I Can Hear You (8 page)

“How did you hear her scream?  Why didn’t anyone else hear her?  How did you know where he buried the bodies?”  He clutched my hands in comfort and maybe…desperation.

“I told you, I hear things.  I see things, too.  Only, the things I hear are words that are never spoken aloud, only thought of.  He killed twenty-one girls and buried them near the edge of the park.  He has a young redheaded girl now.  She’s tied to a bed in another abandoned warehouse and he can’t wait to get back to her.  I saw the building and some words,
Ann’s
and then
sewing factory
.  It’s old and faded and the warehouse is abandoned, but she’s there.”

I watched Brian’s face pale and I knew he didn’t really believe me, but still couldn’t understand how I knew so much.  He suddenly stood, grabbed my hand and yanked me up… not hard… and said, “I know the place you’re talking about.  Let’s go, we’ll talk more in the car.”  We hurriedly left the room and as we walked through a busy room with several people sitting at desks, he said, “Larry, Dave, you’re with me.  Let’s go.  We have a lead on the missing girl.”  The other two grabbed something from the desk and fell in line behind us.  “You two follow me in your car,” he ordered.

Driving down the road with a solemn Brian at the wheel, I whispered, “I’m sorry, Brian.”

He startled, almost as if he’d forgotten I was with him.  “Why are you sorry?” he asked, confused.

“Most people either think I’m lying or they don’t want to be around me.  So, I’m sorry.”

“I’ll admit I don’t know if I believe you but I can’t explain how you knew those things either.”  I watched him make turn after turn until we came to the industrial section that had many abandoned buildings.  “This girl has been missing for three days and we’ve had the suspect in custody since yesterday.”  I didn’t respond, unsure what to say.  “Tell me everything you saw in the warehouse, Amber.”

“I got the feeling that it was huge but the room this girl is held in is smaller than a bedroom.  He had her handcuffed to a metal head frame.  She fought him.  Her left eye was swollen and bruised.  Um…let me think.  This is the first time this has happened, so I’m not very good at it.”

“What do you mean?”  He glanced my way.

“I’ve always heard thoughts but this is the first time I’ve actually
seen
something.”  He nodded, even though he didn’t understand.  “There are no windows.  I saw pipes in the ceiling which doesn’t make any sense.  That’s it, that’s all I saw.”

“Thanks.  She’s probably being held in the basement, maybe something like a broiler room.”

The rest of the ride went by in silence; I was looking out the window as he watched the road.  When we pulled up in front of a building, I saw the same image I saw earlier.  This was definitely the right place.  Brian threw the car in park when it came to a stop, looked at me and ordered, “Stay put.”  I didn’t acknowledge him.

Fifteen minutes later, I heard the sound of an ambulance before it came into view.  Other police cars arrived as I watched the scene unfold.  Two paramedics rushed a stretcher inside the building.  A few minutes later, they came out with the stretcher; a redheaded girl lay on top, covered with a white blanket.  The ambulance left and as I sat here alone, I listened.
I can’t believe we found her alive.  How did Brian know where to look?  Who’s the informant?
  Then I heard Brian as he thought,
Shit, she was right.  At least we have the bastard now.
  That particular thought made me smile a little.  Hopefully the suspect will get what’s coming to him.

The sound of a car door opening roused me from sleep.  Brian climbed into the driver’s seat but instead of starting the car, he peered straight ahead.  “Can you really read minds?” he asked, never looking my direction.

“Yes.”

“How?”  He turned and looked at me this time.

“I was born that way.”  He nodded understandingly.

“Tell me what I’m thinking right now.” 
Kelly lives in China while we live in Canada.  Monkeys rule the world and there’s no possible way this girl will repeat the shit running through my head.

I grimaced.  This grandfatherly kind man no longer trusted me. Very well.  “Kelly lives in China while we live in Canada.  Monkeys rule the world and there’s no possible way this girl will repeat the shit running through my head.  How is this possible?  How many crimes can we solve with her help?  Vanessa is never going to believe this.”

“Stop!”  He closed his eyes and I heard the regret in his mind.  “I’m sorry, Amber.  Everything was exactly as you said it would be in there.  Chasity, the girl, will be okay because of you.  She can also identify the suspect.  We got him.”  He smiled a little.  “Can you do one more thing for me?”

“Sure.  Let’s go.” He smiled as he realized that I knew what he wanted without him having to ask.

Back at the station, he brought a young woman, probably around thirty, into the interrogation room as I stood outside, like before.  “Hi, Mrs. Stanley, I’m sorry to bother you again.  I just need to ask you a couple more questions about your daughter’s kidnapping.”

“How many more times do I have to answer the same questions?  I told you what happened.  She was asleep in her crib when I went to bed that night.  When I woke up, she was gone.  I don’t know anything else!”  Anger rang clear in her tone.

I listened to the real story.  Brain came outside and looked at me as I stared at the mother, “Well?” he asked.

“She put the baby to bed that night.  A strange noise woke her sometime later and when she went to investigate, she found her boyfriend standing there holding the baby.  The baby’s neck was bent at an odd angle and she knew the baby was dead.  He was drunk and whether it was accidental or intentional, she didn’t know.  He left with the baby and the next morning she called the police and reported the kidnapping.  Her boyfriend doesn’t know she saw him.”

“Son of a bitch!” he cursed as his face twisted in rage.  “I knew she had something to do with it.”  Taking a deep breath he said, “Thanks, Amber.”

“You’re welcome, Brian.  I think I’ll go home and pack.”

“You know, you could stay here.  You’d be very useful helping us here if you’d like a job.”

“I appreciate it, but you and I know it’d never work.  I’ve been a freak all my life.”

“You are not a freak.”

“Thanks, Brian.  People don’t like to have someone around that knows their every thought.  Think about it, now that you know what I can do, would you really want me around all the time?”  I watched his face fall.  He hadn’t thought of it that way, but now realized I was right.

“Where will you go?”

“I don’t know.  I don’t really have anywhere to go.  I’ll go to Becky’s funeral and then we’ll see.”

“You have to have somewhere you could go.”  He sounded sad.

“I don’t belong anywhere, Brian.  Never have, never will.”  And wasn’t that the truth.

Mikal

I woke the next morning with Tassha at my side, as she reached for me I sat up.  “Come back to bed,” she purred, but I wasn’t interested.  It was hard to touch her last night, but not wanting to show weakness, I forced myself through the motions.  Being with Tassha felt
wrong,
somehow.  I didn’t understand and that made me angry.  How could I run a kingdom if I couldn’t figure out what was going on with myself?

“I have a lot to do today Tassha.  Get dressed and I’ll have Arron show you out.”  Arron was my personal servant and had been with me since I took over as Commander fifteen years ago.  He kept everything running smoothly in the castle, while I worried about the war.

“Mikal, please don’t go, stay with me.  You know, if you took me as your mate, we could wake up together every morning.”  I didn’t even want to think about that.

“I’m sorry, I have to go.”

After putting on my uniform, I grabbed my sword and headed toward the battle room.  I found Lukke, Nanya, Damien, and Avis looking down at a map.  “What are you looking at?”  I asked and they all took the formal stance and bowed their heads.

“Commander,” Lukke acknowledged first, as it should be.  “We’ve been studying the map trying to find the Santiarn’s target.  I think we’ve narrowed it down.

“Show me.”  I walked over and stood next to Lukke while the others fell back, giving us room.

“The Santiarns were targeting a little town, here.”  He pointed to the town on the map.  “Then three weeks ago, they pulled their forces and concentrated on this larger city.”  Again, he pointed to it on the map.  “The men have heard rumors that they killed a girl, one that was close to our target, trying to draw her out of hiding.”

“Any idea why they want her?”  I asked, while studying the map.

“No.  Just that Ornias would prefer her alive but dead is okay, too.”

“Anything else?”

“The friend’s burial is this afternoon.  I thought I’d go scope it out, although I’m not sure what I’m looking for.”  Lukke admitted.

“I’ll go with you.  Anything else?”

“No, Commander.”

Standing in a small clearing, I watched for the human girl and any Santiarns that might be in the area.  I had others stationed throughout the small town. The burial was so crowded it made looking for one small human difficult.  They all looked so much alike, dressed in black.  A lot of them were weeping,
a useless emotion.

The ceremony was almost over and I scanned the area once again, hoping something would catch my eye.  I’d almost given up and then I saw it.  The rays of the sun hit a blue crystal, which made it shimmer and sparkle.  I was familiar with crystals and this one was rare and used only for protection. 
Clever girl, Gotcha!
I grinned at the thought. 

I looked at the familiar human, the one I’d seen around quite often and I watched her.  She sharply turned her head and as I followed her line of vision, I saw a Santiarn slinking behind the trees.  Looking back at her, she sharply turned her head again.  Following her gaze, she was watching Lukke. 
Interesting, she can see us, all of us.

The ceremony didn’t last very long and as I headed her way, I noticed I wasn’t the only one.  The Santiarns were converging on her as well.  They either recognized her, or saw the protection charm as I had.  She walked swiftly away from the crowd, heading toward some large oak trees. 
Stupid girl, you should always stay with the crowd.
  When she started to run, I picked up the pace.  I followed her as she rounded a large tree.  When I got there, she was gone.  Nowhere in sight.  Lukke caught up to me and I ordered, “Find her, now!”  Nanya and Damien ran over to help with the search.

Not long later, Lukke slowly approached me, “She’s gone Commander.”  With those words, I felt as if I’d lost a part of myself.  Did the Santiarns get to her first?

Amber

Standing at the Becky’s gravesite, I felt my anger start to rise.  She didn’t deserve this.  Nobody deserves this.  She barely made it out of high school and had her whole life ahead of her.  I know mom didn’t want me involved, but how can I not be.  Those things were hunting me and now it was personal, they hurt someone I loved!

I listened to the preacher say some parting words that were supposed to offer comfort, but nothing could help right now.  I didn’t belong here, maybe not anywhere. 

Hearing the screeching sound calling for me, I turned and spotted the creature standing by a tree.  Turning sharply, I spotted a warrior man, another creature…
shit, they’re everywhere
.  I felt the now familiar stone in my pocket and the warmth offered me comfort.  Instead of letting go, I held it in my hand.  As soon as the preacher finished, I headed away from the crowd, toward a couple of huge trees.  I wanted to draw those things away from the others:  it wasn’t their fight.

I could feel them following me, gaining ground. 
Ignore them
, I thought, but I knew the charade was over.  I took off running.  As I rounded the tree, all I could think was
I wished my mom or dad were here to help me
.  The warmth from the stone encased my body.  A bright light opened up in front of me as I plowed onward, afraid to stop.  I tripped, fell to ground and hit my head.  This was the end.

Blood coated the side of my face and my vision was blurry.  One rock in the whole damn place and I hit it.  I shook my head a little, trying to regain my sight.  “Who are you,” a harsh male voice demanded. Defeated, they had caught me.

I didn’t say anything. I just sat there with my head hung low as tears filled my eyes.  With my knees pulled to my chest, I hugged my legs.  “I asked you a question, girl.”  I felt him drop to one knee.  A large hand grabbed my chin, forcing my head up to look at him.  His eyes grew wide as he said in surprise, “Amaya?  No, it can’t be!”

I watched him as he watched me.  Finding my voice, I asked, “You knew my mother?”

He sat in stunned silence before asking, “You’re Amaya’s daughter?”  I nodded. “How old are you?”

“I just turned eighteen.”

He grabbed me and I knew I was dead.  Instead, he wrapped me in his arms as we sat there, he held me tight.  It felt good, right and I let the comfort seep through my body, warming my bones.  When he let go a little, he said, “You’re hurt.  Let’s go inside and I’ll bandage your head.” 

He kept his arm around me as I walked into the small house.  My vision was still somewhat blurry but I could see an array of colors.  As he opened the door, he ushered me to a chair and said, “Sit down here.”  He helped me and I couldn’t help but smile a little.  Lately my emotions were up and down like a roller-coaster ride.  Right now I was somewhere in the middle, not sure if it would go up or plummet back down to the ground.

He brought a wet cloth.  “Thank you.”  I wiped my head and then covered my eyes willing it to clear my vision.  I asked again, “You knew my mother?”

“I did.  I haven’t seen her in a very long time,” he admitted.

I smiled, “Neither have I,” and then I blacked out.

I woke up lying in a nice warm bed covered with a soft white blanket.  Thank God, my clothes were still on.  Looking around, I noticed that my vision was back to normal.  “Ah, I see you’re finally awake.”  I looked up and saw the huge man standing at the head of the bed.  My body trembled when I realized I couldn’t hear his thoughts.  I tried to scoot back as far as possible trying to get away.  My eyes scanned the room searching for the nearest exit.  “Take it easy,” he said as he laid his hand on my shoulder.

“Please, don’t hurt me,” I pleaded while squeezing my eyes tight; not wanting to see what was coming.

“I won’t hurt you.”  When I heard the anguish in his voice, I cracked one eye open to peer at him.  “Why do you think I would?”

Slowly opening both eyes to gage his reaction, I replied, “I can’t hear you so I know you’re one of them.”

“One of them?” he mouthed with a confused look.  “Tell you what, let’s go have something to eat and then we’ll talk.  I promise you’re safe here.”  He held out his hand and I tentatively placed my hand in his.  Maybe he wasn’t so bad. 

“Thank you.”  He helped me to a chair and handed me a bowl of soup.  I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I smelled the steamy goodness.  “Umm, this is good.”  He smiled and I noticed how handsome he appeared.

“May I ask your name?”

“Amber.”  I said in between bites.  His face fell.

“Can you tell me your real name?”  I stopped eating and stared at him.  How did he know that wasn’t my real name?  I was so tired of hiding and he wasn’t buying it anyway.  This man had been nice to me and I honestly wanted to tell him the truth, so I did.

“My mother told me to never reveal my real name.  Sorry.”  He grinned as he kept staring at me.  It made me feel a little uncomfortable, “What?”

“I know this may come as a shock to you but I think I’m your father.  Actually, I know I am.”  The spoon dropped to the floor as my mouth gaped open.  I stared at him, trying to see the resemblance.   Could he be my father?  He knew my mother’s name.  “Please, tell me your name,” he asked.

“Amber…I mean, Ambriel.  My name is Ambriel.  That felt so good.” I giggled. “I haven’t heard my name in fourteen years.”  I let out a deep breath of relief but kept the smile intact.  I wanted this man to be my father so badly, I hoped I wasn’t making a huge mistake by trusting him but I had run out of options; they had found me in the cemetery.

“Ambriel,” he laughed.  “I’m Desambriel, but everyone calls me Des, it’s nice to finally meet you.”  I know my mouth hung open.  Mom named me after him.

I felt so happy that I burst out crying.  Throwing my arms around him, I sobbed on his shoulder.  When the tears slowed, I looked up at him as asked the one question I had always wanted to know, “Where have you been?” 

I watched as sadness entered his eyes.  “They took my transport crystal and forbid me from entering the human realm again.”

“What are you taking about?”  Human realm, what?  He wasn’t making any sense.

He stared at me before slowly asking, “What has your mother told you about me and my people?”

“What do you mean
your
people?”  When he didn’t readily answer, I said, “She didn’t tell me anything, she died when I was four.”

He closed his eyes before slowly opening them again, “I’m so sorry, Ambriel.  Okay, tell me what you know, what’s been happening.”

I took another breath before spilling everything to the man claiming to be my father.  “All of my life, I’ve been able to hear thoughts, everyone’s thoughts.  After moving from foster home to foster home, Sarah, my foster mother took me in when I was fourteen.  A few weeks ago, my friend Becky wanted me to go to the city with her.  I didn’t want to.  All those thoughts pouring into my mind gives me a headache, but I went anyway.  I watched as some demon creature fought with some warrior-built guy with glowing eyes.  Since then, I’ve seen them everywhere. Mom always told me to ignore them, to pretend they weren’t there.

One night, I dreamed about mom.  She told me we were going to see a lady named Zira.  The next morning, I tried to find her and when I did, she said she was a witch. I didn’t believe her at first.  Anyways, she gave me a necklace and told me to never take it off.”  I laughed like a crazy person and then continued, “My best friend Becky took me to a different city for my eighteenth birthday.  She took me to a dance club where she was kidnapped and murdered, which was completely my fault.  I was just at her funeral where a bunch of demon creatures and warrior men starting chasing me.  As I held my comforting stone, I wished that my mom or dad were here to help.  And here you are.”  It all came out so fast and I held my breath as I waited for him to call me a liar.

I could see the anger on his face; I just didn’t know the cause.  Keeping an even tone, he asked, “May I see your comforting stone?”  I reached into my pocket and pulled it out, showing it to him.  “Where did you get this?”

“In the alley where my friend was kidnapped.  The police were everywhere but I watched the fight at the end of the alley.  Someone dropped this.  When I picked it up, it made my hand warm and tingly.  I couldn’t leave it behind.”

“I see.  May I see your protection necklace?”

“I don’t want to take it off.”  I lifted the charm up for his inspection.  His eyes grew wide and he pursed his lips.

“And this Zira, she put the necklace on you before you turned eighteen?”

“Yes.  She told me to never take it off.”

“I’m sorry, Ambriel.  There’s so much you should have been taught.  I’m going to tell you a story, a history lesson, and then with your permission, I’m going to test your power.”

“What power?”

He grinned, “Let’s talk about that in a minute.  Pay attention, okay?”  I nodded.

“There are three realms.  One is your human realm. This is the Cusaleon realm and then there’s the Santiarn realm.  You’re human, I’m known as a Cusas and the demon creatures, as you call them, are the Santiarns.  The Cusas are a peacekeeping race and often protect humans.  The Santiarns are evil and like to wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting humans.  For some years now, the leader of the Santiarns, Ornias, has tried to take over the human realm.  He would like nothing better than to rule all three.  However, he cannot enter our realm without someone with Cusas blood helping him.  Only the Cusas can enter this realm.”

“But I entered it.”

“Yes, you did.”  He smiled at me.  “That’s another reason why I know for sure that you’re my daughter.  I met your mother many years ago.  It was against our law to interact with humans but I couldn’t resist the pull I felt toward Amaya.  I loved her very much; even though I knew it was dangerous to be with her.”

“My people found out about our relationship.  I went to warn her and learned she was with child.  That was the last time I saw her.  When I entered this realm, they were waiting for me.  They forbid me from ever entering the human realm again.  I was told they had killed Amaya.  Obviously they had lied.”  He took a few deep breaths before continuing.  “Mikal, the Commander…the leader of our world, came to visit me the other day.  He wanted to know about humans.  Some 1000-year-old prophecy said that a human would determine the outcome of our war.  Now that I’ve met you, I know you’re the one they are looking for.”

“Why?  Because you’re my father?”

“Yes. You have gifts from both your mother and from me.  You can also enter our realm and I suspect that’s why Ornias is after you.  If he can persuade you to join his side, then you can bring him here.”

“Are you going to turn me over to this Commander?”  For the first time since meeting my father, I felt afraid.

“Never!”  He grabbed my hand.  “I’ll never hand you over to them.  I’ll keep you as safe as I possibly can, from everyone.”

I felt instant relief.  Lowering my head, my eyes fell on our clasped hands.  It was then I noticed the scars.  I took in more of him and noticed some peeking out from under his collar also.  Looking back at his hand, I grabbed his sleeve with my other hand and pushed it up.  Surprisingly, he let me.  Scars ran up his arm.  I grabbed the other one and inspected it as well.  Scars, everywhere.  I stood walking behind him; I jerked his shirt down and noticed none of his skin remained unscathed, except for his face.

Sitting back down, I grabbed his hand and took in his shameful eyes.  “What happened to you?”

“I would lie, but you need to know about the world you’re in.  It was part of my punishment.”

Anger built at a rapid pace as I asked, “Punishment for dating my mother?”

“Yes.”

Jumping to my feet, I paced as anger seethed just below the surface.  I let out a humorless laugh, “So as a human, I’m supposed to determine the outcome of this war.  They want my help even though they murdered my mother and tortured my father.  Well they can all go to hell!”  I continued to pace until he grabbed my hand.

“Sit down, sweetheart,” he urged calmly.

I plopped down in front of him as he stared at me.  Tears filled his eyes and then he pulled me into his arms.  “I love you, Ambriel. I’ve loved you from the moment Amaya told me she was with child.  I thought I’d lost the both of you.”  We both cried for the time lost and it broke my heart to see this strong man brought to tears.

“I know.  I recently found a letter she wrote before she died.  She didn’t know what happened to you, but she said you would have been with us if you could.”

“Yes, I would have.”  He released me and took a couple of calming breaths.

“How am I supposed to help anyone?  You said that it was against your laws to interact with humans.”

“I don’t know the answers.  I’ve lived by myself since I returned from your mother,” he admitted.

“I’ve never felt like I belonged in my world and it’s forbidden to interact with anyone here.”  I finally realized that what I’ve always believed is true, “I don’t really belong anywhere, do I?”  I knew I sounded defeated and that’s how I felt, defeated.

“Don’t say that!”  He grabbed my hands.  “You belong with me.”