A time To Die - Dont Be A Hero Book 2

The Battle Begins

Vivian half listened as Natasha ranted on. She poured herself a cup of coffee, paying more attention to what Anthony and Nat were talking about via the crystal link they shared, than to whatever it was Natasha was complaining about. She knew Jerome and Jordan were connected as well, but neither of them said much. That was not unusual. She had just begun to make her way back toward the living room when she heard Jordan's excited voice come through.

"Guys! I think we're close to something! I'm getting some new information from the veggies down here!" By "veggies" they all knew he meant the plants and trees.

"What is it, Jordan?" It was Anthony's voice.

Vivian paused in the doorway to the living room, holding a hand up to Natasha to try to cease her tirade. She wanted to listen more closely.

"I think... well, from what I'm able to understand, and it isn't easy because the info is coming in fast and thick down here, there may be some kind of... big cave? Wait... no... An undergr..." His words were cut off and then, "Whoa! Where did you come from?"

Just then Vivian's eyes fell upon Tya across the room. Her feet were tucked up underneath her on the sofa, but she was perfectly still. Too still. Vivian's stomach dropped and she felt a chill run down her spine. Jordan's voice became distant. She handed her coffee cup to Natasha without a word and sprinted across the room, skidding to her knees in front of the Oracle.

Tya's eyes were unfocused. She seemed to be far away even while sitting right there within reach. Vivian took her small hands in her own and looked up into the deep, green meadows. She started to say the smaller woman's name, but the word was lost on her lips. The meadows seemed to expand and draw closer. Or was she moving closer to them? They became like windows.

She wanted nothing more than to go to those windows. To open them and breathe the air of the meadows beyond. She felt herself moving toward them and they seemed to be pulling her in. Welcoming her. Beckoning to her. She drifted, lost in the black pupils which had begun to expand and become like pools. Individual at first, but as she drew nearer to them, they joined and became one, big, dark, swirling pool. Just as she began to feel a sense of alarm, the pool engulfed her.

She was falling. Falling in pitch darkness. At first she panicked and braced herself for an impact, but it never came. She held her hand up before her face, but saw nothing there. Frantically she reached out to try to grab hold of something, but there was nothing but emptiness. It seemed eternal. She tried not to scream, but as terror began to grip her heart, she heard the high-pitched wail of her own voice as it tore from her throat. She knew there was no one listening. She was lost, falling forever into utter blackness, completely alone.

...........

Natasha had followed Vivian into the living room, wondering what had freaked her out. She watched as Vivian knelt before Tya and then she appeared to just freeze. Natasha dropped to her knees beside the two women, who seemed locked into an eerie staring match. Vivian was holding Tya's hands in her own. Natasha reached out and touched Vivian's shoulder. There was no response.

"Viv. Vivian, what's going on?" she asked, but Vivian just continued to stare into the eyes of the Oracle.

Natasha turned the red-head toward her and put a hand on either side of her face, breaking the eye contact between the two women. She glanced at Tya, but then looked back at Vivian, her friend. Her antagonist. Her rock. She cupped her face and drew the pale green eyes up to her own.

"Viv..." she began, but the rest of what she was going to say seemed to float away from her as she looked into those eyes. They were beautiful eyes. She had never noticed how beautiful Vivian's eyes were before. She began to feel drawn to them. As if they held every answer to every question she had. All she needed to do was reach into them.