Chapter 50
I wake sometime the next morning with a bad headache. It seems the pain that started in the back of my head last night has now moved to the front and the pain is radiating all around. The throbbing seems to be keeping time with my heartbeat. Both Tanya and Alice notice and try to comfort me but I insist that we get to the meeting point and get back to the present.
Alice makes me eat some more rabbit and drink more water. Once I ate what I could, she throws the rest into the forest for the scavengers to take. Tanya filled the water pouch and we were off.
It doesn't take long for me to get tired. I'm not sure we made it a mile before Tanya picks me up and carries me the rest of the way. Both her and Alice look worried and I can tell they want to get back as much as I do.
We reach the spot in no time it seems. When Tanya sets me down I stagger causing her to grip my arms.
"Abigail." She called out.
"I'm okay. Just a little dizzy from the ride." I replied.
"You sure?" she wasn't convinced I was all right.
"Yeah. I always get this way when I ride the carnival rides. I actually threw up after I rode the carousel once." I admitted. Elizabeth and Jeremiah never let me live that one down.
Tanya leads me to a tree stump and makes me sit down to collect myself. Alice takes off in some direction looking for the boys, I assumed. I prop my arms on my knees and hold my head in my hands. I'm trying not to let Tanya know how bad the headache is but I don't think its working.
Closing my eyes helps a little and I massage my temples to ease the pain. It doesn't work either. The only other times I feel this way is when my sinuses drain. The pressure is unbelievable during those times too. I feel the need to press on my eyes to try and relieve some of the pressure.
"Abigail. Tell me what to do." She offered.
"Nothing, really." I answered. "I just need to relieve the pressure in my head is all. It feels like my sinuses are draining and someone is putting pressure on it."
"Alice went to find Emmett and William. Their smell is still strong around here and we're guessing they may have been here earlier and left to find food or water."
"Okay." I was beyond caring what they're doing. I just want to get back and sleep in a real bed and eat food that I didn't have to see how it was cooked. I shuddered thinking about that poor rabbit.
"Abigail?" Tanya sees me shudder thinking it was the pain causing it.
"I'm okay. I was just thinking about that poor little bunny is all." I insisted.
"Really?"
"Yes!"
I hear her chuckling and look up to see her shaking her head at my admission.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing. I can't believe that you're worried about an animal instead of yourself." She replied still laughing.
"It helps to get my mind off how I'm feeling." I said.
That brings her up short.
"Are you hurting that much?" she asks cupping my face.
"No. Not really. Just haven't felt like this in a while."
Tanya is about to say something when she immediately stands up and in front of me in a protective manner. I straighten up to see what she sees or hears. Of course, I can't and squint thinking it will help. Nothing.
"Tanya." I whispered.
"Shh." She replied.
I swallow hard and wonder if that is too loud. Tanya bends into a crouch and I hear a low growl coming from her. All the hair on my arms and neck stand up.
What seems like forever, she relaxes a little which doesn't help me any.
"Tanya calm down. It's only Emmett and me." Alice said from a distance.
When I didn't hear Will's name, I begin to panic.
What's wrong with him? Where is he? What happens if someone dies in the past?
My mind starts reeling from what could have happened to him.
"Abby, calm down! Will's okay and unharmed." Alice reassured me.
Her and Emmett arrive.
Emmett looks worse than any of us girls do. That does not help my imagination any. His hair is a mess and there are several tears in his shirt and dirt stains on his pants. But, he did have a smile and his eyes were a bright gold, meaning he's fed recently.
"Where is he?" I asked, trying to keep the panic at bay. I didn't fool anyone.
"He's okay. We both are." Emmett reassured me. "We've met up with some soldiers and are in camp with them." He stated giving me a cute dimple smile.
In a camp with soldiers? What and how did they manage that?
We start walking towards the camp; Tanya doesn't leave my side and would catch me if I started stumbling. Exhaustion is taking over quickly and all three offered to carry me but I refused saying that I didn't want to appear weak. That got several looks.
"You're not weak." Tanya stated.
I could only nod and drank the rest of the water in the pouch.
It didn't take as long as I thought it would to reach the encampment, which I was relieved. I could hear the murmuring of the soldiers as we neared and I'm sure the others were able to hear them a lot sooner than I could.
The closer we got, the louder that voices were and I could see silhouettes of people and, possibly, tents. It was a low murmur at first and then grew to near shouting when the soldiers caught sight of us.
We were less than a hundred feet when a crowd forms around us. I grab onto the nearest hand and see that it's Tanya. Both her and Alice form a protective ring around me and both crouch, ready to attack anyone who makes a threatening move.
The uniforms look like Union uniforms. Navy coats and pants, just like the pictures I've seen. But the smell. The smell was horrid, like no one had showered…ever.
"Hey, guys, it's okay. Really!" Emmett stated holding his hands up.
It doesn't work.
I turn in a circle and see that we are completely surrounded and the unexpected happens. Every single soldier kneels. It's like a wave at a baseball game. Everyone rises and sits causing an illusion of a wave.
"Well, crap!" I muttered.
"See, Chief. You're famous." Emmett announced with a grin.
"Chief!" A soldier in the front of us said in surprise. He has sandy blonde hair and a long mustache. I guess it was popular after all during this time.
"Uh. It's a nickname I was given by a friend." I said.
"Abby!" Will shouts from the back of the crowd.
I look up and see him waving. Someone is standing next to him waving too.
"Um. How do we get to them?" I whispered to Alice.
She shrugs her shoulders, just as baffled as I am.
Tanya sighs and starts making her way to the to men, at least, they look like men. I have no idea who Will is standing next to. And, just like the Red Sea, men move aside and let us walk towards my cousin.
"This is kinda creepy." I mumbled to Alice. She nods, her hand on the small of my back, still in a protective way. I wouldn't be surprised if her or Tanya rips someone's arm off if they tried to reach for me. Tanya holds my hand and I squeeze hers in acknowledgement.
She lets out a growl when a soldier leans too far out and he immediately scoots back.
I hadn't taken a dozen steps when my nose starts running. I sniff to keep it from dripping down but it isn't any use, it does. I wipe my hand across my face and freeze. The back of my hand has a red smear. All three vampires freeze too.
I look into Tanya's eyes and see the same look as my own. This isn't good. Someone holds up a handkerchief and Alice takes it and holds it to my nose.
"Don't panic." She whispered. I nod.
Will and the man next to him start making their way to me, but before they could make it, everything starts spinning and I sway. Before I black out, I see the man that's with Will and can't believe my eyes.
When I finally wake up, I hear several voices whispering. A hand caressing my cheek makes me open my eyes. Tanya is leaning over me, her eyes full of concern.
"Hey." I muttered.
"God Abby! If I had a heartbeat, I would've had a heart attack already."
Tanya leans over and presses her forehead to mine. She squeezes my hand and inhales; taking in my scent, which, I'm sure wasn't a pleasant smell. She holds me that way for a minute and lets go when we hear a deep throat growl.
I look to my right and see Alice crouching in front of Tanya and myself.
Looking beyond Alice I see three men standing near the entrance of the tent, with Emmett. He seems to be standing in front of them with his hands up trying to calm Alice down.
Behind him and to his left is Will with a concerned look. He wants to come forward to check on me but Alice is preventing anyone to move at all. The man next to Will catches my attention and I blink several times to make sure I'm not seeing things. I'm not.
Josie is standing there, looking at me. The only thing that's changed is that he's sporting a beard. Even in a Union uniform, he still looks good. The only question is how did he end up here.
I look back at Tanya to make sure I not seeing things. She nods confirming that it is Josie. Looking back at him, he's pleading me with his eyes to come to me.
"Abby please." He said. It even sounds like Josie.
If anything, it makes Alice growl louder and crouch lower.
"Alice." I whispered and place my hand on her back. She calms and relaxes a little.
I look at the third man. He is the same one that talked to us earlier. When we make eye contact he bows.
"Your highness."
I clench my jaw and want to vomit when he said that.
"Um. May I ask your name please?" I asked.
"Major John Conley, your Highness." He replied.
"Please, don't call me that." I retorted.
"Are you not the daughter of Her Majesty, Catherine?"
"Uh. My mother's name is Catherine, yes, but her Majesty, no." I stated.
"She is the daughter of King Arastos and when he died she became queen, which makes you a princess." Major Conley stated.
That's not what I wanted to hear.
"How do you know all this?" I asked.
"Queen Catherine told me. She said you may show up and to treat you like we would her."
"Why would she do that?" I directed that question at Tanya.
"I don't know."
"Abby, I know why?" Josie said still looking at me.
"How do we know you're Abby's cousin." Alice growled. She's still not fully trusting of the men in front of us.
"Abby. When you were four years old, you made me sleep with you because of the monster under your bed. Your favorite food is spaghetti and you like chocolate ice cream and if you can't get that you get vanilla with chocolate syrup." Josie answered.
"That doesn't prove anything." Tanya stated.
"You came to me the morning of and asked, no, begged me to not come and see you. This is why I couldn't. I made a promise to your mom. This is me fulfilling that promise."
My head starts spinning again when he said that and that causes Alice to start growling again.
"Alice, it's okay." I said rubbing her back. She stops growling and relaxes a fraction. Her body is so wound tight it felt like a rubber band stretched to its maximun.
When Josie starts walking towards us, both Alice and Tanya stiffen again. Tanya scoots over closer to me and almost in front of me. I continue rubbing Alice's back trying to calm her down but I could still hear her growl and body tighten, ready to pounce. Why are her and Tanya acting this way?
"Hey. Chill Shorty, I just want to talk to my sister." Josie stated walking so slow, he could be walking in slow motion.
Emmett stiffens a little too but I think it was to keep an eye on Josie instead of Alice.
"Alice. You need to calm down!" Emmett stated to his sister.
I grabbed a belt loop and tugged causing her to snap around and glare at me. I give her a questioning look asking what her problem is. After staring at each other for a few seconds Alice finally relaxes, even though, she never stepped away from in front of me.
When Josie is a few feet from us Alice growled at him.
"That's close enough." She snapped.
Josie stopped and stares at all three of us. I swing my legs off the cot and attempt to stand but Tanya is there pushing me back down. I try to push her away but she won't have it.
"Really?" I asked. She doesn't say anything and I can tell something's off. I sit there and take a good look at the men in front of us.
Nothing looks out of the ordinary. They are a bit confused by the girls' behavior towards them but nothing looks too out of the ordinary. It could have something do with us being the only females around.
"Abby." Josie said.
I look up at him and see him giving me a sad smile. He kneels down so we're looking at each other eye level.
"I knew you would be able to do this. I never doubted it for a second." He said.
"What do you mean?"
"Your mom told me a lot of things when I took her from you. One was saying that she left three journals explaining how to find her. And…" he opens a button in his uniform and reaches inside. He pulls out a small leather bound journal. "I have the third journal."
He holds it out for me to take. I stare at it, not believing he has the last journal I had to find. Why didn't he give it to me before?
"Because I was told I had to wait for you to come to me to get it." He answered.
"So, you knew that when you died you would come back to see me again?"
"Yes, though, I didn't know how I was going to kick it. I don't think I felt much. One moment I was standing there waiting for Will to come around the truck and next thing, I was here getting ready to go into battle. It was kind of surreal for awhile until I figured out what happened."
I sit there dumbfounded. Josie just told us what happened to him after he died.
"So, you know what happened?" Emmett said from behind Josie.
"Not really. I heard the gunshots and it felt like I fell asleep and woke up here."
"We had to explain to him where he was. I could tell the queen has touched him and that he is meant to be here. You also have been touched by the queen." He said to Alice.
That brings her up short.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"You have been favored by the queen. She has given you an assignment and you are currently following it."
All eyes turn to her. She turns around to look at me. I wait for her to tell me what my mother wants her to do.
"I was only told to take care of you and be there for you, Abby." She stated.
"That's a very important role for you Mistress." The Major replied bowing towards her. She nods her agreement.
"How do you know all this?" I asked. I was about to stand up but Tanya wraps her arm around my shoulders and keeps me down. What the heck is up with these two?
"The Queen came to us and explained that her daughter would be arriving and to keep an eye for her. She left explicit instructions to treat you like royalty and to give anything you need without question." He explained.
"Okay. I get that, but did she tell you about…us and them?" I asked pointing to the vampires.
"We know all about the blood drinkers. We've been hunting them down and destroying them. She did tell us that you would be traveling with a different kind of blood drinker. Ones who do not drink from humans and that we could tell the difference with the eye color. She's right. You all seem…more civilized than the ones we've hunted."
I can't wrap my mind around this. Humans hunting vampires? It seems very far-fetched. How can a group of men fight and kill something that is far faster and deadlier than they are?
"We have our own weapons we use and are able to slow them down enough to set them on fire." He answered my unasked question.
"What weapon?" Emmett asked perplexed that something could slow him down to the point of being killed.
"We do not wish to divulge that secret." The major said evasively.
I look at Tanya and see her own perplexed expression.
"How long have you been fighting this war?" Will finally spoke.
We've been fighting the War Between the States for about a year now. The war against the vampires, almost ten years."
I can see Will looks like he wants to join this war and fight along side Josie. They never had fought together when they both were in the military. I don't think they were stationed in the same place together either.
"And, how many have you lost?" Tanya asked.
She seems upset.
"Too many to count, Madam." He answered.
"Do you think it's worth it?" She asked.
"Yes!"
Before Tanya can ask anything else, the Major suggests we return to the present. Alice relaxes considerably at that statement. She hasn't relaxed since we walked into the camp. I'm conflicted about going back and want to stay here and hang out with Josie. I can see Will wants the same thing.
Josie scoots forward until he's right in front of me, much to Alice's dismay. She lets out a low growl, which I grab a belt loop and yank. She didn't flinch this time and I can feel her trembling, ready to attack without any provocation.
"Abby, this doesn't have all the answers, but with the other two journals, the answer to getting to Aunt Catherine are there. It's not going to be easy either. From what little bit I was able to find out, it's going to be very hard to get to her. What you've been through now is only preparing you for the next step. Will!" Josie said looking over his shoulder. Will walks forward and looks down at Josie.
"Swear to me, you'll look out for her."
"I will." He replied.
"You three swear that she doesn't go back in time by herself. It's not safe. Those who don't want her mom brought back will know she's closer to her and will become more aggressive to stop her from accomplishing that. Trust no one from this point on. And, don't leave her alone. At. All!"
All three swore they would do what they could to protect me. With tears in my eyes, I was allowed to hug Josie. I didn't want to let him go. He was my protector and savior for so long, I'm not sure how I'll cope with him gone. I see Will tear up a little too when they hugged.
Josie and the Major walk out of the tent and leave us four there. Everyone looks at me expectantly, waiting to go back. I look down at the journal and flip through the pages. Josie's writing is small and neat. It reminds me of the times he wrote when he was away on deployment.
"Let's go, Abby. It's time." Will murmured.
I look up and see the same sad look I wear on Will. He gives me a sad smile. I close the journal and close my eyes. I am completely exhausted now and not sure I could get us back. Tanya squeezes my hand in encouragement. I also am not sure if I want to go back to the small apartment or home.
I just pick a place and feel the familiar pull. I hear gasps from everyone else and that lets me know we were on our way back to the present.
