Book One: Revelations - Chapter 19

After a two hour car drive we finally made it to the airport. When we pulled up to the private plane there was a tall blond guy standing at the bottom of the stairs.

As soon as Mel saw him she started squealing, "Tony! Mom, Tony is coming with us?"

"Yes Dear. I thought I would surprise you!" Gezabelle said and she looked at me in the rear view mirror. I smiled at her and nodded.

As soon as the car stopped, Mel went running over to Tony and threw herself on him. He gave her a huge hug and spun her around. I laughed when I watched them. It was obvious they loved each other very much. Gezabelle grabbed my hand and walked me over to introduce me to Tony.

"Hello Dear" Gezabelle said to Tony as she gave him a very warm embrace. "Tony, this is Melody's friend Sarah Townsend and Sarah, this is my nephew Tony."

We shook each other's hands and greeted each other. Tony looked just like Mel and Gezabelle. He was quite tall with a slender build. He had wavy golden blond hair with incredible green eyes. He was a very handsome guy.

We quickly got our luggage loaded then we all went and settled in for a long flight. On the plane there were four large chairs that faced each other around a table. Mel and Tony sat together on one side and Gezabelle and I sat on the other side. Mel and Tony talked non-stop for hours. I sat quietly and listened. I was learning a lot about Tony and some new things about Mel. Gezabelle worked on sketches during the flight. I loved watching her work. Once in a while she would ask my opinion on colors and looks which I loved.

"So Mel how did the choir competition go for you this year?" asked Tony.

Mel beamed. "Oh our choir took third but our group took first. I just played the piano."

"Stop doing that Mel! We would never have won if it wasn't for your production plan and your incredible playing. It was a team effort. You deserve the credit of our win more than I do. I just sang." I said with a shrug. Tony was watching me when I talked to Mel. I realized this was the first time I spoke up since we got on the plane.

"Thanks Sarah, but you're the one who sings like an Angel." she said and I blushed.

"You really don't give yourself enough credit either Sarah." Gezabelle piped in. I blushed another two shades of red then.

"So, you can sing?" asked Tony.

Before I could say anything Mel and Gezabelle ganged up on me and insist that I sing something for him. Tony kept watching me and judging my reaction.

"You two are ruthless!" I told Mel and Gezabelle.

"Just sing a few verses!" Mel argued with me.

"Ok! You will never give up unless I do this!" I laughed at her.

"Yes, but you still love me!" she replied back.

"You're right, I do. What do you want me to sing?" I asked her.

"You raise me up. That's the first song I heard you sing." Mel replied.

I took a drink of water and took a deep breath. Then I sang the first two verses of "You Raise Me Up".
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit a while with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... to more than I can be.

When I finished singing Tony's mouth was wide opened, Gezabelle patted my arm and Mel started squealing. "See Tony! I told you she was good."

"Sarah, you're voice is amazing. I bet when you sing with Mel's playing it is something very special to hear." He said and I smiled at him. I like how he pulled Mel into his compliment.

"Thank you, but I would love to hear Mel, Jess and myself grouped together. Jess plays the cello like Mel plays the piano. You should meet Jess. Mel and Jess are long lost twins. They look alike, talk alike and now they are starting to finish each other's sentences!" I laughed.

Gezabelle started paying more attention now. "Jess plays the cello?" she asked startled.

"Yeah mom, she's really good. Sarah made her play for me during one of our video conferences. She belongs at a performing arts school."

"Just as you do!" I added.

"Remind me what Jess looks like?" Gezabelle asked.

"She has blond hair, but it's more of a strawberry blond color and she has hazel green eyes though they are closer to green. Jess insists they are hazel!"

"Yes she sounds a lot like Melody. Do you have a picture of her?" Gezabelle asked.

"Um, I have an old picture from school in my wallet." I dug through my purse and wallet until I found the picture of Jess. "Here, this was taken right before I came home." I said as I handed it to her.

I thought I registered a little bit of shock as Gezabelle looked at the picture. "Yes, Jessica looks amazingly like Melody." Gezabelle handed the picture across the table to Tony. Tony looked quite surprised.

"I guess now is as good a time as any!" Mel said. I knew immediately what she was going to talk about. "Jessica is going to stay with her dad in New York this summer and we wanted to meet during the summer. Jess and I have the same birthday and we would like to celebrate our 18th birthday together."

Gezabelle looked shocked but she quickly pulled her composure together. Tony noticed the expression change as well. "Well Dear, we will need to think about that. I don't even know who her father is or what he does."

"Gezabelle, Jessica's name is Jessica Lee Stanley. She talks about her father all the time. She is daddy's little princess. His name is Arthur Michael Stanley. He is some kind of business man. I'm not sure what he does. Jess never talks about her mom though. Her mom lives in England, but Jess is pretty secretive about her mom."

Gezabelle seemed lost in thought and started coloring in her sketches. She was avoiding eye contact with us. "Well, Melody I will think about it. It's not very safe for three eighteen year old girls to run around New York alone. I will need to have a long conversation with Mr. Stanley."

I looked up at Tony and our eyes met. We both had a look of question and suspicion on our faces. When Mel started squealing with excitement we quickly changed our expressions to happiness and excitement.

Mel and Tony started talking about New York and relentlessly teased each other. I leaned my chair back and fell asleep.

When I woke Mel and Gezabelle were sleeping. It was already dark outside and the lights in the plane were dimmed. There was a food trey on the table with fruit, cheese and crackers. There was also a bottle of water sitting in front of me. I slowly nibbled on the food and noticed Tony was awake.

"Hello" I whispered.

"Melody really likes you." He whispered.

"Her and Jess are my best friends. They keep me normal." I whispered.

"Yes, that can be hard at times." He said.

"That's an understatement" I said as I looked out the window.

"Sarah, I only know what I am doing here, but I do not understand why. Either you must be pretty special, or something very bad is after you if you need an Elder and a protector in training on a trip to the middle of nowhere." He said with a frustrated expression.

"Gezabelle did not explain anything?" I asked.

"No, just your normal protector would not be able to accompany you on your trip for appearance purposes. Who is you normal protector?" he asked.

"Erik Thompson." I replied.

"Erik Thompson!" he exclaimed. "He's the best there is! What don't I know that I should know about you?" he said with narrowed eyes.

"I'm sorry, I do not know what I am allowed to reveal and honestly they keep me in the dark as much as possible. You will need to ask Gezabelle about my gifts and my dangers." I said.

"Both! That explains why Erik Thompson is your protector." He whispered back.

We did not speak again for the rest of the flight. Right before we landed we woke Mel and Gezabelle up and all of our excitement shot up again. There was a limo waiting for us at the airport and our luggage was loaded for us. We drove for another forty five minutes before we came to a very secluded hotel. The hotel is nowhere near town and I'm sure that was one of the main reason's this hotel was chosen.

The hotel was beautiful and sat directly on the beach. The back of the hotel remained opened to the outside air. We had three adjoining rooms that overlooked the beach. Gezabelle took the first suite, Mel and I took the middle suit, and Tony took the third suite. As soon as we entered our rooms, we opened the adjoining doors and Gezabelle insisted that we never lock them.

Mel and I unpacked some of our clothes that needed to hang up and put our toiletries in the bathroom. We checked out the view from our balcony which was gorgeous, the hotel had soft lights surrounding the grounds. The pool was to the left of us and the restaurant was to our right with a small pathway directly below us. We couldn't wait for the morning so we could look out at the ocean and the white sand beach. After we investigated our room and made plans for the morning we went and changed into our nightgowns then went to bed. It was very late and we had to get up early.

I struggled falling asleep. I kept thinking about Erik and what happened between us this last week. I've moved past hatred to a cold numb feeling. If everything was a game from the very beginning would I forgive him? I don't know. Why was he so weak with her that night? He swears he stopped it before it went too far and I do believe him. But does it really matter that he stopped it? He let it start.

In the morning Mel and I where just starting to wake up when Gezabelle gently knocked and came in our room.

"Good morning girls." She called to us. She went and sat on the bed next to Mel and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead. "I have a surprise for us today. You girls need to wear good walking tennis shoes and you will want to wear shorts today as well."

"What are we doing today mom?" asked Mel.

Gezabelle got a huge smile on her face and shook her head. "It's a surprise! I promise you will have a lot of fun. Now go get ready. I will order room service for us."

Gezabelle walked back to her room then Mel and I started scrambling out of bed. I let Mel have the shower first and while she was showering I dug through my suitcases for clothes that were suited for a day of adventure. I grabbed a pair of khaki shorts and a red tank top. When Mel came out of the shower she wanted to know what I picked out to wear. I showed her my choice and she decided to mimic me. I ran into the bathroom and quickly showered. When I got out, I slathered myself in a light sun block before I got dressed. After I was dressed, I opened the bathroom door so Mel and I could do our hair at the same time.

I started braiding my hair back. It was already hot outside and we were going to be doing some kind of adventure today. I didn't want my hair hanging in my face.

"Hey Sarah, can you braid my hair for me? I can't braid my own hair, it never turns out even." She asked with a little wrinkled nose.

"Sure Mel! Come, sit on the bed." I grabbed the comb and a hair band on my way out of the bathroom.

I started combing out Mel's hair when we had a small knock at the door between our room and Tony's. "You ladies decent? Can I come in?" Tony called.

"Come on in Tony, we're dressed." called Mel.

Tony came in and watched as I braided Mel's hair. "So are you two ready for Aunt Gezabelle's surprise? Did she give you any clues yet?" he asked.

"She didn't tell us anything." pouted Mel.

"But her body language made it seem we are in for an adventurous day!" I replied.

"Really?" Mel asked confused.

I laughed. "Mel you know your mom better than I do, but she seems to enjoy a little adventure."

"Aunt Gezabelle definitely likes adventure!" Tony said.

"Really?" Mel said again.

Tony and I laughed at her. When I finished Mel's hair we went to Gezabelle's room for breakfast. Gezabelle had a large table with four chairs on her balcony. The table was covered with food. There were pancakes, bacon, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs and toast on the table. I didn't know how four people could possibly eat that much food.

Gezabelle had the biggest smile on her face when she saw us. "Alright you three sit down and eat lots of breakfast. You will need to keep your energy up for today. We will be gone for most of the day!" she said.

We did as we were told. We all took a seat and ate until we couldn't move. I was shocked at how much food Tony could eat. There was very little food left when we were done eating. I was amazed we ate that much food, though I was pretty sure Tony ate half the food on the table by himself. I didn't see how such a skinny guy could eat so much.

When we left the hotel a limo was waiting for us out front. The limo drove us into the jungle and dropped us off at a small building sitting at the bottom of a very tall mountain. Tony, Mel and I all gave each other very confused looks as Gezabelle was bursting with excitement.

"Follow me" Gezabelle said as she started walking to the back of the building.

When we walked around the corner there was a man waiting for us. There were four ATV's with helmets sitting on each seat sitting in the back of the building. Gezabelle spoke to the man in fluent Spanish as we all stood back and watched. I was starting to get an idea of what we were going to go do.

I whispered to Tony and Mel, "My guess is zip lines."

"I agree" whispered Tony.

"What is a zip lines?" asked Mel.

Tony and I laughed at Mel. "Don't worry Mel, I'll help you." said Tony as he put his arm over her shoulders.

Gezabelle walked over to us. "We each get our own ATV. Go put your helmets on and then start your ATV. We will be climbing that dirt trail over there." She said as she pointed to a very narrow and steep trail.

We quickly moved to our ATV's and put our helmets on. Tony and I were beyond excited and Mel looked worried. "Don't worry Mel, you will have fun." I whispered to her. We all sat on our ATV's and started them. Gezabelle led the way, followed by Mel, myself and then Tony followed behind all of us.

Gezabelle started off slow letting us get used to the ATV's and the steep trail. Mel started off very nervous and went very slow, but soon she started having fun and was flying up on Gezabelle. We all started laughing and raced up the mountain. It took us an hour to get to the top of the mountain and the end of the trail. When we got to the top there were four men standing at the end of the trail waiting for us. We turned off our ATV's and took off our helmets. We were very dusty!

I walked over to Mel and started brushing the dust off the back of her. I turned around so she could dust me off. When Mel was done dusting me off, she went and dusted off Tony. Gezabelle went and spoke to the men. I watched as they pointed towards a small walking trail. Once we were mostly dust free we walked over and joined Gezabelle with the men.

Gezabelle thanked the men and then turned around to us. "All right my adventurous trio! The real fun is about to begin. Before we start, I need to verify no one is scared of heights. If you are then you will need to head back down on the ATV's with the men." She looked at all of us and we all shook our heads no at her. "If you are ready for fun, then follow me." She called, as she headed for the walking trail.

We walked about a quarter mile until we came to a large wooden platform where more men were waiting for us. As soon as I saw the platform and the zip line I started jumping up and down in excitement. I laughed to myself thinking how there was no way Erik would ever have let me do this which of course made me want to do it all the more! He'll have a heart attack when he hears about it later.

"Yes, we get to do zip lines! I've always wanted to do that!" I exclaimed.

"Aunt Gezabelle you are too cool!" said Tony.

"Ok, I'm tired of being the one who doesn't understand what we're doing!" Mel pouted.

"Honey, see that wire coming off the platform. That is a zip line. We are going to get harnessed up and connected to the lines. Then we will "zip" down the line to the next platform and the next line." Gezabelle explained to Mel with her arm around her.

"Is it dangerous?" asked Mel

"No Mel! You will be harnessed up connected to the line. It might be a little scary, but it will be a lot of fun." I reassured her.

"Don't worry Mel, once you go down the first line, you will love it!" Tony also tried to reassure her. Mel was not looking convinced.

We each walked up to the platform and the men harnessed us up. They gave us a quick lesson explaining how we will sit with our legs straight out in front of us. They warned us to not slow ourselves down or we would get stuck out in the middle of the line. Mel was looking extremely pale as the men gave us our lessons. Tony and I both had our arms wrapped around Mel trying to reassure her.

"I'll go first" called Gezabelle. Gezabelle walked up to the zip line and the men clipped her harness onto the zip line. She turned and smiled to us then took off speeding down the zip line. She yelled a scream of excitement as she zipped down the line. Mel was on the verge of hyperventilating as she watched her mom.

"All right your turn Melody." said Tony.

"No! Sarah you go next. I'm not ready yet." She was panicking.

I turned to look at Tony and he nodded at me. He was trying to reassure Mel.

I grabbed Mel's hands and looked her straight in the eyes. "Ok Mel, I'll go next, but you have to be right behind me. The ATV's are already gone and there is no other way back down this mountain. You are strong and brave. You can do this! You WILL do this. None of us would ever do anything to put you in harm's way. Every one of us would do anything to protect you. Do you understand me?" I asked firmly.

She nodded at me and Tony gave me another nod. I went up to the zip line and the men connected me to the line. I jumped off the platform and raced down the line. It was exhilarating and I loved the wind in my face. This was the most fun, I've ever had. I laughed the whole time I zipped down the line.

When I reached the bottom of the line more men and Gezabelle were waiting to help me up onto the platform. "Mel made me go next. She is still pretty nervous. I gave her a little tuff love before I left. Tony is talking to her now." I told Gezabelle.

"I never knew heights bothered her so much." Gezabelle said as we both stood and anxiously watched the upper platform. "There she is." She whispered.

I held my breath as I watched Melody get connected to the line. I saw Tony behind her and it looked like he pushed her off the platform. "Did he just push her off?" I asked Gezabelle.

"I think so!" Gezabelle said.

"I guess I'm not the only one to give her a little tuff love!" I said in amazement.

Melody screamed all the way down the zip. Gezabelle and I started laughing uncontrollably at her. When she reached our platform we pulled her up and gave her a big hug. "You made it!" I told her.

"Are you doing okay sweetie?" Gezabelle asked as she gave Mel a big hug.

"Ok, I admit it, that wasn't too bad!" Mel admitted sheepishly.

Just then Tony came zipping onto the platform. Mel went over and punched him in the arm. "You pushed me!" she exclaimed at him.

Tony laughed, "It was just a love tap!" he teased her.

Mel gave him a big hug. "Thanks, I needed it."

We were all relieved and happy. Melody was much more relaxed when we set up to go down the next line. We kept the same order as we went down the next several lines. Melody went after me and before Tony.

We took a small break before we went down our last zip line. The workers took a picture of the four of us in our harness gear. Our backdrop showed the various platforms and zip lines behind us. I started getting that bad feeling I get when something very bad is about to happen. I tensed up and started looking around us, I felt like we were being watched. Gezabelle and Tony immediately caught my mood change and watched me. Tony and Gezabelle stood on either side of me as they looked around us.

"Do you feel it?" I whispered.

"Yes" whispered Gezabelle.

"We need to get out of here" whispered Tony.

"Okay enough pictures let's finish up so we can go eat some lunch." Gezabelle called out loudly. "This time Melody follow quickly behind me."

With no nonsense Gezabelle quickly connected to the line and started zipping. While Gezabelle was still on the line, Tony got Melody connected. As soon as Gezabelle was on the bottom platform, Tony shoved Melody down the line.

"Oh God, No!" I called, as we watched Melody sink low on the zip line. The pole for the zip line on Gezabelle's platform was starting to collapse.

"Melody!" screamed Gezabelle.

"Stand back Tony!" I called. I only had seconds to save Melody and my anger was through the roof. They were planning on me being the second one down the zip line. That was supposed to me out there falling. "I summon the air. I control the air. I am the air. The air surrounds all things. The air is all things. The air is life. Come to me now!" I screamed urgently. A massive force of air swirled and whipped around us. Tony looked at me stunned. Melody was falling and screaming. Her harness broke free from the zip wire and the support beam was falling right above her head. I had to get her out of there. The men standing behind us were watching in silent horror and Gezabelle was screaming over and over. I focused like I had never focused before and I rushed a cushion of air out to Mel. I felt the air wrap around her like a soft blanket to comfort her. I thrust her forward out of the way of the falling beam then I stopped her fall all together. Slowly the blanket of air lifted Melody back up to the platform and into Gezabelle's arms. When Melody was safely in Gezabelle's arms they collapsed on the ground and wept. Gezabelle looked at me with grief and relief in her eyes. At this moment she was a mother. A mother who almost watched her only child die.

I turned around and noticed the men behind us were all on their knees crossing themselves and praying. "What do we do about them?" I asked Tony.

"Leave that to me." Tony went over and touched the two men. The two men both closed their eyes and collapsed to the ground. "They won't remember anything." He said.

"That's a convenient gift!" I said.

"Not as convenient as what you just did. Any chance you can get us over to the next platform? We need to clear the memories of all witnesses." He said and looked at me carefully. He was thinking as a protector now and not a cousin.

"I've never tried two people at once. I will send you over first so you can work on clearing memories." I paused and looked in his eyes again. "The zip line broke!"

"Yes, it broke when YOU would have been on the zip line!" he said while he looked at the lower platform.

"Yes." I said. "Hold on to something, I need to re-summon the air." I used the anger and now fear that was raging inside me to summon the air around us again. They found me in the middle of nowhere. I would never be safe. I surrounded Tony with that familiar blanket I used with Mel. Now that I concentrated and didn't go by instinct, I could feel the connection. I could feel my own arms wrap around Tony. The air and wind are connected to me. I slowly lifted Tony and sent him over to the lower platform.

Now it was my turn and I was extremely nervous. This would be the first time that I consciously lifted my own self into the air. I closed my eyes and I thought of Erik. Even after he hurt me this week, he's still the one I run to when I need help. He always will be. "Erik, I know I can't hear you, but I know you hear me when I call you. They came after me already and they almost killed Melody. I flew everyone safely down to the last platform of the zip line. I need to fly to the lower platform to join them and I'm scared. I haven't done this before. Please give me your strength." I whispered.

I closed my eyes and concentrated with everything I had. I felt myself lift into the air and I bobbled around. I was not very steady and looked like a completely incompetent fool trying to stand on a tight rope. I flew quickly and awkwardly towards the lower platform. I tried to control my fear of falling and focused on Gezabelle's face. She was looking at me like an Elder and she looked scary as hell. I landed with a thud as I fell on the platform. I was worn out and beyond exhausted!

The men and Melody were all laying unconsciously on the platform. I crawled over and gave Gezabelle a huge hug. "Gezabelle, I'm so sorry. I should never have come here." I started crying as I spoke.

"Sarah, you saved Melody's life today! This is not your fault." she said.

"We need to move!" Tony said in a firm voice.

Gezabelle and I stood quickly as Tony lifted Melody in his arms. We started running down the trail until we got to the limo. We quickly climbed into the car and Gezabelle told the driver to get us back to the hotel quickly without stopping.

"We need to do surveillance of the hotel when we get back. We will not leave unless we feel we are in danger." said Gezabelle. Tony and I nodded at her.

"When will Melody wake up and how much will she forget?" I asked.

"She'll be out for about an hour or two and she will only forget the last ten minutes of the events." Tony replied. "Gezabelle, I think it's time you gave me more information about Sarah." He said firmly.

"Sarah, you may explain as much as you wish to Tony." she said.

I looked at Tony who clearly did not like being left in the dark. "I'm not your average fledgling. I started getting powers when I was twelve years old. These powers are "extra" abilities. I have unprecedented agility and strength for my small size which allows me to fight very well. Mr. Thompson still beats me in hand to hand combat, but if I get the element of surprise then I can beat him every time." Tony looked shocked. I smiled and continued. "As you witnessed today, I can summon and control the air in and around objects. I can summon fire as well, but it is very dangerous and unstable. Mr. Thompson has pushed that ability back down and made it so anger and fear no longer trigger it. It is harder for me to summon now. I haven't been able to summon fire since it was redirected. If I lose control of the fire, then I literally turn into a fire bomb and everything around me is incinerated." I stopped for him to absorb that much information.

"Are you ready for me to continue?" I asked.

"Yes." He replied.

"My ancestors, mother, father, etc. come to me when I need them." I said cautiously.

Tony looked very skeptical. Gezabelle watched him and then spoke. "I have seen them Tony. I've seen her mother, father and grandparents embracing her. It's quite beautiful to watch." He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Is there more?" he asked.

"Yes." I whispered. They both looked at me.

"I can call to Mr. Thompson with my mind when I need his help. I never understood how he always knew I needed him until recently. I'm connected to him."

Gezabelle said with a huge smile. "You bonded with Mr. Thompson?" she asked.

"Yes." I said.

"You must trust him greatly. A bond like that can only form if you truly trust that person with your life." she said.

"Yes Ma'am." I told her.

"Anything else?" asked Tony.

I smiled at him then looked at Gezabelle. "Today, before Melody went down the last zip line I felt physically ill. I knew beyond a doubt that something horrible was about to happen. A few months ago I felt the same thing."

"What happened?"

"I was speaking with Mr. Thompson before I was to call Jessica on the video camera. All of a sudden I got physically ill, and I knew something was wrong with Jessica and or me. When I called into the video conference, I saw Jessica battered and beaten really bad. I immediately started losing control when I saw her horribly bruised and swollen face and ripped clothing. I wanted to kill the boy she had been seeing." I explained.

"This boy attacked her?" Gezabelle was fuming.

"Yes, he tried to rape her, but she fought him off. She swears to me, that she stopped him. Her mom came and took her home to England for over a week and sent her to a counselor." I explained.

"That poor Dear!" Gezabelle still looked very upset by this story. "Please continue Sarah."

"Mr. Thompson helped calm me. My rage was so strong I could feel the fire burning even though rage isn't supposed to trigger it anymore. I guess they weren't counting on my rage being that strong."

"So you have a feeling when something really bad is about to happen?" she asked. I nodded at her. "Some of us are able to do that. We think it is a heightened sense that we get. I had that same feeling before we went down the last zip line."

"What are the powers that she is supposed to get?"

"They haven't shown themselves yet. We don't know which ones she will get." Gezabelle answered. I see that she still won't give me a hint as to what they may possibly be.

"Who is after Sarah and why?" Tony asked.

"Tony Dear that is what we have been trying to figure out. We know Duncan Black has come after her a few times, but we do not know if he is the leader of this dark force building within our ranks. Their attacks are getting bolder, but Duncan wants Sarah's powers for his own bidding! He wants to turn her and control her. There have been two attacks at her home already. The first attack and today's attack someone was trying to kill her." Gezabelle said.

"Great, so I have more than one enemy!" I mumbled. "What about my Uncle?" I asked her.

"He has not been seen since that night Mr. Thompson brought you before the council." She replied.

We were all still lost in thought as the limo pulled up in front of the hotel. Tony carried Melody up to our room as Gezabelle and I followed behind. As soon as we walked in our room we heard Gezabelle's cell phone ringing. "That will be Mr. Thompson, when I get scared I automatically call out to him." She nodded and went to her room to answer her phone. I helped Tony lay Melody down in her bed.

"I'm sorry Tony that you got pulled into this." I told him.

"I'm glad that I better understand the situation. I'm training to be a protector. This is part of the job. Nothing can prepare me more than actual field work!" he told me with a wink.

"Glad I can be your guinea pig!" I laughed at him.

"Well at least my first charge can kick some serious butt with her powers!" he joked back.

"Powers that are still unstable!" I reminded him.

"Sarah, I have to say I am a little intimidated by your powers. I have never heard of anyone who had as many powers as you have, or as strong of powers as yours." He said.

I shrugged. "Yep, that's me a freak of nature!" I replied. Tony laughed at me and then went back to his room.

I went over and lay down on my bed to try to take a small nap, but Gezabelle walked into our room with her cell phone held out for me. "He would like to speak with you." She said as she handed me the phone.

I sat up and took the phone from Gezabelle. She turned and walked back to her room.

"Hello Mr. Thompson." I said into the phone.

"Sarah, Baby, how are you holding up?" he asked.

"I'm frustrated and pissed that someone almost killed Melody. I was supposed to go next. That accident was meant for me." I said.

"Gezabelle explained that to me. I'm sorry they found you already. I hate not being there to protect you." He said.

"Have you found any more information?" I asked after a small moment of silence.

"I do have more information, but I'm looking into who set up the situation."

"Please tell me it involved torture! I need some good news today." I said as I started to pinch the bridge of my nose and take deep breaths.

Erik started laughing the laugh that I loved. "Rebecca was at school working today, so I went and used my little mind trick on her. I assure you, it hurt her like hell. I was not gentle with the mind probing. I will give you the details when you get home, but everything from day one has been a game and a setup. I'm afraid I got a little too angry when I read her mind and erased more than I should have." He said darkly.

"I'm sure no one will mind if she turns into a drooling fool!" I said.

"Well, she very well may. I wasn't kind. She betrayed us both. I never knew she could be so vindictive. I love you Sarah. I will find the rest of the answers for you." His voice turned hard again.

"I know you do. Thank you for calling to check on me." I told him gently.

"Thank you for calling to me, I loved hearing you call to me. We need to get you a cell phone though. I hate not being able to return the conversation." He sounded irritated.

"I need to go and rest now. Using my powers like that has worn me out." I said.

"Okay Sarah, rest now and please be safe." He said.

"I will. Goodbye Mr. Thompson." I told him as I turned off the cell phone. I laid my head down on my pillow and fell asleep. I was too tired to even dream.

When I woke from my nap, I heard the shower running in our bathroom and noticed Melody was no longer in bed. Gezabelle and Tony were sitting on our balcony so I walked out to them and sat down next to them. They both were cleaned up and in new clothes.

"Did you rest well Sarah?" asked Gezabelle.

"Yes, Ma'am. Today really wore me out. How is Mel?" I asked.

"She is doing well. We told her both of you fell asleep on the way back to the hotel to help explain why she didn't remember getting back to her room. It helped seeing you sleeping as well." Tony explained.

I nodded at Tony. Having me sleeping in the bed next to her probably did explain a lot to her. I hated lying to her, but it is best this way.

"When Melody is done in the shower, you should go clean up dear. We will be going downstairs for dinner tonight." Gezabelle instructed.

"Yes Ma'am." I looked at Gezabelle and Tony's attire so I had an idea of what to wear for tonight. "I better go get my clothes together." I said as I walked back inside.

I pulled out a light weight summer dress, clean bra, panties and a pair of sandals. When I got all of my clothes together Mel came out of the bathroom wearing a summer dress as well. I smiled at her and showed her the dress I had picked out.

"Cool, we'll be dressed similar. Better hurry up and shower, I'm starving. I might be tempted to leave without you." She laughed at me.

"You would never leave me behind!" I told her and stuck my tongue out at her. We both laughed as I walked into the bathroom.

I showered quickly and skipped washing my hair. When I dried off and got dressed, I took my hair out of the braid. I ran my fingers loosely through my hair and let the curls stay in big chunks. I put on a little mascara and light lip gloss on then I walked out and met up with everyone else.

"Wow, you're fast Sarah!" Mel said to me.

"Maybe you should copy her!" Tony teased her.

"Alright, let's go down to dinner." Gezabelle told us.

The hotel restaurant was very nice. Most people were wearing semi formal attire. I was glad I was wearing a dress, but I probably should have added some jewelry. We were seated in the outdoor area of the restaurant. There were candle centerpieces on all the tables. The centerpiece was typical for restaurants. There was a round glass globe to protect the candle from the wind with a ring of tropical flowers around the base of the glass globe. The tables were draped in peach colored linens and set with cream linen napkins, crystal goblets, and cream china with a thin gold trim along the edges. Even the goblets had a gold trim to match the china. The outdoor area was lit with black cast iron tiki style torches and the "walls" of the outdoor dining area where giant concrete planters filled with flowers cascading down the sides. Our table sat in the middle of the outdoor dining room. It was the safest place for us to sit.

Most of the food on the menu was steak and seafood done with a Mexican flare. We all ate shrimp cocktails for an appetizer, then salads, followed by our main course and then desserts. The food was wonderful. We spent the entire dinner chatting about Tony and Melody's childhood. I loved the funny stories. I enjoyed watching how a normal family behaved. If Melody or Tony tried to ask about my childhood Gezabelle would always interrupt with another story. I was very grateful she was there to help me out of the uncomfortable questions. After the conversation would turn back to Tony and Mel she would give me a little smile. Gezabelle has heard of some of the stories and she has seen the physical proof of the abuse I suffered at the hands of my uncle. Those aren't the kind of fun entertaining stories you tell over dinner.

When dinner was over we all decided to take a walk on the beach before returning to our rooms. The night was warm with a gentle breeze that carried the soft scent of the salt air to us. Melody and I took our sandals off and walked in the warm surf. I wasn't used to the ocean feeling so warm or the sand feeling powdery soft. It was a wonderful sensation. Gezabelle promised that tomorrow would be a day of relaxation. Melody and I wanted to lie in the sun and work on our tans. Tony was up for that idea as well. Today was a little too adventurous for us, though Melody did not remember quite how adventurous it got.

After our long walk we all returned to our rooms to get ready for bed. Melody and I sat out on our balcony after Tony and Gezabelle left for their rooms.

"I'm really happy you came with us Sarah." Mel said.

"So am I Mel. I'm having so much fun. Oh, and I really like Tony. I love how close you two are. He has some good funny stories about you. I can't wait to tell Jess some of them." I teased.

Mel moaned. "Sarah, those stories are too embarrassing." I laughed at her.

"Yep they are!" I teased some more.

"Don't you have any embarrassing stories?" she asked.

"Well, you would have to ask Jess. She is practically my sister. When you live with someone for ten months out of the year for eleven years, they tend to become your family." I told her.

Melody narrowed her eyes slightly in concentration. "Sarah, why don't you talk about your family?" she asked seriously.

"Those are bad memories for me Mel. I don't like to think about them." I told her.

"I'm sorry Sarah. Do you ever talk to Jess about it?" she asked.

"No, Jess and I have an unspoken rule. She does not ask me about my home life and I do not ask about hers. When we would return from holiday breaks we knew by looking at each other that we were fighting demons. It would take us a week or two to forget our time away at home." I told her honestly.

"Sarah, it's not healthy for you two to bottle up so much. Now I'm going to worry about you two." She said with sadness in her voice.

"Mel, please don't worry about us. Jess and I, have learned to block out very painful memories and move on. We have had many years to practice. Jess and I, each have our own coping mechanisms, so we do deal with the pain, we just don't talk about it." I tried to sound reassuring, but I didn't even convince myself.

"What do you guys do to cope? Is your singing your escape?" she asked.

I laughed. "Well Jess is much easier to read. When she is sad she plays her cello. When she is scared or anxious she escapes into the arms of a boy toy to distract herself. I've never seen her extremely angry, so I'm not sure what she does." I explained.

"And what about you?" she asked.

"Well, you are about to learn something new about me Mel!" She sat up and started smiling. "When I am sad, I sing. When I am extremely pissed off at someone, I run until my lungs feel like they are going to explode. When I am angry, frustrated, or just need to clear my head, I fight! Martial Arts! Jess doesn't even know that one, though I've been doing it since I was twelve. Mr. Thompson is my new trainer and sparring partner. I know this may surprise you, but I hate when he plays nice and does not go all out. I don't like being toyed with." I told her.

"Holy crap Sarah! I would never have guessed that one!" She was in total shock.

"The next time you're angry you should try hitting something like a heavy punching bag they use for boxing. We have a heavy bag in our weight room at home, and I punish it all the time!" I laughed.

"That's too funny Sarah. I just can't picture it. I can't picture little Sarah trying to hit Mr. Thompson in a fight." She doubled over with laughter and I joined in with her. "Does your head even come up to his chest?" she asked between laughter.

"Barely!" I laughed with her.

"So you run and you fight. I didn't know you were into so many different physical activities. Do you play any sports?" she asked.

"No! I'm horrible at sports. I tried playing basketball with Mr. Thompson and it was humiliating! He pummeled me!" I groaned.

"Well playing basketball with him isn't fair. He's a wall!" she exclaimed.

"I agree!" I chuckled at her. "Come on, we should get to bed!"

The next two days we all spent soaking up the sun on the beach and playing in the surf. We were completely carefree and relaxed. We would gather in Gezabelle's room for breakfast and in the evenings we would eat at the hotel's restaurant. During the day we would drink soda or water and munch on fruit while we played in the ocean or swam in the pool.

On the fourth day, we decided to try snorkeling off the beach. We stayed close to shore and close to other swimmers. We swam for hours watching the sea life swim underneath us. It was amazing to see the rainbow of colors that same below us. I was surprised at the beauty of the sea life. Small schools of blue and yellow fish would dart in unison as they made their way past us. I even saw a few small sea turtles. Unfortunately we all got too sunburned and needed time off the beach. The sun reflecting off the water was too much for our sun block.

We headed to our rooms to shower and get dressed for an afternoon of shopping. We slathered on fresh layers of aloe then added more sun block before we headed out the door.

"Are we all, ready?" asked Gezabelle as we were putting on our sun hats and sunglasses.

"Yep!" Mel and I said in unison. Tony was already standing by the door waiting for us.

This was our first time away from the hotel and away from a crowd of people since the incident on the zip lines. Tony and Gezabelle were being extra cautious this afternoon and I could feel their tension as we started walking towards the lobby.

Our normal limo was waiting for us out front, but Gezabelle had us stay behind in the lobby before she went outside to speak to the driver. Mel wasn't paying much attention to the extra precautions being taken. She was too busy talking to Tony. Tony kept smiling and nodding to Mel's comments but he was very much on alert. He was watching every person around us and was standing directly in front of us. I knew by his body language he was ready for action.

"Girls, Tony, I think it would be fun if we took a local little taxi cab into town. The limo's air conditioner is broke, so I think the open air cabs would be better today." Gezabelle said as she walked back in to meet us. I knew immediately they weren't letting anyone know what our plans were.

"That sounds like fun mom. Come on Tony sit in the front row with me." Mel said as she grabbed Tony by the arm.

Gezabelle and I quietly sat in the back row and we were watching every person around us. The casual observer would think we were just sightseeing, but we were not your normal tourists. The over sized golf cart type cab could only go 45mph at top speed so it was a slow drive into town. I kept looking behind us to make sure no one was following us. Gezabelle knew I was extremely nervous and on edge. She held my hand and squeezed it tight. She gently smiled at me.

"Thank you" I whispered to her. She nodded to me and we went back to our pretend sightseeing all the while she held my hand tightly.

Tony told the cab driver to take us to the promenade known as Malecon. The promenade is an eleven block area that runs along the ocean and contains wonderful music, art, shops, and restaurants. The Malecon is practically what Puerto Vallarta is known for, so there were plenty of tourists around.

We stayed in a tight bunch at all times. Gezabelle was slightly ahead of us and Tony was slightly behind us. Mel and I walked side by side between them. With the exception of feeling on edge for most of the afternoon, we had a nice time walking through the shops. Mel and I posed for pictures and bought matching sun dresses. Mel picked out a few souvenirs. Gezabelle picked up a new platinum necklace, matching earrings, and a beautiful statue. I found a few souvenirs and art pieces that I wanted as well. Gezabelle convinced Tony to buy a white gold necklace.

All day my mind kept wandering back to Erik. I was still extremely hurt by him, but my heart still loved him. The last few days away from him have given me plenty of time to think. There isn't much else to do when you are lying on the beach. I still didn't know if I were ready to forgive him, but I know I desperately needed him. If Erik was willing to destroy Rebecca's mind to find answers, then I had to believe him when he accused her of using him. I know he used to love her. It takes great anger to destroy someone you used to love. There were too many people coming after me, and I don't know if Rebecca trying to drive Erik away from me was part of Duncan's plan or if she was part of a different plan that wants to destroy me. Why do so many people want to hurt me? I know I have extra abilities, but is it really that important?

I was so lost in thought that I almost didn't hear Gezabelle calling to me. "Are you girls ready to go back to the hotel for some dinner?" Gezabelle was watching my face very closely. I smiled up at her and nodded.

As we were walking back to meet up with the cab, I noticed the sun was starting to set. The sky was lit up with pinks, reds, and oranges. It was something I had only seen in paintings. "The sunset is so beautiful and peaceful" I said aloud.

"I wish we had sunsets like that back home" said Mel.

"It's almost as pretty as my little cousin!" Tony told Mel. Mel turned beat red and shoved Tony in the arm. I laughed and hugged Mel.

"I think we need a picture." Gezabelle said as she pulled out her camera. She took a picture of the three of us in front of the sunset. Then I insisted on taking a picture of the three of them together. They made a beautiful family and the sunset background was a perfect backdrop for them. I loved to see Mel so happy, but a part of my heart always ached for what I've lost when I saw her with her family. It was a perfect moment that I hoped Mel would remember forever. I want her to remember how much she is loved no matter what her future holds.

The cab ride home was surprisingly relaxing. It was dark and the night breeze felt wonderful after such a warm day. We saw no car lights behind us and only the occasional car passed by us. We were all discussing what we should do for our last full day of our trip. We all agreed we were done with the adventurous side of our trip, no parasailing, windsurfing or anything like that.

We finally decided that for our last day we would enjoy the beach as much as possible by doing more snorkeling and going for a horseback ride on the beach. I hadn't been horseback riding since I was in England and missed it. Gezabelle, Mel and Tony haven't gone in years so they also liked the idea. Plus by staying on the beach by the hotel we felt the safest.

After dinner that night, Mel, Tony and I all went down to the pool for a late night swim. Our sunburns were getting a little warm and the cool water felt great on our skin. Tony and Mel were having a blast splashing and dunking each other. I hid down in the deep end away from their crazy splashing.

"Hey Tony, do you have any good secrets about Mel for me?' I called down to them. My distraction allowed Mel to gain the upper hand and dunk him. I started laughing at Tony. "Tony, you let Mel beat you. Now that's funny!" I said.

"Hey you distracted me!" He defended himself.

"Hey I won fair and square!" pouted Mel.

"I thought you were supposed to learn how to not let distractions get to you!" I teased. "Hmm, maybe your buddies at school would like to learn how your little girl cousin beat you." I teased then Mel and I started laughing at him.

"Very funny Sarah! How about you come over here and try to beat me?" He challenged me.

"But I don't play fair!" I warned him. He caught on to my meaning and let his bruised ego drop the challenge.

"Ok, Ok, Mel beat me fair and square!" Tony told Mel while he put her in a headlock and messed up her hair. I nodded to him and laughed. He gave me a slight nod back letting me know he understood. "Alright I've been picked on enough for one evening let's head back to our rooms!"

"I'm ready" I told him.

When we got back to our rooms, we noticed Gezabelle was in her room with her door closed. I could hear her muffled voice through the wall so I knew she was on the phone. Mel and I took turns in the bathroom getting ready for bed. Tony said goodnight and went back to his room for the evening.

I sat out on our balcony in my nightgown while I waited for Mel to finish in the bathroom. We always had a "girls" talk at the end of our day out on the balcony. While I sat watching the ocean and people walking down below, Gezabelle came in with her phone.

"Sarah, Erik would like to speak with you." I looked at her puzzled and took the phone from her. She walked back to her room and closed the door.

"Hello." I answered.

"Sarah, are you ok?" Erik asked. He sounded worried and I was confused. Nothing happened today and I never called to him.

"Yes, I am fine. What is wrong Erik?" I asked.

"I am just worried about you." He said too quickly. I knew that tone and I knew he was hiding something.

"Erik, you're scaring me. Is there something I need to know?" I asked.

"You know you can't ask me those questions. Please be safe tomorrow." He reminded me.

I heard the bathroom door open and watched Mel walk into our room. "I understand. How's Rebecca?" I asked innocently. Mel did not know that Erik and Rebecca had a slight misunderstanding. She believed as everyone else did that Erik and Rebecca were dating.

"Is Mel listening?" he asked.

"Yes." I replied.

"She's in the hospital. They think she had a stroke." He said flatly.

"Oh, that's too bad. I'm so sorry." I said a little tartly.

Erik chuckled. "I'm sure that news really bothers you." He said.

"I bought you something today, but you will have to wait until you see it." I told him.

"Does that mean you've been thinking about me?" he asked.

"Yes." I said simply.

"I love you Sarah. Please be safe tomorrow." He said.

"I will be safe. I promise." I said as I rolled my eyes for Mel's benefit. She tried hiding her chuckle.

"Goodnight Baby. Please dream about me." Erik said.

"Goodnight." I said and hung up the phone.

"Wow, Mr. Thompson really does take his job seriously!" Mel said.

"You have no idea!" I told her.

We spent another hour gossiping like normal teenage girls. We wanted to make sure we were nice and tanned before going back to school on Monday, so we planned to do extra sunbathing tomorrow since it was our last chance. We laughed about how angry Jess would be when she saw us. Finally we were too tired to talk anymore and headed to bed.

Mel fell asleep quickly, but my mind was on Erik. I missed him more than I thought I would. I needed him around me. We were too connected and I did not feel whole without him next to me. This time away was good for us. It gave me time to sort through what happened last weekend. I hated him, I loved him. He betrayed me, but I still trusted my life with him. I know he was not lying when he said he did not have sex with her. If I were honest with myself then I know it would be next to impossible for any man not to respond when a former lover that you still care about throws themselves at you. And I'm sure she knew exactly how to get him in the mood, I've seen her in action!

My mind was too full of thoughts and I couldn't sleep. I walked back out onto the balcony to let the cool breeze blow through my hair and over my face. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of relaxation. Cool wind blowing on my face always helped clear my mind. The breeze carried the scent of flowers mixed with the ocean air. I inhaled deeply trying to memorize the fragrances that were swirling around me.

I opened my eyes and looked to see if anyone was still awake and walking around the hotel. I looked out at the beach and found a few couples walking hand in hand under the moonlight. The hotel dining area was fairly quiet with just a few waiters working on clearing the tables. The walking path below me was empty and most of the rooms had their lights out. Tony's lights were out, but Gezabelle still had her lights on. Did all council members stay up, until the wee hours of the morning?

I caught something move in the shadows below me. I turned my head and watched the shadows. Then I saw him. I saw an average sized man wearing a cream colored fedora hat and cream linen jacket watching me. He stepped forward out of the shadows and I could see his face. I did not recognize his face, but I recognized the look he gave me. He was here to kill me. Our eyes were locked on each other. I immediately started summoning the air around me. I was not going to be caught off guard.

"Erik, wake up. Erik call Gezabelle and Tony. Get them in here now." I called to Erik. "Can you see his face?" I called to him. I concentrated on the man's face so Erik could see him. Crap, could he see mental pictures if I concentrated hard enough?

I felt my legs start to climb the balcony. What the hell? I'm not telling my legs to move. How is this happening? I was not going to jump off no balcony! "Asshole!" I screamed and no sound escaped my lips.

I could not fight it. I had no control over my body, but I had full control of my mind. I was this man's puppet! Before I took the final step off the balcony, I increased the strength of the air around me. "Oh please God let this work! Erik, please get them in here!" I cried. As my legs jumped from the balcony, I floated into the air. "Yes it worked. Now it's your turn you bastard!"

I looked down at the man who was suddenly looking extremely agitated. His face tightened and he started tensing up. While I kept myself in the air, I sent that man flying into the air. I held him high above the tree line. No one from the ground would notice him, but they sure as hell would notice me. He looked at me shocked then I felt him trying to move my body, but I was floating. There was nowhere for me to go.

Gezabelle and Tony came running into the room at the same time. They quickly were accessing the situation. Tony started reaching for me to bring me back to the balcony. Gezabelle looked at the man and back to me. She knew I was holding him in the air.

"Release her, or she drops you!" She yelled at the man.

"She must die, she cannot live!" He yelled back to her. He had pure hatred in his eyes.

"Then you leave me no choice. Sarah, drop him!" Gezabelle commanded. She was using her Elder authoritative tone. I had to do as I was instructed.

I closed my eyes and released the air that was supporting him. I could not watch him hit the ground. It was bad enough having to hear his body hit the ground. As soon as he hit the ground I felt his control release from me. "Oh my God!" I called out. Tony quickly grabbed me and kept me from falling.

"What's happening?" Mel called groggily from her bed.

"Tony." Gezabelle said shortly and nodded to Mel. Tony quickly raced over to Mel and used his magic touch to knock her back out.

Gezabelle was still doing surveillance when Tony and I joined her. We were looking for witnesses and looking for other accomplices.

"Sarah, get Tony to the ground quickly. He needs to get the man's ID." She instructed.

"Yes Ma'am" I said and quickly summoned the air around Tony and sent him down below to the walking path next to the man. I had to have full faith in my power. This was not the time to self doubt myself! This needed to be done quickly and efficiently.

We watched Tony carefully to make sure no one was watching him. Tony nodded back to us when he was ready for me to bring him back up. I brought him back up quickly and made sure he landed softly without making any more noise.

"Tony, go call the hotel security and report a suicide." Tony nodded as he gave Gezabelle the man's ID before he left for his room.

"Sarah, please go inside and stay in your bed. You never saw or heard anything tonight." She said as she closed and locked the balcony door behind us.

"Yes Ma'am." I said as I jumped into bed. Gezabelle was back on her phone before she left our room.

As I laid there in the dark, I finally took the time to breathe and think about what just happened. I buried my head in my pillow and sobbed. I had never taken another person's life before and it was the most horrible feeling in the world. I was more upset about killing this man, than about him wanting to kill me. I know I had to do it. He was going to kill me and I was instructed to do so. No matter how much I rationalized it, I still had to learn to live with the fact that I just took another person's life. "Erik, I killed him. Oh my god I killed him. I wish you were here. I don't know how to live with this. I can't get the image and sound out of my head. How do I make it go away? I know Gezabelle is telling you everything right now so I won't confuse your mind with two conversations. I still love you." I called to him as I continued to sob.

I don't know how or when but I finally cried myself to sleep that night. My head was pounding in the morning. I noticed Mel was already in the shower when I woke up. I went over to my overnight bag and grabbed some aspirin. Gezabelle walked in as I was taking the aspirin. She walked over and gave me big hug.

"You did very well last night. You kept your mind on what needed to be done. I know what you did will be very hard for you to work through. It had to be done. For yours and all of our safety! I'm very proud of you Sarah." She said as she kissed the top of my head.

"Thank you Gezabelle." I replied with a low tone. I knew I had to do it, but I was not liking myself for doing it. This was going to take me time to work through.

"Don't worry Sarah, we are working on it. I need to go order us some breakfast. I think we need a nice big breakfast again today." She smiled at me as she went back to her room.

I spent an extra long time in the shower letting the hot water wash over me. I tried to clear my head and forget last night. I started putting my mental wall up and put my fake smile on. After I had my turn in the bathroom, we all met back in Gezabelle's room for our last big breakfast.

"Good morning everyone" called Gezabelle as we all walked into her room. "Let's have a nice long relaxing breakfast this morning."

"I'm starved!" said Tony.

"Aren't you always starving?" I teased him.

Gezabelle nodded her approval at me for being a good soldier. Mel just laughed and joined in on razzing Tony.

I was glad we kept ourselves busy on our last day with snorkeling and horseback riding. I needed to stay busy today. I didn't want time to think. I needed time to lock last night's memory far away. I didn't ever want to remember it.

I looked at Mel laughing and joking around with Tony and felt a little sad thinking of her future. She is so innocent right now and in a few short months her world will turn upside down. How would Mel handle something like last night? In our society, sometimes bad things must be done. Jess would be able to handle it. She is like me, but I don't know what bad things Mel has ever had to overcome. At least she won't be alone. Maybe she is a lot stronger than I give her credit for. Gezabelle is a very strong woman and Mel is very much like her mom.

As we watched the sunset from our balcony on our last night we were all pretty quiet. "I don't want to go back so soon" Mel said sadly.

Gezabelle wrapped her arms around her daughter and gave her big hug and kiss. "I know it's hard to leave but we can't stay in fantasy land forever."

"I want to thank you guys. Thank you for more than I can say! I have had a wonderful time and you've made me feel part of your family." I said as sincerely as I could.

Tony wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "You'll always be part of our family Sarah. It's been a pleasure meeting you. I'm sure we will see each other again soon."

"Ah, mushy moment!" Mel said as she came over and hugged me. I laughed at her and returned her big hug.

"Sarah, I will always be here for you. I am glad you came with us this week." Gezabelle told me gently in her wonderful maternal voice. I preferred that voice to her scary tone she took, when she was being an Elder.

"You guys have the best time together. Can I unofficially join your family?" I joked with them.

"Of course!" Mel said.

"Ok, enough mushiness, I need to eat!" called Tony. We all laughed and headed off to dinner.