Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Kim had just delivered a death sentence to Sara, saying that if her second gift ever manifested, it would kill her

Sara sat stunned, her brain reeling, as she tried to digest the awful news. She couldn't think straight, and her body trembled in reaction.

"Why will it kill me?" She finally whispered, as if said quietly, it wouldn't seem so bad.

Kim debated telling her, knowing that if she got an inkling of her power, she might worry at it till it came clear, like worrying at a loose tooth, even though you know you shouldn't.

"From what I can tell, it is your primary power, not the secondary one. I think subconsciously, you know that the gift is potentially lethal and that it's suppressing it, to keep you from using it."

"So what use is it then? And how can you know so much about it?" asked Sara bitterly, feeling that on the cusp of her marriage, she'd been given a potential death sentence as a wedding gift. Kim's answer didn't make her feel much better either.

"Your subconscious is fully aware of the gift's potential. As to what use it might be, well, there might come a time when you have to make a choice, whether to use it and risk death, or let all the people of Earth die," Kim said soberly.

Sara sat and tried to take in what Kim had said. 'What kind of gift did she have that could do what Kim had implied?' She thought. Kim, almost reading the thoughts going on in Sara's head, gave her a partial answer.

"Your gift could be the most powerful one that I've known, but you aren't ready for it, so don't go looking for it," she warned.

"I could burn out like those stories I've heard?"

"Worse than that I'm afraid, that would only kill you, yes, but if you survive-" Kim's words trailed off, imagining living with the consequences, if Sara survived the ordeal. Kim was certain that Sara would have to make that choice in the future, as it was tied in with the Nemesis and she feared losing her friend in such a way.

"Don't tell me, I don't want to know," urged Sara, seeing the look in Kim's eyes.

"It might not happen," Kim lied, knowing in her heart, that it was probably inevitable.

The gifts seemed to be following a pattern, almost as if manifesting in a way that was most advantageous in the fight against the Nemesis. Was this race capable of manipulating the odds in their favour in the upcoming struggle for survival? Or was there some godlike force that was guiding them along the right path? Kim had seen some pretty amazing things on her travels, things that defied explanations or scientific analysis. Maybe God really did exist. She hoped so, for this raced needed every advantage on their side if they were going to survive.

"Am I likely to hurt anyone if it manifests?" Sara asked finally. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Kevin or Maggie or indeed any of the others for that matter, if she suddenly exploded or unwittingly created a black hole in the living room.

"No, at this point in time, it's only lethal to you." Kim assured her.

"Don't tell the others okay? I don't want them worrying about me," Sara urged, determined to deal with her "gift," in her own way. "I'm not likely to find out while I'm in a nexus, am I? Or Kevin for that matter."

"Unlikely, the conscious mind has been blocked, and that won't change, even in a nexus. You'll know when the time comes, if it ever does, and then you will have to decide." Kim answered cryptically.

Sara stood up and shrugged off her fears, knowing that giving in to them would end up with her going in to an ever-decreasing spiral of self-destruction. Putting a smile back on her face, she had the others come back in.

"I have as yet, an undetermined gift, but it's not ready to manifest itself." Sara answered simply, to the rush of questions from the others.

Kevin, more attuned to Sara than the others, sensed that she was holding something back. Not wanting to call her on it then and there, he made a mental note to ask her later.

Sara was extra attentive to Maggie when she finally announced her bedtime. She left the others speculating on what her gift might be, as she read Maggie a story, determined to carry on as if nothing was wrong. Maggie's as yet unnamed kitten wandered into the room and jumped up on Maggie's bed, giving her a goodnight lick, before settling down on the bedspread. Maggie giggled and gave the kitten a pat, before settling down. Kissing Maggie goodnight, she turned to see Kevin leaning against the doorway. As she made to pass, a quiet "wait," held her, while Kevin went and kissed Maggie goodnight.

"Okay, what's the real story?" Kevin asked, having pulled her into the main bedroom, with his arm around her.

Sara debated lying to Kevin, but knew he'd see right through it in an instant.

"It's serious isn't it?" Kevin asked, knowing from the delay in answering, that Sara was trying to avoid telling him.

"I didn't want you worrying," Sara replied, half answering his question.

"I'm going to share my life with you. That means the good and the bad. Tell me and we'll share whatever it is together."

"I have a gift, but it will probably kill me when I use it, if I get to that point," Sara blurted out. She turned and buried her face in Kevin's shoulder, beginning to sob quietly.

Kevin held her close, feeling his emotions swirling in confusion. Shock and fear filled him, as Sara continued to weep.

The next morning, Kevin was up early, having had a troubled sleep after Sara's revelations. He surprised a rousing Sara with breakfast in bed, followed shortly after by dessert, which wasn't on any menu. Sara rose and went for a shower, after being sated at both ends.

She'd been tempted to bypass the built in Shelke birth control, and try and conceive a child, from the morning's sex romp. She thought she might not get the chance later if her gift came. The only reason she didn't, was the fact that she'd be giving in to fear of the consequences of the gift. If she was going to have any happiness before that happened, she had to live life as if she knew nothing about it. She was determined not to let the threat of her gift, spoil the time she had left.

Kevin, entering the shower with her, put all thoughts about the gift on hold, as he gently washed her body with gentle caresses.

By the time they had finished and got dressed to go downstairs, the others had started eating their own breakfasts. Looking round the room, Sara noticed a missing head.

"Where's Maggie? I thought she'd be up eating with you." She asked, turning to go look upstairs.

"Maggie's next door, having breakfast with Jenna and Cathleen," Julie called out, before Sara had taken a step.

"Ah, I guess this will be a regular event from now on," Sara smiled at the thought. "I guess we will be having an extra guest at tomorrow's breakfast table," she added bemusedly.

Later, when Jenna came over, she was on her own. At Sara's questioning look, she explained that Richard had taken the two children to the beach to play.

"I didn't want Cathleen jinxing my tests today," she sighed.

"Whatever do you mean?" asked Sara, sensing there was more to the story.

"There have been some strange things happening around her. It's almost like we have a poltergeist or something," replied Jenna with a troubled look.

Sara called Kim over and had Jenna repeat her concerns. Kim looked thoughtful for a while, before asking just what had happened and when.

"Well it started after dinner, when I told her I was going to give her a bath," started Jenna, as she settled down on the couch. "Cathleen seems to have something against baths for some reason; something I feel as odd, given that she wanted to be female. I hope she grows out of it soon." Jenna laughed, holding her fingers to her nose in a pinching action.

"Anyway, when I went to turn the taps on, they were stuck, as if frozen solid. Richard managed to get them turning with a spanner, saying they were screwed closed too tight. The funny thing is, I was the last to use it and there's no way I could get them that tight. Then the plug went missing, sometime between me getting Richard, and him fixing the taps." She paused, as something else crossed her mind. "Oh, that reminds me, do you have any spare soap? That's all disappeared as well.

"All of it? Every bar?" Asked Sara, incredulously.

At Jenna's affirmative nod, Sara knew that something was going on. Having stocked the place herself, that would be about twenty bars of soap disappearing.

"Do you think Cathleen hid them all?" asked Kim, trying for the easiest solution.

I don't see how, as she was downstairs still, when we discovered the soap was missing. I asked her anyway, but she said no, although she was pleased by the fact that she'd miss her bath. I don't believe she had anything to do with it, at least not directly," finished Jenna.

"Indirectly?" The voiced question hung in the air.

"Well, there was this morning," Jenna paused, looking introspective.

"What happened this morning?" Prompted Kim.

"I made sketti-um, I mean spaghetti on toast for the girls," Jenna began.

Sara grinned; knowing Maggie probably had some input into making Jenna rename spaghetti.

"Normally Cathleen's a tidy eater, but this morning she and Maggie were covered in sauce and bit's of ske-spaghetti. She said it wasn't her fault, saying it kept slipping off the fork."

"Maybe her second gift is manifesting," proposed Kim.

"What kind of gift? The art of staying dirty?" Jenna grumbled.

"Maybe a type of TK", suggested Sara, looking at Kim for agreement.

"No, I don't think so for two reasons," Kim said, looking serious. "The way the gifts have been manifesting, seem to be following a pattern of diversity, at least in this group. Cindy has a TK gift, so I'm betting this isn't that. It's possible that this new gift may be the primary one."

"So what's the second reason?" asked Jenna.

The gifts seemed to be directly linked to the threat from the Nemesis, as if providing various means to fight them with. It's almost mystical in its way, as though something were guiding mankind along the path." Kim sighed, regretting her omission of godlike interference.

There was silence, as both Sara and Jenna chewed on that thought for a while.

"So what do you think Cathleen's gift could be?" asked the ever practical Sara, having put her speculations as whether they were acting under free will or not in the too hard basket.

"There is one thing it could be, but we might need further tests to confirm it," Kim mused partly to herself."

"What?' demanded the two women impatiently.

"Chaos- Cathleen might have the power to manipulate it." Kim said finally.

"Oh boy!" Came the chorus from the two women who knew that children were already experts in creating chaos.

To be continued.

  

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