Chapter 15 Bad Moon Rising Leer, Seeing Again is Believing

Leer knew that Victor was used to being called Mr. Alonso by all but a select few. The fact that goon number two felt it acceptable to address him by his first name meant that he recognized something different in Victor and, judging by the trashing he just received at Victor's hands, it wasn't weakness. Leer was perfectly fine with the idea of people recognizing that Victor was different, it would be only natural for him to have changed on some level. In fact, he was planning on leveraging the event in order to instigate change that he knew was possible. Stepping into the body of someone else in the middle of what could basically be labelled a drug war might normally cause one to want to hide, to blend in, to go along with whatever might be happening without drawing too much attention to one's self. However, Leer had no intention of blending in. He was not afraid of changing things in Victor's life. He planned on it. The moment he remembered tomorrow, he knew what he had to do today. He absolutely believed in change because he had already seen it for himself. His challenge was to foster that change without destroying that which was meant to remain the same. Leer continued getting little memory flashes throughout the rest of the day, each one bringing him closer to the truth, that he had less than a month to live. He was getting very excited. He couldn't wait to tell Blue that they were going to die again but Tommy and Victor didn't exactly hang together. That meant that he had his work cut out for him. Leer had experienced a very similar situation on Earth in 2064 when he was the Prime Minister of Amanada. He knew he was going to be assassinated by a Tea Party activist for allowing the entire population of the Maldives to enter the country with full citizenship after their entire country essentially disappeared into the ocean., claiming that her rights as an Amanadan were being taken away by the immigrants. She killed him by rubbing poison on her baby's cheeks, then, after clawing her way through a crowd of his supporters, held her little bundle of joy out to him for the obligatory political pucker. What was truly comical about that situation is that Leer, knowing that he had to die, had somehow managed to forget where the poison was going to be. His only wish was that he had lived long enough to see the video of himself spattering kisses all over the poor unsuspecting little assassin.

Chapter 14 Continued 5 Anna Marie Returns cont

Anna Marie reached out for Blue's hand, she turned it over within her own and gently pulled his fingers open so his palm was open to the sky. He half expected a flower to appear, but there was nothing, just an empty palm. She gently brushed the open palm with the backs of her fingertips in a sweeping motion and guided her hand to the sky, as she did she echoed the motion with her other hand so she was fully extended as if showing Blue all there was above him. He followed the motion upward and his thoughts followed his eyes. Anna Marie was telling him that his hands had the power to open up and free the energy, not hers. She leaned in close to him and smiled, letting him know that it was absolutely fine with her. As she did, she stretched across him to look at the other painting. Blue reached for it and quickly slid it toward the end of the table attempting to hide it but she caught his arm. This made two feelings well up within him instantly, shame and admiration. He was ashamed because the dancer he had painted, which he had convinced himself was Anna Marie probably wasn't and he was struck with admiration for her because she had stopped him from hiding the painting, not by slamming her hand down on the paper it was painted on, as so many unaware individuals might, but by stopping his arm, allowing him to control the paper so it did not get damaged in any way. The odd thing about Blue was that he loved mixing up all sorts of media that weren't necessarily compatible but he loathed when someone dented his drawing or watercolor paper by mishandling it. Overwhelmed by the feeling of assurance this conveyed to him, he presented Anna Marie with "Cosmic Dancer".

She absolutely beamed. Immediately she sprang into the air as if she had been launched like and arrow from the string of a bow. She landed on the other side of the table, balancing perfectly on the very tips of her toes, as slowly, gracefully she bent the single supporting leg, her trailing leg, fully extended at first, sliding smoothly along as she drew it forward etching an unbelievably straight and even line in the sandy dirt using the very tip of the longest toe of her other foot. Her arms were both slightly raised above her head, her hands reaching, backward at first, then slowly, steadily forward as she stepped into the lunge. She was the Cosmic Dancer!

Chapter12 Shadowlanding Tommy and Mojahdii

One by one the men and women who had gathered within the hut of Mojahdii began filing out into the evening air. It was a warm evening with the slightest breeze, just cool enough to make it the perfect night to soothe the disappointment they were all feeling. Even though Mojahdii acted as if they hadn't a care in the world that the crystal had mysteriously vanished, the people were inconsolable. They had been trying to accomplish the very thing that Tommy had accomplished though they looked for the crystal in very different ways. The people of the Shadowlands were many, so these few who had assembled in the hut of Mojahdii were a privileged group, chosen by Mojahdii himself to witness the very event which was now causing them such anguish.

"They will survive," Mojahdii intimated to Tommy as the last of the group left the hut."They will soon come to understand that by helping you with their thoughts, intentions and meditation, they will be a part of what must be, facilitators of the new way, conductors for the great passage." Mojahdii smiled as Blue sat silently listening, acutely interested yet patient. "I realize that you were not looking for Shedavah, Blue, but now that you have it, you must learn to use it." Mojahdii paused, looking deeper into Blue, his eyes telling Blue that it would be proper to ask his next question while letting him know that he did not have to. Blue remained silent. "You are truly the right man for the job, Blue. It was good of you to come so far, you must have great faith in your friend John Tanner. Leer has done well to bring you this far, but even he cannot give you what you need to move forward, but I imagine he has already told you as much." Blue heaved a sigh of disbelief and relief with the same breath, Mojahdii would clearly be able to tell him whether he was a Quanji or not."No, I cannot, Blue," Mojahdii said as he placed a hand on Blue's shoulder,"I am not permitted. Only you can discover whether or not you are Quanji. What I can do is help you to discover the answer, and yes, I will also explain what I mean when I say that you have Shedavah. There is someone coming who will help you first. You may have noticed that she left the hut when I revealed that you were in posession of the crystal. Do not misinterpret her silence for unhappiness, nor her humility for ignorance. She did not need to see the crystal to know that you had Shedavah just as she has no need for speech to teach what you must learn."

At this very moment she entered the hut. She was more beautiful than Blue was able to appreciate at first glance. She entered with a slight bow and held a small bundle of freshly picked herbs, leaves, grasses and flowers in her outstretched hands, seemingly from nowhere, Mojahdii produced a uniquely carved wooden tray upon which she set the plants. Blue had only one thought in his mind as he looked at her but he could never tell you what it was, in fact, he was pretty sure that he was able to think of nothing. He did this for several minutes while she slowly fanned the plants out on the board, arranging them very carefully, then looked directly into his eyes.

As Blue became immobilized Mojahdii said softly, "Tommy this is Anna Marie, Anna Marie, this is Tommy." Anna Marie smiled at Tommy then took his hand in hers. In his palm she placed the single blossom of a flower. It was the most brilliant blue flower he had ever seen. Anna Marie gently curled his fingertips around the blossom and held his hand between both of hers as she bowed sweetly to him, then slowly opened his curled fingers and the flower was gone.