Part 9: Revelations
Kara drove the Toyota out onto the highway. David sat beside her in the front passenger's seat, while Ariel and Brian sat in the backseat.
"Ok, Brian, where are we going?" Kara asked her brother.
"Back to the house," was the quiet but firm reply.
"Brian, are you kidding me?" Kara's voice was incredulous. "They'll find us there. They already know where we live!"
"They could find us anywhere we are, Kara. Isabel can dreamwalk."
David turned to look back at Brian in shock. Then he and Ariel shared a stunned look. "Wait a minute. Are you saying that Isabel has psychic abilities?" David asked.
"Something like that." Brian answered vaguely. He didn't want to explain any further until they got back to the house.
Ariel couldn't believe this. "If Isabel, and maybe some of the others, also have psychic abilities like we do, then why are they treating us like the enemy?" Ariel wondered aloud. "This makes no sense." Then Ariel's eyes went wide at what she had just revealed to Brian and Kara. The secret was out now anyway, but it was still a reflex to be scared.
"Ari, it's ok," Brian reassured her. "We know. Kara and I have powers too. We'll explain everything when we get to the house." Ariel nodded and relaxed back against the seat. Brian reached over to caress her face, and Ariel snuggled against him. Then Brian gently cupped her chin in his hands and turned her to face him, bringing her lips to his. Their first kiss was sweet and passionate, and they could both feel the connection between them deepening.
**Flash**
The four children in the cave quickly dressed. The little blonde boy with the curly hair walked over to the little girl with the long straight blonde hair, holding in his hands a pendant emblazoned with a familiar symbol. He placed the necklace on her, where it belonged, and told her in their native tongue, "I give this to you again." The two smiled at each other, recognizing the bond between them that the pendant represented.
**End Flash**
Ariel gasped in shock at the flash, and pulled apart slightly from Brian to gaze wonderingly into his eyes. "What was that?"
Before Brian could answer, Kara interrupted with an urgent announcement. "We're being followed!"
"Let's lose them," Brian commanded, tensing up.
"You got it," Kara acknowledged with a small, tight grin. Kara had practiced her powers so that she would be ready for moments like this, and she was ready for the challenge. She took the next side street, while also concentrating her powers. The van that had been following kept going straight instead of turning after them. David saw this, and glanced over at Kara with a mixture of pride and amazement. Ariel sighed in relief.
"That just bought us some time," Brian warned. "But our enemy will find us soon, and so will Max and his group."
Soon, the four friends reached their destination. They filed into the house quickly and silently, each of the couples holding hands. Brian led them into the living room, where a tall man with dark hair, presumably Brian and Kara's father, awaited them. "It is good that the four of you arrived safely and are together again," Caleb greeted them. As David and Ariel introduced themselves, they couldn't shake the feeling that this man was very familiar.
"It's time that you know everything," Brian told David and Ariel. "We'll need to show you, because explaining would take too long. The enemy has almost found us," Brian added for Caleb's benefit.
Caleb nodded. "Then we need to be ready. Please, take your seats." Caleb dimmed the lights a little, and the five of them arranged themselves in a circle. Caleb reached out to Brian and Kara, who in turn took his hands and reached out to Ariel and David. When the circle was complete, Caleb told them in a soothing, almost hypnotic voice. "Now, relax and clear your minds. Through the connection we establish, you will see everything you need to know." Ariel and David did as instructed, and soon found themselves in another place and time.
They found themselves on a dying world of once incredible beauty and understood that the people there, their race, would have to evacuate the planet. This planet, Lysus, had been their home, but no longer. The sun, a blue-white star called Lyria, was about to go supernova. They watched as Ships rose into the air and left for another nearby planet called Antar that would welcome the evacuees. They, the Royal Four of this world and their protector, Caleb, made certain that everyone was safely aboard spaceships before boarding their own vessel that would take them to Antar. On Antar, the five of them would live in the palace with the King and Queen and the young Royal Four of that world.
On Antar, their race had to wear a kind of spacesuit, which they designed to enable them to blend in with the Antarians. Without this spacesuit, the higher atmospheric pressure and relative heat of the planet would destroy them. Because of this spacesuit, their race began to be nicknamed 'Skins' by Antar's native inhabitants. The two races lived harmoniously for some time before a greedy, power-hungry Skin named Khivar managed to take control of the planet for himself by killing the King, Zan's father, and later having the Royal Four from both worlds murdered. As a Civil War raged, the Royal Four of Antar was recreated on Earth as Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess. The Royal Four of Lysus was also recreated there as Brian, Kara, David, and Ariel.
Then they were in the cave in Pennsylvania as four little children came out of their pods and were greeted by their protector for the first time. Ariel recognized the children as herself, David, Brian, and Kara. Ariel watched as little Brian gave her younger self the necklace with the alien symbol on it, just as she had seen earlier in her flash. Suddenly, they were attacked by the enemy, the followers of Khivar. Little Ariel and David were separated from the others, and were able to escape from the cave. But before they could get away, one of the enemy soldiers blasted them with a weapon that would take away their memories. Caleb used a pulse weapon that rendered everyone unconscious, but by the time he and the two children with him woke up, Ariel and David had wandered off into the woods, lost and disoriented.
Ariel gasped in astonishment as she and the others came out of their trance. "Oh, my God.I remember everything."
Kara drove the Toyota out onto the highway. David sat beside her in the front passenger's seat, while Ariel and Brian sat in the backseat.
"Ok, Brian, where are we going?" Kara asked her brother.
"Back to the house," was the quiet but firm reply.
"Brian, are you kidding me?" Kara's voice was incredulous. "They'll find us there. They already know where we live!"
"They could find us anywhere we are, Kara. Isabel can dreamwalk."
David turned to look back at Brian in shock. Then he and Ariel shared a stunned look. "Wait a minute. Are you saying that Isabel has psychic abilities?" David asked.
"Something like that." Brian answered vaguely. He didn't want to explain any further until they got back to the house.
Ariel couldn't believe this. "If Isabel, and maybe some of the others, also have psychic abilities like we do, then why are they treating us like the enemy?" Ariel wondered aloud. "This makes no sense." Then Ariel's eyes went wide at what she had just revealed to Brian and Kara. The secret was out now anyway, but it was still a reflex to be scared.
"Ari, it's ok," Brian reassured her. "We know. Kara and I have powers too. We'll explain everything when we get to the house." Ariel nodded and relaxed back against the seat. Brian reached over to caress her face, and Ariel snuggled against him. Then Brian gently cupped her chin in his hands and turned her to face him, bringing her lips to his. Their first kiss was sweet and passionate, and they could both feel the connection between them deepening.
**Flash**
The four children in the cave quickly dressed. The little blonde boy with the curly hair walked over to the little girl with the long straight blonde hair, holding in his hands a pendant emblazoned with a familiar symbol. He placed the necklace on her, where it belonged, and told her in their native tongue, "I give this to you again." The two smiled at each other, recognizing the bond between them that the pendant represented.
**End Flash**
Ariel gasped in shock at the flash, and pulled apart slightly from Brian to gaze wonderingly into his eyes. "What was that?"
Before Brian could answer, Kara interrupted with an urgent announcement. "We're being followed!"
"Let's lose them," Brian commanded, tensing up.
"You got it," Kara acknowledged with a small, tight grin. Kara had practiced her powers so that she would be ready for moments like this, and she was ready for the challenge. She took the next side street, while also concentrating her powers. The van that had been following kept going straight instead of turning after them. David saw this, and glanced over at Kara with a mixture of pride and amazement. Ariel sighed in relief.
"That just bought us some time," Brian warned. "But our enemy will find us soon, and so will Max and his group."
Soon, the four friends reached their destination. They filed into the house quickly and silently, each of the couples holding hands. Brian led them into the living room, where a tall man with dark hair, presumably Brian and Kara's father, awaited them. "It is good that the four of you arrived safely and are together again," Caleb greeted them. As David and Ariel introduced themselves, they couldn't shake the feeling that this man was very familiar.
"It's time that you know everything," Brian told David and Ariel. "We'll need to show you, because explaining would take too long. The enemy has almost found us," Brian added for Caleb's benefit.
Caleb nodded. "Then we need to be ready. Please, take your seats." Caleb dimmed the lights a little, and the five of them arranged themselves in a circle. Caleb reached out to Brian and Kara, who in turn took his hands and reached out to Ariel and David. When the circle was complete, Caleb told them in a soothing, almost hypnotic voice. "Now, relax and clear your minds. Through the connection we establish, you will see everything you need to know." Ariel and David did as instructed, and soon found themselves in another place and time.
They found themselves on a dying world of once incredible beauty and understood that the people there, their race, would have to evacuate the planet. This planet, Lysus, had been their home, but no longer. The sun, a blue-white star called Lyria, was about to go supernova. They watched as Ships rose into the air and left for another nearby planet called Antar that would welcome the evacuees. They, the Royal Four of this world and their protector, Caleb, made certain that everyone was safely aboard spaceships before boarding their own vessel that would take them to Antar. On Antar, the five of them would live in the palace with the King and Queen and the young Royal Four of that world.
On Antar, their race had to wear a kind of spacesuit, which they designed to enable them to blend in with the Antarians. Without this spacesuit, the higher atmospheric pressure and relative heat of the planet would destroy them. Because of this spacesuit, their race began to be nicknamed 'Skins' by Antar's native inhabitants. The two races lived harmoniously for some time before a greedy, power-hungry Skin named Khivar managed to take control of the planet for himself by killing the King, Zan's father, and later having the Royal Four from both worlds murdered. As a Civil War raged, the Royal Four of Antar was recreated on Earth as Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess. The Royal Four of Lysus was also recreated there as Brian, Kara, David, and Ariel.
Then they were in the cave in Pennsylvania as four little children came out of their pods and were greeted by their protector for the first time. Ariel recognized the children as herself, David, Brian, and Kara. Ariel watched as little Brian gave her younger self the necklace with the alien symbol on it, just as she had seen earlier in her flash. Suddenly, they were attacked by the enemy, the followers of Khivar. Little Ariel and David were separated from the others, and were able to escape from the cave. But before they could get away, one of the enemy soldiers blasted them with a weapon that would take away their memories. Caleb used a pulse weapon that rendered everyone unconscious, but by the time he and the two children with him woke up, Ariel and David had wandered off into the woods, lost and disoriented.
Ariel gasped in astonishment as she and the others came out of their trance. "Oh, my God.I remember everything."