Chapter 36
For three months Shadow has been feeding me horrendous foods that I can barely choke down. The drinks are even worse, much worse. There is one he calls the eltaputla tea. It smells like lake water and is a mossy green color and the consistency is of a chunky smoothie (total contradiction there but that’s the only way I can explain it). I call it death in a cup…ugh. Makes a shiver run down my spine just thinking of drinking the sludge he calls tea.
Shadow has been teaching me how to meditate and channel my energy. He tells me this will help when I use my powers. He says this meditation will keep me from using more power than necessary for a task; thus, keeping me from getting injured or sick from the use of power. He has been teaching me about the moonbeam tribe also. He says to be a good leader you must know your people. For three whole months the only thing keeping me moving forward is thinking about Dylan and my people, who are all being controlled by Joanne.
Today is the first day Shadow is allowing me to use my powers full force. He wants to see if I can control it better now that I have learned some control with my mind body connection. First, he said we have to start the day as we normally do with tai chi. The slow exercise does have a calming effect on me. But at the same time I drive myself mad each day wanting, needing to be home, where I belong. I can feel it in my bones the call of the land.
Many spirits has been visiting me since I came to Shadow’s home. Sarah is here every day. She said she is keeping an eye on all of my people and things aren’t well but they have yet to become extreme. When I ask about Dylan she always manages to avoid the question all together or is quite vague in her explanations. Shadow knows and can sense that the spirits are all around daily. He just goes about his business as if they aren’t. We had just finished with our tai chi for the morning when he turned to me.
“Gonja I was wondering if you would like to try a new form of meditation?” Shadow asked.
“Another form of meditation, Shadow? I don’t see why not,” I said exasperated.
“I think you will find this form of meditation to be anything other than another form. It is what I have dubbed as transference. Although, I will not be able to assist you with this meditation. The spirit that comes to you daily her name is Sarah, right?” Shadow asked. I nodded not sure where this was going.
“Sarah can teach you how to transfer into her spirit state and you will see what she sees. You will hear what she hears. You will still be in your body. You cannot move her form or anything but you will be able to travel your mind,” he told me. Was that possible to transfer into Sarah? I could see my old pack. I could see Dylan!
“Now I want you to try out your mind power at the full potential but only for three seconds at most so you are not injured,” he explained. I closed my eyes and focused on the tree directly in front of me. I counted…one, two BAM! Before I got to three the tree exploded into splinters blowing away from myself and Shadow.
“Great improvement! How are you feeling Gonja?” Shadow asked with fervor.
“I’m fine and I have lived with your for months now please call me Tiffany,” I said. Shadow just gave me a big grin, which is rare. We practiced my powers of moving the earth and making it rain and creating electricity to do what I wanted to inanimate objects. As he said I have improved a great deal from what I had been before. My physical strength had improved exponentially as well. Shadow had me working out every day. Each day I worked a different set of muscles.
After we had finished for the day with all of my activities I took a shower and waited excitedly for Sarah to show up. An hour later after my shower I heard her wisp into the room. I was practically bouncing up and down in place waiting for her. She had an amused look on her face seeing me so excited.
“You have to teach me transference! I want to see everybody and you are the only way to do that!” I screeched at her not being able to hold in my excitement.
“Are you sure? I mean it may be painful for you afterwards,” She said in a serious tone.
“I am sure,” I said with confidence.
We worked for hours trying to get my mind to transfer into her…well body but she doesn’t really have a body but her misty form I guess you could say. Finally I was able to master pushing my mind into hers. I can see and hear everything she does from her point of view even though my body is still on the bedroom floor. I can still feel the soft carpet under me and the temperature of the room and so on. After we had finished practicing I asked her what I knew she would dread.
“Will you take me to see them,” as I asked she knew I meant the pack and Dylan.
“Yes, but please be prepared it is not pleasant,” was all she said. I nodded and pushed my mind into hers as fast as was possible for me. Then we were flying through the air, through walls and doors like they were invisible. We flew for just a few moments and we were at the border to the pack.
“Are you ready? Remember it is not a pleasant sight,” she reminded me.
“Let’s do this!” I said into her mind.
As we approached the pack house it looked different. Instead of the kids toys lying around outside there were immaculate shrubbery greeting us. There was no children laughing and playing in the yard but adults were tending to the flower gardens that now graced each side of the house. The house itself hadn’t change but the whole ambience of the place was stiffer more business-like than homely. We floated through the front door and I was astonished. Inside I found the children each one of them cleaning, dusting, or tending to other chores. They looked like little robots. Amber, a little girl who had the biggest smile and dimples on each cheek, was now very solemn-looking as she polished silver in the kitchen…we didn’t even own silver (not real silver) when I was here.
It had only been three months…and so much has seemed to change. And where were the rest of the adults. We rounded a corner to what use to be the banquet hall. Many of the adults were gathered around a large table in the center of the room. At the head of the table sat Dylan and just next to him on the right was Joanne. I watched as Joanne nudged his elbow.
“So the shifts will be doubled starting today…We can never be too careful against an attack, especially from Tiffany and her minions. Everyone will receive their orders at dinner this evening. You are dismissed,” Dylan said with a quick swipe of his hand they all stood and left quickly. Sarah decided to follow Darrell and Janette two of the pack members.
“They are working all of us to death, even the kids. We have to figure a way out. There has to be another pack we can join and regain some normalcy. I cannot believe Dylan has let her take over completely. It’s like he does love her…which is so weird. How could anyone love that monster,” Darrell said. Janette didn’t respond she just let a few tears slide down her cheek. He pulled her into his side tightly.
We left the two pack members to their private time and Sarah took me to see Dylan. In our mind connection she said, “You should brace yourself.”
We found Dylan and Joanne walking down a hallway toward my old Alpha bedroom.
“Dylan you are such a good, strong leader. I am so proud to call you my husband,” Joanne’s words stopped my heart. Her husband…Dylan married her. It’s really too late. I have lost him and my pack…everything.
“And you my love are the strong, beautiful Alpha female that owns my heart,” Dylan said to her. At his words I broke Sarah and my mind connection and was instantly in my mind in Shadow’s home. I have to go there myself in person and talk to him. It has to be that he is just pretending. It has to be!
I ran down the hallway to the door running past Shadow in the process. He tried to speak to me but I couldn’t hear his words. I was running as fast as I could across the treetops and before I knew it I was just behind the pack house. I would have to choose the perfect timing to be able to get into the house without the guards seeing me. I saw my opening. There was a second story window open and if I jumped just so I would land from the tree nearest that window into the room. I closed my eyes and prayed no one was in that room. I jumped and opened my eyes as my feet softly thumped the floor of the room.
I looked up to see Dylan standing in the corner of the room. I ran to him and hugged his waist, hot tears rolling down my face. He wasn’t hugging me back though. I looked up at his face to see that he looked confused. I backed away and said, “Dylan I have missed you so much! I love you and I will get you out of here.”
He grabbed my arm roughly, “You will do no such thing! My wife ordered you away and you come back to laugh in her face and try to steal her husband! I will have the guards imprison you for your misdeeds. My Joanne will not be happy about me not killing you right away though. Although, she may want to kill you herself,” he stood there contemplating what to do and as my heart was ripping in two a thought suddenly came to me. As swiftly as possible I transferred my mind into his.
“Dylan this is Tiffany and I love you,” I said into his mind. His grip on my arm loosened and he shook his head like he was trying to shake me out. I realized being in his head that Joanne must have placed some sort of spell on him and most likely anyone else in the pack she has had a chance to; that would explain the children. In his confused state I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed his mouth with all the pent up emotions I have had for the past few months.
“Tiff, is that you,” he asked.
“Yes it’s me. What the heck is going on here?” I asked.
“I don’t really know. Joanne took over and she must have done something to me. I can’t remember. The last thing I remember is it had been a month since you left and I was fighting staying here and protecting the pack or coming after you. The only thing keeping me here was knowing how much you love the pack I knew you would want me to stay here. Everything else is kind of fuzzy. What is today?” He asked.
“It’s been more than three months and Joanne now calls you husband,” I told him. His eyes grew big at my last words.
“But I didn’t marry her,” he said.
“Why would she call you husband if you aren’t married?” I asked him.
“If it has been three months then it is now May. When you left, Joanne told me she wanted a May wedding. I told her I would not marry her and that she had not made that part of the deal. She laughed and told me we would see,” He went on to tell me what he did remember from the past months, which wasn’t much. Dylan and I were in a deep conversation when his door suddenly opened.
“Dylan sweetheart I wanted to…” Joanne stopped her words instantly seeing the relaxed positions of Dylan and me talking.
“You dirty wench! Couldn’t stay away like you were told eh? Well you will pay for this! How dare you try to steal my husband?” Joanne was screaming as she quickly made her way to me. Her hand was at my throat in an instant. As Dylan was striding over to help me Joanne became enraged even more and threw me out the window I had came in.
I managed to grab a branch of a tree I was hurdling past. Slowly I lowered myself to the ground. Only to find myself surrounded by my old pack which are now Joanne’s guards. Each was pointing the gardening tool they were using as a weapon at me. I don’t hold them responsible most likely they are under Joanne’s spell just like Dylan was and the children that must be why they look like little robots cleaning everything.
This was going to get bad for me quickly if I didn’t do something fast. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the meditation Shadow taught me and snapped my fingers once. When I opened my eyes I found the guards all frozen in place. Joanne was fast as lightning. She was once again in front of me.
“I should’ve killed you that day! I shouldn’t have let my infatuation with Dylan mar my decision to end you!” She shouted. Her hand jutted out and I found myself on the ground gasping for air. I quickly pulled myself up and concentrated on the ground beneath her. It started shaking and she only laughed at me.
“Ooh the little girl can make the ground move. I am so scared right now,” she laughed evilly. Once again she pointed her hand at me and a gash opened up in my flesh on my right cheek. Damn it that hurt like a bleep. As I was trying to ignore the pain I saw Dylan running at us. Only to see Joanne turn and pin him to the ground with her witch’s magic. I went running after her but she turned back to me and put her hand up making me come to a halt. She levitated me off of the ground.
“I told the both of you I would kill her if this happened! You did not heed my warning and now she shall die slowly,” Joanne told us. I used all of my concentration to call upon the spirits. As I was doing this Joanne had released the pack from the frozen position I had left them. The spirits began gathering around me in a circle. I started to slowly lower until me feet hit the ground. Joanne looked utterly shocked. The spirits must have formed a protection field around me not allowing Joanne’s magic to work on me. The pack had made it to Joanne and was standing behind her. It hurt to see the people I love in direct opposition to me and willing to kill me for her even if it isn’t of their own free will.
“How…how did you get down I still have my power radiating? Yet I could not hold you up. What kind of gonja are you. I knew you were powerful but no gonja has ever been able to deny the abilities of a witch,” Joanne spat at me. I was using the breathing techniques that Shadow had taught me in order to keep calm and be able to act in an instant. I walked until I was directly face to face with Joanne and her pack.
The spirits still surrounding me gave me the confidence I needed. “Joanne my dear this is my land, my pack, and my mate. You are the same as you have always been; a spoiled brat who is throwing a tantrum when she doesn’t get her way. I have learned much since I have been away,” I told her as if I was talking to a small child. I was using the meditation to gain all of my power to be able to use it without killing myself in the process. In order to demonstrate to her just how powerful I am I waived my hand across the pack standing behind her. Suddenly, the pack was looking very confused. They were all looking at each other and all talking at the same time.
“Quiet please,” I commanded. They all fell silent.
“It’s not possible! A witch is more powerful than a gonja!” Joanne shouted.
I laughed at her, “You are correct there, but I have been Alpha. I am the most powerful Gonja that has ever lived. It just took your tearing me away from my reasons for living for me to truly find and perfect my gift. So for that I thank you. Now we must get to business. I am nothing if not fair. So I will give you two choices. Choice A: you will allow me to confiscate your powers through detoxification and you are banished from our lands for eternity. Choice B: you will die a witch’s death; you will burn at the stake. Those are your choices but that’s all you have to choose from,” I told her sternly.
She raised her hand to try to injure or kill me but I was ready. I took my power of wind and blew her until she fell on her butt rather hard. Then I levitated her as she had done with me. Clamping an invisible hand around her throat making it difficult for her to breathe. I concentrated with all my might allowing the ground to shake beneath her once again. This time the ground opened up ready to swallow her whole.
“You are testing my patience woman. Choose or I will forcefully choose for you,” I scolded. Dylan was already at my side.
“I don’t wish to die at the stake! But I will not allow you to have my powers either!” Joanne said breathlessly and with fear shining in her eyes.
“Oh I don’t wish to have your powers. I am going to destroy your evil magic as it should’ve been done centuries ago,” I said much to her horror. The worst thing other than burnt at the stake to a witch is allowing her magic to wither unused. I allowed the ground to close up once again.
“NOOOOOOOOOOO!”She cried out. I released her to the ground allowing the guards to shackle her.
“If you try to get out of the shackles I will know because I have placed you on transference. I know what you are thinking. Shadow will be here to complete the detox ritual in a few moments. It will all be over in less than an hour,” I informed her with a smile.
I turned to Dylan and he grabbed me up into a bear hug.
“I missed you so much. Never leave me again,” He said desperately burying his face in my hair. “Oh and remind me not to get on your bad side,” He said with his sexy smirk that melted my insides. I punched his bicep and laughed as we walked into the pack house.
“We have to meet with everyone now. We will have to bring Joanne with us because we need to get the pack back to normal as soon as possible,” I told Dylan. He called down from the new intercom system Joanne had put in and announced a meeting in 5 minutes for all pack members.
Dylan managed to tell me in the 5 minutes we had alone that Cynthia, the mean girl from school, was actually Joanne in disguise. It was the only way she was able to get into the pack without being noticed. She had fooled a family saying she was a relative and her parents had been killed. He said we had much to talk about once we were alone. By the time he had told me all of this it was time for the meeting.
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