I lived in a little apartment in an old house in Cherokee Park in Louisville, my first on my own. With no roommate, no family, no one to answer to or ask permission of, I was truly beginning to enjoy my freedom. I had a great job at a local University and was getting ready to graduate with my Biology degree at the end of the semester. I had just bought my dream truck - a full size silver dodge Ram with extended cab and smoky gray interior. It was jacked up, with a roll-bar and, although it had cost me a pretty penny, I absolutely loved driving it. I had great friends and was even dating a really nice guy! I'll say it again...I should have known better!
My 28th birthday, as usual, had started out wonderful. I celebrated the day before with a "surprise" party at work. All my co-workers had gotten me a nice card and cake and we all sat around and chatted for about 30 minutes at the end of the day. They asked what I had planned for the next day, and I gave them the usual run down - breakfast with mom, movie with Jeanette, dinner with Scotty, then an evening of dancing and partying with all my friends at the local country bar.
I left work that afternoon as happy as I had been in a long while. The sun was shining and the temperature was a perfect 75 degrees. There was a soft breeze blowing and as I got in my truck I rolled down the window so I could enjoy the weather on the short drive home. As I pulled up in the driveway behind the house, I felt that tingly sensation on the back of my neck. You know the one…when you feel like you're being watched, like you're not completely alone. Well, I looked around, and since I didn't see anyone, I chalked it up to paranoia, ran my palm against the back of my neck to get the little hairs to stop standing up, jumped out of the truck and headed inside.
I went inside, checked the messages and smiled when I heard the happy birthday messages from my sisters and also from my friend in Tennessee. I ran out front, grabbed the mail and sorted through the assorted bills and junk mail. My birthday card from Grandma had arrived and I smiled when I opened it and saw the customary $5 bill and two pieces of Wrigley's Spearmint Gum. She had been sending that to me, and my sisters and brothers, forever! It was not a birthday till I got my gum from Grandma! I went inside, turned on the radio, grabbed my book and settled in to read for the evening.
It had probably been about an hour when the phone rang. I looked over and checked the Caller ID and noticed that the caller was "unknown". I decided that I didn't want to talk to anyone, especially since I didn't know who it was and let the answering machine pick it up. I figured I'd check the message later and if it was important, they'd either leave a number, or call back later. I went back to my book and became so completely engrossed, that when I looked up, it was 1:30 in the morning. I marked my page and crawled into bed. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
Now, let me explain something before I go on. I am notorious for "strange dreams". I have had them since I was a young child. One thing that has always been constant is the dark shadow off in the corner, no matter what the dream was about, he was always there. I used to fear him, but over the years, he had become a form of comfort to me when the dreams had a scary feeling to them. Somehow I knew that if it got too bad he would be there to take care of me. I don't know how I knew, but I did. That said, let me continue.
I dreamt that night, and although there was the typical edge of fear to my dream it was not out of the ordinary, so I didn't really pay much attention to it and when I woke I shook it off as usual and hopped in the shower. It was while I was getting dressed that I noticed the blinking light on my answering machine and remembered the phone call from the previous night. I didn't think much of it, because as I had said, if it was really important they would have called back, so I pushed the play button and went about getting ready.
"The time is near, Lashana, I will come for you soon."
The voice on the answering machine froze me in my tracks. The message itself sent chills down my spine. Who was that, and what on earth could that mean? But, beyond that, was the voice. It was deep and dark, faintly familiar, and incredibly sexy. I had no idea who that was, and thinking that I had missed another call while I was in the shower, I checked the caller ID again. The only number listed was the "Unknown Number" from the previous night. You have no idea how badly I wished I had a number for that message. Beyond my initial fright, came the pure anger that someone would leave a message like that and not tell me who they were or what they wanted! I decided to save the message, just in case, and play it for Scotty later. He would know what to do and how to handle this, and if we decided to call the police, then I had it for evidence.
I glanced at the clock and realized that I had just 20 minutes to meet mom for my annual Birthday Breakfast so I made one last check in the mirror and headed out the door. The weather, although still nice, had changed quite a bit overnight and the sky was now overcast and the air smelled like rain. "Great.." I mumbled as I made my way to the truck, "Just the way I wanted my birthday, gray and overcast!" I hopped in the truck and headed to moms. I pulled up in the driveway, and my niece and nephews came running out the front door.
"Aunt Lashana, Aunt Lashana, Happy Birthday!"
I braced myself for the onslaught of my niece, now 5 years old, and my nephew, who was 4. They ran down the walk and launched themselves at me for the hugs, kisses and spinning in circles that was tradition every time I visited my mother. (Even though that was usually about once a week). I put them down and watched as the youngest of my sister's children, who at 14 months old had just gotten the hang of walking, waddled his way down the front walk. I snatched him up and tossed him slightly in the air and he giggled as he came down and we spun in circles until we were both dizzy.
I put him down and as we headed into the house, there was a loud clap of thunder and a streak of lightning across the sky. I rushed them into the house to avoid the coming rain and turned around to run to the truck to get my umbrella.
"Lashana."
I turned to see who was calling me, but the street was empty and no one was at the door to mom's house. I shook my head, thinking I was hearing things, and turned to head into the house.
"Lashana, I am coming for you!"
I froze in my tracks. That was the voice from the answering machine. I looked first up the street, then back down. No one in sight. "Hmph, this is getting out of hand!" I thought. People are going to start to wonder about me if I don't stop hearing things! The rain had started and I put up the umbrella and ran into the house. As the storm door closed behind me, I felt a cold shiver run down my spine and the hair stand up on the back of my neck, just as it had last night. I turned to look outside, just in time to see a man in a dark coat heading around the corner away from the house.
I watched as the man rounded the corner, then shut the door. I stood there for a moment, my eyes closed trying to sort out the events of the morning. I was seriously starting to doubt my sanity! Mom snapped me out of my daze, asking me if I was ready to go. I smiled, and told her, "yep, just might want to grab your umbrella, it's a little wet out there this morning!" She did so and we headed out the door on the way to breakfast.
The drive to the restaurant was fairly uneventful and I spent part of the time deep in thought, pondering the message on my machine and the "voice" that was calling to me. I must have looked fairly puzzled, because mom looked at me and asked what I was working on in my head. I gave her a lopsided grin, "not much really, just pondering life in general. Things like that happen when you get older I guess." She laughed and we chatted until we pulled up in front of the restaurant.
I met Jeanette later that afternoon and we had a nice lunch, then headed to the Cinema's for a movie. It was actually beginning to be a fairly nice day. The rain had stopped about 11:30 and the sky cleared. With the sun shining down and the few clouds in the sky it looked almost like a completely different day. After the movie, Jeanette and I chatted for a little while, about nothing in particular. For some reason I felt compelled to keep my little episodes to myself for now. I don't know, maybe I just didn't want to ruin the rest of my birthday by having everyone thinking I had lost my ever living mind! She told me she'd meet me at Coyotes that night for my party and we headed to our respective apartments.
When I got home, there was a message on my machine. I was a little apprehensive about it, but I pushed play.
"Hey you, Happy Birthday! I'll be there around 6:00 to pick you up. Talk to ya soon!" I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding when I heard Scotty's voice on the machine. I smiled as I thought about the evening ahead. Since I had about 2 hours before I had to be ready, I decided to take a walk. I live in such a beautiful neighborhood, that whenever I have the opportunity, I like to wander around and enjoy nature. Plus, having worked as hard as I had to drop the extra weight, I wanted to stay in shape, and walking helped with that.
I had walked about a block when I saw a man walking up the sidewalk. I remember thinking to myself "Man, he's big!" He stood about 7 ft tall, broad shouldered and had long hair. It was black, but had some red highlights to it as well. He was built like a brick. As he came closer, it was apparent that he was making eye contact with me. I smiled, mostly out of nervousness, then looked away. My eyes were drawn back to him, and I noticed that he was still keeping that contact. This started making me increasingly uncomfortable, a man that size would do that to anyone! As he passed me, he maintained that eye contact and I got a fairly quick look at his eyes. I had never before and never since seen anyone with eyes that green! They looked like emeralds, and they were beautiful. I walked a little further, and thought I heard him say something, but when I turned around to see, he was gone.
I shook my head, wondering what was wrong with me, and headed back to my apartment. I noticed a small box sitting on my deck. It was wrapped, with a little bow on it and a card that said "to Lashana". I was a little puzzled, mostly because anyone who would have gotten me a birthday present was supposed to be at the bar tonight. But I picked it up and took it in the house. I opened the card to read it. The handwriting was very masculine, and simply said "Happy Birthday! I'll see you soon." I pondered that for a minute, trying to think who on earth would have dropped a present by for me, but then curiosity got the better of me and I opened the little box. I sat down abruptly on the couch and stared for the longest time at what had to be the most beautiful ruby and diamond bracelet that I had ever seen! The diamonds were as clear as glass, and the rubies were blood red. I assumed that Scotty had dropped it by as an early surprise, so after I had my shower and gotten dressed I put it on.
It was probably a little extravagant to wear to a county western bar, but hey it was my birthday, and a gift from my boyfriend, so I decided to wear it anyway!
At 6 o'clock on the dot, Scotty knocked on my door. I opened it and greeted him with the biggest hug and kiss I could muster up. He seemed a little shocked at my enthusiasm, but kissed me back all the same. Then he did something that made me slightly nervous. He handed me another birthday present.
"I know that we are going to open presents at the party tonight, but I wanted you to have this before we go! I want you to wear it tonight."
"Wow, I certainly wasn't expecting another present from you!" I took the long box out of his hand and went to sit on the couch to open it.
"What do you mean another present?" He had a fairly perplexed look on his face, like he really didn't know what I was talking about. I figured he just wanted to play with me about the "anonymous" gift he had given me, so I just shook my head and said never mind. I patted the seat next to me on the couch so he would come and sit with me while I opened my present. I tore off the paper and discovered a long, black velvet box. Inside it was gorgeous fine gold chain with an emerald pendant on it. The pendant reminded me of the green eyed man that I had seen earlier, and I just sat and stared at it for a moment.
I knew Scotty's financial situation fairly well, and although he is no pauper, he could not possibly have afforded the bracelet and the necklace. I tried to think of a subtle way to bring it up without upsetting him.
"Did you come by here about an hour ago and leave something on my deck?"
Ok, so the question wasn't exactly subtle, but then again, I've never been very good at being subtle.
"No. Why?" He had a very concerned look on his face when I showed him my new bracelet and the card that had accompanied it. I had not yet told him about he phone message, and thought that this was probably not the best time to bring it up. Scotty has a tendency to be a bit overprotective and probably would have tried to cancel my party if he knew. I figured I'd just play it for him later and let him fuss about me keeping it a secret.
He asked me if I had any idea who it was from, and I told him that I thought it was from him. Since it obviously was not, I had no earthly idea who would have bought me such an extravagant gift. I asked him if he thought I should take it off, and he said no! He figured whoever had given it to me would reveal themselves tonight, then he would explain the error of giving such things to his girlfriend without his knowledge!
Like I said, he's a bit overprotective sometimes!
He put my necklace on me and we headed out the door, determined to have a wonderful evening! You only turn 28 once you know! We got to Coyotes in about 20 minutes and headed to the usual table in the corner by the DJ booth. My friends had decorated with streamers and signs and there was a beautiful birthday cake with a dolphin airbrushed in the center that said "Happy birthday, Lashana". It was perfect! There were hugs all around and then the first of many drinks was put into my hand!
The only problem with celebrating a birthday with my friends is that I never have to buy a drink - and therefore I have no financial limitations keeping me from getting blitzed! And believe me, my friends love to get me blitzed since its something that happens very rarely.
The music started and we danced and drank for most of the night. Everyone complimented me on my necklace and bracelet, and I asked everyone if they had left if for me at my apartment. They all said no, and then of course came the jokes about my secret admirer. I thought it was pretty odd that none of them had done it, but since the alcohol was flowing pretty freely, I didn't really worry too much about it. They played a song that Scotty had dedicated to me, it was slow and romantic and we danced close together on the dance floor. I was really enjoying my birthday, probably more than any other birthday I had ever had. When the song ended, we headed off the dance floor, and that was when I saw them.
Standing off in the corner, were two of the biggest men I had ever seen. I saw the flash of emerald green in the eyes of one, and instantly knew who he was. The man from the park! I stood where I was, unable to move. Scotty turned to see what was wrong and saw the look of confusion and fear on my face.
"Baby, what's the matter?"
I snapped back to reality for a moment and turned to look at him. When I looked back, they were gone. Scotty pulled me into his arms and hugged me close. We walked over to the table and sat down.
"I think I'm just a little too drunk and probably over tired, but I could have sworn that I saw two huge men in that corner staring at me!" Scotty looked to where I had indicated, but there was nothing in that corner but a pool table and some empty chairs. He laughed trying to shake some of the tension off.
"Well, doll, I do believe we need to cut you off. You're definitely drunk! How bout we go dance for a little while and see if we can't sober you up a bit?"
"No, you go on, I know you love to do this line dance anyway. I'll just sit here for a minute and watch."
I kissed him and sent him to the dance floor with our friends. I sat there for maybe five minutes, when I heard that familiar voice calling my name.
"Lashana."
I looked around, but all my friends were dancing away on the dance floor. No one had called me.
"Lashana, quit looking around like that, you can't see me, you can only hear me."
That startled me! Oh god, I thought, I'm losing my mind. I'm hearing voices. They'll lock me up in a padded cell and throw away the key.
"You're not crazy, calm down."
Oh, great! Now I'm having a conversation with the voices in my head!
"I want you to listen to me! You've reached the age where it has become necessary to tell you of your talents and your beginnings! You will understand as your mind opens more. My only purpose for contacting you is to warn you of the danger! Trust no one with your secret."
What danger, what secret, what are you talking about?
"You'll understand more later! Oh, by the way…hope you like the bracelet! Sorry about this…."
Sorry about what?
That was the last thought I had before the stabbing pain started in the back of my head. I felt as though someone had taken an ice pick to the back of my skull. The images of my friends began to blur on the dance floor, I saw shades of red, purple and black in front of my eyes. The last think I remember before I passed out was the image of the two men and the sound of Scotty's voice calling my name.
As I started to regain consciousness, I heard quite a bit of chaos happening around me. Several of the bouncers, as well as my friends were standing around me, while I lay on the floor demanding to know what happened. I felt Scotty's arms around me and slowly started to open my eyes. There was still some small amount of pain, reminiscent of the headaches that I had been dealing with for years, so I wanted to open my eyes slowly to make sure that the light didn't cause anything I couldn't handle.
The first thing I saw was the look of concern on Scotty's face, then the visible relief that he felt when he saw that I was awake.
"Hey there, how are you feeling?"
I gave him a very small very week smile and told him I felt as though I had been run over by a Mac Truck. He helped me up off the floor and I told him I wanted to go home. He looked at me a little strange, but said ok. Although I was fully capable of walking, he insisted on carrying me to the truck. And I will admit that after the day and evening that I had, it was nice to feel safe in his arms.
The drive home was quiet, and although I knew he was waiting for me to tell him what happened, something kept me from telling him. I just let him and the others believe that I had drank to much and simply passed out. As we pulled up into my driveway, I asked Scotty if he would mind staying with me. He ran the back of his hand down the side of my face and smiled.
"Of course I'll stay with you tonight. " He pulled me over next to him and sat there holding me for the longest time.
"You scared me, you know, when you fell off that barstool like that."
"I know, I'm sorry about that, but I'm ok now."
"Well, promise me you won't do that again! No more Hot Damn Shots for my girl!"
"Trust me, if I NEVER see another shot of Hot Damn, it will be too soon for me!"
We laughed together, then headed into the apartment. The light was flashing on my caller ID, and on the answering machine and when I saw them, I felt my stomach do a little flip. I still hadn't told Scotty about the message, and I wasn't sure that now was a good time for it. I flipped through the names on the caller ID, noticing that three of the four new calls were from "Unknown Numbers".
I decided to wait to listen to the messages after Scotty had left in the morning. I told him that I didn't want to deal with the messages, and since it was too late to return any of the phone calls anyway, he didn't think that was too strange. I felt really bad keeping this secret from him, but something was holding me back. It was almost as though I was physically unable to tell him about the voices and the messages and the man I had seen not once, but twice that day.
We crawled into my bed and he wrapped his arms around me. I felt his hand brushing the back of my hair, soothing me and making me feel very safe and secure, it wasn't long before I had drifted off to sleep. I slept the whole night with only intermittent dreams, colored in red, black and purple, with images of giants with emerald green eyes and red hair. They were not scary dreams, just odd, with sort of a familiar feeling to them.
When I woke up, Scotty was no longer in bed, but I could smell breakfast and coffee coming from the kitchen. I stretched and sat up, just as he came through the door with a tray full of food.
"Breakfast in bed for the most beautiful woman in the world."
I laughed and looked around like I wasn't sure whom he was talking about. He put the tray down and leaned over to kiss me good morning.
"Thank you for taking such good care of me."
"No thanks needed, I love you and I love taking care of you."
"I love you too, and it's nice to know that you are here for me when I need you. It feels good to be able to depend on someone!"
We sat and ate breakfast together in bed, talking intermittently about nothing in particular. After we had eaten, Scotty stood up and took the dishes back in the kitchen, I told him to leave them and I would get them later. He had to work at 10:00 so he jumped in the shower, while I started to do the dishes.
"Good morning, Lashana."
I jumped about three feet, then turned to see who said that. There was no one in the room, and I thought here we go again.
"When is he leaving, we need to talk!"
I wondered who the hell that was, and how they kept getting in my head! I was getting a little irritated at this whole thing.
"We must begin preparing you for events to come, get rid of him!"
That command set me off, and as irrational as it might sound to you, I started talking back to the voice in my head. I've talked to myself on many an occasion, trying to sort out different problems, but never have I "talked" to someone else in my head!
"Who do you think you are? Getting inside my head, reading my thoughts, then trying to tell me what to do and not to do! I wish you would just leave me alone"
Scotty startled me when he called me from the bedroom wanting to know who I was talking to. I jumped and then told him no one. Believe me, I wanted to tell him, but the words wouldn't come.
He came into the kitchen, and kissed me good bye.
"I'll call you when I get home this evening and see what you're up to, maybe we'll get some dinner tonight."
"All right," I said, "call me when you get home. Don't work to hard."
He smiled, kissed me again, and headed out the door. I locked the door behind him and headed back to the kitchen. I had just picked up the skillet to wash from breakfast, when I heard a knock at the door. Figuring Scotty had forgotten something, I set the skillet down and opened the door.
I nearly fainted when I saw the two men standing outside the door. They were the men from the bar last night, only they were much bigger than I had ever imagined. I just stood there, frozen for a long time until one of them, the green eyed one, calmly asked if I was going to stand there all day or let them in.
I blinked and shook my head, trying to grasp what was happening. For some reason, which I cannot explain, I stepped to the side and allowed them into my home. I had seen the green eyed one in the park, so I didn't really pay much attention to him, except to notice that there was something dark about him. The other one, however, caught my attention. He wore a mask that appeared to be made of leather. It completely covered his face, it was red with a black striped pattern that reminded me of flames. This pattern was continued into his clothes and he wore a black leather glove on his right hand. Physically he was as large as his counterpart, but his hair had more of a red tint to it. He had one brown eye, and the other appeared to be damaged and was a smoky baby blue color. I stood transfixed, as he quietly walked over and sat down on my couch, he looked at me, then tilted his head slightly, as if he were trying to figure me out.
"Lashana, why don't you go and fix yourself a coke, then come sit. We need to talk."
I had forgotten the other one was there, and jumped when he spoke. I didn't really think, just headed into the kitchen and did as I was told. For anyone who really knew me then, that would come as a great shock. You see, I was not exactly in the habit of following orders from anyone, but especially not from a man that I had never met! I fixed three cokes, not really thinking, just moving around my kitchen as if on auto-pilot. I carried them into the living room and sat down in my favorite chair.
The dark one introduced himself and Undertaker, and that most people simply called him Taker. I found the name odd, having associated it as a career choice rather than something to name a child, but said nothing. He also introduced the other one, his brother Kane. Once again, an odd name, but hey, there wasn't much going on here that was normal, so I just waited to see what would happen.
"I know you probably have lots of questions about what has been going on, and I will answer them for you, but first there is something that I have to do. I think it would probably be best if you sat on the couch with Kane while we do this."
"What do you mean something you have to do?" I was a getting nervous, and I wasn't exactly sure that I wanted to go sit next to that man on the couch. He still had not spoken and just kept watching me.
"Don't fear us, Lashana, we are here to help you, and we would NEVER harm you. Kane doesn't speak due to damage done to his vocal cords in a fire as a young child. He watches you because you are of interest to him."
I looked at him sharply, and wondered how on earth he had just read my mind. He gave me a half smile and said, "We have a strong connection, you and I. It allows me to see, hear and feel all that you do. This connection also exists between you and Kane, but it has not been made as strong just yet, that will come in time, as well as your ability to know our minds."
Kane then stood and walked over to where I was sitting. I watched him very wearily until he reached out his hand, silently asking for mine. I put my hand in his, he helped me to my feet and led me to the couch. He sat, and pulled me down so that I was sitting between his knees on the couch.
"Close your eyes, Lashana. I'm going to try to make this as painless as possible, but I need your help. You have to relax!"
I felt Kane's hands on the back of my head, massaging and stroking, trying to make me relax. His hands were big and strong and, although I did not know these men who were in my house, I was relaxed and calm. It felt natural and right to be sitting here in this man's lap.
I started dozing off, and began to feel a slight tingle behind my eyes that was starting to become a sharp pain. I felt Kane's hands move to my temples and massage, and the pain began to lessen. I began to hear a voice, similar to the voice of Taker, but different. This voice was soothing and calming, telling me to relax and let my mind open. The images began drifting through my mind and I saw my mother standing with a man, but he was not my father. She was sad and seemed to be upset, but thanks to Kane's hands on my head and the voice in my mind, I was very detached from the whole scene. I heard mention of destiny and duty, then the image of them began to fade. It was replaced by one of Kane, reaching out his hands to me, asking me to join him.
I began to regain consciousness at that point, and as I did, I felt Kane's hands begin to increase their pressure at the back of my head. As the pressure of his thumbs increased at the base of my skull, I had the feeling of a curtain being lifted from my mind. It was a strange feeling, and I started to struggle when the pain once again began to increase. The voice in my head kept telling me to relax, that it would be over soon, but the pain was getting too bad.Continue