Amaia and the Lost City

I find comfort when I dream because in my dreams I feel like who I should be. When I’m awake, I can close my eyes and sometimes touch my dreams; feeling the hot, humid air caressing my bronze skin. In my dreams, I’m always in a jungle and there are scenes where I’m dressed in glittering flowing gold and others where I hold a dagger covered in blood. There are even times when a man that comes to me in my dreams. In every dream, I’m a woman with long, flowing black hair and I always wake disheartened that I’m no longer dreaming.

I woke this day like all the rest of my life. I shifted in my small single bed and stared at my hands hoping against hope that they would be the hands of the woman from my dreams. Sadly, I’m still me. The clamor of the household this morning is both comforting and frightening. This is a special day for me, at least that’s what my foster parents kept telling me. Today is my twenty-first birthday; the day I leave home and live on my own; the day the money stops coming to my foster parents for hosting me.

There will be no cake waiting for me downstairs; no ice cream or banners. My two duffle bags are packed with everything I own, or rather, everything I convinced my foster parents is of no value to them. Looking up from my bed as I pull up my socks I glance out the bedroom window. Humidity from the nearby bathroom had fogged the window. For a moment, I pictured the steamy morning jungles of my dreams and closed my eyes in wistful bliss.

My foster brothers and sisters are all much younger than me. I came into this strange family when I was ten and at that time my foster siblings were all much older than me. As they moved on one by one my foster parents found younger orphans to bring into the home. The age gaps on both sides of me was significant and thus I had been raised with little interaction with my foster family members.

Michael, a ten-year-old boy, ran into the room and hugged me tightly. Maybe I will miss this place. “I’m so happy you’re leaving today, James. I get your bed.” Then again, maybe I won’t miss it at all. That was it. No, I’m sad to see you go, or I love you.

Grabbing my duffle bags, I head downstairs to the kitchen to see if I can find anything for breakfast. My foster father will already be off golfing before he spends the rest of the day at the bar and my foster mother is in her usual place; an overstuffed recliner in front of the television. My ten and eleven-year-old foster sisters made breakfast and were organizing the lunches for the foster children. There was nothing prepared for me so I headed for the front door.

Walking into the living room I had to raise my voice over the television. “I guess I’ll be going now.”

“Can’t you see I’m busy here? Make sure you sign those papers on the desk over there before you leave.”

Sighing, I stare at the overweight woman that had somewhat provided for me for the past eleven years. Her ratty terry robe and dirty fuzzy slippers were a solemn reminder of the lack of heartfelt care I had here. Glancing down at the documents I sighed again. The first was an official acknowledgement to the State of Idaho that I had come of age. The second was a waiver of liability against the foster family to protect them if I decided to sue them for anything after I left.

Signing my name and date on both forms I took one look back before exiting the house for the last time. The cool fall morning air is refreshing as I tie my duffle bags to the back of my 1996 Suzuki DR650. It’s my only transportation to and from work and it was cheap when I bought it. I had to save almost all my money to prepare for this day.

Pulling up to my work I parked in the back of the large cement building. Bob Owens, the owner of The Idaho Range, a popular indoor and outdoor gun range on Boise’s south side, was kind enough to offer me a small studio apartment inside the range building and if I did extra work around the place he was happy to provide it to me at a minimal cost per month.

“Good morning, James!”

“Good morning, Mr. Owens. Thank you so much for letting me stay here.”

“Why don’t you get settled and then come join me downstairs.”

“Sure thing.”

Not wanting to delay my boss, I toss my bags on the bed and quickly head downstairs to the main sales area. To my surprise the entire staff yelled happy birthday as I came in. They had a cake and a banner and I was overwhelmed with emotion. No one has ever done this for me before. These are good people.

Bob Owens gave me a hug and spoke a few words. “Knowing today was such a big day for you, James, we all wanted to let you know how much we appreciate your work here. For three years you have worked with the team and you have been a phenomenal employee. That said, we have to treat you well because you’re the best shot of the bunch of us.” Everyone laughed and cheered and after having some cake we opened the place for the day.

***

The next day I was finishing up with a steady client I had been providing private shooting instruction for. She reminds me of what everyone’s grandmother should be like.

“Thank you, James. I wonder if I’ll ever get good at shooting these targets.”

“You will, Mrs. Mattson. You have a lot of raw talent bottled up inside you that’s just waiting to be unleashed. You’re probably from an extensive line of old-west outlaws.”

Mrs. Mattson laughed. “Thanks for the encouragement, James. It’s funny you mention my ancestry. Have you heard about those new DNA tests? I never heard much of my history from my mother and now that I’m suffering some strange ailments I thought I would give them a try in case it sheds some light on how I’m aging less gracefully than I should be. It turns out my family originated from Ireland. Potato farming isn’t as glamorous as wild west outlaws. I find the whole ancestry thing fascinating. Do you know much of your history?”

“None. I was orphaned at birth and never told anything about where I came from.”

“If you’re interested I’d be happy to pay for your test.”

“I couldn’t let you do that for me, Mrs. Mattson.”

“Oh hush. I’ve got more money than time left and it isn’t that expensive. You’ve been such a great teacher for me. You’ve always been encouraging. Consider it a tip for your services.”

“I do have interest in knowing where I came from. I’ll accept as long as it isn’t too expensive.”

“Why don’t you give me your address and email and I can gift one to you.”

“Thank you very much, Mrs. Mattson!”

***

That afternoon I received an email from Discover Your DNA for me to fill out all the particulars about myself. A week later I received a package in the mail with instructions and additional forms to fill out. I had to spit into a test tube and mail it all back to the company.

Two months passed and I had all but forgotten about the test when I received a call.

“Am I speaking with Mr. Pearson?”

“Yes.”

“Mr. Pearson, I’m Abigail Kately from Discover Your DNA. I would like to confirm I’m speaking with the right person. Can you provide me your birthdate?”

“September 2, 1996.”

“And the last four digits of your Social Security number?”

“Two, three, five, six.”

“Thank you, Mr. Pearson. I bet you’re wondering where your results are?”

“It’s crossed my mind. Did something happen to the sample?”

“No exactly. Discover Your DNA processes millions of DNA samples every year. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of information that we gather. Much of the information we provide to our customers is easily identifiable in their DNA. In other words, we can isolate far more genetic marker information than we report back to the public. This leads me to why your results are delayed. We found something in your DNA; something we’ve been looking for. We would like to invite you to come to Salt Lake City to allow us to do further analysis.”

“Am I sick?”

“Oh no. My apologies for letting you think that. Please forgive me for being a little elusive. There are two genetic markers we see in your DNA that are of interest to us. First, there appears to be a direct link to indigenous Amazonian tribes. Do you know where this might have come from in your family line?”

A chill went down my spine as I recalled my dream last night. “No. I was placed for adoption when I was born. I have no idea who my parents are.”

“No worries, Mr. Pearson. The second marker is one that we have found that generates rather unique dreams. May I ask if you have recurring dreams?”

“If you mean dreams that repeat, then no. But I do have similar dreams of people and locations that I’ve never met or been to all the time.”

“I’m glad you confirmed that, Mr. Pearson, as this is exactly what we would expect. We would cover the cost of a flight for you to come to our facility for two weeks. All your expenses would be fully covered and we could offer you an honorarium of two thousand dollars for helping us further our research.”

“What kind of research?”

“All will be explained when you arrive. If you have any concerns at all after you get here we’ll have you on the next flight home no questions asked. You can even keep the honorarium. I believe this will be as much interest to you as it is to us.”

“I have some vacation time saved up and I’m very intrigued. All right. I’ll go.”

“That’s great news. Confirm with your work you can take the time off and I’ll put you in touch with our travel advisor. Thank you so much for your time today, Mr. Pearson.”

Ending the call, I stared out the window at my old motorcycle and smiled. That was a little creepy but I’m anxious to find out what they’re interested in and the additional two thousand dollars will be a great help to me right now.

***

I was greeted by a man in a three-piece suit and hat at the Salt Lake City airport. He escorted me to a limousine and drove me to the Discover Your DNA headquarters and research facility. The building was a strange blend of old brick, stainless steel, and glass. It was both historic and modern at the same time.

As we pulled up to the front doors I was greeted by a young, thirty-something, pretty, blonde-haired woman. “Mr. Pearson? I’m Abigail Kately. I hope your flight went well?”

“Very. This is quite the place.”

“The founders of the company built the original structure over one hundred years ago. Ten years ago, we went through a major remodel adding the modern flair to the research wing. We have a fully functional laboratory, accommodations for our guests, and our own restaurant all on site.”

“DNA analysis hasn’t been around for a hundred years. Has it?”

“Very true, Mr. Pearson. DNA analysis was a natural growth area for the organization. The original company was founded to hunt for historical artifacts. An offshoot of this mission was identifying informational links to the artifacts through human history and ancestry. That led to DNA analysis.”

I followed Abigail into a large glassed-in atrium. The air was warm and humid and the tropical plants reminded me once again of my dreams. Abigail directed me into a conference room with several older gentlemen and a man in a white coat.

“Please take a seat, Mr. Pearson. If you don’t mind, we would like a sample of your blood. We wish to confirm the original DNA assessment.”

“That’s fine.”

The man in a white coat was quick and efficient as he took a small tube of blood from me.

“Now that’s taken care of, let me introduce you to Harvey Pullman and William Becker the Third.”

Both men were older and rather distinguished looking. They appeared to be well to do. “Nice to meet you both.”

Abigail took a seat as well as the man introduced as Harvey. William smiled as he spoke. I found his smile slightly disconcerting.

“Mr. Pearson, I must say that it’s been a long time since we’ve been as excited about someone’s DNA results until we saw yours. Miss Kately I’m sure has told you a little of our company’s history. This organization was founded on finding relics of historical significance. Our mission is to find these relics and ultimately secure them to protect them and their historical significance.”

“Excuse me for speaking out of turn, but what does finding a relic have to do with my DNA?”

“Your DNA may be the key to finding the Fountain of Youth.”

“My DNA? The Fountain of Youth?”

“We’re very good at what we do, Mr. Pearson. I wouldn’t be standing here today or wasting our money to give you a piece of fiction. There’s convincing evidence to suggest the Fountain of Youth does exist, but it’s not a spring or a fountain, rather it is a diamond that when waters pass over it, they become the fountain of youth.”

“A magical diamond? I guess I’ll take that honorarium now and head back home.”

“Please bear with me. In 1542, Francisco de Orellana made an expedition into the Amazon jungle. During a terrible storm, his team became separated and after a month of searching for his lost comrades Francisco finally decided to return to civilization. While waiting in one of the many river cities, one of his missing team came out of the jungle with stories of a lost city. The city had a prince and a beautiful woman that protected the city. The man had said they found gold and riches but it was the water that was the most alluring. It was said that the prince and this warrior woman were over three hundred years old and that they protected a sapphire-colored diamond that was the true source of magical waters of the Fountain of Youth.”

I sighed but kept listening merely because the jungle city sounded a lot like the one in my dreams.

“When the men tried to steal the diamond, they were thwarted by the city’s fighters led by the warrior woman. This man was the only one to survive. Over the years, many legends of a hidden city have come forth from the same general location Francisco brought his expedition.”

“All right. So, what does this have to do with me?”

“Genetic markers help us identify ancestry to particular regions of the world. You happen to have the markers of indigenous tribes from a very specific region of the Amazon.”

“Yes, so Abigail suggested. But I don’t have darker skin or black hair traditionally those tribes have.”

“Just because you don’t show the traits doesn’t mean you don’t have the markers. As people interbreed, characteristics tend to blend together and some of the dominant regional traits disappear. I’ve seen a Caucasian man and a very dark-skinned Indian woman have everything from blonde-haired, fair-skinned to dark-haired, dark-skinned children. Because of this, we focus on genetic markers that only select people from a region have; markers that are unique to the region. Somewhere in your ancestry you have Amazonian indigenous tribe DNA that’s been passed on to you.”

“I still don’t see what my having this DNA has anything to do with you looking for a relic.”

“What I’m about to tell you is highly confidential and all I ask is that you refrain from judging the content too harshly.”

I shrugged. “Sure.”

“We found a specific genetic marker in you that very few people have. It activates an area of the brain during sleep that other people never access. It’s an indicator that you have what we call memory-specific lucid dreams.”

“You’re saying I have a lot of sex in my dreams?”

He smiled at that. “Lucid dreams mean that you happen to dream in a way that your senses are all working and sometimes you can even control the dreams. In other words, lucid dreams are those that seem very real.”

“Admittedly I dream like that all the time. I didn’t think it was special.”

“May I ask what you dream about?”

I could feel the heat rising to my face. “The jungle mostly.”

“That’s excellent. Have you ever been to the jungle before?”

“Never.”

“Is there anything else that you can tell us about your dreams? Perhaps who you are in them?”

Who are these people that can ask such specific questions about my dreams? “What are you getting at?”

“People that have your specific genetic marker tend to have lucid dreams where they are other people.”

“All right. Yes. I dream I’m someone else.”

“Can you elaborate?”

“It’s embarrassing.”

“You dream you’re a woman then.”

“How? Never mind. Yes. I always dream that I’m a young woman with long black hair and bronzed skin in a jungle setting. Now that I confessed my deepest secret to a room of strangers are you going to tell me how this is of interest to your organization?”

“When you say always…?”

“Always. As in I’ve never had a dream where I’m not this woman in the jungle.”

“That’s very rare. Let me tell you how this might help us. Historical facts are often lost through time. Oftentimes we can’t fill in the gaps of knowledge, locations, and time and important historical artifacts are lost forever. What we’ve found is that people with the genetic markers you exhibit are somehow strongly connected to a past event or person. We’re not sure how it happens. Sometimes it’s ancestral, sometimes there is no apparent connection whatsoever. All we know is that what the person sees when they dream is something that really happened.”

“I’m still not putting this all together. You’re saying my dreams of this woman are fragments of her memories from the past?”

“Highly likely. We believe we can be of mutual benefit to each other. People that have these dreams struggle in everyday life. Dreams are used by the brain to sort out events in a person’s everyday life. When you dream about things that aren’t dealing with your personal life, a dichotomy exists. You become less trusting. You struggle holding onto relationships. You have a tough time focusing.”

“It’s like you just told me the very things I struggle with daily. You think you can get rid of these dreams and help me?”

“Yes.”

“And what do you get from this?”

“We get to record your dreams and build an historic reference of the people, time, and place where you’re dreaming.”

The light finally dawned on me. “You think my dreams are connected to the history of a remote Amazon tribe and seeing my dreams might help you find the sapphire-colored diamond.”

“Yes, but, I’ll be honest with you; we rarely find useful information from people’s dreams, but we have found our methodology greatly diminishes the detrimental effects those dreams have on the person having them. We’re willing to help you even though the likelihood we find anything useful for ourselves is extremely rare.”

“You can see my dreams?”

“Using visual cortex readers, we can record images as you dream. They aren’t crystal clear but we can gather a lot of imagery from it.”

“How will your process help me normalize my dreams?”

“Our methods vastly enhance your ability to become a part of your dreams. Over a span of three sessions, we increase your in-dream sensitivity each time. By the third session your dreams become so real to you that your brain must establish boundaries to differentiate between reality and dream life. At the right level of sensitivity this connection you have will be severed or greatly diminished as your brain will recognize this jungle woman isn’t part of your real life. We’ve had one hundred percent success. Soon you’ll be free of their debilitating effects.”

Do I want this? My dreams are so much a part of me but there’s no denying their negative impact on my life. I’ve never had a girlfriend because every time I get close my dream life effects my real life. “If you think it will work, then I’m game.”

“Great. Abigail, please get James settled and have him fill out the paperwork. We can start your first session tonight.”

Abigail stood and escorted me from the room. “You’re doing a wonderful thing for yourself, James.”

“These connections William spoke about. What are they?”

“Hmmm. We have theories but most people don’t believe them.”

“Try me.”

“The first theory is that because you have DNA markings from people in the region that there might be a form of genetic memory that has been passed from generation to generation.”

“Genetic memory?”

“Think of the birth of a zebra. That newly born zebra knows to stand quickly to avoid predators and to seek its mother’s milk. How does it know this? How do birds know what to eat and not to eat? It is thought that our DNA might hold within it memories.”

“That actually makes some sense. What are the other theories?”

“That the DNA anomaly is created due to a space-time continuum glitch. When you were formed in your mother’s womb, space and time warped connecting you to events of the past.”

“That sounds rather far-fetched.”

“Then you probably won’t like the last theory. Past lives.”

“You’re saying that I was this woman in the past and reincarnated into my present life?”

“I told you that you would think it is rather far-fetched.”

We continued walking down hallways until we came to a nicely appointed suite. “Here you go. Please get settled and make sure you shower thoroughly. We try to keep our dream chambers as pristine as possible. I’ll be back to take you to dinner in an hour.”

“Thank you.”

Abigail closed the door behind me and I looked around the room. It was finished in stainless steel and mahogany wood. The bathroom was large and comfortable with heated floors. I’ve never been in a place so luxurious before. Hunting for relics must be big business.

Do I really want this? What if my dreams are telling me something that I need to know? What would it be like to dream of something else?

Sighing I stripped out of my clothes and stepped into the shower.

***

The sound of a solid knock on the door jolted me into full awareness. I’d been thinking long and hard about losing this connection to the jungle woman. I opened the door to find Abigail standing there. “You work late, Abigail.”

“There are times I don’t go home for several weeks at a time. It’s all part of the job but what we do here is very important. I hope you’re hungry.”

“I am.”

We continued in silence to a small private dining room. Abigail sat across from me and a waiter began placing food in front of me. It was all my favorite foods.

“How do they know what foods I like?”

Abigail smiled. “It’s scary how much we can determine from your DNA. The scientists running your recording sessions have assessed your DNA and determined what foods you should eat before each session. Foods trigger specific places in your brain and your dinners have been specifically tailored to help you fall asleep easily and focus on various parts of your dream memories.”

“Fascinating. I’ll think twice about giving my DNA to anyone else.”

***

After dinner, I was told to shower once again and change into a very loose-fitting swimsuit and robe. Abigail led me down into the basement of the old building to a brick room devoid of any windows. In the middle of the room was a large steel tank with bunches of wires leaving the tank and going up through the floor to a room above. A man in a white lab coat had me step out of the robe and he placed what could only be described as a swim cap with thousands of fiber optic cables attached to it.

Abigail explained the procedure. “The cap is positioned with sensors to send the visual images of your dreams to our recording room upstairs. The tank is filled with neutrally buoyant body temperature water where you can float as if in a woman's womb. The complete darkness of the tank and lack of external sound stimuli, combined with an herbal concoction we will give you will make you feel like you’re suspended in space. This all makes people enter lucid dreaming states far more readily than ever before.”

“Herbal concoction?”

The man in the lab coat produced a long syringe and smiled. I blanched.

“Don’t worry, James. The herbal concoction is a mix of calea zacatechichi, mugwort, silene capsensis, choline, and galantamine. Each of these herbs alone is supposed to increase your dream vividness and lucidity. They’re all natural and perfectly harmless to you.”

Before I could say anything else the needle pierced my arm. “I guess I’m committed now.”

“Relax, James. People say they’ve never slept better than in the dream chamber. You’ll be fine.”

“All right. I’ll give it a shot.” I rubbed my arm where the man injected me. ”Literally.”

The man opened the tank door and directed me to step inside and lay on my back. Once floating comfortably Abigail leaned in and waved goodbye. “Good night, James.” With a creak and a groan, the steel door closed plunging me into complete darkness.

I didn’t know how long I was lying there before I began seeing flashes of color. There was a flicker of green and red and then nothing. I could hear rain falling on leaves. Suddenly my vision was filled with light and sound.

I’m running through a jungle trail and laughing as I run. Rain splatters off enormous broad green palm leaves and my bare feet squish red mud through my toes. Glancing back over my shoulder my long black hair blocks my view momentarily. Someone is chasing after me but I’m not afraid. My laugh is almost a giggle as I turn a corner hide myself from my pursuer. Running faster, I know I need to get to the waterfall; its sound getting louder with each step.

He’s getting closer, but I’m letting him. The jungle gives way to a large opening and the rain now splashes against my face as the canopy above me no longer blocks it. Skidding to a stop atop a rocky cliff I look down. Fifty feet below is a pool of emerald green water bordered by a large grassy bank.

Spinning around I could feel my smile broaden as I get my first good look at my pursuer. My breasts heave with the exhilaration of the run and I feel the warmth of expectation coursing through my body. He pauses as he stares at me. His golden loin cloth hiding little of his rain-slicked muscled body. Dark hair falls to his shoulders and his dark eyes speak of mischief and passion. Gold bracelets on his biceps drip raindrops down his copper-colored skin.

“I have you now, Amaia.”

It wasn’t English but I could hear it as if it was. I’ve never understood the words before in my dreams.

“You’re like the mighty jaguar. How could I ever escape you, Guarin?” There is a lilt to my voice. I can feel my smile as I speak.

He takes a careful step forward. “Even the mighty jaguar takes pause at the most beautiful and dangerous creature of the land.”

“Then you also know that I will kill anyone that touches me except my mate.”

He moves quickly and places his strong hands on my shoulders. His lips so close to mine I can feel the warmth of his breath.

“Then it’s a very good thing I’m your mate.” His hands slip behind my neck and release the clasp that holds my ornate and revealing dress. I can feel it slide effortlessly down my body to the ground.

Smiling, I raise my hand to his chest and stare deeply into his eyes. My body is on fire for him. Laughing, I push backwards and away and watch his shock and surprise as I fall off the cliff. Spinning in the air I plunge feet first into the cool pool of water below.

Just as I surface Guarin dives after me. His hands finding my waist as he pulls himself against me. My heart pounds in my chest as he carries me to the grass and lays me down gently. He is beautiful. He is mine…

***

With a loud screeching sound, the door to the tank opened. I’d been so deliriously lost in my dream that I had forgotten who and where I was. The dim lights of the room blinded me and I almost cried out from the loss of who I was; the transition from dream to reality being so jarring that my body was shaking. I want to go back!

“James? Let me help you out.” Abigail leaned in and held out her hand. I hesitated to take it. “It’s perfectly normal to feel disoriented.”

Reaching up I grabbed her hand and stepped out. “I was only dreaming for a few minutes.”

“You’ve been in the tank for twelve hours. I have towels and your clothes for you. There’s a change room nearby. We need to debrief you before you can go back to your room.”

Nodding slowly, I looked down at my arm. Gone was the hairless bronzed skin and the gold bracelets. I hated to admit it but my dreams felt more real to me than my real life.

***

William stood as he played the footage of my dreams. I wondered how much they captured as what took place after the leap into the waterfall was mind blowing and embarrassing. “The images are rather distorted but you can make out the specific plants of the region. Pause it right there! That appears to be a blue orchid! This is spectacular!”

I was still shivering a little. I wasn’t cold, just adjusting back into my reality. The dream was so vivid, so real… “What’s special about a blue orchid?”

“It has only been found in a very specific place in the Amazon. Right where the expedition lost contact with each other. Keep scrolling ahead.”

The images were rather ghostly but they were as if they came from my own eyes. William reached the spot where I was being spoken to and grew agitated. “What dialect is that? I want to know what’s being spoken.”

“I can tell you what’s being said.”

“You know this indigenous language?”

“I’ve never studied any other languages.”

“Then don’t waste my time.”

“I don’t understand how I know, but I can understand it.” William stared at me. “I can still hear the words in my head.”

“All right. I’ll humor you. What are they saying?”

“He is saying, I have you now, Amaia. Her reply is, you’re like the mighty jaguar. How could I ever escape you, Guarin?” William’s eyes went wide.

“Play that back! You’re right! He said, Amaia and she said Guarin. This changes everything. Tonight, we’ll double your dosage. We need more information; more details. Abigail, take James back to his room.”

William turned back towards the recording as Abigail pulled me out of the conference room. “That’s never happened before, James.”

“What hasn’t happened before?”

“You were Amaia.” She paused. “Amaia understands the language but you didn’t before. Now you do.”

“Perhaps it’s just an interpretation; something left over from the dream. What my brain thought was being said.”

“I don’t think so. I think the dream was so vivid it altered your brain.”

“Maybe I should go home. I can still feel the raindrops on my skin; my wet hair on my back. My dreams have always been vivid, but nothing like that. If we don’t stop now maybe I’ll be forever stuck between realities.”

“No, James. Don’t you see how revolutionary this is? You learned a language overnight!”

“Why didn’t William want to hear more?”

“Because he already heard enough.”

“I’m not following you.”

“When the expedition man returned from being lost he said he found a city with a prince and a woman. What we never told you was that the prince was named Guarin and the woman was named Amaia. You just confirmed history.”

“What happens next?”

“You go back into the dream tank tonight hoping that we can record additional details about people and landmarks.”

“William said he wanted to double the dosage. Is that safe?”

“It is a bit out of the ordinary to increase it that much, but it’s still safe.”

“I’ve never felt a dream so real before. I’m a little frightened about how much more real they can get.”

“Don’t worry, James. Everything will be fine.”

***

I hold out a spear before me and slowly pull back the thick foliage. Silently I move through the jungle deftly avoiding the black palm thorns and stinging ants as they march across the trail. I wear a golden dagger on my hip, carefully bound to not rattle as I close in on my prey. I’m part of the jungle; a creature adapted to its surroundings.

The slightest sound of a leaf cracking causes me to turn a little to my left and I continue ahead. A grunt makes me pause and bring my arm back with my muscles taught; my eyes focused and unblinking. Even as a large spider crawls over my bare foot I stay perfectly still. My breathing merges with the rhythms of the light breeze.

Before me the leaves part and a large-tusked boar exposes itself as it roots for grubs. My spear flies and skewers the boar, the iron tip slicing cleanly through the beast’s heart. With a loud squeal that shatters the jungle silence it falls on its side and breathes its last.

Stepping forward I squat down and place my hand against the heavily muscled neck. Giving thanks to the boar I pull my spear from its side and draw my dagger.

A low rumble from behind me freezes me in place. Gripping my dagger tightly I slowly turn my head and find myself staring into the golden eyes of a large male jaguar; its muscles taught and its gleaming white fangs barred. With a roar, it pounces as I dive to the side and roll to my feet. Razor sharp talons tear across my shoulder. Ignoring the pain, I tackle the side of the jaguar and stab it repeatedly with my dagger. The battle is vicious and violent. I am cut and bleeding from a dozen wounds but I stand in triumph over the jaguar that weighs close to twice what I weigh.

Blood streams freely down my left arm. I need help. Leaving the two corpses where they are I grab several large leaves as I move through the jungle. Placing one over my shoulder wound I weave through the dense vegetation. I can feel my sweat drip between my breasts as I head towards my city. Pausing to catch my breath I place my hand on a carved stone archway and look into the valley beyond.

***

Light and sound flooded the dream chamber and I screamed in pain. I was still in the jungle yet also here in this strange place. A woman’s head looked down on me and yelled. “I need medical assistance! Now!”

I was struggling to catch my breath; torn between staying in the dream and returning to my real life. Hands slip under my shoulders and pull me out into the light. My shoulder hurts so badly but I’m in shock; dazed.

People are running all around me. Glancing down at my left shoulder I can see four deep cuts freely bleeding. They’re supposed to be there but then again, not. My world begins to shift slowly and I start to recognize people. Abigail is looking me over. She looks frightened.

Someone is examining my shoulder. “The cuts are healing rapidly. I don’t understand it.”

Minutes later I’m raised carefully to my feet. My fingers slide over my shoulder where the cuts once were but now there is nothing except for the stains of my own blood on my arm and the floor. A robe is draped over my shoulders.

William bursts into the room. He’s smiling. “That was amazing! We might be able to do reverse topographical mapping to identify a specific location. What’s all this blood on the ground?”

Abigail pulled William aside and whispered to him. “James’s body manifested cuts on his shoulder. We gave him too much.”

William brushed Abigail aside. “James. That was very well done. I want you to know that what you experienced means we’re very close to setting you free of these debilitating dreams. I’m positive that with another adjustment in the dosage you’ll walk out of here tomorrow a different person.”

Shaking my head, I was still struggling to grasp reality. “I think I’m done. This went too far. I’d like to go home now.”

“You’re on the cusp of a breakthrough. I can tell you from experience if you don’t start dreaming your own dreams and not reliving someone else’s past events, you’ll die. I’m sorry to make this blunt, but there is direct scientifically-proven evidence linking the lack of personal dreams to physical ailments and ultimately death. We would be doing you a disservice to stop now. Take the day to consider the alternative. Maybe Abigail can take you on a tour of the city. Just promise me you won’t make any final decision before dinner.”

It could get worse. Is he speaking the truth? I trust Abigail more than William. “All right. I should probably change.”

Abigail looked at William before putting her hand on my shoulder to guide me out of the room.

When we were well away from William I pulled Abigail aside. “What’s going on? I have to assume this isn’t normal.”

“You’re right, James. It isn’t normal. But you need to know I’ve seen others go through this and in the end, they were much better. William is correct in that if your dreams don’t normalize it will ultimately be your destruction. Just look at yourself and how these past two dreams have impacted you. When you came out of the tank each time you were disoriented to a point that you struggled knowing what was real. How often have you felt like that on your own?”

“Every morning I look at my hands to see if they’re mine or the woman’s from my dreams.”

“I won’t lie to you in that William believes the next time you dream they might find enough information to locate the lost city. I just hope for your sake you continue so you can lead a normal life.”

“I won’t make a decision until after dinner but this scared the hell out of me. I wanted to go back. Even though Amaia was injured I never felt freer. You saw it, didn’t you?”

“I saw it all and there’s no doubt she was an amazing woman. That first dream… The prince was extremely handsome and the… Sorry. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how hot that was.”

“I know it’s strange but some part of me doesn’t want to give all that up. The feeling of who she is and…” Shaking my head I turned to head back to my room. “You don’t need to take me on a tour. I need time to think.”

Abigail grabbed my arm and held me fast. “I’m here if you need me. Call me even if you just want to talk.”

“I will.”

Back in my room I stripped down and showered up. There was no trace of the cuts that were there earlier. There was no pain which made me question if it happened at all. Glancing in the mirror I stared at the woman from my dreams. Her black hair cascaded down in waves. Her lips were full and red and her eyes… Her eyes were the deepest brown I’ve ever seen. I was afraid to blink but when I did the reflection only showed myself. Is that her? Is that the face of the woman I’ve been but never seen before?

Moving to the bed I laid myself back and stared at the ceiling. I’m dying. These dreams are killing me. I yearn for a life not my own. As painful as it will be to lose the dreams it’s for the best I go through with this. I can’t keep fighting this pseudo reality.

***

Once again, I stood in my robe and loose-fitting swim trunks as Abigail watched the preparations. No doubt she was a company woman that would look after her boss’ wishes even if she disagreed with them.

“How much are they giving me this time?”

Abigail bit her lower lip and let the guy in the white lab coat speak for a change. “Just enough.”

Looking at the syringe I was pretty sure it was twice what I was given last time. I felt the prick in my arm and even as I laid down in the dream chamber I could feel the concoction coursing through my body. Abigail poked her head in and somberly said good night.

The chamber door closed with a clang and everything became completely silent; the darkness perfect. I was floating in space, unable to feel the temperature difference between the air above and the water below.

Colors began swirling around me that formed into shapes. Everything is so clear. I was always a bystander in my dreams before but this time I was in control and yet I could also fully relax and let things happen.

I’m standing on a stone balcony looking out over the jungle. Above me the green canopy stretches out in elegant patterns of green. The balcony is designed to capture the sun yet remain hidden. Looking down my bronze skin glows in the light; my gold dress glittering.

“There you are, Amaia.” Turning I see sadness in Guarin’s eyes. “I don’t want you to go.”

His fingers lightly touch my cheek and I close my eyes. “One of the men from outside the jungle escaped. If we are to protect the city and the stone I must go after him.”

“One day we’ll no longer be hidden. What then, Amaia? We’re not murderers of men, we’re protectors of life.”

“Are you commanding me to stay, my prince?”

“I will never command you, Amaia.”

“Then I will stay by your side as that is where my heart will always force me to be.”

“I fear that one day you will go and never return.”

My heart feels like it would shatter at the thought of being separated from Guarin. In a strange way, I think I’m in control when I speak again. “I will always find a way back to you, Guarin. I promise to always return.”

The images begin to fade and I cry out. “No! I want to stay!” Darkness enfolds me and the only sound remaining is my own crying.

***

Light flooded the dream chamber and I cover my eyes. Abigail’s voice began as a hesitant whisper. “Oh my god. James? Oh my god! Get the medical team in here.”

I felt strangely at peace with all the commotion around me. A hand touched my face and I opened my eyes to see Abigail staring down at me.

“James?”

Before I could reply William stormed into the room. “What the hell is going on? The recordings all failed!”

Abigail turned quickly to face William. “Shut up, William! We have bigger problems right now.”

William pushed Abigail aside and placed his hands on the dream tank as he poked his head inside. “I’ll be damned.” Turning back to everyone in the room he began shouting orders. “Get him out of there!”

“What’s the matter? I feel…” My voice faltered as it sounded feminine. As I have every day of my life I pulled my hand in front of my eyes and stared at it. It was smaller and more refined; my skin darker. It was Amaia’s hand from my dreams. I think I smiled but I was yanked quickly out of the tank and wrapped in a robe. Long wet black hair fell in front of my eyes. I pulled at a few strands and stared at them in awe.

“Get him cleaned up and meet us in the conference room!”

William and the others left the room leaving Abigail with me. “James? It’s you, right?”

“Yes… yes it’s me.” My joy was unleashed inside me. “I’m her… me… this feels new but right. Where’s a mirror?”

“I’ll take you to your room.”

My bare wet feet made slight squishing sounds as I walked next to Abigail. I had so many question and yet I didn’t care. I’ve woken from my dreams to be what I felt I should always be.

At my room Abigail stepped inside and carefully looked me over. “I’ll need to get the medical team to check you out. I hate to leave you but I need to gather some things. Will you be all right? You’re so quiet.”

“I’ve never felt so good in my life. It’s as if my dreams were telling me this is who I was all along and now…” I turned towards the mirror. My wet dark hair framed my beautiful face. My brown eyes stared back at me. “I’ll be fine.”

“You’re sure? I think you might be in shock.”

“I’m perfect. Thank you.”

“I’ll be back in thirty minutes. I’m going to lock the door to your room from the outside. We can’t let you go until we know what happened to you and make sure you’re all right.”

I almost ignored Abigail as I stared at myself in the mirror. “I’ll be fine.”

Abigail turned and left the room and with a metallic click the door was locked.

Dropping the robe to the floor I looked down upon my breasts. I’d seen them so many times before in my dreams but now it was different. I can feel them. My hands moved to them and felt their weight and sensitivity. Leaning forward I could feel them pulling gently as I slipped out of the loose swim trunks. Now fully naked I looked at myself again in the mirror. My skin was beautiful and smooth, a shade darker than when I used to get tanned in the summer. My body was lean and fit and yet not too sharply defined. I could see the definition of my muscles as if I was an endurance athlete yet my full breasts and even skin tone made me look more like a bikini model than a jungle warrior woman.

That last thought gave me pause. I look like Amaia, but I’m still me, James. I have my own memories but I also have small fragments of hers.

Smiling into the mirror I felt like jumping up and down. This is me. This is who I’m supposed to be!

The only nagging thought that bothers me is my friends from work. How will I let them know what happened to me?

Turning before the mirror, I looked upon my back and legs. What if I’m still dreaming? No! This must be real! I need to believe this is real. This is the new me. If I’m going to live this life I need to keep moving forward. I need a shower. I need to communicate with work. I’ll need a new set of identification.

Turning on the shower I stepped under the hot water and closed my eyes so I could focus on the feel of the water as it hit my body. I can feel the water as it falls around my breasts and drips differently from between my legs. Grabbing the soap, I wash myself slowly and deliberately; feeling every inch of my new body; a body that was both foreign to me and familiar at the same time.

After washing my hair several times, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped towels around me.

A knock sounded and Abigail poked her head into the room. “James? May I come in?”

“Of course.”

“I had to scramble to find you some clothes. I hope these fit. It’s hard to gauge sometimes. I… I don’t even know what to say. I’m sorry, James. I’m sorry I was only able to find a dress. I’m sorry I didn’t push back against William’s insistence of doubling your dosage again. I’m sorry I even invited you to come here.”

“Don’t be sorry, Abigail. I’m not. I’ve been dreaming of being this person all my life and now it’s real. If you think about it, I’ve spent every night being who you see before you. One third of my life I’ve been this woman. Of course, it was only my dreams, but it felt real. I’m not upset about wearing a dress either as Amaia never wore pants. The only concerns I have are what happens now; what do I tell my boss; what about identification?”

“I promise you we’ll get these things worked out. We caused this and it’s up to us to make it right. I’ll give you a minute to change. I also added a brush for your hair. Your hair is so long and beautiful it would be terrible if it got all tangled.”

“Thank you, Abigail.”

Abigail stepped out into the hallway and I took the small pile of clothes to the bed. Starting with the plain white cotton panties I pulled them up my long smooth legs and checked the fit. They were surprisingly comfortable. Next was the bra. The C-cup size seemed just right but the strap around my chest was tight. Finally, I slipped the red dress over my head and pulled it all down in place before lifting my hair up and out from under the collar.

Moving to the mirror I stared at myself as I brushed out my hair. The dress made my lean and narrow waist look somehow smaller than it was. I’m beautiful.

With my hair brushed out I stepped into the hallway to find Abigail nervously pacing. “James, that looks very flattering on you. Were the sizes all right?”

“The strap on the bra is tight but everything else seems fine.”

“Turn for me.” I spun slowly in place. “We never saw what you really looked like from the dream recordings. If you really are a replica of Amaia and she was a warrior, then that would account for your lean look and your lat muscles are well developed. I’m envious. You have a beautiful body.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you feeling up to facing William and the team?”

“I’ll be all right. I’m a little self-conscious but I need to know what really happened and what we do next.”

We walked towards the conference room and Abigail stopped to look at me.

“Why are you stopping?”

“Walk a little further for me.” I walked halfway down the hall and back. “You walk so gracefully and quiet. How much of Amaia’s life do you remember? Do you think you could tackle a jaguar like she did?”

“Just small fragments. Tiny images of the city and jungle. I can’t imagine taking on a jaguar. I don’t have those skills. I can’t even imagine hunting.”

“It’s as if you’re James with a smattering of Amaia then.”

“I guess.”

“I wonder what your dreams will be like now.”

“I never want to go to sleep again.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I don’t want to wake up from this reality.”

Abigail smiled weakly and led me into the conference room.

William had been pacing as we entered then walked silently around me. “Remarkable! Am I speaking with Amaia or James?”

“I’m still James.”

“I would have thought we would need to sedate you. You’re remarkably calm.”

“I’ve lived Amaia’s life every night of my life. This feels comfortable to me. Like it was supposed to be.”

“What happened in the dream tank?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”

“I meant your dream. You did dream, didn’t you?”

“I was on stone balcony overlooking a hidden city when Guarin came to me. He asked me to stay. I told him I must go after the man that escaped to protect the city and the stone. He asked me to stay again but expressed fears that one day I would never return. I promised him I would always return. That’s when the tank opened.”

William scratched his chin as he thought. “If I were to be honest with you, James, the DNA marker indicated you might have had a past life you were dreaming about. We have encountered dozens that have had that marker and each time their experiences were much like yours. You were the first to manifest both mental and physical changes. I suspect this has to do with two things; the level of dosage we gave you and the promise Amaia made to return.”

“Why would the promise make any difference?”

“When you promise something that profound, your body physically adapts to the promise. If you break a promise you feel your stomach in knots and you have a bodily reaction. When you dreamed of the promise I theorize your body physically responded to make the promise a reality; the immersion in the tank and the concoction allowing your body to physically alter itself.”

“What happens now?”

“That depends a lot on you.”

“Why me?”

“How would you like to go to the Amazon?”

Abigail stepped up to my side before I could answer. “You can’t be serious, William. James has just gone through a traumatic change in his life. We need to make sure he’s healthy and situated. He has work and people that will need to know what happened to him. He has no clothes that will fit him.”

“I’m not saying we go tomorrow, Abigail. We can help James with all of those things… even more so if he chooses to help us.”

This piqued my interest. I want to go to the Amazon. I need to go. I feel called there and I would never be able to do this on my own. Not without a lot of money saved. “What do you mean by even more so?”

“Play audio clips one and two.”

With a few clicks of a button the room filled with someone speaking. It certainly wasn’t English and it was a very short clip. The was followed by a longer clip in a slightly different dialect.

“Can you tell us what was spoken, James?”

“The first clip was, this is our land. You need to leave! The second clip was, travel five days up the river and you will come to a place where the river splits into three. Take the river to the right.”

“Excellent! You seem to now understand some of the Amazon languages. We’re heading to the Amazon based upon the little information we could gather. With the expedition notes, the recorded dreams from you showing the blue orchid, and some terrain maps we managed to piece together, we believe the lost city is in the general vicinity of the Balsa Puerto District, northwest of Yurimaguas, Peru. These are some of the most remote and mountainous regions of the Amazon headwaters. What else do you know?”

“Fragments of landmarks, places, and people.”

“That’s good enough for me. We would still have to hire some guides but we could sure use your amazing new gifts. We could hire you as a consultant. Twenty thousand dollars to find the city and another twenty if we find the stone. We would also cover your food, travel, and additional clothing needs for the trip. Regardless of your choice, our company will help you get new identification and we’re willing to help you get situated with clothing. I’ll even allow Abigail to travel with you back to your home to help ease the work situation.”

“That’s generous of you. How long do you think the trip to the Amazon would take?”

“Three to four weeks.”

“Can I go home before we leave and get that all straightened out? I can’t imagine how hard it will be to make my co-workers and boss believe what happened to me.”

“We can provide video footage of you entering and leaving the tank to help. I would recommend you let us do a full medical check as well.”

“All right. I accept. I want to go with you to the Amazon. I’ve been dreaming of it all my life. I need to see it firsthand.”

“What name would you like on your identification?”

“Do I have to let you know right now?”

“If we’re going to get you identification you’ll need it sooner than later. We can’t even book a flight for you back home without it. Choose by dinner tonight. Abigail, please escort James to the medical team for a full examination and blood samples then take him shopping. I’ll have the legal team draft up the necessary documents and get the travel team considering the trip arrangements.”

Everyone left the room quickly leaving me and Abigail alone.

“You sure about all of this, James? By all rights you could sue the company for millions of dollars.”

“Maybe I’ll feel differently tomorrow, but today I feel like the company has blessed me. I wish to repay the gift I’ve received and if by helping them out I also get to see the region Amaia lived, then all the better. It will bring some closure to everything. Would you go as well?”

“They better include me. I’ve seen more historical breakthroughs in the past few days than I have my entire life. I wouldn’t want to miss what happens next for the world. Besides, they owe me if I’m helping you explain to your boss what happened to you. Come on. Let’s take you to the medical team.”

***

I had to change into a hospital-type of gown for all the testing. While I hated to be poked and prodded I also wanted to confirm everything was in working order. After taking blood, they took body measurements. I’m five feet eight, one hundred and twenty-nine pounds, and have nineteen percent body fat. That would be much taller than most indigenous Amazon tribe members, including the men. I was still three inches shorter than before. My bra size turns out to be 36C as opposed to the 32C Abigail found me, and I have breast, waist, and hip measurements of 36-24-35. I wasn’t thrilled to have a gynecologist come in to inspect my…

At the end of my time there I was pronounced more than healthy with the bonus that I wasn’t some male/female hybrid. According to the doctors I was completely female.

Abigail drove us to a shopping mall and asked a lot of questions along the way.

“Have you thought of a new name, James? I just don’t want to be calling you James in the middle of a store.”

“I’ve been giving it some thought. Amaia is a very unique name and yet it sounds elegant and modern. I was thinking Amaia Rachel Pearson.”

“That makes sense.”

“Why don’t we try it out when we’re at the mall?”

“That’s a clever idea. What are we looking for, Amaia? Pants? Dresses? Lingerie? Shoes?”

I smiled at being called a girl’s name. It feels good. “I don’t want to waste any money on things I might get for the Amazon trip. In my dreams, I never wore pants but I could see that sometimes they could be useful. I think dresses, skirts, blouses, a jacket or two, shoes, jeans, and maybe something…” I was too embarrassed to say lingerie.

“Sexy. The word is sexy. If I may, I would also suggest a nightgown, robe, swimsuit, makeup, not that you need it, some female hygiene items, and some exercise clothing. You might even want to get your ears pierced. That’s if you’re all in.”

“I’ll take your lead. I’m a little unsure about makeup and ear piercing though.”

“One of the few perks of being a woman is that everyone wants to sell you something. You can test makeup for free and if you don’t like it then don’t buy it. However, since we have the corporate credit card, I’d go all out. A lot of these things are downright expensive.”

“What’s first?”

“We need to get you out of that bra. I can see it pinching you. What colors do you prefer?”

“I never had much money to buy clothes, but there aren’t many colors for men. Black, brown, gray, blue, and khaki. I’m not sure what colors would look good on me.”

“With your skin color and dark hair and eyes you could wear anything. For fancy occasions, I’d recommend a white dress. Perhaps a casual red dress and every woman needs to own a black one too. It helps if your panties and bra are the same colors as what you’re wearing. Let’s start with white and confirm the correct sizes then we’ll see if we can max out the credit card.”

“How do I know I’m not still in the tank and dreaming?”

“That’s a good question, Amaia. How does this all feel to you?”

“My dreams always felt very real, but the last three times in the tank I felt like I was really there. This last time I think I could have even controlled the dream. Now I know I’m in full control.”

“You said you always dreamed of the jungle before and yet now we’re driving in a car in Salt Lake City. If you’re dreaming then this would be a complete divergence from what you’ve dreamed before.”

“I know it feels real. It’s so odd to be comfortable and yet notice things about my body I’ve never noticed before.”

“Of course, I can’t speak for what you’re going through, but if I put myself in your shoes, I would think the dreams reflected someone else’s life; a life and body that was completely theirs from the time they were born. In your dreams, you would not have even noticed the subtle movements of your body because she wouldn’t see them as unique. I still can’t believe you were James last night. Do you miss anything about being James?”

Looking down at my long, lean legs and my cleavage with my black hair spilling over my breasts I couldn’t think of anything I was missing. “Perhaps this is all just unique and fresh and I’ll wake up tomorrow thinking about all that I lost, but right now… as I look down on my new body… I’m thrilled. Haven’t you ever wanted to be someone else?”

“Not really. As a woman, I’ve always wanted bigger breasts and a thinner waist. Like most women I’ve struggled with my self-image but knowing I can’t change what I was given when I was born I’ve grown to like myself.”

We pulled up to the mall and I was suddenly a little scared. All these people… they will see right through me.

“What’s wrong, Amaia?”

“What if people find out I was a man?”

“You walk and talk like a woman and you definitely don’t look like a guy trying to dress like a woman. How would anyone even know? I’m still wondering how it’s even possible. Things like this don’t happen. So, if I can’t believe it having witnessed it with my own eyes, no one else will think twice. If anything, the other women will compare themselves to you.” Taking my arm in hers she dragged me towards the mall.

***

Shopping had been fun for the first time in my life and I greatly appreciated the fact I never had to spend my money. Women’s things are far more expensive than men’s. “You’re not worried we spent too much money, Abigail?”

“The company is getting off cheap with you.”

We had filled the car with purchases. I now had five dresses, skirts, blouses, jeans, shoes, jackets, and everything I would need to get settled. I might even have more clothes now than I ever owned before. I tried on some high heels only to find I was wobbling all over the place. It makes sense that Amaia never wore high heels and thus I never inherited her ability to walk in them. I bought one two-inch heel pair that I promised myself I would wear from time to time to get used to them.

It was now time for dinner and William met us at the table. “Well, James, have you decided upon a new name yet?”

“I’ve chosen Amaia Rachel Pearson. It seems to make good sense I keep Amaia’s name.”

“I’ll alert the team and get your identification in progress. Tomorrow morning at nine I want you to meet us in the exploration room. We need to cover some logistics for our trip. I’m very pleased you’re willing to join us.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

***

That night I took a bath and used the opportunity to remember the experience I had with Guarin at the waterfall. I realized my preferences had changed and I could only get excited when I thought of Guarin and his strong muscular body pressed up against mine. I was anxious all day about finding time alone to further explore my body. I was thrilled my genuine experience was even better than in my dreams.

Having put on a nightgown we bought today I slipped into the bed. I still don’t know how things will go with my boss and I still worry I will wake up back to being James.

***

I woke completely refreshed after having the strangest dreams of my life. I was in a mall and trying on a new dress when Guarin slipped his arms around my waist. I turned into his arms and felt his lips press against mine. It wasn’t much of a dream but for me it was utterly unique.

I stared at my new hand and smiled before getting out of bed and changing into a skirt and blouse. Every motion reminded me of my new body; how my breasts moved and my butt wiggled slightly. Abigail would be arriving soon to take me to breakfast and fill me in on the status of my identification. I feel trapped knowing I can’t drive a car or earn a paycheck. With my skin coloring I can easily get deported and for the first time I worry that I am putting all my eggs in one basket. I’m trusting an organization that may only care for my situation because of the promise of finding a lost artifact; one, if real, could change the world or at the very least make whoever has it immortal.

Abigail arrived and we ordered some breakfast. Foods taste differently now.

“How did you sleep, Amaia?”

“I slept very well. I even had a dream where I wasn’t in the jungle.”

“How did that make you feel?”

“Rested. I always used to wake up feeling on edge; like something wasn’t quite right. This morning I felt very refreshed.”

“That’s really great news. I had an email this morning telling me your identification should be ready this afternoon. We have a flight booked to your home tomorrow morning.”

“That’s fast. How did they manage to get me a social security number and passport? It’s all legitimate, right?”

“Yes. You won’t wake up tomorrow with someone else’s number. Because of what we do we have access to key people to make things happen quickly. We need to get your photo taken this morning before we meet William.”

Something isn’t right here but I must trust them to provide me identification. I’m having second thoughts that this organization is on the up and up. If the diamond has been bequeathed to the people in the lost city for a reason, then what happens if they’re still there? Wouldn’t the company be stealing it from them?

As I ruminated over my thoughts, Abigail took me to a room where I had my photo taken before leading me to see William in the exploration room. The room was very high-tech with monitors covering one entire wall. The monitors had maps, data, and project status displayed.

“Abigail, Amaia. I’m glad you could make it. We’re building our expedition plan as we speak. Amaia, I thought you might want to see this.” William guided one of the staff to mirror his computer screen onto a large seventy-inch monitor. What appeared was the final recorded scene where I was looking through the archway into the valley beyond.

“That location was in my dream.”

“Exactly. Now watch what we can do.” The scene was overlaid with topographical lines that were extracted and rotated. The image of the dream disappeared and a satellite view of the Amazon appeared beneath the topographical lines. “We know that the blue orchid has only been found in this region of the Amazon.” The satellite imagery rolled and shifted before zooming into one area in Peru with a red semi-transparent circle covering hundreds of square miles. William pointed to a place where a river split. “Francisco’s expedition took him here.” A yellow circle highlighted the location around his finger. “Estimating how quickly someone could travel from this location on foot, we have determined a search reference diameter of ten miles.” The map further zoomed in and now the topographical lines moved rapidly across the screen. “What we’re doing is trying to match the topography of your dream to the topography of the land in this area. It’s a tricky science, but we’ve already determined several locations that might work.” These were highlighted in green dots.

“This is where we’re going?”

“Yes.”

“May I ask a question?”

“Certainly.”

“The average height of a woman in Peru is four feet eleven inches. If I’m a replica of Amaia, why am I so tall?”

“Not all indigenous tribes are short. From what we saw in your dream, Guarin was taller than you by at least three inches. You described being on a stone balcony. Balconies are rather interesting architectural designs that suggests advanced building techniques. There is a direct correlation between advanced building designs and the average body heights. It is entirely possible that the people of the lost city are taller than normal people in the region. Add that Amaia was a warrior woman and protected the city and I suspect you’re the same height as Amaia.”

“How do we get there?”

“We fly from here to Mexico City and then on to Lima, Peru. From there we take a small plane to Yurimaguas where we board a boat to take us upriver into the region.”

“What if the people of the city still live there?”

“This is highly unlikely.”

“If they have the fountain of youth like you suggest maybe Guarin and the other people still exist.”

“The fountain of youth is a myth, but the stone; the blue diamond, is most likely real.”

“But the man from the expedition said that Guarin was three hundred years old.”

“It’s my theory that Guarin and Amaia existed. We’ve confirmed that from your dreams. That they were three hundred years old? Not a chance. That’s the challenge we deal with daily; separating fact from fiction. Stories get embellished over time.”

“Then why go?”

“The legendary diamond could be worth tens of millions of dollars.”

“This is about money then?”

“You can’t run a business of this size without thinking about money, Amaia. Abigail?”

“Yes, sir?”

“We should be ready to go within three days. Make sure you and Amaia are outfitted for trekking through the Amazon.”

“I can take her shopping this afternoon.”

With that William dismissed us and sent us on our way.

***

As promised my identification was ready on time and our flight to Boise was pleasantly uneventful. I was worried going through the airport security but no questions were asked. Walking through the airport I was constantly reminded of my new body as men turned to look at me wherever I went. In a way, I find this exhilarating and frightening at the same time.

Once again, my dreams last night had reflected pieces of what was happening in my normal life with the exception that Guarin was still in them. Not that I minded but I was getting concerned that if what William was saying was true, that Guarin and the people of the lost city are long dead and gone, that I might have my hopes dashed. Not that I hoped Guarin was still alive somehow, but that Guarin represented something that this body yearned for and is now lost forever.

I decided wearing jeans and a blouse would be a wise choice when going to see my boss. This is a gun range after all and it might be hard to explain how I went from being a young man to a young woman, let alone a young woman that was already fond of dresses. I packed many of my new clothes in the hope that I could leave them in my room above the range.

Stepping out of the airport I felt the cool fall air far more than ever before. Wrapping my jacket tighter around me I followed Abigail to the rental car.

“You’ve been quiet this morning, Abigail.”

“Sorry, Amaia. I think the events of the past few days has really got me thinking.”

“What are you thinking about?”

“Right now, I’m thinking about how we’ll convince your boss that you are James Pearson. I can’t say this was ever in my job description.”

“At least I don’t have parents you need to convince.”

“You’re right, it could be worse. Where are we heading?”

“I can drive if you want.”

“You sure you can drive with that big jacket wrapped around you? It’s not that cold.”

“Hopefully I’m not coming down with something.”

Abigail tossed me the keys and I drove us to the gun range. As we pulled up she looked a little dubiously at the place. “You live here?”

“I’ll give you that It isn’t quite at the level of sophistication that your office is, but it has its charms.”

“Charms?”

“I get to shoot as much as I like.”

“Come on, Amaia. Let’s get this over with.”

I led Abigail inside the shop and we headed up to the counter. “Hi, Frank. Is Mr. Owens around?”

“Do I know you? I certainly should remember you.”

That caught me off guard. “Uhm. Not really. We were hoping to speak with the owner in private.”

He looked me over carefully then turned to yell into the back. “Hey, Bob! Someone is here to see you.”

Bob Owens came out of his office and met Abigail and me in front of the counter. “I’m Bob Owens. You wanted to see me?”

Abigail took the lead. “Mr. Owens, we would like a few minutes of your time. It’s about your employee James Pearson.”

Mr. Owens looked concerned. “Did something happen to him? Please come in.”

I closed the door behind us and I looked hopeful over at Abigail.

“Mr. Owens, are you familiar with Discover Your DNA?”

“James mentioned something about that before he took his vacation. Listen, don’t beat around the bush. If something bad has happened to James I want to know about it. He’s a straight up kid and our best employee.”

“I’m Abigale Kately from Discover Your DNA. James Pearson purchased a DNA analysis kit from our company. When we analyzed the results, we found something unique and contacted James to come to our facility to perform further analysis. James had a genetic marker that triggers very specific dreams. Dreams that he was another person.”

“You said had. What’s happened to James?”

“James is fine, but our testing changed him. I’d like to show you some video.” Abigail pulled out a laptop and started playing some video clips. “The dreams James was having were very detrimental to his health. We’ve been researching these types of dreams and have a method to force the person’s mind to accept the reality of who they really are. This involves the use of deprivation tanks and herbal concoctions to enhance the reality of their dreams. Here you can see James entering the tank for the first time and here you can see him enter the second time. Pay close attention to James’ shoulder when he is pulled from the tank.”

“That’s blood! What the hell did you people do to him?”

“James is fine, Mr. Owens. The dreams became so real that an injury in the dream caused injury in his physical body. Here you’ll see James heading into the tank for the last time and here James is being pulled from the tank. He became the person in his dreams. His body physically altered completely.”

Mr. Owens looked at the screen frozen in place of the black-haired woman and then to me. I nodded slowly. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m James Pearson.”

“What kind of a sick joke is this?” Mr. Owens reached for his phone.

“Mr. Owens, it’s true. You know all about my past. How I was raised in a foster home and kicked out a few months ago on my twenty-first birthday. You know how I told you how much I appreciated the staff having a birthday cake for me and that you let me live here in the room above the range. You know that I hold the highest marksmanship scores at the range and how Mrs. Mattson refuses to let anyone else teach her. I know how much you can’t stand that I ride my motorcycle through the winter and that last week I discovered we were missing two boxes of .22 caliber rounds.”

“This can’t be possible. If you’re James then what’s the best shot Mrs. Mattson ever had?”

“She shot the ear off the target at twenty feet. She was aiming for the heart.”

“What’s the combination to the safe?”

“Fifteen, eighty-seven, twenty-three. My last deposit was three hundred and seventeen dollars and that was after you deducted one hundred and twenty-five dollars for two weeks rent. Frank’s birthday is tomorrow and I told you to make sure to give him the card I got him. The card has a cartoon puppy on it and it says Happy 5^th Birthday. We always joke that he acts more like five than twenty-five.”

“My god. James? Is it really you?”

“It’s me. I even have my old identification.”

“There’s no undoing what happened? How can you sit there so calm?”

***

Over the next hour I explained all about my dreams and William’s theories about how this happened. Per William’s request we left out anything about the fountain of youth which I was thankful for as it seemed like such a fantasy anyways.

“You still want to work here?”

“Of course! You’re all like family to me.”

“Can you still shoot like that?”

“That’s a good question. I don’t know.”

“Regardless if you can shoot or not, you’re always welcome here. What are you going to do now, James?”

“Amaia. I go by Amaia Person now. Discover Your DNA wishes to continue researching what has happened to me. It might take three or four weeks. Will it be all right for me to be gone that long?”

“Take as long as you need. What do I tell the staff?”

“People won’t believe this. Tell them James was offered an excellent job and you have someone new starting soon. We’re the only ones that need to know. It will make it easier on me as well.”

“All right.” He glanced over at Abigail. “Do you shoot?” Abigail’s face went white. “Let’s see how good a shot you are, Amaia.”

***

We didn’t stay long. Mr. Owens let me put my new clothes in the room above the range and after shooting for an hour he happily stated I was even better than before and it would be good to have a female instructor on board. Especially a pretty one. He thought the lessons for men would finally start outpacing those for women.

In the end, I hugged Mr. Owens and told him he was the father everyone wished they had. That brought tears to his eyes.

We flew back to Salt Lake City and I felt like a burden had been lifted from my shoulders. Knowing Mr. Owens knew who I really was took one major worry away. Upon arrival William told us to pack our things as the next morning we would fly out for Peru.

***

Our travel took over thirty hours and I was immensely grateful for my smaller five feet eight frame and less weight. I could fold my feet up underneath me on the airplane seats and catch some sleep with reasonable comfort. Something I could never do before as James.

Stepping off the final plane in Yurimagaus, Peru I was immediately assaulted by the steamy air. It was both hot and humid and I felt like I arrived home. William had planned everything in precise detail and soon we were driving to the river docks where we were met by a fairly substantial number of rather unsavory types.

Having changed into an Ex Officio short-sleeved hiking shirt and shorts I was showing more skin than normal and these men made some rather rude comments about Abigail and me. There were two indigenous men that were there as guides but the rest of the men were mercenaries carrying weapons and tactical gear.

“What’s with the military men?”

“You saw for yourself in your dreams, Amaia, that there are dangerous creatures in the jungle. We can’t be too careful. Some remote tribes might also cause us trouble. These men have been asked to protect us. Let me introduce you to Miguel Rodriguez. Miguel, this is Amaia Pearson and Abigail Kately. Amaia is acting as a consultant for us.”

Miguel gave me a lustful look. “You don’t look like a consultant.” One of the indigenous people spoke saying something no one else interpreted. Miguel turned towards the man with obvious disdain. “If you have something to say, speak English.”

Not wanting the small man to be in trouble I interpreted for him. “He said we should leave soon before the rain starts.” Don’t ask me how but I knew it would start raining any moment.

“What does he know?” Miguel turned away just as the first drops of rain began to fall. “Get everyone on board!”

Turning to the indigenous man I smiled and spoke to him in his own language. “I agree with you. He doesn’t seem much like a protector.”

The man smiled and the gaps in his teeth made him look older than her really was. “I’ve heard legends of you.”

“Of me? I’ve never been here before.”

“Legends of Amaia. These men are not good people but I see goodness and fierceness in your eyes. My people speak of the tall warrior woman that protects the lost city but she hasn’t been seen for many years. Perhaps you are just returning from a long absence.”

“I’m afraid to disappoint you, but I know nothing about being a warrior or the jungle.”

“And yet you know how to read the signs of pending rain.” He smiled and turned away.

The rain unleashed upon us and we were shuttled on board an older looking houseboat. It was large enough to hold us all easily and there were several staterooms offering privacy for Abigail, myself, and William. The rest of the men were told they had to sleep under the tattered green awning at the back of the boat.

The boat groaned and a plume of gray smoke rose from the engine bay as we pulled away from the dock. After getting settled into our rooms I stood at the front of the boat and looked wistfully into the misty jungle. Abigail came up behind me.

“It’s so hot and humid here.”

“It feels wonderful.”

“You’re not even sweating. How can you not be sweating? I’m soaked through.”

“Why do we need so many men with guns?”

“We don’t know the disposition of the remote tribes. Some are fierce hunters and they can move through the jungle like wraiths. We would be easy targets for them.”

“I’m rather skeptical that protection is the only answer.”

“What did that indigenous man say to you?”

“He said he has heard legends of Amaia. He thinks I’m her.”

“If that’s the case then you’ll have to protect me from the jaguars.”

I laughed. “At least we found out I can still shoot. Of course, I doubt William would give me a gun. The only thing I know about a knife is that the pointy end goes away from me.”

“They have dinner waiting for us at the back of the boat.”

“I’ll be right there.”

I took another moment to stare into the jungle. While my mind rebelled at the wildness of it, my heart pounded joyfully within my chest. I’m living a dream.

Heading to the back of the boat I had several offers to sit on the men’s laps for dinner. These men have short circuits between their dangly parts and their brains. Taking a plate, I helped myself to some fish and fruit and carried my plate to the far corner of the boat where the indigenous men sat.

Eurico was the gap-toothed man and Icnoyotl was the other. Icnoyotl took a fruit from his plate and placed it on mine. “There were not many of these. I saved one for you. Why don’t you sit with the others?”

“I don’t belong with them. Only Abigail is trustworthy.” Biting into the fruit my eyes opened wide. I tasted this before but never in this life. Reaching out my hand I touched Icnoyotl’s arm. “Thank you!”

***

That evening as I headed for my room Miguel came up behind me, clamped his hand over my mouth, and shoved me into my room. Being a small room, I was immediately pinned down on my bed with him on top of me. I fought and struggled as his other hand started yanking on my shorts. Biting down on his fingers I could taste his coppery blood as he yelled out in pain. I thrashed and knocked an electric light off the nightstand even as Miguel threw me up against the wall. The resounding crash brought William, Abigail, and the two native men to my room. Miguel was pulled off me and dragged from the room.

Slipping down the wall I spat out Miguel’s blood and hugged my knees to my chest. Abigail sat down next to me and pulled me into her arms where I wept. “Get me a towel!” Eurico guarded the door as Abigail wiped my mouth with a towel that was handed to her. “Are you all right, Amaia? Are you hurt?”

“I don’t deserve Amaia’s name. I was feeling so confident being here and now I know I’m not the Amaia from my dreams. She wouldn’t have let this happen to her. She wouldn’t be cowering in fear.”

“Let’s get you up. I can stay with you tonight. I don’t like the looks of these men and am fearful for myself.”

***

The next morning, I skipped breakfast and stayed at the front of the boat. William found me there sitting with my back against the railing. “I’m sorry about what happened last night.”

“What of Miguel? What’s to be done with him?”

“He’s needed on this journey.”

“He tries to rape me and you keep him on the expedition?”

“What would you have me do? We’re a day away from any civilization.”

“Let him swim back.”

“That’s absurd. He won’t bother you again.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because our two imbecile guides have taken it upon themselves to be your personal bodyguards. They slept in the hallway outside your door last night.”

“They’re not imbeciles! At least they have courage to stand up for what’s right.”

“I’ll remind you, Amaia, that you’re here at my whim and being paid handsomely. Miguel is my responsibility. You focus on yours.” William turned and left just as Abigail came up.

“Hey there. How are you holding up? You didn’t get any breakfast.”

“How can you work for that jerk?”

“Admittedly I’m not very fond of some of his decisions, but he gets things done.”

“He’s not doing anything about Miguel.”

“Miguel is sporting a black eye and was threatened to be tied to a tree for food for jaguars if he gets out of line again.”

“That’s hardly comforting knowing he’s still on this boat. He should be in jail.”

“I won’t disagree with you.” Abigail sighed and sat down next to me. “I see how you look at the jungle. It’s like the expectation in a child’s eyes the night before Christmas.”

“I was fooling myself to think because I dreamed of Amaia I would somehow be like her. The jungle calls to me and yet I’m frightened of it as well. Maybe I shouldn’t have come.”

“What are you dreaming about these past few nights?”

“I didn’t dream last night because I didn’t sleep knowing Miguel was still onboard this boat.”

“I’m sorry, Amaia. Are you still feeling good about being a woman?”

“No… Yes… It feels right. I don’t miss the old me, but I feel so vulnerable.”

“Show me your bicep?”

“What?”

“Flex your arm muscles for me.” I did as Abigail asked and she tapped my bicep. “Underneath that beautiful skin of yours you have the muscles of an athlete. You’re probably as strong as most of the men on this boat. The problem is you just don’t know it. Maybe you’re not the Amaia of the past, but it doesn’t mean you’re not capable of defending yourself. Think about that.”

Abigail left me as I continued to stare into the jungle and for the rest of the morning I was left alone. It wasn’t until the afternoon that Eurico brought a plate of food to me.

“You should eat, Amaia.”

“I’m not ready to face those men yet. You must be disappointed in me.”

“You’ve been asleep a long time and you’re not fully awake yet.”

I smiled weakly. “You really believe I’m the Amaia of your legends?”

“I know it because I see the jaguar in your eyes.”

“Thank you, Eurico. How much further can the boat go upriver?”

“Two more days. Then we have to go on foot.”

***

That evening I made my way to the back of the boat for dinner. It took every ounce of courage I could muster to show myself before those men. I wore long pants and rolled down my sleeves to cover myself up as much as possible. Miguel stared lustfully at me and I almost ran back to my room. Steeling myself I took a plate and helped myself to the food and ignored the rude comments and lighthearted laughter as I walked by.

“It is good to see you join us for dinner, Amaia.”

“Thank you, Icnoyotl.”

“You’re not like the others. The heat and humidity don’t bother you. You belong here.”

I shook my head. “I appreciate your confidence in me. I don’t know why I’m here anymore. I just hope William doesn’t find what he’s looking for.”

***

For the next two days, we travelled up the river taking several branches that led us further into more mountainous regions. William kept asking me if anything looked familiar but so far nothing has.

“The banks are getting closer to each other, Abigail. We’ll need to go by foot soon.”

“You smile as you say that.”

“Anything to get off this boat with these men.”

“It’s more than that.”

“I’ve been having more dreams. They’re a strange blend of being on this boat and Guarin.”

Abigail laughed. “Is that why you moan in your sleep?”

“I don’t moan in my sleep.”

“Uh huh.”

The boat slowed and turned into the north bank as William joined us up front. “We’ve gone as far as we can by boat. Grab your supplies.”

***

Shifting my Osprey backpack on my shoulders I adjusted the straps to make it more comfortable. Having breasts, I was quickly thankful for the outdoor store salesman suggesting I get a pack designed for women. My hiking boots felt heavy on my feet as I stepped into the jungle. Abigail and I were placed in the middle of the group with Eurico up front and Icnoyotl trailing the team. We were to follow a tributary for two days before we would be in the general vicinity of the lost city. Secretly I hope it stays lost.

I didn’t like having the men with guns in front and behind me but I had no choice in the matter. They muttered about the oppressive heat and the thick vegetation that tore at their clothing and scratched their skin. I, on the other hand, was thoroughly enjoying myself except for the stuffy boots.

“Careful, Abigail.” I gently guided her to the left a little to avoid a black palm tree covered in large thorns.

“Thank you. How do you do it? You’re not scratched at all. You weave through this jungle like you know every small twist and turn.”

“Maybe I got more from Amaia than I realized. This place is invigorating.”

Abigail turned to face me. Her blonde hair had come partly undone and strands fell in front of her eyes and covered up her muddied nose. “It’s going to take me a month of showers to get the mud and thorns out of my hair and you look like you stepped off the cover of an REI advertising brochure.”

“Hey you two. Get moving!” Turning around I saw that one of Miguel’s men was standing impatiently. He was staring at the little cleavage I left exposed.

My hand flew towards his face and grabbed a snake right before it struck for his face. I held the writhing snake in front of his eyes. “Eyelash viper. Very poisonous. You should keep your eyes on things more dangerous.”

His face went white as I tossed the snake further into the jungle.

As I turned around Abigail was staring at me. “Damn, girl. You’re fast.”

I whispered back to her. “I don’t know how I did that or how I even knew it was an eyelash viper.”

“Doesn’t matter at all. That was amazing!”

We continued to hike throughout the day and my sense of déjà vu continued to grow. I would know when we were to come up on a creek crossing or a particularly challenging spot. I kept this knowledge to myself and yet the further we travelled the stronger the pull I felt to continue.

It had been a long hike and I felt like I was just getting started when William called a halt to set up camp for the night. Since we were near a small rocky river I took a moment to sit on a rock and remove my hiking boots as the men set up camp. Eurico came and sat next to me.

“You glide through the jungle like a panther, Amaia.”

“How well do you know this area?”

“Not well. I am just leading us along the easiest route to the area William wants us to go.”

“I’d like to lead with you tomorrow.”

“It will be an honor to guide with you. You should get rid of those.”

I stared down at my boots as he stood and headed towards the camp. For the rest of the evening I walked around barefoot.

“I heard what you did for one of the men today.”

William stood near the fire with a mug of steaming tea.

“You mean giving him something to stare at?”

“The snake. He was really shaken up about it. Getting bit out here could be the end of someone’s life and here you are walking around camp with nothing on your feet.”

“I’ve asked Eurico to lead with him tomorrow.”

“There are too many dangers for you to be leading.”

“This place feels familiar. Several times I was aware of a dangerous drop before we came near.”

“Why are you here, Amaia?”

“This is what I’ve been dreaming of my entire life. That and you’re paying me.”

“That’s not a genuine answer and you know it.”

“The further we move into the jungle the more I feel compelled to go on. I’m driven to this place.”

“Maybe you think your prince is waiting for your return. This isn’t a fantasy romance novel.” His voice was cold with a hint of disgust.

“We both know that isn’t possible. There would have to be a real fountain of youth and if I was supposedly Amaia in a past life, why would she die if she had this fountain accessible to her? You’ve read my bio. You know I was orphaned at birth and raised in foster families. You might not feel it because you grew up in something that was a real family, but I’ve never belonged to anything. Somehow this whole transformation is driving me towards a deeper sense of who I am.”

“Things aren’t always as they seem to be. Get a good night’s sleep. You’ll need it.”

***

My boots were strapped to my backpack as Eurico and I led the team. We would both stop periodically to discuss the route and several times I was able to steer us away from trouble. By mid-morning the rain began to fall and red mud squished up between my toes as I stepped lightly through the jungle. We rounded a rock bluff and I pushed through into a small clearing coming face to face with a jaguar. She was gorgeous even as her teeth were barred and gleaming. Her roar stunned the jungle into an eerie silence. Slowly my hand moved back to stop anyone from coming by me. Her muscles were tense but she wasn’t going to attack.

Her head turned away as a shot rang out from behind me. The beautiful jaguar fell dead in its tracks. I stepped forward and stroked the soft coat and turned angrily back to the team. “She wasn’t a threat to us!”

Miguel smiled and pushed me aside to stand next to the jaguar for someone to take his picture. Abigail pulled me aside. “You’re crying. What’s going on with you?”

“It wasn’t going to attack. There was no reason to kill it.”

“Amaia, you stood bare-footed and unarmed ten feet away from a wild jaguar. Something is going on with you.”

“I just feel comfortable here.”

“It’s more than that.”

I was happy to move on from the jaguar and Abigail’s words had bothered me. The more time I spend in this jungle the more driven I am to find the place that Amaia once lived. It was about three o’clock when I paused and placed a hand on Eurico’s shoulder. I told him to wait as I moved ahead.

After several minutes of walking I pushed back the foliage to see a waterfall with a large grassy area next to it. I stepped softly and reverently through the grass and knelt placing my hands on the spot where Guarin had made love to Amaia. I was aware when Eurico led the team to this place even though I didn’t look up.

Abigail pulled me aside. “Is this…?”

I nodded. “The place from my dreams. It’s changed a lot, but I almost feel like I know where I am. A day of fast travel from here is where Amaia’s home was. I wish these men weren’t here as I would love to go skinny dipping right now.”

William called everyone together. “Since we’re in the right area we will make this our base camp. Tomorrow we’ll leave some of you here to guard the camp as the rest of us scout the area.”

My heart pounded at the thought that William and his men might find what they’re looking for. They can’t find Amaia’s city.

***

Darkness came quickly in the jungle and even though it was still early the camp was all but silent with everyone sleeping. Slipping out of my sleeping bag I donned my backpack and walked to the edge of the camp and stared up into the sky. A full moon cast its light down upon the jungle foliage.

“The jungle is a dangerous place at night. Someone that isn’t familiar with the jungle in the dark would be considered a fool to dare attempt it.”

“I didn’t know you were awake, Eurico.”

“William has us on a rotating shift to keep watch. You’re going to find your home.”

“Not my home, Eurico, but it calls to me as if it is. Maybe I’m as foolish as you suggest, but I don’t want William anywhere near it. If there are people still living there I want to warn them. If I survive, I’ll come back to the camp in about thirty-six hours, the morning of the next day from now.”

Eurico smiled. “Icnoyotl and I will delay William and his team. We will lead them in circles tomorrow.”

Reaching out I touched Eurico’s shoulder and thanked him. Turning back to the jungle I looked one more time at the moon and stepped into the dense foliage.

As I moved further and further away from camp I became much more fearful. What am I doing? Although the route I was taking seemed to be clear in my own mind, I was constantly questioning my own sanity. I shouldn’t know any of this and yet I pushed onward.

I had hiked for nearly seven hours and the moon had all but disappeared when I realized my folly. The sounds of the jungle closed in on me and I sat down on a rock. The last rays of light from the moon lit up the small clearing where I was and my heart sank. My bravado was gone. I should have never left the camp.

Looking back the way I came I almost screamed when I turned my head back to see someone standing a mere twenty feet from me. I stood slowly and stretched my hands out to show I wasn’t armed. The man’s face was in the shadows but as he stepped forward I gasped.

“You finally returned to me.”

What do you say to a prince that might be eight hundred years old? “I’m not who you think I am.”

“You’re not who you believe you are, Amaia.”

He took another step towards me and his body left the shadows I could see him in the remaining moonlight. He was wearing a golden loincloth and carried a dagger. His bronze arms had gold bracelets on them and his black hair fell to his broad muscled shoulders. His eyes stared straight into mine. I knew him from my dreams.

“You can’t be Guarin.”

We had been speaking in his native language but suddenly he switched to English.

“I’ve been watching you since you left the boat. For seventy-five years I’ve awaited your return.”

“How do you know English? What do you mean you’ve been waiting for me for seventy-five years?”

“All in good time, Amaia. You need to wake up. Come with me.” He reached out his hand and in the moonlight I could see the chiseled muscles of his arms; the same arms that had embraced me in my dreams. Hesitantly I placed my shaking hand in his.

For another hour we moved steadily through the jungle and as we neared the top of a ridge the sun’s rays lit up a hand-carved stone archway and a valley beyond. My hand touched the stones in the same place Amaia had touched them in my dream after she fought the jaguar.

Guarin’s hand brushed my shoulder as he stood next to me. His silence finally broken. “Welcome home, Amaia.”

“It’s so beautiful.”

Without encouragement, I stepped through the archway; my feet walking a hidden path that only they seemed to know. The leafy, muddy trail slowly gave way to stones and then to clean polished limestone. The city unfolded before me; a work of magnificent architecture that hid itself by the gentle curves of the terrain and jungle canopy overhead.

There were dozens of people moving from place to place. Many stopped to watch me go by and quite a few spoke my name.

Guarin led me into a large open-walled room. I recognized a few faces but I couldn’t remember their names. I gravitated to a vase and ran my fingers over the smooth glassy finish as rain once again began to fall outside.

“Guarin, I came into the jungle last night to warn you. The people I’m with, except for the two guides and a woman, are bad people. They’re trying to find this place and when they do, I don’t believe it will go well for the people here.”

“They’re here for the stone and our people are expendable. Why are you here, Amaia?”

“I’ve dreamed of this place. I’ve dreamed of you. I had to come and see it.”

Guarin silently led me through what appeared to be a palace. We moved upwards through the pristine building until we came to a beautiful room with a stone balcony.

“I’ve seen this room before. What is this?”

“It’s our bedroom, Amaia.”

I walked over to a stone balcony and turned to look back at Guarin. “I’m not Amaia. I’m not your Amaia.”

“You promised you would always return to me. You made that promise right here.”

I stared into Guarin’s eyes. “You want me to be something I’m not. I’m sorry.”

“I need you.”

My heart was pounding and my head swimming. “Do you know what DNA is?”

“Yes.”

“I was born and raised as an orphan and to understand a little about who I was I gave a sample of my DNA to William’s company. They believed I had a problem and wanted to help me. All my life I dreamt of you and this place and they told me these were memories of another person’s life. They injected me with something that made my dreams real and when I dreamed I dreamed of being here with you.”

“You promised me you would always return and here you are.”

Ignoring him I continued. “When I woke I had become Amaia, the woman from my dreams. I’m similar but not the same.”

“You need to wake up.”

“I’ve been told that before, but I am awake. At least I pray I’m no longer dreaming.”

“Walk with me.”

I followed Guarin from the room as he led me deeper into the palace. “Are you really eight hundred years old? What happened to your Amaia?”

“Give or take a few years. In nineteen forty-two, your history will record that being the time when World War II began in earnest. The German military sent expeditions to remote places of the world to find important artifacts. They came here with weapons we had never encountered before. Amaia sacrificed herself for the people of the city and to protect me and the stone. There were sixty armed men and she alone led them away from the city and one by one she took them out but not without terrible cost. When I found her the last of the German military were dead but she was as well. She had suffered greatly having received nearly a dozen gunshot wounds over several days. Even with her wounds she persisted until the job of protecting us was done.”

There was deep sadness in Guarin’s eyes as he continued. “The city burned her body releasing her essence back into the world. It was then that I realized we mustn’t stay so isolated. It was my fault Amaia was killed. I had steadfastly refused to allow her to explore into civilization for fear of the harm it would bring to our city. After her death, I traveled the world and have made regular trips to educate myself and learn of the people that I knew would one day return.”

“I’m so sorry, Guarin.”

“I knew you would return one day. For over a week now I’ve been dreaming about you.”

“But I’m not Amaia. I wish I was. I wish I was the strong and courageous woman from my dreams.”

I hadn’t even noticed but we had walked into an inner courtyard. The rain had stopped and sunlight streamed down from above casting rays of light that illuminated a fountain. On top of the fountain was a fist-sized blue diamond.

“That’s the fountain…”

Guarin scooped up a cup of the water and held it up towards me. “Drink and awaken yourself.”

If he wanted to kill me he had ample chances to do so already. My hand shook slightly as I took the cup from his hands. I love Guarin. I know this already but I’m not who he thinks I am.

I placed the cool moist cup to my lips and drank deeply. The water was sweet, crisp, and refreshing. I closed my eyes to savor every drop.

All the dreams I ever had began to line up in order in my mind. I could feel the essence of the jungle around me and the slight shifts in air pressure around the room. Every memory Amaia ever had filled me. My heart quickened and I staggered back only to feel strong arms holding me upright.

When I opened my eyes I felt the strength, wisdom, knowledge, and skills only seven hundred years of living could bring. My heart all but shattered by the immensity of love I felt for my mate. Throwing my shaking arms around Guarin’s neck I kissed him like the world was about to end.

When we finally took a breath and separated a moment I realized I was truly the Amaia from my dreams. I could hardly speak and for all the confidence I felt within me I was as frail as a kitten. “Seventy-five years… You’ve probably found a new mate.”

“I can see you’ve fully returned to me. How could I ever take a new mate when you promised to come back?”

“After all this time, you still want me?”

“More than anything in the world. What of you? Do you still want me for your mate?”

“I’ve dreamed of you and you alone my entire life. There is no one else for me.”

“I’m not letting you ever leave me again, Amaia. You were right. We can’t protect ourselves without knowing what we’re up against.”

I was still in shock having everything within me released and sorting things out in my mind when I knew I was no longer alone. “I have a brother!”

“Cualli is here and is safe.”

Relief swept over me. I couldn’t keep my hands off Guarin and yet my return felt pressured with William and his men nearby. “William and his men will eventually find this place. The guides told me they would lead them in circles today. I assume you have scouts watching them?”

“I have several out right now. We have time.”

Guarin didn’t have to tell me what we have time for. Taking his hand, I led him back to our room and fell into his arms.

***

We satiated ourselves in each other and even though I had Amaia’s fully intact memories, nothing could have prepared me for the wondrous act of making love to a man as a woman. It felt fresh, glorious, and new.

Guarin kissed me and pulled me up from the bed. “I have something to show you.”

Beyond the bathing area was another room and inside that room were my clothes and weapons from years ago. There was a golden dress and an outfit I used to hunt and fight in. I quickly changed into my fighting outfit and strapped my knife to my hip and my bow on my back. Guarin changed and strapped his blade as well.

“You need to meet our people. They need to see you.”

As we moved down through the palace and into the main city I could remember everything now. Somehow the people knew we were coming and had gathered in the large open room. There were perhaps seventy in all; men, women, and children.

“It is good to have you return to us, sister.”

I looked upon my younger brother who was actually now older than me. They expected my return. Placing my hands on my beloved brother’s face I touched my forehead against his. “Cualli!”

“I’ve missed you all so much and I wish we had more time to feast together. The men in the jungle are evil and they’ll not spare anyone. I must go…”

Guarin touched my hand. “We go together to defend our people. We thank the gods that our protector, Amaia, Jaguar of the jungle, has come back to us.”

“I’m coming as well.” Cualli stepped forward and I could see the determination in his eyes.

“Have you fought men with guns before, Cualli?”

“No.”

“Stay well-hidden and keep moving. Let’s go.”

I ran in my bare feet with Guarin at my side and Cualli behind me. We reached the archway just as the sun set and made our plans. When we get to the waterfall clearing in the morning, I would enter the camp. Cualli would take a position on the north with his bow and Guarin would come up from the south. Each knew their role and their position. For hundreds of years we practiced and trained. We knew every inch of the jungle and we could communicate with each other in ways no one from the civilized world would ever understand.

We raced through the dimly-lit jungle, easily getting into position well before sunrise.

***

Guarin, Cualli, and I whistled back and forth letting us know each other’s positions. The camp was rousing as the sun rose over the clearing. I stepped boldly out of the jungle towards the camp. It was Abigail that spotted me first.

“Amaia!”

Heads quickly turned in my direction and Miguel marched up to block my entrance into the camp. He looked me over with a mixture of lust and hate.

“We wasted a day searching for you and it appears you’ve been out clothes shopping.”

My golden warrior outfit showed much more skin than I ever had before and Miguel couldn’t resist. As he reached for my breast I grabbed his wrist with my left hand and twisted violently. The palm of my right hand smashed into his nose breaking it with a resounding crack. My foot came up to solidly connect with his dangly parts. Miguel fell over completely incapacitated.

William had stayed back and looked amused as Abigail rushed to my side. “Who is this warrior woman before us?”

“I’m still Amaia, just fully awake now.”

“I take it you found the lost city?”

“And then some.”

Speaking loudly, I walked further into the camp. “I’m Amaia, protector of the lost city you seek. I don’t wish your deaths but know that I’ll do what I must to keep you from entering the city. You’re surrounded.” Picking up a piece of dry firewood I held it up and whistled. Seconds later an arrow flew and struck the wood I was holding up. “Leave now and never return.”

The men pointed their weapons in all directions but William casually called for them to lower their guns.

“You drive a hard bargain, Amaia. We tire of this fetid jungle anyways.” He waved his hand and four of his armed men came out of the jungle dragging Guarin between them.

“No! Let him go!”

William smiled. “If you want to see Guarin alive again you’ll bring me the stone. As I said, we’re tired of this jungle. Bring the stone to our offices in Salt Lake City by our Fall Festival Ball, two weeks from today. Wear something nice.”

Abigail turned on William. “Don’t do this, William! We’re not murderers and kidnappers.”

He smiled again. “You’re fired, Abigail. Sorry there’s no room on the boat for you.”

He slipped back into the protection of his men as they pulled back into the jungle leaving Abigail, Eurico, Icnoyotl, and myself. I seethed with anger but now wasn’t the time for rash moves. I whistled and Cualli slipped silently into the camp.

Icnoyotl looked at me and smiled. “The jaguar of the jungle has returned.”

“Cualli, stay here with them. I’m going after Guarin. Don’t leave until I return.”

Cualli hugged me. “Abigail. You’ll be safe here.”

Abigail looked at Cualli and smiled. “I’ll be fine. Go get him, lovergirl.”

I stayed on the far side of the river which slowed me down greatly. William and his team were moving downhill and moving fast. I whistled several times imitating local species of bird and only once had a reply from Guarin. He was all right but warned me not to come after him.

So many times, I had William and his men in my sights but I held off because Guarin was well guarded. When they got to the boat and cast off my heart broke and I fought back the tears. It would take me a day to return to the camp and another to get to the city. four more days in the jungle to get to the nearest city.

Crossing the river, I stood on the bank and watched the boat carrying Guarin drift out of sight. In anger, I turned and ran back through the jungle.

***

I didn’t arrive back at the base camp until morning. My anger and frustration at having lost Guarin fueled my energy. Cualli greeted me first with a hug. We had a lot of catching up to do. Eurico and Icnoyotl were already packed and ready to go.

“We will leave you here, Amaia. It is good to see you’re back. Our legends will continue.”

“You’re welcome to come visit anytime.”

Eurico smiled. “Some things need to be kept a secret. The jungle needs its mysteries.”

With that they turned and headed into the jungle. Abigail was still wide-eyed. “You didn’t rescue Guarin?”

“I couldn’t risk his life or mine. If we have what William wants then he will be safe. I guess you’re out of a job.”

“I’m not heartbroken about it. I might even say this little adventure is looking promising.” Abigail glanced over at Cualli and smiled.

“Did the two of you get introduced?”

“Not formally.”

“Cualli, this is Abigail Kately. Abigail, this is Cualli, my brother.”

“Good looks run in your family.”

“I need to get back to Salt Lake City. Are you up to more hiking, Abigail?”

“I can’t stay here.”

“We will stay in our city tonight. Do you have all your things?”

“Yes.”

We headed back into the jungle and kept a good pace that wouldn’t wear Abigail out.

“What happened to you Amaia? You were lacking confidence in yourself, unsure of anything, and now I can see you’ve changed completely. It was amazing to see you take out Miguel.”

“I was driven to find the lost city and left in the night when everyone was asleep. I had just realized I made a mistake when Guarin found me.”

“That Guarin is the same Guarin from your dreams? The same Guarin from the Francisco’s expedition?”

“The very same. He believed I had returned to him and no amount of me telling him I wasn’t the Amaia he knew would dissuade him. He took me into the city and gave me water from a fountain. He said it would awaken me.”

“You’re going to tell me this was magical water from the fountain of youth.”

“It was and is. As I drank all the dreams I had and Amaia’s memories came flooding back to me. Somehow, through time, I was reconnected to who I was. By the time I finished the cup of water I knew I was Guarin’s Amaia.”

“You became the protector of the city again.”

Cualli had been listening to our conversation. “No one has ever claimed that title but Amaia. She is the Jaguar, the fiercest fighter amongst us. We knew from the day we set her spirit free in 1942 that she would return to us. There will be a feast tonight in her honor.”

“We have no time for a feast, Cualli. Guarin is a hostage.”

“Our scouts have already relayed our arrival. You’ve been gone so long. You must give the people your attention. Let them celebrate.”

“All right, but Abigail and I need to leave in the morning.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“You can’t travel without identification, Cualli.”

“I have a passport. I wasn’t going to let Guarin explore the world without someone to watch over him.”

Shaking my head in disbelief I smiled at my poor assumptions. “That’s how you can speak English, now.”

“And French, German, Italian, Hindi, Mandarin, and a few other languages.”

Abigail fanned her hand in front of her face. “Be still my beating heart. All the looks and brains too. Please tell me you’re single.”

Cualli smiled. “Our people mate for life, Abigail, and our lives can be very long. Yes, I’m single.”

When we reached the stone archway I felt tears on my cheeks. I was so happy to be home and yet saddened that Guarin wasn’t here. My little room above the shooting range seemed like a lifetime away and in many ways, it was.

By the time we got to the polished limestone walkways, I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for me by the people. This time I knew everyone by name, except the newest ones that were born after I had died.

When we reached the large open-air room Cualli left Abigail and me to get ready for the feast and for our trip tomorrow. “Let me show you around, Abigail.”

As we walked through the palace, Abigail had so many questions. “You remember all of this?”

“I lived here for nearly seven hundred years.”

“If Guarin is a prince, does that make you a princess?”

I laughed. “No. Guarin isn’t a prince. He’s not a king. The people chose him to lead them and I’m merely the protector of the city, the people, and the stone. I could see how Francisco’s men might have thought Guarin was a prince.”

“But you live here in the palace?”

“The leader lives in the palace as does the protector of the stone. You might be surprised at the beauty and comfort of the other buildings.”

Taking Abigail into the inner courtyard I let her take in the beauty of the place.

“That’s the fountain… and the stone…”

Scooping a cup of the water I handed it to Abigail. “Drink.”

“What will it do to me?”

“It will quench your thirst and it will fully heal your body.”

“It won’t make me immortal?”

“The people here drink from the fountain whenever they’re sick or injured. Some people age a little but the waters return their body to a healthy state somewhere between the normal ages of twenty-one to twenty-seven.”

“How long do the effects last?”

“Your body immediately starts aging again, but the rate is less than you would think because the water restores your cells to perfect health.”

Abigail brought the cup to her lips and closed her eyes, much like I had done. I watched closely as the small wrinkles around her eyes vanished and the odd wisp of gray hair returned to a shining blonde color.

“That was so refreshing! All my aches and pains from the hiking have gone away and my elbow that I broke years ago and gives me pain all the time feels perfect!”

“Let me show you to my room. We can change and get washed up.”

Abigail looked down at her muddy clothes. “What do women wear to feasts around here?”

“Their finest dresses. I have a few extra you can try on.”

We walked over into my room and showed Abigail the dresses that had been kept and maintained for me. “I need to wear this one, but feel free to choose any others.”

“They’re beautiful!” She pulled a silver dress and put it up against her. “This one!”

“Take it with you into the bath beyond and I’ll wait out here until you’re done.” I directed Abigail to a large bathing pool. The waters steamed with heat.

“How do you get hot water here?”

“Volcanic springs.”

“I’m beginning to see why you dreamed of this place all your life.” Abigail touched my arm. “We’ll get him back.”

“I’m not giving them the stone. I don’t want to kill anyone but I will if I have to.”

“We’ll figure it out. That bath looks heavenly.”

“Take your time.”

Turning I went back into the bedroom and sat on the bed. I ran my fingers over the place that Guarin had been a day before. “I’ll get you back.”

I went into the palace and slipped behind a planter that hid a doorway. Beyond the door I looked upon the collective wealth of the city. Gold and jewels glittered across the torch-lit room. There were new things as well since my last visit here seventy-five years ago. Trays of cash from different countries and guns. I felt a cold shiver go up my spine as I saw rifles from German military. These were the same ones that killed me.

Taking some American cash and having found Guarin’s passport, I returned to my bedroom and placed them into my backpack just as Abigail returned from the bath dressed in her silver dress. She looked stunning.

“You need one more thing.” Reaching out from the balcony I picked a blue orchid and slipped it into Abigail’s hair above her right ear. “This is a symbol that you’re single.”

“Are you trying to set me up?”

“I think you’re doing a pretty good job of that yourself. You do realize that if you choose to be Cualli’s mate, you must live here in the jungle.”

“That means you won’t be returning to work for Mr. Owens?”

“My place and job is here. He’ll understand. I’ll explain it to him when we arrive in Boise.”

“We’re going to see your old boss first?”

“I need to gather a few things. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I need to get two days of running through the jungle off me.”

***

“Now that’s the outfit of a jungle princess if I ever saw one.”

I was wearing the golden dress from my dreams. It was meant for special occasions. It was close fitting around the waist and pushed my breasts up exposing ample cleavage. I love the feeling of being beautiful. “I wore this dress when Guarin and I went through the mating ceremony.”

“I bet he couldn’t wait to get it off you. You’ve been mated to Guarin for how long now?”

“About five hundred and sixty years. More if you include the last seventy-five years I’ve been away.”

“You don’t get bored?”

“Have you seen Guarin? How could I?”

Abigail smiled. “Your people are waiting for you.”

“It’s odd, Abigal. I’m Amaia but I’m still James. As James, I was never the center of attention; I always wondered what my life would have been life if… Now, I have a family, I’m married, and have an entire city to look after. Sometimes I think being alone with a jaguar would be preferable.”

We walked to the large open-air room to see what could only be described as a royal feast. I knew my role and Cualli kept Abigail busy while I made my rounds. People touched me and pressed their foreheads against mine in greeting. Some of the younger ones I had never met before looked at me like I was a super hero. When I had greeted everyone, we sat and ate.

I noticed Cualli reach for a strand of Abigails beautiful blonde hair and smile as he joked about her flower. It will be good to get Guarin back here so we could get back into a rhythm of life. My hearts weeps knowing he is not here with me. How did it feel for him for seventy-five years?

***

The next morning the three of us set out for Moyobamba, roughly forty miles as the crow flies from our hidden city. With Abigail not familiar with the jungle it would take us days to reach the city. Abigail was a real trooper and seemed to be doing better navigating the thick underbrush than before. I think it may have something to do with her desire to prove to Cualli she was mate material.

Our first night in the open air of the jungle was terrifying for Abigail but Cualli showed her how to make a comfortable bed and what dangers to avoid.

“What’s the plan, Amaia?”

“It will take several more days to reach civilization. Once we get to Moyobamba we can take a car or bus to Tarapoto. From there we can fly to Lima and return to the United States.”

“You mentioned you want to go to Boise first. What’s in Boise?”

“Bob Owens shop sells some equipment for hunting communications. They’re not like spy stuff but we can use them to communicate back and forth as we try to find Guarin.”

“If we make it to Discover Your DNA headquarters in time for the Fall Festival Ball it might be the best timing to get into the building. The ball is the biggest fundraiser of the year and all the rich people are invited to come to the extravagant event. Cualli and I could sneak in with the rest of the donors and mingle before slipping away from the crowd and get to security. If we can get into the main security room we could then guide you to Guarin.”

“Is there a way in from the roof?”

“Yes, we have a helicopter pad on the roof of the old building. Getting there will be a problem though.”

“I can climb the wall to the roof. I recall the bricks are quite large and the handholds looked good.”

“That’s fifty feet to the roof!”

“It would be no different than some of the cliffs around here I climb. If I can get to the roof, perhaps I can then get inside.”

Cualli added another piece of wood to the fire. “How can we guarantee Guarin will be there?”

“What if I call William first. I can tell him I have the diamond and demand proof of life. I’ll explain I’ll come to the event alone and will only exchange the diamond for Guarin in the public forum. That way he will be looking for me and not the two of you.”

“There are no guarantees with any of this.”

“I know, but I have to try.”

***

We were all dirty by the time we reached the outskirts of Moyobamba. Guarin had secured a remote house where people from out city could go to transition into civilization. While rudimentary, the accommodations allowed us to clean up, wash our clothes, and Cualli had stored modern clothing for himself there to change into. Once clean and ready we went into town and secured transportation to Tarapoto.

As before, our flights to Boise took many hours and I spent much of that time working with Abigail to memorize the Discover Your DNA building plans and ponder the great changes in my life over the past weeks. I would have thought my transition would have been harder, but it wasn’t. I was comfortable with my reflection and the way my new body moved. I don’t miss anything of my life as James before.

I could tell Abigail was smitten with Cualli and Cualli was carefully and gently sliding down the slippery slope towards love. He had confided in me that he finds Abigail attractive and intelligent but he was concerned she might not wish to return to the jungle paradise we call home, especially once she got a taste of the outside world again.

Arriving at the Idaho Range I pulled Bob Owens aside for a quick meeting.

“Mr. Owens, I owe you an apology as my situation has changed and I won’t be able to come back to work with you and the team.”

“What’s changed?”

“It’s a very long story and pretty hard to believe.”

“Harder to believe than you were James a few weeks ago?”

“Much.”

“Do I want to know?”

“I’m sure you would find it fascinating, but the real reason I can’t come back to work here is that I have found my family and my home.”

“That’s wonderful but that wouldn’t stop you from working here.”

“I’m afraid the commute would kill me as my home and family live in Peru.”

“Peru?”

“I told you it’s a rather long story but we just returned from there. This is my brother, Cualli.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Owens.”

***

I’m not sure Bob will ever fully believe our story as it sounds like quite the piece of fiction but he relented and offered to help anyway he could. I purchased the communication devices from him and a thigh holster for my old handgun I kept in the room above the range. I packed my new clothing and belongings and signed the title of my bike over to Bob as I would never need it again. It was sad saying goodbye to Bob but I offered to fly him down to Peru the next time he wanted to take a vacation. He was intrigued and said perhaps in a year’s time. I told him I would hold him to it.

We drove from Boise to Salt Lake City and stayed overnight in Abigail’s apartment. I slept with Abigail and Cualli slept on the couch.

“You know you don’t have to do this, Abigail.”

“Of course, I do. I got you involved in all of this and I’m sticking around to finish it.”

“You’ve already lost your job because of me.”

“I turned a blind eye to what the company was up to and I don’t want to see them get away with this. Not only did they risk physical harm to you but they kidnapped your husband. If I can do anything to set this right, then I’m all in.”

“How all in are you? I see the way you look at Cualli.”

“Will you teach me to hunt, jaguar of the jungle?”

I laughed and looked around the luxury apartment. “Look at what you would be giving up.”

“Oh, please. I’m a thirty-two year old woman that has struggled with finding my place in this world. I’ve sacrificed to get ahead and look where it has got me. I have a rental apartment and barely enough income each month to pay my rent and car payment.” Abigail paused and wiped a tear from her cheek. “I think I love Cualli, but I need to separate that from my decision making. Would you allow me to come live with you in the jungle even if Cualli doesn’t reciprocate his love for me?”

“You would always be welcome, Abigail. It might be nice to see some blonde hair around the jungle.”

“What could I do there? I would need to contribute.”

“There is hunting, scouting, gardening, maintaining, protecting, and I’m sure there are more roles that have been added since I was gone.”

“Cualli told me how you died. You love your people very much.”

“I would do it again.”

“How do I know if Cualli likes me?”

“You must realize that this is a hard decision for people of my city to commit to another person. Give him time. He needs to see your true character.”

“You think he believes I’ll break my word?”

“Cualli is focused right now. Guarin is his best friend and he wants to rescue him just as much as I do. When you live as long as he has, patience is a virtue.”

“You’re right. I see things from my limited perspective. He’s waited hundreds of years for his mate.” Abigail handed me a phone. “You better call William.”

***

The call had gone as expected. William felt I was in no place to negotiate but he didn’t see the harm in handling things my way. After his speech to the crowd I was to find him backstage and we would make the swap. During the day, we scouted the building and picked up a tuxedo for Cualli. I bought a fake glass diamond and a velvet purple bag to hold it in just in case things went wrong and we had to act out the transfer.

As night came we parked the car and I headed around to the north side of the old building, pausing only a few seconds to look back at Abigail and Cualli. Abigail was wearing a gorgeous red dress and Cualli looked handsome in his tuxedo. Since Abigail’s hair covered her earpiece I could only talk with her.

“You two look dashing tonight.”

“Cualli does look nice in a tux. Are you in position yet?”

“Just put my hand on the wall.”

“Be safe. We’re blending in with the crowd and should be inside in a few minutes.”

The handholds formed by the bricks made the climb rather easy. I doubt I would have done this as James but for Amaia she was used to heights. I was wearing a dark set of exercise clothing and my black backpack helped me to blend into the shadows of the night. Only my breath was visible in the surprisingly cold night air.

Edging my way over to the glass atrium I looked down. The place was packed with people. It took a few moments, but I managed to spot Cualli and Abigail. They were dancing their way across the floor. “Cualli learned to dance I see.”

“He’s amazing! I wish I didn’t have to go all James Bond as it would be nice to continue this all night.”

“I see a guard near the helicopter landing door entrance.”

“Be careful. We’re close to the edge of the crowd and will work our way to the security office.”

Slipping around the side of the helicopter door I pulled my handgun and silently pressed it against the back of the guard’s head. “Don’t make a sound. Hand me your security badge and keys.”

When he hesitated, I thumped him hard on the back of his head with the flat of my handgun. He slipped heavily to the ground. Pulling his belt off I tied his hands and feet together and stuffed one of his socks into his mouth before grabbing his badge and keys and making my way inside the building.

“I’m in.”

“Just a second…” Abigail whispered and I heard a knock.

“Hey! You’re not supposed to be…”

The sound of a heavy thud came through my headset and some quick breaths by Abigail told me she was working hard. “We’re in too. Checking the screens… I see Guarin. He’s in the basement at the end of a long hallway. Two guards are sitting outside his door. Looks like he’s okay but tied to a chair in the middle of a room. Be careful… They have guards throughout the place. I’m going to try something… Yes! They forgot to disable my computer account.”

“That’s great. Why do you need your computer account?”

“I just thought of a way that might prevent William from coming back to Peru.”

“We’re only here for Guarin.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve got some time. I see you on the back stairs. Go down six flights. It looks clear.”

“Thanks Abigail. Going silent for a bit…”

The stairwell was well lit and I felt very exposed. I stopped every few feet to listen. Halfway to the basement a door suddenly opened into the stairwell and Miguel appeared right in front of me. He was sporting a white bandage over his nose. As soon as he saw me he reached for his gun but my foot was faster and I kicked him so hard he dropped the gun down the stairs as he hit the cement wall. I couldn’t wait for chit-chat or reinforcements to arrive and spun to kick him across his face with a resounding crack as his nose broke again.

Miguel rolled with the hit across the wall but managed to block my fist and draw a knife. With a swipe that nearly took out my intestines I jumped back and drew my own blade. “You’re going to pay, bitch!” Blood from his nose sprayed as he spoke.

He thrust forward and I danced to the side cutting down on his wrist. With a yelp of pain, he dropped his knife but in a bold move he tackled me down the stairs. For a moment, we were airborne and I twisted in the air causing him to take the weight of us both as we fell onto the cement landing. His body went slack as I rolled free trying to catch my breath.

Reaching out a hand I checked his pulse. He was still alive but would be unconscious for a good while. Giving caution to the wind I raced down the remaining flights leaving Miguel in the stairwell.

“We lost you for a few minutes, Amaia, but I see you on the cameras again.”

“I got a little hung up with Miguel. I broke his nose again.”

There was a giggle that came over the headset. “You’re going to want to turn right but there are two guards in the hallway. They’re going to see you.”

“I have an idea…”

Whistling several high-pitched chirps, I could hear the guards talk amongst themselves. “What was that? Go check it out.”

I could hear a whistle that made me smile. There was a pause and a muffled “Hey, Guards! Get me some water!”

I could hear a door being opened and decided a full-on assault was needed. Turning the corner, I ran silently and full-speed down the hallway. One guard was looking in on Guarin and the other had just turned his back towards me as I lowered my shoulder and pushed him headlong into the open-door frame. The second guard spun and pulled his gun as I was getting myself up off the floor. I was in trouble and the guard knew it. I could see his muscles tense in his forearm before he pulled the trigger but a foot kicked him behind the knee and he collapsed to the floor.

Rushing forward I kicked the man in the face sending him sprawling into Guarin’s legs. Guarin looked tired but he smiled and looked at the two unconscious guards. “You keep this up and we’ll need to give you a new title. Jaguar of the world.”

“Oh, hush!” I pressed my lips against his and quickly cut the ropes binding his hands to the chair.

Guarin stood and pressed my back up against the wall as he kissed me before moving into action. He pulled the weapons from the guards and tied them up, stripping one of them of his suit. Slipping my backpack off I pulled out my white dress and two-inch heeled shoes. Silently we changed and stepped back into the hallway locking the door behind us.

“That was amazing, Amaia!”

“How do we get upstairs, Abigail?”

“Down the hallway, turn right at the end, then left. That takes you to the dream chamber and from there you know your way back to the main area. We’ll meet you there.”

I took Guarin’s hand and paused as I stared into his eyes. “Promise me you’ll never leave me.”

His hand came to my face and stroked my cheek. “I promise to always return to you. You look incredible in white, by the way.”

I smiled as he kissed me and I dragged him by the place that started it all. The dream chamber door was open and a chill went down my spine. What if I’m still dreaming?

Turning away from the dream chamber we headed up the stairs and found ourselves in the large atrium with thousands of guests. Pulling Guarin into the crowd I wrapped my arms around his neck as we danced slowly across the floor.

The music stopped suddenly and I almost groaned. “What now?”

All eyes turned towards the stage just as Abigail and Cualli stepped up next to us. Guarin looked at Cualli and smiled. “Nice outfit.”

Cualli tipped his head and turned his eyes towards the stage where William stood to the side of a large screen.

“Good evening and welcome to our Fall Festival Ball. Most of you know me but for those that don’t, I’m William Becker the Third, CEO of Discover Your DNA. On behalf of the board of directors and the staff here we want to thank you all for coming.”

The screen lit up and images of smiling faces appeared. “We’re a philanthropic organization committed to giving our time and resources to the people of the world. What you might not know about us is that we regularly assist people in their medical care when we find something wrong in their DNA. The faces on the screen represent just a few of the lives we have saved.”

Abigail nudged my arm, pulled out a phone and tapped a few buttons. The screen went blank and a video montage began playing showing William on the screen. “God, I hate these Fall Festivals with a passion. All those idiotic people.”

The crowd stood silent in shock as William turned angrily to see himself talking on the screen.

Another video clip presented itself. “I don’t care about the damn people guarding the church in Ethiopia. If they don’t let us in to get the Ark then kill them all!” The crowd murmured restlessly.

“Turn this damn video off!”

Another video clip showed a man being pulled from the dream chamber in convulsions and William was yelling that he doesn’t care if the man was nearly dead, give him another injection and stuff him back inside. One more video clip showed William holding onto a golden cup and stepping over the bloodied bodies of several men.

There was commotion on the side of the stage as news media rushed forward. “William Becker! What are we seeing here?”

The crowd had begun to disperse rapidly as William ignored the news people and scanned the room. When his eyes fell on the four of us he paled as I tipped my head and led our small group out of the building.

We didn’t know if it would be safe back at Abigail’s apartment so we had prepacked Abigail’s things and had them in the trunk of the car. Quickly we headed for the airport and within four hours we were on a plane to Mexico.

***

When we landed in Lima we had to wait until the next day to get a flight back to Tarapoto. It was midday so we booked a room at a hotel for the night. The four of us sat in a lounge as the television news played in the background. When we heard “Discover Your DNA” we all turned around and watched the screen.

“The arrests keep piling up here at Discover Your DNA. The FBI has been scouring through the records and thousands of hours of video footage at the headquarters of the company. So far, they have found evidence linking William Becker the Third and the executive team here to have been involved in dozens of murders around the world. The world has responded in shock and anger and many countries are coming forward claiming their precious relics have been stolen by this company. Within hours of the first news release, Discover Your DNA stock plummeted. We will have more coverage as new evidence emerges.”

Guarin reached for my hand and squeezed it gently. “I guess we won’t have to worry about them for a while.”

“That’s good as we have a lot of catching up to do.”

I looked over at Abigail and smiled. “You did that. You brought the company down.”

“I had no idea they had done those things. When I found the video library I pieced together what I could quickly find. Had I known… I’m sorry, Amaia.”

“I’m not, Abigail. It was meant to be. Without all of this happening I might not be home with my family. Excuse me a moment.”

Standing I tapped Cualli on the shoulder and led him outside onto a veranda.

“You know Abigail is in love with you, right?”

“I know.”

“It’s not right to lead her on. She wants to live in our city but I’m not sure if she really wants to live there or if she’s merely following her heart.”

“There’s something special about her. I need to see her there to make sure.”

“Then let’s take her home.”

***

We had been back at the lost city for a week and I felt like things were finally falling back into rhythm. Standing on the balcony of our room I felt Guarin’s warm hands wrap around me from behind and his body press up against me. We’d been inseparable and our love making insatiable. Smiling as I turned into his arms I kissed him. “Don’t ever leave me, my love.”

“Never in a million years. Get dressed, Amaia. Something’s afoot you’ll want to see.”

I quickly changed into my hunting outfit and Guarin led me downstairs into the city. He paused us both as we entered the city square under the jungle canopy. On the far side of the square Abigail sang lightly as she swept; a blue orchid was nestled in her hair above her right ear. Her smile was contagious and I regretted having not had much chance to speak with her much since we returned.

Guarin kissed my neck and whispered into my ear. “Watch…”

Cualli came out from one of the buildings dressed in golden splendor. Everyone paused to watch but Abigail who was oblivious to the handsome man coming up behind her. My breath caught in my throat as Cualli gently touched Abigail’s shoulder and she turned to face him. Her eyes shone brightly and her smile radiated towards him. Gently and slowly Cualli removed the orchid from her hair and tucked it into her hair above her left ear.

Clearly Abigail didn’t understand the significance of what just took place. Cualli knelt and took Abigail’s hand and wrapped a gold bracelet around her wrist. We were too far away to hear the muffled whispers between them but we knew the results when Abigail tackled Cualli to the ground and smothered him in kisses.

Cheering rose from the gathered crowd and I wiped tears from my cheeks. The city was going to prepare for a mating ceremony.

***

I glided effortlessly through the jungle only hearing the slightest rustle of leaves behind me. Glancing back, I saw Abigail’s smiling face as she ducked around a black palm and ignored the slithering snake at her foot. She was dressed in our traditional hunting clothing and had a long dagger strapped to her thigh. A bow was ready in her left hand. It had been nine months since we arrived back home.

As we entered a small clearing we paused and Abigail giggled. “They’re after us.”

“We’ll let them get a little closer. We left them pretty far behind. You’ve done so well.”

“I’ll never be as good as you, Amaia, jaguar of the jungle.”

“I’m not so sure about that. The title panther of the jungle is still free.”

With the sound of a crash, we both looked up to see Guarin and Cualli skid to a stop in front of us. Laughing we turned and leapt off the cliff into the sparkling waters below knowing full well the plunge would never stop our mates from capturing us.

***

***

I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did writing it. I long for a dream tank that could change me like this, but, alas, my life has been predetermined to live in the shell of what I would rather not be. That doesn’t stop me from dreaming…

If you enjoyed this story, please take a moment to write a review.

Casey Brooke