Done!

Forty Eight

It was a bad idea.  From the very beginning, John had thought so.  He had tried to get them out of it, to change the plan even a little bit, but no one was listening to him.  Tiana would have her way no matter what.  Keith, the follower, was going to do whatever she told him to do.  Larissa, for some reason Larissa was going along with the plan as well. 

He didn’t understand.

Now they were back at the Cottonwood Standing Circle, standing at the four corners with Tiana in charge. 

This was a bad idea.

He begged Larissa with his eyes, hoping she would get the message.  But she wasn’t responding to him.  She kept her eyes on Tiana, only glancing at him and smiling. 

He watched as Tiana performed some sort of ritual.  She passed a chalice around, insisting that everyone take a drink.  He faked his turn.  He would not participate in whatever she had planned.  But he watched closely as Larissa complied.  What was she doing?

Then it happened.  He wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but it felt like a hundred lightning bolts hit the ground all around them.  He was thrown to the ground and the world went black.

When he awoke it felt like he had been asleep for hours.  His body ached, but he was still in one piece.  He sat up and looked around. 

Larissa was gone.  Keith was there, on the ground as well as Tiana.  His heart sank.

John walked over to Keith and saw that he was dead.  There was a small trickle of blood coming from his nose and his body was still.  John put his hand over the boy’s neck and tried to feel for a pulse.  There was nothing. 

Slowly he made his way to Tiana’s body.  He stood over it, knowing it was an empty shell.  The woman, alien, whatever she was, that had embodied it that morning was now in Larissa’s body and far away.  Finally he looked down and saw the chest moving.  Startled he bent down and put his hand on her head.

Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled.  Though it was a smile unlike anything the previous Tiana had ever given him.

“Tiana?” He asked.

“John?  Did I make it?”

“Tiana?” John repeated.

“No.  It’s me Larissa.  Don’t you recognize me?”

John sat down hard next to the woman’s body.  He was stunned.

“Larissa?  But…how?”

“What do you mean? Why are you…” The girl sat up and looking down at her body went silent.

“You see what I mean?”

“We switched bodies?  How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know.  I don’t even know if I believe that you are Larissa and not that monster…”

“John, I swear…” She started and then stopped. “Oh, I see what you mean.  How could you know who I really am?”

“Keith is dead.” He blurted out.

“What?” Shock rolled across her face.

“Keith, he didn’t make it.  I think the only reason I made it was because I didn’t drink that potion.”

“You didn’t?”

“No.  Do you think I am a fool?  She wanted to kill us all, or you did, I don’t even know anymore.”

The body of Tiana stood up slowly and walked clumsily to Keith’s body.  She sat down next to his and took his hand.  She sat silent for several moments.

“You are correct, John.  He’s gone.  There is no trace of his spirit anywhere in this body.”

“I guess maybe we should go back to the lodge, call someone.”

“Yes.  I agree.”

He watched as Tiana/ Larissa stood.  They started walking back to the lodge, but it was slow going.  She tripped several times and lost her balance often.  While they were walking, John had time to think about the woman next to him. 

He knew for certain one way he could tell who she was.  There was still some potion left in that bottle.  He had pretended to pour it out, but had left some, afraid that too much would actually kill Tiana.  He would give her some in a drink.  If she changed, it would be sudden and he would kill her.  If she didn’t, well, he would figure that out when they got there.

They finally arrived back at the lodge and Tiana/Larissa sat heavily on the couch.  All the grace she had had before was gone.  She certainly was walking like Larissa.  She sat like Larissa. 

He poured her a drink, sprite with lime, and added the rest of the vial.  He walked over to her and handed it to her.  He watched as she drank some, not even questioning him about the contents.

“Thank you John.”

He watched as she closed her eyes and seemed to fall asleep.

Forty Nine

When she woke up she was on the couch in the lodge.  It was the strangest dream she had ever had.  She wanted to shake it quickly, the image of Tiana’s body when she looked down, Keith’s body dead and lifeless and John not believing she was herself. 

She sat up and felt the room sway around her.  She blinked several times, trying to figure out why everything looked off.  She was seeing everything from a different angle.  John’s image appeared in front of her and she reached out a hand to him, as though asking for help.

And nearly screamed when she realized it wasn’t her hand.

“It wasn’t a dream?” She asked.

“No.”

“I am in Tiana’s body?”

“It would appear so.”

“I assume mine is gone?”

“Yes.  As is the car and all of your clothes.  Well, the clothes that would fit Larissa’s body.  Tiana’s clothes are still upstairs.”

“Oh.  I guess that makes sense. I think I need a drink.”

“Here, have some water.” John handed her a glass.  She drank deeply before speaking again.

“So that means Keith…”

“Keith didn’t make it.”

“But you and I did.  Or at least Tiana and I switched places.”

“Yes.  I didn’t know that was possible.  But yes, you switched places.”

“Do you remember anything?”

“I remember a lot of electricity, like lightening, and then blackness.”

“I remember that and then being pushed.  I remember falling.  I remember feeling like I was weightless and then feeling like I was being sucked down.  Then darkness.  Nothing until you touched me.”

“She pushed you out of your body and took it over.  You must have found your way to Keith’s.  Do you still have your abilities, can you tell?”

Larissa took a deep breath, calming herself.  She pushed her energy out of the body she was in and down into the Earth.  It was actually easier than it had been before.  She connected and then went up, connecting just as easily with the Universal energy.  Then she started pushing out.  She pushed her energy out of her body and into the surrounding area.  It all felt like it had since she started, but easier.

“It’s easier.  It’s the same but easier.”

“Maybe because this body is used to the work so it isn’t fighting you.”

“John, you believe that it is me, Larissa.  Why?  You weren’t sure before.”

“I gave you the potion to drink.  It knocked you out and you didn’t change into an alien.  Instead you got bright, like a light bulb.  You looked just like you felt when we kissed.  I knew it had to be you.”

Her heart started beating faster in her chest.  He believed her.  The relief rushed in as well.  Thank goodness.

“What are we going to do?”

“We’re going to find a way out of here is what we are going to do.  The corporation isn’t looking for you in this body, so we don’t have to worry about them.  We can say that there was a lover’s quarrel between Larissa and Keith, that will help explain the body.  Then we will have to figure out what to do next.”

“I’m Larissa.”

“You were Larissa.  Now you are someone else.”

“I don’t want to be called Tiana.”

“Then we shall call you something else.  Come on; let’s see what she left for you upstairs. We better have everything in order before we call the authorities.”

They walked upstairs and into the ladies room.  Larissa went to the bed and sat down.  This body was weird.  It moved differently than she was used to.  She was disoriented.

“I’m going to have to practice to get used to this body.  It’s very different.”

“Yes it is.” John replied.

“What did she leave?”

“Clothes, shoes, the necessities and, oh!” She watched as John pulled out papers and wallets from the bag.

“Identities?”

“Yes.  It appears she had a few.  We will have to do a bit of research to see if there are criminal records on any of these, or missing persons and the like, but there may be something you can use instead of her name.”

He spread them out in front of her.  There were five altogether, including Tiana. 

“John, she took my body but wasn’t able to take my power.  Do you think that is what she wanted?”

“No.  I think she wanted to take all of our power and your body.  She only got Keith.”

“I wonder what she will do next.”

“I hope we don’t find out.  Let’s get this stuff packed up and call someone.  Lar..Tia… what should I call you?”

“Call me Suzanne.” She said, raising one of the ID’s.  “Call me Suzanne Thomas.”

Fifty

Something had gone wrong.  Tiana knew it as soon as she got up from the ground.  She had been expecting much more from this girl.  She didn’t hesitate, though, and immediately made her way back to the lodge.  Someone else could clean up the mess she left behind.

It took her the trip to the lodge to get used to this body.  It was shorter, rounder than what she liked.  It was harder to breath as well.  How did the girl do it?  She huffed up the stairs and got the girl’s stuff together.  At least what she needed going forward.  She didn’t bother with any of her old stuff.  It would make the story better for the authorities.  It always did.  Three  found dead in some sort of occult ritual and one of them with multiple IDs. 

She smiled at the thought.  She would have to keep an eye on the news channels.

She found the keys to Keith’s car and packed her stuff into it.  She drove out of the driveway never looking back.  At the terminal she paid for a one way ferry back to the mainland and waited.  What would she do next, she wondered. 

The girl’s body had plenty of life left in it.  Heck, she was still a virgin.  It might be fun to go back to college and be a coed for awhile.  Smiling, Tiana knew what she would do.  She would take full advantage of the college lifestyle.  She was going to have some fun.  And if she left some broken hearts and broken bodies in her wake, what did that matter?

She continued to make her plans on the ferry ride.  She got off the ferry, humming softly to herself, following the flow of traffic. 

She didn’t see the traffic stop until it was too late for her to do anything.  They were asking everyone to get out of their cars and wait.  She complied, hoping it was something routine.

“Hi Larissa, we’ve been looking for you.” A man said next to her.  She looked up at him and hissed.

“Just the response I was looking for.” He said and then shouted, “We’ve got her boys!” 

Before she knew it she was cuffed and in the back seat of a patrol car.  She was angry.  She would have done something in the car, but it would have caused all three of them damage and she couldn’t afford to lose this body so quickly.  So she stayed put and tried to calm herself. 

She expected them to take her to the police station, maybe ask her some missing person type questions, but they did not.  Instead they took her to an airstrip.  They did not get her out of the car, but loaded the entire car onto a cargo plane.

They had her.

They left her in the back seat of the car through the flight.  She felt the acceleration of the plane as well as the deceleration when they landed.  At least the landing was smooth, a small consolation for being left bound in the back of a car. 

It wasn’t pleasant.  The body she was in was hungry, again, and needed to use a bathroom.  Different men got into the car to back it out of the plane.

“I need to use a bathroom.” She said.

“We’re sure that you do, but you will have to wait just a bit longer.  We’ll have you in holding shortly.” One of the men replied. 

She said nothing in response.  They drove a short distance into a warehouse.  They pulled up to a row of doors and the men got out.  One man opened one of the doors while the other came to open the back door for her.  He pulled her out of the car and she almost fell for her legs were mush.  She had not stood on them for hours.  The other man grabbed her other arm and they half carried her into the cell. 

One man released her arms from the bindings while the other stood by the door.

“Welcome home.” One of them said, laughing as he slammed the door shut.

She was alone in a cell.  She saw the toilet in the corner and just made it time.  No accidents.  Finishing her business she looked around. 

There was a mattress, no sheets, no pillow, the toilet and a sink.  Nothing else.  Her stomach growled at her again.

As if on cue a small slit opened in the door and a tray of food slid into the room.  At least they meant to feed her.

She may not have known where she was, but she was pretty sure who had her.  The corporation.  And wouldn’t they be surprised to find out the girl they wanted was not the girl they got?  She sat down to the tray of food and gobbled it up. 

She wasn’t some mousy American girl they could frighten into doing what they wanted.  No contract could bind her.  She was from somewhere they had never heard of, she was sure.  Exiled.  She would simply take their bodies and be on her way.  It didn’t matter.

They left her in the cell for a few days.  She was antsy and bored when they finally came for her.  She was used to a lot of freedom and being caged was actually more torturous than she had thought it would be.  Finally in the presence of others, she decided to put her newly acquired abilities to the test. 

They failed. 

She could do nothing.  It didn’t make sense to her.  She should be able to dominate their thoughts.  The girl had enough power to do whatever she liked.  Unless…

Tiana suddenly burst out in a fit of rage.  She jerked at the arms of her captors, but they held tightly.  She had been tricked!  She didn’t know how the girl had done it, but she had not given over her powers. 

Now she was stuck in this body with nothing. 

“Larissa, or should I call you by another name now?  How nice it is to see you. They call me the General.  You shall do the same.  Boys, take her in here.”

They drug her into a small room that held only a table two chairs.  They pushed her into one and then tied her into it. Then they left, nodding as they passed the General.

“We’ve been looking for you for a long time, Larissa.  A long time.”

“Ha!” She said, “You only think you have been looking for me.  I am not who you think I am.”

“Oh no.  You are exactly who I think you are.  Larissa is only your latest identity.  And she will be your last for awhile.  We’ve got you now.  There is no escape.  From this day forward you will work for us.”

Her heart dropped.  What did he mean, he knew who she was?  That wasn’t possible.  No one knew…

“Oh it’s true.  I know exactly who you are.  You thought we were after the girl?  Not even close.  It’s unfortunate, I will agree, that we had to lose a few people before we finally picked you up.  John will be missed.  But I have been looking for you for so long.  It was worth the sacrifice.

Now, young lady, we have a contract to discuss.”

Fifty One

The sun was setting in the sky, painting it orange and pink and purple.  The view from their new home was everything she had ever hoped for.  She still couldn’t believe how it had all happened.

 “Dinner is almost ready.” John said behind her.  He rubbed his palms up her arms before embracing her from behind.

“It is so beautiful here.  I don’t know that I will ever get used to it.”

“I don’t think I will either.  Or get used to seeing you every day.  You are amazing in your own right.  And I don’t mean your body.”

Suzanne smiled.  She knew what he meant.  He had started falling for her in one body and ended up with her in another.  But they made it work.  They had no problems making it work.

Now that she was used to the new body, she liked it more each day.  Her chosen identity had worked in their favor as well.  Suzanne was really the name associated with the body she was in, and Suzanne had been a shrewd business woman for many years.  She had a solid savings account as well as many properties. 

John had found out many details of her life before she reentered it to take advantage of what had been left behind.  In the midst of everything had been this house.  She had fallen in love with it the moment she stepped inside and never wanted to leave. 

So they didn’t.

Instead they had made it home. 

Weird Turn...

Not exactly sure where this is going... but you knew that!  Seems we're taking a weird turn now! 

Forty Four

Larissa watched at Tiana chugged the drink in front of her.  She shouldn’t be surprised, she thought, she had watched Keith do the same thing.

Then it struck her.  Keith had switched glasses with her.  He must have done it without knowing, but it was the only way to explain his behavior.  She looked across the table at him.  He was resting on his hand, barely able to keep his eyes open as he tried to put food into his mouth. 

She glanced at John to see if he noticed, but John was watching Tiana.  He was watching her intently.  Larissa looked at her as well.

She almost shoved away from the table.  She had looked at Tiana, not with her regular sight, but with her energetic sight.  The mask that Tiana had worn was gone.  In front of her sat a creature she had never seen before. 

John grasped her leg under the table. She looked at him and he shook his head.  She looked down at her plate and took a deep breath.

“Can I get you another drink Tiana?” John asked.

“Oh John, that would be lovely.” The thing that was Tiana said.  Almost simpered.  Not only was it a creature, but it thought it was an attractive creature.  Larissa did her best not to shudder.

“Tell me Larissa, did you get a chance to walk the grounds earlier?” Tiana asked her.

“Yes I did.”

“What did you think?”

“There are some very beautiful places here.”

“Yes there are.  I think we all should visit some of them tomorrow, maybe early in the morning.  It might be fun to experiment with a few things.”

“I’m sure that could be fun.” Larissa said. 

“Oh, thanks John.  You really do make lovely drinks” Larissa heard Tiana gulping down the drink.  She glanced up and had to consciously close her mouth. 

The thing that was Tiana wasn’t even trying anymore.  Larissa didn’t have to look with her energetic sight to see the creature that sat before her.  She was amazed at what she saw.  The creature had a human shape, only it didn’t.  Somehow it still fit in Tiana’s clothes, but it must have been painful, the way it had to shove the flesh into everything.  Larissa could see the folds under the clothing, something she was not able to see before.

It made it hard to eat. 

The color was really the worst part of the creature that was Tiana.  The skin of the creature was scaly and dark, gray and mottled.  How could someone so beautiful as Tiana really be this creature?

“Dear hearts, I find that I am a little tired.  Perhaps the three of you could clean up the kitchen? I think I will go to bed.  Larissa, see you in the room in a bit.  Don’t stay up too late.”

“Sure.” Larissa said.  She watched in horror as the creature attempted to sashay up the stairs.  She looked over at John, ready to say something, but he again shook his head.  He nodded towards Keith.

Keith was watching Tiana with complete fascination.  He actually had a bit of drool coming out of one side of his mouth.

“Keith?  Are you ok?” Larissa asked.

“What?  Yeah.  Isn’t she great?  She’s so amazing.  The way she talks and stuff.  I didn’t really like the people who came with her to the meeting.  She said they were aliens or something.  But Tiana, well, she’s amazing.”

“Did she tell you anything else Keith?” John asked.

The sound of John’s voice did something to Keith.  He sat up straighter and looked angrily at the other man.

“Listen here, John, or whatever your name is.  Tiana is mine.  Larissa is mine.  They are all mine.  You cannot have them.”

“I do not know that I want them, Keith.”

“Good.  Because they are both for me.  Tiana said so.”

“She did?”

“Yes.  She said I was to break up with Larissa for now, and that she would be with me while we were broken up.  Then later, after the ceremony or something, Tiana was going to leave and I could have Larissa.  Only Larissa would be better, because of the ceremony or something.”

“Did she tell you anything else?”

“Naw man.  I just had to give the vial of stuff to Larissa to make her true energies come out.  Then, when it takes effect, like in the morning or something, we all go out and do the ceremony.  Then I get Larissa forever.”

“Humm.  Maybe you should go to bed now Keith.”

“Yeah.  Only, man, I don’t want to sleep in the same room with you.”

“Why don’t you take Larissa’s bed?  I’m sure Tiana won’t mind.”

“But you keep your hands of Larissa, you understand?”

“Of course.  She belongs to you.  I totally understand.”

Keith stood and clumsily made his way to the stair care.  Larissa watched as he stumbled up the stairs, almost falling a couple of times.  She was going to stand, to go to him and help him, but John’s hand on her leg held her in place.  They both watched as Keith headed towards the room Tiana had entered a few minutes before.

After he was gone from view Larissa looked John in the eye.

“Did you know any of this?” She asked him.

“No.  I had no idea the Scortoos had come for you.” John replied.

“The what?”

“The Scortoos.  A specific race of Aliens.”

“So Aliens are real.”

“Yes, of course.  Aliens are very real.  They have been visiting the planet since its inception.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No.  You saw what she turned into when she drank whatever was in that vial.  I bet her plan was to get you to drink it all tonight and then take you out and take over your body.”

“What?”

“It’s obvious she’s, or it, has already done it once.  That is not really Tiana.  Though there may have been a Tiana at one time, she is no longer.”

Larissa held up her hand to get him to stop.  She could hardly process what had happened, what she had seen.  She took a deep breath, trying to stabilize herself. 

“I don’t know what to think” She admitted.

“Well, at least you can take comfort in one thing.”

“What?”

“Keith is not one of them.” He smiled at her.

She smiled back at him.  Then the smile faded from her face.

“What are we going to do?”

“We are going to do what you originally planned to do, Larissa.  What we talked about this afternoon.  We are going to get some flashlights and head outside and see if we can’t do what you wanted to do earlier.  Then we will see what we need to do next.”

“What if it doesn’t work?”

“That’s why we do it tonight.  Let’s find out if it will work before we decide what to do next.”

“Only one problem.  All of my clothes are in the room that Tiana and Keith are in.”

“But mine aren’t.  We’ll get you dressed warmly.  Don’t you worry about that.”

Forty Five

It wasn’t as cold outside as she feared it would be.  She had put on more layers than she needed, but it was almost warm outside.  She looked up at the sky and saw nothing.  It was disorienting.  She was used to seeing stars, planets, the moon.  But there was only darkness above.

“The clouds have rolled in.” John said.

“Everything is so dark.” She replied. 

“That’s good for us, Larissa.  It is less likely that we will be discovered. Where do you want to start?” John pulled out the map and shone the light onto it. 

“Here.  The Dolman.  There are more offerings with stronger connections here than anywhere else.  Let’s start big and farther away, just in case.”

“Right.  That makes no sense, but let’s do it.”

“Why doesn’t that make sense?”

“If it works, starting somewhere big will draw the most attention.”

“True.  But I can do the most good before I am found out.”

“Right.  Well, let’s get to it then.”

Traveling by flashlight in the middle of the night was a lot more difficult than Larissa imagined.  In fact her imagination was getting to her, which wasn’t helping her walk any quicker.  She frequently halted, flashing her light around in the darkness.  The trees lit up around her, but she saw nothing.  Then she would hurry forward and practically trip over some uneven ground, sending her flying into John’s back.  By the fourth time this happened, John stopped and looked at her.

“Larissa, you have got to calm down.”

“I can’t seem to, John.  Everywhere I look I think I see something coming out of the forest.  I keep thinking I hear things.”

“This is a forest Larissa.  There are animals here.  I am sure you are hearing them.  But remember that they are generally more afraid of you then you are of them.  Why aren’t you using your energetic sight to see what is going on?  Why are you only relying on your physical body?”

He had a point, and one that she had not thought of.  Larissa took another deep breath and closed her eyes.  They stood while she calmed herself.  She grounded into the Earth, feeling the energy of everything around her.  Then she opened her eyes and looked around.

Everything looked different.  In the dark, even though her eyes could not see anything, she could see the energy of the forest that surrounded her.  She could feel the way it vibrated.  She sent her attention out and felt the plants.  Then she felt birds.  They were different.  She felt how they were denser than the plants she had been feeling.  She moved her attention out and up and caught the trees.  They were different still. 

Surprised she sent her energy out to the man in front of her.  His energy was familiar, she had reconnected him after all, but she now saw it differently.  Compared to the trees, the plants and the birds, his energy was larger and less focused.  She could see where he was connected to beings outside of his body where as the rest were not.  Their connections stopped with the Earth.

“Wow” She breathed.

“Yeah, I know.” John said.  “Come on, now that you can actually see what’s happening, let’s get moving to this Dolman.”

They continued on the path. 

John was the one to stop short when they reached the Cottonwood Stone Circle. Larissa almost ran into him as she was looking off to one side, caught up in an energy trail.

“What is it?” She whispered.

“What is this place?” John asked.

“What do you…” Larissa’s voice trailed off as she finally looked at the standing circle with her energetic sight.  She had been there earlier in the day, but it had felt different at that time.  At night the circle seemed to glow with unearthly energy. 

They approached the circle slowly, almost expecting something or someone to pop out from behind the stones and come after them.  They were incredibly tense.

“It wasn’t like this earlier.” Larissa said. “It was, well, it was more Earthly then this.  I felt the vibrations of the circle and it felt like home.  Now it doesn’t feel like home at all.”

“No.  This place is used for something far different at night, I am sure.” John replied.

“Have you ever seen anything like this?” She asked curiously.

“I have.  I have only seen it one other time.  At least a place like this at night.  There are a lot of standing stone circles, but most of them I only visited during the day.  During the day they are normal, the energy is homey, like you said.  They are peaceful places where you want to say prayers and ask for wishes to come true.  Nighttime is a different story.”

They walked the edge of the circle, neither of them wanted to enter.  Larissa got a lot closer than John did.  She reached her hand towards one of the stones, feeling the difference in the vibrations. 

“It is so different from earlier, John.  I’m just amazed. But this worries me too.”

“How?”

“There were so many wishes, as you said, so many requests with left behind in the center of the circle.  I was planning on reconnecting all of those people to themselves.  But now, with this weird energy, I am no longer certain it is possible. Do you think the Dolman will have the same energies?”

“I have no way of telling from here.  I can honestly say that I have never been in a Dolman. It may be the same, it may be different.  Perhaps if you do your work there, it will affect this circle and you can continue your work here.  I don’t know.”

“I guess we will see then.”

“Yes, I guess we will.”

They continued walking on.  Both paused at the edge of the clearing, looking back at the standing circle.  Then they turned their attention to the path in front of them, to the mission they had given themselves.

They made good time to the Dolman, the path was clear, just as it had been earlier in the day.  They approached the Dolman slowly, not sure what to expect from the sacred space.  They walked up the few steps to the structure and stood, just outside the door.

“It doesn’t look like the circle did.” Larissa said.

“No, it doesn’t.  Does it feel different from when you were here earlier?”

“Not really.  The intensity is the same.  The sadness, the desires, all of the wishes that people made in this area, they are all still present.”

She hesitated outside of the door.  Not really sure if she should go through with what she came to do.

“Do it Larissa.  You have to try.” John said.

“I know.  I’m just not sure that I can do it alone.”

“You aren’t alone.  I am right here.  I’ll stay with you.”

They entered the Dolman together.

“Crap, Larissa.  You said it was intense, but I wasn’t expecting it to be this intense.  From the door it felt like every other alter space I’ve ever been in.  But in here…”

“It’s overwhelming.  You see why I decided that something must be done?”

“Yes.  It is time and you are the right person to do it.”

“We are the right people, John.  We have to do this together.”

“Yes.”

They sat together on the ground of the Dolman and faced the altar.  Larissa looked at all the notes, the stones, the trinkets left behind.  She watched as John pulled the turquoise necklace from his pocket and laid it at the altar with everything else. 

“I don’t know what to do.” She admitted after they had been sitting for a few moments.

“I think you do.”

“Do I say something?  Or do I just do it?”

“Why don’t you just do it?  I don’t think this has to be like a ritual Larissa.  We aren’t in a movie.  We’re just two people trying to help other people.”

“Right.  Ok. So we do this now.”

Larissa closed her eyes.  She saw the energies of all the objects in front of her, it was like looking through her eyelids.  Every object had a slightly different vibration, it was connected to different people.  She saw some that had the same vibrations and she knew the same person had been back over and over to make the same requests.  Her heart went out to those people more.  To feel so lost to be requesting assistance so often and still not get what you were looking for. 

She connected herself into the Earth’s energies and brought those energies into her body, flowing them through her body until they shot out of the top of her head.  Then she connected to the Universal energies and brought those energies down, through her body and out through her connection to the Earth.  Fully connected to the Earth and the Universe, she started her work. 

At first it didn’t seem to work.  She concentrated on a piece, a single vibration, and pulled that vibration to her.  After she had a hold on that vibration, she would look for the person it belonged to, where ever they were in the world, it didn’t matter.  She found them.  Then she reconnected them with the Earth and with their higher selves, with the parts of them that were not of the Earth. 

At least that is what she tried to do.  The first time the person fought with her.  The person’s other parts also argued with her.  They didn’t think it was proper, what she was doing, that the person was there to suffer and search, to find the answers not be given them.  But Larissa pushed forward, she bullied, she cajoled, and finally she found the missing piece.

She loved. 

She filled her entire being with more love than she ever thought possible.  Until her teeth chattered with the love that flowed from her body. 

When she approached them with love they reconnected instantly.  They could feel, immediately, the love in her and wanted nothing more than to be just like her.  She progressed quickly through the tokens that had been left behind.  After a few reconnections she found that she could do whole groups of items together.  She didn’t have to single any one vibration or person out.  They could all be connected all at once.  Excited she pushed harder and faster.  She wanted to reconnect every one, she wanted to help everyone.

Then she was finished.  At least with everyone who was represented in the Dolman. 

Larissa opened her eyes and looked at John.  Though there was no light, she could see him with her energetic eyes.  She could feel the happiness in him, the way they had connected. 

“That was amazing Larissa.  I have never felt anything like that.”

“It was exactly what I wanted, John.  That was exactly what I wanted for everyone.”

“We need to do more of it.”

“Yes.  There are many altars, many sacred spots in this place.  We need to visit them all.”

“Do we?  I mean, do we need to go to them all?  Or could we do it all from here?    We are somewhat protected here…”

“Oh.  I see what you mean.  I don’t know if we can do it from here… but I think it is worth a try.”

Larissa closed her eyes and reached out, beyond the Dolman, her energy sweeping past where they sat.  She felt the objects that were just outside the door, at a mini altar that had been set up.  She reconnected everyone associated with that small altar in almost an instant. 

Then she reached further and went faster.  She felt like an angel, flying across the land, searching for those who were lost and showing them love and connection.  She wondered what the people were feeling, with her doing this work.  Not letting her mind wonder, she stayed present with the work and swept further. 

She found that she had gone beyond the land they were staying on.  Somehow she had passed over the sea and onto the continent.  She was surprised that she had traveled so fast, that the reconnections were taking place so quickly, but she went with it.  She stayed with the work, flowing further and further from where she sat. 

Soon she felt that she had passed over the entire globe.  She had toured the Earth and made her way back to where she sat.  She had been searching for articles that people had left behind, for prayers that had been said and never answered.  For these people she sent love and connections, showing them they were not alone. 

She had no idea how much time had passed when she opened her eyes the second time.  She looked over at John and saw that he was overwhelmed with what had just happened.

“I had no idea, Larissa.  None at all.”

“No idea about what?” She asked him.

“That there was so much suffering from people being disconnected.  I thought there would be some, yes, but not to the magnitude that you just showed me.  And you only touched those that have reached out for help.  You didn’t touch everyone else.”

“I can only help those that want to be helped, I think.  Otherwise we would all be reconnected again.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“That’s the way it seems right now.  Maybe that will change.  I really don’t know.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, recovering from the energetic output they had just experienced.

“Do you suppose they saw?” Larissa finally asked.

“I don’t think anyone could have missed that, Larissa.”

“What do you think will happen next?”

“I guess it depends on who gets to you first.  Tiana and the aliens or the corporation.”

“What if neither of them do?”

“What do you mean?”

“I have an idea.  Tell me if I am crazy John.”

“I’m listening.”

Forty Six

Tiana’s eyes flung open.  Something had just happened.  She had felt a wave come over her, but she wasn’t sure what the wave was.  She took stock of her body and realized that she was not alone.  There was someone laying in bed with her.  Who was it?  She thought about coming up to bed and she couldn’t remember it.  In fact she couldn’t remember much past sitting down for dinner and John making her a drink.

The drink! 

She tried to remember if Larissa had changed at all during dinner.  She had meant to keep an eye on the girl, looking for alterations in her energy system to see if she was indeed the one they were looking for.  She had been distracted, though, by Keith.  Keith had started acting really funny.  She was sure that he had had too much to drink, the boy was always over doing things to impress her.  She had attempted to use that to her advantage to get him to drug Larissa. 

Larissa hadn’t changed though.  At least not that she could remember.  And she remembered nothing beyond the last drink that John had made her.  Had John drugged her?  He had seemed to be acting weird.  Or was that just her? 

So caught up in thoughts, she didn’t remember that she was sharing her bed with someone until that person swung an arm over her.  She jumped, startled, and looked at the arm.  It was familiar.  It was Keith’s!  She was in bed with Keith. 

How had that happened?

Tiana ran her hand over her body and realized that she was naked in the bed.  She grazed her hand over Keith only to find him in the same state.  She was horrified.  What had they done?  What had she done? 

How was she going to get out of this?

Slowly she pushed away the arm that draped over her and crawled out of the bed.  She pulled on clothes and turned, realizing that Larissa’s bed was empty.  Which made sense since she had apparently slept with the girl’s boyfriend.  Or ex-boyfriend since they had broken up last night at her insistence.  It didn’t matter.  Perhaps nothing had happened.  Even if it did, Tiana would make sure that Keith understood that this was going nowhere.  It couldn’t go anywhere regardless.  They weren’t the same species.

Tiana tiptoed out of the room, leaving Keith snoring in the bed.  She searched the other room, hoping to find Larissa and John curled together in a similar manner.  It would certainly make things a lot easier if they were.  But the beds were empty.  The covers untouched. 

Maybe they were still downstairs, talking or something.

Tiana headed downstairs and looked around.  They were not in the house. 

She felt panic start to rise in her throat along with bile.  She had waited a long time for someone like Larissa to come along and now she was gone.  Gone with that trouble maker John.  She should have insisted that they leave him behind, but she had been so curios about Larissa’s capabilities she had wanted to see them.  She had wanted a demonstration.

She had seen more than she had even dreamed of.  She had watched as Larissa disconnected John from the corporation and reconnected him with himself.  It had been magnificent.  A dream come true.  Tiana knew just what to do with such power.  She longed to control it herself, to take it.  She just had to make sure that they were compatible before she did so.

That is why she brought the girl here.  She knew with the potion she could see right away if they were compatible.  If they were, the Cottonwood Circle was the perfect portal to utilize for the transference.  Since no one was aware of its existence, she knew that she could get away with what she wanted quickly.  She had it all planned out.  She would pretend that the four of them were performing a ritual.  That they were going to reconnect all the people of the Earth to themselves, disconnect them from the evil corporation.  Larissa would fall for it in a heartbeat.  But instead of doing anything of that sort, Tiana would force them all to give over their abilities to her. 

Larissa’s power would be so luscious.  And John, though he had a checkered past, he was strong in his own right.  His ability to track energy through the Earth would come in handy when tracking her next prey. Keith’s abilities were humdrum.  She had taken power from many a person just like him, there were no secrets there, no thrills, but she would do it just the same. 

She had to take power soon, regardless.  Her recent victims had been weak and their powers drained away from her far too quickly.  One of the downfalls of this planet.  But she had been exiled here and was not allowed to leave. 

Tiana had to find them.  She had to take over Larissa’s power and her body as soon as possible.  She would dispose of the current body quickly and then leave this city, this state.  She also had to find a way to hide the girl from the corporation.  Once she took over, they still be after her.  Of course they would never catch her.  Even if they did, they would not understand what they found.  There would be no way to disconnect her from what she was not connected to.  Maybe she would let them capture her; maybe she would find some new toys to play with there.  It might be a fun diversion from what she had been doing.

She looked outside; the car was still parked in the drive.  That meant that they were on foot.  They had not gone far.  She walked back upstairs and into John’s room.  All of his belongings were still there, at least as far as she could tell.  If they had meant to leave for good they would have taken their stuff.  At least John would have.  He had been on his own long enough to understand the importance of having his things.

She took a deep breath.  She was ok.  She could still move forward with her plan, at least for now.  She headed back to her room and stopped at the doorway. 

Now all she had to do was deal with the boy in her bed.

Forty Seven

“I don’t know Larissa.”

“No?  Do you think it’s a bad idea?” Larissa asked.

“Of course I think it’s a bad idea.  We have no idea what Tiana really wants from you.  I think it is a horrible idea to give her any chance to do it.  We don’t need to know, but we do know that we need to get as far away from her as possible.”

“I still think we can fool her.  That we can shift things in our favor.”

John shook his head.  He didn’t like the thought of her risking herself.  She was too important.  He had thought that before, when she had reconnected him.  After what he had just experienced, riding with her as she swept her loving re-connective energy across the world, he knew he would do anything to protect her.  That she would want to risk herself in such a foolish way.  To lie to Tiana about what they had been doing, to try to see what the other woman, or alien wanted.  It was foolish.

“Larissa, what if what she really wants is to, I dunno, eat you or something?”

“Then she would have already done that, wouldn’t she?  She was alone with me John, while you and Keith were getting your things together.  She could have done whatever she wanted with me.  She didn’t.  No, she wants something more from me.  The drink, or potion, or whatever it was that I was supposed to have proves that.  I want to know what she wants.  I want to stop her for good.”

“I don’t see how this will end well, Larissa.”

“I know.  But tell me this, what else are we going to do?  We can’t get up and walk away from this place.  We don’t know anyone.  Everyone that I have ever known is somewhere else, probably being monitored by the corporation.  I am sure it’s the same for you.  We need the car, we need supplies, we need a plan and we have none of those things right now.”

“You are right.”

“Yes.  So we go back to the lodge.  We go back and see what there is to see.  We see if we can figure out what Tiana really wants and if we can’t then we will run. Agreed?”

“Agreed.  Not willingly, but agreed.”

Larissa stood and John stood with her.  They had been away from the lodge for hours and they were both exhausted from the work they had done.  They were cold too.  They could both use hot showers to warm up.  But it was a long walk back to the lodge.

They made good time getting back until they reached the Cottonwood Standing Circle.  They both hesitated outside of it. 

“The energy had shifted here.” Larissa said.

It had, John walked up to the closest stone and laid his hand on it.  It no longer felt foreign to him; it felt Earthly, like it did during the daytime. 

“The alien energies are gone.” He said.

“Do you think we cleared it or just chased them away?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

“Hmm.  Maybe we will come back later in the day and see if it has all still shifted.”

“Maybe.” He replied. 

They continued on, both were ready to be done with the adventure for the night.  Just before they got to the lodge, Larissa turned to John.  She had been ahead of him and her shift in direction took him off guard.  He ran into her, and caught her in his arms so neither of them would fall. 

She looked up at him, searching his face for something, searching his energies for something.  He felt her pulling him and he let himself be pulled.  He leaned down and placed his lips on hers.

He felt as though a bomb had exploded in his head, his reaction to her was so strong.  The hair stood up on his arms, goose bumps broke out on his legs, and he saw flashes of light behind his closed eyes.  He had never experienced anything so strong before. He pulled away from her.

“What was that?” He asked her.

“I was going to ask the same thing.” She breathed. “Let’s do it again.”

She pulled his head down to her and he let her.  The explosion happened again, only this time it was not as strong.  They continued to kiss and he felt the energy shift across his body as his desire for her grew.  It was more than physical, it was though their souls were melding through their lips.  She pulled away from him, breathless.

“I can barely stand” She said.

“I know the feeling.” He replied.  They stood, holding each other, grasping for balance.

“I was going to ask you something, and now I cannot recall what it was.”

“Maybe you will remember later?  All I want is to kiss you again.”

“No.  I mean, I want to as well, but I cannot John.  I don’t want to get involved again so soon until I know…”

“I understand Larissa.  I really do.”

“Thank you.”

She pulled away from him and he immediately felt the absence of her.  He wondered what kind of idiot Keith was to push her away.  Obviously the kid was under Tiana’s spell, but Larissa was something far more special than Tiana would ever hope to be.  At least the Tiana he had known before last night. 

Taking a deep breath, John followed Larissa back to the lodge.  They entered and found everything just as they had left it.  At the top of the stairs Larissa turned to him.

“I can’t sleep in my room, John.  What am I going to do?”

“You will sleep in my room.”

“I’m not sleeping with you!”

“Not with me.  There are two beds, just as in your room.  You will just take the other bed.  I won’t try anything Larissa.  I promise.  Besides, I think I may be too tired.”

“Will you wait for me to get my stuff?  Just in case something happens?”

“I will wait outside your room for you.”

He did just that, waiting right outside the door while she grabbed a few belongings to change into.  When she came out again, she looked pale.

“What happened?” He asked her.

“They are sleeping together.  Not just in the same room, but in the same bed.  Keith is wrapped around her like, like a lover.  I had not expected to see that.”

John wrapped an arm around her.

“It’s good that you are done with him.  It’s good that he ended it with you.  He is showing you his true colors.  Influence or not, a good man would not sleep with another woman the same night and under the same roof of the one he just broke up with.”

“She’s back to normal now.  Her skin is back in place.”

“Is it?  Then whatever that potion was has worn off.”

“Must have.”

“You take a shower first Larissa. I don’t mind waiting.” John changed the subject. 

They each showered and when John got back to the room Larissa was sound asleep.  He watched her for a moment before leaving the room.  He walked down the hallway and stood at the door to her room.  He watched Keith and Tiana sleeping.  He watched the way the boy’s breathing body moved and then he watched Tiana’s.  She wasn’t asleep.  She had been waiting for them. 

He turned and walked back to the bedroom.  He wasn’t sure that he could sleep, knowing that Tiana was down the hall.  He didn’t know what she was, not really, and didn’t know what she wanted.  Until he knew both he would be on edge. He lay down on the bed.  Despite his best efforts he was sound asleep in moments.