Chosen (Book #4 of the Vampire Legends) (11 page)

Then, she
remembered! She’d put it in her small jewelry box with the twirling ballerina.
She put it under one of the felt padded drawers. She knew she had to find it.
She’d just been through all her boxes, but it was not there. She couldn’t
imagine where it would be. Then, figured she’d have to ask her dad since he was
probably the one who packed up all her things.

“Dad, I need to
find my small jewelry box. Do you know where it is?” Rachel asked, changing the
subject on them.

“What?” her
father asked. “Why would I know where your stuff is?”

“Well, who packed
it all up?” Rachel asked.

“Your sister and
I did it together. Your mother had already been in the hospital for some time
now before we moved and we didn’t want to tell her about the move either. We
couldn’t add anything else to her plate,” her father said.

“Well, are there
any other boxes that are mine here?” Rachel asked. “I have to find something
else. I promise I’ll leave once I find it!”

“Leave? Again?” Marc
asked. “Where do you keep going?”

“It doesn’t
matter,” Rachel said, trying to avoid the question.

“Dad, please help
me find it. I beg you,” Rachel said.

“Why do you need
that dumb thing anyway?” her father asked.

“I need it. I
just do!” Rachel said, starting to get upset.

“I think there may
be some more boxes of your in the attic. You can have five minutes to look and
then I want you out,” her father said.

“You’re not
welcome in our house anymore. You’ve caused enough trouble already. Take what
you need and then leave. We don’t want to see you again,” her father yelled.  

Rachel
understood. He did have a point. Ever since she’d been turned, and actually,
even before that she had caused a lot of stress and hardship for her family.

“You’re dead to
us,” Marc said, with a cold face. “You shouldn’t have even come back. Nobody
wants to see you here.”

Rachel sat there,
holding her kaleidoscope and a tear started rolling down her cheek. She felt
emotional by the words that her father and brother were saying, but she knew
they were right. She knew that they had a point and to be honest, she felt a
little bit bad about how she’d left them. They didn’t deserve that, but she
also didn’t deserve to be disowned like this either.

“Five minutes!”
her father said, “And then we want you gone!”

She couldn’t believe
she only had five minutes to rummage through who knows how many boxes in the
attic to find something smaller than her pinky toe nail. It was going to be
like finding a needle in a haystack, but she was up for the challenge. She had
to be, without this flower knob, she couldn’t save Benji and then, her life
would be over.

She began to run
for the attic, but before she got there, Marc stopped her, in the other room.

“I’m sorry I was
tough on you in front of Dad,” he said, looking guilty. “I actually just moved
back myself. When they sold the house I went through a tough time. I stayed
back. I crashed with friends. I went down a bad slope. Did drugs. Got in with
the wrong crowd.

“Then I ran into
your old friend Rob at a party. We fought, and when I woke up, it was like the
weirdest thing—I felt different. Stronger. Not like myself. I don’t really
understand it. I haven’t felt the same since. I didn’t know what to do. So I
came back here. Anyway, sorry. I just want to say I know how you feel, in a
weird way. I don’t really like our parents either. I have to get out of here
soon. I just don’t know where to go, or what to do.”

To Rachel’s
shock, Marc started to tear up, looking down.

She stepped in
and placed a hand on his shoulder. As she did, she could feel the vampire
energy, and she pulled away, shocked. Had Rob turned him?

“What is it?”
Marc asked. “You look freaked.”

“Um…nothing,”
Rachel said. “I just want you to know I understand what you’re going through.
You may not think I do, but I do. When you’re ready, find me. I will help you.
I promise. I will become the good big sister that I never was.”

A smile crossed
Marc’s face. The two of them hugged.

Then Rachel took
off, sprinting back to the attic, knowing her Dad would kick her out soon.

She quickly ran
into the house, which surprisingly felt like home again to her. It was almost
as if she’d never left. Part of her actually wished they’d never moved in the
first place because then none of this would be happening. She would be human
again. How she longed to feel what it was like to be a normal human girl again.

Then, she snapped
out of it, pulled the string which hung from the ceiling on the second floor
and pulled down the steps that led to the attic. She climbed the steep, dusty
steps, gripping the sides of the steps with her one free hand. The other hand
still clutching onto the kaleidoscope with all her might. As she got to the top
of the steps, she couldn’t believe her eyes. The attic was filled with boxes;
it was like a sea of boxes. It must have been their entire life up there. She
couldn’t believe she had only five minutes to find the flower knob in her old
jewelry box. She know it was going to be impossible.

Then, she started
digging through the boxes one by one. Time was ticking and it was only a matter
of minutes before her father came in and kicked her out for good. Honestly, she
was surprised he even let her in in the first place. She figured he must have
been in a relatively forgiving mood today, since he didn’t kick her out the
moment he saw her. She deserved it, she thought to herself. She deserved to be
treated terrible after what she’d put them through.

“Rachel, three
more minutes!” her father yelled. “You better move fast!”

Rachel scurried
along, searching through box after box and still finding nothing. She was about
to give up when she came across a red box. It was unlike any other box she’d
seen before. It was vibrant in color and it was almost as if there was a glow
coming out of the box. She went over to the box and cut open the tape that
covered the top. As she opened it up, there was a bright light emanating from
it. She was confused and surprised all at once. It reminded her of the old
Coven Book and how it glowed when she’d opened the cover. Was this a magical
box? Rachel questioned herself.

When she opened
the box a red balloon floated up in front of her eyes. Rachel blinked a few
times to make sure her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her. It was real a red
balloon, there floating in her attic. It was the strangest thing she’d ever imagined.
She sat there watching it float around her body almost as if it was travelling
in circles around her. It reminded her of the balloon she’d seen in her dream
the night before. The dream that sparked this whole expedition in the first
place.

Rachel knew it
was a sign. A symbol. An answer to her prayers.

Then, the balloon
floated to the ceiling and popped loudly. Then, she heard something hit the
floor and start rolling. It sounded like a small pebble or something. She
looked down on the floor to see what it was and then she spotted it. She
couldn’t believe her eyes. Inside the balloon was the flower knob itself. It
had fallen to the floor and that was what was making the rolling noise. She
watched it as it spiraled to a stop on the wooden floor of the attic. Luckily
for her it didn’t fall in between the large cracks in the floors. It was a
sign, a miracle from above that the flower knob was magically back in her hands
again. She picked it up and screwed it back onto the kaleidoscope where it
belonged.

“Rachel, get out
of here now!” her father yelled. “Time’s up! You have to get out.”

Rachel quickly
stood up and started down the attic steps. She couldn’t believe that she had
found what she was looking for just in the nick of time. She had no idea how she
did it, or what had just happened with the balloon, but she didn’t want to
question it. She knew it was a miracle and she knew it was just another sign
that she was meant to be with Benji.

She clutched the kaleidoscope,
ran down the stairs of her house and out the front door.

“Don’t come back!
You’ve done enough to our family!” her father said as he slammed the door
behind her.

With the kaleidoscope
in her hand, she knew she had everything she needed now to save Benji. She
stood there, on her front lawn, and put the kaleidoscope to her eye. She
couldn’t wait to see what would happened when she peered through. She started
turning the kaleidoscope and it went from black to multicolored diamond shapes.
She knew this was it. It was only a matter of moments before she would have all
the answers she needed in order to find the Red Amulet.

Chapter
15

Rachel couldn’t
believe her eyes. It was her and Benji from long ago, from another lifetime
walking through Paris, under the Eifel Tower. Just the two of them strolling
hand in hand and kissing each other frequently. She was laughing and touching
his face, batting her eyelashes and flirting with him. She walked in her
character shoes with a long old fashioned dress and carried a pink parasol with
white lace trim. It was a scene from another era. It reminded her of an old
fashioned movie from the early 1900’s. She couldn’t believe it was her.

Then she saw
another scene from the past where she and Benji were in Venice, riding together
on a gondola through the canals. There was a man who was piloting their gondola
wearing a white and red striped shirt with a top hat. It looked as if he were
singing a love song as she and Benji kissed under the romantic bridges in the
sunset of the night. Benji held her hands as they kissed and when they stopped
kissing, they gazed into each other’s eyes longingly as if they were the only
two people in the entire world.

Next, she saw
Benji down on one knee proposing to her and opening up a small black velvet box
and inside the box, instead of a diamond ring, Benji pulled out a small
pendant, red in color and said, “This is the Red Amulet. Guard it with your
life because you have mine now. I love you. Will you marry me?”

Rachel could see
herself jumping into Benji’s arms as they were whisked away by horse and
carriage to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. There, the two wed at the
altar in a small ceremony. She wore a beautiful white dress with flowers along
the neckline and he wore a tuxedo with tails and a top hat. They went up into
the pulpit and there, Benji took off the Red Amulet and hid it behind the altar
where nobody would find it.

“It will be safe
here,” Benji said. “If you ever need it, you will know where to find it.”

Rachel saw herself
smile at Benji as the two hid the amulet and left the church kissing and
hugging to begin their married life together.

Then, the kaleidoscope
went black again. She shook it to see more of the story but it remained dark.
There was no more to see.

Rachel knew where
she had to go. She had to go to New York City and find the amulet in St.
Patrick’s Cathedral. She prayed it was still there, where Benji hid it. It had
to be.

She leapt into
the air and began to fly north towards the big city. She hadn’t been in the
city since that time she got the fake ID with her friends from Bedford. Wow,
that felt like ages to her now. She couldn’t believe how much had happened to
her and how much her life had changed since that night long ago. It was as if
she were a completely different person now. Well, she was.

She flew quickly,
not stopping anywhere and not letting anything distract her. She knew that she
had found the answers she needed now, all she had to do was get there. She
wished she could fly faster, but her wings were young and she couldn’t go more
than 75 miles per hour. She knew this journey would take almost two hours if
she was lucky. Her mind was spinning, thinking about what she’d just seen in
the kaleidoscope. It all felt so real to her and brought back so many hidden
memories of her and Benji’s life together in the past. She knew their love was
a forever type of love and that no matter what they’d always be together. That
was, if she could save him from this horrible tragedy that happened to him.

Her adrenaline
was racing as she soared through the sky. She’d flown so much over the past two
days that she was surprised her young wings could sustain it. She was shocked
actually. She didn’t know how strong she was or how much she could accomplish
if she put her mind to it.

As she approached
Manhattan she could see the Statue of Liberty in all her glory, she could also
see the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building in the distance. She
knew she was close now; she could feel it in her bones. She flew up the west
side of Manhattan up the Hudson River and was blown away, once again by the
beauty beneath her. The sights and sounds below her were astonishing. It was
like everything she’d ever seen in the movies and read in books but magnified.
She felt alive again. She felt the energy and life of the city pulse through
her veins and she felt like she had the power and strength to do anything. To
conquer anything. It was a good feeling to have, especially now that she was
only minutes away from reuniting with the Red Amulet.

She turned east and
headed into midtown. She passed Radio City Music Hall and knew that while it
was still early, in just weeks the holiday spirit would be starting to infuse
the air and the people below her. As she headed towards St. Patrick’s Cathedral
she passed Rockefeller Center. The tree would soon be there, under scaffolding,
ready to be lit. The ice rink would be in full swing as skaters spun in circles
below and the sound of holiday music filled the air.

It was Rachel’s
favorite time of year. She had so many great memories of Christmas and the
entire holiday season that it made her long for her days back in Pennsylvania
before this madness happened. She missed her simple life of celebrating
Christmas with her family and extended family. She missed them dearly but knew
she couldn’t go back. Not now. Not ever. She had a new life now and she would
have to start making new traditions of her own. She couldn’t go back she could
only move forward.

She looked down
for a spot to land and decided not to land on the street below. It was way too
crowded with tourists and she knew it would draw attention to the fact that she
dropped from the sky. She saw the two turrets that flanked the church and
headed towards one of them. She flew quickly as she fell out of the clouds so
as not to draw attention to herself. She landed on one of the turrets and then
sat there a few minutes to catch her breath. She heard some screams down below
of people that saw her land. She hid in hopes that she wouldn’t get caught.  

“Up there. Get
her!” a voice shouted from below.

The sounds of
sirens began and quickly filled the air. There were flashing blue, white and
red police lights that started to light up the ground below and after a few
minutes, Rachel saw a chopper coming with a bright search light which was
shining up the ground and the church around her.

She knew she had
to think fast before they caught her. She quickly scaled the peaks of the
church and jumped into the bell tower. She knew she would be safe there until
the lights went away. She hid under the bell for what felt like an hour before
the search lights died down and the ground below became quiet again. She then
came out of her hiding spot, scaled down the side of the cathedral and walked
in through the entrance.

She was surprised
to see the entire church was packed. Ever pew had a person in it, and was full
of people shoulder to shoulder. There was barely room to stand, let alone find
a seat to sit down. Rachel could wait anymore. She had to find the Red Amulet.
Time was ticking and she couldn’t just watch this service and let time go by
without saving Benji.

She quickly
pushed by throngs of onlookers and elbowed her way down the center isle of the
church. People were letting out shrieks and gasps as she blew past them in a
hurry. She didn’t care though; she continued to knock people out of the way.

Then, she spotted
it. The pulpit from the vision in the kaleidoscope where Benji hid the Red
Amulet. She’d finally found it after days of searching. She was now only steps
away from it. Her heart started pounding out of her chest and her head started
spinning. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on it again. Finally.

When she looked
ahead of her at the remaining thousands of people still in between her and the
pulpit she felt a pit in her stomach. If only she could fly up and grab it, she
thought. But she knew that could get her killed and she couldn’t risk it.

She continued
pushing and nudging her way past the flocks of humanity that had come to see
the church service, knocking down small children and even a few of the candles
that were lit on the sides of each pew.

Screams let out
again, this time so loud that it interrupted the service and the priest even
stopped his sermon to see what the commotion was below him.

“Silence!” the
priest yelled out. “Is this the way we show respect our lord?”

The crowd grew
quiet as Rachel continued to knock people over to make her way to the spiral
staircase that led to the pulpit. As she came to the front of the isle, she saw
a large rope that cordoned off the area of the guest and the clergy of the
church. She saw security guards and police standing at the bottom of the pulpit
to ensure that the priest was safe while giving his sermon.

She didn’t care
though. She knew she could get past anyone or anything. She ran and jumped over
the rope causing quite a stir. The guards leapt into action, holding their rifles
out and some leaning to grab her, but she was too quick. She was unstoppable.
She outran every guard and police man and found herself at the steps to the
pulpit.

She saw two more
guards she’d have to outsmart before getting up the stairs. She quickly used
mind control on the two of them, having them enter into a trance and step away
from the stairs and stop the other guards that were after her. She turned them
against their own guards and then made her way up the stairs. She couldn’t
believe that it worked so quickly, but didn’t want to jinx it by questioning
it.

She ran up the
stairs quickly, skipping a step as she went up the spiral and into the top of
the pulpit. The priest looked terrified and in shock as she approached him. He
put out his hand and covered his face with his robe to protect him. She pushed
over the priest as shouts came from the onlookers below.

“No! Lady stop!”
people yelled out.

“Save him. Save
the priest!” others yelled.

“Intruder!
Terrorist!” another person yelled.

Rachel was not fazed
by any of it though—she was on a mission and would let nothing stop her now.
Not even the NYPD or the intense security guards of St. Patrick’s.

She looked at the
altar, where the priest was standing and pushed him out of the way again. Then,
he pushed her back, grabbing her by the wrist and holding her tight. Rachel
quickly reacted and grabbed his arm and flung him over her body; he landed on
the top of the staircase at the entrance to the pulpit.

“What are you
doing to me?” the priest yelled.

“Get out of my
way!” Rachel said back.

“You’ll be in big
trouble, young lady,” the priest replied. “Get down from here this instant.”

“Make me!” Rachel
teased him. “What are you going to do about it anyway?”

“It’s not me who
will judge you for this. It is our lord and savior,” the priest answered.

With that, Rachel
grabbed the priest and lifted him up over her head, then said, “You asked for
it!”

Then, she threw
him off the pulpit into the crowds of people below. As he flew through the air,
he let out a loud scream of panic.

Rachel finally
had the pulpit to herself. She rummaged around, throwing things out of the way
in search of the Red Amulet.

She remembered
where Benji had hid it from the kaleidoscope but when she looked behind the altar
it wasn’t there. She couldn’t believe it. She turned the thing upside down and
looked in every crack and crevice in the entire pulpit. She even looked under
the carpeting that lay on the floor of the pulpit. But nothing. The Red Amulet
was nowhere to be found. Rachel let out a scream of anger.

“No!!!!!!!!!” she
yelled.

By this time the
police had arrived and were charging in. The guard dogs came in, too and
started running towards the pulpit where Rachel stood, searching for the Red
Amulet. The snarling of the dogs grew louder as they approached her. She didn’t
know what to do, she couldn’t let the dogs attack her. She was deathly afraid
of this breed of dog. She had an incident with a German Sheppard before, and
was scarred from it. She vowed never to be in the same room as one again.

She couldn’t bear
it anymore. The dogs were approaching her quickly and they looked mean. They
looked at her as if they were going to tear her to shreds any minute. She
didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t find the Red Amulet in the place where
Benji had hid it and she only had minutes before she was surely going to die
from either gun fire from the police of the attack dogs.

The dogs starting
charging up the steps to the pulpit and before she could think, she stood up on
the side of the pulpit and leapt into the air, flying around over all the
people below who were still screaming in horror at what they were witnessing.

Rachel circled
the people a few times and then the shots rang out. She was being fired at by
the policemen below.

“Get down here,
you thing!” they shouted.

“Land! Land!”
they yelled. “If you know what’s good for you, you will surrender!”

“I’ll NEVER
surrender!” Rachel yelled. “And I’m not a thing!”

“What are you?”
the policemen yelled. “You’re an animal!”

“I’ll never tell
you!” Rachel yelled back.

As she flew
around the church she continued looking for the amulet. She knew it had to be
there somewhere. She thought her bird’s eye perspective would help her find it.
She looked down at all the pews, but didn’t see it. She flew above the organ
and the choir, but nothing. It was nowhere to be found.

Then, as she
dodged the shots, she saw a red light flashing towards her. It was a faint
light, but it caught her eye nonetheless. There it was, located in the center
of the crucifix that hung proudly at the front of the church. It was a huge
cross, and the amulet looked so small against it. She flew over towards the
cross and hovered in front of it, staring forcefully at the Red Amulet. She
couldn’t believe she’d found it after all that. And she couldn’t believe that
she found it in that location, especially since it wasn’t in the pulpit where
Benji had hid it.