“What if a hella-horde finds us? Then what?” Justin’s jaw pulsated. “They could trap us—like they did last time. We should leave at sunrise.”
“Sorry, bro,” Luther cut in. “I’m with Justin on this one.”
Dean turned to Scarlett. “What are your thoughts?”
“We should leave as soon as we can,” she said, ignoring Twila’s adamant shake of the head.
Dean eyed the horizon, rubbing his stubbled chin. “Alrighty then, let’s scavenge anything of use, get some shut-eye, and we’ll leave at first light.”
Dean stared intently at the mountain range in the distance as if it called out to him. So that’s where we’re going. She quickly shrouded her thoughts.
***
Scarlett Lewis sat cross-legged on top of the boxcar next to the caboose while everyone slept. After a bizarre lucid dream, she had given up on sleep and relieved Luther of his post. Twilight, when the cosmic veils of time wavered like shimmering heatwaves, often revealed glimpses of an alternate reality. It was the perfect time to analyze her dream. Vague traces of the dream had hinted the only way they would ever be safe was if they somehow slipped into another dimension.
“My dear warrior child, have faith in your intuition.” The Silver Lady’s silent words streamed into her mind.
“Where have you been?” Scarlett questioned silently.
“Careful, lest Twila overhears. She must not know the Grand Plan to Save Hu-manity has been altered once again.”
Scarlett fumed with frustration. “Why did you promise us a normal life in Last State? You broke our hearts. Our resolve,” she silently badgered while maintaining her Merkaba shield to prevent Twila from eavesdropping.
“Your coddiwomple of a journey has eluded the Ancient Bloodlines thus far, connecting you with Shari. She was crucial for your esoteric education. And Mindy and Starla—vital LifeGivers and Starseeds of the New Hu.”
Yes, yes. Scarlett knew that.
“Ah, to answer your question: The Ancient Ones hijacked our timeline by creating the X-strains. Hence, the Galactic Council granted permission to create our own timeline. Above all else, you found the monatomic crystal! Birthed from Earth’s life-blood—magma, the Andara encapsulates the untainted Prima Matra. Creator of life! Its keeper has been cloaked. Even from me,” the Silver Lady explained.
“How could you not know?” Scarlett was astounded by the plot’s twists and turns, which she found more convoluted than a Marion Zimmer Bradley novel. “I’m sorry. I’m just exhausted.”
“Understand this. You have succeeded far beyond your fellow Lightworkers.”
Great. But Scarlett wasn’t fishing for compliments. She needed answers. Unfortunately, the Silver Lady usually left her more confused. “Why doesn’t Mindy’s baby need the special monatomic tea?” Let her answer that one.
“My dear one, Mindy and her mate were gifted with the twelve-strand DNA. Therefore, their offspring shall behold the New Hu DNA, providing Starla immunity to all dis-ease!”
Interesting, certainly not what Scarlett expected. That led to another question. “Where’s the baby’s father?”
“I regret to inform you. The lab-mutated souls known as X-strains consumed Starla’s father.”
“Oh!” Scarlett’s heart lurched. “Does Mindy know?”
“Sadly, Mindy witnessed the event. She trusts no one, nor should she. Forget not, ’tis your Soul Mission to protect Mindy, Starla, Mateo, Twila, and Ella. No matter the costs. For the souls of the New Hu depend upon you!”
“So, Twila’s DNA is different than Starla’s, and Starla’s DNA is different than Mateo’s?” Scarlett continued. The more she understood, the more she could assure herself that she hadn’t gone in circles in vain.
“Correct. We seeded variants of the New Hu, not knowing which would prevail. Twila, for instance, was infected with the initial cannibalistic dis-ease. Which is why she refuses to consume meat. She carries this dark secret with her. She existed as one of those very creatures you and your friends massacre.”
Twila had confided that. Scarlett had assumed it had been the child’s delusional way of processing her guilt—of surviving the pandemic. “If we don’t kill them—they kill us,” she justified. Was she collecting bad karma debt for the countless creepers she had killed? Murdered.
“ ’Tis not the time to lament. But the time to prevail. Once the Great Healing begins, Twila and the surviving Starseeds shall embark upon their Soul Missions, healing the lost souls meandering Earth. There is something else you must know before my departure. You often wonder how you outwitted the Ancient Ones. My dear, you—are a descendent of them.”
“That’s absurd!” Scarlett blurted out loud. Her voice disappeared into a gritty gust of wind. She quickly pulled her shirt’s neckline over her mouth.
“You! Made the pivotal choice eons ago. I tell you so as not to fear them. Your ability to combat them with your mind keeps you one step ahead. Remember this: you, along with your friends’ bestowed gifts have the opportunity to find your Shambhala. If you believe . . .”
“No!” Scarlett refused to be manipulated. “You took away Zac.” He was the first man she had ever truly loved, the only man who accepted her for whom she was. Without judgment, without expectations. Their cosmic connection seemed limitless. She didn’t stop the tear escaping down her cheek, but the wind did.
“Time heals all wounds—” The Silver Lady’s laughter tinkled like a crystal chandelier caressed by a gentle breeze.
“You could have warned me—not to fall in love.” Scarlett closed her eyes at the sand pelting her face.
“My dear one, I don’t control these epoch events. I am merely a cosmic referee who has interfered more than ’tis allowed. You must persevere. Twila needs you more than ever. Live for her! Let not your heartstrings influence you.”
“Why start all over with a new type of human?” Scarlett wasn’t ready to give up on her species.
“My dear—”
Scarlett sensed the Silver Lady’s scoffing at her ignorance.
“For millennias, variants of humanesque beings such as the Su, Mu, and Hu thrived. Only to be obliterated from Earth time and time again.”
