"The Dark Stranger"
© VeGirl 2014

As the days passed, Aoleon and I spend more and more time together; practicing our shielding ability and planning our exit together.

Slowly I started to feel like myself again.

The vibrant energy that had been a strong part of me earlier had slowly but efficiently been snarled in this emotionless environment. The cocky attitude that was my attire had merged into the high and mighty princess that Vincent once spoke about.

Vincent...

Even the paralyzing pain over losing him has slowly subsided as Aoleon and my plan to get back proceeds. He had searched for me for over two hundred years, and if or when I manage to get back I will let him find me.

I strain my shoulders back and hold my head high where I walk the hallways. I don't dare to get close to the common parts often, but when I do; there is no music. People there don't trust me like they did when I walked in there in Vincent's company.

On the rare occasion that my eyes should meet anyone else's, I nod respectfully with that slight angelic smile that would make Michelangelo fall at my feet, begging me to be portrayed. Mona Lisa would scowl.

When the weight of the world is too much to bear, I open up my own personal google-earth and zoom into The Cave, hoping to find somebody I know. If I close my eyes I can crank up the volume and pretend I am somewhere else; somewhere where good music isn't illegal.

Some of the times I tune into the real life tv, I find Eddie starring but that is usually when I change channel. I don't want to see how sad she is; that only add to my own despair. Anger is usually my fuel and a good beat can make me break a sweat in a short time.

Avicii is my brand of heroine these days and with my head forward, I hide in the confinement of my hair that has paled into a dark blond and dance as if I'd rather needed a straitjacket. I dance while tears stream down my cheeks and until I pass out in my bed.

Out in the open, I have to keep up the appearance and so does my new friend. I barely acknowledge her if our paths cross in any of the official areas. In my room there is a whole different game, but getting her there calls for some really tricky stuff.

Just calling her doesn't work if we're supposed to hide, but with our mental shield, we have been able to develop a secure channel for emergency calls. Just to be on the safe side, we have also decided to decode it.

'Oh such a beauty!' Is the absolute emergency and that has not been used yet.

We are cooped up in my room whispering about a world where trees sway and where moss smells deep and musky.

"Why do you want out?"

"I've got somebody on the other side," she says cryptically but soon admits with an eyeroll. "Okay I'm guardian to a guy who I want to meet. He is so incredibly sweet, but he has had some trouble with girls lately."

"A crush?"

Aoleon sighs and her eyes lost the sparkles. "I guess it would never work, but he fills me with desire and want."

I give her a weak smile, thinking of Vincent. "I know what you mean."

We sit in silence for a while; both of us deep in fantasies about what life could have been when an idea hit me. Can you see my private never-never land from up here? I scurry over to my secret surveillance panel and open up to the world. Aoleon show no surprise, so this is wellknown for her, but she sure is curious as I zoom in on Arizona and then further on Phoenix.

"Is this where you're from?"

I turn surprised towards her. "What do you know about this?"

"This is where my..."

I raise my brows. "Your guy?" I tease.

She actually blushes. "I was about to say my human, but it's a little derogatory, right?"

I start to laugh and the sound is so revealing that my heart brightens. "Yeah, you should start to address them in a different way, or he might be offended."

She smiles affectionate at me. "I am so glad to have you by my side for this adventure."

Before I have time to stop myself I have thrown myself around her neck and I feel her freeze up.

Major faux pas!

"You should get used to physical contact as well, that is standard procedure." I smile apologetic. "Humans are big on that." I nearly said us humans, but I recognized my mistake before I aired it. That could have been embarrassing.

'Where do you live Aoleon?'

'By the commoner quarters.'

"The commoners?"

"Yeah, I'm working my way up the ladder," she snickers. "Not everybody is purebread like you."

"What is it about this hierarchy?"

"This is the way it has always been."

"That might be so, but there is a better way; we can be equals."

"Equals?" Aoleon snorted, but noticed my serious expression and rearranged hers. "That sounds too good to be true."

"It can happen."

* * *

After that meeting with the Ophanim, I realize how urgent the matter of getting away is. I am not letting some douchbag climbing on top of me, and especially not with witnesses in the room. Just the thought of Aurelius makes my skin crawl in the most unpleasant way. Nausea fills my entire being.

It is time to get the hell out of here.

"So, what's the plan?" Aoleon says one day. "Isn't it time to make a move soon?"

I take a deep calming breath. "Yes, I think so. If I only knew where the exit is."

"But you arrived not that long ago, right?"

'I passed out before we arrived; all I remember is where we took off from, so that's no help.' I feel despaired and desperation is creeping in on me.

'Yeah, that's a bummer. Some kind of destination would have been helpful.'

We sit there in silent contemplation for a while, me desperately trying to get some recollection of where we might have landed. Perhaps Vincent knows? He has been here several times if I understood him right.

Where is he?

Is he okay or have they locked him up somewhere? No, my so called father said he had left, didn't he? Perhaps he was back on earth with Esme and Eddie. A pang over losing my friendship with Eddie first and formost sear through me. I want them back so badly.

What had life been before their friendship? How had it been before?

Friendship here is nothing like that.

Suddenly I recall the first time I left this place; when I fell. 'I remember where I went the first time.' I send through Aoleon's and mine secured communication.

'Really?' Her features brighten up.

* * *

We are out scouting both Aoleon and me on different paths. Since we found out we were able to send mental images to each other, we could easily split up to efficient the search.

With great difficulty I find myself in the outskirts of the common parts. It is as if this place constantly moves like those Hogwards staircases. I guess that it is actually my sense of direction that is failing instead.

I just rounded a corner when Aurelius bumped into me in a very un-angelic kind of way.

"Samira, my princess!" He bows deeply while I frown.

Cut it off Aurelius; I am not yours," I snarl. "You and I are not we, and we never will be."

He looks surprised at me. "But we're compatible."

"We're not!"

"But the power's have said so."

"Yeah well, I object!"

"Object?"

I sigh heavy. "I don't have time for you." With an annoyed face I leave him standing there looking like I gave him a riddle to figure out.

'Sam?' I hear through my telepathic link. 'Are you okay?'

I draw a deep breath, not sure what to answer; not certain that I am okay at all. 'Let's just find what we need for this party to start' I sigh and hope that don't show between the lines.

This search is fruitless and after what I suppose is a few hours, I tell Aoleon to give up and abort this whole mission.

I slump down on my bed, feeling exhausted in a way I haven't during this whole experience. Since no sleep comes to relief me from my troublesome worries, I walk restless to my window towards the world, or my personal Google earth. Arizona lays in darkness but by the busy life, I reckon that the evening is young. Nowhere is Vincent to be found and I wonder anxiously what might have happened. Is he planning my rescue somewhere or has he done his job. He had after all been assigned to bring me back several hundred years ago.

No, I can't fathom a travesty like that.

That train of thoughts is toxic and I must push them away, or else I will sink into a bottomless well of grief.

I have to put quite a bit of energy to stop myself from the travesty and to prevent a depression. With human tired feet I clench my jaws and get out of this room.

Well aware that I have told Aoleon to abort the search, I find myself anew walking along white corridors. At first there is only silence, before I can hear plinking on the lures. Since I am not fully able to enjoy it, I do my best to tune it out.

Thoughts of Vincent draw me further and further away hoping to find the common quarters where he took me. The further I come from my room, the more dwindling the hallway becomes. The materials on the floor and walls changes as I noted when I walked here with Vincent by my side.

That must mean that I'm getting closer.

Suddenly I hear music; not harp but real music. I pick up the pace and the music becomes clear. I'm certain that I recognize phrases that I've heard Adele sing and a smile changes my appearance.

My heart lifts and my steps hurry closer in a barefoot silent way. The second I peek into the room it is dead silent and several people stand up in shock.

"Oh please don't stop; I need your music." I feel tearstruck.

"But you're..." one starts and gets an elbow in the ribs from the person standing next to her. "You're royalty, your highness," she add and looks like she wants to curtsy.

My heart nearly brakes yet another time and I am sure it is plain and obvious for anyone to see.

"Hey look at this; it's Vince's girl!"

We all turn towards the door way where a guy sporting a wide smile. I furrow my brows in confusion. "Do you know where they took him?" My anxiety is clearly audible which makes this guy put a calming hand on my arm. Several of them gasps.

"I know the way," he whisper silently.

No words come out, but I throw my arms around him. "Thank you!"

* * *

I am not sure of how much time that have passed since meeting the Opanim but I realize that it is now or never.

We hurry along the hallways and I long for darkness to be hidden in. Shady businesses need shade to hide in and that is severely lacking here.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Aoleon hiss nervously.

"Of course I'm not, too many centuries has passed for me to be sure," I snarl back, equally anxious not to be caught.

"Okay, I get it." She sighs heavy.

We round one corner and suddenly flashes of memory tint my mind. "This is it." Seemingly magically now I suddenly know exactly which door to open and which piece of ornament inside I should push on the wall for it to slide open and we are suddenly bathed in pale moonlight instead of the heavenly white eternal day.

The sliding door closes quickly behind us.

Aoleon is blinded by this change in luminescence and I grab her as she stumble along a rocky path. Decade or centuries of walking on polished marble has her at a disadvantage next to my last few hundred years on earth.

We stumble forward while my eyes adjust to the surroundings until we get further away from the palace of heaven. How surprised I had been that time so many years ago when I found myself in contact with this reality. I couldn't believe that anything could be like this, and I knew how confused Aoleon must be.

"It is not much further now," I try it encourage her. "We'll soon reach the gap."

"The Gap?" Aoleon's voice was almost reaching falsetto. "Do you remember that I said you might have to convince me when it is time?"

I snicker silently.

"It is time now."

"You'll be fine sweetie. This will be like a walk in the park," I reassure her.

"If the park is like this I don't want it."

"It's not that bad. The moon is bright tonight."

"You mean it can be even dodgier?"

"Yes, it can be darker." I snicker at the appalled tone of voice. Little by little I feel energy tingle on my skin and soon in makes the air crackle. "This is it."

"What?" Her voice sounds like it is hitting the falsetto again.

"This is the departure hall." I smile reassuringly at her. "This is the place. Are you ready?"

"No," she squeals.

"Come on, where is your sense of adventure?" I start to brief her of what is about to happen and how we do this. After that I place us carefully by looking around before I offer her my hands.

She steps up to me and clutches my hands in panic.

"Hold on." I have her hands in a strong hold as I bend my legs and urge her to do the same. "On three; one, two, three!" We both shoot upwards and without gravity, we keep going up and up before we can no longer tell which is up and down.

The surroundings that she thought was dark before only gets darker and darker until the phrase midnight or pitch black is as close as it comes.

With no gravity, the height shouldn't bother us, but albeit that, my ears is piercing painfully and a wave of vertigo hits me. I'm having a hard time to push the nausea off and my last straw of solitude is to imagine my perfect little stone cottage in my perfect little woods that smell of pine and moss.

I long for Esme and Vincent.

When the gravity of earth starts to pull us closer, our speed accelerates. Heat suddenly comes at us and I understand that we pass into the atmosphere of Tellus.

We are home.

Aoleon screams and she is slipping from my grip. I can feel her confusion and pain even if she is out of my sight. I welcome the feeling as my senses awaken, but I remember how confused I felt the first time I experienced it. "This will pass," I press out in comfort, knowing that she can't hear me.

The overwhelming sensation of her senses has already made her pass out, and soon darkness engulf me as well.

.