that you and Tyler aren't ever going to go that far?" Samantha questioned.

"No," Presley said confidently. "He has mentioned it a time or two but I just tell him that I'm not ready."

"Presley, they're juniors. They will move on to someone else if they get bored with us. I mean, aren't you curious?"

"If they want to move on because we didn't want to go that far, then maybe they need to move on." Both of the girls were finishing their hair and makeup when Samantha's phone buzzed.

"Ryan just sent me a text. He said they will be here in five minutes. Oh! They are going to be here in five minutes, Presley! We have to hurry!"

≈≈≈≈≈

The girls finished getting dressed just as the guys pulled into the driveway.

"They're here," Samantha yelled. The girls rushed downstairs and out the door.

They climbed into Ryan's brand new black Chevy truck; John Mellencamp was playing on the radio. Presley reluctantly kissed Tyler on the cheek.

"So, where are we going?" she asked.

"It's right down the road. You'll see," he said.

Ryan went down a gravel road and then turned off onto a pitted dirt road that led to an old neglected barn Presley used to play in as a young girl. During the day it looked like a typical old run down barn, but in the darkness it took on a different appearance. It was eerie and creepy. The clouds were moving incredibly fast and the sky grew dark and gloomy, which added to the anxiety growing inside of Presley.

"Looks like it might rain," said Ryan as they pulled up to the barn.

"Is this a joke? What are we doing here?" Sam asked.

"Oh, loosen up, Sam," Ryan said, "There's nothing going on in town tonight anyway. You always say you want to do something different, so here's your something different."

They all got out of the truck and went inside. Presley looked around. There were numerous candles lit, with flames flickering against the dark wood of the barn. A large bottle of wine with four glasses lay next to several blankets which were sprawled across the dirt floor.

"Well, it looks like you two have been working hard. You know that I don't drink. What is all this?" Presley asked in a disgruntled tone.

Tyler knew Presley didn't drink. But he was so selfish, caring only that Presley was his designated driver, that he never asked her why she didn't drink. His egotistical character prevented him from even thinking to ask Presley if there was a reason. Tyler never really asked her much about her life at all.

"I know you don't drink but I thought that maybe one drink wouldn't hurt anything. It'll just loosen ya up," he snickered. Presley was instantly put off by his remark. Samantha noticed Presley's discomfort.

"You know, this creepy barn gives me an idea. Does anyone know any good ghost stories?" Samantha asked, as she tried to lighten the mood.

"Don't you think that's a little juvenile, Sam?" Tyler smirked.

"Sorry. I guess you have a better idea," she snapped.

Tyler did have an idea and it had little to do with ghost stories.

"No, I don't have any ideas . . . that sounds like great fun!" Tyler exclaimed with sarcastic enthusiasm. "Let's all sit around in a circle and tell scary stories like we use to do in Boy Scouts," his phony smile quickly turned to a frown.

"That actually sounds like a lot of fun, and I happen to know of a strange story," suggested Presley.

Chapter Two

"It's not really a ghost story per sé. It's more like a legend that actually happened right here on this very land," Presley said, lowering her voice and raising her eyebrows slightly.

"Everyone sit down!! This is so great. Is everyone ready? Okay, Presley, go . . . tell it . . . seriously I'm ready!" Samantha rambled excitedly.

"Okay, Sam, calm down," Presley giggled. Tyler and Ryan rolled their eyes as they reluctantly sat beside the girls.

"My grandmother told me this story when I was young, probably to keep me close to the house and not wander off too far. She swore to me that it was true and I never knew my grandma to lie," she began.

"Okay," Samantha said growing impatient, "get on with the story."

"Alright," laughed Presley. "Back in 1954 there was a family who lived about a half mile down the road from this barn. They were the closest neighbors that my grandparents had. My grandmother went to their house once in a while to visit and have iced tea with the mother, until this tragic day. Sorry, I don't remember the mom's name but the daughter's name was Paulette . . . Paulette Shepard. I believe she was fifteen years old at the time. Anyway, one day Paulette's mother was hanging clothes out on the line and her older brother had run to town to pick up some parts for their dad's old truck.

"Paulette had just finished her chores, you know, washing the dishes, feeding the animals, wringing out clothes for her mom to hang. Anyway, it was a beautiful May day, much like today, and she decided to take a short walk. She told her mom she would be back to help get lunch on, saying she wouldn't be more than a half hour or so. Her mother watched Paulette as she strolled down the dirt path, humming a tune and admiring the newly bloomed spring flowers. As she leaned down to pick one she turned ever so slightly and gave her mom a big smile. Her mom watched her as she walked around the bend and out of sight. That was the last time her mother ever saw her and that vision was forever burned into her memory.

"Paulette's brother returned home just in time for lunch and Paulette was still gone. Her mother's anger quickly turned into anguish when it began to get later in the afternoon. She sent Paulette's brother out to look for her to no avail. Paulette's father returned home from work that evening and desperately organized a small search team, including my grandparents. The team had searched half the night and my grandmother tried to comfort Paulette's mother the best that she could. Paulette's mother was absolutely distraught and spent most of that night crying uncontrollably.

"They never did find Paulette. It was like she fell off the face of the Earth. There were no clues, no body, and no evidence. It was as if she was home one day and then she just . . . vanished."

"That's it?" whispered Samantha. "So, why didn't they keep searching? They just gave up?" she asked.

"Times were really different back then," Ryan replied with a condescending tone.

"They didn't have twenty-four hour news coverage and resources like the internet like we do today. Tyler was visibly irritated by this point. He was becoming increasingly bored with this immature anecdote and had envisioned the night significantly different from what it had been thus far. Presley saw lightning off in the distance and a huge crack of thunder shortly followed. Presley's muscles began to tense up. She continued the story to get her mind off of the storm.

"Not only were the times different, but Paulette's family was African- American. The story didn't receive any national press and little local attention. Most speculated it was a white supremacy hate group that had been tormenting the family for years. They burned crosses in their yard and hung nooses in their trees, not to mention racial slurs and emotional anguish they caused the Shepard family. It was also a possibility that she could have encountered a transient passing through the area, maybe a serial killer. The possibilities are endless."

"They never found her body?" Tyler asked, becoming more engaged in the story.

"No. That's what makes the story so strange," answered Presley. Suddenly the rain began to come down, starting with just a few drops, then quickly turning into a fully fledged thunderstorm.

"My hair is getting wet. Let's go!" Samantha screamed as she shielded her hair with her hands. The barn didn't have much of a roof anymore. The rain came pouring in, causing most of the candles to burn out.

"This is just great!" Tyler yelled in disgust as he picked up the wine and glasses. They all stumbled through the dark back to Ryan's truck.

"Where's Tyler?" Presley asked once she was inside the truck. Then she realized that Tyler was speaking to Ryan out in the rain. Tyler ran around the front of the truck and jumped in beside Presley.

"Man, I got drenched," he said.

"What were you saying to Ryan?" Presley asked.

"I'll tell you later. Let's go back to your house," he smiled as he stretched his arm around the small of her back.

"Okay," Presley said, confused by the strong guarded feeling that had suddenly come over her.

Ryan pulled into Presley's driveway.

"Hey guys, I think Samantha and I are gonna road trip for a while. We'll be back later," Ryan winked.

"Alright, bye," Tyler said while he tried to shield Presley from the rain as they ran from the truck into her house.

"Tyler, did you ask Ryan to leave?" she asked, trying to figure out Tyler's secretive motives.

"Yeah, I thought it would be nice to be alone tonight," he admitted.

"Okay," she said slowly. She was glad he wanted to be alone with her, but yet an unsettling feeling came over her.

"Sure you don't want a glass of wine?" he pressed.

"I'm sure," she sternly replied.

"Pres, I need to dry my shirt," he said, as he quickly stripped it off, rolled it up, and handed it her.

"Yeah. Sure. No problem. It shouldn't take long to dry." Presley took the shirt to the laundry room. After putting it in the dryer, she turned around to find Tyler standing in the doorway.

"Oh! You scared me!" Presley screamed.

"Presley, come back in the living room," he said in a sultry tone.

As they entered the living room, Presley noticed three lit candles on the coffee table. They sat on the couch and Tyler pulled Presley close and kissed her. She instantly thought about what Mary Carlson said to her after school. She didn't want to seem like a crazy, jealous girlfriend, but she was curious as to where she stood in their relationship. She pulled away from Tyler. Her longing for him succumbed to the feelings of distrust for him.

"Tyler, I talked to Mary Carlson today after school," she finally blurted.

Tyler looked shocked. He tilted his head to the side and looked down.

"Why were you talking to Mary? You aren't friends. I didn't think you two even liked each other."

"Oh, no, we don't like each other. Or should I say she doesn't really like me, for some unknown reason. Anyway, she did most of the talking. She just told me that you were with her last night. But that can't be true because you told me you were home studying all night. Right?" she asked, unsure if she really wanted to know the truth.

Tyler instantly became defensive and then angry. That was his method of operation. He was genius at deflecting his faults and a master at turning the situation completely around and making Presley think she was going crazy.

"Here we go again. I'm getting so sick of all these accusations!" he yelled.

"I know I ask you a lot of questions, but why would Mary say - "

"A lot of questions, Presley? You're obsessive! You are constantly smothering me. You think that if I'm not with you everyday, or calling, or texting every hour, then I'm with someone else or doing something I'm not supposed to be doing. It's exhausting, Presley. You exhaust me!"

"I'm sorry Tyler. I want to trust you." She apologized automatically without even thinking about it.

"You should trust me. I've never done anything for you not to trust me. Presley, I think that you have abandonment issues that you need to get over, and quit fixating on me so much. Go to counseling or something. You need help from a professional," he sneered at her hatefully.

She was visibly taken back by his disrespectful comment. Not only had she felt abandoned by her father, but also by her mother.

If I don't shut up right now Tyler will probably end up leaving me too, she thought to herself, feeling physically sick to her stomach. What would I do if he broke up with me? She began regretting even mentioning Mary. Even though Presley and Tyler had only been dating for six months, she truly felt as if she couldn't live without him.

"Ah . . . forget it . . . really," Presley said softly, trying desperately to recant her earlier statement. "I don't know what my problem is . . . I'm sorry," she said in a whisper. Presley looked at Tyler hoping that he would accept her apology and that they could change the conversation.

"That's okay, babe. You know that I love you, right? I wouldn't do anything to hurt you." Tyler said relieved. "There's nobody else I want. Only you," Tyler kissed Presley as his hands began to wander, making Presley increasingly more uncomfortable by the second. She tried to pull away from him but he kept pulling her back. Soon he was on top of her and things were moving way too fast for Presley.

She finally whispered, "No, I really don't feel comfortable with this." Tyler didn't stop. "No!" she repeated louder this time. Still, he didn't stop. She put both of her hands on his naked chest, and shoved him off of her yelling, "NO!!"

Startled, Tyler shouted, "Presley, what is your problem?"

"I've told you before I'm not ready for all of this," she said again.

"Oh, Presley, come on. This has to be a joke," he sarcastically laughed.

"No," she said confidently, "this not a joke. I'm not ready, and if you don't understand that then . . . ," she hesitated as she tried to find the words to finish her sentence.

"Then . . . what?" he said arrogantly.

"Never mind. Can't we just talk?" she asked quietly.

"Talk?" Tyler began acting almost crazy. "Presley, I'm tired of talking. You're sixteen and we've been dating for five months, and you want to talk?" he shook his head.

"Six. We've been together for six months," she corrected him.

"Okay, whatever. Six months, and you still aren't ready? When will you be ready? What does that even mean- ready?'" He threw his hands in the air, discouraged which made her even more self- conscious.

"It means that I want it to be special and not rushed, and I don't know if I can handle it emotionally. It's a huge step and once I take it, I can't go back," Presley said, trying to convince him that she was right and at the same time hoping that he would agree.

"Well, you know there are plenty of girls that would love to be with me. I can think of a few girls right now that would be plenty ready," he replied in a haughty tone.

"What are you saying?" Presley said in a concerned voice.

"I'm saying that there are girls that are 'ready' now, like Mary Carlson." Tyler said with a conceited grin. Presley gasped, feeling as if he had punched her in the stomach. Presley looked up at Tyler. She couldn't believe what he was saying.

"So, there have been other girls?" Presley asked.

"You're so naive, Presley." Gradually his tone changed from anger to being extremely calm and composed. "I love you. I do. You have a lot of great qualities. I love that you aren't like all the other girls in school. You are different. I like the fact that you are your own person and you are talented. You are so passionate about your music and your writing and I really admire all of that." Presley was confused by his drastic change of character. She couldn't understand how he could admit to dating other girls, and then have the audacity to profess his love for her.

"You don't love me, Tyler," Presley said quietly.

"I don't?" he smirked.

"No," she continued sadly, "I'm pretty sure that love isn't supposed to hurt, and all you have done for the past six months is hurt me. Whether it be breaking our dates or just plain standing me up, do you know how many nights I've waited right here at this window? Do you know how many nights I've waited and hoped to see your car lights come down the road?" She pointed to the small bay window which faced the front of the house. "I would fall asleep on the couch, waiting for you, only to wake there in the early morning hours alone, and still no Tyler, not even a call! And then I would accept your dumb excuses of where you were - your lame excuses. You know what, Tyler? I think that you're a lame excuse of a boyfriend. You're just a self-centered boy. I've graciously overlooked your flaws- hoping you would change. I'm seeing now that you won't."

"This isn't going to work," he chuckled arrogantly.

"That's right. This isn't going to work and it hasn't been working. I guess the only way this would work is if I were okay with you having other girlfriends," she said calmly as tears fell from her face. Tyler looked at Presley with a half smile, but didn't speak. "You would just love that wouldn't you, Tyler? The bottom line is that you are not the person I wanted you to be, and you never were. And you have been cheating on me all along. Just tell me this Tyler, if you wanted to date other girls, then why didn't you just break up with me?"

"Presley, I think you are a little too overbearing in this relationship. If you want to call it cheating then - okay. I have dated a few girls while I was seeing you," he said nonchalantly.

"Tyler! That's called cheating! Let me get this straight. For months I've been asking you about various rumors, all of which you've denied. How many of your friends knew? I feel like such a fool. You have led me to believe that I had a problem, that I was crazy! What did you just say? Oh, yes, that I had 'abandonment issues.' You are so egotistical. Just get out of my house," she said with disgust. Presley went back to the laundry room and took Tyler's damp shirt out of the dryer and threw it at him. "Leave now," she said louder and more assertive this time.

"Pres, just listen . . . hear me out," he begged.

"Why?" Presley said angrily. "Everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie!" As she yelled at him he walked backward toward the door.

"Presley, I know that you're mad right now. But I would like the chance to explain," he said.

"You just said it was over, that this wasn't going to work, and now you want to 'explain' yourself. And I am the one who's crazy? Anyone would go crazy trying to figure you out. I want off of this rollercoaster. Tell Mary that she can have you. Get out!" she screamed.

Tyler stood still, waiting for Presley to change her mind like she had in all their other fights. She didn't budge this time. At least not yet anyway. Tyler walked outside and Presley shut the door. She watched out of the front bay window, through the downpour of rain, as Tyler stood on the side of the gravel road for a few minutes.

She saw him talking on his cell phone and figured he had called for a ride. A few minutes later, Ryan pulled into the gravel driveway. Tyler got in the truck and they sped down the road. After realizing that Samantha stayed with them, Presley felt very alone. She sat down on the couch and cried into a lavender throw pillow. Tyler had always confused her and she never felt they made a good couple. She had wanted them to be, but there was something missing, a feeling that she desired but he never filled. She didn't want to break up with Tyler, but she couldn't understand why he lied and cheated on her. In her mind she tried desperately to figure out a way to make the situation okay. She wished he had never cheated on her. She wished that he never admitted it. She wished she never knew.

She took her song book and guitar and went upstairs to her bedroom. She lay restlessly on her bed, listening as the rain hit the window pane, making a soft, almost sad, rhythmic sound. She rolled over countless times while thoughts of Tyler's affairs ran rapidly through her tired mind. Frustrated, she rolled out of bed, and went over to her window. She stared at the moon and softly whispered as she reminded herself, "There's more to life than this small town and these small people."

She opened her song book and finished the song she had started earlier that night. Tears flowed freely from her eyes. She cried herself to sleep.

≈≈≈≈≈

The next morning Presley woke up and instantly her thoughts went to the night before. Thoughts of despair raced through her weary head. How could I be so stupid? There were so many red flags and I should have seen through him. He was always so secretive about where he was and what he was doing. His cell phone never left his side and he was constantly texting and checking his messages. Anytime I'd ask him who he was talking to he'd ignore me. And I foolishly allowed myself to fall in love with him. I have to get my mind off of this. I need to clear my head.

Presley got up out of bed, still dressed in the same clothes she wore the night before. Although she could have stayed in bed all day feeling sorry for herself, she decided to go to the kitchen for a glass of juice. She heard the front door open. She peeked around the corner, and saw her mother, Lisa, stumbling toward her. She grabbed Presley's juice from her hand.

"I'm going to bed," Lisa slurred. She gulped down the juice, and handed the emptied glass back to Presley.

"Yeah, Mom, you really ought to go to bed since it is nine in the morning and I haven't seen you in two days," Presley rolled her eyes.

"Don't you get smart with me," her mother garbled. As Lisa went to her room she tripped up the stairs and landed on her side. Presley quickly helped her mother to her feet as she had so many times before. She guided her mother up to her room, and pulled down the sheets to her mother's bed. She closed the drapes, and gave her mom two aspirin and glass of water from the bathroom. Lisa was a horrible alcoholic. She was clean for six months about two years earlier, but a fight with a boyfriend caused her to fall off the wagon and return to the bottle.

"Do you need anything else?" Presley asked. Lisa didn't respond, already passed out and drooling on her dirty pillow. Presley sat on the edge of her mother's bed and watched her for a few minutes.

Presley whispered, "I wish you were a wonderful mom. I wish that you weren't so selfish and I wish you weren't a drunk," she said feeling alone. She gently rose off of the bed and walked into her bedroom and picked up her guitar. She went downstairs, opened the front door, and looked around.

The ground was soggy from the rain the night before, which made her think about the barn and the story of Paulette. She decided to take a walk. With her guitar slung around her neck and her song book in the back pocket of her jeans, she took off down the gravel road.

As she passed the old grain bin and windmill, a crow cackled loudly in a nearby tree, startling her. She glanced up as she momentarily recalled her strange dreams. Her thoughts returned to Tyler, and she wondered if he'd try to call her. She checked to make sure her phone was on. She knew their relationship had to be over now, even though she still wanted to be with him.

She walked by the old dirt road that once had been used as a driveway for the Shepard family. An uneasy feeling overcame Presley as she grew increasingly more curious to see what their house had looked like. Presley had never seen the Shepards' house in all of the years she had been on her grandparent's farm. The Shepards' house had been abandoned years earlier and Paulette's parents had moved into a nursing home in town.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Presley mumbled as she walked down the Shepards' driveway. As Presley walked closer to the run down old house, she noticed the delicate yellow daffodils and the beautiful purple and white irises surrounding the front porch.

"First flowers of spring," Presley said as she inhaled the fresh Midwest air. The hostas were newly unfolded, and the lily of the valley gave off the most amazing aroma.

In a nostalgic moment Presley began to speak to herself, "Maybe these flowers were planted by Paulette and her mother. Even after the Shepards' loss these flowers still remain alive and strong all of these years later."

Presley was an artist and she could find beauty in any setting, even the old run down house. She could almost feel the agony and sadness seeping from its every crevice. The house was white in color. Attached to the front window was the left over remnants of an old homemade window box, once used to display flowers. Now ratty and tattered, with one slight nudge it would fall apart. To her surprise, with only a little help from the slightest touch of her hand, the door seemed to open by itself. Presley was a little stunned at the creepy noise the door made, and now a slight fear came over her. She wanted to enter the house, but questioned what would happen to her if she got caught.

"Would it be trespassing, breaking and entering, maybe jail?" she debated her punishment to herself. Finally, curiosity trumped her fears and she entered the old decrepit house.

The living room was tiny, and empty except for a broken lamp lying on the soiled carpet. It appeared that many rodents had made this house their haven. There was a bird's nest in the windowsill and mouse droppings throughout the room.

Although, disgusted, Presley was also intrigued by the history of this old residence, and before she knew it she had wandered into the kitchen. There was still an old plate in the sink, as if whoever cleaned out the house for the last time had eaten something, and in the haste of moving had forgotten to pack up the plate.

The worn, cracked, white cabinets were empty and there was an old fridge on the east wall. Presley walked over to it. She had never seen one of this model first hand, only in old movies. It was smaller than the refrigerator she was accustomed to and it had a little metal handle.

As Presley pulled the door open she found an old glass milk jug on the top shelf. There was a small freezer inside, which lent enough room for perhaps a carton of ice cream. As Presley closed the refrigerator door a strange sensation came over her.

The Shepard family used to eat in here, she thought, as she searched the entire kitchen with her eyes. Presley imagined Paulette's mother finishing dinner as the kids teased and poked fun at each other, instead of setting the table. She envisioned Paulette opening the refrigerator to grab the jug of milk. As her father entered the room, the kids would have grown silent as they all sat down at the table. Except for Paulette's mother, who was still at the stove thickening the gravy.

Presley had always wanted a family like her vision. She often entertained the idea of having a sibling and a father. How different her life would be. Suddenly, Presley got startled by one of the house guests. A little mouse scurried across the kitchen floor and ran directly between Presley's feet. Presley screamed and ran into one of the bedrooms, quickly shutting the door behind her.

Presley looked around the bedroom. The room was plain white and there was a big window on the opposite wall. There was a small closet with a few wire hangers left inside. Presley reached up on the closet shelf and felt something. She picked it up and saw that it was a small brown barrette. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized she must be standing in Paulette's bedroom. Presley had a very strange feeling, and began to panic a bit.

"This girl that I never knew, she's dead, and I'm standing in her bedroom, holding her barrette." And with that thought she opened the door, ran back into the living room, and out the front door tripping over her guitar. She hastily picked it up from the porch and ran down the dirt road, the crow following behind her. She saw the clothesline, the one that Paulette's mother must have been using so many years ago. Presley was walking the same road that Paulette walked that sunny May day, the day she had disappeared. The road hadn't changed much. Just a dirt road. Now more like a mud road from the rain. If Presley stayed on the dirt path it would eventually merge into the gravel road that would take her back to her house. That is where Presley intended to go, back to her house, until she noticed a path to the right of the dirt road that she hadn't noticed on her way to the Shepards' house. Pausing to catch her breath, she examined the pathway more closely. This path intrigued her and she wondered where it led. She stood at the path, deliberating whether or not she should go down it or head back to her house. She reached into her pocket and felt the barrette.

What happened to you, Paulette? Presley wondered. She took a right and started down the dirt path, possibly the same path Paulette had taken on her last day.

CHAPTER 3

Presley wandered down the path until she came upon a wide creek. The creek rushed with overflowing water from the recent rain. She sat down near the creek on a rock and leaned her guitar against a nearby tree and her song book beside it. Presley shut her eyes and for a moment the world was quiet and peaceful. She dreaded the thought of returning to her perplexing life. She felt as confused and unsure as she had the night before. She wondered why she still had feelings for Tyler when he was admittedly unfaithful. She wondered why her life was such a mess. She felt as if she had never truly been loved by anyone. She wanted to be loved and she wanted Tyler to be the one who loved her.

Presley opened her eyes and watched the fast waters run over the creek rocks. She noticed a large dip in the middle of the stream and walked over to get a better look. As she peered into the water she noticed a strange whirlpool which grew larger as she got closer. Puzzled, Presley leaned down to touch it, and as she did she felt a tremendous amount of pressure against her body. Suddenly, she was being pulled, sucked into a tunnel filled with bright mixtures of vivid colors. The colors flashed by her one after another, zooming past her head until she finally blacked out.

≈≈≈≈≈

Presley awoke with a horrible headache, "Ow, ow!" Presley screamed while holding her head. "My head - what happened?"

She briefly wondered if she had been beaten or attacked. She struggled to stand and felt her head for blood. As her eyes began to focus, she was instantly overcome with beauty. Strange wonderful colors surrounded her. The land was covered with a gorgeous blanket of bright flowers for as far as she could see. Confused, she began walking. As she walked, the flowers began to turn different colors. Each flower was supported by a long skinny stem that resembled a neck. They twisted and turned, following Presley as if she were the sun. She watched in astonishment, as they turned into the most magnificent shades of color. Each part of the flower slowly turned deep orange to bright yellow, while other parts turned light shades of purple. The flowers began to sway as if they all danced to the same silent tune. There were trees grand in size, and their branches swayed along with the flowers in perfect sequence. The grass was metallic green, and it felt as soft as feathers.

"Am I dead?" Presley asked herself. "Is this heaven?" she whispered. She started down a small path in the center of the field of flowers. She didn't know where she was, but she felt very calm and safe. A crow flew overhead and landed on a nearby tree. She noticed a little cottage in a nook surrounded by trees. Uncertain of what she would find, she cautiously sneaked over to it.

The cottage was built out of rocks and had a thatched roof. A wooden fence surrounded the perimeter of the yard. As Presley approached the fence she peered into the house through an open window. She saw a girl sitting on a chair and she was crying. Suddenly the girl turned toward the window as if she could feel Presley watching her. Presley recognized her as the strange girl who had appeared in her dreams. The girl slowly rose from the chair, walked to the door, and carefully opened it. She seemed terrified as she intensely examined the surrounding land. The girl guardedly walked to a large boulder in the yard and sat there for a few minutes. She appeared to be distraught and in deep thought. Presley finally stood up and walked a little closer to the girl.

"Excuse me," Presley said quietly. Obviously startled, the girl jumped up, and stood frozen, staring at Presley. Suddenly, in a paranoid fashion, she ran fiercely toward Presley, halting at the fence.

"You're lost," the girl whispered, breathless as her hands shook.

"Yeah, I guess I am. I don't really know. Can you help me?" Presley asked.

"They don't know that you're here?" the girl asked, her eyes shifting back and forth.

"Who?" Presley asked back.

Suddenly there was a rapid change in the sky. It grew increasing darker, turning a hazy gray. A storm was approaching.

"They know you're here now," the girl said gazing up at the sky out of the corner of her eye.

"Who?" Presley asked again. Presley noticed the girl growing more agitated by the second. The girl grabbed Presley by her arms and pulled her down to the ground.

"You have to run. Turn around and follow the same path you took to get here. Listen to me very carefully. You have to run as fast as you can down that path. You will come to a big tree, on the left. Her name is Gracie."

"What? Gracie? A tree? What are you talking about?"

"I don't have time to explain this to you right now," the girl said with frustration in her voice. "Everything that you know, or you think that you know, isn't true here. If you want to live then find Gracie. She's a distinctive white weeping willow tree that stands high in the sky. Ask her to protect you. Now go! I will find you tomorrow."

The girl turned around and started to run back toward the cottage.

"Wait! Where am I? How do I get home? What's your name?" Presley shouted. The girl ran back to Presley.

I can't help you right now. I can't go with you. It's not safe. I will find you tomorrow. For now, you have to hide!" The girl turned away as Presley grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Wait . . . what's your name? Tell me your name!" Presley asked sternly.

"My name is Paulette," she said, as she jerked her arm from Presley's grasp. "Please, go to Gracie! You must hurry or they will capture you and you will never make it back home. Now go!" As Paulette ran off, Presley stood for a few moments, astonished, trying to process what she had just heard.

"Paulette. This can't be happening," she whispered to herself. "Paulette? She's the girl in my dreams? But, I never knew her. How did I know what she looked like?" A gust of wind blew and a lightning bolt jolted down from the sky and hit the boulder, incinerating it. Presley ran. The wind didn't subside, holding Presley back. Rolling thunder echoed through the dark sky and cold rain began to fall. Presley saw the white tree and she began to scream.

"Gracie! Help me! Please help me!" The weeping willow folded out her branches and rapidly began to weave them together to form a matrix. Another branch, acting like an arm, pulled Presley up and placed her on the woven bed. The branches then formed a cocoon and wrapped Presley until she was completely covered with the branches.

Presley lay there whispering to herself, "What is going on? This has to be a dream." She pinched herself hoping she'd wake up, only to realize that she was very much awake. "Where am I? Could Paulette, the girl in my dreams, be the Paulette my grandmother knew? But, she was fifteen when she went missing in 1954. This girl looks to be fifteen. So, there is no way she could be the same Paulette. It just can't be possible. But, then again, how possible is it to be woven up by a tree?"

Presley stayed awake all night. She was anxious to see Paulette again. She had so many questions to ask her. She wondered how she was going to get home, and if her mom had even noticed that she was missing. Would she panic and call the police, or maybe even call Tyler? She liked that thought. Maybe Tyler would worry about her and realize how much he loved her. Presley was entertaining these thoughts throughout the night and well into the early morning, when she heard a voice from the night before.

"Gracie, thank you for your help. Please release the girl now," the voice said. Gently the tree unraveled its branches and slowly lowered Presley to the ground. Presley looked intently at the tree. It was the most beautiful tree she had ever seen. She reached out and touched the soft flesh- like bark and limber branches that hung so gracefully. Thick velvet- like leaves draped downward from the branches.

"Hi," Paulette said.

"Who are you?" Presley asked.

"I told you. My name's Paulette. Let me explain all of this to you later. We have to get back to town before they come back," Paulette said suspiciously.

"Before I go anywhere I need to know two things. I need to know who you are and who they are," Presley demanded.

"My name is Paulette Shepard and they are the spirits who want to destroy us. Please come with me back to town. I will try and explain on the way."

"Town? What town?" questioned Presley.

"The town where I live, where we all live," Paulette said. She looked onto the peaceful rolling hills. She touched Gracie's trunk and said, "Thank you for your help, my friend, I will see you back at town." As the girls start down the path, Presley noticed that the landscape looked the same as it did the day before. It was a magnificent sight. There were beautiful bright blue birds flying in light blue sky. The contrast was breathtaking.

"Please tell me what's going on. I know of a Paulette Shepard who went missing years ago and I also know that she was fifteen years old . . . in 1954. Now, how can that be when you don't look any older than fifteen yourself? Never mind. That's crazy. You can't be the same Paulette Shepard."

"How do you know I was missing? Where are you from?" she said apprehensively, her eyes squinted. Suddenly, chills ran up and down Presley's spine. She swallowed hard.

"My grandmother told me the story about Paulette many years ago. My grandmother was friends with Paulette's mother," Presley said in a calm slow tone. Paulette's eyes began to fill up with tears.

"Where are my mother and father? Do you know? And my brothers . . . what did they think happened to me? Tell me are my parents alive?" Paulette put her head in her hands and began to sob.

Hesitantly, Presley decided to continue with the story but was beginning to think the girl could be mentally unstable.

"The last that I knew your mother and father were both still alive, but that was many years ago. I don't know your family personally. My grandma did, but she has since passed away. I do know that your parents were put in a nursing home some time ago," Presley said, still doubtful that this girl was the Paulette from back home.

"Who is your grandmother?" Paulette asked.

"Her name was Lillian," Presley said.

"Oh, yes, I remember your grandmother, Lillian Dae." Hearing the girl say her grandmother's last name sent more chills over Presley's body.

"How did you know my grandmother's last name?" Presley asked.

"Because, I knew her too. Lillian and my mother, Karen, were friends. I remember your grandmother having green plastic glasses that they'd drink their tea from. My mother would pick fresh mint from our garden, and they would sit and have their iced tea in the green plastic glasses with a sprig of fresh mint to top it off," she sniffled as she wiped her nose with her hand. We just lived down the road from your grandmother," she said softly. Presley remembered her grandmother's green glasses.

"How can it be that you went missing back in the fifties and you are still fifteen years old?" Presley asked, now convinced that this girl was indeed Paulette Shepard.

"You mean, how have I remained fifteen? Well, we don't age here. Nor do we get sick, and there is no disease," she answered.

"Okay, do I dare ask? Where is here?" Presley questioned again.

"I think that I should let Jesse answer that," said Paulette.

"Try to explain," begged Presley.

"Well, I can tell you this," Paulette started, "you are a long way from home. A few galaxies away, in fact. Jesse has tried to explain all of this to me but it's way over my head. All I know is that I'm going back home. That's what I was trying to do when I ran into you at the cottage. I was trying to find a way home."

"So, there is a way to get back home?" Presley asked.

"There has to be," Paulette said unsurely.

Presley remembered that in her pocket was Paulette's barrette. She reached in and pulled it out.

"I believe this belongs to you. I recently told some of my friends about your disappearance, and out of curiosity I went into your house yesterday. I found this in one of the rooms.

Paulette grabbed the barrette, and stared at it, and then began to cry again.

"I'm sorry, I don't even know your name," she wept.

"My name is Presley."

"Presley?" Paulette cocked her head to the side.

"Yeah. Well, my mother is obsessed with Elvis Presley, hence the name," Presley joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Elvis Presley!" Paulette exclaimed. "I use to love listening to Elvis Presley on my record player. My parents never knew that I had one of his records. I remember listening to him, late at night when my parents were asleep. If they ever knew I was listening to him, well . . . I would've been in big trouble!"

"For listening to Elvis Presley?" Presley asked with a judgmental undertone.

"Oh shucks, yes! They were so strict. They said that he was a vulgar dancer. Most of my friend's parents banned his music from their homes, too. It wasn't only my parents," she insisted.

"Wow!" Presley said, "If they thought Elvis was controversial, I wonder what your parents think about today's music."

"I wonder what my parents think happened to me."

"I think that they thought you were kidnapped by some local hate group. I think they feel that you are dead."

"That's always been my fear. My father and a few other men headed up a civil rights group in Missouri. My father fought for African American rights, and at a cost, too. We had crosses burned in our yard and rocks thrown through our windows. It was very odd that your grandmother wanted to be friends with my mother. Your grandmother being white and my mother being black. She was a great lady, your grandmother."

"Well, the world has come a long way. We have even had an African American President," Presley stated. Paulette's face instantly lit up.

"In the White House? No kidding?" Paulette said, with a smile as she shook her head.

"I can hardly believe that!"

"How far away is this camp, anyway?" Presley asked.

"It's just right over the hill," said Paulette. An eerie feeling came over Presley. She felt, once again, as if someone were watching her.

Presley turned behind her and gasped, "Paulette! Look!"

Paulette quickly spun around to see multiple funnel clouds off in the distance. The sky abruptly transformed to dark green. The funnel clouds rapidly became massive tornadoes, heading toward the girls.

"They're going to kill us!" screamed Paulette. The girls ran up the hill with the tornadoes quickly approaching. Their hair blew violently in the relentless wind. The tornadoes merged into one huge gray force. The wind grew stronger; ripping trees from their roots and tossing them as if they were toothpicks.

"We aren't going to make it!" shouted Presley.

"We will make it! We are almost there! Please, you must believe that we'll make it!" Paulette shouted back-the wind drowning her screams.

They finally made it to the top of the hill where Presley could vaguely see a tall rock wall through the falling rain and debris.

"Open the gates!" Paulette shouted. The guards that stood on top of the wall jumped from their posts and scrambled to open the massive wooden gates.

"Open the gates!" Paulette shouted again. The thunderous noise of the ruthless storm swept away Paulette's voice once again. Finally, the gates were open and the girls collapsed to the ground inside. The men quickly shut the gates, and as they all braced themselves for the impact of the tornado, it hit the compound only to mysteriously disintegrate into the air.

The girls lay on the ground for awhile unable to catch their breath. One of the guards asked Presley if she was alright. Unable to speak, she just nodded her head to indicate she was okay. Finally, Paulette stood up and said, "Let me guess, you fear tornadoes."

"Yes. I do. Why?" she asked between breaths.

"Because that's what they do. Fiend and the others, they create our worst fears. Mine happens to be fire, yours tornadoes."

A growing crowd of people had begun surrounding the girls. Presley was surprised by the strange appearance of the people. Many of the women wore long flowing gowns with gathered sleeves and pinned brooches. Some wore bonnets on their heads. They all looked as if they were from a different time. Presley slowly scanned the crowd realizing that she was indeed far from home.

"Let me through!" shouted a male voice. Presley watched as a man shoved his way through the crowd.

"Paulette!" he yelled. "What's wrong with you? Are you trying to get yourself killed or, worse yet, captured? I've stayed up all night worried that you were caught! Do you think of nobody but yourself? Why didn't you tell someone that you were leaving? If you were so hell bent on leaving then we could have at least tried to protect you. One of us would have gone with you," he shouted.

Presley listened to him go on with his rampage. She wanted to defend her new acquaintance, but she couldn't speak. Not only because was she out of breath, but because he was absolutely breathtaking. To her, he was the most beautiful guy she had ever seen.

He was perfect. His long dirty brown hair was pulled back out of his face. His piercing dark intense brown eyes were captivating. He had golden skin due to the hot sun, and he was muscular and strong. He wore overalls with a white handkerchief in his back right pocket, boots and no shirt. He had dirt under his fingernails and a little dirt smudge on his face.

"Oh, relax, Jesse. Nobody was hurt," Paulette shouted back.

"Nobody was hurt? By sheer luck nobody was hurt," he said firmly.

"If she hadn't been there, I surely would have died," Presley finally interjected.

Jesse looked at Presley who was still lying on the ground. He stared, strangely, at her for a few moments, seemingly frozen by her presence. He shook off the silence and quickly rushed to her side.

"Are you alright?" he asked sympathetically, as he held out his hand to help her up.

As she took his hand, she felt as if everybody else was gone and it was only the two of them. He peered into her eyes and Presley felt a rush through her body. She couldn't place this feeling because she had never felt this way before, but it was intense, real and intriguing.

Paulette, obviously mocking Jesse, said, "Oh, can I help you? Forget poor Paulette. She don't need any help. I'm fine too, Jesse, just in case you were wondering. I'm just fine," she said in a smart-aleck tone.

"I'm sorry Paulette. Are you alright?" he asked without taking his eyes off of Presley.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just said I'm fine," Paulette sassed.

"Okay, great. Everyone's safe now. Let's get you girls cleaned up over at Paulette's house," Jesse said.

The group of people that had been surrounding them started to slowly walk away.

"So, what's your name?" Jesse asked Presley.

"My name is Presley, Presley Dae," she replied.

"Don't go into to the whole Elvis Presley spiel. I can tell you right now he won't know who he is," Paulette laughed.

"How do you do? I'm Jesse Pike," he said politely.

"Nice to meet you," Presley said anxiously. "Where am I? I mean obviously I am a very long way from home. I know that this is going to sound crazy, but did I travel back in time or something?" Presley said impatiently as she looked around spastically.

"Come on. Let's get you a hot bath and into some clean clothes. Then I will explain where you are. The best that I can anyhow," he promised.

They began walking down the worn dirt road. Horse drawn carriages rode past them stirring up the dry dust. Businesses and stores made of wood lined the dirt road on both sides. They walked through the small town, until they came to a group of small log cabins. They were lined up in a row, forming a little neighborhood. Some homes had porches on the front, but that was about the only difference between them. All of the structures looked the same.

"Who built these cabins?" Presley asked.

"Most of the men who live here helped me build them," Jesse said. "Paulette's cabin was the last one we built."

"This is my cabin." Paulette said, "The last one on the left."

CHAPTER 4

Presley walked up the two wooden stairs that led to the small porch of Paulette's cabin. As she looked around the land, it reminded her of the pioneer books that she read as a young girl. Several white Arabian horses were corralled by a log fence. An elegant chestnut quarter horse fed on the green grass, while others happily pranced around the large pasture. Past the corral, into the distance, Presley noticed several chickens roaming, and even farther away hundreds of cows were grazing.

"The animals have always been here," he informed her. "Actually, this whole town was already set up and the animals were here when I first arrived. We use them for virtually everything we need- food, clothes and we use the animal fat for candles and soap."

As Presley entered Paulette's house, she was surprised at how charming it was. The windows were open and there was a soothing breeze throughout the room. She turned to switch on the light but quickly realized that there wasn't any electricity. She noticed a unique braided rug lying on the creaky wooden floor. Two chairs were positioned in the middle of the room. On the right side of the room was a fireplace with a black pot hanging over it. Wooden shelves, which held several bowls and pots, lined the walls by the fireplace. To the left of the room was a light wooden dining table with two chairs on one side and a bench on the other.

Beyond the table was the kitchen which had a small washing area. Big enough for a few cups and dishes. Next to the kitchen was a tiny bedroom. The bed took up most of the room leaving barely enough space for the small chest that was against the wall in the corner. In the far side of the bedroom stood a wooden ladder that led up to a much bigger room in the loft.

Jesse grabbed the pot from the fireplace and took it outside. Paulette anxiously waited until he was out of sight.

"I think that he just might like you. And believe me, that Jesse now, he's a hard catch," she laughed.

"Oh yeah, is that right?" Presley grinned slightly, acting as if she wasn't at all interested.

"Well, Sarah has been after him as long as I've been here," Paulette continued.

Presley quickly looked up at Paulette and before she knew it said, "Who's Sarah?"

Paulette grinned, "Well, they both came here around the same time and they both keep things running smoothly in the town. She's a hard worker, I'll give her that. But I can't stand her! She's gorgeous. She's gorgeous and she will make sure that you are aware of it."

"Yeah, I'm quite familiar with those types of girls," Presley rolled her eyes.

"Just wait 'til Sarah sees you with Jesse!" Paulette gleamed. "I've got to be there to witness that!" she chuckled.

Jesse walked back into the room with the black pot full of water and hung it back on the hook over the fireplace. The girls were quiet as he chucked several hot coals into the fireplace. He went to the wood box, picked up two big logs, one under each arm, and threw them into the fire. Jesse took one of the chairs from underneath the kitchen table and joined the girls around the fireplace.

"You thirsty, Presley? I'll get you a drink." Paulette got up and went into the kitchen leaving Presley and Jesse alone.

"So how long have you been here?" Presley asked him.

"I've been here a long time," he answered with a grin.

"How long?" she pressed.

"1842. Like I said, it was a long time ago."

"1842? Is that what you said?" she asked astonished.

"Yes, I've been here for 168 years," Presley looked at him mystified by his response.

"I'm so confused. Where are we? I really need to get back home," she said nervously.

Paulette came back into the room with two glasses of water. "That's what I've been saying for years! How do we get back home?" she asked with a feisty tone.

Jesse shook his head and sighed, "Paulette, how many times do we have to go through this? I don't know how to get back! Don't you think if I knew how I would've gone back years ago?" he said, aggravated at her tenacious attitude.

"I think you gave up on finding a way back," Paulette snapped. "If the people you loved were still alive today you would want to go back too. Am I right?" Paulette pressed.

"Of course I would. I understand your frustration, Paulette. Believe me, I felt the same frustration for many years." Jesse hesitated for a moment, "There really is only one person that can help you two if you are both determined on going back. We need to work together to find out the answers."

"Who is this person?" Presley asked.

"Manna," he replied.

"Okay. Let's go talk to Manna," Presley stated.

"Wait, it's not that simple. Manna has been here longer than anyone we know. We don't even know of anyone who has actually seen Manna," Paulette said.

"Then how do you know about him?" asked Presley.

Jesse walked over to the fireplace, and put his hand inside the pot to feel the water.

"The water's ready. Listen. I'll make you a bath and then we'll fill you in," he promised. He lifted the pot and walked outside.

"Let me get you some clean clothes." Paulette went into an adjacent room and returned with a plain cotton white nightgown and underwear.

"Come on," Paulette said. Presley got up from the chair, placed her cell phone on the table, and followed Paulette outside. Beside Paulette's house was a much smaller structure.

"There you go, Presley. Take a nice hot bath. I'm going home to get you some dinner. You must be starving. We can finish our talk then," Jesse said.

"Okay, thanks," she said as Jesse shut the door. Presley looked around the small dark room. She ran her hand against the claw- footed cast iron bath tub. The back of the tub slanted upward and the inside was made of white porcelain. The outside was finished with a shiny grey iron material. The light from two candles flickered against the dark wall.

As Presley quickly undressed, she noticed there were red velvet flower petals floating on top of the water. They were like rose petals in appearance, soft and silky. She sank into the tub and held the petals in her hands. She smiled, knowing that Jesse had placed them in the water for her. She washed her hair and body with a bar of unpleasant smelling soap. As she sat in the water she tried to wrap her mind around everything that had happened to her. The questions in her head bounced around shifting from one thought to the next. She shut her eyes, took a deep breath through her nose, reminding her mind to slow down.

"Who is Manna?" she whispered. "How am I going to get out of here and what are these strange forces that are outside of this town?" She watched as a spider climbed the log wall. She noticed how murky and dirty her bath water had become. Disgusted, she quickly got out of the tub and dressed. She blew out the candles and walked back to Paulette's house.

≈≈≈≈≈

Soon, Jesse walked in with the stew and bread and noticed Presley in her nightgown.

He began to stutter nervously, "W-w-w-where do you want this?"

Paulette giggled at him as she grabbed the two bowls and handed one to Presley. She took the bread from under his arm and walked into the kitchen to cut it up.

"Are you okay?" Presley asked him, as she braided her long brown hair.

"Yeah. Sorry. It's just that you are so beautiful," he said. He knelt down beside her and took her hand. He gently turned over her arm and brushed his finger over the small, dark birthmark. The birthmark she had always tried to hide.

Embarrassed, she pulled her arm back.

"I know that you don't know me, but let me just ask you... are you feeling what I'm feeling?"

Presley's eyes grew big and she was taken back by the question. She was at a loss for words. She tilted her head as she tried to determine if he was crazy. She knew Jesse was coming on to her and thought that he was a bit overbearing. He wasn't like anyone she had ever known. Definitely not cocky and arrogant like Tyler. He was more confident than cocky. Before Presley could answer, Paulette walked back in with the bread and handed a piece to her.

"Thanks," Presley said, watching as Jesse quickly stood up and anxiously ran his fingers through his thick hair. Some of his hair fell loosely around his face.

"How old were you when you came here?" Presley asked him, trying to change the subject.

"Came here?" he laughed. "You make it sound like I had a choice in the matter. I was eighteen," he said with an endearing gleam in his eyes.

"And so you stay eighteen?" Presley questioned.

"Yes, we all have stayed the same age we were when we came here. Nobody ages. Nobody gets sick either," he said.

"Then nobody dies?" she asked mystified.

"No, we can still die, many have died. We just don't have sickness and disease. Some have died from accidents. Others died trying to find a way back home, and some have been captured by the Manes." He looked at Paulette in a disappointing way. "That's why I was so angry with Paulette for sneaking out of here the way that she did. As long as we stay within the walls of this town we are safe. We have a unique protection here that guards us from outside forces, the forces that inevitably want us all dead."

"What are these forces?" Presley asked, unsure if she truly wanted to know.

"The Manes. The evil spirits," whispered Jesse.

"The Manes?" Presley repeated.

"Yeah," he began to explain. "They are a group of evil spirits that dwell here. They can manifest themselves into different forms, often evolving into our greatest fears, like the tornadoes. We aren't sure exactly what they want from us. All we know is that within the walls of this small town we are safe. There are a lot of mysteries about this place, this planet, its past."

"This is all a little farfetched for me, spirits, planets. I don't know," Presley shook her head.

"Why? Spirits are accepted on Earth. So, no other planets can have spirits, only on Earth?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know. Just thinking about another planet is strange," she said, flustered. Jesse looked at Presley and gave her a gentle smile.

"But there are other planets. Do you know how many galaxies there are?" he charmingly asked.

"No," replied Presley.

"Okay, let me try to put this into perspective for you. In the galaxy that we come from, the Milky Way, there are well over 100 billion stars. Again, just in our galaxy alone! And in the universe there are over 50 billion galaxies. Our sun provides life. Without it nobody would be alive. The planet that we are on is much like Earth, obviously it has a sun, but the difference, for some reason, is that this planet has a much stronger magnetic force. Thoughts are retrieved by the universe faster on this planet than on Earth. And this world is more matured- more evolved. It's so much more beautiful, from the trees and flowers to the animals."

"I'm not trying to be difficult, but what does all this mean?" Presley said as she was trying to keep up with the conversation.

"It means that there are forces that are here and beyond. We may not understand them all, but they are present whether you believe in them or not. They are bigger than our minds could ever comprehend. I mean, trying to figure all of this out would be the equivalent of an ant trying to figure out what we are, or what we look like, or how we work together to build a house," he laughed. "Impossible. They cannot begin to fathom who we are or how we do anything. They do not have the brain capacity, nor do we- I mean to understand spirits or the cosmos. So, just accept the notion that there are mysteries that we will never comprehend, because we lack the brain power to do so," he said.

"So then you are saying that I am on a different planet?" Presley questioned.

"Different planet and different galaxy, but the same universe," added Paulette.

"Isn't there only one universe?" asked Presley.

"No," he smiled. There are many universes."

"Okay. Never heard that before. So, how did we get to be here to this uh . . . different planet . . . same universe . . . different galaxy?" Presley asked still confused.

"Our theory is that you, I and everyone here from Earth has ventured through a worm hole of some sort . . . that is much faster than the speed of light, and you ended up here, like we all did," Jesse explained.

"How do you know all of this?" Presley asked.

"We have a book that was left for us here in this town. Though much of the book is scripted in code, which makes most of it impossible to translate, there are some entries that we feel were intended for us to understand. Through the illustrations we are able to view our world and our universe much differently. The book must have been written by several authors, but the one who presents himself many times throughout the book is Manna. If you two have any hopes of getting home then we must find him. That is, if he's even still alive," he explained.

"If you've never seen him then how do you know where he is?" asked Presley.

"The Book of Codes has several maps. Some, I believe, were intended to help lead us to him. If we decide to track him down, it will take us a while to get prepared," Jesse stood up to leave. "Girls, get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning," Jesse picked up Presley's hand from her lap and kissed it, and then left the cabin.

Presley turned toward Paulette, "I can't take in anymore tonight. I feel like my head is going to explode. Way too much information for one day. If it's okay with you I think I might just go on to bed."

"I know, we have had a long day," Paulette showed Presley to her room, which was located next to the small living room.

"Oh, I thought this was your bedroom," said Presley.

"No, I sleep upstairs in the loft. Holler if you need anything," Paulette yawned as she climbed up the ladder to her room. Presley looked around, and then she curled up on the stiff bed. For a few moments she thought about Tyler. She wondered if he was searching for her. She hoped that he was worried and desperately trying to find her.

Finally, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

≈≈≈≈≈

Her dream began like all of the dreams that came before. Presley was chasing after Paulette again unable to catch her. The rain poured down on Presley's head, lightning struck so close that her heart pounded in fear. Then, Presley was taken out of the storm, suddenly reliving this day and all of the previous days that she had ever had. Even the early years that she had with her father, all the way back to being an infant. With this dream came great peace and calmness. For the first time in her life, even as she slept, she felt a subtle knowing that something greater than herself was present. And had always been present.

CHAPTER 5

Morning came quickly with the sun peering brightly through the windows. Presley awoke to the sound of a crow, and for a brief moment, she forgot where she was. She instantly recalled her dream from the night before. As she tried to piece together the different parts of the dream, she heard a rumbling coming from the loft. She watched as Paulette's bare feet climbed down the ladder.

"How did you sleep?" Paulette asked with a yawn.

"I don't think I moved all night," replied Presley.

"We'd better get dressed. Jesse will be here any minute. I'm sure he will want to show you around the town today."

"Show me around? Why?"

"Don't you see it? The way he looks at you?" Paulette went over to an old trunk and pulled out two dresses. One was a plain black dress and the other was a light tan color with tiny white flowers.

"Which one do you want?" asked Paulette. Presley looked at both dresses and shrugged her shoulders.

"Are those my only choices?" she giggled. "Where are my clothes?"

"Your clothes are being washed," Paulette held the dresses up again. "Here, you take the brown dress." Presley reluctantly took it and slipped it on.

"How do I look?" Presley frowned.

"Actually, you look pretty good," Paulette encouraged as she threw Presley her boots.

"Yeah, I guess. It's not that bad," she said as she pulled up her boots. It was a simple dress made out of cotton material with thin fragile straps. "I must say, the boots make the dress!"

The girls walked outside to find Jesse waiting on them. He grabbed Presley's hand. She felt butterflies in her stomach.

"There's so much that I want you to see. What do you say? Do you want to see our little town?" he asked her excitedly.

"I thought we were going to find Manna today! You know, you said that you were gonna help us get home," she reminded him.

His smile disappeared. "I know, and I will, but I need you to spend the day with me. And you need to have a better understanding, I think, of where you are and who we are. We've worked so hard trying to make this place as comfortable as possible to live." He stopped abruptly and turned around to Presley.

"Please," he begged, "I just want to show you around, just for awhile. What do you have to get back home to in such a hurry anyway?" he smiled.

Presley thought for a moment. Tyler instantly came to her mind.

She thought, Maybe if I'm gone longer he'll worry more. And the more he worries, the more he will want to be with me.

"Okay," said Presley. "I would love to see your town," she smiled back.

Unbeknownst to Presley, Sarah was watching their whole conversation from afar.

Sarah and Jesse had dated many years before and he had broken off their relationship. Sarah had never gotten over Jesse. She always had thought they would get back together and she tried everything she could to make sure that it would happen. Sarah was tall, with long blond hair and a fair complexion. She was beautiful . . . on the outside, anyway. Seeing him with Presley made Sarah green with envy and quite jealous of the new girl in town.

Sarah walked over to Presley and Jesse, smiled as big as she could and batted her baby blue eyes as she sweetly asked, "Well, well, Jesse, who is this?"

"Sarah, this is Presley . . . Presley, this is Sarah," he said, quickly looking down as he spoke.

"Oh . . . yeah, Paulette mentioned something about you earlier. You and Jesse came here around the same time, right? Did you know each other before you came here?" Presley felt heavy tension between them.

"Yeah, you could say that," Sarah answered, glaring at Presley.

After a silent pause, Presley held out her hand, "Well, it's nice to meet you."

Sarah glanced down at Presley's hand and snarled, "Nice to meet you too," she spoke with a hint of resentment.

Jesse became noticeably uncomfortable and began to squirm. He blurted, "We'd better go." Pulling Presley close to him, they walked way. Sarah stared angrily after them as they left. She was very manipulative and immediately started to plot against Presley. Paulette was sitting on her front porch, and Sarah went over to find out more about Presley.

"So, what's the new girl's story?" pressed Sarah. Sarah tried to be pleasant, but Paulette heard the agitation in her tone.

"Who? Presley?" asked Paulette, as she watched Jesse and Presley walking down the road.

"Yes, Presley! Who else would I be talking about?" snapped Sarah.

"Jealous?" Paulette smirked.

"Jealous! Over her? Never. Why would I be jealous over her?" Sarah sneered.

"Oh, I don't know. Looks like Jesse has taken a liking to her pretty well," Paulette teased.

"Jesse is just showing her around. He's a gentleman. That's what he does. It doesn't mean anything," said Sarah in a desperate tone.

"I can tell you this much," Paulette looked around to make sure nobody else was listening. Leaning toward Sarah, she quietly said, "I have never seen him look at a girl the way he looks at Presley. I, for one, have never believed in love at first sight. But after watching those two for the last two days, I do believe that I've changed my mind!"

Sarah frowned at Paulette and let out a huff as she stormed away. Paulette laughed.

≈≈≈≈≈

For someone who struggled with trust and affection, Presley was growing increasingly fond of Jesse. Jesse held Presley's hand tightly as he led her through the streets of the town. The chemistry between them was undeniable. Presley noticed that her heart was racing and she found it hard to concentrate on what he was saying. The town reminded her of movies she had seen that took place back in the 1800s. She watched as horses and carriages went by. Jesse greeted the people as they passed.

"Everyone has a job here depending on their trade." He pointed to a store on the right. "That's Victor's shop over there. He makes shoes and he also sharpens knives. And over here next to Victor's is Marian's shop. She washes everyone's clothes. She has many girls who help her." He pointed a few stores down. "Oh, and over there is the General Store. That's where we get our salt and flour. It's run by Darlene and-"

Presley interrupted, "How many people actually live here?"

"Two hundred and thirteen . . . well two-hundred and fourteen, if we were to count you," he grinned.

"How did they all get here?" asked Presley.

"The same way we did," he replied.

Jesse walked over to a big open fire. There were two men tending it.

"This is the town's fire. We have to keep this fire burning at all times so that if any of the fires in the houses go out they can come here and retrieve hot coals, and restart their fires. We had a problem with fires going out in the middle of the night. We'd have to wake up a neighbor to get some hot coals until we decided on a town fire. Volney and Russell keep it going day and night. It's their job," Jesse said as he patted Volney on his bald head.

The two men greeted Presley. Jesse took out a small wooden box from his pants pocket, and opened the lid.

"See the honeycomb inside?" he asked.

"Yeah," answered Presley. Jesse held the box near the fire until the honeycomb was melted.

"Hey, Volney I need a torch, a big spoon and bowl," he hollered.

"Sure, I'll be back," Volney said, as he ran toward the General Store.

"What are you doing?" asked Presley.

"Showing off!" chuckled Russell.

"We're going to get some honey." Jesse locked eyes with Presley. "Okay, the honeycomb in the box has melted. Now listen carefully. I'm going to put the box down and this honeycomb will attract some bees. When you see the bees inside the box I want you to slowly and gently shut the box. Okay?"

"Okay," she smiled.

Volney came back with the torch, big spoon and large bowl.

"Here you go, Jess," Volney said.

Jesse took the spoon, placed it in the bowl, and put the bowl on the ground. He took the torch and held it in the fire until it was lit. Presley watched as five honeybees landed in the box and then she slowly closed it.

"The bees are shut in the box," she said.

"Great. Now, when I say to open it, get ready to run. We have to follow the bees back to their honey tree. Are you ready?" he asked.

Presley nodded. Jesse leaned down and picked up the bowl and spoon in one hand and had the torch in the other.

"Okay! Now!" Jesse yelled. The bees took off and Presley and Jesse ran after them. They ran through the town and out through the woods. There were trees as far as she could see.

As they ran past a field of orange wild flowers, they gradually faded into light purple. Presley tried to stay focused on the bees, but couldn't help notice the rainbow of changes taking place around her.

"Don't lose them! They're fast!" They ran for a few minutes until the bees finally stopped.

"Look, this is it!" Presley said. She pointed to a tall rotted tree which held the large hive. Thousands of swarming bees surrounded the tree.

"Don't get too close," said Jesse. He waved the torch toward the hive, hoping to tire the bees with the smoke so they would not sting.

"Here," Jesse said, "take the torch, please."

Presley held the torch as Jesse took the spoon from the bowl. He reached up and carefully scooped out the honeycomb. A few bees landed on his sleeve, but he never flinched. After the bowl was full, he turned towards Presley.

"This should last us for a while."

"What are you going to use it for?" she asked.

"We mainly use it for a sweetener, but we also make candles from the wax." He sat down on a fallen log, and Presley sat beside him. Honey was all over Jesse's hand and he began to lick it off.

"Do you want a lick? You have to try this." She licked some of the honey on his finger.

"That is so good," she said. "How do they make this honey?"

"Bees are fascinating to me. They all work together as a team. The hive has thousands and thousands of bees and each has a job. Some are worker bees; they find the flowers and collect the pollen and nectar. Then, the bee rolls the pollen into a ball and carries it back to the hive. It mixes the nectar with its saliva, and that makes honey."

"So, I'm eating bee spit?" Presley scrunched her nose in disgust.

"Yeah, I guess we are both eating bee spit," he laughed.

"Come on, girl, let's get back to town," he said.

≈≈≈≈≈

"These flowers are so amazing," she said as she bent down to touch one of them. The flowers were changing from purple to yellow to blue then orange.

"They can feel our energy," he said.

"What? Our energy? What do you mean?" she asked

"Our energy field. You know, our aura," he replied.

"What's an aura?" she asked.

"Well, you can't see it, but it's the energy field that surrounds all living creatures," Jesse hesitated, trying to explain. "Okay, for example, say you were to take two metal rods, and hold the ends of them loosely. As you slowly walked toward me, the rods would automatically cross when you enter my energy field," he explained.

"Metal rods?" she asked.

"Yeah, metal rods," he repeated. "Anyway, all flowers and trees feel and respond to our energy much like the metal rod. They have a very strong connection with us. It's like they can read our energy and then manifest it into a color.

≈≈≈≈≈

They walked back to the town's fire and Jesse handed Volney the torch.

"Thanks for your help, Volney."

"Is all of this honey for me?" Volney said jokingly.

"No. Now that's going to have to last us a while. I'll be back this afternoon to pick it back up, and I know how much is in there," Jesse joked back.

They walked up a steep hill and when they reached the top she saw horses pulling men as they worked the open crop fields.

"We are getting ready to plant," he said.

"What do you plant?" she asked.

"Over there we'll plant corn and in between the rows we will plant beans to help choke out weeds. Over yonder are the hay fields and . . . here come with me," Jesse guided her over the hill and around the bend. "This is the pig farm." Jesse opened the wooden split-rail gate and started to walk in, but Presley hesitated.

"What's wrong?" asked Jesse. "You ain't never seen pigs before?" he joked.

"I've seen plenty of pigs before," she snapped. "It's just really muddy and it stinks."

"You want to ride one?" Jesse asked bright eyed.

"Ride one! No. I don't want to ride one!" she quickly answered.

"Get on, girl!" Jesse said. He grabbed her around her waist, picked her up, and put her on a pig. "Suuuey!" Jesse yelled, "Ride that sow!" The pig took off running, bouncing Presley back and forth until she flew off into the mud. She laid there in shock for a moment and then burst into laughter.

"That was great! Now I'll go!" Jesse jumped on the back of the pig and again yelled, "Suuuey!" The pig jerked and jumped until Jesse flew off beside Presley.

As she was laughing, she couldn't recall a time when she had so much fun. Jesse gently helped Presley to her feet. He touched the birth mark on her arm, and she jerked away from him. He gently brushed her hair out of her face and then ran his hand down her cheek.

"I need to show you something else," he said as he softly took her hand.

They walked up and over a large hill. In the distance was an enormous tree. The tree looked as if it went on for miles. It radiated a soft white light.

"This is Gracie." The tree was surrounded by a solid gold fence which signified the importance of the tree. Jesse opened the golden gate and then closed it behind Presley.

"It's beautiful. It looks just like the tree that protected me when I first came here, except much bigger."

"Gracie is all over this world, but this is the tree that started all of the others," he explained.

"So, she is like the mother tree?" she asked.

"No," he said, "the other trees are just an extension of her. She has an underground root system that covers this planet and the other trees are shoots from this tree. So, we call them all Gracie because they are all one living tree. Do you understand?" He went on to explain. "Gracie has been here longer than any of us. She feels, she's wise, and she responds to human touch. See?" Jesse touched the tree and the limbs started to sway gently.

"In The Book of Codes we are told that without Gracie we would not be able to exist here. Just as on Earth we couldn't survive without the trees, here we could not survive without her.

Presley never had pondered such deep thoughts. She found Jesse enlightning and bright, much different from the guys back home. The deepest thoughts they had were who was going to win the next football game, or where the next party was going to be.

"We have to respect the laws of nature and try not to take them for granted. We need to appreciate how fortunate we are just to be alive. We need to make the most of our lives and know that there is a purpose for all of us. Our lives are what we make of them. Some people go through their lives with blinders on and go every which way the wind blows. Some people feel sorry for themselves because hard of circumstances that have come their way, and feel negative and defeated throughout their life. Not me. Not anymore."

They sat in a deep stare for a few moments. Jesse pulled Presley closer towards him, and for a split second it seemed as if he was going to kiss her. Her heart began to race with anticipation and she felt as if time stood still. He nudged her instead, "Come on girl. Let's get you some clean clothes," he said as he shyly turned away from her.

CHAPTER 6

The walk back was quiet. They watched silently as horse carriages rode past. The intense desire between them continued to grow. Once back, Jesse began to act nervous.

"I had so much fun with you today, but I probably need to get to the field and help the guys out," he stepped in closer to Presley. "I really enjoyed being with you. Anyway, the guys, they are going to wonder what happened to me." He stood frozen, his eyes locked with hers for a moment. "I promise you that tomorrow we will try to find Manna and get you home."

"Okay," she replied. As she was about to open the door, she turned back toward Jesse and said, "I really had a good time with you, too."

Jesse walked up to her and with wide eyes excitedly asked, "Would you go somewhere with me tonight? I want to show you something."

"Yeah, sure," she said without hesitation. This time Tyler didn't enter her mind. Jesse's eyes lit up.

"Okay, I'll come for you just before dark," he grinned. "Until then . . ."

Jesse took Presley's hand and kissed it softly.

Presley went inside, closed the door behind her, shut her eyes and smiled. Paulette burst into the room, interrupting Presley's peaceful solitude and lustful thoughts.

She blurted, "Well, I had an interesting conversation today with Sarah. Seems to me that she may be a little jealous of the time you and Jesse have been spending together. But don't you worry. I won't let her mess with you. She's a snide little hussy, and I can tell you right now that she will try to cause you problems."

"Doesn't she know that we are going to go back home? I mean, why would she want to cause problems for me when I'm leaving?"

"I don't know. I suggest that you stay clear of her. She's a manipulating, calculating trouble maker and she loves to stir the pot. As your friend, I just want you to know that."

"Okay. Thanks," Presley smiled.

Paulette went over to the pile of clothes in the middle of her living room floor and began to fold them.

"Wanna give me a hand with this?" she asked. Presley quickly helped her fold the clothes.

"So, what's the story with Jesse and Sarah? Did they date or something?" Presley nonchalantly asked.

Paulette glanced at her out of the corner of her eyes. Yeah, they dated for a short while, way before I came here. I don't think that Jesse was ever in love with her. It was just convenient. You know they came from the same time and place. I think that he was lonely and confused, and she was here nagging him, constantly, to be with her and eventually he gave in. She wanted him to be crazy in love with her, and the truth is he just wasn't. I think that he tried to, but he just couldn't love her. And the fact that he caught her in so many petty lies didn't help. The lies finally gave him an excuse to break off the relationship. She's been trying to win him back ever since. Now that you're here, you are just adding fuel to the fire. I'm telling you, the girl is obsessed with him," Paulette explained.

"What did she lie about?" asked Presley.

"You mean, what didn't she lie about?" Paulette corrected. "She's like a . . . what do you call people when they lie just to lie?" she squinted her eyes.

"A pathological liar?" answered Presley.

"That's it. She's a pathological liar," Paulette repeated. "Most of her lies were harmless, but it was like she just lied to see what she could get away with. Jesse can't stand liars. He says, 'A man is only as good as his word,'" Paulette said in a deep voice. "Yep, that's Jesse. You'll never meet anyone else like him."

"That I can believe," Presley agreed. Presley was beginning to question her feelings of love toward Tyler. One thing she knew for sure, her connection with Jesse was stronger than any other guy she had ever dated or even knew for that matter.

"You know, Jesse has never taken a whole morning off to spend with a girl as long as I've been here. And I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you. He really likes you." Paulette looked at Presley out of the corner of her eyes again. "You hungry?"

"Starving," said Presley, hoping the conversation would go back to Jesse. The girls walked to the kitchen and Paulette grabbed a loaf of bread from the counter.

"Go ahead and sit down. Do you want some fried ham and mashed potatoes?" she asked.

"Oh, yes. Sounds delicious," said Presley.

Paulette put two pieces of warm ham on Presley's plate and two spoonfuls of potatoes.

"I fried this ham up right before you came back. I knew you'd be hungry leaving here with no breakfast." Presley had already devoured one piece of the ham before Paulette finished talking.

"More?" asked Paulette.

Presley nodded and between bites she asked, "So . . . Jesse and Sarah dated, huh?"

"Yeah, but Jesse was never really interested in her. He's still not over Emily," said Paulette.

Presley swallowed hard and then abruptly stopped eating.

"Emily. Who is she? Is she here?" Presley asked.  
"Oh no, you mean who was Emily. She was his fiancé back home, long ago. He still talks about her from time to time. He is still in love with her."

"Oh, I see," Presley said, disappointed.

"Sorry, I don't mean to upset you," said Paulette.

"Upset me?" Presley faked a laugh. "I barely know the guy. I just feel bad for him, that's all. It's sad. I mean, he was going to marry her, this Emily, and never got the chance. I think that it's hard to find love, and here he had it and it was like . . . stolen from him. You know?"

"Yeah, I do know that true love is hard to find. I haven't found it yet myself!" Paulette chuckled.

≈≈≈≈≈

The sun was slowly going down and, as promised, Jesse came back for her. Presley could see him as he walked up the dirt road to Paulette's house. As he got closer, she noticed two sticks under his arms. Presley started to feel flutters in her stomach again. He reminded her of someone she had once known, but she couldn't place who it could be.

"You ready to go?" Jesse asked Presley.

"Yeah, sure. Where are we going?" she asked.

"We're going fishin'," he said with a smile.

Presley walked down the stairs to greet him. Jesse winked at Paulette.

"Don't worry, Paulette. We won't be too late," he said.

"Don't you worry about the time. You two have fun!" she said loudly.

They walked behind Paulette's house and into the woods. There was still enough light to see a worn trail between the trees. As they walked, Presley noticed a white fluffy flake fall on her arm. She looked up and it appeared to be snowing. But the flakes weren't cold and they didn't melt. It wasn't snow. It felt like soft fluffy cotton.

"Isn't it beautiful?" he asked.

She nodded in amazement, as she caught the soft white flakes in her hands.

"It's falling from the trees. See?" he said pointing. "If you like this, wait until you see the river."

They walked a little further until they came upon a body of bright blue water. They went down to the water's edge. Jesse took a rock from the ground and threw it into the water. The water changed to yellow.

"Whoa!" she shouted in amazement.

He took another rock and skipped it across the top of the water. With every skip the water changed. It went from yellow to green to purple to blue.

"Let me try!" Presley picked up a rock and tried to skip it. The rock went straight down.

"Here, you need a flat rock, you know that!" he laughed.

"How would I know that?" she snapped. Jesse looked puzzled for a moment, and then shook his head.

"Well, I mean doesn't everyone know how to skip rocks?" he asked.

"Not me," she said confused. Jesse found a flat rock and handed it to Presley.

"Here, try it again," he said.

She flung the rock, changing the color of the water with every skip.

"You did it!"

"This place . . . it's like being in a dream. It's like a fantasy. It's a magical world."

"Well, you mastered rock skipping," he mused. "Now, let's try your hand at fishing!" Jesse took Presley by the hand and led her to a nice patch of grass where they both sat down. Jesse gave Presley one of the sticks.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" she laughed.

"It's your fishing pole. Let me guess, you ain't been fishin' either?" he joked.

"Yes, I've been fishing with a fishing pole, but not with a stick with a piece of string attached to the end," she stated sarcastically.

"I'm sure this ain't as sophisticated as the fishing poles that you all use, but this is all we got," he said in a modest tone. He took a small package out of the pocket of his jacket. He unwrapped it and took a small piece of meat out. Then he put it through the hook at the end of the string. He handed the meat over to Presley.

"Now just hang the meat from the hook, just like that, and you're ready to fish," he said, as he demonstrated the act. Jesse put his line in first. The ripples of the water changed to a light blue. Presley put her line in next and the ripples turned a light green.

"Now, I'll make a hole to put the sticks in. Okay, now when you see your string tighten and form a straight line, that means that you gotta a bite. Okay?"

"Yeah, I got it," she said. They left their fishing poles in the small holes in the ground and sat back down on the soft grass.

"Would you stay here?"

"Stay here? What do you mean?"

"I mean live here."

"Why would I stay here?" she asked.

"I want you to stay here with me," he said, as he looked at her with hopeful, yet sorrowful eyes.

"You can't be serious. Are you crazy? I don't even know you! Plus, I'm only seventeen!" she laughed.

"I know that you don't know me, but you could get to know me. You'd like me. I promise. I'm sure of it," he said, as his hopefulness quickly turned to desperation.

"I have a life to get back to. I like you. I do. You're a great guy, really. And I feel real sorry for what happened to you, being stuck here and all, but I'm going back home," she said sternly.

"You got a boyfriend?" he blurted abruptly.

"Why?" she asked caught off guard.

"I've just been wondering," he answered honestly.

"Yes, I do," she said. He looked startled, his eyes turning fearful.

"Yes? What's his name?" he asked panicky.

"His name is Tyler Shay. We've been seeing each other for awhile," she explained.

"Are you going to marry this Tyler Shay?" he asked.

"Marry him?" she gasped, amused by his question. "I'm only seventeen!"

"Only seventeen . . . so couples don't get married at seventeen?" he asked.

"Not unless you're pregnant! No, I'm way too young to be married," she said.

"Well, I was engaged at eighteen and my fiancé was seventeen. I mean it was normal for people to marry around that age. When you're lucky enough to find someone that you love, you should marry," he said convincingly.

"Yeah, well times have changed. Paulette had mentioned that you were engaged- I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't be sorry." He paused for a moment. "Her name was Emily Rose. I called her Petal because of her last name and her love of flowers. She was obsessed with flowers, sowing seeds in early spring. And then tilling and planting. She would even name her flowers and talk to them, too," he grew silent for a moment as he reminisced.

"We were supposed to get married, and then I ended up here," he said as he threw his hands in the air. "I often think about her. Many times a day- really. I think about what would have happened if we had married, how many kids would we have had, what their names would have been. But most of all I wonder what happened to her. I've wondered how her life was, if she ever married, how she died and how I would've died. I should be dead, ya know. I've wondered what she thought happened to me. My life would have been so different," he said quietly.

Presley swallowed hard. She didn't want to admit it, but in a strange way she was becoming a little jealous of Emily Rose.

"So you loved her?" she asked.

"Of course, I wanted to marry her. What about Tyler, do you love him?" he asked back.

"Yes, I love him. I mean I don't want to be without him," she said, trying to be convincing.

"Well now, that's quite different. Isn't it? Do you really love him or are you afraid to be alone?" he asked.

"Our relationship is a little difficult. We are um . . . on again, off again," she said.

"What do you mean, um . . . on again, off again?" he pried.

"We break up a lot," she said.

"Sounds to me you aren't sure if you want to be with him," he smirked.

"Now, how do you know that?" she asked annoyed.

"I've thought a lot about this, my feelings on love. I have had a while to think," he winked at her. "I do believe that I have it figured out now. What I know for sure is that true love is when you don't want to be without that person, it physically hurts to be without them. My life would be meaningless without Emily, even today. She made me into who I am as a person. She taught me so much about trust and loving without conditions. We would just lie and stare into each other's eyes for hours not having to say a word, just looking at each other." Jesse took a deep breath.

"Love is when all of your thoughts consist of only that person. When you know the person so well that you can finish each other sentences, or with a look you know what they want you to do. It's when you know without a shadow of a doubt the person is right for you. There's no second guessing, no questioning. Emily made it known that I was the only one for her, and I believe that to be true. I never doubted it. And saying 'I love you' isn't enough."

"Sounds like you have it all figured out. But if someone tells you that they love you, then I believe that they do," she added, thinking of Tyler.

"No, that's not right," Jesse corrected shaking his head. "Think of it like this. If you couldn't hear, you could only see, then would his actions show you that he loves you?" Presley didn't answer him. He went on, "It's when you care more about that person than you do yourself. Emily and I shared a special kind of love - agape love," he said with a grin.

"Agape love? What's agape love?" she asked.

"Agape love is a spiritual love, a selfless love. The purest form of love. It's hard to form a definition of agape love. It's more of a feeling, a knowing."

"Wow, you nailed it! That's me and Tyler, for sure," she lied.

He turned towards her and looked deeply into her blue eyes and said, "It's when that person dominates your thoughts each and every night before you close your eyes. And again in the morning when you wake, your mind fixates on that person instantly. The problem with this is if you are the only one in the relationship with these feelings, then it's all for nothing. Because it's not true love and you're just wasting your time. It must be mutual. And I for one would never settle for anything less than true love because once you've experienced that, nothing else compares. I would rather be alone than try to force love to happen with someone.

For a moment Presley was silent.

"Yeah, Tyler and I have all that," Presley repeated as she looked away.

"Sure you do," he smiled.

Chapter 7

Jesse walked Presley back to the cabin. He was obviously disappointed that Presley had rejected him. He stopped her at the doorway and took her hand.

"Please think about what I said. I really don't believe Tyler is the one for you. You deserve better," he whispered.

"Maybe I do. But I've been wondering. If you really believe in all that 'true love' stuff, then why did you ever even date Sarah? I mean your whole spiel back at the river about 'the one' was touching, I'll admit, really. But I'm not sure you truly believe that," she said.

"What do you mean? I courted Sarah for a short time here," he confessed, his face flushed.

"Yeah. Well, if you were so in love with Emily, then how do you explain Sarah?" she pressed.

Jesse looked down and shook his head.

"Woman! I courted Sarah for a short time here because I couldn't have Emily! And I do mean a short time. I figured out quickly that our relationship was not going to work," he explained. His eyes were eager for her response.

"Why didn't it work?" she asked softly.

"Because . . . I was still in love with Emily. I learned and accepted, after being here for a while, that I would always love Emily. She was my one," he said sadly.

"Okay, I see. I don't know why you're getting so defensive with me," she said.

"Because you wanted to know," he looked at her as if she were crazy.

"Well - now I know. Good night," Presley said as she opened the door. She took one last look at Jesse before walking inside the cabin. Presley was now not only jealous of Emily, but of Sarah too. And she was a little angry with Jesse for dating either. She couldn't understand why she was having these feelings. She was too tired to try to sort them out. Exhausted, Presley collapsed her body onto the bed and thought silently to herself.

"Agape love. Jesse and Emily had agape love. That was so long ago. Seriously long ago, the eighteen hundreds. I think love has probably changed since then. Hmm, agape love . . . there's no such thing," she concluded. She shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

≈≈≈≈≈

Presley began to dream again. Only this time the images were sharp and in focus. The colors were bright and it seemed so real, as if she were right there. Jesse was riding a black horse and a young lady was riding behind him. The horse was galloping fast and the girl held on to Jesse's waist tightly with her head resting on his shoulder. Her long hair was curled at the ends, with the sides pinned up. Her long dress flowed as they rode. Jesse stopped the horse and he turned around and kissed the girl.

≈≈≈≈≈

"Get up Presley! We are finally going home!" Paulette announced from the kitchen. Presley rubbed her eyes as she rose from the bed. She staggered into the kitchen and Paulette threw her a piece of bread.

"I'm not hungry," said Presley.

"You need to eat," insisted Paulette. "We have a long journey ahead and you'll need your strength."

There was a knock at the door and Jesse walked inside. He had a book under his right arm. Without even a glance in Presley's direction, he hastily walked to the kitchen table and opened the book.

"There are several maps. See?" Jesse said as he flipped through the pages. "But this page here. This is where we'll find Manna. It reads, The Castle of The Panacea of Gnostic.

"Panacea of Gnostic?" Presley repeated. Jesse nodded.

"See here?" he pointed to the written description at the bottom of the page. "Yeah, it means universe of knowledge. Hmm . . . Manna apparently holds a wealth of wisdom about the universe. I believe this is where we need to go- to the castle," he concluded.

"How long will we have to travel?" asked Paulette. Jesse shrugged his shoulders, still not making eye contact with either of the girls.

"At least two days, maybe three," he said shortly.

"I'm ready to go," stated Presley.

Jesse shook his head and took a deep breath as he firmly said, "I need you both to understand just how dangerous this is going to be. Fiend and the other spirits will find us. We have to stay together at all times," Jesse demanded. Jesse pulled three small bright white stones out of a bag.

"What are those?" asked Presley.

"Crystals," Jesse replied. "The Book of Codes shows us that the crystals will protect us. They keep the evil spirits away somehow, I think." He flipped through more pages. "Here's a picture of Gracie. The book illustrates the layers of rich black soil mixed with crystals." He turned the page, "Now, this page I don't really understand.

It was a drawing of frightening demons with red eyes, each with a large black X drawn through them.

"That must be how Gracie can protect us. The crystals are what makes Gracie special," Jesse shook his head, "I don't know how this all works. Manna is the only one who truly knows," he said.

"The Book of Codes was left here to help us figure out how to live here. It warns us of the evil that lurks outside of our town," Paulette said, as she pointed to the page opposite of the illustrated demons. "See, the picture of the crystals here? There's a line drawn to the crossed out demons."

"So, the crystals must kill the demons- somehow," Presley deducted.

"The crystals have a direct effect on Gracie and this land. This much we do know," said Jesse. "My theory is that Manna knew that humans would come to this planet and he wanted to help protect us from Fiend. Without the crystals on this land we wouldn't have been able to live here safely for all these years. We'd all be dead. I don't know exactly how much power these three crystals hold, or exactly what they do, but I do know that we need to take them with us. When I discovered this book, these crystals were laying next to it."

"We need to have plenty of food and water, enough for a three day trip. I'll be back. Get ready to go! Oh, and Presley's clothes are ready. They're out on the line. Hurry up!" he snapped. Jesse walked out of the cabin, the door slamming behind him. Startled by the loud noise, Paulette's eyes grew big as she looked toward Presley.

"Wonder what's wrong with him. He barely even looked at you," Paulette whispered.

"I know what's wrong with him. He asked me to stay here with him and I told him no," Presley said as she rolled her eyes. "That sounds even dumber when I say it out loud."

"He asked you to stay? What's he thinking? He must have it bad for you!" Presley chuckled.

"I guess so. I don't understand his intentions, though. He acts as if he likes me, but then he goes on and on about how Emily was his one true love. Anyway, I have a boyfriend, not to mention a life that I need to get back to, and besides that- what's wrong with him? I can't believe that he'd ask me to stay here. He acts like he knows me or something. It's weird."

"Is it weird?" asked Paulette.

Presley thought for a moment and then said, "Yeah, I think it's weird. So he's going to be mad at me because I have a boyfriend and family and friends that I want to go home to? Does that even make sense? He doesn't even know me well enough to be mad at me!"

"I know. It's like he's in love with you or something," Paulette smirked.

"You can't fall in love with someone in two days. It just doesn't happen," Presley said quietly, talking to herself.

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" Paulette smiled.

"So you believe that you can fall in love with someone that quickly?" asked Presley.

"Crazier things have happened," Paulette said with a grin. "Let's get your clothes."

They went outside and found Presley's clothes hanging from the clothesline. Paulette unpinned them and handed them over to Presley and they returned inside to dress. They finished gathering up the food they would need for the trip when they heard the door open.

"Are you two about ready to go?" Jesse called out. Jesse had a brown bag hanging over his right shoulder. "Hey, Paulette, where do you keep your flint and iron?" he asked.

Paulette reached her hand over the shelf by the fireplace and grabbed an old cloth and the iron and flint. Jesse placed them in the bag, along with the food the girls had gathered. Presley grabbed her cell phone from the table and put it in her back pocket.

Presley followed Jesse out the door. Paulette paused as she looked around her house one last time and said quietly, "I pray that I never have to see this place again." She slowly shut the door behind her.

They walked until they reached the gates of the town, where they had met only days before. Jesse stopped abruptly and turned to the girls, "Okay, we need to establish a few rules before we leave. First, we all stay together." He reached into the bag and pulled out the three crystals and continued, "The spirits will try to divide us, but if we stay together and have the power of the crystals, I think that we will be safe. Next, we'll take limited breaks. We don't have time to rest every hour. We need to get to the castle as soon as possible. Last, we'll have to sleep in shifts at night, so expect to be tired during the day. We have to keep moving. If we make it to Manna's castle, we'll make it together, and if we die, we die together. Agreed?" he asked.

"Agreed," said the girls.

"Open the gates!" Jesse shouted to the guards. The guards opened the massive wooden gates and they walked out. The land was quiet and peaceful. It was hard for Presley to imagine the massive tornadoes that had tried to destroy her only a couple of days before. They walked around the wall that shielded the town from the evil outside. Then through a field of high grass for an hour or so making small talk until they heard a noise. It sounded like a shuffling in the grass, like someone was walking towards them. Startled, Paulette held on tightly to Jesse.

"It's just a couple of deer," Presley said. The deer stood still, staring at them, and then slowly they began to walk closer. Presley held out her hand and the deer brushed her face against it.

"Oh my gosh, she's letting me pet her," she whispered. "She is so sweet and soft." The deer were huge, much more muscular than any deer she had ever seen in Missouri. Her hair was as soft and smooth as silk. She was calm and curious.

"Paulette, come here. You have to pet her," Presley said. Paulette slowly walked over, knelt down by the deer and stroked her brown coat. Jesse encouraged the girls to keep going.

"You have to remember that this is not a good place. We have to move. We need to find Manna as soon as possible. The Manes could find us at any time," he warned.

Suddenly the deer became spooked. They held their heads up high, with their ears back, and they simultaneously leaped into the air and ran out of sight.

"Come on, girls. Let's go," Jesse said anxiously looking around the field. "I think that they're here. Keep walking," he gritted his teeth. He pulled out The Book of Codes once again as a guide. "I think that we need to go . . . um through the woods." The woods were creepy, dark and gloomy.

"I feel an eerie presence," whispered Presley.

"Me too," said Paulette as she skittishly examined the woods. A strong breeze blew the trees branches and some leaves fell to the ground.

"Guys, I see a dark shadow through the trees up ahead. Look over there. It moves every time we move," Presley said in a controlled calm voice.

"I see it," said Jesse. Just hold on to your crystals."

"How do we use these crystals?" questioned Paulette.

"I'm not sure. I know that they have power, but I don't know how to use it," answered Jesse.

"Great. That makes me feel better," Presley said under her breath.

"I'm not so sure that the crystals are working," said Jesse.

"Why?" asked Paulette.

"Because there are more shadows right over there," Jesse pointed over Paulette's shoulder directly to her left.

"Run!" Jesse screamed. Jesse and Paulette ran, but Presley stood frozen with fear. She couldn't move. As the shadows grew closer to her, she began to spin around in circles, helplessly trying to find a way to escape them. She held her crystal tight hoping the shadows would disappear, but they didn't. Jesse and Paulette noticed that Presley wasn't following them. When they ran back to get her, a dark figure was looming above them, so they quickly hid behind a tree.

Presley looked skyward and saw the mass of darkness plummeting down toward her. Once the shadow was near the ground, it materialized into an evil being. He was the most terrifying vision that Presley had ever seen. He was tall, with dark black, greasy hair, red eyes, pale white skin, and a distinct foul goat-like smell. He stood with a slight slouch in his back; his head cocked to the side and on his head stood two erect horns. Dark wings protruded from his back. Presley noticed the black veins that covered each wing.

"Do you assume because I don't have eyes in the back of my head that I can't see you?" the being screamed. He flew up in the air again and landed by the tree that hid Jesse and Paulette. "Are you so naive that you think I can't find you wherever you are?" the being hissed as he flew back towards Presley. "Do you know who I am?" he screamed. He let out a sound similar to an animal cry that sent chills down Presley's back. "Fiend," he whispered as he arched his head closer to Presley. He was so close to her that she could feel his breath on her cheek. She shut her eyes tightly, wishing he would go away. He raised his arms up and motioned to the other shadows.

Like Fiend, the other dark shadows materialized into wicked beings. They had red eyes as well and looked just as evil. They had smaller horns which were different in size and color. The demons made strange spine chilling cries as well. Presley was too scared to cry and too shocked to speak. She was surrounded with nowhere to go. Jesse ran intending to ram one of the beings, instead he flew through him. Jesse fell to the ground at Presley's feet. He quickly got up and stood puzzled. Fiend laughed.

"They are spirits . . . or ghosts," Jesse whispered to Presley.

"Ya think?" she whispered back.

"No, I'm not a ghost. Spirit, yes. Ghost, no," Fiend corrected. I prefer demon." Fiend held out his hand to Presley as he commanded, "Come with me."

Presley began to tremble with fear. She shut her eyes tightly and shook her head.

"No," she murmured, shaking uncontrollably.

Fiend held out his other hand to Jesse, "Come with us. You two can be together forever if you come with me, now!" he bartered. Jesse looked at Presley and then back at Fiend.

"No," his voice shook.

"No? Well, then. You are aware that there is no other way for you to be together? I'm offering you . . . your wish," he looked at Jesse. "And your answer is, 'No' - after all these years longing for - "

Jesse quickly interrupted, with a tremor in his voice. "I said, NO! We will not come with you!"

"I see," said Fiend.

"Have you lost your touch?" one demon laughed.

"Actually, I'm glad that you declined my offer. This has been amusing. Truly- I'll see you soon. I'm going to enjoy this!" he shrieked.

The demons gradually dissipated one by one into the grey sky, following Fiend until they were gone.

"What was that?" yelled Presley, as she began to cry.

"Those are the spirits I told you about. I encountered them before when I first came here, but I hadn't seen them in their true spirit form before," he said. Jesse held Presley as Paulette came out from behind the tree.

"Are they gone?" Paulette asked.

"I think so," answered Jesse.

"Well, I can tell you this much," Paulette held up her crystal. "This don't work." She threw it to the ground. Jesse quickly bent down to pick it up.

"We don't know how it's supposed to work," he said, frustrated. He put the crystal in his bag.

"Let's get out of here," Presley said as she began to stumble through the woods.

≈≈≈≈≈

They were quiet as they walked, struggling to comprehend the danger that they had encountered. To break the silence, Jesse asked Presley questions to help keep her mind off of Fiend and the other spirits.

"So, tell me about yourself, your parents. What are they like?" he asked.

"In short, my mom is an alcoholic and my dad is dead," she answered bluntly.

Startled by her statement, Jesse stopped walking. "I'm so sorry," he said genuinely.

Presley turned towards him. "My dad died a long time ago. It's fine. My mom's been an alcoholic equally as long, so I'm used to it. Unfortunately, it's just my life, I guess."

"You shouldn't have to be used to it. You deserve better."

Presley was confused and taken back by his compassion. She couldn't understand why he was so sympathetic towards her.

"Have you ever tried talking to your mother about her drinking?"

"Yes, but she denies that she even has a problem, so in her mind there's nothing to fix. She just gets defensive and angry if I push the issue. I just try to stay out of her way."

Jesse could sense her discomfort and changed the subject. "I see. What do you like to do? I mean for enjoyment?" he asked.

"I like to write music and sing. And I taught myself to play guitar," she answered.

"So you entertain?" Paulette asked.

"Yes, I guess. Personal entertainment mostly or therapy. Maybe both. I mainly just write for myself, you know? I just like to get my thoughts down on paper. Whether the words become a poem or I turn them into a song; writing has always helped me sort my feelings," she added.

"I could see you writing songs. Do you play the piano, too?" he asked.

"Play the piano? No. Why?" she asked, confused.

"No reason. Just thought that maybe you did."

"But why the pian - "

Jesse cut her off, "You know the worst part about being here for me is the thought of being forgotten. I wish now that maybe I had done something big. So, that people would remember me by something. Anything.

They sat down on a grassy hill for a rest.

"I could understand that. I mean you do only have one life," Presley stated.

"Yeah. Maybe," Jesse laughed.

"So being forgotten has been hard on you."

"Um, well," he paused, biting his lower lip. "I have spent so many days reminiscing about my old life, from my family and friends to Emily, of course. And now knowing that everyone I once knew is gone and I'm still here, that weighs heavy on my mind.

"It's almost like being in prison, except much worse," muttered Paulette.

"She's right. Everyone I once loved is gone . . . dead." Jesse looked down at the ground. "I wish I had been more present in my life. Looking back, if I had it to do over again, I would have married Emily sooner than we had planned," he said.

"Why? What does that have to do with anything?" asked Presley.

"Because if I would have just married Emily I wouldn't be stuck here," he explained.

As Presley began to question him her thought was interrupted by a loud roaring sound. They all quickly jumped to their feet.

"It sounds like a tornado!" screamed Paulette.

"No. Look at the sky. It's blue and there's no wind," countered Jesse.

Just then a herd of pristine wild white horses ran through the valley below. As Presley looked closer she could make out the large wings hanging from their sides, and each had a large horn protruding from their foreheads.

"They're unicorns," she whispered.

Unexpectedly, like a flock of birds, the winged horses soared into the sky.

≈≈≈≈≈

"I see Gracie a few yards away," said Presley. Let's set up camp for the night. They reached Gracie as the sun was going down.

"She's a small tree," Presley remarked.

Paulette grabbed one of the draping branches. "Yeah, there's no way that all of us will fit up there tonight."

Jesse sat on a rotted fallen log, and from his bag he pulled out the flint, iron, and an old cloth.

"What's all of that for?" Presley asked.

"We are starting a fire," Paulette said, as she gathered dry large sticks from the heavily wooded area and placed them in a pile. Jesse tore a small piece of the cloth off and put it in the tinder, and then used the iron and flint to make a spark.

"We have a fire, ladies!" said Jesse excitedly. He helped Paulette gather more wood and he placed the logs in a separate pile. "There, that should be plenty for the night." He took half a loaf of bread and some jerky out of the bag.

"I know it isn't much, but it'll do," he said. He handed the food to the girls and they all sat around the campfire.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" Paulette asked.

"You two go ahead. I'll eat later," he said. Presley knew that he was waiting until they were finished before he ate. She split her piece of bread and handed some to Jesse.

"No, really. Eat," he said adamantly.

"I insist," she said sternly.

"Okay, since you insist," he said with a crooked smile.

After they ate, Jesse took Presley's hand and said, "Come with me."

She stood up and followed Jesse. He led here over to Gracie and he pulled down two of her branches.

"Sit here," he said.

Presley sat on the branch and Jesse sat next to her. Gently, Gracie raised them both up high into the sky. Three moons shone over them enabling them to see for miles.

"I could never have imagined this place even in my wildest dreams. A whole other world that nobody knows about. Who do you think Manna is? I mean, did he come from our planet? Or this planet."

"I don't have any idea. All I know is that he helped write The Book of Codes. Who knows if he's even still alive. I hope he is for your sake. He may be your only chance of getting back home."

Presley leaned over and put her head on Jesse's shoulder. She looked up at him and wondered why she felt so close to him. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her ear and whispered, "I think you're falling in love with me."

Without moving she whispered back, "What makes you think that?"

"Because every time I touch you, you get goose bumps." He gently ran his fingers down her arm. "See, goose bumps," he said.

"No, I'm cold," she replied.

"Yeah, okay," he said smiling. They sat silently together watching the falling stars in the night sky. She felt as if she were melting into him. They both wished time would stop.

Paulette yelled up to them, "Hey, I'm ready for bed. You guys need to get down here."

Gracie slowly lowered Jesse and Presley back down to the ground.

"This tree's too small for all of us, and it's probably better that someone keeps watch for Fiend and the others anyway," he suggested.

"Who's gonna stay up to keep watch?" Paulette asked.

"I'll stay up first. You two get some sleep. I'll keep watch for a few hours and then we can rotate," he said.

"Okay. Wake me up in a few hours and I'll take over. Presley can take the early morning shift," Paulette delegated.

"Sounds good to me," agreed Presley.

Gracie whisked Presley and Paulette up and interweaved her branches to form a large cocoon like shape. It took awhile for Presley to get comfortable.

"Paulette, do you believe in love at first sight?" asked Presley.

Paulette didn't answer. Presley looked over Paulette and saw that she was already asleep. Presley rolled over and fell asleep too.

≈≈≈≈≈

Jesse kept watch for nearly six hours. When he woke Paulette to take over, they were careful not to wake Presley.

Jesse stayed with Paulette on the ground, in fear that the Manes and Fiend would return. He knew that Gracie held special powers, but was still unsure of her exact abilities. He nestled himself up against Gracie's trunk and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Paulette sat by the fire and began to think about her mother. She thought about all of the years that had gone by, and how much time she had missed with her family. So much of her life was lost forever. She never had the chance to marry or have children. She was never an ordinary teenager. She had never experienced a first kiss or love. She had missed out on everything. But most of all she missed her mom.

The fire was low so Paulette grabbed a log and tossed it in. Embers flew through the air and the smoke made her cough. She sat back down and stared into the flames. She began to see a faint outline of an object appear in the fire. As she peered closer the entity slowly became clearer.

It was her mother. She was sick and in a hospital, crying for Paulette.

Paulette shook her head and thought, Am I hallucinating? Am I going crazy? She shut and rubbed her eyes, and opened them again. The vision of her mother was still flickering in the fire. Paulette held her hands over her mouth and began to sob.

She inched closer and whispered, "I'm coming home Mom. I promise. I'm coming home."

The heat intensified and the flames grew higher. As the flames popped, Paulette jumped back as cinders leaped out at her.

Fiend emerged from the fire, enveloping the flames.

"Come with me, Paulette. I can help you go home. I'm the only one who can help you. You can't make it back with the others," he lured.

"What is happening with my mother? Is she sick?" she pleaded for an answer, as tears streamed down her face.

"Yes, she doesn't have much time. If you wish to see her, then come with me now," he said with a sinister tone.

"I don't know," Paulette said confused.

"This is your last chance. It's now or never. Jesse will never be able to get you home. I'm the only one that can help you. Come with me."

"I'll go with you."

"Follow me," he led Paulette away from the woods. She followed him in a hypnotic state.

CHAPTER 8

Presley dreamed of the same young lady dressed in a tight white corset and a lovely dark red petticoat. The pretty lady was playing a lovely tune on a piano. Her hands flew over the keys while her eyes were shut, her body swaying with the music.

≈≈≈≈≈

"Paulette! Paulette!"

Presley was awakened by Jesse's screams. She hurried down from Gracie's limbs as he ran between the trees searching desperately for her.

"What's going on?" Presley yelled anxiously, her heart pounding.

"She's gone!" he panicked his breathing staggered.

Fiend . . . the Manes . . . they found us! They took her! I stayed here all night! I stayed close in case anything happened! Come on, we have to go now!"

He hastily picked up the bag and grabbed Presley by the arm, "Come on, we need to go now," he repeated. His hands were shaking as sweat ran down his pale face.

"Stop," Presley insisted quietly. "You have to calm down and pull yourself together. We'll be of no help to Paulette if we act on impulse. Now, do you believe that Fiend is still here?" she asked him calmly.

"No, I don't feel their presence. Do you? I mean, maybe it's a trap. I think they want us to search for Paulette."

"So, you think she's alive, right?" she asked trying to stay composed.

"I don't know. Remember when Fiend said that he was going to enjoy this? I think he's playing a game. But whether he is or not, we have to find where they took her," he said.

"Okay, let's go."

≈≈≈≈≈

They came to the forest's edge and paused at an open field. The brilliant display of wildflowers covered the prairie like a blanket. The flower blossoms changed colors as they strolled by them.

"Look over there!" Presley exclaimed. It was an old abandoned mansion, the first sign of civilization they had seen since they had left the small town. She ran up to it, astonished at the sight. The house was in ruins, but she could tell that it once had been exquisite.

"This is the biggest house I have ever seen! In person anyway. It's looks almost like a castle or something. Who lived here Jesse?" she asked.

"I have no idea. Whoever they were, I'd say they were well to do!"

"Yeah . . . I'd say so," she agreed. Half of the house was in shambles, with the other half still remaining. Presley tried to imagine how the mansion would have looked if it was still standing. She peered into a window.

"Jesse, there is still furniture in this room! Look at those eccentric dishes! This is amazing!" she said excitedly.

For a moment she forgot the danger that they were in, and Jesse had to quickly remind her.

"Presley, we need to go," he said looking over his shoulder. "I feel like someone is watching us."

"Yeah, of course." She walked towards Jesse with her head still facing the mansion. "I was just a little awestruck."

They continued on and found several other mansions in ruin. "Who lived here?" she asked.

"Well, there are many pages in The Book of Codes that illustrates living beings. I've always assumed they were drawings of human beings. Maybe the drawings were of beings from this world," he rationalized.

"Obviously some sort of living being resided here. "And they would have been intelligent beings to build structures this amazing." They walked by the mansions, which were all destroyed.

"According to the book, we'll come upon a tunnel that will lead us to a castle."

"What? A castle? Through a tunnel?" she repeated.

"You look at the book and tell me what you think," he said as he handed it over.

Looks right to me. We have to keep going," she said

exhausted. "I'm getting tired. Talk to me about something . . . anything. How about your life before you came here?"

"My life, huh?" he said. "I don't know. What do you want to know?"

"Hey, I told you about my family, or lack of one. And now you are going to be secretive?" she asked. Presley really wasn't sure if she wanted to know about Emily. Once again, curiosity got the best of her and before she knew it the words just came out.

"Tell me about anything, your family . . . Emily."

"Okay . . . Emily," he said smiling. Presley's heart sank.

"Well, my pa was a farmer and my ma, kept house. I had one younger brother, John, an older brother, Jack, and two younger sisters, Jenny and Fanny. John was two years younger than me, Jack two years older, and we helped Pa around the farm. I was up every morning before the sun came up and stopped for the day when the sun went down. I was really close to my family. We all worked together. I had a really good life," Jesse looked down and Presley saw the sadness in his eyes.

"And Emily? How did you meet her?" It was as if she couldn't resist.

Jesse grinned, "I met Emily when I was fourteen and she was thirteen. Her family had just moved to town, and Pa and my brothers and I helped build their house. Emily and her ma would come out and bring us lunch and drinks every day," Jesse reflected.

"I watched her for a few weeks, too shy to speak. When I finally got up enough nerve, I went up to her and held out my hand and said hello. She shook my hand and we were inseparable from then on. She was my best friend and I knew, from the first moment that I saw her, that I would marry her someday. Our parents lived a quarter mile apart and our dads farmed together. Our families went to church every Sunday and ate dinner together afterward."

Presley was trying to listen, but she couldn't help feeling envious of Emily. She knew by the twinkle in his eyes when he spoke of her name that he loved her very much.

Jesse's words flowed freely. "When she was seventeen and I had just turned eighteen, I went to her pa and asked him for her hand in marriage. I remember being nervous, shaking and sweating profusely, I showed him the ring that I was going to give her. It was my great-grandmothers ring. He shook my hand and gave me his blessing. He told me that Emily had gone to town with her mother to buy some supplies. I was so happy that I couldn't wait any longer to propose, so I jumped on my horse and rode into town to find her. I ran into the General Store and asked her to come with me. She rode on the back of my horse and I took her to our favorite spot on my pa's farm.

Jesse gazed into the distance, "We named this land Tranquility Hill because of all of the old trees. It was our secret place. Nobody else knew that we named the land, and we never told anybody about our dreams. Emily had one special tree, a big oak tree that she named Sacred. She loved to take picnic dinners there, and she would oftentimes read books to me under the tree or write poetry on nice days. Emily and I used to spend hours riding our horses through the land, naming all of the surrounding trees.

If you stare at a tree long enough you can envision a certain character each possesses. The Kissing Trees looked like lovers embracing with a kiss. We had named practically every tree on that farm, but our tree, Sacred, was my favorite also." He took a deep breath and then cleared his throat. "I haven't thought about that in a long time."

"You named trees?" Presley said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," he snapped back.

"Okay," she said wide eyed.

"Anyway, I took Emily to Tranquility Hill, to our tree, when I proposed. I helped her off the horse and I remember she said, 'What a beautiful day. I believe this to be the most beautiful place in the world. I could stay here forever with you, and never leave, and be the happiest girl in the world.'"

"I said, 'Emily, I thought I'd be nervous . . . but I'm not. I have never felt so calm and nothing has ever felt so right.' I walked her over next to Sacred, and I got down on one knee and she began to cry before she ever even saw the ring. I said, 'You are my best friend. I love you so much. I have loved you from the first time I saw you when I was fourteen years old and we carved our initials into this tree. I want you to be my wife.'"

Presley was getting more jealous by each word that he spoke. But he was so engrossed with the story that he didn't realize that Presley was getting upset.

I was giving her my grandma's wedding band. I had always planned on one day giving her ring to my wife. My brothers use to tease me about it, but I didn't care. I've always been a romantic. When I met Emily I knew she was the girl who someday would be wearing that ring. I had a key engraved on the inside of the band."

"An engraved key?" she snickered, trying to hide her jealousy.

"Yeah. She was the key to my heart." He continued, "So I took the ring out of my pocket and asked her if she would marry me. She said 'yes' before I could even finish the sentence. We spent that afternoon envisioning our lives together, dreaming. We dreamed of building our house right there, right next to our tree, Sacred."

Presley interrupted, "Wow, that's quite a story. How were you so sure that she was the one? I mean, you didn't ever date around? How did you know that at fourteen?"

"Date around? Why would I want to date around when I knew she was what I wanted? There was never a reason for me to date around. When I met her, that was it, I was crazy in love with her."

"I hate to change the subject, but I'm confused . . . so do you still love Emily?"

"I will love her forever. I told her that I would, and I meant it," he said.

"So, if you love Emily, then why do you seem so infatuated with me?" she asked.

"You're different, but you remind me of her a little," he said.

"Really? So, you like me because I remind you of Emily? Okay, Jesse, let me give you a little advice," she scolded. "First of all, when you like a girl it's not cool to tell her about the long lost love of your life. And second of all, it's never okay to tell a girl, who you're interested in, that you like her because she reminds you of your old fiancé!" Presley tried to walk faster than Jesse.

"Hey wait, I didn't mean you remind me of her. I just haven't felt this way about a girl since her. I mean, you asked me about her."

"Yes, I did, but now . . . I'm wishing that I hadn't," she replied angrily.

As Presley kept walking she thought to herself, "What is he thinking? I cannot believe he just went through the whole entire story of their engagement. What an insensitive jerk. Why do I care anyway? Typical guy. I'm going home anyway."

She stopped walking, intending to have another fit, but before she could get another word out she felt something hit her arm. Stunned, she looked down and saw something slither in the grass. Right beside her foot she saw a grey head push up through the ground. The rest of the body followed. Then she glanced up and saw a snake hanging from the limb of a tree above her. She screamed as several snakes began falling from the trees. Once they hit the ground they began to multiply. They slithered violently towards them, their almond shape eyes growing wider. Jesse quickly caught up with her.

"GO! GO! GO!" he yelled pushing her down the path away from the snakes. They ran dodging the snakes that were falling from the branches. Jesse stopped long enough to pull out the crystals from the bag. He handed one to Presley and the crystals lit up, morphing the snakes into their true state-

demons. They were the same evil spirits that they had encountered before, only many more. Fiend was nowhere in sight. They were all panting like a pack of wolves, gasping as if they were unable to catch their breath. They were powder white with evil red narrow eyes. The ring leader of the group had dark reddish brown hair that hung in a straggly way framing his frightful narrow face and hiding his dark horns. His arms and legs were deformed and he moved with spastic motions.

"We come with a message," he said, as he slowly limped closer to Jesse. "We have your friend but, we are willing to trade her for . . . you." His tongue periodically dropped out of the side of his mouth as he spoke.

"Trade her for me?" Jesse asked as his voice cracked mid-sentence.

"Yes," the demon answered. "Follow us and we will lead you to her."

"No, don't go," Presley pleaded. "Remember, it's a trap."

"Don't listen to her. Come with us!" the demon shouted.

As Presley turned around to run from the demons, she tripped over a blunt object protruding from the ground.

"Jesse! It's a bone," she said as she brushed off the dirt. Oh, Jesse, look, it's a skeleton of a wing!"

Bones covered the ground. Jesse quickly examined their surroundings. He saw bones barely buried under the ground, scattered, far as his eyes could see. The demons deep harsh laugh turned into a high pitched shrilling scream as they vanished into the sky.

Presley started sobbing uncontrollably, "We have to get out of here! What is this place? I want to go home, Jesse! I want to go home, now!" she cried. "Jesse, I can't go any further. This is all too much. What are we going to do?"

She started running then tripped on another bone and fell down, again.

"Come on, Presley. Get up. Don't you see, this is what they want? They want us to give up. They want us to give in," he said.

"Why? What do they want? If they could kill us, then why don't they? They've had ample opportunities to kill us, and they haven't. This is more than a game to them. It's more than just the chase that they are after," she said angrily.

Jesse sat beside her and brushed Presley's hair from her face. "I had always heard about demons and evil growing up, but nothing could have prepared me for this. I want you to go home, too. I want you to be safe. I will get you home," he promised. Presley looked up at Jesse. He embraced her and then said, "Come on, girl, we are so close to finding Manna. I can feel it." As they rose off the ground, Presley brushed the dirt off of her jeans.

≈≈≈≈≈

After walking a few miles further they came to a clearing. Jesse was puzzled as he looked intently around the area. "I don't understand. There should be a tunnel," he said, taking The Book of Codes out of the bag. He opened it and turned to the end of the book. "See," he pointed at the page. "Here! The tunnel should be right around here."

They split up for a short while until Presley shouted to him, "Jesse over here, I think I found something." Jesse hurried over to her and began vigorously pulling deeply rooted vines away from the covered entrance. Presley unmasked the hidden opening. Jesse yanked the last large vine away unveiling the entrance. They shielded their eyes from a radiant light. Eventually their eyes adjusted to the brightness.

"Look how it glows!" she exclaimed. "Have you ever seen this color before?

"No, it's like blue or an emerald green, maybe . . . I don't know. It's so bright. I can't tell."

As they entered, it was apparent from the worn rock floor that the tunnel had been used in the past. Presley pressed her hand through the weeds and against the emerald walls as she tried to imagine who had constructed such a formation.

"This is amazing, Jesse," she said.

"I'm speechless," he confessed.

"Did Manna build this?" she asked.

"I don't know. This whole place is lifeless. I mean, except for plants and a few animals, we haven't seen one living creature that would be capable of building this. I think that they are all dead."

"Obviously there was once an intelligent entity that lived here. And now nobody. Only bones. What could've happened?" she asked.

"Maybe they were wiped out. They're gone now," he answered.

"Yeah, maybe Fiend killed them. And, if so, would that include Manna?" Jesse suddenly stopped walking and his eyes grew large.

Presley looked beyond Jesse and, in utter amazement, saw the most brilliant, luminous castle. She was astonished by the gleaming structure. It shined as if it were created out of diamonds. Invitingly, a long, smooth, majestic white pearl passageway lined with large soft blue weeping willows, led the way to the castle. The landscape was perfectly manicured with beautiful gardens surrounding the castle. Winged white horses roamed freely on the lush lawn. Amazed at the sight before them they inched closer to the castle. Jesse noticed that the embrasures were all vacant. A moat surrounded the entire structure. They slowly walked across the drawbridge, which was the only way to enter the castle. As they passed they noticed the moat was completely dried up.

"Presley, don't be shocked if we don't find anyone here. Something dreadful must have happened to the beings that lived here. There isn't a soul around. All of the homes have been destroyed. This place is completely desolate of intelligent life," he concluded.

"Well, we haven't even reached the door yet, Jesse. Don't get all pessimistic on me now," she encouraged.

"Yeah, I know, but look. Shouldn't there be guards up there?" he asked pointing to the tower. "And what about the guards at the door? I don't see anyone," he added.

They continued to the massive doorway. Jesse pulled up the heavy knocker, but before he could push it back down, the door began to creep open. They both took a few steps backwards, unsure of what they would find on the other side of the door.

An abnormally tall human- like creature stood in front of them. He had many wrinkles on his face and thin pale lips. His white hair hung down below his waist and his hands were twice as large as an average man. His eyes were kind and much wider than a human's. Presley couldn't believe it. Standing in front of her was a member of an unknown species, an alien to her, which also made her an alien to him. But he didn't seem much like an alien. Not like the stereotypical alien that she had always imagined anyway. He didn't have the awkward grey appearance. No, this alien looked much like a human apart from being taller and a few other notable distinctions.

He held out his large hand, "I'm Samson," he said in a low voice. Jesse shook his hand. "You are Jesse and you are Presley. We have been waiting for you for some time. Please come in."

He graciously opened the door further, allowing Presley and Jesse to enter the castle together. Jesse took Presley's hand and gently squeezed it indicating the bizarreness of the situation. Presley returned the gesture. The inside of the castle was dark and mysterious.

"I'm aware that you are here to see Manna," Samson said softly, "Come with me." They followed Samson through the huge foyer and down a dark candlelit corridor that led to a massive room with a long table full of food. There were several platters of meat, bread, rolls, fruits, vegetables and a slew of deserts.

"As I said, we have been expecting you. Please eat, indulge yourselves." Presley and Jesse didn't hesitate. They filled their plates and devoured each bite. Samson stood at the doorway, amused by their large consumption of food. After they were finished Samson asked, "Are you ready to meet Manna?"

"I've been ready for 168 years," Jesse sighed.

Chapter Nine

Samson led them up a long and narrow passage. The stairs were beautifully illuminated with large candles burning in gold sconces on each side of the hall. Etched depictions of the winged horses decorated the walls. The stairs were cracked and aged, and each step they took echoed through the foyer. They continued down the hallway until they came to the third door on the right. Samson gently knocked then slowly opened the door. He entered the room first, as Jesse and Presley waited anxiously in the hallway. Presley glanced inside the room and heard Samson as he began to speak a foreign language to someone sitting behind a large weathered desk. Their conversation was brief, as Samson pivoted to leave the room, he gestured for them to enter. Timidly, Jesse poked his head inside the door.

"Please, come in," the man said in a deep resonant voice.

A large, circular crystal lay on the desk balancing on a base. A compass floated in the air beside the desk. A large mirror stood in the middle of the room. Behind the desk was an adjacent room with countless tiny small lights and spherical balls, which were all spinning at different speeds, and moving in different directions. Although this should have appeared chaotic, it didn't. The lights were magnificent and seemed to move with a purpose.

Manna noticed them observing the lights, "That is your galaxy . . . we have been studying your galaxy for many years," his lips turned downward.

Like Samson, Manna's hair was long and white. He, too, had thin lips. Presley noticed sadness in Manna's eyes. He looked as if he had carried with him a great deal of pain and grief. His body was covered in a long, light blue robe held together with a white braided belt. His wide, icy blue eyes matched the robe precisely. He had many wrinkles, which made him appear quite old.

"Allow me to introduce myself," said Jesse, holding out his trembling hand.

"I know who you are," Manna took Jesse's hand and held it as he talked. "I've been watching you, studying you. I'm glad that you are safe. I've been waiting for you to find us. I know that you come to me with many questions," said Manna

"Questions?" Jesse said in a perplexed voice. "I don't even know where to begin. Where do I start? Where are we? What is this Book of Codes? How do we get our friend, Paulette, back? Why are we here? How do we get back to our world? How did we get here? Who are you?"

Gently Manna interrupted, "Okay. Okay. Slow down. I will answer all of your questions. Let's start with who I am. Before humans were here, there was once a great civilization. Within this civilization I was part of a special group called The Panacea of Gnostic. The Panacea of Gnostic was made up of women and men of our species who all possessed special gifts. On Earth I believe you refer to them as psychics or mediums," he said slowly.

"And, let me guess. You could talk to spirits?" Presley asked skeptically.

"Yes, we all had the gift to speak to spirits," said Manna.

"Seriously?" asked Jesse intrigued.

"Making contact with the spirit world has never been questioned on this planet. I know that on Earth you have many different views about the spirit world, and most of your people are highly skeptical of those who have the gift to speak to the dead. But, we were embraced by our people. And we did more than just speak to the dead. Some of us could also envision the future and others could see events from the past. Our techniques and our gifts were all different. Long ago, the ruler of our planet, Pax, built this castle for the members of The Panacea of Gnostic so that we could work together as a society to help him and the other leaders in making decisions.

"Pax was the ruler? Like a president?" Presley asked.

"Exactly," replied Manna. "When our government officials or any of the porits, for that matter, needed answers to their questions they would come here to the castle for a reading."

"Porit? What's a porit?" Presley interrupted.

"I am a porit, as you are a person," he replied. Porha is the name of this world. Some porits traveled for days to come to the castle for a reading." Manna put his finger up, quickly explaining, "A reading was with the psychic, of their choice, whomever they felt could provide the best answers to their questions. If someone wanted contact with the spirit world and matters of the past, then often the reading would be requested with Samson. He has connected with the spirit realm longer than I, or anyone else has.

"So, all of you who live in the castle can speak to the dead?" asked Presley.

"Yes. The deceased are on a slightly higher realm than us, but we all are able to make contact. Our gifts go beyond just speaking to the spirits, though," added Manna.

"You still haven't explained how we got here or how we get back," said Presley.

Manna continued, "Porha is a much smaller planet than Earth. For centuries our civilization prospered and flourished. We were a highly intelligent and advanced society compared to the others in the cosmos. There was only one government with one ruler on our planet."

With a gesture of Manna's hand the large mirror began to light up. As Manna spoke, the mirror revealed images from the past.

Pax, our ruler, had multiple leaders under him from each region around our world. Pax had a charismatic personality and he sincerely cared for the people of Porha. One of the leaders under his command was Delcon. He ultimately wanted to take over Porha, and take Pax's place as ruler. The porits supported Pax and chose him to be the ruler over Delcon time and time again. After years of defeat, Delcon took a drastic step that would forever affect Porha.

Delcon came to our castle, late one night, for a reading, he requested me. All of the members had various ways to tap into the beyond. Some could hear spirits and others could feel them." Manna shut his eyes and chose his words carefully.

"For me, my mind taps into a place, somewhere in the universes, that I believe is the key to unlocking our world's mysteries. A place that holds all answers to our questions and possesses the secrets of the universes. I have a much wider range of aptitude than the others in The Panacea Gnostic. I can see the past, future, and present. Because of this, I was the most sought after psychic for the politicians.

"However, there is one problem with how I conduct my readings. I don't know what I'm saying during the reading, and I can't remember the reading after I finish. You see, in order for me to perform a reading for someone, I begin by putting myself into a sleep like trance. Once I am under, the person I'm reading will ask me their questions. I have a very short window of time for each reading, and when I come out of the trance the reading is over.

"But, just like the thousands of readings that came before that one, I didn't remember any of it afterward. It wasn't until later that I learned how devastating that one reading would be. Delcon wanted to be the leader of Porha. He wanted power, you see. He was naturally greedy." Manna took a deep breath.

"During the reading, without my knowledge, he asked me how he could become the most powerful leader of Porha. Delcon was inherently evil, and by asking such a selfish, greedy question he evoked the evil spirit, Fiend. Fiend realized that in order to become strong enough to rule over our world he must first take over a porit's body. Fiend had unsuccessfully tried, since the beginning of time, to tempt the porits and persuade them to join him by offering bribes. His main goal was collecting souls, which gave him power. Enough power to eventually take over Porha. Fiend took full advantage of Delcon." Sorrowfully, Manna held his face in trembling hands.

"Through me, Fiend convinced Delcon that if he would agree to give him his soul after death, then during his life he would make him the most powerful leader of Porha. Delcon agreed," Manna continued. "He signed a binding contract that his soul would go to Fiend after he died. After signing the contract, Fiend killed him. He literally sucked Delcon's last breath away from him. Fiend captured Delcon's soul then entered Delcon's lifeless body. It all took place right here, right where we are standing - in this very room," Manna said, as he pointed around the room his hands still trembling.

"After the reading, I awoke and I noticed that Delcon's appearance had changed. He looked evil, stronger, and more powerful. His lips had turned pale white as did his skin. His eyes were black as night and rapidly began to change into a deep red. He looked wicked. I became very scared. Without a word, he fled the castle. I stayed in my room, fearing that something horrific had just occurred," Manna's voice cracked.

"Minutes later, a spine-chilling animalistic scream came from outside the castle." He went over to the window and pointed outside as he continued the story. "Instinctively, I knew that something was terribly wrong, so I immediately ran down the hallway to Samson's chamber. Samson, panic stricken, yelled, 'What have you done?' I can still remember how frightened I was looking at the horror in his eyes.

Samson ran down the hallway to this room and I ran after him. Now remember Samson's gift is seeing the past. Samson spun around in a circle with his arms out, picking up the energy that had been in the room. Samson quickly fell to his knees and screamed, 'Fiend was here! Delcon promised his soul to Fiend. Fiend killed him and took over Delcon's body.'"

Presley and Jesse sat in silence, staring in disbelief.

Finally, Jesse broke the silence, "So, this spirit, Fiend, is a demon?"

"Yes," answered Manna.

"What happened to all of the porits?" asked Presley.

"Well, the collapse of our civilization took many years. Fiend, who was now in Delcon's body, went back to work as one of Porha's leaders under Pax. Neither the porits nor Delcon's friends and family knew he was dead and that Fiend had taken over his life and his body.

"Later, there was another election held for the next ruler of Porha. All of the porits were confident that Pax would win the election. Once again, Delcon ran against Pax and the porits slowly began to take notice of Delcon. He was a very passionate and impressive speaker, and soon he had quite a large group of supporters.

"In the beginning, Pax was still in the lead. Delcon wasn't worried. He knew to win the election; he must first win over the porits. He started to get the word out that he had invented a device that would allow them access to planet Earth. They all were infatuated with the humans' progression of life. The porits grew more and more obsessed with the different cultures. Our planet's main ambition was to improve our technology so we could find out more information about the universe and the worlds in it. We all have had an obsession with your planet, Earth, for a very long time. I still do.

"Delcon claimed that he had developed a device that could transport matter instantly from one location to another. This disproved everything we knew about physics. Fiend convinced the porits that time itself is only an illusion, a man-made reality. Furthermore, he said that matter was really only energy, including our bodies. He convinced them that this device was able to break down energy and move it anywhere he desired. Fiend, residing in Delcon, said this device would be able to transport the top scientist of Porha to Earth so that they could live among the humans. The scientist could study more in depth the human race and diverse cultures. The minerals of Earth would be gathered, along with samples of water and soil, different organisms, and animals and then be to transported back to Porha.

"Over time, the word spread to more and more porits, and Delcon's supporters soon outnumbered Pax's. Needless to say, Delcon won the election. He earned the porits' trust by fulfilling his promises. He completed and implemented the transportation device called Rapt Ferry." Manna began to anxiously pace the room.

"He then successfully sent a group of scientists to Earth and the porits were ecstatic. The scientists lived among the humans without raising any suspicion. Some are still there. The Rapt Ferry was in multiple places around Earth, including the one that sent both of you here. The scientist studied the Earth for many years, each time collecting useful data.

"Now that Delcon had earned the porits' trust, he moved onto the second phase of his plan. He began to use propaganda to slowly brainwash the porits. We used to pride ourselves on how peaceful our planet was in comparison to Earth anyway. We studied so many worlds that had frivolous wars and destroyed their fellow species. I remember thinking how foolish that was. Before Fiend, our society was compassionate and peaceful. We understood that we had only one planet, and even though we had different ideas and thoughts, we helped each other through the struggles and learned to compromise on issues when we disagreed. We shared riches and helped our neighbors, and there was no violence. We thought violence was senseless.

"Our technology tripled in the first year that Delcon ruled. Slowly, the porits began taking for granted their spirituality and innate need to connect with nature and each other. They grew increasingly more materialistic and lost sight of others in need. They allowed the weak to starve. They allowed the poor to suffer. The people who had a voice never spoke up, and our once great civilization was gradually collapsing. Our world was falling apart, but everyone was so busy with trivial, self - serving, perpetual superficial matters that either they didn't notice or they simply didn't care. The porits became increasingly more selfish and greedy.

"The Panacea of Gnostic tried to warn the leaders. We told them about Fiend, but they were so brainwashed by him nobody would listen. We tried to warn as many porits as we could about our doomed future, but they chose to ignore us. Fewer and fewer porits came in for readings, and all of them virtually lost the spiritual connection they once had. We had a meeting here at the castle and we used all of our powers to try to piece together the future of our civilization. The images from the mirror were graphic and dire.

"All of us here at the castle saw the same devastating outcome. I could see the future. I could see the death. If the porits continued living for pleasures of today instead of protecting the future of our civilization, it would inevitably be destroyed.

"It was their choice. They had been warned. After the success of the Rapt Ferry, Delcon convinced the porits that he could heal the sick and he promised them wealth and success. He lured them in with his manipulating calculating ways. He swore to them that there would no longer be any sickness or disease. He promised them wealth and mansions greater than anything they had ever seen.

"He encouraged all of Porha to go to their region leaders and sign a contract. The contract read of all the riches that they would receive for the mere exchange of their souls after death. The first who signed the contract were the sick. Just as promised, after signing it, they were instantly healed. Next, the poor signed the contract, and they became instantly wealthy. Finally, Delcon claimed that he had found the fountain of youth. He promised to stop the aging process so that nobody would age any further. Well, the porits had become so vain and self - absorbed that they never questioned how Delcon could do any of this. It was of the supernatural. And they chose to ignore it. The rest of Porha's society took notice of these obvious changes and soon almost everyone had signed the contract. They were given huge mansions, jewels, virtually anything they wanted. They became wealthy beyond compare but, with wealth they became increasingly greedy.

Soon the mansions weren't enough. The Porits began to turn on each other. After receiving the mansions, even the once poor wanted a bigger and better mansion. Friends competed against friends, neighbors competed against neighbors, and regions competed against regions. Greed overpowered Porha, and the porits became extremely destructive.

A war broke out and the Porha civilization, in essence, destroyed themselves because of greed. I still can't believe that . . . greed. We had this beautiful planet, a spiritual civilization, and it wasn't enough for them. Fiend sat back and watched as his master plan played out. All of the porits were dead and Fiend collected soul after soul. He managed to take every one of the porits' souls . . . except a few of us left here at the castle and the porits on Earth," Manna tried to hold back his tears, but they could see his sorrow by his quivering lip.

"I'm sorry," said Presley.

"I carry this with me every day. I've just never spoken the words of that terrible event out loud. I felt so helpless," Manna took another deep breath and cleared his throat.

"So this Rapt Ferry, the device that brought us here, how does it work?" asked Presley.

Manna walked over to the corner of the room and then suddenly disappeared.

Presley looked around the room, "Where did he go?"

"Look out there!" Jesse pointed out the large window. Manna stood outside under a magnificent arbor with large blooms hanging from it. Surrounding him was an enormous garden. He then suddenly appeared back in the room.  
"You see?" said Manna.

"How did you do that?" asked Jesse in amazement.

"We were able to make a prototype of the Rapt Ferry here at the castle. We figured out how to manipulate matter, break it down into its smallest form, and transport it to a precise destination. However, we were unsuccessful at transporting matter over far distances. So, in order to go back to Earth, you'll have to find the Rapt Ferry that sent you here."

"So, the Rapt Ferry is like a port hole?" questioned Presley.

"Yes," replied Manna.

"I see. Hopefully we can make it there without being captured first," Presley mumbled. "Will you do that again?" asked Presley.

"What? Disappear?" Manna said.

"Yes," she answered.

Instantly, Manna was back outside at the garden again. They watched as light blue wings protruded out from Manna's back. He flapped his wings several times before he was lifted from the ground. He flew up to the window and unlatched the lock from the outside. Once inside, they watched in wonder as his massive wings folded into his back.

"Porits have wings?" Jesse questioned.

"Of course we have wings," Manna smiled.

"So, the winged bones that we saw on our way here, those were the porits' bones? Fiend killed them all?" Jesse asked.

"Yes, they essentially destroyed themselves. But, not only did the porits get greedy; the leaders of our world got greedy first. They were more worried about advancing politically than how it would affect the universe and our world.

"The porits never questioned their leadership. They got increasingly materialistic and the leaders became careless. They were supposed to lead by example. Everyone wanted more things, and by doing so, they destroyed themselves and our planet. Greed. Power. Envy.

"You can see our planet now. Once again it's beautiful and balanced. It took many years to come back from the devastation that the leaders and the porits left it in. We knew that if the people and our government didn't change, it would be the end of our civilization. We told the world leaders and we told the porits about Fiend taking over Delcon's body, but greed is powerful and they didn't want to hear it. They didn't want to change. They advanced the technology under Fiend's command despite global catastrophe."

"Why did Fiend have to take over Delcon's body? Why didn't he just destroy the porits and take their souls himself?" Jesse pressed.

"Because Fiend is a spirit. He has to be given consent before he can take a soul. The porits agreed and they inevitably, destroyed themselves," Manna explained.

"Paulette must have agreed to go with him, too," Presley said suddenly.

"Yes," said Manna.

"Did she give him her soul?" asked Jesse.

"I don't know. I'm certain that he tried to persuade her to give up her soul since that's what gives him power. She must have signed a contract," Manna added.

"Yeah, but what would he persuade her with?" asked Presley.

"Well, what does she want more than anything?" asked Manna.

"She wants to go home," Jesse said sadly.

CHAPTER 10

"We will find and save Paulette," Jesse said confidently.

"What if we can't find her? I mean, it's going to be hard enough just finding the port hole," Presley said as she nervously bit her thumb.

"We have to find her. I knew coming here was too dangerous. I have to get you home," Jesse looked down. "I don't want you to leave, but I know now that you must. It will never be safe here. I wish that there was a way . . . I would do anything if there was a way," said Jesse.

Presley's look turned into a hard stare. "You don't even know me. How is it that your feelings for me are so strong when I have only known you for a few days? I don't understand," she said.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," Jesse looked at her hopelessly.

"Try me."

Jesse eyes focused on Manna. "You may not believe me, Presley, but maybe you would believe Manna. Manna, please, help me tell her. Help me make her understand.

"I don't think so," Manna shook his head. "I'm sorry. I just don't see the advantages of telling her," he said.

"Please, Manna. I've been here unwillingly for years. I've lost my entire life. I was forced to give up my life. Please, give Presley a reading. It's the only way that she will understand," he pleaded.

"Understand what?" Presley asked.

"You do have the same feelings for me as I do for you. You have too," he urged. "You do. I know that you do. I can feel it. Aren't you at least curious about where this feeling comes from?"

Presley was curious. She didn't understand her feelings for him. But, she was also scared of uncovering the truth. Scared of the unknown. Cautiously, she nodded.

"I'm begging you to read her," Jesse pleaded.

The despair in Jesse's eyes convinced Manna and he slowly walked over to a cushioned bench. Resting his head on a small pillow, he placed his hands on his chest and shut his eyes. After a few moments of silence, he opened them. They appeared to be black. His eyelids began to flutter vigorously. A few moments later, once in a deep trance, he asked, "What is your question?"

"Why do I love this girl, Presley?" Jesse asked as he looked deeply into Presley's eyes. Presley looked sharply at Jesse, surprised by his use of the word love.

Still in a deep trance, Manna replied, "In another life, in another time, she was your fiancé. In this other life her name was Emily Rose, and the two of you were to be married a week after Jesse disappeared. You're soulmates, destined to be together. In each life you have the chance to find each other. However, since Jesse is stuck on Porha, neither of you are able to connect with your true soulmate. You two were once madly in love with each other. Then he was suddenly taken.

"Emily Rose, who has lived many lives since, is presently reincarnated as Presley Dae. Emily was so confused when Jesse disappeared. She thought Jesse had left her. She thought that maybe Jesse didn't want to marry her.

"Then word came along that another young girl, Sarah, had also disappeared at the same time. As the years went by with no word from Jesse or Sarah, Emily and Jesse's parents determined they ran off together.

In every life you have the chance to connect with your soulmate. Presley doesn't have a soulmate on Earth, and so she still feels lonely and lost in her life today," he said slowly.

Presley's eyes began to fill with tears as Manna continued the reading. "She longs to be loved and desired, but she hasn't been able to make such a connection with anyone because Jesse is her soulmate and he's unattainable to her. She will go on in her life looking for love, but it will be destined to fail, for no love will ever match what she once had in another life, in another time with Jesse."

As Manna came out of his trance his eyes slowly opened and gradually began to change to green. After his eyes returned to their natural shade of pale blue, he asked, "Was the information helpful?"

Presley looked stunned as she stared at Jesse, "So, I was in love with you in another life?"

"Yes," replied Jesse. "I knew right away when you first came here." He took hold of Presley's arm and turned it over. He pointed to a small birthmark on her forearm. I noticed that birthmark on your arm shortly after you came here. Emily had the same birthmark, it stunned me at first, and I thought that it was only a coincidence. But as soon as I touched you, I felt an undeniable connection. I felt an energy that was very familiar," he said.

Presley looked down at her birthmark. "I felt as if I knew you too, but I just couldn't make sense out of it," she confessed.

"I hesitated telling you. I know how crazy this must sound and I know that you are going back. I prayed that if I could only see you one more time I'd tell you how much I love you and how sorry I was that we didn't get the chance to be married," he rambled.

Presley was trying to make sense of the information as she turned to Manna. "What does this mean exactly? You're saying that in another life I was Emily, and then I was reincarnated over one hundred and fifty years later- into me?"

"Yes. You have much more to learn. That's why you came back again," Manna told her.

"Okay, what exactly am I supposed to learn? Like physics and calculus?" she said sarcastically.

"No. It's not about what you learn in a textbook or how educated you are. Life is about how much you grow spiritually. How you are enlightened in each life determines how many times you come back. The unfortunate part for you is that your soulmate, your life partner if you will, is trapped here. So, in each life you'll never be capable of a deep loving connection with anyone. So, more than likely, you have been trying to find Jesse in each of these lives," Manna replied.

"I've been trying to find Jesse?"

"Yes, and you did! Subconsciously - you found me." Jesse took her hand.

"But I don't remember being Emily. Wouldn't I have some recollection of her?" Presley questioned.

"That depends on how intuitive you are. Some people have extremely strong feelings of dé ja vu, when you experience the feeling of having done something before or visiting a place that you feel like you've been before, but never have. Maybe you lived there or did something in a previous life and you're remembering bits of it in your current life. Some people remember their name in another life or where they lived. They just don't talk about these things openly in your world for fear of being thought of as crazy. Knowing the information now might prompt some memories of your former life with Jesse," explained Manna.

"Am I the same person that I was?" Presley shook her head, confusing herself with the question. I mean, is Presley the same person as Emily?" she asked.

"Yes and no," replied Manna. "Of course your appearance is different, but your soul is the same. Your body is just a casing which holds your soul. But your soul is eternal so when your external body dies your soul lives on. The soul that once lived in Emily now lives on in you, Presley. See, your body and your brain are connected which allows for your body movements, speech, and so on. But your mind and your soul are connected, and that is where you find who you are. But the body and brain are not eternally connected to your mind and soul. Together they all help you achieve a higher degree of enlightenment, but the body only lasts for a short period of time, and when it dies your spirit lives on eternally," Manna took a deep breath.

"Think of it like this; your body is a radio and your soul is like the radio waves. Say the radio, your body, broke. Just because the radio broke doesn't mean the radio waves are broken as well. If you get a new radio, a new body, it would pick up on the same radio waves as the old radio. Do you understand? Your spirit is like the radio waves because it doesn't die. Your body may die, but it's only a transmitter, anyway. Your soul lives on - eternally . . . forever."

"Okay," Presley looked at Jesse as she unsuccessfully tried to recall a memory of him in her former life. Then she remembered her dream. Her heart began to pound. "Can Jesse come back with me? Is there a way?" she asked abruptly without thinking.

Manna shook his head. He picked up The Book of Codes and flipped through several of the pages. He stopped and turned the book to us so that they could see the drawing.

"This picture demonstrates what would happen to a human body if it were to go back to Earth through the port hole, past the time their life would have originally expired. If Jesse was to go back with you, he would age to 186 years old on Earth. He'd be dead. He would age and die rapidly, within seconds. No, he cannot go back with you. You and Paulette can still go back. Paulette would age, but she could live out the rest of her life on Earth. Or, she could stay here and remain 15 until she dies here. That is if you can save her from Fiend. I know that the journey here was long and exhausting, and all of this information is completely draining. Both of you must stay here tonight and get some rest."

"Is there a place where Jesse and I can be alone?" Presley asked wearily.

"Of course," Manna could sense the distress is her voice. "We'll talk more tomorrow and discuss possible strategies we can use to get Paulette back. For now, you both need rest."

Manna opened the door and led them down the hallway and another flight of stairs. Tucked away at the bottom of the stairs was a room, separate from the rest of the castle.

"Rest here for the night. Everything you need should be in this room. There are extra clothes in the dresser and a bathroom to your right." He walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Presley sat on the large, soft bed. The blanket looked worn and tattered. The room felt cold and had a musty smell. It would have been completely dark if not for two small candles flickering on each side table.

Jesse sat on the floor and faced Presley, "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," she answered.

"I know that you're confused. I am too. But there is not a doubt in my mind of who you are- or who you were. You are the same person I fell in love with long, long ago. And you are the same person I've been in love with for all of these years. I have never stopped loving you. I've never stopped thinking about you. I'm frustrated because I know that you don't remember being Emily. I wish you could remember. I have the love of my life in front of me right now and she doesn't remember me," he shook his head slowly.

"For so long I've wanted to see you again, to hold you again, even for a brief moment. And now, even though I had wished for only a moment, I'm realizing a moment isn't going to be enough. This hurts all over again because I know you are going back. You have to go back - I know that we can't be together. I know you cannot stay here. It isn't safe."

Presley's eyes began to fill with tears again. She had a strong desire for Jesse, that up until now, she had been trying to suppress. The feeling hadn't made sense to her.

"This isn't fair," she mumbled. "I'm just having a hard time processing all of this. I know my feelings for you are strong and real. I now have a deeper understanding of why this feeling is so strong. I've been questioning my feelings for the last few days."

"You're thinking too much. You're thinking with your head," Jesse said in frustration.

"Stop. Quit thinking and close your eyes." Presley closed her eyes and Jesse sat beside her on the bed. Jesse took Presley's hand and held it closely to his chest. He leaned in closely to her face. He turned her head slightly to smell the hair right above her ear.

"You smell the same," he said, with his eyes closed. Presley's arms filled with goose bumps.

"Do you feel that?"

She opened her eyes and Jesse took her other hand and held it gently, staring deeply into her eyes. He asked her again, "Do you feel that?"

"Yes," she answered.

"This feeling is undeniable. It's love. Agape love. You are trying to make sense out of an emotion. True love is supposed to last forever. Even though we can't be together, it comforts me to know that our love has truly lasted."

Presley listened intently as he confessed his undying love for her. She had never felt anyone love her so deeply. Ever. Not her mother and certainly not Tyler.

Jesse scratched his head and took deep breaths as he tried to keep the tears from falling.

He laughed nervously, "I don't want to lose you again."

He wrapped his arms around her and they fell together on the bed. Typically, she would have been skeptical of a guy's intention, lying there on the bed with her, but not Jesse. She felt more secure with him than she had with anyone ever before. She curled her legs up and he held her tight. She could feel his heart against her back and his breath on her neck.

"Sleep," he whispered, as he stroked her hair.

Presley slowly drifted to sleep. Jesse stayed awake and stared at her face as the candlelight flicked against her skin. He wanted to stay in that moment forever. He wanted to be present. He wanted to remember how she felt, her soft skin, her familiar intoxicating smell and he wanted to remember how he felt. Being with her again made him feel as if he was home. He was grateful to be with her, but he felt the agony gnawing at him, knowing that he was going to lose her forever. He finally realized she would inevitably have to go back, but for this night they were together. In Jesse's mind Presley and Emily were only words. Her spirit was the same and it was her spirit that he had been in love with so long ago. He fell asleep with his arm gently embraced around Presley's waist, his head resting against hers.

CHAPTER 11

As Presley slept, her dreams sent her back to her past life as Emily. She was under their favorite tree, Sacred, and Jesse was sliding a simple thin gold ring on her finger.

Presley slowly awoke beside a still sleeping Jesse. Facing him, she lay in the early morning light quietly, trying not to wake him. She found herself concentrating on every line and pore on his face. She tried to remember specifics about her previous life, but her mind drew a blank. The only way she could remember her past life was through her dreams.

Why can't I remember anything when I'm awake? she thought. Her brain just wouldn't allow it. She extended her finger and lightly ran it along his warm, strong arm. She traced I love you with her finger. Still afraid to speak these words aloud, she knew them to be true. She was conscious of the fact that she had always loved him, even before she met him in Porha. She had been searching for him her entire life. She struggled with her emotions and seriously contemplated whether to go back to Earth or stay with him in Porha.

His eyes gradually opened, "Good morning," he smiled. He cuddled up closer to her, his strong arms tightened around her small waist. They lay comfortably engulfed in the moment, wishing it would never pass. Both anxious and aware that it must. Their eyes locked.

"I want to stay. I want to stay with you," she said softly.

He smiled.

"After everything we've been through in the past few days, and you want to stay?" he said surprised.

"Yes, I want to stay," she said.

His smile faded, "I can't let you stay. Porha is too dangerous. You have to go back," he insisted.

"We could help Paulette get back home and then we could go back to town and I could help you with the farm and - we could . . . be together," she said hopefully.

"No, you have a life, a real life to get back to. If something were to happen to you here, I couldn't live with myself."

"You don't want me to stay?" she asked pitifully.

"I would do anything for us to be together, aside from endangering your life. Presley, I love you more than I love myself. Asking you to stay was selfish of me. I know better. I need to know that you are safe. I need to know that you will go back and have a great life. I can live the rest of my life out here - knowing that you are home and out of harm's way."

She left the bed and slowly walked over to the corner of the room, hoping he would say something, anything, to make the outcome of their situation end the way she wished. He didn't. He couldn't. There was nothing either of them could do.

The information that Manna had presented to her the night before began to invade her psyche once again. She never doubted what Manna had said. She knew, with everything in her, that she had known Jesse before, and she knew that she loved him. That much was evident. Even though she was unable to express her feelings into words, just like Manna's gift, she knew it to be true. Her mind was racing with countless thoughts, running rampant through her head. Jesse anxiously paced the floor and then finally broke the silence.

"We need to get around and talk to Manna again. We can't waste any more time here. Paulette needs us."

"Okay." She wanted to stay in the room with Jesse forever. She liked the fact of being tucked away, secluded from the rest of her world, alone with him. He took her hand and pulled her up from the bed as she dragged her feet.

He opened the door and went up the stairs and down the hallway to Manna's room. Jesse was just about to knock when they heard a faint voice.

"Come in," the voice said.

They found Manna sitting at his desk as he was the previous day.

"I hope that you are well rested," he stated. "Were you comfortable?"

"Yes," replied Jesse, as he pulled a book out of his bag and placed it on Manna's desk. "The Book of Codes. Did you write it?"

"Yes, I wrote it, with some help from the other psychics here at the castle. I wanted you to find it along with the crystals and I wanted you to find me. That's why I let myself be known throughout the book. The other writers wanted their names omitted because they feared not only Fiend but also the human race. You see, when Fiend and the Manes unsuccessfully infiltrated our castle, the members of The Panacea Gnostic were terrified.

"I was quite aware that you, along with others from your planet, would inevitably be transmitted here through the open port hole so we made a safe place for you to live. We designed the small town where you have been living and supplied it with virtually everything you would need to survive: livestock, fields to grow vegetables, wood for shelter, cotton for clothes. We built your town around Gracie to keep you safe from Fiend. As I said before, we studied your world for a long while. We knew long ago about your different cultures and tried to make the town conducive to your human needs. We were unsure of how you would react to us so we had to keep our distance from you.

"But we're an extremely compassionate group, and we knew that if we didn't help you, then all of you would surely die."

Jesse glanced up from the book, "You made the town for us?"

"Yes. We felt profound empathy for all of you who would, without intervention, unavoidably face the same fate as the porits, caused by Fiend's seduction. So, after our civilization was destroyed, the other members of The Panacea Gnostic and I worked together to gather information and knowledge about these demons. We learned two valuable pieces of information. First, the crystals that nourish Gracie's soil fend off the spirits like a repellant. Second, the crystals that you hold work slightly differently. They make the spirits visible to you. Without them you would not see them, not in their true spirit form anyway."

"So these crystals don't keep the spirits away?" Jesse held up the gems.

"Right, Gracie's crystals are different than the ones that you hold. They each have completely separate powers. The magic crystals in Gracie's soil travel through her root system, enabling her to carry the enriched nutrients from the crystals, and spread them to the other trees throughout Porha.

"However the ones you carry are different. You need those crystals to make it possible to see the spirits. If you can maneuver around the spirits you have a good chance of getting back home," Manna concluded.

"How do we get Presley and Paulette back to Earth?" asked Jesse.

"The same way they came, the same way you came," Manna simply stated.

"The same way! Why didn't you write that in the book? Obviously you know English. You couldn't have thought of a better way to warn us of Fiend other than by using scripted messages that I can't decode? You couldn't just plainly write 'Hey Jesse! If you want to go back home just go back the same way you came!' I mean what was your plan? What were you going to do? Just let us rot here? You couldn't have shared this information with us? Now it's too late. It's too late for me to go back home. And it's too late for me to see my family and it's too late to be with Emily."

Manna calmly asked, "Are you finished?"

"There were a few reasons why we couldn't tell you. One was that we weren't sure how you humans would react to us. Case in point," Manna nervously laughed. "Your species can be very impulsive, and at times, irrational and even hostile if you feel that you're under attack."

Still visibly upset, Jesse sarcastically remarked, "I thought you were psychic."

"True, but we aren't always correct. We knew that humans, by nature are unpredictable. And what if we told you how to get home? You know as well as I do that you would've told someone about your experience. We couldn't risk the information getting into the wrong hands. More people would have been curious, wanting to come here to Porha, and not understanding the dangers that lurk here. We've seen enough suffering, enough death. I, for one, couldn't fathom the thought of the people from your world thinking they found paradise, when in all actuality they would encounter the same demise as we did."

"She has to go back," insisted Jesse, pointing at Presley. "It may be too late for me, but it's not too late for Paulette and Presley."

"Be aware of the consequence if they do go back. They must never tell anyone of you or Porha. If they do," Manna looked at Presley with a cold stare and fear in his tone, "more than likely, they will die. And trust me, you don't want that burden. That guilt. This has ruined all of our lives," he said sadly.

"The book has many scripted codes for a reason," Manna said. "You're right, and you have been able to break a few of them. But, there are many other codes that you are not ready to know yet, if ever. As for Paulette, let's see just where exactly they took her." Manna, sitting at his desk, pulled the crystal ball in front of him. As soon as he touched the crystal ball, it seemed to come to life. The colors were intense and vibrant. Presley shielded her eyes from its brightness as Manna closed his. As if the crystal could read his mind, a faint but obvious figure started to appear before them. He opened his eyes and gazed into the smooth shiny ball. Jesse and Presley gathered around the desk to get a better look.

Presley gasped, "Oh, no!" She shuddered as she covered her mouth with her hand, "It's Paulette."

Through the ball they could see Paulette huddled in a small corner of a dark room shaking. She appeared terrified-her eyes tightly closed. They could also see shadows dancing around her. She rocked back and forth, sobbing uncontrollably in the corner of a dark room.

"We have to go," Presley pleaded hysterically. "Come on, what are we waiting for? Jesse, let's go! She's so scared!" she shouted.

"Shhh," Manna warned, holding his fingers over his lips. He motioned Presley to come close again. The image turned into an old dark brown mansion. From the back of the mansion they could see people walking around aimlessly. They saw a water mill rotating around, and every time it came up, a black shadow came up with it.

"What is that?" Jesse asked.

"They are the spirits of the porits."

"I thought that the Manes were the spirits of the porits."

"They are, but the Manes are the souls that chose to follow Fiend. But these spirits here are the lost souls of the porits. Remember, they signed away their souls to Fiend and now he has complete control over them. After death some of the porits' souls wouldn't fully comply with Fiend's wishes. This is their punishment." Manna covered the crystal ball with a small blue cloth, indicating the sitting had come to an end.

"Listen to me carefully. If you care about Paulette at all, then you must find her. But be careful. Fiend and the Manes will be there. After you find Paulette, go back to the area where Presley first came to this planet. You will find a waterfall and beyond that you will come across a small creek. Step into the creek and you and Paulette will be home once again. When you arrive back, you must come up with a plan to keep this planet a secret. Nobody can know about Jesse or Porha," he insisted.

Manna turned the pages in The Book of Codes and stopped at a dark, gloomy picture of the decrepit brown mansion. "This is where you'll find her. This is the Manes' mansion." He thumbed back a few pages, "And this is the map to get there from here. You must go now and save Paulette, before it's too late."

Presley and Jesse quickly looked at the map with Manna.

"I'll pray for a safe journey," he said.

"Do you think we will encounter Fiend again?" asked Presley.

"I don't know. Now he has a bartering chip," he said. "I think he will be waiting for you at the mansion. I have a feeling that he wants you on his turf."

Manna walked them to the front door.

"Best of luck to you both," he said with sadness in his voice. "I'll be watching you."

CHAPTER 12

Presley and Jesse left the castle. They followed the map, briskly walking through a tunnel and into an open field. They moved silently, as they each pondered what lurked ahead at the Manes' mansion. Presley also thought about Jesse's life, and wondered if he was going to be okay once she was gone.

"So, will you just go back to the town after Paulette and I leave?" she asked. He nodded his head.

"Do I have any other choice?" he asked.

"No, I guess not. I wish there was a way for you to come back with me," she said softly.

"Me too. But, I don't know. Even if I could come back, which I can't, what would I do there? It would be a completely different world than the one I left, you know? It would almost be like living on a different planet. Everything has just changed so much. It's not the same world."

"Still, what if you could? Just entertain the idea . . . what if?"

"If I could come back and be with you? Well, I wouldn't ask for anything more. We could have had a great life together, but it's just not possible."

"What if we could go back to our previous life?"

"Well, your previous life is my existing life. I would do anything to go back in time. I wish you could remember how great we were." There was a long pause.

"We had such a great story. You were, and still are, everything to me. When you said that you would marry me it was the happiest day of my life. It was all so perfect," he reminisced.

"Well, you know what they say?" Presley smiled. "'It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.'"

Jesse laughed in an effort to hide his pain. He looked down as tears filled his eyes.

"Well, if you believe that . . . then you've never lost a love."

≈≈≈≈≈

Porha seemed peaceful and quiet. Purple and blue birds flew overhead. The flowers swayed with the wind and the weather was perfect. They walked for most of the afternoon without incident.

"How much longer until we reach the mansion?" asked Presley.

"It should be right over this hill," he said. As they reached the top of the hill, the beautiful day suddenly turned grim. The sky grew dark, and they knew that they were in the presence of evil.

The gothic - like mansion was dark and mysterious.

Broad buttresses extended from the stone wall. The mansion had steep gables and oriel windows that protruded from the wall as well.

They cautiously crept up the old, cracked walkway to the entrance. With each step they took, their breathing became loud and heavy with anticipation.

"I'm so scared," mumbled Presley. Jesse took her hand in attempt to relieve her nervousness.

"I know you are. Just keep thinking that as soon as we save Paulette you can go home," he said in an encouraging tone.

≈≈≈≈≈

Years before, the old mansion was unwillingly vacated by a family of porits when the Manes forced them out, taking over the space as their own. Large gargoyle statues stood high on the roof. The house was huge with multiple rooms and winding hallways. It seemed that the mansion was never ending.

They noticed a bronze - skinned woman who looked lost, her wide, black eyes wandering. She walked to the front door of the mansion, and then disappeared through the doorway into the house.

"I don't think she saw us," Presley said with amazement.

"No, she must be a porit. They won't harm us. They won't even know we're here."

"You mean a dead porit? None of the porits will know that we're here?" Presley asked confused.

"No, don't worry about the porits. They're harmless. If you're going to worry, worry about the Manes," he whispered.

They opened the door to the mansion and slowly walked inside. The bronze - skinned lady was standing by a long beautiful spiral staircase, peering up at it as if she were waiting for someone to come down. Nobody was at the top of the stairs, but still the woman waited, silently.

"Can you hear me?" Presley whispered to the lady.

The lady didn't move. She stood - staring ahead, just waiting.

"This place just keeps getting stranger and stranger," Presley said.

"You've got that right," Jesse agreed.

Suddenly, the lady sharply turned her head toward them. Presley gasped. The woman's eyes were dark as night. Her mouth was gaped open as if she had been frightened. Her haunting eyes focused on Jesse and Presley, as she quickly began to move toward them with her head tilted.

"She sees us, Jesse. What's she going to do?" Presley moved closer to him. The lady, keeping a steady pace, walked directly through Presley and then down the hallway until she was out of sight.

"Where did she go?" Presley asked nervously.

"It doesn't matter where she went. We need to find Paulette," his voice cracked.

"Where do we start?" she asked.

"Let's go upstairs first. If she isn't up there we can back track down here again," he said

"Okay," she said her voice low and quiet.

They went up the long staircase and down a dark hallway. Jesse carefully opened the first door of many. They walked inside a magnificent room. The room had an oversized red velvet couch and dark red chairs surrounding a large table. Shelves displayed hundreds of books, which covered the walls from the ground up.

As they turned to leave, Presley saw a red illuminating light shine from one of the books that rested on a shelf high above her reach. Jesse found a ladder tucked away into the far right corner of the room. He dusted it off and aligned it to the radiant book. Presley climbed the ladder and took the enchanted book down from its shelf. Excited, she opened it to a random page. It was written in an unrecognizable language. Jesse glanced over her shoulder.

"This must be the porits' language," he said. Presley stood in silence for a moment realizing that she was holding a book which belonged to another species.

"Put this in your bag," she told Jesse.

"What? You want to take it?"

"Yeah. I don't think any of the porits will miss it. They are dead."

As ordered, Jesse put the book in his bag and they went on. They searched all of the upstairs rooms, with the exception of one, and they still hadn't found Paulette.

"I don't think that she is up here," he said.

"We still have one room left," she said hopefully. "Do you notice how quiet it is here?"

"Yeah, it's creepy quiet," he agreed.

They arrived at the remaining door. Jesse cautiously opened it, he slowly peeked his head inside. His eyes darted around to each corner of the massive room.

"Nobody," he said disappointedly.

The room was completely white with the exception of a lavender canopy that draped above an extravagant bed, which stood directly in the middle of the room. Tiny delicate designs were engraved on the wooden poles that held the deep sheer purple canopy, which elegantly draped to the floor. A fancy white pearl vanity sat adjacent to the bed. Presley sat on the silky cream soft fur stool, which matched the carpet. Presley stared at her reflection in the oval mirror. Small dim lights glowed all around it. Inside the vanity was unusual makeup and large plush brushes.

"I can't believe this place! Look at this vanity!" she said excitedly. She rummaged through the drawers.

"Shhh. Did you hear that?" asked Jesse, as he turned toward the doorway.

"I didn't hear anything," she whispered back.

"No . . . listen," he said again, as the sound of footsteps drew nearer. Slowly, the door opened. Presley hid behind Jesse as he positioned himself in a defensive stance.

"Sarah!" Jesse's voice cracked again. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to help you," she said.

"How did you find us?" Presley asked relieved.

"I've been following you since you left town," admitted Sarah.

"You followed us?" Jesse repeated.

"Yes, Jesse, I followed you. I had to make sure that you were okay. I've been so worried," she said tenderly, as she touched his cheek with her hand. "I found Paulette walking through the woods the night that Fiend convinced her to come here to the mansion. I was fortunate to get away when I did," she said.

Presley knew that Sarah's motive was to have Jesse for herself. Presley scowled at her indicating her displeasure at Sarah's presence.

"I'm pretty sure that I know where Paulette might be." Sarah motioned for Presley and Jesse to follow her. "I think she's in the basement," she said.

"How do you know that she is in the basement?" Presley asked skeptically.

"I heard a scream earlier when I was outside. It came from the basement," she responded with her usual haughty tone. "She just has to be in the basement," Sarah insisted.

"Let's go and get her," Jesse said as he walked toward the door. They walked back down the hallway and down the winding staircase. It seemed longer than before. The bronze - skinned lady was at the bottom of the staircase, waiting as she had been before. They walked past the lady and continued on until they reached a screened porch in the back of the mansion. The screen was torn, and very little remained of a once functional porch. Numerous spirits were drifting aimlessly about, some mumbling and others crying.

"They don't know that they're dead," said Sarah.

"What do you mean?" asked Presley.

"These are the lost spirits of the porits. They can't understand why they are here. They want to go home but they don't know where home is. They want their families, but they can't find them. They are lost. They never sleep. They spend their days and nights walking this area, trying desperately to figure out who they are and how to get back. They repeat the same actions day after day minute after minute."

"So, this is what Fiend did with the porits' souls," Jesse said in amazement.

"Actually, these are the souls who refused to help Fiend once he had their souls. So, as punishment he took away most of their memories, only leaving some which cause them to exist in a state of constant confusion. It's torture."

"Yeah, Manna already filled us in," replied Presley, looking at Sarah out of the corner of her eyes.

"Manna? You mean you've seen Manna?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, we met him. He helped us to find our way here," Jesse said.

The dead porit lady reappeared and glided past them. She stopped near the water mill that continued to turn, but was absent of any water because the river below it had completely dried up. The lady stared off into space waiting for an unknown someone or something.

They walked back into the mansion searching for the stairs that would lead them to the basement. Sarah led them through a furnished kitchen and guided them out the kitchen door. Now, outside, they rounded the mansion and in the yard, Sarah, just by chance, found a metal handle. She pulled the handle which was attached to an iron door.

"It's a cellar. We found the stairs!" Jesse said excitedly over his shoulder to Presley. They walked down into the musky basement and heard a piercing scream. Jesse began to run toward the scream.

"Paulette, Paulette!" he shouted.

"I'm in here!" A voice shouted back. They followed the voice to a dimly lit room where Paulette lay curled up in the dark corner, as Manna's crystal ball had shown. Jesse scooped her up and held her.

"We came for you," Jesse whispered in Paulette's ear. "Where are the Manes? Where is Fiend?" he asked as he held her tightly.

"I don't know. They took my crystal and now I can't see them," she cried.

"Okay, maybe we can get out of here safely. We haven't seen them either. Maybe they are gone. Maybe they don't know that we're here," he said frantically, trying to gather his thoughts. "I am going to check the hallway and stairs to make sure that this isn't a trap. To make sure that they aren't waiting for us. Paulette, you stay here with Presley and Sarah. I'll be right back."

"Sarah, how did you find us?" Paulette asked. As the last word left Paulette's lips, Sarah vanished right before their eyes.

"What just happened?" screamed Presley. "Did you just see that? She disappeared. Where did she go?"

"I don't know but she's gone," Paulette whispered as she looked around the room.

"Who is she?" Presley said breathless. Sarah reappeared just as Jesse dashed back into the room.

"What happened? Did you see Fiend?" he asked. Presley's trembling finger pointed to Sarah.

"No. Not Fiend. Sarah. She just disappeared - completely disappeared, right here in front of us!" yelled Presley.

"When you came back, she reappeared. She's dead. She's a ghost," gasped Paulette. The room grew quiet and all eyes were on Sarah.

"Who are you?" Presley demanded. Sarah eyes began to change colors until they adjusted to a deep dark black.

"When I left the room I had the crystals," Jesse explained. "The crystal's power materializes spirits. Without it they are invisible. She's a spirit. She's one of them," he whispered. "Sarah, what did you do? You joined the Manes? How did they get to you? You agreed to go with Fiend?"

"I went looking for you. I needed to find you. I couldn't stand that you had fallen for this girl," Sarah said in a condescending voice.

"I was confronted by Fiend and the Manes and they made a deal with me. They promised me that if I joined them they would make sure that we would be together. I love you, Jesse. You know that. I've tried everything to get you to see how much I love you. No matter what I do you have always turned me away because of her. Don't you see? She is Presley . . . not Emily!" Sarah shrieked.

"No. She is the same girl to me," he said.

"But she doesn't even remember you!" she laughed.

"It doesn't matter, she knows me."

"Jesse, come with me," Sarah begged. "The Manes will take care of us. We could be together, you and me - finally together," she said.

"What don't you understand?" he asked. "I don't love you. I don't want to be with you - I never have. I have only loved one person. Emily is and always has been the one. I will always love Emily. Sarah, you did this to yourself. You chose this. You chose to go with them," he said harshly.

Sarah let out a blood curdling scream, "They will kill you. They promised me. You will die and then we will be together," she cried.

Jesse, Paulette and Presley ran through Sarah and swiftly up the stairs. Fiend shot down from the ceiling and landed on the floor in front of them.

"Going so soon?" he asked. His voice sent a shock through Presley's body and she began to shake. Through the window Presley could see the sky darkening, thunder roared and lightning flashed. Fire began to fall from the ceiling. Fiend jumped up to the top of the twenty- foot ceiling and gathered the fire in his hands. He flung a fireball towards Paulette, burning a hole through her dress. She screamed in pain. Jesse tackled her to the floor and rolled on top of her, smothering the flames until the fire had dissipated.

"Why are you doing this?" shouted Jesse.

"Creating your fears, giving them life, gives me pleasure. There is nothing I enjoy more . . . apart from collecting souls," he sneered.

Paulette was so intensely terrified she became too weak to stand. Presley stood over Paulette's limp body, wanting to protect her, but knowing that she would be unsuccessful if Fiend were to contest.

"You have two choices. You can either choose to join me, or die," Fiend crouched down low ensuring that Paulette could see his large forceful red eyes, inducing panic in them all.

"Why do you want our souls?" asked Jesse as he clutched Presley arm.

"Since the beginning of time there has always been the notorious good versus evil, correct? I had a choice, much like you have a choice now. I had the choice to be either good and live under another's control, or control my own destiny. Make my own rules. Live my own way. Aren't you tired of your fate being determined by some cosmic source who you never see? Are you ready to come with me and design your own fate, and be in control of your own destiny?" he recited this anecdote as if he had told the story numerous times before. The windows burst and a gust of wind whipped through the room knocking Presley off balance and she fell to the floor.

"The more souls I collect, the more powerful I become. In turn the more souls you help me to collect, the more powerful you become as well. There are no smoke and mirrors," he chuckled. "What you see is what you get. If you decide you want to join me, every need of yours will be met, every desire will be fulfilled. This planet will then be ours for the taking! I have already won the souls of most of the porits', of course, and all that is left are the souls in your small town. With your help we can conquer this planet once and for all."

The storm was merciless. The old ceiling began to leak. The conversation continued, the tone symbolically mirrored by the clapping of thunder and deluge of rain.

"Why would I help you?" Jesse asked.

"Why wouldn't you? You have a miserable existence. Your family is dead; your soulmate doesn't know who you are. You're nobody to her. Nothing. Think about it. What choices do you have? What is your plan? Are you going to stay here?

Until . . . when? Forever? You won't grow older and the only way you will die is by an unforeseen accident. I guess you could kill yourself, but wait; I would end up getting your soul that way too! So, you tell me, what choice do you really have? If you and Presley decide to come with me - at least you will be together."

"There is no way Presley's going with you," Jesse said sternly.

"Fine. And you?" Fiend asked. Jesse looked at Presley and shook his head.

"No," he said. "None of us are going with you. You are the reason I'm stuck here now."

"Now, wait. You can't give me the credit for your own misfortune. What were you doing at the creek that day you came here? Who were you with? Oh, yes . . . Sarah. Isn't that right? Didn't you both come here at the exact same time? What were you doing with her? Weren't you engaged to Emily?" Jesse looked at Presley with despair in his eyes.

"It wasn't like that, Presley. Don't listen to him," he pleaded. The dead porit lady entered the room oblivious of her surroundings. She knelt down on her knees crying into her hands apparently begging for some sort of resolution.

"I can promise you this, Jesse," Fiend said firmly, "If you aren't careful this is what your destiny will look like," Fiend pointed to the woman. "Sad isn't it? She's looking for her family, yet she isn't even sure who her family is. She's looking for her home, but she'll never find it. She's grasping at anything even vaguely familiar to her. As soon as she remembers a glimpse of her old life, the vision is gone as quickly as it came. Constant torment," he grunted. "Constant hell," he smiled. "She chose poorly. She signed her soul over to me as did her entire family, but when it came time for me to collect; she tried to back out of our agreement. She didn't want to do what I asked of her. So this is the anguish she must endure for her foolish disobedience."

The porit woman slowly stood back up. Her ghostly image walked through the wall and she was gone.

"We aren't coming with you," Jesse said firmly.

"Still not, huh? That's okay. I realize this decision can take some time. I must move on to the next plan."

"The next plan?" Jesse repeated.

"Yes, my next plan. Remember, I still have Sarah's soul. She will prove to be useful to me." Fiend's massive wings unfolded from his back. He screamed in pain as his facial features radically change shape. Simultaneously, the storm ceased and the wind calmed. The mansion was quiet. Presley stooped to help Paulette up. Jesse scanned the room to ensure that Fiend had indeed left the mansion. The shattered window was now intact, and there wasn't any sign of the fire that had encased the room just moments before.

"I'm ready to go home now," Paulette whispered.

CHAPTER 13

They hurried out of the mansion, stopping briefly to catch their breath. Deep moaning and wailing came from the gothic mansion, but they didn't dare turn back. They knew it to be the agonizing spirits of the porits.

Jesse unexpectedly hollered and jolted back. Blood spewed profusely from his ankle. Presley quickly noticed the evil blood sucking plant that caused the injury. The plant lurched forward aiming for Presley's leg and Jesse yanked it up until he saw roots. The wicked flower lay on the ground panting, slowly dying.

As if waking from a long sleep, more evil plants began popping up by the hundreds covering the eastern pasture. The nearest flowers stretched their necks as far as possible, trying to reach fresh blood. Jesse took the girls by the hand as they ran west, away from the mansion. Traumatized, they walked for a long while in silence.

≈≈≈≈≈

Slowly, Paulette emerged from her stupor.

"So, you were Emily?" she asked. Jesse perked up by the mention of her name.

"Yes," Presley answered. "I guess I was."

"Well, if that don't explain it," Paulette giggled.

"Explain what?" asked Presley.

"It explains all the tension between you and Sarah and the sparks between you and Jesse," she said. "Don't pretend like you don't feel it."

"Feel what?" asked Presley smiling.

"Oh, girl, please! You love him and he loves you, and you felt it as soon as your eyes met. Heck, even I felt it," Paulette rolled her eyes.

"She knows that I love her," Jesse interjected.

"So, what are you going to do?" Paulette asked.

"What can I do?" he asked helplessly. "She has to go back. Porha isn't a safe place for her, and Manna already told us that it's impossible for me to go back with her. So, she will go back and I will stay here," he reasoned.

"Doesn't sound like a very happy ending to me," she said.

"Me either," Presley agreed.

"So, just how serious were you two?" Paulette pried.

"Pretty serious. She was the love of my life - you know that," he said.

"Yeah, about that . . . what was Fiend talking about?"

Presley asked.

"Which part?" he asked.

"You know . . . about you and Sarah. It was like he was suggesting that you were cheating on Emily. Were you?" Presley pressed.

"No, I never cheated on Emily. I loved her too much to ever cheat on her," he said defensively. "We had a great life together. You know, before I came here I had heard about soulmates, two people who are destined to be together. I never really gave it much thought, but now I know that it's true. I guess maybe I took her for granted, when I had her. It took losing her to realize that she was the only person that I could ever truly be happy with."

"I'm sure you aren't the only one who has regrets," Paulette said. "What made you so happy with her?" she asked as if Presley wasn't there.

"Just the thought of seeing her made me excited. We were just so happy to be together. We shared our dreams together. I just wanted to be in her company. I loved to listen to her talk. I wanted to know everything about her. Just to be with her was enough. I miss her stories, I miss laughing with her. I don't know. I guess it's that agape love we had," he said sadly.

"Wow, it sounds so perfect. Did we ever fight? I mean you and Emily . . . did you and Emily ever not get along?" Presley asked.

"Did we fight?" he laughed. "Yeah, we fought quite a lot, actually. I never took it serious though. She always came around. She liked the chase and I knew that, so I learned to play along. I knew she wasn't going anywhere. I knew that she loved me. She was a passionate person. She liked excitement. If we were becoming complacent and too comfortable, she'd pick a fight with me and I'd indulge her. She acted insane at times but I realized that she just needed to feel something. It was exhausting and endearing at the same time. Making up was the best part. It was all worth it," he winked.

Presley listened intently to Jesse's recollection of their life together. She found the stories fascinating and intriguing. It was truly a love like she'd never experienced. She tried to recall even a single memory of this previous life. She knew that she had deep feelings for Jesse; she felt herself suffering down deep in her soul. But she couldn't recall any experiences that she had once had with him, other than her dreams. And she wasn't sure that even those were accurate. She was frustrated and disturbed.

Jesse came up behind Presley and placed his hand on her neck. She felt a rush of energy surge through her body. She put her arm around his waist as he bent down, closed his eyes and smelled her hair right above her ear. They walked arm in arm for the rest of the afternoon until sunset. They could see Gracie just a few yards away.

"We can either keep walking or set up camp for the night. Paulette, it's up to you," he said.

"I want to keep going, but I'm so tired I don't know if I can make it much longer," she said.

"Let's rest," insisted Presley.

She wanted just one more night with Jesse. She knew that one night wouldn't do anything to resolve their impossible circumstances. She knew at that moment that they couldn't be together. However her obsessive affection trumped her rational thoughts and all she knew was she would be with Jesse one last night in Porha.

Jesse made a small fire and they all ate the few leftovers of food that he had been carrying. They made anxious small talk, each anticipating what tomorrow would bring. Paulette was exhausted from the experience of being held captive at the Manes' mansion. Soon after she ate, she excused herself and went up in Gracie's branches and quickly fell asleep.

Jesse and Presley quietly gazed at each other through the dancing fire light.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

"I'm thinking about how much I'm going to miss you. Again. What are you thinking?" Jesse paused as he looked deeply into her eyes.

"I've been trying to remember you. I feel like I know you but I can't find the words to explain this feeling."

"It must be really hard for you, having all of these feelings and not being able to piece it together. At least I know why I feel the way I do."

"I'm glad that I got to see you again." Jesse abruptly jumped to his feet. He walked over to Presley and slowly pulled her up. He drew her close to his face.

"I have to make sure that you know," he whispered.

"Know what?" she asked.

"I need you to know that I love you. I have loved you from the beginning of time and I will love you until the end of time."

He pressed his body to hers and held her chin as he tilted her head. His lips met hers and they softly kissed. It was the sweetest kiss she had ever had. Her body was infused with warmth and her senses were intensely heightened. She wanted to capture this moment and embrace it in her mind forever, so as they kissed she began making a memory portrait in her mind.

He has a natural scent. A dirty fragrance. Dirty, but in a good way. His lips are salty . . . and sweet - sticky.

Jesse pulled Presley closer to him until they became so tangled up together that it was impossible to tell where one began and the other ended. She found her body going limp and all of her thoughts and worries were gone. As they kissed, Presley opened her glazed-over eyes and tried to focus on Jesse's beautiful face.

"Wow," she said softy.

"Yeah, I know," he agreed.

"That was . . . ," she failed to find the words.

"Breathtaking," he said.

"Breathtaking. Is that how it always was?" she asked.

"Always," he said.

"I've never been kissed that way before," she admitted.

"You have. You just don't remember."

They walked over to Gracie. She stretched her limbs down and swooped them up into the night sky. She wove them up in her branches to ensure their safety for the night. They both laid there in that small space on their last night together.

"I can't believe I have fallen in love with you in a matter of days," she said

"You have always loved me," he said with a crooked smile.

"I don't want to lose you now," she said hopelessly.

"Losing you was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Still to this day it haunts me, knowing that we were so right. I mean, who really ever finds that - their true soulmate? I had the perfect girl and I know that I can never be in love that way again. As much as I love you, I sometimes wish that I had never met you," he confessed.

"Why would you say that?" she asked.

"Because if I wouldn't have ever known what true love felt like, I wouldn't have hurt so badly for something that I couldn't have," he said sadly. "But once you know that feeling, just like our kiss, once you have that feeling you can never forget it. And believe me I have tried," he said regretfully.

He lifted her hand to his face and stared at her fingers. He examined her arm; taking in every freckle, every line, and then his eyes gravitated back to hers. He outlined her eyebrows with his index finger and ran his finger down her cheek until it met her lips. He gently grasped her face as he leaned towards her to kiss her neck. His breath made her shiver and he kissed her again. She felt safe. They fell asleep in each other's arms.

≈≈≈≈≈

The sun shone through Gracie's branches waking them both.

"The night went by too quickly," she sighed.

"I don't want this to end," Jesse said as he squeezed her arm.

"Hey you guys, let's get goin'!" Paulette yelled impatiently from the ground. "I'm leaving, right now. Gracie, please let them down," Paulette commanded.

Gracie unfolded her limbs and lowered them to meet her. Jesse picked up his bag that he had left by the campfire the night before. Jesse and Presley quietly lagged behind Paulette, certain of their inevitable hopeless situation once they arrived at the creek.

"Speed up!" Paulette called out to them.

She stopped and waited for them as she tapped her foot. Presley and Jesse reluctantly picked up the pace in order to appease her.

"Presley, I need you to help me find my mother when we get back," she said.

"I'm afraid that you are going to be in for a big culture shock," Presley stated.

"Where am I going to stay? I haven't even thought about that. I mean, I won't have a house anymore. My brothers will all be grown," she said as she thought out loud.

"And so will you," said Jesse.

"What?" asked Paulette.

"You will transform into the age that you would've been as if you had been on Earth this whole time," he said. Paulette stopped in her tracks.

"What are you saying?" she asked abruptly.

"Well, let's see, you will be around the mid- fifties," he laughed.

"What? Are you sure?" she said in disbelief. "So that's why you aren't coming."

"Yes. I can't come. The transport would kill me," he looked down at the ground as he continued to walk.

"Paulette, you would have to age. What would your parents, or anyone who knew you, think if you stayed fifteen?" Presley asked.

"I guess you're right," she agreed.

"Manna told me that we can never let anyone know of Porha. We must never tell anyone," Presley said sternly.

"I would never tell anyone. I don't want to remember. I want to forget this place. Besides, I seriously doubt that anyone would believe me anyway," Paulette mumbled. "We'd end up in a mental institution for sure!" she laughed.

≈≈≈≈≈

The rolling hills of Porha were deceiving as they appeared calm and inviting. The valleys between the hills were pristine as if freshly manicured by hand. Presley looked around at this magnificent land and thought about the porits and how at one time they lived in a spiritual peaceful world. The flowers were vibrant, a rainbow of color changing as they strolled past.

They continued to walk through the valley and over a massive sloping hill. At the top of the hill they could see for miles. She took her cell phone from her back pocket, the battery was low. She managed to capture the moment by snapping a picture of the fantastic landscape. She handed the phone to Paulette.

"Will you take a picture of Jesse and me, please?" she asked as she took his hand.

"How?" she asked

"Just press this button here when you're ready," Presley instructed. Paulette snapped three pictures of them; unknowingly capturing Fiend's piercing wicked red eyes through the forest, off in the distance. She handed the phone back to Presley. Presley snapped several pictures of Paulette before putting it away.

"It's a shame that this beautiful world is so empty and lonely," Presley stated sadly.

"As beautiful as it is, it's equally as evil. You have to remember Fiend," Jesse added.

"Yep, isn't that the truth? Glad to leave it all behind! Now, let's get out of here already," Paulette ordered.

Off to the east they came to a spring followed by an immense fast flowing waterfall. The waterfall emptied into an exquisite turquoise pool of calm water. The water was surrounded by luscious green grass. Embedded in the plush grass was an abundance of thriving flowering bushes and trees. The waterfall was moving rapidly. The soothing rhythmic sound made Presley feel calm. The crow was back. Silent this time.

"We made it!" shouted Paulette.

"This can't be it," insisted Presley. "This doesn't look familiar to me." Paulette began to panic.

"You came in on the other side of the waterfall, where the creek is," Paulette took off, running as fast as she could towards the pool of water. "I'm going home!" she screamed. Presley and Jesse ran after her until they came to the area where Presley had first seen Paulette. They all stared at the small cottage.

"This must be where the porits lived before Fiend invaded," said Jesse.

"I was so close to the creek and didn't even know it," said Paulette.

They walked past the field of flowers that Presley had seen the first day that she had arrived in Porha, it seemed so long ago.

"I believe that this is it," said Jesse sadly.

"This is it," Paulette agreed as she turned towards him.

"Jesse, thank you for everything that you've done for me." Paulette's eyes began to fill with tears. She tried to hold

them back. She hugged Jesse for a long while, stroking his back as if she was trying to calm him."

"Don't mention it," he smiled. "I'm really going to miss you. Take care of yourself and please take good care of Presley." He handed her the brown bag with the porits book inside. He tried to be strong but his eyes also filled with tears and a single drop fell down his cheek.

Without hesitation, Paulette leaned down and, as she touched the swirl of water, it swiftly pulled her away. She vanished right before their eyes.

"She's gone," Presley said, somewhat astonished at her disappearance.

She looked over at Jesse. He was staring at her intensely.

"I guess you're next," he sighed.

"Yeah, I guess so," she said with a distressed tone. She stepped toward the water.

"Wait," Jesse grabbed Presley's arm and pulled her close to him. "I know that you have to go. Just promise me that you won't forget me. Please tell me that you'll remember me forever. Swear it. Swear it on my life, that you'll remember me," he said with sad eyes.

"I will. I swear on your life that I'll remember you. We have agape love remember," she reminded him with a forced smile.

Jesse looked down. "That's right we do," he said quietly. "I love you, Presley."

She held Jesse tightly around the waist and gave him one last kiss. Another tear fell down Jesse's face, knowing that he would never see her again.

"You have to go. Paulette's waiting, and she'll need your help." He gently pushed her back, and then turned his face away, he couldn't bear to watch her leave. He held his chest as if he were in pain. She stepped into the water and in an instant she was gone.

≈≈≈≈≈

She was back inside the tunnel. She traveled as bright lights soared passed her. She tried to stay present. A bright white light was waiting for her at the end of the tunnel.

Chapter 14

"Presley! Are you okay?" Paulette shouted.

"Yeah . . . I'm okay," she said wearily as she rubbed her head. "My head hurts," she complained as her eyes blinked rapidly.

"Yeah, mine too."

Presley looked into the swirling water. For a brief moment she could see Jesse's sad face and then the image was gone. Her heart ached. It took a few seconds for her eyes to focus on her new surroundings.

"Paulette? Is that you?" Presley said, stunned by Paulette's appearance.

"Yeah," she answered, with her hands shaking.

"Paulette, you're like . . . an old woman," she whispered.

"This is so strange." Paulette looked down at the bulging veins in her arms and hands. "Look how my skin has aged!" Paulette said.

"And look at the back of your dress! It totally ripped!"

Paulette gasped and held the back of her dress tightly. The laughter quickly turned to silence. They stared at each other for a long while, neither of them knowing what to do or where to go next.

"What are we going to do now? Everyone's probably out looking for you, Presley," Paulette said as she anxiously began to pace the ground.

"You think so?" Presley asked, excited at the thought that people might be concerned about her.

"Well, of course! You've been missing for days. I remember you saying that my parents were out looking for me when I went missing."

"Yeah, well, your parents cared about what happened to you. My mom probably didn't even notice that I was gone."

"Well, what about me?" Paulette asked. "What are we going to say happened to me? I got kidnapped?"

Presley thought for a moment. "A kidnapping is out of the question. With the advancement in forensic science, they will blow a hole in that story in no time. I've been thinking about this for a while. I have one idea that may just work. Amnesia. You had amnesia."

"I had amnesia? What is that . . . exactly?" Paulette asked.

"It's when you can't remember anything from your past. So, let's see, you could have been kidnapped and beaten." Presley paused briefly, her mind racing with thoughts, then continued on with her nervous chatter. "I don't know, the beating could have caused memory loss. Therefore, you don't remember what exactly had happened to you. Now, you suddenly remember who you are and you came home. Simple. I will help you, don't worry."

"Don't worry?" Paulette said sarcastically. "So I had amnesia? You don't think that anyone will investigate the story?" she asked.

"Not if we stick to our story and lay low," said Presley.

"Lay low?" she repeated.

"Yeah, just don't draw a lot of attention to yourself. You know, just lay low," Presley said calmly.

"Okay," Paulette took a deep breath. They started to walk down the same dirt path that led them both to the creek and ultimately Porha. Paulette looked around in amazement.

"Nothing has changed," she said under her breath.

"Trust me, Paulette, everything has changed."

Presley grabbed her guitar and song book, which were exactly where she had left them days earlier. They continued to walk until they came upon the road that led to Paulette's abandoned home.

"I want to see it," Paulette insisted. She stopped and turned toward Presley. "For so many years I had played this day out over and over in my head, the day when I would make it back home from Porha. But, honestly, I never really believed that I would. The day that I disappeared I had decided to take a walk. Isn't it weird to think that one little decision, a trivial decision really, could change my entire life? I mean what would have happened if I hadn't taken that walk? How would my life be today? Would I be married? Would I have children? I'll never know," she said.

Presley saw the sadness in Paulette's eyes. She gently patted her back trying to comfort her. Paulette stood in front of her old dilapidated house, and in the midst of the decaying weathered boards and deteriorated roof, Paulette noticed the plants.

"You know, I helped my mom plant those hostas when I was thirteen years old. And they are still here," Paulette smiled.

"Do you want to go inside?" Presley asked.

"No, I want to remember it, how it once was."

They turned and walked back down the road to Presley's house.

≈≈≈≈≈

Passing the old grain bin and windmill, they could see her house.

"I bet there will be so many people waiting for you," Paulette determined.

"I don't know. If they had a search party out looking for me, then where are they?"

"I don't know," Paulette answered.

"You are going to have to stay at my house tonight,"

Presley said intentionally changing the subject. We need a little time to get our stories straight."

As they approached Presley's home they noticed Presley's and Lisa's cars in the driveway, but there was no sign of life. No search party in sight.

"Maybe the search party is out looking for you. Maybe that's why nobody is here," Paulette encouraged.

She could see the sadness in Presley's eyes. Presley walked up to the front door, quietly opened it and peeked through the crack. She didn't see anyone. She motioned for Paulette to follow her, up the stairs and into her room. She shut the door behind them.

"Okay, I'm going to my mom's room to get you some clothes and then you are taking a shower," she ordered.

Presley slipped into her mother's room, she noticed her mother lying asleep in her bed.

"Mom?" Presley whispered.

"Yeah," Lisa mumbled.

"You need anything?" Presley asked, curious to know if her mother had even realized she'd been missing.

"Yeah, could you get me some water?" she garbled. Presley's heart sank.

"Another late night?" Presley asked shaking her head.

"Yeah. I had another fight with Bob so I went to the bar. Jerk. He hasn't even called," she stammered as if she were still drunk.

"I'll get you some water," Presley said.

On her way out of the room, Presley snuck a pair of black stretch pants and a pink tank top out of Lisa's dresser drawer that looked big enough to fit Paulette.

"My mom's in her bed," Presley said disappointedly.

"What? Your mom's here? What did she say?" Paulette blurted.

Presley handed the clothes to Paulette. "She didn't even know that I was gone. I guess she and her boyfriend had another fight. It looks like she has been drunk for the last few days."

Nervous energy led Presley to her closet as she dug out a pair of flip flops for Paulette.

"I'm sorry. I can't believe that she didn't even know that you were gone," Paulette said sympathetically.

"Honestly, I'd have been surprised if she had known that I was missing. Come on, I'll show you to the shower."

They went to a small compact bathroom big enough for only one person. Presley showed her how to work the faucet.

"It's kind of tricky and old. Just pull down right here and it will come on. Turn it this way to make it warmer. There is soap in the shower, and shampoo. Conditioner too, if you need it," she added as she pointed to the individual containers.

"Okay, got it. Thanks," Paulette said and shut the door. Presley walked back to her room. As she lay on the bed, she instantly thought about Jesse. She reached for her cell phone.

"Now I have signal," she said under her breath. "The battery isn't low anymore. Huh. I never even charged it. How strange."

She turned her phone on and there was the picture of Jesse. Her heart leaped. She stared at the picture for awhile, wishing that he were there with her, and realizing she was never going see him again. She put her phone down and she closed her eyes. Wondering what he was doing at that very instant.

Does he miss me? Does he love me as much as he said that he did? Should I have stayed with him?

Her bedroom door flew open and Samantha bolted into the room.

"Where have you been? Are you crazy? I have called you like a thousand times and what, you don't answer? I could understand you not answering Tyler's phone calls, but mine? Do you know how worried I've been? Where were you? Do you think that just because you and Tyler had a fight that it gives you the right to run away and avoid me? Where were you?" she demanded without taking a breath. Shocked by Samantha's anger Presley scrambled for an explanation.

"Yeah, I just . . . uh . . . went away for a few days. You know, to gather my thoughts. To figure out what to do about me and Tyler."

"So, you just decided to go way for a few days?" Samantha said annoyed.

"Gosh, I'm sorry, Sam. I swear I didn't mean to worry you," Presley apologized.

"You're lucky that I came here first, Presley. When you missed school today, I really started to worry. I thought maybe something really bad happened to you! Like you had been murdered! I was ready to go to the police!" she shouted.

Just then Paulette entered the room. Samantha jumped slightly, startled by Paulette's presence.  
"Hi," Paulette said nervously, looking down.

"Hey," Samantha said as she studied her face as she tried to place her.

"I'm Paulette, a friend of Presley's," she finally said.

"Oh, a friend of Presley's. Right. A friend who I have never met. Or heard of." Samantha glanced back at Presley. "What's going on?" she pressed.

"Yeah, okay, you see I just met Paulette myself, a few days ago. And . . . uh, well . . . she had been sick," Presley said.

"Sick?" questioned Samantha, her eyes squinted.

"Yeah, sick. It's a crazy story, sad really. She had amnesia for most of her life.

Anyway she remembered who she was just recently and, well, we were both staying at the same hotel here in town

and - "

"Wait. A hotel? You stayed in a hotel here in town?" Samantha interrupted.

"Yeah, I had to get away. You know, the whole Tyler thing, I needed to clear my head. Anyway, we met one morning and I just . . . uh . . . felt sorry for her and I wanted to help her find her parents." Presley hated lying to her best friend, but their secret was too dangerous.

"Amnesia?" Samantha repeated clearly not buying the story.

"Yeah, amnesia," Presley repeated.

"Yeah, Okay Paulette. Is this the same Paulette that you were telling us about the other night in the barn?" Samantha asked confused.

"Yes, weird isn't it? Trust me it's such a long story, I'll tell you more about it later. For now Paulette needs to rest. She has had a dreadful week."

"Yeah, okay," Samantha said as Presley led her out of her bedroom.

"I'll call you later, Sam," Presley said as she closed the door.

They waited until they heard the front door shut, and then they heard Samantha's car start up. Presley sighed in relief.

"Okay, she's gone," Presley rolled her eyes. "I wasn't prepared for that, not yet anyway!"

"Me either. At least we've had some practice now," Paulette sighed.

"I guess so," Presley said as she held out her hand. "Look, I'm shaking. I've never been good at lying.

Presley's phone vibrated a few times, and then rang loudly. She went over to her bed to check who was calling.

"Tyler," Presley panicked.

"How do you know?" asked Paulette.

Presley held the phone out for Paulette to see his name.

. Presley answered the phone trying to stay calm, "Hello. Yeah, I'm home. Okay. I'll be here. Bye."

"What was that all about?" Paulette pried.

"Tyler wants to see me."

"Is he coming over here?"

"Yes. In awhile." Presley took a pair of jeans and a plain blue fitted shirt out of her closet. "I'll be back in a minute."

Presley walked down the hall to the bathroom. She was perplexed by a dull, aching feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Am I anxious to see Tyler? Am I nervous to see Tyler?" she asked herself out loud, as she tried to put words to this aching feeling. Then it hit her.

This feeling is painful, like misery. I'm sad. I'm disappointed. Ahh . . . I'm heartbroken. I feel broken. I miss Jesse, she thought.

Presley finished her shower and went back into her bedroom where she found Paulette fast asleep on her bed. Presley sat down at her old vanity and began brushing her long wet hair. In the reflection of the mirror, she saw the bag that Jesse had given her. She grabbed the bag and then sat back down at the vanity. When she opened it she saw a bundle of wilting flowers. When Presley touched the flowers they began to change from black to grey. They were flowers from Porha and they were dying. They had been wrapped with a brown string and attached to the string was a small note.

It read:

Presley, remember that I will always love you. Have a wonderful life. I hope that I can find you again someday. Maybe in a different time- in another life.

Love always and forever,

Jesse

The flowers had small bulbs instead of roots. She instinctively ran outside to plant them behind the house. She quickly grabbed a shovel that was near the back porch and dug several holes in the ground. She stood back once they were planted and watched as they flowers adjusted to their new environment. They gradually perked up, turning towards the sun. She went back into the house and into the kitchen.

Presley opened the aged oak cabinets to find them almost empty, as usual. She finally found half a bag of stale potato chips, some bacon and two tomatoes. She decided to make a couple of sandwiches and chips. She ate a few bites as she hurriedly ran up the stairs, anticipating that Tyler could show up at any minute. While she finished her makeup, she heard a knock at the front door. Tyler had arrived.

Chapter 15

She quickly applied gloss to her lips and ran downstairs to answer the door. Tyler stood before her with a dozen red roses. She didn't know whether to smile or slap him so she chose neither. Instead she gestured nonchalantly for him to come inside. At that time, Lisa stumbled down the stairs. Her hair looked as if it hadn't been brushed in days. Dark circles and deep lines on her face aged her by twenty years or more. Embarrassed by her mother's actions and appearance, Presley quickly moved into the living room where she sat on the couch, hoping her mother wouldn't follow. Tyler sat beside her , the flowers still in his hands.

"Before you say anything let me talk first. Presley, I am so sorry. I wasn't sure if I was a one woman type of guy, until now. I'll admit that even when we were dating, I played the field. I did. I snuck around and partied a lot, and I did like all of the attention from the other girls. But the thought of losing you is driving me crazy. I've changed now. I think that you will like the new me a lot better. You have to forgive me. I'll do anything. I was wrong. I'm so sorry," he pleaded.

"You've changed?" she skeptically asked.

"Yes," he answered confidently.

"In a matter of days, you've changed?" she asked again. "Is that even possible?"

"I have changed. I swear," he said desperately.

Presley studied him for a moment. "That's a hard thing to measure isn't it, almost impossible," she said hatefully.

"What do you mean . . . measure?"

"What I mean is that you say you've changed. Those are your words, and you've never been true to your word which makes you a liar. So, are you lying?" she asked with piercing eyes.

"No, I'm not lying. I love you. I've changed. You can trust me," he pleaded.

"So, you don't lie anymore?" she asked.

"No, I won't lie, not anymore," he promised.

"How many girls?" Presley asked in a hateful tone.

"What?" he asked anxiously.

"I can tell that you are a little uneasy by the question. Let me ask it again, and this time I expect a fast response," she demanded. "How many girls did you date when you were dating me?"

"You want a number? Okay, how about . . . a few," he said cautiously.

Presley was unsatisfied with his answer. "So, let me get this straight," she snipped, "While you were dating me, you also were dating 'a few' other girls . . . but you kept this a secret from me so that I wouldn't date anyone else?"

"Yeah . . . but - "

"Yeah . . . but - what? You don't have to explain. I understand quite well. You led me to believe you were in love with me and that we were exclusive. You lied. Is that how you want to be known, as a liar and a cheater?" she asked firmly, as she tried to refrain from screaming.

"Look, I've had a few days to think this over," he said confidently. "I don't want to lose you. I mean maybe it takes something like this to make us stronger as a couple."

"Yeah, maybe you're right. I can see how you cheating on me would make our relationship stronger," she said disgusted. "You cheat on me then bring me flowers because I found out and then- what? I'm supposed to forgive you. Is this how it works? Do you honestly believe that this is love?"

"Look, all I can do is apologize and hope that you will accept it," he handed her the flowers. She let them drop to the floor.

"Please, just think about it. You don't have to decide now. Will you?" he asked.

"Will I what?" she questioned harshly.

"Think about it. Will you just think about it," he begged.

"Okay, I'll think about it," she said doubtful of his apology. She wanted to tell him that it was over and that she never wanted to see him again. She was confused by her mixed emotions that she was feeling for both Tyler and Jesse. She now knew that Jesse was her one true love, her soulmate, but it was impossible to ever have him. In her confused state she didn't realize that being alone was also an option.

Lisa staggered into the room. "Oh, hey Tyler," she said as, she seductively ran her fingers through her hair trying to, unsuccessfully, make her appearance more pleasing.

"I'm good, Mrs. Dae. How are you?" he replied being overly polite, which repulsed Presley.

"I've been better, Tyler," she sulked. "My boyfriend, Bob, and I got into a fight." She lit up a cigarette that she had been holding between her fingers. She began to cough violently. "I just told him that I ain't gonna put up with his crap anymore," she laughed and coughed simultaneously then took another drag off the cigarette.

Embarrassed by her mother, Presley stood up and began to walk out of the room. Tyler followed her.

"I think that you need to go now," she said firmly.

"Okay. Nice to see you again, Mrs. Dae," he said as he walked to the door. His focus returned to Presley, "Can I call you tomorrow?" he asked.

"Okay," she said reluctantly. She watched him leave through the window.

"Isn't he a sweet boy?" Lisa said as kindly as she could with her rough voice. "He's better than Bob," she said as if she were a teenager herself. Presley started to go upstairs, ignoring her mother.

"So, you don't even care that Bob and I are fighting?" Lisa said loudly.

"Hey, Mom, I've been gone for days and you didn't even notice. When you start caring about me, maybe I'll start to care for you and . . . what's his name," she said.

"Bob," Lisa said abruptly.

"Ah, yes, Bob," Presley mumbled to herself. Paulette began to rouse and she slowly opened her eyes. She smiled at Presley.

Presley smiled back. "I brought you up a sandwich," she said. "And chips," she added.

"Thank you, I'm starving," she said gratefully.

"Sorry, it isn't much. I haven't been to the store in a while," Presley said.

"Doesn't your mother go to the store?" Paulette asked puzzled.

"Not really. I mean . . . sometimes, but mostly I go. My mom is, uh, I don't know, irresponsible and neglectful. I fend for myself most of the time." Despair came over Paulette's face.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Presley quickly changed the subject. She thought that if she could deflect the conversation, Paulette wouldn't realize how much her mother's actions, and lack of concern, had hurt her.

"How are we going to find your mom?" Presley asked.

"I don't know," answered Paulette. Presley sat on the edge of the bed, pondering multiple solutions.

"The phone book," Presley said as she leaped from her bed.

Paulette followed her downstairs and into the kitchen. Presley took the phone book out of one of the kitchen drawers.

"What are your brothers' names?" she asked hurriedly.

"Jamal Shepard and Gerald Shepard," she answered. Presley thumbed through the phone book.

"Jamal still lives here!" she repeated with excitement. Paulette stood silently as tears of joy ran down her face.

"Here, I'll dial." Presley handed the phone to Paulette. Her hands were trembling uncontrollably as she grasped the phone tightly.

"Hello," Paulette said quietly. She cleared her throat. "Is this Jamal Shepard? Yes? Oh, um . . . ," she covered her face with her hands; her controlled tears quickly became unrestrained sobbing. "Yes, I'm sorry. Jamal, it's Paulette. Your sister," she sobbed harder.

Although Presley couldn't make out exactly what he was saying, she inferred his side of the conversation by weighing Paulette's responses.

"I can't get into all of that right now. We'll talk about it, I promise. I just really need to see mother. I need to know if she's alright."

Paulette's shoulders dropped and she smiled through her tears. She looked at Presley and nodded her head.

"My mother is okay."

She gave Jamal directions on how to get to Presley's house. She hung up the phone promptly without even saying goodbye.

"Well?" Presley said impatiently.

"Jamal is picking me up in a few minutes. He's taking me to see my mother. Fiend had lied, she isn't sick," she muddled through the sentence with a look of disbelief.

Lisa walked in through the kitchen door with the same look of disbelief as Paulette.

"Presley, did you see those flowers in the back yard? she slurred.

"No. What are you talking about?" she lied.

"They're changing colors. They were, like, purple and then as soon as I touched one it turned like, gray . . . and then I pulled away and it went back to purple," she said slowly perplexed at her own words.

"Mom, I think you need to get back to bed," Presley suggested.

Lisa nodded and walked past Paulette. Paulette noticed the smell of stale smoke and alcohol that filled the small room.

"Who are you?" Lisa asked confused as her mind was still focused on the flowers.

"I'm Paulette," she said.

"Oh," she mumbled. Lisa stumbled to the stairs.

"What flowers?" Paulette said sternly, as she flew out the kitchen door to the back yard. She noticed the flowers Presley had planted up against the old white farm house.

"You mean those flowers?" Presley said nervously.

"Presley! You can't plant those! You shouldn't even have them!" Paulette walked briskly over to the patch of flowers.

"Okay. I'll move them," she negotiated.

"Move them? Presley, this is too dangerous. If anyone finds these flowers there is a chance that they could find Porha. Get rid of them," she insisted.

"I can't," Presley looked down shamefully. "Jesse gave them to me. It's really all I have to remember him, except for a few pictures," she explained.

"Then you must move them where nobody will ever find them," Paulette demanded.

"Okay," she said.

Presley picked up the shovel and quickly dug up the vibrant flowers. She wrapped them in two kitchen towels and hid them in a bucket.

≈≈≈≈≈

They heard a car drive up the gravel road and into the driveway.

"Oh, my gosh Presley! Jamal is here!" Paulette took off towards the front of the house, running faster than Presley had ever seen her run before. By the time Presley caught up with her, Paulette and Jamal were already embraced, both of them weeping.

Presley went into the kitchen and tore a piece of paper off an unpaid billing statement. She jotted down both her cell and home phone numbers and she went back outside. She noticed that Paulette was doing most of the talking while Jamal listened intently.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I want you to take my numbers and call me as soon as you talk to your parents. I want to hear all about your reunion," Presley smiled. "And if you need a place to stay, you are always welcome here."

"Thanks," Paulette said as she took the paper and then hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry. How do you two know each other?" Jamal asked.

"It's a long story," Paulette simply stated.

"Well, Presley, it's so nice to meet you," he smiled.

"You too," she smiled back.

Presley watched as Paulette sat in the passenger seat of his maroon car. She waved goodbye to them as they backed out of her driveway. Paulette put her hand to the window and smiled. Presley stood in her driveway until all she could see was the thick dust from the gravel road.

≈≈≈≈≈

She walked to the back of her house contemplating what she was going to do with the flowers from Porha. She lifted the bucket and uncovered the bulbs. The flowers were limp and looked dry as if they were about to shrivel up and die. A crow flew above her and perched himself on the guttering of the house. They locked eyes and he cawed loudly as he flapped his wings. He flew off into the woods behind the house. In a paranoid manner Presley took the bulbs and ran, following after the crow. Although, she had never ventured very far into the forest before she knew that it would be the only place that would protect the flowers, and the secret of Porha.

She knew that her only other option would be to destroy the flowers, but in a symbolic way, in her mind, it would be like destroying Jesse's memory. She didn't entertain the idea for long. She decided that she would plant the flowers deep into the forest where nobody would ever find them.

Presley ran further into the woods desperately searching for the perfect location to plant them and soon she came to a clearing. The crow landed in a huge beautiful tree and cawed once more. She stopped and studied the land. It was familiar to her. It was strangely mystical. The tree was standing in the middle of the clearing alone. Intrigued, Presley walked over to it. The tree appeared to be a large old oak. It was so massive and striking; it looked like a painting. As she got closer she noticed a carving in the trunk of the tree, when she made out the writing, she gasped.

J.P.

+

E.R.

"Jesse Pike plus Emily Rose," she whispered to herself. Shivers ran up her spine. She traced the carving with her finger. "This tree must be Sacred."

As she rested her hand on the tree she began to feel lightheaded.

"I've been here," she said.

≈≈≈≈≈

Suddenly, a blurred vision of Jesse and Emily lying together under the giant oak entered her mind. Then the vision skipped to Jesse standing alone with a ring in his hand.

"I remember being her. I remember being Emily," she said.

In that moment her feelings for Jesse greatly intensified, as if another part of her was desperate to come out. With her hands shaking she gently unwrapped the flowers from the paper towels, frightened that they would be dead. They were lifeless, black and wilted beyond recognition. She quickly dug several holes by hand into the dirt and placed the bulbs of the flowers into the opening in the ground. She refilled in the holes with the dark black dirt and waited, hopeful that they would return to their radiant colors. The vision of her past life had completely unnerved her.

She watched, trying to be optimistic, and she silently encouraged the flowers to come back to life. Slowly they began to recover. Within a few minutes they rejuvenated into the same stunning blossoms as they were in Porha. Presley stood back and examined the landscape.

Another vision, like a flash, entered her mind. Jesse stood beside the tree, Sacred, admiring the gold band that he was about to give her. On the inside of the ring was an engraving of a key. He turned and knelt down on one knee sliding the simple gold band onto her slender finger.

"The key to his heart. I remember . . . Emily was the key to his heart." She felt a knot in her throat and her eyes began to fill with tears.

"This is where Jesse and Emily were going to live and build their life. I've found Tranquility Hill," she said sadly.

She held her hand to her chest unaware that Jesse had made the same gesture when she left him back in Porha. She felt sick, as if she had lost the only person who really knew her at all. She regretted leaving him.

Tears slowly ran down Presley's cheek as she came to realize how much Jesse did love her. She knew that kind of passion doesn't just happen - and most people never get to experience true love. Selfless love. Agape love.

She began walking back to her home, wondering if there was any way to reunite with Jesse. But every thought ended with the same perplexing obvious dilemma; he couldn't be with her on Earth and she faced great danger in Porha.

It was hopeless.

≈≈≈≈≈

The sun was going down and a chill came over her. She felt as if she wasn't alone. Presley noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head in that direction, but all was still. Cautiously, she began walking. Another movement flickered. She questioned if she was having another vision. She peered into the forest and concentrated, straining her eyes, until she saw a man. He was walking through the woods. She walked closer to him, careful not to make too much noise. She recognized the man as her father. She shut her eyes tight as she tried to suppress the dull nagging feeling that welled up inside of her body. She opened her eyes slowly. Her heart began to race, her head spun with a rush of thoughts, as she stood frozen staring at him.

"It can't be. My father's dead. That can't be him," she whispered to herself. He walked through a tree, and Presley knew then that she was seeing his spirit.

Startled and confused she ran back to her house never looking back. Her heart was pounding rapidly as she went up to her bedroom. She collapsed on her bed as her mind was, once again, flooded with invasive thoughts.

What has happened to me? That was my dead father wandering around in the woods. What is he doing here? How is it that I am able to see him now? How is this possible? Something must have happened to me in Porha. I am able to see things that I'm definitely not supposed to see.

≈≈≈≈≈

She tried to calm herself by clearing her mind. She thought of Jesse and how he made her feel and how she would never see him again. She began to cry, unable to sort out her thoughts.

A crow perched himself on her window ledge. As she went to the window the crow flew away. The moon was full and bright. Presley found comfort confiding in the moon about her old life with Jesse. She realized that Emily and Jesse must have, at one time, been under the same moon so long ago.

She had just returned to bed, when Lisa opened her door and sat down softly on the edge of the bed. She uncharacteristically stroked Presley's hair.

"Are you okay? Can you tell me what is wrong?" she asked.

Presley could smell the stale smoke and alcohol on her breath.

"Nothing. You couldn't possibly understand," Presley replied.

"It's Tyler isn't it? He broke your heart," Lisa asked in a soothing yet annoying voice.

"Yeah, something like that."

Presley did have a broken heart, over Jesse not Tyler, however she couldn't begin to tell her mother about her experiences in Porha.

"Ya know . . . how does that saying go?

'It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all,'" she said, trying to be clever.

Presley gathered her blanket up close to her face, she turned her head away from Lisa, and closed her eyes as she whispered,

"If you believe that . . . then you've never lost a love."

To be continued . . .

mindykincade.com

Soulmate's Soundtrack

To purchase recorded music go to

mindykincade.com or Amazon.com

Presley's Songbook

Tyler's Song

Here we go again...

I've noticed those looks from your sneaky friends

There's a secret that nobody wants to tell

They say it by their cryptic grins

I feel so stupid -I'm 'bout to go through hell

It's starting...again

I'm the last to know...always the last to know

Chorus:

Oh honey...Why do you do what you do?

Can't you see that all I want is you?

You say that you would never hurt me- Oh...how you lie

You convince me to forgive and trust

And just when I think I can...well

Every time I turn around your...back at it again

You just couldn't keep her name out of your mouth

How can I forgive when you to create doubt

It's been going on for awhile- I have a hunch

Now you have to choose...me or her...your gonna have to pick

I don't feel like I'm asking for much-

Chorus:

Oh honey...Why do you do what you do?

Can't you see that all I want is you?

You say that you would never hurt me- Oh...how you lie.

You convince me to forgive and to trust

And just when I think that I can...well

Every time I turn around your... back at it again

Tell me Boy...who are you?

It's like you wear a mask

I should have known I'd be no different considering your past

Listen as I make one small request...

Choose me...I know... together we would be the best

How do I find the words to make you feel what I feel

All I want is you- to want to be with me

If you could only see...we are so meant to be

Chorus:

Oh honey...Why do you do what you do?

Can't you see that all I want is you?

You say that you would never hurt me- Oh---how you lie

You convince me to forgive and trust

And just when I think that I can...well

Every time I turn around your back at it again

Every time I turn around your back at it again

Jesse's Song

Our romance was so deep and so strong

I honestly believe that you were made for me

You made me feel as if I were your only one

And in an instant it was gone

How will I go on- I'm just not sure

You are the only one for me-impossible to forget

How did meant to be turn into this tragedy

Our perfect love story has gone terribly wrong

CHORUS:

Well- our time ran short- it was over way too soon

Nobody understands my pain so I only share it with the moon

After all the moon has seen it all

From our beginning to our end

Maybe it'll see us together...again

You would always say...we were meant to be

So why were our stars read so differently

I hope that I can find you again some day

Maybe in a different time -in another life

CHORUS:

Well- our time ran short- it was over way too soon

Nobody understands my pain so I only share it with the moon

After all the moon has seen it all

From our beginning to our end

Maybe it'll see us together...again

***BRIDGE*** D Minor

I want to fall into a deep deep sleep.

I know that you will find me in my dreams.

Where I can live in my memories...it's where I find peace

**Please -I don't want to wake up to the light

I long for the dark...I feel calm in the night

CHORUS:

Well- our time ran short- it was over way too soon

Nobody understands my pain so I only share it with the moon

After all the moon has seen it all

From our beginning to our end

Maybe it'll see us together...again

Oh I miss you...oh I miss you...Oooohhh... Ohhhh... I miss you......

To listen to the recorded music by Presley Dae go to mindykincade.com or Amazon.com

Soulmates Soundtrack

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To my wonderful family. Thank you for all of your support and patience.

Thank you to all of my friends who believed in this project and encouraged me along the way.

Thank you to one of my closest friends, Emily Warner. Her creative talents helped to tell this story.

Thank you to my editor, Courtney McRoberts for making this a better book than it started.

Thank you to Corby Sousley, Danielle Gibson, and Robert Adams for their musical contributions. This project has been an adventure and I'm so glad my friends came along with me on this trip.

About the Author:

Mindy Kincade grew up in a small town in Midwest Missouri. She now lives near The Lake of the Ozarks. She's always been curious about the spiritual world and it comes through in her writings.

mindykincade.com

Follow Mindy Kincade on Twitter

mindykincade@hotmail.com

Note from the author:

If you would like to practice finding someone's aura try the following:

Take two metal hangers and untwist them until they form into a straight rod.

Hold rods lightly between your thumb and pointer finger, one in each hand.

Walk slowly towards the person. When the rods cross, you have found the persons aura.

This technique works great on animals too.

The photographs that are featured in Soulmates can be purchased at mindykincade.com.

