Dreaming

Chapter 29 - Endings

Everyone was staring at her. Cass felt the heat rise to her cheeks. She wasn't special, she was just weird and now they were all staring.

Yet when she looked at Parris she knew there was something special about herself. Her dreams of him, althought they scared her, confirmed that what Zeus said was true.

The balance was off because she was too powerful. She knew she had just scratched the surface of her gift. If she fell into the wrong hands, it's possible that they could use her dreams to manipulate the future.

She could see the future as an ever flowing thing, bending and changing with miniscule decisions. It was open for interpretation and could change. Her visions helped to clarify the unknown.

She squeezed Parris' hand. Together they were beyond powerful, but apart maybe they could survive.

"What must I do?" She asked Zeus.

"Come with me, that is all I ask."

She turned to kiss Parris goodbye.

"What are you doing?" He pleaded.

"Keeping you alive." She kissed him and rushed to Zeus before she could change her mind.

Zeus took her hand along with Jake's and they were gone. Mist filled the area they had been in.

"Nooooooo!" Parris screamed as he rushed at the mist, grabbing it and trying to find a solid form. "Cass come back to me."

Helen crumpled to the ground, gulping for air.

Alya's eyes went wide with surprise. "What about our deal?!" She continued to shout and scream at the empty space.

The torch went out and the three were left in darkness.

In the darkness they waited. Parris had never felt so lost. "Where are we?"

Helen sniffed, "Purgatory."

"As in, between heaven and hell?" Parris asked in disbelief.

Helen took a moment to reply. "It's an in-between, but exactly what's on the other side, I'm not sure. The veil is too thick to see past."

"Will someone come for us?"Parris couldn't give up hope.

Helen held back a sob. "We are well hidden here. Most likely not."

"So we are going to die here?"

Alya finally joined her voice to the conversation with a haunting laugh.

Helen tried to stay calm while she explained to Parris. "Although we might grow hungry and thirsty, we will survive thanks to the cruel suspension of purgatory."

"Great. So we are here forever?" Parris was getting used to everything being weird but this was crazy. He might just exist here for all eternity?

No one answered him, everyone was thinking about his question and all it implied. It would be a long eternity in the dark.

"Helen, who is your soul mate?" Parris was wanting to do something to pass the time and that was as good of a question as any.

"Yes, Helen, please tell us." Alya knew the answer, her sarcastic comment was ignored.

"I was targeted as an Oracle when I was a very young girl. They kept me close to the vapors and I was rarely allowed outside. On the morning of my 16th birthday I snuck out to see the sunrise." She sighed, lost in the memory. "It was stunning and then he reached down and took me with him. He was sun and light, everything my life was lacking. We traveled the world together and before I knew it I had given him my heart. He stayed until Cassandra was born and then he was gone."

"Wait, what about Jake, are you his mom?"

"No, I am not. All that time with him, I wouldn't have thought there was anyone else, but there was."

"Do you know who she is?"

"Magna."

"But she's so old."

"She was beautiful. After having Jake, her sacrifice for being with a god became apparent. Her youth was used to ensure Jake would be a boy and not an Oracle."

"So she withered up? And what about the guy, Jeremy, he really seemed to like her."

"Jeremy, is that his name?" asked Helen. "After Jake was born, and her looks gone, she gave up on the order and on life. All her pride was gone. Somehow Jeremy found her and gave her hope again. I do not know the details of how they met."

"That's nice." Parris was glad someone had a happy ending, well sort of.

Alya said, "Wonder how he'll react to her demise."

"That was completely unnecessary." Helen scooted further from Alya's voice.

"It was only through force that she would give us answers. I did what I had to do."

"Keep telling yourself that, one day you will answer for your crimes." Helen said.

"Not if we are never found." Alya shuffled around.

Parris thought to himself. So much for a happy ending.